Geordie Boot Boy

So you really think that Keegan doesn't comprehend that Nicky Butt and Damien Duff are not the same players that were around when he was last a Premiership manager? Despite watching them in training and playing six matches and talking to coaches no doubt? You really think that he 'isn't even close to considering' changing his side to accomodate N'Zogbia and Geremi in midfield? I actually agree with Keegan that confidence is a huge thing in football. That's why teams go on winning runs and often don't just lose one game on the bounce but get a string of bad results. When a team loses its collective confidence, results just don't come. That's why he's talking up the players, he's trying to get them putting in the best performances that they can. So, take his media comments with a pinch of salt because they're more often for the players rather than us.

Are you serious? If the opinion in the OP really is what you think, this should be a 'Keegan Out' thread. We would obviously have a moron in charge of our football team.

FYP EDIT: (fixed your post)

The Times ratings: Given 5 H Beye 5 S Taylor 3 A Faye Y 4 C N’Zogbia Y 4 J Milner 4 J Barton 2 N Butt Y 4 D Duff 5 A Smith 2 M Owen 4 Substitutes S Harper 7 (for Given, 46min), Gérémi (for Milner, 84), A Carroll 4 (for Barton, 61) Not used C Cacapa, S Ameobi Seems about right to me.

Ameobi's the one who should be getting a game imo, until Martins is back at least. Aye, all this talk about Carroll confuses me. What's the lad done to make people think he's a better bet than Ameobi or Smith? Is it just because he's unproven at this level?

He's got a good elbow on him.

He really needs to be dropped IMO. There's so much room for improvement in the lad. I just hope he doesn't think he's the finished article yet.

Viduka is a criminal waste of talent. If he had a better attitude, he could possibly have been one of the top players in the World during his career. It seems like he was only ever interested in getting rich though. Once he achieved that, he didn't care anymore.

Keegan's six games have mostly been very difficult ones. Because we've been losing, the confidence is low but we will win again before too long and, as sure as night follows day, heads will then go up and we'll play better football. I wouldn't say that the 'Keegan effect' has been negative. It hasn't been positive enough for an average set of players to outperform some top of the table sides. As for the other two games, one of them saw us literally outscore the opposition yet not win and the other came too early for Keegan to have much influence and was against a team who might as well have been composed of 10 defenders and a goalkeeper.

The Times can't even bring themselves to credit our goal yesterday to a current Newcastle player! It's hard to tell if the article's anti-Newcastle because just reporting what happened is negative enough but the article reads as if the author (Johnathan Northcroft) is quite pleased with the result. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article3423690.ece

We won't go down.

Agreed. I think the time is right to introduce some youngsters into the first team, they surely can't be any worse than the current lot. At least they will have the drive to chase lost causes. Edgar looks like a good shout, and on todays runout Carroll is offering a lot more up top than Smith - his height will worry defenders and he is a target to aim for. Yeah, then when that doesn't work instantly, people will be on his back about playing untested young players in important games. Give over man. Of his six games so far, four were never going to provide us with much joy, one came too early for him to make enough of a difference to the team and the other saw us robbed of two points by inept officiating. The confidence is understandably low but that will change when we get the first win. I really can't see us going down this season.

The ref was poor but didn't effect the game. I didn't say it did. Some of our bookings were laughable, especially owens, and how did nani not get booked I agree. If not for the kick at Duff (I think), then for the timewasting before Rooney's second goal.

Carroll is not even in our first 16. If he is, we are in trouble.

The ref was poor but didn't effect the game. Agreed. And the referee for the Middlesbrough game was much worse.

Who, Edgar and Faye? And to be fair, I think it's possible to say that both of Ronaldo's goals had as much to with horrific loss of possession/ lack of clearance as Taylor's asshattery. I don't want to be an apologist (as that Saha goal was absolutely appalling and very much his fault), but he was left on an island against the best player in the prem in both of those instances. Rio and Vidic themselves would have had their hands full on each of those, particularly the first one... Cacapa and Faye. They were both fucking dreadful, he did nothing to stop their attack either time. Especially the second one, he should be embarassed by what he did there. You can blame Faye for not clearing it (that was shit as well) but the fact is that his cock up was the major one, he was the last line of defence and he offered no resistance. Ronaldo literally did nothing and he was past him.

I'm not particularly worried TBH. I don't think there's more than a very small chance that we'll go down and Keegan should have plenty of money to spend in the summer. We've seen in the past that he generally buys good players. Next season will be much better.

Taylor had a bad day, and his misfortune was that it came while playing against some of the most dangerous players in the world. If his attitude is positive and he can learn from this, he'll be OK. He should learn, from better players playing in the centre of Newcastle's defence while he watches from the subs bench. Maybe for one game, but then he should be right back in. Keegan isn't that kind of disciplinarian, so he'll probably be back in next week, for better or worse. I think for better though. He's 22 years old and is far from a finished product. He'll need support, instruction, and encouragement from the coaching staff, but I don't think we should string him up based on today's performance. It's not like he was being beaten by poor players... I just think that we have two better players for his position, so I'd like to see them play.

Typo?

Taylor had a bad day, and his misfortune was that it came while playing against some of the most dangerous players in the world. If his attitude is positive and he can learn from this, he'll be OK. He should learn, from better players playing in the centre of Newcastle's defence while he watches from the subs bench.

Smith is shit and always has been. Barton was always overrated IMO but his poor early form and well documented problems away from football have affected his recent performances so he's playing even worse than the average player that I think he is. And Duff isn't a shit player, he's in fact playing better football for us lately than he had in a long time (even at Chelsea). Viduka scored a lot last season because he had motivation to win a big fat contract at a better club. So he tried harder and was 'injured' a lot less.

Steven Taylor is miles away from the finished article. What a shit game he had today. He should be credited with assists for both of Ronaldlo's goals. I thought Barton and Smith were quite poor too but the rest of the team, aside from some occasional poor mistakes, were okay for the most part.

Prefer Clarissa TBH.

At the end of this year i think it is, he has lived in England for so long and not played for spain so he would become elligible! I cant think of any better options than having Almunia and James tbh! This country doesnt have its own Buffon/Casillas! I'll be very surprised if Almunia is allowed to play for England. He's not good enough for us to resort to playing someone who can only play because they've lived here for a few years.

He has his critics who say he's awful and his fanboys who say he's got the potential to be excellent. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Bring in some competition for his place and see if the can lad raise his game to the required level (because I do agree that he isn't there yet). Even if not, he's a canny squad player in the interim period.