Mick

I think Debuchy will kick off now and we'll go in with a slightly better offer.

It's not meaningless for Coloccini and it's recognition for what he's done while playing for us.

I'm over the moon for him, he deserves it and I hope that he gets a game for them.

15th August

The timing is part of the sacking, and getting a replacement would have been no easier at another time when the same people would have been making the decisions. He was openly replaced by somebody who was supposed to be tougher on discipline and Souness would have been seen as that earlier or later. The whole process was ill timed, ill thought out and unnecessary. We put him in a position of losing authority by telling everybody that it was his last season. The club should have told him privately that we weren’t going to renew his contract after that season if we hadn’t turned things around and that would have given him a fighting chance. Sir Bobby could easily have turned around our early season form and he's done it at least 2 or 3 times in the previous seasons and he'd taken clubs backwards at previous clubs and turned that around. I don’t see any reason to believe that he wasn’t able to recognise mistakes and correct them. We should have kept Bobby and we should have backed him, he deserved that. Not a single person can say that he couldn’t have turned things around because his record is proof that he could have done it.

It wasn't only ever going to get worse, it was after we replaced him with Souness. Trust you to bring that up, has nothing to do with it whatsoever. The team hadn't played well for a long time and Shearer/Speed's decline compounded with ineffective summer signings made the decision inevitable, even if it could be argued it came prematurely. Anyway, RIP. Let the weaklings try to rewrite history. We all loved him and will continue to do so. The appointment of Souness is relevant, he replaced Bobby. I still don't agree with your comment that "it was only ever going to get worse." Based on what? He'd taken teams backwards 4 times in his managerial career and then turned it around again so why was it only ever going to get worse?

Try and get your head around the £50 million we gave him to spend.

We should have won at least two of those games, the Boro game being the worst when they scored with a blatant handball.

It wasn't only ever going to get worse, it was after we replaced him with Souness.

His sacking was disgusting, it was always going to end badly once Shepherd made it public he was going at the end of the season. He was sacked after a poor start, something which has heppened for the 2 or 3 previous seasons when we had finished so high in the league after it.

Marveaux is class, I hope this is the start of his career here as he's as good as anybody at the club for retaining possession. I’m not sure how or where he’ll fit in though, possibly in place of Jonas.

Think so mate. Not sure. I'm sure someone will let us know. He is.

Ba and Cabaye bumped into each other.

I don't understand that, I'm sure the opening ceremony will be replayed to death, watching football at a later time or date isn't the same as watching live.

I doubt it really, that would potentially be classed as tapping up and it is totally unnecessary given the friendship between Cabaye and Debuchy.

The Guardian are claiming West Ham have offered £2 million for a season long loan plus £16 million to sign him on a permanent deal.

I honestly think that Debuchy knows exactly what is going on as I'm sure that he's in contact with Cabaye and I'm sure that Pardew knows exactly how Debuchy is feeling. I wouldn't be surprised if Cabaye and Debuchy are talking every day. I don't think we have anything to worry about and it's just a matter of time before we get him. At the minute we have plenty of time and he will know that and will not do anything too early. I'm sure that will change if we get too close to the end of the transfer window and nothing has happened. I can't see Lille keeping a player if he really wants to leave the club. They will want more money and that is why they are still hanging on and saying they need a replacement when they've brought somebody in to cover his position. I think the noises about us moving on are just us trying to push Lille into doing something.

I think that Lille accepting another clubs bid would actually help us as they would then lose the excuse of looking for a replacement before selling Debuchy. http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2012/04/06/yohan-cabaye-reveals-pal-wants-to-join-newcastle-61634-30704994/

Leon Knight is an utter wanker, I don't see anything funny about him coming out with that to her husband.

The lads just didn't have the legs, I bet our average age is lower than the other teams.

Campbell is the man of the tournament.

Unlucky.

Great goal from them.

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