Cronky

Mr Parry is 'hovering around the half century' i will have you know......horrid little welsh twat! FFS is on talksport in a minute for anyone who likes to start their day badly We can rely on him to keep the pot boiling.

I don't know what's the usual length of contract for a coach, but obviously you'd be asking for a bit of security if you're an experienced bloke and you're going to be uprooting yourself and your family to move to the North East. All this fuss about Hughton's contract won't help, because it would be a bit strange to give the coach a longer contract than the manager currently has, particularly with all this speculation in the media about Hughton being replaced. The club may have to sort out the manager's contract and the coach's contract at the same time. That's unless we can get someone in on a temporary basis, which isn't ideal.

thats steed malbranque Was just thinking that http://img.skysports.com/09/09/218x298/Steed-Malbranque-Sunderland-PA_2359131.jpg Hmmm....

He won't be a manager, surely? Doesn't come across as someone who cares about football enough to dedicate another 20 years to it. Presumably he won't be encouraging his players to think how great they'd be if only their team-mates were a bit better.

Tbh, I think the Board should consider renewing Hughton's contract now. All of this speculation might end up affecting both the manager and players. I think it was common knowledge beforehand that his contract would be revised in January, and they might well resent being pushed into bringing forward a decision which they would ideally have liked to have postponed for a while longer. However, that's the difference between running a normal business and running a football club. There's a strong political element, and a great deal of media and public scrutiny, not all of which is fair or sensible. It won't go away. It's part of the job.

We saw a return of the old Joey last night. If the game had gone on another 10 minutes, the odds are he’d have got a second yellow. In fact, he was lucky not to get sent off for that foul where it looked like he deliberately kneed Eastmond in the back of the thigh. It felt like a similar situation to when he got sent off against Liverpool. We were being embarrassed by a superior team, and he seemed to get resentful. Either in his mind, he thinks the opposition are taking the piss, or he’s jealous of players who he thinks are no better than him, but who are still playing for a top team. Whatever, he’s got to cut that out.

The strategy of the club seems to be to have as little as possible to do with the press, and issue the occasional statement when it's absolutely necessary. Ashley and Llambias probably feel they've had a raw deal from the media over the last two years and they don't want to get involved with them. I don't blame them, but it's not a strategy that works very well. If the press don't get stories, they make things up. And if they're resentful at the way a club is cold-shouldering them, then they'll try to get at that club. It's a bummer, but if possible it's best to at least try to get on with the media. Trouble is, that's not an area where either Ashley or Llambias have much ability.

I wouldn't be so sure there is any kind of plan tbh. They've been lucky with CH..Just quietly gets on with it. Which means they are storing up some massive clanger to balance out the good work they have accidentally done. Chris Hughton was a fluke, for sure. But I don't know why you think another clanger's on its way. They came in very inexperienced and had to hit the ground running. They're older and wiser now. The only uncertainty in my mind is how Ashley feels about continuing his commitment. He thought it would be fun, and it's been anything but. If a decent offer came in, he'd probably take it, but football clubs aren't the tempting prize that they once were.

I'm glad the club have released that statement. However daft the speculation, you can't afford to stay silent in today's media climate, because the story will just snowball.

You're right, he looked promising. Is also physically a beast, which makes him hard to get off the ball. Enjoyed it when he flattened Sagna. I agree. This was the first game where I've seen him believe in himself a bit. He just needs to add experience and confidence. He lacks pace, but I suppose that never stopped Lampard.

Krul - 6. Did well, apart from the first goal. Taylor - 4 Struggled. Williamson - 6 Did his best to hold things together. Perch 5 - Usual dodgy moments. Kadar 4 - Was out of position and looked it. Routledge 5 - Struggled in possession, and poor defensively. Vukcic 7 - Mainly for effort. Didn't shirk responsibility and had his moments. Promising. Smith 6 - Did his job and no more. Guthrie 5 - Tried hard in a midfield that was largely overrun. Lovenkrands 2 - a point for each time he touched the ball, and that is not an exaggeration. Ranger 7 - Very raw, but caused a few problems with his pace and strength. Carroll 7 - Selfish on occasion, but was a threat. Barton 7 - Introduced composure and creativity. Disappointing to see him lose it at the end. He does get irritated when he thinks that the opposition is taking the piss. Jonas 7 - A handful as usual.

Just a point about the second goal. I noticed Bendtner deliberately hanging back in an offside position earlier in the game, and then re-joining play when the ball arrived upfield. Thierry Henry used to do this. Obviously he's not involved in play in the sense of touching the ball, but he's seeking to gain an advantage because he can't be marked, and he can re-join play whenever he wants and put himself in a dangerous position. At the very least, defenders have to keep an eye on him. It's a grey area of the law which needs ironing out.

The reason you didn't notice him was he only touched the ball on two occasions - and each time he was offside. I know I go on about it, but what's the point of playing him? He's not giving anything to the side.

Well we fought hard, but they were too good for us. Of the non-first teamers, Ranger and Vukcic did well. Despite that error for the first goal, Krul looks a good keeper. The back four looked a bit unco-ordinated. Normally, we play offside well, but the line was a bit ragged tonight.

Krul has done well this half. The save from Bendtner in the first 5 minutes was magnificent. That was his first fumble and we paid for it. Taylor has looked very isolated at times. Routledge hasn't helped him much.

They're having trouble handling Ranger's pace. That's our only hope. Has Loven touched the ball yet?

We're not getting near them in midfield. Smith and Guthrie aren't the most mobile. Magnificent save by Krul, from Bendtner.

I'm strangely looking forward to this game. I hope the players feel the same.

Disappointed to see Lovenkrands there. We need a good game from Ranger. It's a chance for him in what looks his best position.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/9131176.stm Edit: Wasn't there just a post above mine about his injury? This is the bit I like - "I've played in some of the biggest clubs in the world over my career and I've had not such a good time at certain clubs where I've been in the relegation zone struggling away," he stated. "Training with top players every day, being among the elite players is what I enjoy doing more. "And if that means not playing as much but playing in a good team with good players creating chances, then I'd prefer to do that than slog away every week and hardly get a touch of the ball." Yeah, right, Mikey. Everything's turned out great. He doesn't seem to realise how bad that sounds. It's a team game, and it's your contribution to your team that counts. If you're not getting picked, you're not contributing.

Never once have I been less than proud to be a Newcastle United supporter, nor embarrassed. Being a Toon fan is the best thing in the world outside of family and friends. Love it! Unfortunately, there have been plenty of times over the last few years when I've felt embarrassed. Ever since Sir Bob left, we seem to have stumbled through a whole series of crises and poor decisions on and off the field which have left few in credit. This season feels like a re-birth. In his quiet, steady way, Hughton has actually moulded the club in his own image, or at least got everyone to buy into it. It feels like we're headed in the right direction, however long that might take.

Unfortunately, even with half their youth team, I think their pace and movement will be too much for us.

He's been a big disappointment. He looks very nervous and I don't know whether he can got over that and at least play to the best of his ability. That may not be anything great, but he may turn out to be better than Simpson, who looked just as shaky against West Ham as he'd ever been IMO. Unfortunately, I think we'll still be looking for another RB at the end of the season. PS - Unless Tavernier is able to step up. He looks good going forward at least.

Yeah, there's no point in bringing in players who are of a similar level to the ones we've got. From that point of view, the only one I'd sign from Saturday is Upson, and that's not based on that particular performance. In terms of future potential, I like what I've seen of Junior Stanislas though. He's one I'd sign.

Well they have paid to watch football, Rooney is the best player in that team, and one of the best in the world. The papers seem to have got their knickers in a twist about this, but 200K a week is not outlandish, given Rooney's ability and the amount that other top players are being paid. I'm not saying it's right, just that it's the market rate. The way Rooney and his agent tried to get a better contract by threatening to leave is no more than what goes on in every top club. The only difference is that the Manager chose to make things public, and put the player on the spot. It was a smart move, and it came off, but it doesn't make Rooney the villain that some papers are making him out to be. The bigger problem in the game - and the one which the papers would be better off campaigning about - is how the lop-sided way in which the money is distributed is distorting the competition. I don't think other sports are having to face quite this problem. UEFA are trying to sort out the problem of sugardaddies subsidising clubs, but there still needs to be a more equal distribution of TV money. The gap in income between the Champions League clubs and the Premiership, and between the Premiership and the Championship, are both too great. It's why we have the odd spectacle of the game being awash with money, yet with more and more clubs in danger of bankruptcy.