Beren

In a sense, I understand what KD means. I don't by any means think they're a one-man team, or that he's the best keeper in the league even, but in a way, he's like an unpredictable force of nature that runs unchecked in the Premier League. He'll be average [by his own standards, that is] for a while, then one day he'll screw up the title race by single-handedly humiliating a Man Utd or an Arsenal offence. He'll tell his defenders to part like the Red Sea and invite the opposition to fail for 90 minutes in overcoming one, ostensibly mortal, man. On his day, he's frightening.

[Yes, best defence in the league, thank you very much ]

Take this with maybe two pinches of salt, but: http://www.4thegame.com/football-statistics/premiership/tables/currentform.html Who would have thought we'd be wishing the season didn't end in 3 games time, earlier in the season, eh?

Thought he was shite as a presenter.

If we we're gonna sign four players to go straight into the first team, that's what it should be. Address the midfield 3 times before getting another striker in? Take Viduka out of our team and we're absolutely bummed, nobody to lead the line. I agree with HTT's post on the previous page, a top class center forward has to be very high on the list of priorities, if not at the very top. Can't agree with that. We have three very capable forwards, and Carroll [who I rate higher than perhaps is warranted from the evidence thus far!]. We don't know whether Keegan will stick with the 4-3-3 or not once he has the opportunity to bring in his own players, but if we revert back to 4-4-2, I think we'll certainly be fine up front. Any more real quality we purchase up front would create an unhealthy level of competition - which we, as a non-CL side, couldn't handle/justify. Any forward we bring in should be very much as back-up [unless we sell Owen, Viduka or Martins]. By contrast, our midfield is malnourished. Problem with going back to 4-4-2 is that Viduka & Martins is the only pairing from our current group of strikers that has any real chance of being a good partnership. And, with Owen very much a key figure for us moving forward by the looks of things, I can't see that being the way to go. Viduka and Owen offers absolutely no pace, while Owen and Martins just won't work as far as I can see. You need one of your strikers to be adept at playing with his back to goal and offering some sort of size for high balls. Be very surprised if Keegan tries to switch Owen back to his old style of game, because I just don't see how it'll work with the amount of pace he has lost. Viduka has been good in recent weeks, but can you imagine what a really top center-forward, one who can offer a physical force and aeriel threat as well as the good link-up play and finishing that Viduka gives us could do in his role, and how much that would help the game of both Martins and Owen? We do need midfielders too, no doubt, but the single biggest impact on our team would come from a really top center forward, IMO. Difficult to say what our overall plan is, but given the fan's/Keegan's past record of favouring wingers, and putting crosses into the box, I understand why you'd say that. I would also go as far as to agree that Viduka isn't as much of an aerial threat on goal as you'd expect of a 'big man' forward, though he does lead the line and compete well enough. I can't help but feel that having better creative midfielders would obviate the necessity for the kind of striker you refer to. I wouldn't rule out the Martins/Owen combination until we have some pace in midfielder, some guile out wide and someone better than Butt threading balls through for 'em! Also, agree with Dev that defensively we're okay and no substantial investments need to be made. Seems strange saying that when we've got battered by 3+ scorelines on a regular basis for parts of the season, but I very much believe that was a team issue.

I like Avram. Funny in his own way. Everton and Chelsea was always going to be boring as. Especially at Goodison.

If we we're gonna sign four players to go straight into the first team, that's what it should be. Address the midfield 3 times before getting another striker in? Take Viduka out of our team and we're absolutely bummed, nobody to lead the line. I agree with HTT's post on the previous page, a top class center forward has to be very high on the list of priorities, if not at the very top. Can't agree with that. We have three very capable forwards, and Carroll [who I rate higher than perhaps is warranted from the evidence thus far!]. We don't know whether Keegan will stick with the 4-3-3 or not once he has the opportunity to bring in his own players, but if we revert back to 4-4-2, I think we'll certainly be fine up front. Any more real quality we purchase up front would create an unhealthy level of competition - which we, as a non-CL side, couldn't handle/justify. Any forward we bring in should be very much as back-up [unless we sell Owen, Viduka or Martins]. By contrast, our midfield is malnourished.

Pattison and Ramage by a country mile for me.

I'm going to transpose my own motto into interpreting that as meaning 'the best form of defence is attack'.

Aye. The current (hopefully permanent iyam) one is based on the city's coat of arms, which was itself our first crest: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Arms-newcastle-tyne.jpg Defend it?!

We've had four badges, haven't we? Not sure if they've been official mind you.

Certainly one of, if not the greatest that I've seen. [Wish I'd seen more, tbh!] http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/9540/romariosw8.jpg http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7347993.stm

Quite surprised to see a run-away leader, tbh. Especially when most have tried to wipe the Age of Apocalypse his tenure from their memory!

That Sporting defeat will always rankle me. Fucking Souness. We were cruising, then three injuries [and concomitant subs] later and Zog dislocates his shoulder, as I recall! >.<

Not necessarily my choice, but a good candidate would be another goal against either AZ or Sportin Lisbon when we faced them on our Uefa Cup runs.

The forum or the boardroom? What's that Role Model? What does that wink mean? What's that, you say? Less space used since Freddy Shepherd left, you say?! Oh my. That's DISPARAGING to Freddy Shepherd. Gee, I sure hope no one gets on your back about it.

This board is brilliant. We have idiosyncracies, character growth [in some cases ], character dynamics, use of space... the whole shabang.

Wonder if Chopra will celebrate should he score. Don't think he would celebrate, being a fan.

Brentford I think. Whoever it was had just knocked out Spurs, anyway. Scoring was his revenge in that match

yes, but doing things during the course of a game is completely different to standing up and being prepared to slug it out with somebody. Keane also broke Alfie Haarlands leg deliberately and for that he should have been banned for a long long time. Not the same as a genuine fight. Fair enough, but you never saw Shearer look afraid/back down. Sure he seldom went beserk, and in a way, we'll never know, but he looked pretty calm while Keane was foaming at the mouth. At the end of the day, he stood up to players on the pitch who needed standing up to whilst acting responsibly for the most part. Can't ask more than that of a 'hard' footballer.

I remember Shearer roughing up Mellberg at Villa Park not too long ago too. Mellberg had gone in hard on one of our lightweights at the time [not sure who, tbh] and a minute later as he was shepherding the ball out for a goal kick, Shearer slid in and made sure Mellberg shepherded ball right up to the bill board in front of me.

A little early, but on the back of a 5 match unbeaten run I'll go for a comfortable 3-0: Martins (2), Barton

Tough game, decent performance, decent result, great to keep our form going into the derby

Bring on Carroll IMO.