TRon

Why? He's really not that good. He's a beast in the air and will win every challenge against Taylor or Coloccini. If we get our tactics right we can still cope with this by assuming he'll win the aerial battles but pick up on the second ball. Stick Taylor on him and get Colo to pick up the runner. Jones is just another Ameobi at the end of the day, we should be able to cope if we defend right as a back four.

I look at all the broadsheets, and there haven't been stories since the last ones posted on here. Cheers. Seems strange how Harris suddenly came out and had loads to say, then has gone quiet again. Wonder if this means something is happening, or if nothing is happening. I suppose the positive way of looking at it would be that the serious buyers have kept a pretty close guard right from the off as opposed to the Nigerians and South Africans. So if there is a sale imminent it's logical we won't hear much until the deal is more or less rubber stamped.

Same here. The Filth have added some erratic quality like Cisse to their team which gives them something to threaten the opposition with, but they are still lop-sided and struggling for goals. Add to that the pressure of being expected to win at home and our new found self belief and I think we can get at least a draw. If Kenwyn Jones is playing we'll need to be quite cute about our defending.

Players like Butt are the reliable option. You will get 100% from them and they won't rock the boat. Duff, Milner, Smith and Geremi are all good characters who the manager can trust. That doesn't necessarily translate into a winning team though as Keegan and Allardyce found out last season. The blend still has to be right and the best managers get it right like Ferguson and Wenger. Others like Dalglish and Allardyce end up scared of their own shadow and their teams reflect that.

How? Explain. Because he wouldn't have been able to waste so much money on bad players. So you're assuming that a DoF, simply because of their job title, wont waste money on bad players? I'm assuming he wouldn't have allowed Souness to waste money on bad players...otherwise what is the point?

Owen had a second scan on the injury, and although it has not worsened, Saturday's match will come too soon for his involvement. Owen faces another ten days out. Kinnear said: "He's got no chance." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article4987658.ece

How? Explain. Because he wouldn't have been able to waste so much money on bad players.

A higher rate of managerial change is an almost inevitable consequence of having more egos flying around at the top. Souness didn't turn around the whole playing staff though did he. How do you think things would have turned out differently with a DoF? Would Souness have been forced to keep and play Bellamy? We'd have been far better off if Souness had to work under a DoF. There again we'd have been far better off leaving him at Blackburn in the first place.

Without going over old ground too much I think there was a shift. The bid for Woodgate and Modric did suggest reasonable intentions which in the end exploded as the pressure of the deadline approached. I think right from his first statements on joining Keegan was aware there wasn't going to be a ridiculous spree which makes the Henry/Lampard/Robinho smear look bollocks imo. I think when Keegan came in the general feeling was that Ashley was going to back him with decent cash which he had denied Allardyce as he wasn't his man. I really don't see Keegan being the type to take the job with a limited budget. Whether the Henry, Beckham stuff is true or bollocks no one really knows so your speculation is only as good as mine. It depends on how you judge his honesty - I recognise that he was probably spinning the Milner sale but as I said his other statements suggested to me a reasonable but not stupidly large budget. Of course I accept the suggestions that Keegan being Keegan he may have said "Yeah Mike, £20m's fine" while thinking he could wring more out of him but I think going as far as to suggest Keegan expected stupid money is wrong. My view is that Keegan was probably led up the garden path a bit as far as transfer money goes. I don't think that Ashley put a specific figure to Keegan that was available to spend, which might have led Keegan to think there was more available than turned out in reality. Even £20m would be something to work with if it was the amount available in terms of transfer fees. If wages were part of the package it's virtually nothing.

Crystal ball? I don't recall saying I know it for a fact.

I don't think either club will be relegated in answer to your question Parky.

Owen is definitely out for the next match and it's touch and go for the one after that as well.

Without going over old ground too much I think there was a shift. The bid for Woodgate and Modric did suggest reasonable intentions which in the end exploded as the pressure of the deadline approached. I think right from his first statements on joining Keegan was aware there wasn't going to be a ridiculous spree which makes the Henry/Lampard/Robinho smear look bollocks imo. I think when Keegan came in the general feeling was that Ashley was going to back him with decent cash which he had denied Allardyce as he wasn't his man. I really don't see Keegan being the type to take the job with a limited budget. Whether the Henry, Beckham stuff is true or bollocks no one really knows so your speculation is only as good as mine.

Fasheobi is no Viduka, but what he lacks in finesse he might be able to compensate with movement. Worth a go.

I think a decent squad improvement (+5/6 places worth) for a reasonable outlay was all that most fans expected - as Isegrim says that didn't happen. I agree that investment in the squad was needed and didn't happen. On this point obviously Keegan felt he wasn't backed in the transfer market and that is probably true. The Ashley camp seem to be of the view that Keegan's targets were not in line with their recruitment policy of buying players who would keep their value. Both sides are probably valid, just depends on which side you agree with. What I would say is that appointing Keegan was a mistake if he wasn't going to be backed in the transfer market.

He was fucked over two years ago, we've had three different managers since. I can put up with over-dribbling because sometimes the options haven't been there to do anything else, but even on Monday he didn't look like he was giving 100% and he gives that impression too often. He's had plenty opportunity to make the left wing spot his own but hasn't taken them.

Agree. We have four competent wide players in Duff, Zog, Jonas and Geremi. Two of those should fill the wide positions, and the remaining midfield slots should be two from Butt, Guthrie and Barton if we are going 4-4-2. The other option is to drop Ameobi and go 4-5-1. That would have been a no-brainer normally, but I don't think our midfielders score enough goals to make it work. Can't believe I'm saying this but Ameobi is undroppable at the moment. His presence is needed. Agreed for the moment at least. It keeps the team balanced and gives us a physical presence to knock some mackem defenders about a bit.

Agree. We have four competent wide players in Duff, Zog, Jonas and Geremi. Two of those should fill the wide positions, and the remaining midfield slots should be two from Butt, Guthrie and Barton if we are going 4-4-2. The other option is to drop Ameobi and go 4-5-1. That would have been a no-brainer normally, but I don't think our midfielders score enough goals to make it work.

he already is a pillock so he has little to lose. Graham Poll is going to look an even bigger pillock (if that's possible) after backing him if it's true Styles is going to admit he made a blunder.

Barton Butt and Guthrie are only going to look good playing in their natural position of central midfield, so if Barton is going to come back it should mean one of the other two being dropped, which will probably be Guthrie. I don't mind in this one game as technique won't be so important against limited, lumbering mackem twats. We should be looking at a central pairing of Guthrie and Barton after that IMO. I just hope JFK doesn't do an Allardyce and play all three to accomodate his favourite characters. I've had enough of the square pegs in round holes BS.

Just remembered another fans favourite who wasn't rated by his manager, Ginola during Dalglish's time here. That was just due to Dalglish's over-cautious nature. Some of his line ups were so defensive and lacking in flair players it was like watching paint dry.

who are the player, owen aside, who have done anything of note in that time? It's true there aren't many, but N'Zogbia has been a massive under achiever in the last two and a half years. Strange that he's still so popular tbh. His popularity is based on what he's produced in the past and is capable of producing, in theory anyway. I like Zog but he's got an attitude problem. There are times when he looks like he can't be bothered and that's probably the reason he has been consistently over-looked by successive managers.

These kind of deals are still rather down to the stupidity of the bidders than the prudence of the seller imho. That has nothing to do with hindsight. You don't need a genius to do it. Not selling Milner for a lower fee was very much down to the fact that it was a risk to reduce the size of an already depleted squad. Brokering an unlikely deal for complicated terms would have to be deemed as good work of a negotiator but not a deal that is just down to the amount of money thrown at the seller. What I meant was I'm surprised the bar was set so high for Milner with us being a "selling" club. Personally I'd have snapped their hands off at £10m. Either he was for sale or he wasn't, and the fact he went for £12m shows he was, depleted squad or not. Anyway this brings other factors into the equation which might have affected the thinking at the time. There was talk that we had Malouda for £12m lined up as a replacement if Milner was sold but obviously City hijacking the Robinho signing from Chelsea at the last minute would have scuppered that if true. Skjelbred was also lined up but that fell through again reportedly because Keegan pulled the plug. There are too many things that don't add up in last transfer window. Maybe Keegan pulled the plug on Skjelbred (though all we have is a story from Alan "Brett Emerton will be a Newcastle player at the end of the week" Oliver that isn't backed up by any quotes in it). Though it is a bit strange with the directors apparently having no problems to overrule Keegan in other transfers (and remember it's a FACT that they were allowed to). All I know is that we went into the season with a squad that wasn't strengthened in the way it needed to be. I really think everybody has to face his fair share of blame. But one person took the personal consequences. So I am really sceptical about those who pretended everything was going well, because it certainly wasn't. In the end Jiminenez was responsible for finalising deals both ways. Maybe getting 12m for Milner was some decent work. But even if he had personally been responsible to push the price to 35m then it wouldn't cover the mistakes in not helping the manager to assamble a squad that is capable of doing a good job in the premierleague. And that isn't depending on one or two failed deals at transfer deadline. And if they failed then it stills falls down into the responsibility of those being in charge of finalising transfers. So I really am puzzled about people saying Jiminez has done a good job. When you say one person took the final consequences are you talking about Keegan or Ashley? Because it's easy to say let's sign Beckham, Rooney and Ronaldo for example. All of these would improve the squad no doubt at a price. At the end of the day someone has to pay the bills and generally can't walk away from the situation so has to look at the longer term situation.

Do they know something we don't or is it vice versa? Zog, Robert, Enrique and Kluivert for example seemed to be disliked by some managers. Butt, Ameobi, Speed and Smith on the other hand, seem to have been more appreciated by them than us. Do we lack football knowledge or do they?

That tackle just reminded me what a good defender Beye is and just why he is such a cult hero at Newcastle. I've seen nicky Butt give away at least two penalties attempting to tackle players in similar style this season and not get anywhere close. The fact that Beye made the tackle on a quicksilver player like Robinho after giving him a yard just showed his undoubted class really.