Offshore

In the league, don't like any of them, but when the champs league comes around.............its mainly Arsenal. Its more dislike than hatred though. Its purely down to the fact that as a team they don't make me feel that its an english team competing, they leave me cold, could be watching any french or spanish team tbh. Despite not liking them, when Man U are on the box, thats who i'll usually watch. May be a bunch of tossers, but by christ they don't half play the game right.

Another endorsement for the ability of Keegan to 'raise' a player to a level above what he had previously been playing at. NB. Scott Sellars, not Len White.

Not trying to take the piss here, but daft question why park your car there? If you're coming from the South or North you could easily park at an outlying metro station and be in and out of the city centre loads quicker than trying to negotiate the traffic out and around the ground at full-time. Baffles me why folk park near the on match days ground and wonder why it takes them an absolute age to get anywhere at 5pm.

We can't put his upsurge in form down to wanting to get in shape for the euro's in the summer (cheers McLaren - knob) so can only put it down to the facts that a) he's actually happy and wants to play, b) the formation and his new role seems to be bringing him back to the form that we thought we should have had all along, and lastly c) the Keegan factor - excellent man-management and confidence builder, he could motivate someone on death row tbh. Thinking about it, there could be a d) he's playing to see if a move comes along in the summer. No real problem from me if thats the case, we probably couldn't have given him away earlier on in the season, so the fact that he's (theoretically) getting interest means that he must be doing something right for us. I'd offer him a new contract in the summer if it was up to me. Not based just on the last four games, but also the fact that he is a natural goal scorer and as shown if he's given the service he will score. We could try and offload him in the summer but unless we're going to get Anelka, Torres or similar quality (we're not), we'll be risking starting again with an untried in the premiership continental or some cast-off from here.

Think someone else mentioned him a while ago, but i've always though that Benayoun at Liverpool (and at West Ham) looks a good player. Might just be the fact that I don't watch Liverpool that often, but he seems to be usually used as a sub if at all so don't know what their long-term plans are for him, but wouldn't mind him here next season all the same.

Fenerbache are, imho, a goal short of a safe lead, they're a bit like Celtic, shithot at home but (usually) shyte away. I'd expect Chelsea to win by a couple at least next week.

Good luck to the lad.

Only thing i've seen/read that joins the dots on this is the fact we've got a new scout who's from Seville and Reyes is from Seville.....unless I misread the Comical last night and didn't catch the quotes from Keegan.

West Ham fans are probable wishing we were playing them next week too tbh

you realise we're playing liverpool right? 'kin hell....thought I was still looking in the 'will we beat the mackems' thread......sober too!!

Probably a cert for a draw, same as all the other tyne/wear/tees derbys have been so far (I think).......we're all as shite as each other

Actually those jobs in the main weren't 'low-paid' at all, if you were lucky enough to have family already at the pit (can't comment on the way the shipyards worked) or were able to get a start anyhow that was you virtually sorted for life. I realise that i'm talking about the wages being high in relation to the average working wage at that time but eveythings relative to the person and his surroundings who earns them. The wages of the workforce at Bates in Blyth in the most kept the rest of the towns shops & bars going. Also there was a hell of alot more, industrial type service work that got a hell of alot of work thrown its way by the pit. All of this filtered down to benefit everyone. Before the 80's strike and subsequent decimation of the UK coal industry, Blyth, while no St Tropez, wasn't half as bad as it is/was in the late 80's / 90's or even now - can anyone associate anything other than drugs related deaths with Blyth? I agree wholly with you on folk having 'no-hope' their aims and goals seem to be set on getting a council house and seeing what benefits they can get. Part of me, the working tax-payer part, finds that a gross waste of MY taxes, but on the other hand part of me can't really blame them..........what are the realistic alternatives.

Wasn't Allardyce (Pro-Zone, heart monitors and all) meant to be the dog's swingers at getting players fit though? Obviously not. I'm assuming you agree on the fitness factor, from that. The question is then, how long will it take us to get fitness to a level that lets us compete in the second half? Seems crazy to think of professional athletes not being able to run around for more than 45mins, no? Seem to remember a Spurs player (Jenas maybe?) saying that their fitness levels have improved under Ramos, so maybe our overall player fitness levels aren't what they could be, that coupled with all our other problems - confidence, midfield, tactics etc all contribute to poor performances.

Milburnthedog........cracking post, think you'll probably find a rejigged version of it in the near future in the Comical by one of our 'respected' journo's..........Rallying call to the Geordie Nation or similar In regards to Keegan needing time. We, infact all clubs fans, will give any manager time if they can see or think that progress is being made. Unfortunately we've appointed the wrong man for the last three or so times, so by the time we've gone through the process of firing/hiring/giving them the cash and time to see what they can do/fire/hire we are given the label of being a bunch of trigger happy and petulant set of fans with unrealistic demands. Balls. No clubs fans would put up with the crap we've had to endure with these recent seasons without kicking up. I think I read somewhere (no idea where though) that someone had worked out that for every bad season a club has it takes about 2 to 3 seasons to get back to where they were originally. Don't know if thats true, but its probably not too far from being right. We're in for a long journey and while i'm not 100% convinced that Keegans still got it, i'm alot more comfortable with him in charge than our last lot of managers. The end of the season unfortunately can't come quick enough for me, and unless we get either lucky with the teams below us or start winning games ourselves soon we're going to to have a very, very uncomfortable run-in to the summer.

He's one of the better ones on the box thats for sure, but, If i'm going to be picky, then i'd wish he'd not spoil the surprise (if thats the right wording) when theres been a goal at one of the games ie he says along the lines of ''xxxx were one up against yyyy, and theres been another goal......and its gone to xxxx/yyy'', he should allow the reporter at that game to break it. Other than that he's good value.

they really arent good enough for where we are aiming to be. they've conceded 39 so far this season, thats more than middlesbrough, bolton, birmingham and wigan, with the mackems and fulham just over that amount. Milan's back four (of a few years ago) would leak like a sieve if they had our midfield in front of them. We're not aiming to win the league this (and probably not next) season so until we're ready to do so we have to prioritize our needs, and our midfield has the greatest need.

Agree totally, once the ACN lads get back we've actually got a competent defence which is, unless you're going for/or are in the champions league, more than adequate for this premiership. Its the midfield i'm really worried about. Slow and short of real quality, its no suprise that Owen and Martins are struggling to look anything like the strikers they were/are with the service they have had to put up with this season. Midfield is the priority to strengthen first for me.

A striker is only as good as the service he gets, ours usually get little to none. While I don't think Owen is a patch on his earlier days, i'm prepared to see what he's going to be like when he's got a) a decent regular partner and b) quality service. I'd hate to get rid of him then see him knocking them in for another team that gives him both.

aye, but talksport also say that Alan Oliver is a 'respected' sports journalist.....

Just been informed of him coming back from a Man U fan..........he said and I agree with him that Fergie will be pissing himself with laughter at this and probably can't wait to fuck his head up again. He's looked shot for years. Fucks sake, I honestly thought - reading the latest releases, that we had a genuine handle on what we needed and what type of manager was required. Still back the fella until it all goes critical mass again though.

They'll probably buy the rights to serialise it!!

Thats about the best we can put out at the mo, although i'd be tempted to put Rozehnal in the midfield with Zog moving to left midfield/wing and Duff or Milner on the right purely as the original midfield I fear would, unless we take complete control with attacking play from the off and get them shitting themselves, prove a bit lightweight with Stoke's big lads once the games gets bogged down. Roz isn't the strongest of players but i'd feel abit safer with him in there. Agree entirely, but couldn't be arsed to go into that much depth. It's between Emre and Rozehnal, IMO, for who gets the nod. I'd expect all the others to start, unless there's any injuries....and that Carroll will probably be on the bench, completely forgot about Big Andy. I'd also be amazed if we play anything other than 4-4-2, as well. That's the editing done with. Yep, 442 all the way.

falls down on the 'exciting' football criteria....thank fk

Thats about the best we can put out at the mo, although i'd be tempted to put Rozehnal in the midfield with Zog moving to left midfield/wing and Duff or Milner on the right purely as the original midfield I fear would, unless we take complete control with attacking play from the off and get them shitting themselves, prove a bit lightweight with Stoke's big lads once the games gets bogged down. Roz isn't the strongest of players but i'd feel abit safer with him in there.

At our level there never will be the perfect appointment i'm afraid. You (not you specifically) just have to consider the overall picture, and that is Houllier is a good manager, and with Shearer alongside him it would make a smashing team. Even Lippi, Van Gaal, Mourinho have their faults, no one is perfect. as i say he'd be a very good choice, but i wouldn't just automatically give him the job without interviewing him or seriously looking at other candidates too. don't think a shearer combo would work tho, bobyule has outlined why in some other posts. I'd give him it on his own, Shearer coming in as no2 is the icing on the cake for me. I think Bobyule is being over cautious, he's looking at all the negatives. Shearer won't hang over Houllier, it won't be about getting Houllier out when its going wrong as Shearer is there and its his mess as well. i think it would just be another complication and another way to pile the pressure on. as a working relationship i think they'd get on fine (if shearer is prepared to be number 2) but at the first sign of trouble, or even at the first press conference, there'd be uncomfortable questions asked and s*** stirred up. people said shearer had too much power as a player so appointing him simply for his name to the coaching staff might undermine the manager. who would have more authority amongst the fans or even players for instance? Again these are the negatives. If its to be believed Shearer doesn't want to work with KK, probably for those reasons, i reckon Shearer could possibly think (just as i do) that KK can't offer enough as he's seen what he's capable of at club and NT level. As for Houllier its different. Shearer (if believed) likes the idea, and of course Shearer knows an experienced man like Houllier is going to ahead of him and could accept that. Shearer himself doesn't think he is ready for the job, last thing he's going to do is get above his station early on in this arrangement. Shearer will command respect from the players and fans, but Houllier obviously commands respect from Shearer or Shearer wouldn't work with him, along side him, or below him, which ever way its going to pan out. Shearer has as far as I can see not made any major career decisions without fully thinking it out through, him to Soton, to Blackburn and even turning down Manu for us. I can't see him changing his habits just because its the toon coming asking, if anything he'd probably not even consider the job (manager or assistant) unless he'd made sure everything was in place before he'd accept. Houllier would i'd sure, tick all the boxes for Shearer.