Shak

This forum.

There's clearly been times this year when Jonas, Barton and Nolan in particular have looked knackered and in need of a rest, and we need to be able to give them that without having to rely on the likes of Lovenkrands, Smith, Guthrie and Ryan Taylor to come in and replace them. If we could sign N'Zogbia we'd essentially have him, Jonas, Barton, Ben Arfa and Nolan competing for four spots (Tiote will start as DM, and we'll need a real center forward too) it's hardly a massive traffic jam, and whichever one we leave out we can still field a good side. Out: N'Zogbia LW: Jonas CM: Nolan RW: Barton Free Role: Ben Arfa Out: Jonas LW: Zog CM: Nolan RW: Barton FR: HBA Out: Barton LW: Jonas CM: Nolan RW: Zog FR: HBA Out: Nolan LW: Jonas CM: Barton RW: Zog FR: HBA Out: HBA LW: Jonas CM: Nolan RW: Barton FR: Zog We need depth in our squad, and signing N'Zogbia would be a great first step in building it.

Maybe the idea is to try and give ourselves options in case of injury/poor form? Outrageous, I know, but the competition for places might actually be a good thing in some bizarre, twisted way.

I think the whole idea that "we mismanaged him by signing Duff" doesn't hold any water at all. We needed competition in that place and we weren't going to have him be the only left winger in the squad. Duff for 5m seemed like a a good deal at the time. Instead of relishing the challenge he decided to pout and let himself go just because he didn't get to be a guaranteed starter at age 20. Duff left Chelsea because he wanted first team football. He wasn't coming here to compete with N'Zogbia, he was coming here to replace him. Considering that N'Zogbia was the very last person we should have been looking to replace after that season (where he got 5 goals and 7 assists as a teenager playing in a rubbish team), it was a truly stupid signing when so many areas of the team needed upgrading before we could afford to go spending money on "competition" for the left wing spot. No doubt N'Zogbia had a poor attitude about the whole thing, but it doesn't make the decision any better from our end.

You're making two positions weaker though, it doesn't make any sense at all. We should be looking to bring in a squad player who can play both CB and LB tbh. Someone like Kadar, only not made of biscuits.

He's a terrible left back man.

Don't get me started on how woeful a job we did with this lad first time round.

He's a quality player and I'd be delighted to see us bring him back in the summer. He would immediately be the best winger at the club, and he can play either side which is a real bonus. He'd also be someone we could move into the free role we seem to have earmarked for Ben Arfa is HBA is injured or struggles next year. With a squad as thin as ours, that versatility is definitely very attractive in a signing IMO.

I wouldn't miss any football manager, that's not the point. What would you miss about Alex Ferguson - his whiney face or his intimidation of referees? Doesn't stop him being brilliant. I'd miss the football his teams produce. Same with Wenger. There's nothing about Mourinho I'd miss at all.

If he left, what about him would you miss?

He's still only 23 though. At the same age Zidane was playing for a pretty average Bordeaux side and wasn't exactly dragging them to success was he? I'm sure he'll take on more of a leadership role as he gets older.

Some of the stuff Busquets and a few others do is on another level though. I don't support it but I can understand and even empathise to an extent why players dive and try to win free kicks with the game the way it is now. But the falling down clutching your face and screaming in agony when nothing has happened, and while you're on live TV being watched by millions of people around the world no less... I could never bring myself to do it, and I'd wonder about what kind of men the people who do it are. Do they have no dignity at all? I'd be mortified at the thought of it, sitting there at Christmas dinner or something with your brother in law or some shit at the other side of the table, him knowing exactly what kind of miserable little fairy of a man you are.

You can almost see him changing his mind about what part of his body to pretend had been injured.

http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/avs/avatar_9251.gif

Only 52, tbf.

Hope we sign him, just so all our games are on TV over here next year.

Taking an Argentinian team into Brazil and winning the World Cup man... could there be a better way for someone to be crowned the greatest of all time? Do think that saying he HAS to win the World Cup is a bit silly like. Obviously it's an important tournament but putting it all on that is silly.

Mourinho's a horrible cunt of a man, would love it if he'd just fuck off from the sport altogether. Brings nothing positive to the sport at all, if I want to see some tosser acting excessively arrogant and talking shite in interviews I'll start watching wrestling again.

Gonna be some tough questions for Mourinho after this. His fans will love it though, he' so charismatic, exciting press conferences ftw!!!!

Lionel Messi is very good at playing football.

NUTS!!

at this thread descending into a discussion about pressure washers.

The longer it stays 0-0 the happier Mourinho will be. Disappointing that Barca have fallen for it, they were controlling things early on but they've allowed themselves to get wound up and have lost the run of themselves completely. Guardiola needs to sort it out at half time or they'll lose this.

Mourinho will probably have a quick wank before the half time teamtalk, reckon this was more or less what he was hoping for.

Why, he was hardly shite like?