HawK

The day I chose Newcastle. Coming from Chelmsford, Essex, there are no local teams to choose from. You wouldn't pick Southend or Colchester because they are naturally rival towns. All the kids at school supported Arsenal, West Ham or Tottenham. Other kids got beaten up for supporting Manchester United or Liverpool as they were the Glory Hunters. I didn't know much about football, but saw a picture in an old football magazine of a team that played in black and white stripes. I saw that their star player was Peter Beardsley and he had the same birthday as me! I was hooked from that day on, always felt something magical about the Tower in our badge and the black and white stripes.

Your girlfriend isn't called Diego by any chance?

TBF this isn't really knee-jerk. He's been class since January, having Routledge in the team to add width and to add more dimensions to our play has given him more space to work with and he's reaped the rewards and improved no end. In 10 years time and if he's our record goalscorer, I'd say the reason was Wayne Routledge.

Ow look at me, I have a spanish girlfriend! And I play Starcraft 2

My Spanish gf loves Carroll.

http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,40340.msg2491825.html#msg2491825

A nothing team with 2 good players.

400 before he scores?

I think he's pretty much nailed on as the first name on the team sheet with Enrique. He's simply on a completely different level to anyone else in our squad and I'm still pinching myself we've signed him.

Avatar http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2008/09/21/carroll460.jpg Andy Carroll http://screencrave.frsucrave.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/avatar-sam09-8-251.jpg

My sleepy eyes saw that as a 3-5-2

No it'd have to slam shut. If it was closing slowly, there would be no way anyone could sign a player like Nolan with only a few minutes left.

Pace spread throughout the flanks with (if/when/338pages) Ben Arfa, Jonas, Routledge. Possible future England no. 9 Andy Carroll, and probably the best back line we've ever had (minus a right back) looked like having since Keegan Round 1. Probably an England keeper in the works too. It's been such a long, long, long time since I've been so excited and happy to follow the Toon, after the last couple of years I'd never dreamed I'd be feeling like this. Everyone's out to get us, every one hates us and I love it.

Bit out of the blue this one like? Hope he signs. Not heard much of him.

lol'd irl

A great advert to those local young Shearers, Bruces, Beardsleys and Carricks this will be to know the club will transfer list you without even telling you first hand, and try to turn the supporters against you by releasing rumours about massive wage demands to the press. He's at least as good now at what is required of a premier league defender as Coloccini is, and Taylor will almost certainly improve in the next few years as Coloccini declines. If wages are the problem, then why has the curly haired one not been transfer listed too, we've another 3 years of paying his wages which are almost certainly higher than the fabricated £60k? Deluded. Sends a message that players can't hold clubs to ransom. Especially mediocre players at mediocre teams, lets face it. Find me a defender at a well run club not in the top 4 being paid 60k+ a week.

wtf lol

Yep. Do you think we'll sell him (injured) before Tuesday? I think someone will make an attempt for him, yeah. Gosling is injured for far longer but it didn't stop us taking a chance on him. I guess the difference is who Taylor will want to go to, considering his supposed wage demands here. Nobody will want him in January like. Problem is chairmen want to see their cash investment on show ASAP, cash for an injured player is not the done thing. Freebie transfer a different matter tho ^^

Without trying to derail the topic, at the time, not a single person (other than KK) would have turned down 9million cash up front for Milner, with his sell-on clause pre-bundled in for another 3million to make it a total of 12m. At the time he was very average with no signs that he would progress in the way that he has. Same situation for Taylor now, he could go on and be a good defender, but right now, he hasn't progressed in 6 years let alone 3, still does the same things he always has. If he does well somewhere else, good luck to him. But right now, some cash for our 4th choice center back to help strengthen other areas is a good deal for us.

So many Taylors-in-disguise on this topic

When was the last time we had someone playing for England? Dyer, Parker? Owen?

But then mebe AC wouldn't have got his Hattrick-that-makes-him-an-England-Striker

i like the daft hair man, has to stay! Our whole team needs to now pledge they won't cut their hair till we're back in Europe. Can imagine Motty doing commentary.. "And Colocinni plays it forward to... Colocinni, with a lovely flick on, it's... Colo... Colocinni scores!"

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/4999/carroll.png

If you're worried about the club selling him to make some money, I don't think that will happen. Ashley will like the fact he's ready-made player that he doesn't have to splash out a transfer fee on. Hopefully he'll realise that it's false economy to sell a player like that. Obviously if he becomes world-class he might eventually have to look elsewhere... unless we develop at the same time of course. I don't think he'd actually look to go any where else, provided he keeps scoring and improving and starts to fulfill his potential. We are a very, very rare club in that players want to become heroes here. Look at Shearer compared to say Andy Cole. Yes, Cole won so much more with United, but will he be remembered as a hero by United fans in 10 years time? Shearer will be worshipped in the city for the rest of his life, Carroll has an opportunity to do the same. And I hope his ego just gets bigger because he'll want to try to oust Shearer's record. Before you shout knee-jerk on the Shearer record, re-read the bit in build.