Cronky

Yep. Wrong on the Brazilian. Is it the third striker who played with Pele and Garrincha during the WC 62? Can't remeber his name but read about that taem during the WC last summer. I think his name starts with a V but not sure at all. That was Amarildo. If it's right, we share the prize. Wasn't Amarildo the striker who came in for the Pele when he got injured? I think they used a fourth striker that WC but can't remember his name. Right about Amarildo. The player with the V was Vava. I'm not sure whether he played in 1962 though. Now where's Geordiesned, so he can put us out of our misery.

Yep. Wrong on the Brazilian. Is it the third striker who played with Pele and Garrincha during the WC 62? Can't remeber his name but read about that taem during the WC last summer. I think his name starts with a V but not sure at all. That was Amarildo. If it's right, we share the prize.

Bottom left looks a bit like Emlyn Hughes, but not a lot. Brazilian has me stumped. Nilton Santos?

Every manager that gets a chance at a big club has to prove themselves at a smaller club first. I'd agree that there are no guarantees, but over-achieving with a smaller club is the best indicator that you can have. One thing that may be counting against Allardyce is his image. He looks and sounds like a traditional English manager, but in fact he seems to be very receptive to new ideas and anything that can give him an advantage. He's like Ferguson in that respect - more clever and sophisticated than he looks. I agree, Allardyce isn't as big a cunt as he looks. However, I still don't think he's the best man for the job. Appointing Allardyce because he's better than Roeder I don't think is the solution to this clubs ills. Souness was the pits, lets get somebody else, Glenn is the pits but slightly better lets get him, na he's crap... lets get Allardyce just because he's slightly better. It reminds me of my teenage years......I binned one girl because I could go out with a prettier one, then I chucked her because I had a slightly better shag lined up.....Lots of shags but not really going anywhere. Newcastle United need a marriage, and thats finding the right long term partner - with the sum of the parts greater than the individual. Is Allardyce the man to partner our club? I don't think so. Where is that partner? I don't know that either .. .. but what I do know is that if you do keep on going for a quick shag then eventually you get the clap. Interesting analogy there. I hope you've recovered from the clap. The best long-term partner isn't necessarily the prettiest. And you make that commitment when you're mature enough to know when you're well off with the overall package, rather than focusing on what you haven't got and lusting after something (supposedly) better.

Wayne Fereday, Alain Goma (?), Alan Shearer, Wyn Davies ?, Frank Clark ?, Bob Moncur

Every manager that gets a chance at a big club has to prove themselves at a smaller club first. I'd agree that there are no guarantees, but over-achieving with a smaller club is the best indicator that you can have. One thing that may be counting against Allardyce is his image. He looks and sounds like a traditional English manager, but in fact he seems to be very receptive to new ideas and anything that can give him an advantage. He's like Ferguson in that respect - more clever and sophisticated than he looks.

Harsh but true. Perhaps I wasn't right to say he would struggle in today's Premiership, but he wouldn't make the top four clubs or the England side. Which would explain the squeaky voice.

Is it just me or is this re-sale idea dodgy as fook? Is it legal? Well it all depends on whether the creditors accept it or not. If they think there's no other way of getting any of their money back, they'll accept it. But there seems to be a strong element of a stitch up here.

For sure, we have to start from where we are, rather than from the point we'd like to be. That's the basis of good management. The man within the club who is most at fault when it comes to unrealistic, fantasy thinking is the head dreamer Freddie 'I-give-the-fans-what-they-want' Shepherd. He lies behind the two most serious mistakes of the last few seasons - the undermining of Sir Bob's plan to phase Shearer into retirement, and the blowing of all that money on Owen. Neither of them were the product of a rational approach to team building. This is why I worry that no manager can make a success of things with that fool as Chairman. It's encouraging that Allardyce has turned Shepherd down twice before - clearly they can't see eye to eye. He might be prepared to turn us down a third time for the same reason. If the Halls are determined that Roeder should go and Allardyce be brought in, then the casualty might be Freddie.

These sections are crap. He doesn't come across as conceited at all. He knows his worth, and he's prepared to go for the top job, but that's just a measure of his confidence. We need a big personality who can impose himself, in the way that Keegan did. I take nothing but encouragement from the fact that he turned us down twice. He clearly saw that the conditions at the club weren't right, and wasn't tempted by the idea of moving to a bigger club for (presumably) more money. The man clearly knows what he wants.

They've obviously put a lot of thought into the article, but they spoilt it for me by mixing up some valid points against Allardyce (Panorama, over-physical style of play) with some invalid ones (Ex - Mackem, Cult of Personality). It's also disappointing that after producing a much longer list of factors against than factors for, they decided to sit on the fence. We either go for him, or we don't. On the England manager job, it was said afterwards that if the appointment had been decided on the quality of the presentation and interview, then Allardyce would have won it hands down. He may look like a used car salesman, but I think there's a clever and enterprising mind there. He's been able to work with experienced players from different nationalities, and get them on board with his beliefs and tactics. You can't do that if you're a thicko. My main reservation is that Bolton at times looked like a dirty side. I can remember one cup game against Arsenal where they'd clearly set out to systematically kick lumps out of the opposition. It's all about opportunities though, and I think this is one that we should take.

He wouldn't need to put it like that. All he'd have to say is - I'm not working with that prat. It would then be up to the Halls to do something, or not. Allardyce had turned us down twice before, and there'll be a reason for that.

It's quite possible that Allardyce might be prepared to come here, but not to work under Shepherd. He's turned him down before, and the story is that Shepherd wanted Shearer to be part of the interviewing team. Allardyce felt (quite rightly) that a player shouldn't be in that position, and the whole idea wouldn't have impressed him at all. Since then, Sir Bob's book, which details the meddling way in which Shepherd runs the club, won't have encouraged Allardyce either. From what we can see of Bolton, he likes to run things from top to toe. I wouldn't be surprised if Allardyce's agent hasn't informed the Halls that he's interested in the job, if there's a change at Boardroom level - and preferably a takeover. There may be a lot going on behind the scenes, and Shepherd's not the only one with any power here.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Shearer was actually being paid as a coach, as well as a player, for the whole of that season. No-one really seems to know what he was doing, either before or after Souness's sacking. A new manager often gives a club an immediate boost, and it looks like that happened with Roeder. He also generated some good team spirit, which lasted into this season. But I think he blew it after the Alkmaar result. Instead of backing the players and remaining solid with them, he started slagging them off. I think that, in the players' eyes, he was trying to get in favour with the fans and the Chairman by saying the things they wanted to hear. Fatal. As for Shearer, he's shown no enthusiasm for wanting the job, at least for now. We should forget about him. All this speculation or hoping that he may be about to take over has done us nothing but harm for the last few years.

It's one of those things that I'll only discover once the game starts. The voice in my heart will then take over. I'm not sure that anything's been decided, but realistically, defeat in the next two games would increase the pressure on Shepherd to replace Roeder and hopefully take himself off as well. It'll increase the determination of the Halls to sell up or at least push through other changes.

Sounds like he wants out. Otherwise, in the circumstances, he'd have said he wanted to stay.

At Liverpool he's scored ONE more goal than Martins. He is 4/5 years older and he has NO pace. Liverpool have struggled all season with their lacklustre forward line. He will NOT be first choice next term. OH yes he WILL.

Steven Taylor? If you'd said that a few months ago, I could understand it (a bit), but now? My choices - 1. Cristiano Ronaldo - he's a very good player, but he's still got a fair bit to learn about when to keep and when to release the ball. Not anywhere near the best in the world yet. 2. Michael Owen - again, a good player who poses a threat, but he hasn't lived up to the reputation that he built up in the early stages of his career. 3. David Beckham - not sure how you'd define his reputation right now, but I have never known a footballer where the gap between his standing in the game and his actual ability was so huge. Oh no don't dare say such a thing, the posse will round on you now. Maybe I'm being a bit reactive. I just thought he played like a great big egotistical jerk last night. Whereas Paul Scholes - who really should have been Footballer of the Year - gave a magnificent performance in a midfield that was being overrun.

I think we'll see in the next two games where the players all stand on this. If they want a change from Roeder, we can expect some half-hearted performances. If they want him to stay, they'll put in the effort. Judging from the Reading game, things don't look good for Roeder.

Steven Taylor? If you'd said that a few months ago, I could understand it (a bit), but now? My choices - 1. Cristiano Ronaldo - he's a very good player, but he's still got a fair bit to learn about when to keep and when to release the ball. Not anywhere near the best in the world yet. 2. Michael Owen - again, a good player who poses a threat, but he hasn't lived up to the reputation that he built up in the early stages of his career. 3. David Beckham - not sure how you'd define his reputation right now, but I have never known a footballer where the gap between his standing in the game and his actual ability was so huge.

Not convinced by Martins!!111 I personally think Anelka has been the best value in recent striker purchases. Benny Mc Carthy was the best buy this season on goals/price paid. Too skinny. I think Martins is actually a bit limited and now that Owen is back, we should look to move him on for a decent offer (ie get our money back) Do it now before it becomes obvious to everyone.

There's a danger of missing the wood for the trees. He's been in the job for 10 years and he hasn't delivered. In fact, the situation seems to be deteriorating and it looks like he's about to fire his third manager in four years. In the last three years, we've flirted with the relegation zone, and one year we're going to get unlucky. We can argue all day whether he should have appointed or sacked the various managers he's dealt with, but the fact is it's happened on his watch. In any other line of business, a Chief Exec with that record would have to walk, and no-one would be listening to him claiming it's bad luck, or the fault of other people. For what it's worth, I think he has made a few costly mistakes, but the point still stands. Stand aside, Freddie, you've had your chance.

I think the best hope is for someone to turn it into a big five, although I'd agree that Arsenal look the most vulnerable. They're brilliant to watch, and maybe there's more to come as their players mature, but I have some doubts about their style. This thing of never playing a long ball and always relying on possession, passing and movement must be exhausting. The League Cup final, where they dominated Chelsea for 20 minutes and then gradually ran out of steam - that may be an experience that's set to be repeated a few times. Hope I'm wrong though.

I think there's still a few question marks about Kalou. You do see the occasional sign of a good player. Possibly he's a bit overawed at Chelsea and would do better somewhere else. I think Kuyt's well and truly proved himself though. I'd swap him for Martins in a flash.

A Chairman once said that all the decisions that he had to make paled into insignificance beside the importance of the decision about who to appoint as manager. The other problem with Shepherd is he involves himself too much in the choosing and signing of players. He interferes with the manager's judgement, basically. He's built himself a reputation for this, and so top managers are reluctant to work with him. Which of course adds to the first problem.