Shak

He has a point though Jon, you're generally as laid back and easy going as anyone but once the Milner topic comes up you turn into NE5 on steroids.

If we can't play Colo or Jonas then. Given, Beye, Cacapa, Taylor, Enrique, Milner, Butt, Guthrie, N'Zogbia, Duff, Owen Would be the team I'd imagine. Smith playing up top if Owen isn't available. Jonas in instead of Milner, Zoggy or Duff if available, Colo in for Cacapa.

You do have to wonder why it hasn't been announced or anything. It was a week ago that Depor announced he was off, and when we saw Ashley wearing his shirt last Saturday I just assumed that it was a done deal and that we'd officially announce it after the game or something. Risky business wearing that shirt if it wasn't 100% a done deal, if it were to fall through it'd be incredibly embarrassing. So I have to assume it's a done deal, and if that's the case what's to be gained from not announcing it?

Sounds promising, be a great signing if we could pull it off. He and Guthrie has the potential to be a very nice partnership, two good all-round midfielders who'd give us a very nice engine room.

Agree with this entirely.

Warnock is hardly Ashley Cole though is he? I can't imagine Warnock will be getting guaranteed first team football if he comes here or be getting excessive wages or anything, so what's the problem? If Enrique plays as well as he's capable of then he'll get his place ahead of him. We need another LB, and I'd rather get someone solid like Warnock who can actually be of use than signing some useless back-up just for the sake of guaranteeing Enrique his spot in the team.

yourself and shak can read all the subsequent posts to mine to answer your own questions and yes its exactly like zog/duff in that we might be attempting to sign an older player with less appeal to replace...well you know the story, i'm fuckin sick of repeatin it tbh To replace what? A young defender who still hasn't proven anything at all as far as I can see. He has the makings of a solid full-back yeah, but he's hardly pulled up any trees whenever he's played. He's looked a promising young talent who MIGHT turn into a good player for us. N'Zogbia on the other hand had arguably been our best player in that season and we should have been comfortable with him as our first choice left winger going into the following season, as he had proven he was a capable Premiership player. Also Warnock won't come in with the practical gaurantee that he'll be first choice like Duff did. Duff only left Chelsea for regular first team football after it became evident he wasn't getting his game at Chelsea. Warnock on the other hand will be coming here looking to prove himself and I have full confidence that if Enrique proves to be the better player he'll get the nod to start from Keegan, which was never going to be the case with Duff and Zoggy with Roeder in charge. So no, not the same thing at all I'm afraid. our best left back last season, zog was our best left winger that season, both young and improving oranges and oranges mate, spin it however you want we're supposed to be a "developing talent" club now aren't we? what message are we sending to a spanish u21 international by signing somewhere 4 years older than him for the same position? oh and we disagree, i personally see no reason, other than money, why warnock would come unless guaranteed games, and we're not in the business of giving silly wages away any more, are we? Aye, our best by virtue of being our ONLY left-back. Depends on what sort of character Warnock is I suppose, but we're a step up from Blackburn so maybe he's just looking to progress in his career and fancies his chances of beating out Enrique. Conversely, Enrique gets competition but from someone he'll have a chance of beating out if he plays well. I doubt we'll be paying Warnock silly wages either way. What's the point of signing a young up and coming LB to compete with Enrique btw? Isn't that what Enrique is? Makes more sense to have a solid alternate to me, rather than two young players to develop when oly one of hem can play.

yourself and shak can read all the subsequent posts to mine to answer your own questions and yes its exactly like zog/duff in that we might be attempting to sign an older player with less appeal to replace...well you know the story, i'm fuckin sick of repeatin it tbh To replace what? A young defender who still hasn't proven anything at all as far as I can see. He has the makings of a solid full-back yeah, but he's hardly pulled up any trees whenever he's played. He's looked a promising young talent who MIGHT turn into a good player for us. N'Zogbia on the other hand had arguably been our best player in that season and we should have been comfortable with him as our first choice left winger going into the following season, as he had proven he was a capable Premiership player. Also Warnock won't come in with the practical gaurantee that he'll be first choice like Duff did. Duff only left Chelsea for regular first team football after it became evident he wasn't getting his game at Chelsea. Warnock on the other hand will be coming here looking to prove himself and I have full confidence that if Enrique proves to be the better player he'll get the nod to start from Keegan, which was never going to be the case with Duff and Zoggy with Roeder in charge. So no, not the same thing at all I'm afraid.

I would bet that it'll be a fairly open competition between Warnock and Enrique to see who becomes the first team regular, and that can only be good for the team as the best man will win out and likely be our left-back, with the other always keeping him on his toes.

Same.. he's always looked rather lazy to me or something.. His job is to score goals, he's done that to a World Class level over his whole career, what more do you ask for? Could get fuckin stuck in a bit, the lazy cunt.

Same.. he's always looked rather lazy to me or something.. Agree, could see him struggling with us if he didn't get a goal in his first game or two as I don't think a lot of our crowd would like his style.

Trezeguet, another player who has never impressed me at all when I've watched him yet he seems to be as good a goalscorer as there is out there.

Eh? I doubt they're expecting him to be the guy we're going to build the team around or anything, not all your signings are going to be superstars. do people see that much difference between enrique and warnock like? personally given their age(s) i don't so what's the point in warnock then? seriously? 3-4m say for a 26(?) year-old who'll have no sell on value later versus a player already on the books, younger and with more potential, not to mention someone who put in the effort to establish himself last season amidst difficult circumstances - be a right boost for his confidence this signing eh? zog/duff anyone? as i said, not a single thing i understand about it unless (as i suspect) warnock is comfortable in both FB positions, that being the case i can see the method behind the move, if he's only a LB then it's pointless If Enrique was properly established in the team then I'd agree with you, but the lad is still in his early 20's and is still pretty much new to the league, he's far from a sure thing as regards being a dependable LB for us next season. What do we do if he struggles next year? N'Zogbia is a liability at left-back so we'd have nobody capable of replacing Enrique should his form not be good or he gets injured. I like Enrique, but it's nothing like the Duff/Zog situation at all.

Does he turn 31 in the next week?

Eh? I doubt they're expecting him to be the guy we're going to build the team around or anything, not all your signings are going to be superstars.

Can't agree with that. N'Zogbia was coming off a season where he was one of our best players, and Duff was always going to command a regular starting spot regardless of form due to his reputation. We also had a nice compliment of wingers at the time to that deal never made sense IMO. On the other hand Enrique, while looking to have potential, was hardly fantastic last year by any means and I think it'd be daft going into next year relying on him to be our first choice left-back with no Plan B. Warnock also doesn't come with Duff's reputation either so you would imagine the spot will be up for grabs and the better player will start, based on the fact that Keegan isn't a spineless coward like Roeder.

Fair play to Spurs, a truly wonderful football club.

So the club get the blame for what is probably some nonce making shit up on the internet? I'm sure there'll be one or two who will see it that way. Happens all the time though and not just at Newcastle, so it's hardly an unfathomable notion that they may have let a rumour or two slip out is it?

I'd nearly gaurantee it's just a club generated rumour to generate interest. Coloccini will probably be unveiled, but nobody else.

Having a laugh surely?

Shit post tbh Baggio.

Because it's a position that isn't restricted to a central role, see Barton playing there last season for an example. I don't think i ever once saw Barton getting to the touch line, which is where Jonas is meant to be most dangerous. The whole point of a 433 midfield is that the 3 make up for the 4. I.e in the defensive sense he would be doing a pretty similar job, tracking back and protecting the full back. However, in the attacking sense we can't afford to have two centre mids playing on the wings because that leaves one in centre. In the premierleague you can't get away with that, even against the likes of Hull. If Jonas is going to be used effectively he is going to have to be played in his position i.e on the wing, in a 442. Otherwise we might as well not have bought him. For the record i liked the formation we ended the season with. From the bit we've seen of Jonas so far he looks very comfortable playing tucked in and seems easily solid enough from a defensive role to play the position that Geremi filled last year at the end of the season. Also would appear to have the engine to get wide from that position and still give us something on the flanks. With Owen playing so deep I think it gives plenty of license for the flankers in the 3 man midfield to get wide without the center getting exposed, and if we go with the 4-3-3 again as I hope we will I think Jonas will do very well in it. I would say that Barton didn't get wide both because it's not really his game and he was on the left so there was scarcely much point in him doing so as he's very right footed.

Take N'Zogbia out and put Damien Duff in, then you're right. Is he fuck. Duff should play up front if he's getting a game at all, and with Martins, Owen and Viduka already in the team I'm not sure Duff fits.

This, maybe putting Milner or N'Zogbia in in place of Barton in certain games. I really think we're a CF away from having a nice squad. Someone to compete with, learn from and ultimately replace Viduka and we're ready to go IMO. Deridyok would make sense in this respect as he wouldn't command an automatic first team place by any means if brought in.

When I played as a youngster I used to copy Tino's cartwheel. Caught one of the lads square on the chin with my studs as I went for it once and he tried to jump on my shoulders.