HawK

Like a less-c***tish Michael Owen.

4-1, Gayle with 2, Ayoze will get one despite only playing for 10 minute as a sub. Mitro the other. Own goal for theirs.

Compared to our last no.9, seems to get into all the same sorts of positions as Cisse, albeit onside, and can actually finish. He's absolutely clinical in front of goal.

Maybe it's not the player but the formation/tactics. We've won 8 in a row, madras. It might be time to admit that Rafa's formations and tactics might be better than yours, like. The squad we have Pardew would strolled it. Righto. Oh come on man, we have by far and away the biggest and best team and squad in this division, even Pardew as much as we dislike him would'nt have f***ed it up. But would Pardew have signed half the players that Benitez has done? You can definitely say he wouldn't have signed the person who turned out to be the top scorer in the Championship so far, he'd have probably tried to bring Wickham or Lambert here.

Despite me saying he had a good half on the last page, I'm still wondering what he brings to the team ahead of Hayden. When Shelvey's marked out of the game, Hayden can at least fill in a bit for Shelvey, whereas Colback is like a deer crossing the M1 when he gets the ball.

I think he loses the ball far too often to get a free pass because he produces one fantastic assist. Granted a player of his type will lose it a few times, but it's actually rare these days when he completes a move. I want him to succeed badly, but he has to show signs of improvement, but after a couple of years in England there's not much sign of it. Did well when he arrived because he was a bit on an unknown quantity, now other teams know all about him - he doesn't look up and can't seem to receive the ball whilst on the move. Too static off the ball imo. Nice lad, has scored some very clinical efforts over the past couple of seasons but his awareness hasn't improved at all, sadly.

To be fair, Darlow's really not done a lot wrong but I agree he does need to be tested in the PL to be considered alongside Krul. Krul had to play behind Colo and Taylor vs PL teams, whereas Darlow is playing behind the two best central defenders in the Championship vs people like Glenn Murray and Cameron Jerome. Hope the lad comes good, looks as good as any keeper at his age has.

They've won one since then as well.

Making the Ls the same size as the Ws

We made them look bad. Remember how ordinary Brighton looked against us? But alongside us, they're currently taking this division at a canter as well.

I know I'm biased being a lifelong fan of this club, but I think we could be onto something genuinely special again. Ferguson - Manchester United Keegan - Newcastle United Bobby - Newcastle United Have there ever been other managers of clubs who have been elevated so beyond the players in the teams that they get supported to the hilt by the fans? It completely wipes out the notion of 'player-power', because the players know the fans are always on the side of the manager so you better do right by both. Let alone the fact that Benitez is unarguably a top-drawer manager, that level of unequivocal support from the fans seems to be bringing out the best in so many of what I would think are our ego-centric players like Mitrovic and Shelvey. How can they have a strop against the man that all the fans adore and chant his name at every opportunity? A spat with the manager is a slight against the whole city. We had a some good times under Bobby, some great times under Keegan. I don't know when we're going to get the chance to be this happy as Newcastle United fans again, we've got to keep Rafa at all costs. We're at the beginning of another upward shift in the bipolar nature of what it means to be a Newcastle fan and I intend to enjoy these times to the full. I do worry though, that at the end of the season, whatever happens, there's a chance he might end up elsewhere - Spanish national side, Man Utd? Please stay, Rafa.

The goal difference of all the other teams bar Brighton makes ours like absolutely disgusting

Mitro you plank

Na na na na na naaaaaaaa na na naaaaaaa na na

Paul Dummet, EPL's fastest player, sprinting back there. What a sight

Reminiscent of the Colback baby-crawl dribbling, who was that against again?

Well they're definitely not the ones Gayle was born with, mind.

Better than Ipswich.

It's an old chant .. it's evolved from 'You black/fat bastard', depending, to 'oooorrrrrrhhhhh you're shit, ahhhh'. Yes it's shit.

Or the old in-between-the-adverts bit on Channel 5.

I do like it when Darlow plays with Lascelles, they've had more game together than any at the back. Journeying together from Notts Forrest to us together, probably a good understanding there.

It'll be Diame if anyone.

Perez hasn't been great today, could we see Mitro & Gayle?