TRon

Crouch is a 7ft wimp. You can bet he's only smoking to impress his WAG - whether that's enough to impress her, well we'll have to wait and see. If Sam is looking for big characters to play for a big club, then Viduka for £0.0m is probably a better bet.

Tbh, I wasn't even considering Emre as part of our 1st 11 next season. Just the thread is about playmakers/creative types, and there aren't nmany in the EPL. Emre is one of the few around and comparisons with Solano are pointless. Solano isn't physically equipped to play CM, whereas Emre is a tough little bugger.

Who cares whether Viduka won some pointless pot? He's still a quality player and he'll show this next year. Haven't City fans anything better to talk about? Like will the new City owner force Ranieri to ditch pre-match pasta for Thai greeny curry with noodles?

He is, yes. Not sure he utilises that pace as well as he could though. No he doesn't - he's a bit thick tbh. He's not in Owen's class as a pure striker but he's still quality IMO. Alongside Viduka I could see both doing well next season.

Martin's is quicker than post-injury Owens, though obviously not as good a finisher.

At least that's one of Owen's escape routes blocked

Emre is nothing but a playmaker. This is exactly the role he was designed for a la Beardsley. Not sure Big Sam will want him here next season, but he might see him playing a JJ Okocha type of role.

That's because although he expended plenty of energy he was a jack of all trades and not a specialist CM. Would be useful on the continent but ineffective in the Prem.

Martins isn't a perpetual crock though. Anyway, my take is that no one will buy Owen at £9m and he will stay put, probably have a decent season under Big Sam and all this will be put to bed. If not £9m will do.

Well if we get £9m that would go towards buying a pretty good striker who could compliment Martins. Owen and Martins won't gel IMO, so we don't really need both. Owen's a great finisher, but doesn't contribute much else. If he wants to leave it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Don't think we will be buying Boateng AND Barton somehow.

No one will pay £9m IMO

Viduka appears close to signing. Parker appears close to leaving. His Bolton backroom team are close to arriving. Had talks with Owen while definitely on holiday I believe. I'd call that progress...

Similar to when he signed tbh. Owen's agent pimping him to the 'Big Four' - no interest at the asking price - Owen reverts to dedicated Mag mode...

Even better...

seems to be making more progress in the transfer market from his sunbed than most of our previous managers have done during most of the close season. Glen Roeder spent most of last summer sending Michael Owen grovelling phone texts...which were probably deleted un-opened. Does SA take his headset off when he turns the lights out at night? Or do you reckon he leaves it on to use as an alarm call in the morning?

Viduka will do very well next season. Cracking signing if it happens tbh.

Parker for me, is a nothing player. Neither a real DM or a creative attacking one, although he can do a bodge job in either position. Tidy enough but not enough physical presence to boss a match. Barton isn't a player I'd want here really but if SA thinks he can get the best out of him I trust his judgement. It's the sort of thing he gets right more often than wrong.

It's not about bashing any individual who is playing for Newcastle. it's about the make up of the team, something we have basically lacked for a long time now. Butt, Emre, Parker and Dyer all have fine qualities but put them all together a'la Roeder and this team would get kicked off the park by the Sheff U's, Birminghams and Boltons in the premier league. None of thes players are bad in their own right but putting the right combination together is what good management is all about.

Both are great professionals, both are touted as Newcastle captains for commendable reasons. Both are unlikely to be tapped up by the top sides in the EPL because small DM players aren't really in much demand in England. Bearing this in mind, do we really need two small scufflers in the engine room? Or even one?

exactly!

^^ Now that sounds like a trademark Sam Allardyce signing.

I think it's fair enough to ask this question. When Sam was given this job we were (and still are) a team closer to relegation material than champions league. At that point Allardyce was the logical choice and a superb one IMO with his record of achieving the maximum from players at his disposal. However, with Ashley's massive cash injection into the squad, this obviously raises the expectation level to a different height. With funds to compete with the big boys SA will be in new territory and will have to prove himself all over again. I don't think Allardyce's Bolton-style of play will work at a higher level. But Allardyce has proven to be ahead of his time in so many respects, I am pretty confident he has the right approach to progress to a higher level given the resources and time to adapt.

What opinion? Opinion by definition is weighing up the pro's and con's. Since when did bitching and whining count as 'opinion'? bored now. you get questionned on your ridiculous policy, and you change your tack. what a shock. So what you are basically saying here is you don't have any answers or solutions but you want to harp on about other people's failings. Is that correct?

As I said elsewhere, if his release clause is £9m, who cares if he goes? Just because he is pimping himself to the top 4 doesn't automatically mean anyone will bite in any case. If they do, great. We'll have £9m to invest in someone who wants to be here and won't collapse on coming into contact with a blade of grass.