Mick

I'm sure you know how to use e-mail, lets know how you get on. Get to f***. I wouldn't put my name to an email like that, but I'd genuinely like to see the response. It looks like it's over to Skirge.

It was the poll option that went totally against everything in your post.

I'm sure you know how to use e-mail, lets know how you get on.

I think I was panicking this time last year and had a good right to do so, we were probably still watching Kuyt while he was playing in friendlies for Liverpool.

He says before pressing "Too bloody right, we know nowt about him & I'm getting nervous."

You're obviously on some sort of commission from ticket sales.

How come the season we bought Owen something appears in our accounts as a £17 million overdraft? Do we know that we were given £10 million by the FA? I'm sure that figure was claimed to be way OTT.

If that's the case and they haven't moved then I really can't see what else we could have done, I'd be more worried if we were after players who were moving and losing out, I'm sure that has happened but not 10 or 15 players. Of the players who have moved I'd probably look at 3 or 4 as being worth bringing in, I don't include Henry in that because we wouldn't have had a chance.

I wonder what they'd vote as the best sale? I wouldn't be surprised if that also involved the same two clubs.

Exactly, that last article I posted also contained numbers of players we've tried to get, it mentions 10 to 15, I think I've only seen about 30 players moving with Premiership experience and most of them have been players we shouldn't be looking at, you wouldn't mention them and quality in the same breath.

Another article regarding transfers: http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2134672,00.html Allardyce admits struggle to attract quality to Tyneside Michael Walker Thursday July 26, 2007 The Guardian Sam Allardyce joked yesterday that he was born a pessimist but, behind the smile, realism is shaping the new Newcastle United manager's thoughts. With Kieron Dyer expected to leave this week, providing West Ham offer a sum in excess of £5m, Allardyce will have some fresh money to spend, but doing so in an increasingly tough transfer market is the cause for a reduction in optimism at St James' Park. "I'm confident I'll get the number of players we need, " Allardyce said, "but I'm not sure about the quality." This was the first day of the post-Freddy Shepherd era and Allardyce's tone was matched by Shepherd's successor as chairman, Chris Mort. Mort said of transfer dealings: "We will not be throwing silly amounts of money around but Sam and I are definitely in agreement that we need more signings before the start of the season. We have said throughout that the squad needs to be strengthened, particularly in defence. We are talking about a few specific targets. We want players with Premiership experience." None of yesterday's words were gung-ho. Allardyce referred to targeting "10 to 15 players in the last couple of weeks" but he has been unable to sign any. Partly, he explained, that is due to Newcastle being out of European competition but Allardyce also made the broader point about inflation: "A £1m player five years ago is now a £5m player." However, after expressing "sadness" at Shepherd's departure, Allardyce added of the delay in making signings: "The changeover has been the biggest problem we've had, of course. It's been very quick considering what's involved in a takeover but there's new people in, the old out and moving around the whole business and structure. Trying to get to where you want to get can be a little bit difficult sometimes and I understand that because you've got to find everything out about the new business, but you can get frustrated because it moves slower than you'd like. "It's Chris Mort I deal with now in the main but he hasn't had that much experience in football terms, so one would hope that now we'll get even quicker. I can't move any quicker than I am doing, but the problem is that there's lots of players we've targeted and spoken to that have now been taken by other clubs, so the pot of high quality has reduced." Dyer, 28, is one of the few players with England caps and lengthy Premier League experience not subject to inflation but he is available for purchase. In much the same way that Graeme Souness preceded Jermaine Jenas's sale to Tottenham two years ago - Souness produced the "goldfish bowl" exit strategy - Allardyce talked yesterday of Dyer's "family situation". Dyer has two young children based in his native Ipswich and wishes to be closer to them. This has caused him to be unsettled on Tyneside after eight years at Newcastle. A move to West Ham would solve the personal problem and simultaneously give Newcastle some spending power. "I think there's a possibility he might leave due to family reasons," Allardyce said. "It is obviously a shame but when something like this crops up, it might be that the only way to resolve it is to allow him to leave. If and when the offers come in, we will have to consider them." Allardyce said Newcastle had received no official offer for Dyer but Alan Curbishley, West Ham's manager, said after lastnight's 3-2 friendly defeat at MK Dons: "I'm looking in all areas and it's not often that a club says a player is available. You normally phone up and get told that people are not available, so it's very difficult. But anything can still happen."

We didn't have a chance with Ben Haim once Chelsea showed an interest, it doesn't matter how long transfers were being dragged out unless we could have got him before Chelsea became involved. Mort has said in an interview that he had OK'd at least two of the players we've brought in so I can't see why he wouldn't have done the same with Ben Haim considering it didn't involve a fee.

Looking at the players who have moved doesn't make me feel that we've lost out on much so far considering we keep hearing about the players having Premiership experience. I would be surprised if the best players have already moved who are going to move.

No idea what it was used for but it does look like it, it was shown in the accounts as an overdraft, it wasn't on the books the year before. Our interest payments also went up considerably that year from memory.

We just went further into debt, the same as the year before when we suddenly acquired an overdraft for the first time, the overdraft was for £17 million.

In 1991 we were in the old 2nd Division, the teams listed below were all in the 1st (top) division. Why did Leeds who were 4th top of the 1st division only have 12,000 on average more than we did in 1991? Why did Villa only have 9,000 more in the same division as Leeds? Why did Chelsea who were 5th in the 1st Division only average 5,000 more than we did in 1991? Why do they all have higher gates on average today than they had in 1991? In 1991 Liverpool were 2nd in the 1st Division, why did they finish 3rd last season yet still have a higher average crowd? In 1991 Arsenal won the 1st Division, how come they finished 4th last season yet had an average crowd that was almost double that of 1991? Last season (edit: should have been season before last) Man U finished eactly in the same position as they did in 1992, they had almost 24,000 more fans in this time round. I could go on but don't see the point.

You must have got your words mixed up as I can't see Roeder and Souness helping to bring players in.

Agreed, very good on the wing although I think his legs might have gone.

I enjoyed the run up's to the finals but it's arguable about the best round to lose in, I felt better walking out of Wembley having lost to Chelsea than any of the others, I walked out feeling that we'd done ourselves justice, something we didn't do against Liverpool, Arsenal or Man U, I've never felt as low walking out of a match as I did against Man U, that could have been because it was the second time we'l lost in the final and realising that you don't get to finals too often, whatever the reason, it was the worst. As for the "Giant Killings," they were bad but they're long gone, the same as losing to Birmingham last season 1-5 at home, none of those felt as bad as losing in the final. I would say that for a 3 year period people were jealous of us but I've known plenty who were not when we were struggling in the lower reaches of the Premiership.

How did you feel when we finished 7th? How did you feel when walking out of Wembley after losing to Arsenal and Man U? I can tell you how I felt, I felt like shit and couldn't get home quick enough and I don't know a single Newcastle supporter who felt any better than I did. I'll just remind you that the managers didn't appoint themselves, very few fans thought the last two managers were good enough, you seem to have changed your mind on Souness quick enough but you were more than happy with Roeder, most people were not. You can't criticise fans who thought these were good enough (whether they did or not) while making it look as if it had nothing to do with the Chairman, just because others have appointed as bad or worse.

I'm not shitting myself at all that Ashley might not match 3 consecutive top 5 finishes, are you? minimum requirement, wouldn't you agree ? How can he be even "as good as " if he doesn't match the best effort ? This is also the level that you and all the other anti Shepherd whatever he does bashers have insisted is ours by right, and would be if not for his presence. this is precisely what you have been saying, and you know it. 5th best average, and qualified more for europe than every other club bar 4, fact. Well, you must be blind. Its been picked up by another poster in this very thread. The minimum record to beat is actually an average league position of 9.4 over 10 league seasons and an average points total of 53.4, that's what Shepherd achieved while Chairman. Another link request, this time to any post on this forum where anybody has claimed that we have a right to anything. Where have I said that we have to get 3 top 5 positions under anybody to prove that Shepherd wasn't holding us back? I've just been through "this very thread" a few times and I can't even see a post where Macbeth has posted or been mentioned until you did it, my browser must be shite.

I'm not shitting myself at all that Ashley might not match 3 consecutive top 5 finishes, are you? As for how well we'll do, I'll wait and see how it goes, even if we don't match the 3 top 5's, it doesn't mean Shepherd wasn't holding the club back, remember the club he took over in 2nd place and left in 13th with an average league position while he was chairman of less than 9th and a record of having been beaten by Doug Ellis in a head to head of league finishes. Put a link up to show where Macbeth has said that as extra £1 million a season would "make a massive difference." You might be right about him saying that but I can't remember it.

I'm glad I didn't read that at work.