Mick

I can't understand the need for it, I really can't.

It's needless and pointless and that's before going into the content.

I've usually stuck up for .com but I can't with this: On the last day of 2008: But what we really want to say is this December 28th 2008, Newcastle versus Liverpool. The final home game of the year; billed by fans as a celebration of Sir Bobby Robson. With the former United manager in attendance, songs are sung in his honour and a charity bucket collection held outside the ground. So far, so good - on message, if you will. However, that demonstration of support wasn't quite as massive as predicted - or reported, in some outlets. And the final sum collected of £2.5K hardly seems vast, given the crowd of 52,000 present (with a non-NUFC web forum collecting 10% of that amount alone). Having supported the charity by publicising various fund- raising initiatives, we were asked to mention plans for the Liverpool game - and were happy to do so. At the risk of being tarred and feathered though, we'll now break ranks to say that we don't go along with the current trend that portrays Robson as a latter-day living saint. And we certainly don't subscribe to the parallel wisdom that now sees Robson's departure from SJP in 2004 as being a) disgraceful, b) the source of our current woes. What we're restating (and we never presume to express anything other than a personal opinion) is our original feeling that things had run its course and the club was starting to go backwards. But we weren't alone in thinking that - as the mass walkout in the Wolves home game of May 2004 amply demonstrated. Compare that to when Robson was sacked three months later, with barely a murmur of dissent. It would be interesting to know how many of the fans who gave a vote of "no confidence" in Robson against Wolves applauded him four years on - and how many were less forthcoming in their praise or absent from SJP altogether. In case you think we're being inconsistent here though and rewriting history ourselves, our undoctored report of the game in question remains available online here. What really depresses us is that we've fallen so far in less than half a decade - and that people happily rewrite history and now trot out the "wrong to sack him" line. When the inevitable happens, we'll pay our respects in a far more genuine manner than for most of the big names of football, whose recent passing meant nothing to us. However, we won't be joining calls for parts of the ground to be renamed in Sir Bobby's memory - we're content that the bust of him in the Milburn Stand is a suitable tribute. On a wider scale, there's a tangible legacy in the newly- constructed unit at the Freeman hospital that bears his name and the accolades bestowed on Sir Bobby by both the county of his birth and the city of Newcastle - that recognise his standing as a regional personality. There's no disrespect here for the man or for his charity - his players may have prevented him from being captured forever in our mind's eye as a Newcastle boss holding silverware, but it was Robson's own decision to spend his playing career elsewhere. For that reason alone, the handed-on memories of Milburn, Mitchell, White, Harvey and many others will abide longer than those of Bassedas, Bowyer, Cordone and Gavilan. We really don't want to to mess with people's beliefs or values here, but before the stream of popular opinion turns into a torrent, here's our partly political broadcast on behalf of the independent-thinking minority/majority.

I don't think it makes us look stupid, it makes those with the banner look stupid, nobody else.

Now that you're no longer selling the club, what are your plans for the future?

mackems.gif That nothing but a pile of steaming horse shite.

Nicky Butt, a 12 month extension.

I'd be happy to take £8 million for Given and have Harper in goal if the £8 million was used to replace Butt. Harper might be older but he's had a better injury record although Given does seem to have finally recovered this season. Given is the better shot stopper but Harper is a much better communicator with the defence and he comes off his line better. I've got nothing against Given who is playing like the Given of old, I just think that sort of money could improve us in other areas where we are weaker.

Keep NE5 out of the thread.

I've still got all of them but I do remember having some taken out as a kid and it hurt like hell.

I'm sacking my dentist, when he takes a tooth out it hurts like hell.

Third paragraph down. http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10278~1501873,00.html

I'm sure Bassong is still suspended.

It must be a case of small packets causing small problems.

Ashley saying that he's taken the club off the market is no big deal, it's a sign of the times. We're in a global recession and people are not throwing money around like they were 12 months ago. He's made this known in a club publication on the day of a match so that the fans would see it before the media and he's criticised for it by some and it's stupid.

For what it's worth, I don't think Tom has an agenda so I'm not sure why he gets some of the stick which he does. I think he wants NUSC to be a supporters club, nothing more.

It was a minor problem, I refreshed within a couple of seconds and it was gone.

I hope we do that by pushing first teamers out of our starting 11 rather than by bringing in bench warmers.

That goes without saying.

Dave must be pissing about again.

I've just had: Connection Problems Sorry, SMF was unable to connect to the database. This may be caused by the server being busy. Please try again later.

That's probably the best post in this thread.

The club needs stability from top to bottom to move on, if Ashley has a vision for the club then he needs to push on with it and get the people in who can take it on. I’m not sure Llambias is capable of doing what is needed and I’d say the same about Kinnear.