TRon

on the basis of what, exactly? Whatever I post will be rejected by you, I think there's little point bothering myself too much, so I'll just write a couple of lines in reply. I think he's a decent player, others do too and you and a few others don't. I think his best role is the one currently being occupied by Viduka but I think Smith can do that role better than Viduka if given a run. I hope FS uses Smith as a partner for Owen because that's his best chance of doing well for us. After saying that, even if Smith does go up front and does well, I don't think anything he does will convince you and a few others that he's a decent player. I would agree. I think Smith could play as a sort of target man in the way Paul Goddard used to - hold the ball up and play in a striker like Owen. I would think at some point in the season we'll be glad to have the option.

Seems to have a hard job completing a game without picking up yet another injury or niggle. I would say he is very much at the crossroads of his career at Newcastle. Hopefully he can remain fit enough to make himself available for a decent period of games coming up or questions will be asked.

Will be interesting when we play Liverpool, as for me they have evolved to another level beyond where Allardyce has ever been. It didn't happen overnight for them either mind.

£6m doesn't buy you much these days though. I'd prefer Ryan Babel, but he wasn't available to us. At a push I wouldn't complain if Smith played up front with Owen or Martins, but I'd be concerned if he lined up next to Viduka. They might have been successful together at Leeds but both are more suited to playing just off a natural finisher these days.

Who cares? Just another 10 months and we'll finally be rid.

....and slowly but surely Smudger began to enter the consciousness of the unwilling. but remains not good enough. But you were rubbishing Viduka before last week, since then he has faced and defeated Woodgate to score an absolute pearler in the Tyne -T ees derby.

mackems.gif can't resist it. Could you please explain how other chairmen have also been stupid enough to appoint these people, what makes you so bright you think that every chairman appoints guaranteed winning managers ? My biggest point with views like you have, is the complete lack of realism. There are LOADS of managers out there who are "failures", in fact the vast majority are, they are ALL sacked in the end, so why do you think we should be so different - do you think Steve Gibson is a great chairman, for instance, if you do, explain why he is such a thick twat he also appointed a manager with no experience of managing, twice ? And Birmingham are owned by 2 of the richest men in the country, who obviously are great owners, putting money into the club, have its best interests at heart, and appointed Steve Bruce, all because they aren't the stupid thick Fred. So how thick and stupid do you consider the chairmen of the 87 clubs that haven't matched us to be ? At the end of the day, the FACTS are that the thick stupid and incompetent chairman was the chairman when the club achieved the first 3 consecutive top 5 league positions in 50 years, and qualified for europe more than every other club bar 4. I realise that this FACT won't wake you up to the real world though. If this is thick, there are a fooking damn sight more thick chairmen out there than we realise, it would seem, and what does it say about his predecessors ? There ARE reasons as to why these managers are chosen, I'm not defending them because I don't agree with them either, especially in Souness' case, but I'll also say you are yet another person who is falling into the trap of blaming someone who isn't the majority shareholder for these big decisions, which are undoubtedly made, decided and sanctioned with either their choosing or at the very least with their complete agreement. Simple fact is mate, people like you just don't like him, which is fair enough, I've never said I like him either only that I don't care about the PR gaffes he made, but you are allowing this to influence your judgement, whereas I am not. Thank you for your lengthy response, but all I aked you to consider was Sheperd's REASONING for considering Bruce, Souness and Roeder management material for a massive club like Newcastle? As an avid supporter of Freddie Shepherd, it's worrying that you haven't managed to address such a simple question.

Seeing as how Viduka is now injured, Ameobi not really a first choice striker, Martins going missing during the ANC, he might still have a role up front this season. Maybe Big Sam's one step ahead of us. Not sure he merits a place in the side right now, but if you look at the bigger picture, he might prove an important member of the squad over the season. In which case it will arguably have been £6m well spent.

Seriously, the main problem with Shepherd wasn't that he fleeced the club, was too fat, was calling Newcastle fans who bought the shirt mugs, geordie women dogs, wanted to punch John Barnwell on the nose, etc... My concern with Freddie was his incredible stupidity. To be fair, he made a decent call when he made Allardyce his first choice, but that hardly tested the grey cells too much. Where the mind boggles though was in his choice of Steve Bruce, Souness and Roeder in fairly quick succession. Shepherd's geordie-tinged specs for Bruce are an indictment of everything wrong with his leadership, for want of a better word. Bruce has since been exposed as a duffer of almost comic proportions, yet we were handing him the most important job at Newcastle United on account of being a geordie (who probably supports Man U now in any case). So like I said earlier, I have nowt against Shepherd other than he was a thick twat. I would love to be convinced otherwise but not one of his supporters to this day have so much as attempted to explain his REASONING for offering the manager's job to the likes of Souness, Bruce and Roeder. What was he thinking exactly? How can you justify it?

tough one for both sides, but as they will probably rest a few players, I think we'll come out on top. Arsene's boys don't like it up 'em and that's exactly where we'll put it.

I think a suitable response would be to point out the fact that if we have had blundering twats running the club, what does it say about the 87 clubs who have not qualified for europe as often as we did. I also think it says a lot about the intellect of supporters - if you can call them supporters as you clearly have zero perspective and as such are clearly one of those people who jumped on the Keegan/Hall/Sheperd/Fletcher bandwagon because you are whining on that we didn't win any of the trophies that you expected to win when the board you slate attracted you back to the club if you ever attended in the first place - that they seriously think that such qualifications for europe, added to the fact that we have qualified for europe more than every club in the country bar 4, is disputed by someone who clearly thinks that NUFC have always finished in the top 3 of the country and the Halls and Sheperd are to blame for bringing all those tropyhy laden glory days to an end This just goes to showcase your lack of judgement to be fair, as I was here when McKeag was chairman, that jug-eared solicitor you keep blathering on about. I don't see how that means I can't correctly call Shepherd a thick blundering twat when he clearly is one. Let's not forgot another example of his bone-headed leadership when he almost appointed another disastrous manager in Steve Bruce. The same Steve Bruce who is constantly on the telly whining in perplexion that he thought he had such and such signing in the bag then it fell through. "I just don't understand it...!" Of course you don't you thick fucking pleb, because you're a shit manager and only someone even thicker would consider giving you a job because...wait for it...you're a geordie!!

Not too bothered really. Nobby obviously wanted to get re-acquainted with his drinking buddies down South. Goodbye and have a good time.

These two signings now complete a pretty rock hard squad. To say I am impressed by Big Sam, Big Mike and not to mention Chris "The Main Man" Mort is to put it mildly. Pleasant surprises? No, this will do nicely thanks.

I think a more valid question would be "Was Fat Fred a thick, blundering twat?" The next question naturally has to be "should a thick blundering twat be in charge of Newcastle United?" Surely the sensible answer to both questions has to be Yes No In that order.

Well, some claim these injuries are karma, or poetic justice, so maybe they can explain this one. 'What goes around, comes around' doesn't seem quite so satisfying in this case does it?

I don't think Taylor needs bringing down to earth at all, he just needs to do his job properly which he didn't do against boro. If Rosenhal, Capaca or Faye get beaten so easily by the striker they are marking they will come under the same scrutiny. If that had been Rosenhal getting shoved aside by Mido we'd have no doubt been questioning whether he was strong enough to play in the Premier!

or £0m if we don't buy him. Not a bad deal either.

I think he probably lost it against boro. That goal cost us two points which were in the bag. If there wasn't so much competition for places, that could be over-looked, but when you have Rozenhal, Capaca and possibly Faye to choose from, it would be pretty hard to justify picking a 21 yr old prospect ahead of them.

Definitely a midfielder. Cole's a talented player, but for me he's a support striker in the Beardsley role. Too lightweight for a midfield role, especially Big Sam's idea of a midfield. Probably why he doesn't figure regularly at Chelsea either, Mourinho's a 4-3-3 man like Allardyce.

Is he a forward or midfielder? He's one of those in between players isn't he?

Exactly. I wouldn't even describe it as being dropped. Taylor has done a good job when asked to play in the first team, but at the top level you need experienced, quality defenders not promising youngsters still learning their trade. No doubt Taylor will figure plenty this season but it's great to have such proven quality as first choice defenders for a change.

There doesn't appear to be much service to the front men, one of the reasons why so many are screaming on these boards for a playmaker. I don't necesarily agree with that, but I don't think going forward we have linked very well this season. Alan Smith isn't ever going to be playing silky football, but if he gives us some steel and aggreszsion in place that's some compensation. But you would want a few goals as well, and I'm surprised, given that he's by nature a striker, he hasn't had more efforts. Like I said earlier, if we have Geremi and Butt providing defensive cover, Smith should have a bit of license to get in the opposition penalty area.

He's not a natural wide man though in the way Milner or N'Zogbia clearly are. For me Smith is most naturally suited to beinng a support striker like he played for England last week, or as an attacking midfielder. In either role though I would have expected him to be looking for the odd goal, but that doesn't seem to be how he's playing it.

These are fantastic points. On reflection busting his leg really isn't enough. He should be executed by means of having a hot poker forced through his arse all the way up to his throat, preferably by Lee Bowyer. Then someone should photoshop the images and put them in this thread. Plus send some to his mam and drug taking bitch of a sister.

I think I've only seen a leg broken in that way two or three times, Alan Smith being one of them, the worst example was the Coventry player a few years back. Most people were horrifed in those cases, but to see some on here gloating because it was Dyer, is just sickening tbh. As soon as he left this club for West Ham, he demonstrated to me he would never be a top player especially as he left primarily to enjoy Big City piss ups with his mates, Bellamy and Bramble. That's beside the point though. No one 'deserves' to have their leg snapped playing football and all this crap about karma is weak bullshit. The lad who did the tackle just kicked out at the back of his leg btw. It was just bad luck that he connected while Dyer's studs were trapped in the turf. I don't think he meant in a milion Sundays to break his leg so Curbishley should give it a rest.