Martin Lol

For most of the squad being fit, I'd agree Newcastle would have been higher up the league table than where they actually finished. For some, the Moores, Babayaros and Carrs, it wouldn't have made a lot of difference if they were fit or not, they were happy to take the money but not to put in a shift to earn it. It's those that SA has to sort out, to shape up or ship out, and it can't all be done this window, maybe SA can get those 3 and the rest to perform as they can, not as they have. There again, maybe he can't. It will take time to evaluate them before deciding whether they stay or go. Berbatov won't be sold for a while. Spurs reported £20+m profit for the last 6 months, it'll probably be around £35m for the year. If it doesn't get spent beofre the end of the tax year, the taxman will be taking a big chunk out of that. That's why Spurs are looking to sort out some the bigger deals asap. I think Spurs will be spending all, or very nearly all, of that £35m this window.

Think you've slightly exaggerated the quality of the teams above us, and those who have finished 5th, 6th. If it takes us three seasons to compete with Spurs and Everton, I'll be very suprised. I did say probably 2, possibly 3, not the other way round. I'm not exaggerating the abilities of the teams in 5th/6th/7th, trying to honestly judge just how far backwards Newcastle have gone in the days of Souness and Roeder. You have to admit though, there is a lot of dross to be cleared out. It depends a lot on how quickly SA can build up the backroom staff to the numbers he wants with the quality he wants, the real job will start in earnest when that has been achieved.

Hadley Wood, down south.

It wouldn't surprise me if Newcastle's next two windows are similar to when Arnesen went to Spurs, it seemed like a new face coming in every other day and a bit of deadwood leaving twice a week! There is so much to do, not just playing staff, but all the backroom jobs, the training, the medical side etc, it wouldn't surprise me to see the playing side suffer in the short term. But SA is the only English manager I would imagine taking that job on head on (Mark Hughes is the other and he is Welsh) so at the end of next season I would guess between 8th-12th with the restructuring of the club completed. There was a lot more wrong with Spurs when Arnesen first went to WHL than is the case at SJP now, but the work to be done is pretty well the same and Spurs started 2 years earlier. Also, all the clubs above Newcastle this season will have a lot of extra TV money to spend. I think probably 2 years, possibly 3 years, before Newcastle are pushing hard for a top 6 finish. The important thing is to remember the level where SA is starting from and judge at the end of next season how much progress has been made, not simply getting despondent if Newcastle finish the season in (say) 12th place.

Remembering Newcastle's recent history and what people said about him, a FFS appreciation thread could be very short! Give him credit though. Think he's appointed the best manager for you at the present time.

You have to make allowances for him, he supports Leyton Orient!

Didn't you know Gerrard gets in regardless of how he plays. Because he's Steven Gerrard. Steven Gerrard always gets selected for the Best Team of the Year. It's the law!

Very difficult to argue with the basis of that article. Edwards, like me, is not a Newcastle fan, but I can very much relate to the comments he makes. I find it tiresome when the media talk about the premiership being a 4 team league, Newcastle had the temerity to sign Owen, had people sniggering when Owen suffered 2 long term injuries and now Spurs are now starting on that cycle as the media decides which of the Big 4 will sign Berbatov. Owen should come out publicly and say 'I'm with Newcastle for the long haul', that's my opinion, but his agents and advisors will tell him otherwise just in case a statement like that hampers a money spinning move for Owen (and for them). I hope Owen stays, Newcastle have aspirations of joining the big 4 at the top table as have Spurs, and they will have greatly reduced chances of achieving that without Owen and Berbatov respectively. For either of those 2 players to move upwards just makes it harder for the wannabee's to bring their hopes to fruition. The one thing I would disagree with Stevie on is his belief that Spurs etc are jealous of Owen playing for Newcastle. The vast majority of Spurs fans I know would be delighted to have Owen at Spurs just as most Newcastle fans would be happy to see Berbatov at SJP, but that doesn't constitute jealousy on the fans' part that he isn't. I would accept that the media get frustrated that Michael Owen doesn't play for Man Utd or Chelsea. It would make a better and easier story for them if he did.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6653937.stm BEN FOSTER (Watford) Ben has been magnificent - just pipping David James for me - and he has shown everyone why Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United - his parent club - has invested so much faith in him. He will soon be the number one goalkeeper in England, if he continues to progress in the way he has. I think his season with Watford has benefited him and the club. They went down because they did not score enough goals, not because they let in too many. EMMANUEL EBOUE (Arsenal) Emmanuel is a prodigious talent, one of the best right-backs I have seen for some considerable time. He is audacious in attack and uncompromising in defence. There are not many full-backs who can defend and attack with the same intensity and he has displayed that time and time again. It is a trait of Brazilian full-backs and we are not used to seeing a player like this in the Premiership. NICKY SHOREY (Reading) Nicky has perhaps been the outstanding find in the Premiership this season. He has been truly magnificent. He has been almost ever-present and his standard of football has earned his selection in the England B international later this month. There is Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge and I think you have to now add Nicky Shorey to that list. He is very capable of stepping into the breach if needed by England. RIO FERDINAND (Manchester United) What can you say about Rio that has not already been said? He is the consummate defender, a player almost Alan Hansen-esque, very different to the likes of John Terry, say. He has had an outstanding season and has held the captain's armband with distinction when Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs were not available. For me, he has done as much as anyone else to ensure the Premiership title ended up back at Manchester United this season. NEMANJA VIDIC (Manchester United) I think Rio has been instrumental in bringing on his defensive partner's game this season and Vidic has all those aggressive qualities that maybe are not attributed to Ferdinand. Vidic is the one who attacks everything, he is very committed and this partnership reminds me very much of Gary Pallister and Steve Bruce. I think Vidic and Ferdinand have formed a relationship very quickly and they seem to complement each other very well indeed. MICHAEL ESSIEN (Chelsea) Michael is phenomenal. What a remarkable season he has had! He is a quietly spoken young man off the field and a pocket battleship on the field. He has played in every position, bar that of goalkeeper, and has played in each of those roles with distinction. This kid is the closest thing I have ever seen to Bryan Robson, in terms of commitment, tackling ability and getting from box to box. Michael is an all-round footballer, he can just do it all. He can play in any position and play there to a very high level. STEVEN GERRARD (Liverpool) I think Steven and Kaka are the two best midfield players in the world. When Steven is playing at his best for Liverpool or England, neither of those teams are going to lose. I wonder sometimes why, when he is so dominant for Liverpool, he does not quite seem to be able to do the same for England as often. Steven is such a phenomenal player, a marvellous talent. England are very lucky to have him and should be building a team around the ability of Steven Gerrard. CRISTIANO RONALDO (Manchester United) The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year, PFA Player of the Year, the Writers' Association Footballer of the Year - the accolades tell the story of Cristiano's season. He is without any doubt one of the top three players in the world at the moment. What he has to do now is try to maintain his extraordinarily high level of performances. He is at the top of his profession and what he needs to do to join the greats like Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff is win things consistently throughout his career. CARLOS TEVEZ (West Ham United) The man in the headlines. Whatever you think about this situation, if you just look at his return of goals and the impact he has had on West Ham, it has just been remarkable. Tevez, Mark Noble and Robert Green are the three reasons West Ham are staying up but Tevez's goals and his all-round inspirational performances have been extraordinary. It is just better than fiction, this story. If you had taken this script to a film production company they would have told you this sort of thing does not happen. DIMITAR BERBATOV (Tottenham Hotspur) We are talking about a player who is cultured, sophisticated, a footballing artist. He is just so pleasing on the eye to football fans. He has been magnificent and he is getting better and I believe the Spurs players have benefited from playing with him, especially the likes of Robbie Keane and Jermaine Jenas. It will be very interesting to see if Spurs can hold on to him because I think he is the one player that all the top clubs - in England and Europe - would want to sign. DIDIER DROGBA (Chelsea) Last year Didier was the subject of some mirth but I always believed he was the best centre-forward in the Premiership since Alan Shearer. He leads the line so well, never shirks his responsibility and is used as a battering ram by Chelsea, who play to him all the time and use him so relentlessly that he never gets a real rest. Pick your Premiership team of the season on 606 He has proved what a great goalscorer he is and he has scored some truly magnificent goals too, as well as all-but ironing out the flaw in his game where he falls over easily. Wouldn't argue too much with that team apart from Ferdinand. Carvalho would be my pick.

Totally agree. The points West Ham got when Tevez was playing illegally should have been deducted in addition to the fine. Eggy knew what he was doing when he lied to the premiership, he had been Iceland's representative to Uefa after all. Could hardly claim he didn't know how football worked.

If Newcastle want to buy Barton, you're welcome to him, talented without a doubt, but takes the term 'loose cannon' to a completely new level. I reckon he will go to Everton or Celtic, probably for about £3m.

Agreed, a national association operates totally differently from a club, but anyone in charge should realise that putting out your best 11 players isn't the same as putting out your best team. I don't believe, for example, that England will really progress as a footballing nation until McLaren realises that Lampard and Gerrard are not effective together or that if a player isn't performing, e.g. Rooney, he shouldn't be picked if there are better alternatives for the team. Allardyce's strength over his time at Bolton was his ability to think 'outside the box'. Diouf, Anelka, Campo, Akocha, I don't think anyone would really talk about them as being team players, and yet they have been. Kevin Davies isn't the greatest of talented players but he does exactly what is needed for the team. It's that ability to see the wider picture and get the players you need rather than get the names you'd like that sets Allardyce apart from McLaren. That's why I think Allardyce will be good for you, because I think the days of 'trophy signings' are now behind you and Newcastle will be a lot better for it. If Allardyce had been appointed England Manager, I don't think he would have been playing Gerrard and Lampard together, even if on their day, they are as talented players as England can offer up as being world class.

Nothing in the Mail article which hasn't come out in the public domain previously, but always good to see how a progressive manager organises the club from the bottom to the top. No doubt in my mind he could be the manager you've been craving for years. My only concern would be how easy will it be for FFS to back down from dabbling in matters that should't concern him. If he lets Allardyce get on and do his job, Newcastle could improve out of all recognition. The one thing that bewilders me more than almost any other is how the FA could possibly come to the decision that Steve McLaren would be a better option for the England job?

TBH, I don't think Allardyce will have anything like a big clear out this window. There are good players who haven't performed well, is it because of the previous management or because they don't care? I think Allardyce will need time to decide and evaluate all the players. I think he'll bring in players in this window for sure (assuming he gets the job!) but I don't think the clear out will hapeen until the January window.

Bewildering decision imo. Almost guaranteed to play only a few league games each season. Currently knocking on the England door, but surely that will go out the window if he's not playing much. Maybe this says more about Abramovich's intention not to throw money at footballers anymore. Ballack on a Bosman I can well understand even if they have got 1001 other midfielders at Chelsea, but Sidwell?? Unbelievable!

I think you'll find Maccarone was quite a bit older than these kids. Didn't he star in the Uefa u21 tournament?

Could be a lot better with more playing time and a manager that had faith in him. He could do a lot worse than move to somewhere like Birmingham, probably start most games.

Peronally, I think he has a hell of a lot going for him. Remembering that the Premiership is far faster than any other league, I think he's adjusted pretty well and should be a lot better next season. Cost a lot less than Bramble as well.

Terms agreed with Spurs. Has his medical next week . That's from his agent. Younes Kaboul at the same stage of progress. Looks like Levy has finally opened his wallet!!

Is too Dean Bowditch also Dean's brother Ben was at Spurs, the first player Spurs put straight on to a professional contract bypassing YTS. Went downhill doing illegal substances, sacked from Spurs, then Barnet, last I heard sacked from Woking. Waste of a talented CB, was captain of the England u20's when Spurs got s***. Don't know what happened to Dean. When did this happen? Less than a year after this: http://www.thefa.com/England/U19s/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2003/06 Seems like he's with Cambridge City now. Maybe he's got himself sorted out now, hope so, but threw away a chance of a lifetime. Stupid really.

Is too Dean Bowditch also Dean's brother Ben was at Spurs, the first player Spurs put straight on to a professional contract bypassing YTS. Went downhill doing illegal substances, sacked from Spurs, then Barnet, last I heard sacked from Woking. Waste of a talented CB, was captain of the England u20's when Spurs got shot. Don't know what happened to Dean.

There are 3 Uefa places, 1 goes automatically to the country with the best record (this year Sweden). The other 2 is a lottery between the top qualifying clubs from 9 other leagues.

ITK's are saying that Spurs will announce next week (when the Premiership season has ended) that Bent will be joining when the window opens. £8/9m is what they're saying. How accurate that is we'll find out next week.

Probably realised already that Little Sam isn't good enough to fill Big Sam's boots. Will do a Charlton, back in the Championship within 3 years imo.

Semi finals this season? Or historically? If we're talking historically, Spurs' success in the Uefa Cup goes beyond the semi final tbh.