OzzieMandias

Richard Williams is a good writer, but he rarely focuses on anything outside the top four. Sid Lowe is excellent writing about Spanish football. And they still publish the occasional David Lacey piece. But I agree that their young crop seems to be a bunch of sniggering idiots, David Conn possibly excepted. well dara obriens column is worth a read usually arsenal focused but generally funny. David Conn is the man to read on financial matters with football if thats your thing (and i admit its mine) Yeah, I'm interested in that too.

Richard Williams is a good writer, but he rarely focuses on anything outside the top four. Sid Lowe is excellent writing about Spanish football. And they still publish the occasional David Lacey piece. But I agree that their young crop seems to be a bunch of sniggering idiots, David Conn possibly excepted.

Louise Taylor is malandro.

Also says the senior vangard of players that have taken efforts to right the dressing room are Nolan, Harper and Smith... no mention of Butt who has no leadership qualities IMO. I think it maybe IS Louise Taylor, writing as "Lance Harvey", who hasn't had his name to any other story, ever. I like the first bit of the first sentence, though: They do all seem to lose their blob, don't they?

Me neither. Maybe if we win the league with some games to spare, but unless we reach that point we should carry on playing the strongest side we can field. Whether games in quick succession mean certain players need to sit out a game is something only Hughton and his staff are in a position to judge.

I used to have to go to Peterborough for work sometimes. Absolute shithole of a town. I hope we stuff them.

For the last time. I’m not questioning that he’s done a good job, because he has. I’m questioning how good a job he’s done as this will have a major bearing on the fortunes of NUFC next season. So you're not questioning that he's done a good job, but you're questioning how good a job he's done?

Is Carroll crocked?

Depends who we sign, just to add to the speculation. Say we signed Messi and finished 16th, then that's bad. If we sign noone and play Best up front then 16th would be a miracle. This sort of, it depends on what we and other clubs do in the summer transfer window. If we don’t strengthen at all 16th would be about the mark. Dangerously close to a relegation spot - one bad refereeing decision or one fluky goal away from going down again. Our weakness this season has been CM. Our attacking options have been limited to the long ball to Carroll or giving it to the wingers. It won’t take much for the organisation, athleticism and superior technique in the PL to stifle our goal threat. We’ve played with a little more variation recently but generally our play has been fairly predictable. With reference to Hughton this raises two issues. Will he be strong enough to stand up to Ashley if our owner continues with the attitude that saw us drop out of the running to sign Beckford and Moses, and can he step up his game on the tactical front. And what atittude was that? Moses wanted Premiership football and wages. Leeds were asking way to much for a 3rd division striker coming to the end of his contract. Neither deserved persuing further imo. The attitude where Hughton said he wanted to bring a player in but Ashley wouldn’t pay the market rate to get him. Well, right now I'd prefer a manager who can work within given limits to one who spits out the dummy because Ashley won't fork out £10 million for Jermaine Beckford. good for you. And which striker did we sign instead? Yeah, a waste of space. And how much has that mattered in the wider scheme of things?

Depends who we sign, just to add to the speculation. Say we signed Messi and finished 16th, then that's bad. If we sign noone and play Best up front then 16th would be a miracle. This sort of, it depends on what we and other clubs do in the summer transfer window. If we don’t strengthen at all 16th would be about the mark. Dangerously close to a relegation spot - one bad refereeing decision or one fluky goal away from going down again. Our weakness this season has been CM. Our attacking options have been limited to the long ball to Carroll or giving it to the wingers. It won’t take much for the organisation, athleticism and superior technique in the PL to stifle our goal threat. We’ve played with a little more variation recently but generally our play has been fairly predictable. With reference to Hughton this raises two issues. Will he be strong enough to stand up to Ashley if our owner continues with the attitude that saw us drop out of the running to sign Beckford and Moses, and can he step up his game on the tactical front. And what atittude was that? Moses wanted Premiership football and wages. Leeds were asking way to much for a 3rd division striker coming to the end of his contract. Neither deserved persuing further imo. The attitude where Hughton said he wanted to bring a player in but Ashley wouldn’t pay the market rate to get him. Well, right now I'd prefer a manager who can work within given limits to one who spits out the dummy because Ashley won't fork out £10 million for Jermaine Beckford.

Was just about to post on similar lines myself. There are several reasons why I'll be reasonably content going into next season with Hughton at the helm, and apart from continuity and stability, and the fact that he can evidently work with Ashley, the main one is that he's clearly been getting better at his job as the season has progressed.

Watching that made me realise I forgot how many good chances we had in the first half. Someone on here said we were shit for the first 60 minutes and while I thought that was a bit strong I didn't think we were really at the races (first half at least) but those chances on another day we could have been 4 up by half time. We weren't shite in the first half. We were fine everywhere except in the final third, where they were doing a good job of closing us down and we lacked the extra something special needed to break through.

"Wankfest" would be a better description of what it would have been like on here had Shearer brought us to the verge of automatic promotion, four points clear with a game in hand, unbeaten at home since the start of the season. You wouldn't be able to read the forum for all the jizz.

No credit for Ashley, no credit for Hughton. In the malandroverse, a thoroughly miserable continuum, we are top of the table by four points with a game in hand, unbeaten at home since the start of the season, purely on account of one poor fluke after another.

He's been trying to get the thread closed for ages for some unknown reason, though to be fair, I do think it's been pretty much covered. The people who are definitely wrong are those who claim Ashley has so far done a grand job, he's done a shite job, however, he did the right things in January after 2 1/2 years of getting it hopelessly wrong. There is still a fair bit to go for him to show he's getting it right and wants to take the club forward. Nonsense. The appointment of Hughton has also proved to be a resounding success.

That's actually not true... but might help prove the point even that no one cares Fair point. I'd completely forgotten they came back up again. That 5-0 is burnt in my brain because it qualified us for the CL on goal difference over Arsenal, in a season when Boro and Sunderland got relegated, and that night I had a friend from Nottingham arriving to stay.

They're just bitter because us beating them 5-0 was the last they saw of the top flight... 13 years ago.

Er... he did bring Barton on.

OK, I take back what I said about wanting to see him suffering horribly.

Take that you scabs! Good game, well won. Welcome back, Shola!

I think I'm hallucinating. That looks like Barton coming on.

Great backheel from Ameobi to set that up.

Fucking brilliant!