Cronky

I gather that after Carroll's goal, the whole team buried him in congratulations, as though making it very clear where their sympathies lay. Incidentally, I've just seen the goal and I thought it was very well taken. Many strikers of Carroll's type would have just given it a blast and hoped for the best, but he showed a bit of class in taking it past the keeper.

I'd agree only partly. Outside of local rivalries, we're not really 'hated'. But there is some enjoyment to be had at seeing a big club, or one with high expectations, fall on its face. It's just part of human nature. The Germans, with 'schadenfreude' are the only ones who seem to have a word for it. We're not the only ones. If they're honest, the majority of fans would like to see Leeds continue to struggle, or Liverpool slip out of the Champions League.

What - knocked out?

Hardly a reason to chin him. If that's true, Carroll should go.

I still have hope. He's a player that's never been particularly reliant on any athletic ability (unlike, say Owen), so he should be able to contribute even when not at his peak. A statistic that I stumbled across is that Barton's longest continuous spell of first team starts (which stands at about 8) came at the end of the season before last, where we had that run of decent results to take us out of the relegation zone. Coincidence?......... You decide.

I think that's a good point. Although defenders were slower and there was generally more time and space to operate, referees gave far less protection to skilful players. In terms of the challenges that attackers faced, it evens itself out. Although Cruyff didn't have the level of ability that the other three had in getting past defenders, I think I'd still rate him as the best player I've seen. He was a real leader who could dominate a game and raise the level of his team's performance. Dutch football was second rate until he came on the scene.

All three players had this great acceleration and change of direction, combined with great close control of the ball. It's hard to separate the three. But certainly I'd say Messi already stands comparison with the all-time greats. He also has this wonderful appetite for the game, always getting involved and making things happen.

I'm beginning not to like Carroll. He sounds like a bully. It looks like we may have to get rid.

Chelsea look like a deflated side. Until the last 10 minutes, they seemed to be going through the motions in the second half. Considering the gap in quality between the individual players on either side, it ought to have been comfortable. There wasn't much leadership, and you wonder how much Terry has been affected by all the adverse attention.

I've thought a fair bit on this, and I have to say the player whose name I'm most pleased to see on the team sheet is Barton. His behaviour on and off the pitch has annoyed and frustrated me, but he does work hard, he takes responsibility, and he can produce those moments of skill that can open up a defence. All qualities I like in a player. I know that's sad in a battered wife kind of way, but we don't have anyone else quite in his class.

My reservation with Waddle is that he was never a great athlete, and the pace of Premiership football at the very top level now might find him out. He'd be Premiership quality for sure, but would he now get a game for Man U, Chelsea or Arsenal? I suspect not.

It's difficult to say, because year on year the top division has become more international in flavour, and whereas some of the players like Gazza and Waddle were among the best in the division in their time, there's now a lot more top talent available from abroad as competition. It's most apparent with the Champions League teams, who I'd say have raised the standard of club football at the top to a whole new level. Shearer, Beardsley and Gazza at their peaks are the only ones I'd feel confident would be appearing for those clubs now, and Gazza would probably be having to work a bit harder on his fitness.

Momentum is important for a football club. We have upward momentum at the moment, whereas for the previous five seasons the momentum was either static or downward. We were like a hamster in a wheel, running like the clappers but not going anywhere and the clear risk is that one season, things are going to go against you and you go down. You have to get out of that syndrome somehow, and relegation obviously isn't the best way of doing it. But it does present the club with an opportunity to come back leaner and fitter. That's where we are at the moment. If the question is - would you rather be in the Premiership or the Championship, then the answer's obvious, but the picture's more complicated.

"On a large enough time line, the survival rate for everyone will drop to zero." You could argue Plymouth are 'going in the right direction' in the shortest term just because they won their last game, but we all know they're still shit and will be relegated. It's all about timescales. The timescale used for the purpose of the thread is since Mike Ashley arrived. And in that time he's halved the turnover at the club, doubled the debt and dropped a league. I don't see how there can be any debate either on the pitch or off that we're worse off. Which obviously is not what the original question was asking. There was no question in the opening post. Just some drivel saying you'd be surprised to find that he IS taking us in the right direction. I certainly was surprised to hear it, as it's not true for the reason I've stated above. Well - again very obviously - I was referring to the question in the thread title, 'Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction? What comes across from your posts is that you're worried that the initial reaction against Ashley that came in the wake of Keegan's departure and the fiasco of last season, seems to be flagging. Whenever a post comes up that's even slightly complimentary about what Ashley is doing, you feel the need to jump in and 'correct' the poster, by re-visiting past events and reminding people of how hostile most fans were towards him at the time. Serious question - are you a member or some other more high-up representative of NUST? It does feel like you're drumming up support for a cause, because you're not really listening to other views. It's getting a bit tiresome.

"On a large enough time line, the survival rate for everyone will drop to zero." You could argue Plymouth are 'going in the right direction' in the shortest term just because they won their last game, but we all know they're still shit and will be relegated. It's all about timescales. The timescale used for the purpose of the thread is since Mike Ashley arrived. And in that time he's halved the turnover at the club, doubled the debt and dropped a league. I don't see how there can be any debate either on the pitch or off that we're worse off. Which obviously is not what the original question was asking.

Running a football club isn't the same as running a normal business, and it's in this area that Ashley and Llambias still need to smarten up a bit. A football club is part business, part community institution, with fans rather than customers. There's a political element to the role which I don't think Ashley, with his bulldozing style, was ready for. He and Llambias still struggle on the PR side. The best recent example of that was the stadium re-naming issue. It's actually not a bad idea, whose time will eventually come here and elsewhere, but the timing and style of the annoucement was a disaster. He put a weapon in the hands of his enemies and very quickly had to retract in farcical style. If he waited a few months, it could have been a lot better. Still difficult, but better. Freddie Fletcher was a Chief Exec who really knew how to run a football club, and we could do with someone of that calibre. I've nothing against Llambias, who doesn't deserve the abuse he gets, but he does come across as a front man rather than a leader.

Fantastic! Build on that next year and we should get promoted. Should also have all those who were predicting our demise and relegation before a ball was kicked this season in absolute raptures. (Or possibly tears ?) There again aren't they the same people who are predicting relegation from the PL next season, again before a ball is kicked and before we've even been promoted ? Mind I have to admit I expected little more than a season of consolidation with a possible play-off place at best, given the pre season turmoil. Yeah, me too. After the previous two relegations, getting promoted was a long and difficult haul over several seasons. With the state of the club last summer, I thought that we were in for a similar battle. I'd say - a) The gap between the Championship and the top division is now much bigger than in the past. b) Finally, and for the first time at the club since the early days of Sir Bob's reign, unity broke out behind the scenes.

he had a chance to rectify his mistakes when he appointed KK again but didn't support him. I imagine quite a lot of people have supported Newcastle for many years, watch them every game home and away, and aren't about to stop So what mistakes had he made before appointing Keegan? what planet do you come from ? So you can't think of any, then? malandro listed some. Paying big wages and moaning about it later too. What do you think of him losing KK and what do you think of the quality of our recent signings, on long contracts Ashley's first big mistake was appointing Keegan manager. Recent signings weren't bad at all, given the circs, and none of them are on particularly long contracts. Allows them a chance in the PL, with a two years left on the contract if we want to sell them on at that point. No, Ashleys mistake was not in appointing Keegan, but in the shameful, deceitful way he treated him. How can anyone trust him or believe a word he says after that? I'd say Keegan was the one who it's difficult to trust. It's interesting that there doesn't seem to have been a stampede for his managerial services, since he left.

He reminds me a lot of Duncan Ferguson, who went through a phase of being virtually unplayable in the air. Carroll looks to be shaping up like that. He can win clean headers in the area, despite coming under a strong challenge. Whatever else he's got or not got in his game, if there's something that can trouble the very best defenders, then that'll be a big help in the future. On the question of his skill on the ball, it's not as bad as some are making out. Like a lot of tall players, he doesn't have quick reflexes and his first touch can go astray. But once the ball's under control, he can weight a pass quite well. Again, like big Dunc, who wasn't just a battering ram.

Just seen the goals - all good, but Carroll's header was a great one. Whatever his limitations in other areas, Carroll is looking like one very tough hombre in the air. If we get promoted, that will be a big asset if we're having difficulty scoring from other sources.

10 points from the last 10 games should do it. Forest would have to win 7 out of their last 9 games to overhaul that total, and I can't see that happening.

So Joey's Newcastle career re-commences with an attention seeking gesture followed by an apology. Just get your head down and play, Joey.

It is a new low for the board when one of our flock is discussing the childcare arrangements of the Beckhams. Perhaps it doesn't belong on the football side, but now he's raised it........ well, just what kind of stability are those kids getting? I think it's often tough on the child of a showbiz parent, but when you have two?

That's not surprising, seeing that NUST is an organisation that basically sprang from the mindless over-reaction to Keegan's walk-out. Since then, they've tried to re-define themselves as potential owners, or as an umbrella organisation for all supporters' views, but they still look pretty shambolic to me.

Anelka really seems to freeze on the big occasion. He had a couple of opportunities where he looked really hesitant.