TRon

I have told you that, looking at our last decade, whereby only 4 clubs have qualified for europe more than us, and we have attracted top trophy winning managers, top international players, and filled a 50000 stadium, there must be a hell of a lot of thick twats out there. I suspect that really you wouldn't know a thick twat was if it stood in front of you and said "Stephen Spence was a top footballer". How thick do you think all the other chairman are, if they can't do better than the thick incompetent tosser we had at Newcastle ? Bruce was not offered the Newcastle job. I have not excused Souness, even though the thick twat Liverpool, Southampton, Blackburn and Rangers directors also appointed him to manage clubs in the UK. Roeder had its merits, as he did well as a caretaker. I take it you also think that Steve Gibson is a thick twat for appointing 2 managers without winning track records in management, and little experience. I also suspect that as you have carefully avoided answering this, you know the point I am making to be correct. Quite a lot of people thought Roeder was worth a punt, and some people such as Ozzie Mandiarse still defend the actions of Souness when he was manager. I think you should ask them what their thoughts are regarding this, I take it you knew in advance that Roeder wouldn't work out. Could you please tell us if you thought that a manager who had won 4 league titles with 2 different clubs was a bad appointment, and if so what criteria you would use instead ? And while you are at it, you can tell us how you appear to think that we are the only club with the only chairman that have made shit appointments, yet have attracted 50000 fans to home games, and why they have attended if things have been so shite ? Yes, I mean you. Assuming you go, why have you done this if things have been so shite ? I also see that you STILL are unable to see the completely ludicrous suggestion that the majority shareholders of a multi million pound industry leave the most important decision to someone else. Look all I am asking is that someone who supports Shepherd's leadership can attempt to suggest his reasoning for wanting to appoint managers like Souness, Bruce or Roeder. What made him pinpoint these men? Was it their tactical acumen? Was it their successful transfer dealings? Was it because they were good players? Was it because they were geordies? What was it you believe your man saw in these potential leaders of our club?

I think you will be proven right.

If Michael Owen has to fight for a place, I don't think it will be any different for Geremi. For me though, he's done quite well. While Butt might be better defensively, he doesn't offer anything like the same options going forward. In a 4-3-3 line up with hard-working midfielders, I think Geremi isn't a bad choice for the holding role. Butt would be a better option only if we had a far more attacking line up in front of him.

All I asked earlier, was can someone provide me with Shepherd's reasoning, I repeat: REASONING, for targeting Bruce, Souness and Roeder as portential managers of Newcastle. Because for me, the only reason you would consider that lot would be that you were a thick twat. As NE5 and co have carefully avoided answering this, I can only assume they know this is true.

nothing a big pie won't fix. Don't know what your problem is with Viduka, so far you have been proven wrong. I said he was a class player based on what he produced last season, which you laughed at. For us this season he's scored one goal against one of England's finest defenders and it was a goal that had class stamped all over it. These are the facts, plain and simple. I'm not on either side of the arguement but I wouldn't call 1 goal in 4 games showing his class. Not to mention in the first 2 games he was pretty much non-existant. That goal was class whichever way you look at it. His record last season and everywhere he's played has been class whichever way you look at it. I'm not about to put the thumbs down sign after 4 games here, because I think he's a clever player who holds the ball up well and uses it intelligently. Personally I think he's a much better player when it's played to feet, I don't think the long high ball does him any favours.

I think thats a good assessment Big Tron. He has hinted that he could be a real world class player for a while but he's done very little of note apart from score against the mackems really. I read an article about him in World Soccer a while back (before he signed for us I think) and it seems like he's been billed as the greatest ever Turkish footballer since he was about 12. I'd never seen him play much so when we signed him I thought mint - my logic was that if he's the best Turkish player he must be even better than Tugay who i reckon is one of the most underrated premier league players ever. I also remember reading a quote from Steven Gerrard somewhere saying that he'd played against Emre all the way through international schoolboy football and he said he was always the best midfielder he ever played against at that level. Its about time He did something to justify this massive reputation he's seems to have built for himself from his time at Galatasaray. From all accounts he wasn't much cop at Inter either. He's had the excuses that he's played under a couple of duff managers since he came here and been injured a fair bit, so lets hope he can put the injuries behind him and that Sam can get the best out of him. I think he also suffered from playing with Parker, who as loads of people have said on here slowed the play down too much. He might be one of these players who needs everything to go through him, and need s to be on the ball pretty much as soon as we win it - nothing wrong with that, as long as he delivers an end product when he gets it. I seem to remember reading that George Hagi really rates him as well, form when they played together at Gala, so that is a plenty good enough recomendation for me! When he first played for Newcastle, he showed glimpses of being a pretty special player. Since his early games though he's not really done enough and frustratingly has not played enough consecutive games to allow anyone to form a real opinion. When Joey Barton gets back, there isn't likely to be many first team slots available, so I think if Emre doesn't get involved in the next few weeks his opportunities are going to be limited.

nothing a big pie won't fix. Don't know what your problem is with Viduka, so far you have been proven wrong. I said he was a class player based on what he produced last season, which you laughed at. For us this season he's scored one goal against one of England's finest defenders and it was a goal that had class stamped all over it. These are the facts, plain and simple.

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.