chicago_shearer

We can only imagine the heights that Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton, Ryan Taylor, Alan Smith, Shola Ameobi and Andy Carroll could reach without Chris Hughton holding them back.

We should be preparing for the Premiership since we were apparently promoted already.

I would have preferred David Villa, but seeing as we are still in the Championship and haven't actually been promoted then I suppose this will have to do.

Cool. Wasn't expecting a half decent signing.

Nile's Str888 like a Banana Split

This place has been a little light on panic, misery, hysteria and 'HUGHTON cluelezz' threads recently. Probably the reality check this board needs.

Must have been real. Umbro's lawyers have been very busy.

YESSS!!!!!11

Portugal get Brazil. Have fun with that Ronaldo.

YESS

Someone from the top four, simply so it gets televised.

2nd Dec i think. Its virtually sure though with S Africa, England, Spain, France, Brazil, Italy, Argies & Germany in 1 The eight remaining Euro teams in 2 Africa/S America remaining in 3 South Korea, Japan, Australia, North Korea, Mexico, USA, Honduras, New Zealandin 4 Pot 1: Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, and Spain Pot 2: Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland Pot 3: Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Nigeria, USA Pot 4: Australia, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, North Korea, Paraguay, South Korea, and Uruguay New Zealand, Algeria & Slovenia please.

I'm enjoying it more listening to this daft Welsh commentary.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

You know, both of 'clueless' Chris Hughton's strikers have scored so far.

Goal by Harewood, assist by Colo. Ronaldo just jizzed himself.

YESSSSSSS

After all this it would be a bit funny if Pancrate turns out to be decent.

Should hook himself up to his ProZone tbh. Hope he gets well soon.

Miss the days when he was a squad player.

How so? I was estatic when we won matches last year. Perhaps it's more of a reflection of the state of the club than of the Championship. In previous promotion campaigns, the feeling was different because it was like we were moving forward, and getting to the top division felt like a real achievement. I get the sense now that we're trying to arrest a slide, like getting promoted is just ensuring that we're back where we belong. This - in 1984 and (especially)in 1993, we had the feeling that the club was going on to better things. In 84 the Board cocked it up by making things difficult for Cox in the transfer market, so he resigned. In 93, we knew the team was decent enough to do well but they surpassed expectations by finishing 3rd next season after the addition of only a few players. There is no way this team will even stay up if it gets promoted this time unless there are several new signings, so the sense of progress isn't there ; also, we all know that the club's future is not settled and it will be put on the market again if promotion is achieved. To be fair, I don't think there is ever likely to be a team in the foreseeable future that gets out of the Championship and is immediately able to compete in the Premiership without serious investment and restructuring. Not without some Man City style owners who don't care what the wage bill looks like and can somehow attract Premiership quality players to play in the lower league. Who can basically afford to pretend to be a Premiership club, while not actually enjoying the advantages of the top flight. This is because there seems to be a massive gulf at the moment between what it takes to stay financially healthy in the Championship, and what it takes to get serious in the Premiership (or be more than a yo-yo/middling club like Hull or Stoke). The path for these clubs seems to be getting up, and then hanging on for dear life through a combination of physical anti-football, good luck and small incremental improvement in the players they can attract and afford (without assuming too much risk since relegation remains a possibility). Newcastle have the advantage of more revenue and greater notoriety, but it is still the same boat. You need one type of team to be successful at this level, and another to be competitive in the Premiership. The fact that we don't look like a Premiership team at the moment and aren't playing great football is to be expected. I don't think there is a pretty way to win a poor league, with youngsters and has-beens. I'm not disheartened by that. Getting out of this league is the priority, and only the results get counted. My real worry is that if Hughton gets us up, then there would absolutely have to be a total, top down makeover to get things moving again. There is no chance of that happening with an owner that doesn't have a long term commitment to the club and without any professionals with experience of running a club. And very little (as much as I like him) with an inexperienced coach like Hughton. So that leaves you trying to do it the ugly way, which the fan base will not support, and will leave us in the same precarious position we were last season. Because we won't have the tolerance for underachievement that smaller clubs have (nor should we). Ashley has admitted himself that he was woefully inept at running the club last year, but he has yet to take any action and appoint someone that does. Someone that can plan, work with the manager, and isn't one of his inexperienced cockney friends. Aside from how obnoxious he is, how exactly is Derick Llambas qualified for the job he has? It's one thing to admit your mistakes, but it's another to make them again and expect different results.

Apparently Caulkin isn't the only one at the The Times with a soft spot for Newcastle. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article6916444.ece SPECIAL DELIVERY: WHY JOSE MOURINHO WANTS TO GO HOME TO ENGLAND

Is he supposed to be a good physio?

Not watching football on television and instead depending on the narrative abilities of Mick Lowes and his sidekick that really doesn't like foreign players.

Hope Jonas' injury isn't serious.