TRon

Maybe he should put Shola back in the starting line up then. After all, he didn't put the squad together.

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/4449/mooonx2.gif Butt and Geremi are going to get over-run in midfield I think. Neither have the pace to get up and down the pitch quickly enough. I'm amazed Naco hasn't started, also find it hard to believe that Cacapa will be a better full back than Bassong. Daft.

Emre barely played last season so they must not take appearances into account when working out their statistics. They also don't seem to take the number of games in charge and who the opposition were when they say Allardyce was more successful than Keegan. Embarrassment of an article for 'The Times'. Statistics will only tell you so much, but the gist of the article isn't far wrong. Newcastle's decline began well before Ashley got here, the slump was initiated by the sacking of Robson, and the disastrous appointments of Souness and Roeder. Even under Allardyce, another appointment before Ashley arrived, the performances in relation to wages were appalling. So while Ashley has made some mistakes, it's hardly surprising that we have taken the direction we have done, in trying to get the over-paid footballers in line or out the door.

Don't really know why Owen is coming in for stick here. I haven't been his biggest fan during his time here but last week he was the best player on the pitch and led by example unlike a few who's heads went down. By all accounts he's at the forefront of keeping morale up in the dressing room during a difficult time, so full respect for that.

This is the sort of comment that makes other clubs' fans think that NUFC supporters have ideas above their station...Wenger and Ferguson's opinions carry a great deal more weight(justifiably)than this sort of remark on a fans' website. It also smacks of arrogance - despite disagreeing with your views, I still acknowledge that you are entitled to them , so it is a bit silly to say that these 2 top managers should 'keep their beaks out'.. In fact, such a comment could even be construed by some as being from a Board Ally.......! Dude Just to clarify, I'm definitely not suggesting that I know more about football then Ferguson or Wenger. And, as you say, I don't think my views 'have more weight', whatever that means. This is all about opinions though isn't it? All I'm saying is that is what I would expect fellow managers to say, they will always come out and support one of their own. And in terms of commenting on the situation at Newcastle, yes I would prefer if they minded their own business. Not sure what 'board ally' means, but I've agued the case sympathetically for Ashley at times, so I think my views are out there. Sympathetically? No, I'd say you've been more of an ashley and wise arse lick from the outset. As this is an opionion forum as you point out, thats my opinion. Well you come across as either a 12yr old, or a mentally challenged adult, but then it's all about opinon.

Fair point. They had a cosy relationship with Freddie Shepherd with the old I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine understanding. I think it hit an all time low when Oliver actually started berating the fans for giving Souness a hard time before he read the writing on the wall and switched sides.

Sorry, I could only support Newcastle since I was born, can't do any better than that I'm afraid. I'll try to rephrase it differently. Why should one of the biggest clubs in the country EVER be "patient". Shouldn't we ALWAYS be expecting to challenge and show the ambition to challenge on that very basis ? Don't you think that we understand that this "planning" and "patience" is absolutely no guarantee of anything ? Do you understand that lots of other clubs are attempting to preach "patience" that might get in the way of our own hopes too ? In football........things change quickly, often and unexpectedly all the time....today and the immediate future, is ALL that matters. Get the supporters in, and if you are a big club, keep them in. Being a big club doesn't guarantee you will have bigger and better funds available every season, forever and ever. If you spend like a top 5 club you need to finish top 5 to maintain that spend usually. Likewise if you want the best youngsters so you can "DO A ARSENAL" you have to be in Arsenal position because the best kids are not going to join bottom half prem clubs. A first team place in a bottom half team is sometimes better than playing for Arsenal reserves. Maybe that's why Bentley left Arsenal for Blackburn? It's not really the point anyway, I think everyone knows the Arsenal thing was more about getting players for a relatively low fee before their valuation rockets e.g, Anelka, Vieira and the like. Not easy, but everyone would like to do it.

Sorry, I could only support Newcastle since I was born, can't do any better than that I'm afraid. I'll try to rephrase it differently. Why should one of the biggest clubs in the country EVER be "patient". Shouldn't we ALWAYS be expecting to challenge and show the ambition to challenge on that very basis ? Don't you think that we understand that this "planning" and "patience" is absolutely no guarantee of anything ? Do you understand that lots of other clubs are attempting to preach "patience" that might get in the way of our own hopes too ? In football........things change quickly, often and unexpectedly all the time....today and the immediate future, is ALL that matters. Get the supporters in, and if you are a big club, keep them in. Being a big club doesn't guarantee you will have bigger and better funds available every season, forever and ever. If you spend like a top 5 club you need to finish top 5 to maintain that spend usually.

Unfortunately the piece is written by Gibson, who never had many marbles to begin with and age isn't improving the situation.

From the Chronicle today. It's a piece by John gobshite Gibson, which doesn't do much for it's credibility, but there does seem to be a general theme running of potential buyers being cold-shouldered. Fair enough back in June as I don't think Ashley had any intention of selling, but nothing much seems to have changed since he's put the club up for sale.

I agree the decision to bring him back now seems sentimental and wrong in the circumstances. But wasn't it us (the fans) that just assumed we would be spending big because Ashley was a billionairre? Did he ever actually promise anything like that? There was talk of a £100m transfer war chest bandied about to begin with, this was later revised down to £50m, now we are down to £12m. In Keegan's first interview, he was talking about why shouldn't we be allowed to dream of winning something. He was definitely thinking big, and my impression has been that he was allowed to think that way to begin with at least. I don't think it turned out like in the brochure, and my gut instinct is that KK was misled, and that's irrespective of whether the system is right or not.

The daft thing is, even now we are down to the bare bones, he still wouldn't get in the side.

It was a rhetorical question. The intention is admirable. The problem is that you need to give a manager with outstanding judgement the final say on whether he thinks he can get those young players playing well, and then also a manager of outstanding skill to actually get them out onto the pitch doing it. Arsenal have both those men in Arsene Wenger. We do not. Nor did we in Kevin Keegan if some (including Mike Ashley and his staff) are to be believed. Which begs the question, why bring him back? That's not one I expect you to answer either btw, seeing as you've already said it was a mistake. The fact is that pretty much all successful models rely on the man who organises and coaches the team having the authority to determine his own pool of playing staff. Keegan was brought back for sentimental reasons which in hindsight was a mistake, I think the comment that only him and Shearer would be given time holds some weight which is another problem again, I still think the club were prepared to give Keegan a major say on transfers as long as they fitted in with the clubs strategy (players under 25-26) but something happened to make the club step in over his head at the end of the window, I've no idea what that was but it's understandable that people side with Keegan because of his stature amongst the fans. No idea what was promised or implied to Keegan, but the general view when Ashley arrived was that there was going to be big plans and big money to spend on players. If the budget was always intended to be pretty tight, then bringing Keegan back was a bizarre decision given his previous reputation as a chequebook manager.

The Arsenal comment was clearly about bring through and buying youngsters as a model for the future, nothing to do with who goes out and gets them. Then why use it as an example when it is so clearly different to the circus that is currently the SJP system? Wenger and Fergie have built up enough credit in the bank to be able to dictate buying policy to be fair. Our managers have been losing money on transfers wfor a long time so it was inevitable the brakes would have to be applied somewhere.

No wonder Hughton has said it might be better to play away from home for the players if this is the type of "backing" our fans will show.

The bit you're missing is that he could try negotiating if he's serious about selling the club otherwise why put it up for sale?

That's three potential buyers two of wich have complained that Ashley isn't prepared to negotiate. There's nothing wrong with having a set price and sticking to it but when you are asking for double what most analysts consider is reasonable, you would at least expect some give and take. Ambani flew back complaining it was impossible to reach Ashley to have any meaningful discussions, now the Arabs are saying Ashley won't even listen to lower offers. He's certainly not desperate to sell that's for certain.

To think that bloke in your avatar flew into England to try and buy Newcastle...what is he the 6th richest man in the world? Ashley doesn't want to sell unless he gets an offer he can't refuse.

From the Telegraph today. It's becoming pretty obvious to me that there are buyers out there but Ashley doesn't want to sell. This whole thing seems to be a charade which is unnecessary. If he doesn't want to sell, fine get a manager in and get on with it.

Practically begging for the job.

I think people should bear in mind that the injured players when they come back will make us look a lot better than we do right now. The only thing which seriously pisses me off is that I was looking forward to a decent-ish season and it's got completely de-railed by what's gone on.

Christ, what a choice. I think I'd rather stick with Hughton. I can't see why Curbishley would want the job by the way - he left West Ham for the same apparent reasons that Keegan left, the club's imploding, the fans are in revolt, cockneys are persona non grata especially short or fat ones, plus I don't expect he's ever worked out of the London area. The only thing that seems to link him with us is that he's out of work. To say Curbishley resigned is only half the story tbh. He was on the brink of getting sacked anyway due to his disastrous transfer dealings, shit man management, huge unpopularity with the fans, and generally being a glum arsehole. His "resignation" was a million miles from Keegans. I think Curbishley did okay at West Ham. He took them out of a disastrous position when they looked certain to go down. Last year, he was very hampered by injuries but still took them to mid-table. I don't think he'd want to come north, because he's very rooted in the London / Essex area, but his overall record is a good one. He was on the verge of getting sacked though. He wasted a lot of money on injury prone players, and doesn't seem to command a lot of respect in the dressing room from stories that ahave appeared in the press over the last year. Doesn't strike me as being the sort to lift a team short term if that's the case.

Christ, what a choice. I think I'd rather stick with Hughton. I can't see why Curbishley would want the job by the way - he left West Ham for the same apparent reasons that Keegan left, the club's imploding, the fans are in revolt, cockneys are persona non grata especially short or fat ones, plus I don't expect he's ever worked out of the London area. The only thing that seems to link him with us is that he's out of work. To say Curbishley resigned is only half the story tbh. He was on the brink of getting sacked anyway due to his disastrous transfer dealings, shit man management, huge unpopularity with the fans, and generally being a glum arsehole. His "resignation" was a million miles from Keegans.

Shame that this wonderful new system we have failed to bring in the right-winger we required. it didn't bring in the back up right back either We wasted our money on Jonas and Xisco instead.