TRon

Except Lennon can't cross, shoot, or tackle. He is quick and tricky though, but Zog can score goals and put in great crosses. Don't get me wrong, if he's set on leaving, N'Zogbia can fuck off, but Lennon will need a hell of a lot of other attributes to compensate for his weaknesses to be considered a good value swap.

I was too pessimistic about the Reading match. I thought we'd only win 3-1 but we actually won 3-0.

Players leave clubs while under contract, I doubt that we'll try to keep him if he really wants to leave. Fine if we get a nice fat sum to which we are entitled. Considering Smith was worth £6m and Chopra £5m where would you ,or Willie Mckay for that matter , like to start?

No it won't, it'll be Keegan's, he's already made that clear. Zog signed a new contract, he won't leave unless we get a very good fee IMO.

Well the fat con merchant was wheeled out regularly to comment on us on live matches when we were losing. I doubt we'll see much of him from now on so there's a plus.

So KK wants to bu 4-5 new players and he keeps reminding us just how small his squad is Why not keep N'Zogbia? Why not keep Emre? Why not keep Taylor even? They will be useful squad players at least next season, and probably more. Or sell them when the price is right, on OUR terms? This was Keegan's legacy in the past and it will be our future. Amen.

Agree with you from the defensive point of view. He really is very, very good. His less effective attacking play (well, it tends to be) is more than compensated by the fact that he takes very good centre-back qualities, to right-back. If you catch my drift. Such a good player. Enrique aswell, no doubt. He also put in a very good shift today. Comfortable on the ball, quick, strong. Still can't believe people say he hasn't got much pace. He's not Oba-like but he's pretty nippy across the turf. I can't remember us having this good a wing-back pairing in a long while. And just look what a consistent backline is doing for us. Two goals conceded in four games. We're one quality centre-back away from a consistently very good backline. I've maintained from day one that we've got good personnel back there. It only hasn't worked cos Allardyce either: played players out of position, or didn't have continuity. And it was more a confidence thing under Keegan until now.

Defensively, Beye pisses on most RB's in the premier league by a country mile. The fact he could probably do just as good a job at centre back speaks volumes in this regard. The fact he got two assists today is a bonus for me. The guy is a fucking Collossus, if there are better right backs their clubs can fucking well keep them.

In terms of our team Beye shits all over the lot of them. None of them could play as wholeheartedly or consistently well in the North east which makes them a bunch of puffs in comparison.

Talk in a couple of the papers today that we have targeted Wayne Bridge and John Arne Riise. Can't see either coming to sit on the bench so if there's any truth in it, obviously Keegan feels that full backs are a priority. Can't say I agree but then he's paid to be the manager, not me.

You could say "it's only two games" but that's a shallow way of looking at it. I think even some of us who were here last time Keegan was in charge had forgotten how good he is. Owen's deeper role has been a fantastic success reminding me of Steve Howey being converted from a striker to a centre half who was then picked for England by 'master tactician' Terry Venables. Switching to 4-3-3 has suddenly transformed a midfield which resembled a clapped out banger into a rolls royce. All of this under the relentless barrage of scorn and criticism from a relentless media. Keegan hasn't allowed the spirit to be dampened and the players are now starting to reflect their manager which all teams do in the end. I think Keegan's quote after the game says it all:

Not to mention we all have two eyes and can see us playing a far more effective and enjoyable brand of football.

An accurate summing up. The defenders bought have been pretty good quality, if not the best. The problem was Allardyce's terrible style of play which almost destroyed players like Geremi, Barton, Viduka and Owen who rely on quick passing and movement.

He might see it for what it is and laugh, nobody is advocating that anything the KKK does is right, they are rightly known as a horrible bunch of thick evil bastards. Maybe someone should show him it and see if he thinks it's funny then?

I'm just wondering what made anyone even think of it?

Don't know about you but I'm more bothered than anything about what our players do on the pitch, clearly their lifestyles off the pitch mean more to you. Unfortunately managers can't be so idealistic or they'd only be in charge of Sunday 5 a sides in a church league.

There's a difference between realistic transfer targets and pie in the sky wishlists. Bentley is a realistic target regardless of whether he comes. Berbatov and Carrick are more dreamland category currently. If we were a year further down the line maybe.

one good game doesn't prove he' s a quality keeper. Fucking Pattison got motm in his debut And the fact that he's done very little since then doesn't prove he's a shit one either. I'd be very happy to see him given a chance in the cup games, depending on the importance/quality of the opponent, obviously. Krul looked outstanding in nearly every department in that game. Unless he's looked shit elsewhere since then, I could only rate him as a fantastic prospect.

I was curious ... games goals shots fouls committed yellow cards red cards Nicky Butt 29 3 22 54 11 0 Alan Smith 25 0 26 75 8 1 75 fouls committed. Sooner we're rid of the better. 25 games and 25 shots. I can remember saying early on that for an attacking player he hardly had any attempts at goals. In fact I started a thread called 'Just what is Alan Smith's role exactly?' for that very reason.

If Emre was going to play in the new formation it would have to be in Owen's role, i.e. link man between the midfield and forwards. Both Barton and Geremi have been doing some sterling work defensively in that midfield which has allowed us to field 3 forwards. I don't think Emre has the capability or the drive to do that amount of work. He's a player I like for his technique, but his long spells on the treatment bench make him a liability.

If Shearer had Drogba's pace he would have been unstoppable. If.

It depends what people deem as success. If it's winning a trophy, that would be nice but there are no guarantees in life, unless you can spend more than everyone else by a considerable margin like Chelsea did. If it's getting us up there challenging for the top 4 then I know Keegan can do that. Already these players are responding, just the same way his previous teams did. Keegan takes all the pressure and just gives the players the belief and confidence to play the right way. Think back to some of the things he was saying when we were struggling. "if you are afraid of making a difficult pass, you'll never make a good pass" Big Sam was scared to make a simple pass and it showed in his team - and that was when we weren't in a relegation battle. Imagine how much courage it takes to ask your team to play good football when you are in danger of going down. Keegan is an inspiraional leader with clarity of vision and the ability to command fierce loyalty from his players. If he's given the backing and support required he'll deliver.

Blackburn are a small town club whereas Newcastle, whatever anyone might argue, has always in the higher glamour bracket since Keegan's last era. It might be too early in the recovery period, but anyone who remembers the last time around will want to be part of it if it looks like taking off again.

I think Bentley is using the European thing as a get out of jail card from Blackburn. To describe it as a sideways step to come here is ludicrous....have you ever been to Blackburn? This is a massive club about to take off I think, and some of the southern journalists know it as well. If Ashley provides the funds, I think we'll be in for Bentley and plenty of players will buy into Keegan's vision.

The KK bandwagon is about to start rolling. Woodgate missed out and paid for his rash decision on Sunday when he was taken apart. If we look like a team on the up again players like Bentley will be tripping over their feet to get here imo.