TRon

Keep it up Besty. Anything that keeps Shola out the team will make me happy. As long as it doesn't mean we start thinking we don't need another striker after all...

Well the best players have time on the ball. As long as Cabaye's not a coward it just means the shit premier teams will end up giving away loads of free kicks if they try to pressure him too rashly.

What tosh.

Pardew's in a job which is more than he was before he signed on here. Not just any old job either, it's one of the best in football so I doubt he's squirming that much. He's publicly said that he's had great support from Ashley and Dekka as well.

I would say the left back area is one of my few major concerns this season. It might be we bring in another left back if we can sell Enrique and leave ourselves enough time to get a replacement. Or Enrique might hang around for the final year and we'll make do with Ferguson as back up. The idea it might be left to clubs playing brinkmanship in the last few days of the transfer window is what concerns me.

It really isn't. We obviously have a fairly tight transfer budget which is why are going for frees and release clauses for the most part, none of which I have a problem with btw if the players coming in are good enough. If I'm being optimistic I would hope that we have decided to not sign Taylor as the money we would spend might now be better spent on someone like M'Bengue instead. It still begs the question why we were in for him in the first place because we do need a back up left back, whether Enrique leaves or M'Bengue arrives.

It was the club's decision to pursue him not ours as fans so let's be clear on that. Either he's a good prospect or he isn't. If he's not all that, then you would have to question why bother in the first place? Swansea who must know him a lot better than we do thought enough of him to fight to keep him. What does that suggest to you?

That was the reason you were calling my post ridiculous? Honestly? You haven't even said that much different. The player went to the tribunal because he wanted to come here. IF the clause had stood and other clubs had come in for him good luck to them. In reality he would have joined us as that was the reason he was going to the tribunal in the first place. How I read it is that once there was a chance the deal might cost more than £1m and plus the 13k a week which Swansea were prepared to offer we pulled out. We were blown out of the water by plucky little Swansea. You might see it differently but you haven't given me reason to think otherwise.

Why do you think we pulled out then? Enlighten me.

Do you have a point?

If the £1m clause wasn't a possibility why did Taylor's agent apply to the tribunal? Why did the Swansea chairman hurriedly up the lads wages to a massive 13k or so in order to avoid the tribunal? The chairman was quoted as saying it would be sorted without resorting to the tribunal and they did that by blowing us out of the water with their mega bucks 13k deal which saw us running scared of mighty Swansea and their bumper transfer budget...which of course includes Taylor's new wages.

We couldn't match their wages

Ray Wilkins on Talksport reckon that Mikel will step up and they have a young lad Josh McEachran who is more than capable of being a decent back up. Add to that they are likely to bring in Modric and I think they may well not bother with Tiote. That made me feel a bit better I have to confess.

He's 6 months away from leaving for nowt. Are you just going to pretend that isn't a factor?

If we're playing with only one up front I can't see where a second striker would fit in As a genuine alternative to Ba if/when he's unavailable. I'm sure you'd rather have a better one than Best or Shola. Erdinc and Long could play off the striker in a front 3 as well in a wide role, not to mention we might want to play 4-2-2 in some games.

It's not even about Ashley or Pardew licking their lips at the prospect of selling Tiote, I'm sure Pardew at any rate would prefer to keep him. Once Chelsea make it public they want a player there's not much that can prevent it happening as we saw with Torres and will see again with Modric. Let's just hope they really don't want Tiote.

I'll say it again but the striker is really the key for me. I hope that we are really going all out to get a quality forward on board - and I'm not going to be precious about it, Erdinc or Shane Long would do me fine. They might not be top drawer but by our standards they are quality signings with very good potential. If we fail to get someone in by the time the window shuts that will speak volumes as far as I'm concerned as Pardew has gone on record as saying it's a priority. Zog coming here was never going to be anything more than an unlikely bonus so I will discount that, even if he ends up at Villa who I see as direct rivals.

I wouldn't worry about it as there is as much chance of him going there as there is of Sunderland being declared European City of Culture 2011.

Why bid? Who are you going to steal the march on by bidding now? Clubs know he's available, they know what value Newcastle have for him, and what value they have internally with their own club. Why worry about that player you know is available, and has a set price now? Go look at other targets, that guy is going to be there in the mean time. If a club bids for him, match their bid, no need to worry. The player wants to move, the club he's at are aware of that, so why spend your time worrying about that club? As soon as 1 club enters talks, or bids, other clubs will probably come in and match it. In the meantime, they'll be looking at 'less available' players, and spending their resources/time trying to work a deal. Enrique is a deal on the table, that just needs your stamp. Potentially interested clubs will know that time is in their favour too, if he doesn't sign he'll walk next summer for owt and are aware NUFC will probably have to settle for a knockdown price the closer we get to the window's closure. This is on the money. I think we will lower our valuation to around £4-5m in order to get a sale and maybe the money which was set aside for Taylor will be added to that and we'll make a serious bid for M'bengue.

I am putting my hope in Chelsea not wanting a replacement for Essien as they claim, rather than us refusing to sell him as I know we would if Chelsea really wanted him.

Long will definitely be sold this summer if he's only got a year left on his contract. Doesn't look like we'll be after him though, the price tag has probably scared us off.

Hypothetically speaking... Marveaux Agent fee + Signing-on fee: £2 million Three years wages at £35,000 a week: £5.5 million = £7.5 million (for NUFC) N'Zogbia Transfer fee + sign-on and agent fees: £9 million Just out of interest, who would you rather have, honestly? Was N'Zogbia offering to play for free, save his signing on fee? fuck me and he complains about Pardew's spin.

I've missed this card. It's finally back Do you think you can have the same affinity for the club as somebody born in the area? Does it count if he washes the noodles down with a bottle of broon?

and Minhosa delivers the dragon punch that knocks the thread spark out.

If you call running down his contract staying then yes, he is.