TRon

I said it in the other thread but it's worth repeating: what is the tactical justification for playing a guy like Emre wide left? he hasn't got the pace or running to do well in that role, in fact he's designed NOT to play wide. I really would love to be able to wrap my head around Allardyce's thinking there as before this I've always considered him to be tactically switched on. But why you need elaborate tactics to beat a bunch of no hope try-hards like Reading is beyond me in any case as with the quality of players we have available we could probably run rings round them with a reserve side given the licence to do so.

I don't have a problem playing a defensive line up away from home against better teams but I don't see how playing Emre on the left is going to achieve anything. He's not great defensively, he's not fast enough to play wide, his only strength is his vision and passing when he's played centrally. BTW, Reading were absolute shite, a championship team like Derby who will bully a few mediocre sides but will get put to the sword by better teams. If we have any ambitions of Europe this season then we need to be going to places like Derby and Reading expecting nothing less than three points and the players we had available didn't warrant such a negative, fearful approach.

This idea that the fans are driving Owen away is not only wrong, it's a baseless slur. I wonder where they got £15m from anyway? It's a fantastic number even if it's got no basis in reality.

Agreed. you also echo the same idea i was getting at, we need goals from all round the pitch. at the minute we don't have many people who are going to contribute goals outside of the forwards, perhaps Barton will be this player, N'Zogbia is another but even on his top form he doesn't score huge amounts. for that reason i don't think we can really go with Smith as he himself scores very few and then we're left completely reliant on one striker to score every game. That's one of the criticisms I have of Milner. It's not that he's a bad player as such, but he doesn't have enough in his locker to make up for his shortcomings. Top wide players get their share of goals and Milner isn't shaping up like a player who will do that any time soon. Smith's done some good work when he's played up front and i think he can do a good job up there, as can Viduka IMO, but even secondary strikers need to get some goals. You'd hope that with a run in the side he might sart getting into the groove of being a striker again but really hope shouldn't be part of the equation, long term in any case.

I think Emre's bad luck is that he's been injured at the same time as Barton. Now just when it looks like he might have got himself a place in midfield we get the international break and when we get back to club football Barton is going to be fit. As I don't think Allardyce is the type of manager to play them both, Emre might find it hard to nail down a first team place. I hope not because the way he was orchestrating the play against Everton when he came on, he would be a real asset if he could produce it more regularly.

The Sun ran a back page story yesterday quoting a source claiming Owen hadn't forgotten how Sam spoke against his selection for England during the World Cup due to injury worries. It might just be shit-stirring by the Sun but everything about Owen's demeanour since the recent selection furore makes you wonder whether there's some truth in it.

I've got to say - as an outsider - most of you are f****** nuts!! Barton has played a grand total of 0 minutes for you and he's a hero because he's had a pop at your best player?Honest to God, you're not easily swayed in the slightest are you? hasn't it occured to you that he and his agent (and btw, those two deserve each other) have sat down and thought "right, i've done f*** all for the club that has just spent millions on me but they're all having a go at Owen - if I do the same then I'm guaranteed a cheer when i eventually make it onto the pitch". Seems to have worked an' all Before Owen joined you he stated publicly that he'd rather have come back to Anfield, however your chairman decided to spend £5m more than Liverpool had provisionally agreed with Madrid in order to force Owens hand - either he spent another year on Madrids bench (despite having the best goals - to - minutes ratio in Spain) or he joined you with a clause in his contract(that Shepherd at the time denied - not like him to lie to Newcastle fans, was it?) that said he could rejoin LIverpool (or anyone in the top 4) if they offered £12m. You knew that at the time, and yet you still were tricked by Shepherd into vturning up to greet/.emotionally blackmail Owen. D'you know what? I hope he does go in Jan - then all you silly f****** who are demanding he leaves may get your wish to see the full development of Martins Look mate, if you love Owen so much why don't you f****** buy him? Waiting till the price is right and Owen's fitness is proven beyond doubt like all the other big boys? Fine...but don't lecture us on 'commitment'. If you wanted him you could have him but you don't - so end of story. Well there's a nicely reasoned debate if ever I saw one... Personally speaking, I would take him back at Anfield in a flash (esp. if we could swap him for Crouch) but it ain't going to happen because Rafa seems to be as stubborn as you like and would rather sign an unknown Spaniard/Frenchman /Venutian than admit he made a mistake signing Crouchy instead of re-signing Owen. However, I just don't know what he's done so wrong for most of you to turn on him so badly - There must be something in the water up there because it seems a hell of a lot of you are mind readers, you know exactly what he's thinking (even when it's contradictory) at any given time. I've met a few people that know/knew Owen and his family pretty well and they all say that he's a decent guy, it just seems strange to me that you're having a go at him for absolutely no need, he obviously didn't want to get injured - an ACL injury is probably the worst injury you can get, for him to go through all the re hab only to be booed on his return, I'm sorry but I just can't understand the logic of that at all. It'll just drive him out (and his price down)- I can't see how Newcastle can win if the crowd keep getting on his back - If you were a top class player would you join Newcastle after listening to geordies fill the airwaves giving someone grief for representing their country? Rafa won't have Owen back because he stabbed him in the back and went to Real from what I can recall. Played the market like a pro by waiting till his contract at Liverpool was worth less than a fat signing on fee at Madrid. He's a Liverpudlian born and bred, and desperate to come back to Liverpool in your own words. Now why don't YOU appreciate him and accomodate his wish? Buy him for £9m and Fat Fred himself will carry him back for you. No point in asking Crouchy to carry him, his legs would probably snap.

I've got to say - as an outsider - most of you are f****** nuts!! Barton has played a grand total of 0 minutes for you and he's a hero because he's had a pop at your best player?Honest to God, you're not easily swayed in the slightest are you? hasn't it occured to you that he and his agent (and btw, those two deserve each other) have sat down and thought "right, i've done f*** all for the club that has just spent millions on me but they're all having a go at Owen - if I do the same then I'm guaranteed a cheer when i eventually make it onto the pitch". Seems to have worked an' all Before Owen joined you he stated publicly that he'd rather have come back to Anfield, however your chairman decided to spend £5m more than Liverpool had provisionally agreed with Madrid in order to force Owens hand - either he spent another year on Madrids bench (despite having the best goals - to - minutes ratio in Spain) or he joined you with a clause in his contract(that Shepherd at the time denied - not like him to lie to Newcastle fans, was it?) that said he could rejoin LIverpool (or anyone in the top 4) if they offered £12m. You knew that at the time, and yet you still were tricked by Shepherd into vturning up to greet/.emotionally blackmail Owen. D'you know what? I hope he does go in Jan - then all you silly f****** who are demanding he leaves may get your wish to see the full development of Martins Look mate, if you love Owen so much why don't you fucking buy him? Waiting till the price is right and Owen's fitness is proven beyond doubt like all the other big boys? Fine...but don't lecture us on 'commitment'. If you wanted him you could have him but you don't - so end of story.

To suggest that Owen is being driven out of the club is just mind-boggling to be honest. The truth is most Newcastle fans are desperate to know in their hearts that Michael really, REALLY wants to be here. Not at Man U, not at Liverpool, not at Arsenal. The fans didn't put the escape clause in the contract. The fans aren't rushing to rubbish Allardyce's claims that he needs nursing back. If Mikey wants to maintain a diplomatioc silence every time his Newcastle future is thrown in doubt then why can't he do the same when his club manager expresses perfectly reasonable concerns about his playing two matches in four days, one of them on a plastic pitch?

So is Freddie Shepherd buying Leeds then?

That's my take on it as well. Emre usually got played too deep or out wide where he isn't fast enough. Where you would expect Emre to come alive is the final third of the pitch just like on Sunday where he can feed the strikers and do some damage himself around the penalty area.

Because we could afford to and we need him for days like today. Not a big deal. Sibierski could have done the same job yesterday at 6 mill less.An exuberant signing imo. Sibierski is a good example of what's right about Alan Smith up front. While Smith isn't going to get enough goals, his link up play and sheer drive has led to a good few chances, and the football looks good when he's playing as a striker. Sibierski will get the odd goal but his general play is nowhere near the same standard.

Owen seems to be getting prickly for no reason. On Sunday he seemed a bit miffed that the fans booed the decision to take Martins off, and now he's taking exception to Sam's perfectly reasonable concerns about Owen playing two games in 4 days.

Has Emre had a run as the central attacking midfielder/playmaker at Newcastle? Because I don't see much use for him if he isn't getting that role.

ok, I misread that, but yes that's what I meant.

I think good players make their own time though. Solano was one for example.

Just a general observation, but watching Enrique have a bullish debut (sorry, couldn't resist) Capaca and Faye generally look rock hard, and Beye looking pretty good despite the odd moment, I couldn't help thinking this defence is going to be mint with a bit more familiarity. It could be our first ever top class back four for a long, long time. By that I mean REAL defenders, not fancy dans who just look good going forward. For that I take my hat off to Allardyce.

What I liked best about Emre's role on Sunday was that as soon as he got the ball he had time to measure his options. In what's often been a helter-skelter midifeld he brought a touch of poise and skill. Even if he isn't the final answer, it's definitely something we need in our team.

So is Peter Ramage's.

The difference with Zog and Milner are these: Pace. Zog can skin a man on the outside like against West Ham leaving Bowyer for dead. From that position chances of scoring from a cross increase dramatically as opposed to Milner's, stop; feint, shuffle, cut inside (because he can't go outside) or cross high routine. Goals. Zog scores them and Milner doesn't. Forwards, need to get some goals and the best wide players do. Milner, considering he's got a decent right foot scores very few, and I put that down to lack of bad intent. He just doesn't want it enough IMO.

no chance Simao,Quaresma,Maxi would join us and prob not SWP now he is playing more regularly. Doesn't have to be someone top drawer IMO, a young prospect could offer an alternative from the bench - it would still be a step in the right direction and give us a change of pace if things weren't going well.

Faye and Capaca, but would be happy with Faye and Rozenhal as well.

don't know if that was aimed at me, but yes, poor season or not, I still rate both Zog and Duff.

It's not a criticism of either, just I would like to have an option out wide with real pace, or failing that Solano's intelligence and goals.

Bent at £17m. Only an English club would have paid it - about £10m over-priced I'd say which makes him the worst buy by a country mile. Smith wasn't someone I wanted here, but he's done ok, and in the few chances he's had to play up front he's done well. Good squad player in my book, and offers a necessary alternative to Viduka so you can stick that in your pipe and smoke it.