Cronky

At the time, the story was that Keegan blocked the sale of Smith to Everton. If so, he clearly thought he was good enough at CM.

My attitude to these football sugardaddies has changed over the years. Yes, it's fine for Bedlington but what about the other teams in their league who may have earned their position over years of hard work and support? There's nothing fair or sporting about this, and it contributes nothing to the game overall.

Time all this was stopped. Instant celebrity that has not been properly earned is one of the banes of modern life. It does the recipient no favours either.

1972, Old Trafford - Man U 0, Newcastle 2. Tony Green's finest hour.

I was born in Newcastle, but brought up elsewhere. I never refer to myself as a Geordie. Personally, it wouldn't feel comfortable - I think I worry that it might look like I'm pretending to be something I'm not. Likewise I try to avoid using terms like 'The Toon' and 'Mackems', though I probably have occasionally. It doesn't quite flow naturally.

That's the one battle that we won't win. I'm not being negative, because Arsenal are beatable, with the right tactics. If we keep things tight in defence and don't let them get behind us, we've got the power from set pieces to beat them.

A good analysis IMO. I'd still like to see us play with a secondary, creative striker like Bellamy or Beardsley, but as we don't have a player like that, Shola and Carroll look our most effective combination.

Our midfield isn't going to get anywhere near theirs, so I think we should get players behind the ball. Arsenal find it difficult to break down a packed defence because they tend to rely on passing the ball through the middle more than the aerial route via the flanks. Their central defence doesn't look strong at the moment, so with Carroll and Shola I'd fancy us to score. It's a question of keeping them out at the other end.

A little more evidence: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/03/05/article-0-03BF0FDB000005DC-914_468x286.jpg Fucking dreadful 'tackle'. Yeah, he's a decent enough player but he needs to cut out the nasty stuff. He was taken off yesterday because he'd lost his composure and was in danger of getting a red. At times, his attitude seems more like the park footballer than a professional. The prime example yesterday was when he went in late on Nolan and stuck his elbow into his ribs.

I think we've found out best eleven, and best formation. It's not the prettiest football, but we do present a goal threat. I could see us finishing in our current position, but that's providing we can keep Barton and Tiote fit for most of the season. We don't have back-up for what they contribute to the team. Yesterday will have also have shown us how to win at home - plenty of aggression. We have home advantage, use it.

I don't think we learned anything today that we didn't already know. Can't pass, can't run, can score. A real knack of knowing how to get on the end of a chance.

They all fought like lions today. Brilliant result. Special mention to Barton though. I'd be surprised if he's not in the next England squad.

As a non-Geordie, the build-up to this game is a bit scary. Sunderland aren't a bad side, and it'll be a battle. If we don't win, there's no need for any heads to roll.

jesus f***ing christ is all i have to say on that http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/208534/NEWCASTLE-UNITED-v-SUNDERLAND-Supermac-turns-up-the-heat-on-Hughton?# fair do's to the bloke, you have to be controversial to stay on air and he's going for it. who would ring in to argue with......."i can understand why he picked that team" Hmmmm..... A supporters' hero who turns out to be only interested in himself.... I won't go there. Today is unity day.

That's a good article. It also shows how much we're dependent on Hughton's ability to hold everything together.

Yes, I think you're right. Pundits agonise about whether some other defender would have been able to get across to cover, but I don't think that's the issue. If the defender deliberately denies a goalscoring opportunity, it's a red.

Well, you've reached the heart of the problem there. Should a ref pretend that he hadn't made a particular decision, in order to keep the peace, and adhere to what some might call 'common sense'? There would have been some criticism, on the grounds that he hadn't given a free kick and Spurs already had an advantage. But there probably wouldn't have been nearly the fuss that there is now, it's true. But if refs are to do their job effectively, they have to be honest. It's not about doing what attracts less fuss or criticism.

You get the point though. In football, the ref has to make a fairly quick decision as to whether an advantage has been gained. There's no time limit, but it's a lot quicker than rugby. I've no sympathy with Gomes here, because he should have anticipated that the ref would not have stopped play. Keepers are considered to have an advantage by already having the ball in their hands. Once a ref decides that an advantage has been gained, they can't take it back. So does he have to play to the whistle or anticipate the ref's decision? He can't do both. I have more sympathy with Gomes if it looks like Clattenburg put his whistle in his mouth. Ref's can take it back, that's one of the good things about playing advantage. The main thing that is annoying here though, is precisely that he didn't have to make a fairly quick decision. He had all the time in the world after he went to consult the linesman, and Rio, yet he still came up with the wrong decision. He has to play to the whistle, so Gomes is wrong on that count. But I could sympathise with him if he could reasonably have expected a free kick to be given. However, there's every reason to think that a ref in that situation would have waved play on. I don't think you're right on the second point. A ref can wait a short amount of time (not as long as in rugby) to check that an advantage has been gained. Once he's decided that there's an advantage, he can't take it back. Yes he can, even when his arms go out to signal advantage he can still take it back. Sorry, no. Any qualified refs here that can adjudicate?

You get the point though. In football, the ref has to make a fairly quick decision as to whether an advantage has been gained. There's no time limit, but it's a lot quicker than rugby. I've no sympathy with Gomes here, because he should have anticipated that the ref would not have stopped play. Keepers are considered to have an advantage by already having the ball in their hands. Once a ref decides that an advantage has been gained, they can't take it back. So does he have to play to the whistle or anticipate the ref's decision? He can't do both. I have more sympathy with Gomes if it looks like Clattenburg put his whistle in his mouth. Ref's can take it back, that's one of the good things about playing advantage. The main thing that is annoying here though, is precisely that he didn't have to make a fairly quick decision. He had all the time in the world after he went to consult the linesman, and Rio, yet he still came up with the wrong decision. He has to play to the whistle, so Gomes is wrong on that count. But I could sympathise with him if he could reasonably have expected a free kick to be given. However, there's every reason to think that a ref in that situation would have waved play on. I don't think you're right on the second point. A ref can wait a short amount of time (not as long as in rugby) to check that an advantage has been gained. Once he's decided that there's an advantage, he can't take it back.

You get the point though. In football, the ref has to make a fairly quick decision as to whether an advantage has been gained. There's no time limit, but it's a lot quicker than rugby. I've no sympathy with Gomes here, because he should have anticipated that the ref would not have stopped play. Keepers are considered to have an advantage by already having the ball in their hands. Once a ref decides that an advantage has been gained, they can't take it back.

And where was the advantage? The advantage is that the keeper is able to clear the ball quickly rather than stop play to take a free kick. As I said, that's how refs handle that situation nearly all the time. This isn't rugby, where refs can let the play carry on for a minute or so and then bring things back if the advantage doesn't materialise.

Re Man U - It was a goal. In 95% of cases, the ref plays advantage in that situation, allowing the keeper to clear the ball quickly rather than making them take a free kick from the same spot that they gathered it. Gomes didn't have his brain in gear.

Lazy malicious journalism perhaps ? True, but this scepticism about Hughton isn't just confined to the press. I can only go by what I read on here, but there seems to be a lot of hesitation about granting him full recognition amongst some supporters. I think it stems back from the way in which he got the job. When a coach becomes caretaker, and then gets the permanent job, it's natural to wonder whether at some stage he's going to be found out. I spent the first half of last season wondering when it was all going to go belly-up. Of course, it didn't. Every time there was a setback, the team just picked itself up and got going again. The same thing seems to be happening this season. This team has the capacity to shake off pressure and stay focused, and I'm sure that's what Hughton has brought to the club. The other big plus is his judgement of players to bring in. Despite a small budget, we've been strengthened significantly in both transfer windows. But as I say, this attitude of 'when is Hughton going to fail' still lingers. But he seems to have the ability that only the best managers have - which is to re-focus the players on the next game regardless of victory or defeat previously. You can even see it during games, when we pick up our performance in the second halves of matches. There was this funny sense on Wednesday - and this is typical - that even after a 4-0 home defeat we didn't look like a beaten side. Nobody's head dropped.

I do get irritated with this opinion that Hughton may be okay for the Championship but is out of his depth in the Premiership. Based on what, exactly?

There's been the odd rick, but I don't think he's made any more errors than Harper would have done in the same period. As the younger player who's improving with each game, he should definitely keep his place. He does have very good relexes and can get down to shots very quickly.