Theregulars

Ryan Taylor

Let's not forget their inability to keep their star players - Bent looked pretty damn keen to get out of there, Henderson didn't hang around for his boyhood club (pre-emptive acknowledgement: Carroll did the same to us). I don't actually think they've a bad side, just a lame manager who gets by on the fact that he was coddled by Sir Alex who doesn't know how to get the most out what talent he has at his disposal. While Malbranque isn't the focal point of that team I'll never know. Mind, there's a few of their squad I'd have over here - the aforementioned Malbranque, Turner, Gyan... they also have to contend with the fact that nobody wants to live there.

Still think playing in our side as it was at the time completely suited his game and made him look a lot better than he is. Interested to see if he can stand out as much at Liverpool where he won't be the focal point of the attack and they don't have a crosser of the ball of comparable quality to Barton on the right flank. I don't think he'll fail, but don't think he'll be as prolific as he was/would have been here. Also think he's a treacherous bellend.

Anyone else reckon he's playing the waiting game to see if we sign any other good players? Surely must have bee impressed with with speed, professionalism and potential of the Cabaye capture?

And that we were genuine title contenders and playing the best football in the country at the time. The point I'm trying to make is, would Carroll have pissed off so quickly if we could pay him as much as a contender, were a contender and played ridiculously sweet football? I'd say at the very least it was less likely, and then we'd hail him as Geordie hero.

Let's not forget it was probably massively helpful for Shearer that at the time we could pay him a shedload to match anybody's offer.

Wasn't he getting racially abused though? Yeah I seem to remember that, doesn't surprise me either. Was Flatline in London for the weekend? Nah we banned him from the city.

Whatever, more they spend on unproven/potentially average Englishmen, the less they have to spend on Enrique.

In my opinion Best has proved he should get a decent look-in next year. Not yet first choice, but knocking at the door. Don't think anybody can write him off based on what he did last year in pre-season and when leading the line.

There was some chilling out, some maxin', a spot of relaxin' all cool, I seem to remember. Sewelly what was that simmer down comment in reference to?

Does this make anyone else want to sing? You have stumbled upon the reason why I rarely disclose the "West" element of my residence!

Re above: I can't work computers. My response is in the middle of your original point. I shall now go back to the corner.

Still a bit light in my opinion - although this could change on evidence of HBA playing up front/scoring regularly. I like the nippy frontman, especially if Cabaye lives up to his reputation of threading delicious through balls. I like Lovenkrands but just don't think he's quite good enough, although with better service he may improve, think he's got the much-touted "football brain" for his position. 2 strikers in that are better than last seasons is a good summers work

Still a bit light in my opinion - although this could change on evidence of HBA playing up front/scoring regularly. I like the nippy frontman, especially if Cabaye lives up to his reputation of threading delicious through balls. I like Lovenkrands but just don't think he's quite good enough, although with better service he may improve, think he's got the much-touted "football brain" for his position.

I spent a year living in West Philadelphia. Liverpool is comparatively utopian to my homicide-surrounded student apartment and door security named "LaCresha" (really).

With the exception of Cloughie's son, how many Nigels have actually succeeded in football?! Regardless of any footballing ability he may or may not have, I don't want him here as he seems like a pillock. Irrational but I think he believes he should be automatic starter anywhere, wouldn't get in my line up in central midfield ahead of Tiote, Cabaye or even Nolan. Don't even reckon he's miles ahead of Gosling (although far too little time spent watching him too tell). Would be a waste of limited wage resources and doubt he'd take kindly to being a back-up.

Ireland too. Was HBA injury prone?

He probably could be a decent player in time, but his attitude off the field seems to be p*ss poor by all accounts and he also seems a complete and utter tit who's more interested in being all straight G yo than he is in improving himself as a footballer (as evidenced by the fact that he hasn't improved at all as a footballer since he got here). Not only does this s*** attitude really hinder any potential development, but it's also a very negative presence at the club. If he was some sort of special talent then maybe you put up with it, but he's not so the negatives of having him around outweigh the potential gain IMO. I can see your point, especially when our revival has been built around good team spirit and attitude - but do you not think with a commitment that long we must have seen something worthwhile in him? I just think that, instead of ditching him, try and work through his attitude problems for a while and see if we can sort him out. I've no idea why he behaves like such a dickpole, but perhaps it's something deeper-lying than just being a rudeboy, perhaps he has some genuine attitude issue (wasn't he in prison or something) that maybe could be worked through, and thereafter a real decent player could be found? I'm just not one for giving up on players really easily. We should exhaust all avenues - either try and give him some mental help if he needs it, send him out on loan to see what kind of job he could do in the Championship, something like that. Just binning him because he behaves like a tit isn't progressive. As someone pointed out earlier, a scare tactic would be a great thing in my opinion, but I doubt Pardew is genuinely that forward-thinking. By the way this doesn't mean I think binning Smith is bad. I would actually physically put Smith in a bin and push him down Barrack Road, sausage roll styleeee.

Let Phil Neville leave, who has played better in midfield for Everton this year than some of his central midfielders (see Anderson, Carrick). Also, as they're so desperate for a good creative midfielder, don't see why they haven't considered Arteta. Back to the thread topic, the Wear will be bubbling with Wash N'Gog. He's just another on their list of completely average players who will never play noticeably well for more than 3-5 games a season.

My only issue with him is the wage-eating - he clearly isn't getting anywhere near the first team except in situations of absolute necessity when there is absolutely nobody else. I consider him insignificant and haven't deemed him an NUFC player for years.

Stupid decision, honour your long-term commitment to a young talent. If he has issues, work through them. Disagree with any assertion that he's crap, he's got the raw abilities to turn into a decent player.

Loved the shit out of Scott Parker when he was up here. Gutted to see him leave, I'd have him in the England team regularly. I think the problem with Capello is that, for the first time in his life, he's met a challenge that, for whatever reason, he can't seem to crack, so he tries to copy other blueprints, like putting in young players a la Germany, or fanciful new formations based on another team's success, instead of studying the players he has available to him and formulating the best combination of players to fit the most effective system in consideration of those available resources. However, it's now way too late to think in this way and the clock is winding down on his tenure - the players aren't bothered about him, he's not bothered about them or us, or the job, and the whole situation seems to be riddled with apathy and indifference. Also, we aren't anywhere near as good as we think we are.

While I would like to hope a midfield with Cabaye and Tiote will be better, no way we can know - Nolan clearly has his limitations but it's impossible to dispute that he did a sterling job last year. Unless you are sure that you have a replacement who is going to effectively going to improve on that level for certain, then you can't just discard Nolan. The team spirit angle is clearly important, our recovery has been built around it - for me Nolan not only should stay for his leadership and club captaincy, he deserves to stay because for the last two seasons he has played out of his skin and been one of our best players by a mile, indisputably so. On the other hand, the fact that he's holding out suggests to me that he knows that he played above a level expected this year, and he's keen/been advised to cash in on the back of it - I understand the club's position IF they are genuinely thinking "will he do that again?" As others of pointing out, his goalscoring ratio isn't regularly as good as this. Giving him a massive extension on the back of one over-par performance would be counter-productive, especially if our aim (commendably) is to build a younger, energetic pass-and-move kind of team. My conclusion on the matter is that it's not as serious as it's being made out to be - it's just contractual bargaining where Nolan (understandably) is trying to deservedly cash in, but we're not willing to commit as I don't think the club seriously believes he'll be able to produce at that level, especially with increasing age. If he doesn't accept it, we aren't in bad shape - we keep him for another year or two - if he carries on performing at such a level, extend the contract. If he doesn't, then the risk is justified - that's the key word, 'risk' - we are constantly informed that Ashley is a gambler, this is just another example. From a business point of view I think he's played the situation commendably.

My brother is a Manure fan and he's all like: "it's so typical that Geordies hate Owen, not good enough for our club, delusions of grandeur, it was a sinking ship and every player was just as bad as him - even your precious Enrique and Coloccini didn't give a shit as you went down". In the same conversation he maintained that Owen "made a key contribution as a bench player" this year, and that he fully deserved his spot on the bench ahead of Berbatov in the Champions League final. Also, and I quote, "Paul Scholes is better than any player you have ever had". Please vindicate my rage.

Nailed on to be Tomi Ameobi.