sempuki

An improvement on some games this season.

A nice turn by Duff AND a shot on target!

I thought that too!

Harper on - great start for the second half. Have a feeling he may remember his 100th appearance for all the wrong reasons.

There could be some good news in the second half - if Smith gets a yellow he'll be suspended for 2 games. This, sadly is all I'm looking forward to.

Nah. Blackburn and Fulham at home . If we can't beat them........ Blackburn is far from a banker - I'm getting really worried now. One side usually plummets from mid table to the bottom and this season it might be us.

Impotent up front, clueless in midfield and disorganised at the back but at least we've made a fight of it - a fight though we've clearly already lost. Why not give Carroll a game for Smith - I really can't see Smith ever scoring a goal - ever.

We have been outclassed, no two ways about it. I just hope we can keep the score down in the second half - 4-0 or 5-0 could happen here in my opinion.

Walcott again.

Walcott. 1-1.

What's with the crazy J-go? Do you know what it means? It's from South Park. The tackle didn't look too bad tbh, any talk of him not playing again is stupid. Ah....right..... "turtle's testicles" kind of made me look twice!

McFadden scores a brilliant free kick. Bad news for us really.....

What's with the crazy J-go? Do you know what it means?

They aren't showing it on T.V. in Japan either. It could be another Dave Busst unfortunately.

Eduardo looks wrecked. Taylor red carded for Brum (good news for us I suppose) after only 2 minutes.

Emre out for 2 weeks apparently. Crock!

A small snippet from the Chron: Meanwhile, nobody was available to comment on speculation that Mike Ashley's advisors had approached a third-party financing firm called PCP to sell the club to Dubai Investment Capital. DIC are apparently not interested in the £300m price tag attached to the Magpies and their sole aim is to buy Liverpool to free the club from American ownership. In the past, United chairman Chris Mort has pledged that Ashley and his board are in it for the long haul and remain committed to the cause.

I thought Shaun Custis was a fan? Flog It MIKE ASHLEY has tried to flog Newcastle to the company who want to buy Liverpool. Toon owner Ashley’s people have approached a third-party financing firm called PCP in a bid to get Dubai Investment Capital to switch targets from Anfield to St James’ Park. They were told Newcastle was available for £300million but word came back that DIC were not interested. Despite the knockback it seems clear that Ashley wants out. The multi-millionaire sportswear mogul bought the club last summer for £130m and took on debts of around £100m. Ashley hoped bringing back Kevin Keegan as boss would give the club a boost but it has not worked. His decision to appoint Dennis Wise as scouting director was also attacked. An unnamed consortium, which is hoping to get Toon legend Alan Shearer as boss, are prepared to pay £250m for the club. But that is £50m below Ashley’s valuation. A Toon insider told SunSport: “If Ashley is serious about selling there will be plenty of interest — but possibly not at the price.” DIC are determined to buy Liverpool but Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks have vowed to keep the club.

8 million euros! Bench-Boy Luque Hits Out At Koster Although Ajax splashed out no less than 8 million euros only last August to snatch Albert Luque from Newcastle United, the Spanish international has spent most of his time since on the bench. And he doesn’t like it one bit. “I think that the coach has not given me a reason why I should not be playing for so long,” complained the 29-year-old forward to Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant. Tunnel brawl The former Mallorca and Deportivo de La Coruña man has featured in 20 matches and scored four goals in the famous red and white shirt, but he played the full 90 minutes in only four of those games. A groin injury and especially a tunnel bust-up with teammate Luis Suárez on November 11, during the 2-2 “Klassieker” at Feyenoord have been two of the reasons why. “I’ve been a fringe player since the team lost for the first time with me in the starting XI (3-1 at home against Breda, on December 2). I’ve been sitting on the bench for the best part of the last two months and I only play briefly.” Luque went on. It was indeed after that surprise defeat that Adrie Koster decided that the Spaniard and Suárez would not take the field together, because that would make Ajax too vulnerable at the back. Unjustified decision “Koster never told my anything. Our relationship is purely one of player and coach. I’ve been doing my best, I can’t do anything more. The coach decides," he continued. "Should he find it necessary to give me an explanation, that would be OK. I’ve played out wide on the left for Deportivo in the UEFA Champions League, I’ve played behind the front two for Spain in a World Cup (in 2002) and I’m also capable of playing on the right or even as a centre-forward. I believe I can help my team in many ways.” “I think that his decision to drop me is wrong. I’ll try to grab any chance that comes my way to make it back into the team. I’ll fight back and I want to cause no problems to the squad. I’m not that kind of guy. After all, I have a contract until mid-2010.” Luque told PZC.

Didn't agree with the side on Saturday but it's very early days in terms of having a chance to look at players. Some have only just got back from the ACN too. And it's not like the players who missed out (in general) have been in great form. Beye and Faye perhaps but KK wouldn't have seen much of them. if a manger is pickng a striker he ain't scored for 3 years and has not even once looked like scoring this season ahead of a striker like viduka then i'm worried keegan is not immune from criticism and if he does continue to play carr, butt and smith with much better alternatives then the fans will get on his back He won't like that! I remember when Sooper Dooper Mike Hooper got "the bird" and he had a right strop on.

Oh dear: Smith given Keegan blessing Feb 11 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal KEVIN Keegan has insisted every club needs a player like Alan Smith despite the fact the striker has still not scored for Newcastle United following his £6m move from Manchester United in the summer. Smith played much of his football under former manager Sam Allardyce in midfield, but he has been used as a striker by Keegan. The 27-year-old has not scored a Premier League goal since November 2005, although his manager is adamant he brings more to the team than he is given credit for. He said “Alan Smith’s working his socks off. It’s a hard job playing up front when a team’s not getting a lot of good possession. “It’s great place to play if you’re like (John) Carew on Saturday and you’re getting the ball at the right pace and it’s got the right weight and in the right areas. “But our front two have had to fight and battle for scraps and I think the two of them have done well considering. “Alan hasn’t scored goals and if you judge him by that you’d say he hasn’t done very well. But if you look at his work-rate, his enthusiasm, I thought first half, he was just about the best player on the park. “He got us a lot of possession which was probably 50:50 or 60:40 their favour. I like him, I like his character. Every club needs an Alan Smith around – bubbly, lively, bright and who cares.” Keegan was also quick to praise his captain Michael Owen after the forward had responded to being dropped by new England manager Fabio Capello against Switzerland last week with a goal. He said: “I said to Michael Owen: ‘They’ve written their stories this week you write yours’. To a point he did and it’s a pity it wasn’t enough to win a football match. “Michael’s a great character, a very strong character. People try to shoot holes in him and the more they do that the more he’ll try to prove them wrong. I think that’s always been the mark of great players. Michael knows, I know, you know. Big names make big stories, great headlines. “I told people before this match, before the last match, Michael was very fit and if we provided him with chances he would score. “We’ve only provided him with two half chances for the two goals he’s got, but he has shown courage and an appetite for work.’’

Carr will probably go back down South. Maybe the 'Ammers will add to their ex-Newcastle contingent.

He can't seriously believe he's bigger than the club. What a letdown he was - I really thought he would have done a lot better.

Looks like Man Utd's day is not going to be very good.

Could be quite a short thread.....