gazza ladra

We were more dangerous. We be far more dangerous if he was in starting 11 and had time work with Cabaye, Jonas, and Cabaye. Maybe Marveaux too.

Could be wrong, but I think James Richardson referred to a certain "Agent Bruce" is the last Guardian podcast. Glendenning wasn't amused. Did I imagine that? Well done, draw out the misery.

Didn't think that any of the substitutions did anything remarkable. Marveaux and Ben Arfa obviously need minutes. Aside from the lead up to Cabaye's goal we really didn't play with any fluency at all once they came on. Hopefully, we'll see a near full strength team against Blackburn (w/ Marveaux and Ben Arfa) so they can work on that. Like most, I think, I'd like to see what we'd look like after Marveaux and Ben Arfa have been worked into the starting 11. Now is the time, before that hellish November. Also, I thought Best was decent enough in the first half. Ba was anonymous.

http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,67798.0.html Thanks.

Any suggestions for podcasts? Been listening to football ramble and Guardian Football Weekly. Any others worthwhile?

It seems to me that the record against top-half and record against bottom-half statistics are really tricky early in the season. If you lose to a team (as opposed to merely drawing) you greatly increase their chances of being in the top half. Arsenal are currently a "top-half side" with 10 points. Wolverhampton are 16th with 7 points. That's a win between them. Sure, we've played most of our games against teams in the bottom-half of the table. We've put them there.

People have been writing that for four years or so.

We've been infiltrated by Mancs!!!! Fuckin' hell.

Best team in a decade? 2002, 2003?

He really needs to start. He tries to do too much sure, but the way he runs at defenders... we had so much more of an edge with him on the pitch. A couple poster have mentioned him going off in a huff at end of the game. No details. Anyone know the story?

They are also forgetting that he is injury-prone. Best is unproven and Shola is Shola. We need another striker.

Madness. Don't rest anybody. Three points from Wigan (at home) is more important than anything we might nick from Man United, Man City, or Chelsea. Rest Tiote against Blackburn in the Carling Cup, maybe, but not in the league.

Agree entirely. He looked good, keep him there. Simpson doesn't deserve to be in the side and Taylor does. Wow, Ryan Taylor's reputation sure has gone up 'round these parts. Deserving, competent, adequate. PLus the set pieces. Now, if he would just smile every now an again.

Absolutely correct. Was in no way poor in the first half. Great defensive contribution as always. Edit: by always I mean 2011, of course.

Am angry. We need another quality striker.

Awfully short mile that. Jonas was terrific. Admit it.

Both were terrific. Ben Arfa needs minutes. Simpson needs the bench.

Damn, that was fast. Cambiasso. 0-1 Inter.

My only point was that he's never impressed against us; at least, not that I can remember. Last season's game really stands out for me--- that was the PLAYER OF THE YEAR™ looking lost out there!

He's probably looked sensational because its something your team desperately needed. He's nothing special. No he's looked sensational because he's played sensational (besides we have Sandro so wasn't a position we desperately needed). Sensational because he's surrounded by better players at Spurs than he was at West Ham. (... or England. )

He's like Jenas against us!

Aye, you'll only have Mordic, Bale and Parker in midfield. You wont stand a chance Parker is really nothing to be worried about. How many good games has he had against us since he left?

I'm not sure that the Liverpool owners are looking to La Liga as a model so much as they are drawing on what they know--- Major League Baseball. Baseball is a fucking mess. The rich clubs are incredibly wealthy. The Red Sox and Yankees,for example, cannot make enough money from TV while small market clubs cannot complete in any real sense. Baseball jumped the shark a decade or so ago when the Yankees were paying a single player (A Rod) more money per season than the Pittsburgh Pirates were paying their entire roster. Pittsburgh is a really small market with very little money coming in from TV. They just cannot compete. I don't think they have had a winning season in more than a decade. The NFL (American football), on the other hand, is incredibly well run and competitive, have a salary cap, and share TV revenues. If you are going to look at a model from US sport (if you must), that is the place to look. There, a small market team-- like the Pittsburgh Steelers-- can excel.

Your mate is on crack Sounds more like acid to me.

Huh? I thought he had broke his leg or something. Last time I really on NO for injury reports.