TRon

I think we will only really see if we will miss Martins when we play a few matches without him in the starting line up. We didn't really miss Owen during his recent lay off because Oba and Ameobi proved surprisingly effective. I n fact the goals have dried up since Owen came back into the starting line up. Maybe Owen and Viduka will do the business if given a run together? Personally I think they will be too slow as a partnership but we'll see.

I'm still not convinced he's going to have too many options which he would consider worthwhile in any case. He won't get a look in at the top 4, Man City can buy bigger and better...that leaves Villa or possibly Everton. I don't think he will fit in with Villa's style, and I can't see Everton breaking their wage structure for a player like Owen.

We are at home, the emphasis needs to be on how much damage we can do to them rather than worry about their long throws too much. Obviously the aerial threat has to be countered, but if we keep the ball on the deck and press them high up the pitch we should dominate possession as they will be too clumsy to keep the ball for long. Then hopefully their dead ball situations will be few and far beween.

I don't see how either you or Johnny can say what he was planning to do, the idea behind bringing in younger players is that it does cut down on expenses in that you have them develop at your club rather than have them develop somewhere else, our biggest problem in the Summer was that we didn't buy enough of them but who's fault that was I don't know. As for Milner, Are you for real? He was fucking shite, man. Even the Villa fans think so yet we should have tried to keep even though we sold him for double what he was worth?! Madness. When all other things are equal (existing contract duration, current ability, etc) a young player will cost more than an older player. You pay a premium for potential. As a way of putting together a team that can compete NOW it would be a more expensive route to go, not a cost saving exercise. If the young players you're bringing in are cheap, they're usually cheap for a reason, and the chances are they have a long way to go to before they are ready to be first choice selections. Of course you can get lucky and find a player like Bassong, or to a lesser extent Guthrie, but more often than not these youngster's who all clubs are on the lookout for will take years to develop, and in in most cases wont in fact reach their potential. Also, the system didn't find these players, the people within the system found them. The ones which were brought in, Keegan was obviously happy with. Who knows how successful the ones Keegan tuned down would have been, maybe Keegan was the one who could filter out the good ones. There's more chance that he knows how to spot a player than Wise, simply through having more experience at it. As for Milner, he's 22 & at least 2 clubs were in for him. It wasn't a one-time not to be missed sale, yet we were so desperate to offload him and get the cash before Mike tried to sell up, we rushed it thorough so he could play for Villa at the weekend while we were short on numbers in midfield. When you consider the low wages he'll be on & the years of professional, fairly consistent, low injury rate, uncomplaining service he'll give Villa, I think he'll easily be worth his transfer fee in value in the long run. I bet he'll create and score more goals than Jonas this season for a start [puts tin hat on]. Milner will have more dynamic central midfielders to work with, i.e., a rolls royce player like Gareth Barry, Petrov and Reo-coker as opposed to chitty-chitty bang-bang Butt. He'll have strikers with pace and aerial power like Carew and Agbonlahor to aim for rather than toon midgets Owen and Martins. If he doesn't create and score more he would have to be absolutely useless. Not that I think there'll be much in it.

After the fuss made last year I'd be amazed if anyone was unaware that it get dredged up again if the bomb chants were repeated. That's why I don't accept it was innocent banter, at best it was downright stupid everything considered, which is why I don't see the need to bend over backwards defending such daft actions. Have a long hard look at the people who caused the 'fuss'. Wwheeessss keeeeeyyyyyssss Louise from the guardian? Correct both times. Certain people with agendas as well as the usually 'outraged about something, life isn't fair' smoggies. Nothing happened then, nothing will happen now, because people know that it is a storm in a teacup. Even Southgate has said as much. Even if that's the case, the fact is it has been reported broadly by the press and not just one agenda driven journalist. Wether anything comes of it or not, it hardly reflects well on us as a club to be associated with this stuff two seasons running. That's the reason I can't understand all this defensive excuse making for a few plebs who should know better.

After the fuss made last year I'd be amazed if anyone was unaware that it get dredged up again if the bomb chants were repeated. That's why I don't accept it was innocent banter, at best it was downright stupid everything considered, which is why I don't see the need to bend over backwards defending such daft actions. Have a long hard look at the people who caused the 'fuss'. The national media?

After the fuss made last year I'd be amazed if anyone was unaware that it get dredged up again if the bomb chants were repeated. That's why I don't accept it was innocent banter, at best it was downright stupid everything considered, which is why I don't see the need to bend over backwards defending such daft actions.

I don't think anyone's daft enough to think he's a world beater, but tbf my opinion's based on more than a couple of games. I put a thread up after the Coventry game where he had a really good debut alongside Coloccini, and he's shown a lot of top defensive attributes. I think he'll find out what it's all about against Stoke though, as neither he or Colo will have been subjected to the aerial battering they are going to get come the weekend.

When NE5 actually talks football rather than boardroom politics he usually talks sense.

In games where Owen doesn't score I find myself wondering whether Shola would have had more impact?

Everyone else is wrong and we are right of course. Let's do the Mido chants at our ground as well, it would be such a laugh to hear 40,000 singing it

That's a far more professional statement, in fact I'm quite surprised NUSC has managed to keep their emotions in check. Maybe it's becoming clear that there isn't a line of foreign investors willing to throw bags of money at the club, but whatever the reason a welcome change of direction.

It's something of an indictment of our attacking options that we have to play 3 strikers so that each one can make up for the weaknesses of the others. Not to mention compensating the lack of goals coming from midfield.

Increasing season ticket prices is a business decision and par for the course really. Abramovic didn't have to apologise for getting rid of a manager either, that too is par for the course. In short those things happen in football and are generally related to the football. Your argument is daft as Nut comparing Gibson and Ashley. Not that I demand an apology from Ashley (I wouldn't believe a thing the man said even if one did come anyway) but he does need to acknowledge his role in all of this and look to heal a lot of wounds and throwing money at the manager isn't the answer even though the team desperately needs strengthened. Hey Mike, do your worst just spend a few quid son shine. Such is the distrust his regime has installed in me anyway, I'd question his motives if he were to do just that spend big. I guess that's his top job winning back some trust and I can't see a way back in for him on that front because again, everything he did or say would rightly be met with suspician. He's fucked up, NUFC and football isn't for him clearly or rather he isn't for us as he's shown, so kindly try and find a buyer. Well he's clearly not doing enough to force a sale so the only option left is to resort to verbal abuse. Here's my two pence worth: You fat pansy Ashley. You are horrible.

Are you kidding? Kinnear would probably get chinned

I am actually quite keen to see a Viduka/Owen partnership without Oba in the mix. I hear so much criticism about Oba's stupidity, bad touch, poor aniticipation etc, I'd just like to see the two 'class forwards' have a few games together and see what they come up with. I'm not sure they'll be as effective without "thick as mince" Martins pulling defenders all over the place. Besides, I think we need Martins on the pitch just to get Gemmill popping up now and then bursting a blood vessel at the thought anyone rates him.

Nice plan but I think I've spotted a flaw.

Is your best friend an asian?

Yakubu out for the season and Saha limping off with a hamstring injury. Smith to the rescue as Moyes makes last ditch £4m bid for Smith in Jan! These are the headlines we could be reading in the new year

Aint going to happen Tbh I'd take the apology and the £20m. I don't even think an apology's necessary, if he just comes out and says he's keeping the club and he's going to put enough money in to compete properly that will do for me. Assuming he actually puts proper money in of course. At the moment I think he's sitting on the fence tbh. He won't release much money to Kinnear but he'll get some. He's hedging his bets in case the club gets sold, until then he's given Kinnear a job to the end of the season.

I'm surprised the didn't say we offered to pay Liverpool £3m to take him off our hands.

On paper Owen and Viduka would be the Gemmill wankfest dream partnership with Martins nowhere in sight. However I think Keegan found room for Oba for a reason.

Chris Mort was better at PR but essentially he did the same job for Mike Ashley and pretty much followed the blueprint.

There's another well-timed story in the NoW revealing Ashley hasn't paid off all the debt he's claimed. One step forward two steps back for Big Mike's quest to sit with the fans again.

He seems to have got physically stronger since the summer as well. Maybe it's just the experience of playing in English football, but he looks a very good defender.