Theregulars

The sad thing is that you actually think this.

Why has nobody really chimed in that the team are playing well right now? Yes, we could do with a few more players. Yes, the Milner situation is a bit of a downer. Yes, it's frustrating that Ashley doesn't seem to spending as much as others thought he might, but get a grip. We'll be fine and better off in the long term. How people can complain about signings when we have Jonas and Colo on board is beyond me - I believe that these two could turn out to be two of the best made in our Premiership history. Furthermore, how many teams have bought big this summer in terms of instant impact on their first team squad? Compared to everyone else we're ahead/not too far behind. The squad is thin, they know it. It's not like they're leaving it deliberately to piss us off/mess the team up, they are aware they need to strengthen but want to do so in a structured, sensible manner with players who will have an impact, play for the shirt and not just sit and pick up massive wages. Personally, I think Mike Ashley's mint.

And here I was thinking this was going to be a poll about the the best PANIC! AT THE DISCO song. Hmph.

It's either of the many theories going on here. If he's just come out and said it, he wants to force a move, probably get more wages at Villa/wants a change/whatever. If it's been in place for a while, let him play a few games and hopefully perform well to up his value (it's come off the back of his best perofrmance so far which was last night), leaving it till the last minute so it doesn't drag on/force Villa's hand so he hasn't got time to have a strop etc, then it's been quite cleverly handled. Personally I don't think there's a big conspiracy, he's probably been thinking it for a while and has now spoken to O'Neill. Basically, if we have a replacement lined up, I couldn't care less. He's alright, but I'm always disappointed when Zoggy has to play left back as I think he's miles better. Even more so if we can squeeze a large fee out of whoever wants to buy him/by leaving it so late the club who wants him is desperate and offers us silly money/a player. However, if valuation isn't met/there's no replacement, we can probably just keep him and I doubt he'd be banished to the reserves or whatever. I really don't think we'll let him go without sourcing a replacement.

Is he hoping to putt his career back on track?

If the Mackems were going to beat anyone, glad it was that player-stealing bunch of overpriced noncebags. Wonder what Modric is thinking right now.

why does Taylor insist on defending with his arms in the air?

There's only one Shay Given

No way are we scoring now.

Problem is we can only meet their dull 4-5-1 with our own impotent 4-5-1 because Milner and Duff aren't strikers. That doesn't mean bring Smith on.

Senderos would be the new Bramble, he's outrageously shit.

I loved Woody, but injuries have taken their toll, he really isn't what he used to be. Was't outstanding at Boro and hasn't been at Spurs either. Was at Wembley last night and he didn't look much good at all. I know he only had a short time on the pitch but he's gone downhill since leaving us. Furthermore, Coloccini on hairstyle alone.

He's crap but he always tried his best in his own ridiculous way and scored some good goals, didn't look too bad under Robson and Roeder. Deserves a good luck and no hard feelings. Now for Smith...

We so should fill our team with strong players who are supposedly good in the air. Smith's awesome.

Annoyingly, I think Keegan rates Taylor at CB and Butt in DM ahead of Faye - I think a lot of us disagree with him, with good reason, but I don't think he just wants to be a squad member and wants to start regularly, which he should, but probably wouldn't.

Even for a professional athlete a fine that is several more times you're annual salary is something too high. If you took a class A drug then got fined £200k you'd think you where harshly treated. I wouldn't do class A drugs because I value myself.

Seems a very strange decision - can only presume he doesn't like it here. Maybe it's something to do with how we treated Fat Sam, maybe he really does actually just like the North West. Maybe he has a lovechild there. Don't think he's brilliant but thought him and Colo could have been pretty decent together. Don't mind Colo/Taylor but Cacapa and Edgar as back up makes for pretty vile reading.

Totally justified - anybody who touches class A drugs should be punished appropriately. As he earns massive wages, this is what should happen to him. Stupid twat.

There have been wrong things at the Official Club Shop before y'know? Ok, if the club have put up a player on the online drop down menu that we hadn't actually signed, I will eat my new Coloccini shirt which I'm going to order just to memorise this ridiculous afternoon. There are mistakes to do with updates - i.e. when a play has been sold we may not change the list for a while as the webmaster may be lazy - until recently you could still order Emre or Ramage (do you think anyone ever ordered a Ramage shirt?) but we knew they didn't play for us. I am sticking to my guns and saying I doubt the club has ever made a players name on a shirt available in that manner if we hadn't signed him. They have consciously put him up there, not left him as he's an old player. Christ on a bicycle.

When you went into the clup shop and got 7 Keegan, you didn't get it from the drop down menu. Here is the crucial difference. There's a poster on here who has a shirt saying "Sunderland are fucking shite". He didn't get it at the clup shop, because "Sunderland are fucking shite" doesn't play for us. Middle stump removed.

To clarify once again: You can go into the shop, and get whatever you want. However, when you order a standardized player name - not a custom name - a standardzied player name from our squad, it would not be legal to include a player in that list who isn't a member of our squad. Let's put it another way for you. I am runnning a toy shop, and a brand, spanking new series of X-Men figures have been released. However, because my toy shop is s*** and one of my employees once killed a customer due to gross stupidity (any relation?), nobody wants to buy anything and the X-Men toy manufacturers won't sell me their products as they think it's a non-starter. However, because I'm a crafty bugger, I advertise that the toys are available just to get people into my shop. It's what we know as FALSE ADVERTISING, and in a market sense it's not legal. People are coming to my shop on the pretense that they can buy a product that I have never had, never will have and can't sell them. If I have ordered them and they haven't arrived, different story - it would be legal as I have a guarantee that they should be here. However, if we are advertising the purchase of a Coloccini shirt without a guarantee that he is ours, that is illegal, because we are selling something we are not licensed to sell. You can get Keegan because he's our MANAGER. The saddest thing is that in my last post I considered saying you can get the players and manager, but I thought you'd have the initiative to pick that one up. I've got headache from stooping down to your level.

Not illeagal in the slightest, how many names on shirt have you seen that aren't players for the club, you can put anything you like on the back of your shirt. yeah thats true, i remember a man city fan got fowler then the deal collapsed I'll explain more slowly for you. I'm sure you can go to a LOCAL NON-OFFICIAL SHOP and get whatever you want put on the back - moron, or gimp, for instance, combined with a number of your choosing - but in the OFFICIAL CLUB SHOP it would surely, surely not be legal to offer a standardized name and number of a player we didn't have? That's why, although at at the shop you may be able to request 10 KAKA on your Newcastle top (although you'd look like an idiot), if you order ONLINE THROUGH THE OFFICIAL CLUB SHOP who are offering the names and numbers of players, they aren't going to offer 2 COLOCCINI as one of our OFFICIAL PLAYERS TO GET ON THE BACK OF YOUR SHIRT if he didn't play for us. This is why, when you try and order a shirt online, you can't get players who don't play for us. I don't know if you have noticed, but all the players on that list play for us. I hope this clears things up.

To be honest, it's probably illegal for the club to sell something with his name on it if he's not actually ours. So you'd hope this plus Ashley's shirt plus Depor confirmation plus Gutierrez' endorsement of him = he's signed. Cue panic becuase it's still not confirmed by tomorrow though.

All good stuff HTT but we also need to think of the here and now and invest further in the first team. There hasn't been enough investment yet in the starting 11, this pre-season, if Colocinni is the last one trhough the door, then yet another season of mediocrity awaits and that could hurt the club financially more than signing another 10mill player would. As long as the club do not neglect that while focussing it's efforts on the youth, then the ownership will get my backing. We are though, we've signed 4 players to date with the chance of some more coming in too. There is no rule in football saying you have to spend X figure on each player or have to bring in X number. Remember even if we signed 10 players at 10m each there is no guarantee things would change just because we add more bodies and spend more. As Ashley and KK keep saying its about the right players and of course opportunity. No point spending for the sake of it and I'm sure we're working as hard as any to go into the season on the best terms possible. I never suggested we should spend for spending's sake. But we have two gaping, and I mean gaping holes in our squad, they have been there all close season TBH, but the pre-season games probably emphasised the scale of the problem. A creative midfielder and a big strong lad to play up front who can stay out of the physio room and is of premiership standard. We can get by without a back up LB or RB, and although not perfect the DM situation will suffice but if we go into this season without rectifying that, then I will be mighty disappointed with the recruitment team. This could cost 10mill per player, even more but it could also be 3 or 4 million per player, I don't really care which as long as it's done. Modric, Aimar, Tiago.... nah, the club's just not making any attempt to sign a creative midfielder.

I think I've actually stopped caring. This is boring me so much that I can no longer put off my task at work anymore: getting a re-engraving on the trophy that South Africa just won off England in cricket as the company mispelled Basil D'Oliveira. Thank you and goodnight.