Mick

The points are not a waste of time but wondering about them are, at least they are to me. What if I won the lottery? Now I wouldn't mind finding out, especially the big Euro rollovers.

What if's are a waste of time. What if Freddy Shepherd had of kept his mouth shut about Bobby leaving? What if Dyer hadn't refused to play against Boro? What if the linesman and referee had seen the blatant handball against Boro? What if the ref has stopped the game away to Villa when we had two players down when they went on to score? Edit, What if we didn't have so many players out with an eye infection against Boro?

I've found something else, I can find quotes again but not where they originally came from. Steve Bruce admits he still thinks about his decision to turn down the offer to manage boyhood club Newcastle United. The Premiership side came calling two-and-a-half years ago following their decision to dismiss Sir Bobby Robson, only for Bruce to spurn their advances. Earlier this season and with 'Bruce out' chants ringing around St Andrews, the Newcastle-born tactician must have been ruing his decision to turn his back on a switch to St James' Park. However, Bruce has overseen a transformation of the club's fortunes and they now play Newcastle on Saturday in an FA Cup tie sitting top of the Championship and favourites to win promotion. It is, though, with genuine affection that Bruce talks of Newcastle as he reflects on the biggest decision of his career in management. "I am a typical Geordie, who is black and white through and through," he told the Sunday Express. "You talk about big decisions in your life. To get the opportunity to manage them was probably the biggest compliment I've had in football. "Bloody hell, Newcastle wanted me! "It was the hardest decision I've had to make. But to have taken the job would have meant letting down the people here at Birmingham. "I always wonder whether I've closed the door on a dream. As a player I'd always wanted to play for them and then I was given the chance to manage them."

I thought Robson had loads of injuries, I thought Duncan Ferguson was lying next to Marcelino for most of the first season Robson was at the club. I seem to remember quite a few without going looking for names.

I don't know if the quote is bollocks, the same way as you don't know if it is. I have no reason to think he's talking crap but he could well be doing that. I'll take his word for it until it's proven otherwise. Lying about being offered the job isn't really the best way to put yourself in line for it in future, I'd have thought the opposite would be true.

Thinking about this question it's a bit like having to chose between cancer and a heart attack.

I agree with this, I think things were worse under Souness but always felt that the next manager would be the right one and would turn the club around, I was wrong.

I don't like quoting myself but here's a link http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcastleunited/journalsport/tm_method=full%26objectid=18251973%26siteid=50081-name_page.html

I thought Steve Bruce turned us down under this board? Why would anybody be afraid to take the job on if they are going to get good financial backing off the board? I know the fans are giving Roeder stick and gave the same to Souness but that's down to those two not being good enough. Steve Bruce has never been offered the job. It would appear that he thinks he was offered it although I can only find the quotes and not a link to the article in The Journal. "People associate me with Manchester United but I am a Newcastle United fan, my family is from Newcastle and I used to crawl under the turnstiles to watch them play. I had the chance to manage them but felt loyalty to the people I work for here at Birmingham."

I thought Steve Bruce turned us down under this board? Why would anybody be afraid to take the job on if they are going to get good financial backing off the board? I know the fans are giving Roeder stick and gave the same to Souness but that's down to those two not being good enough.

Nobody seemed to want the job when Bobby or Souness were sacked, if they did want it then we surely wouldn't have had Souness or Roeder.

I'm sure it was two.

He's well on the way, maybe you should buy him something else.

Has anybody signed up to this?

We all know what happened when Sir Bobby became a lame duck, let's just hope the players are too think to work out 2-1=1.

Dyer's Black.

My guess from people complaining that they have had threads and posts deleted is that Oliver has had a slagging.

Foresight isn't the best word to use when defending Shepherd, it just comes back to bite him on the arse when Souness and Roeder are brought into it. Most had the foresight to know that these two appointments were never likely to work, the Chairman didn't. 2 of the appointments were good on paper, 1 worked out to a certain degree and 2 were always destined to fail.

That's just a myth, as far as I'm aware he was only at the academy for 6 months, hardly enough time to do anything good or bad. It's like the myth that he was an England coach when he said himself in an interview that he was an England scout.

I find it hard to understand that somebody can call themselves a Newcastle supporter and yet be able to defend Roeder, especially to want to keep him because of 1 good game.

it took a few years of very poor football and then a 3-0 kicking at man city for souness to go. "protesting" after the match is pointless if the people who are "protesting" have just been to the match. Souness didn't go because we lost against Man City - Fact. He went because two of our players collided.

You can't blame Shepherd for that one, I think it was before he took over.

Looking at the league table, we're 11th and the 3 teams below us can get above us if they win the games they have in hand.

I'm surprised that I still get pissed off that we're going nowhere.

I remember that happening.