Yorkie

People choosing to play Luque over Carroll... Jesus Christ.

Harper Solano --- Taylor --- Onyewu --- Babayaro Milner --- Butt --- Emre --- N'Zogbia Martins --- Carroll Not a chance in hell it will happen though.

Pedersen and Bentley's a good shout - and i've got no better suggestions - but Pedersen's touch and go for the majority of the time, really. He's fairly inconsisent. Think it was Rob who mentioned Reading... agreed. Don't think it's the individual wingers that do it for them though - it's just the system that they've used. They're counter-attacking play is superb for the majority of the time.

never gonna happen Not in the near future, no. But if Sunderland come up, pull a Reading - maybe even get into Europe*, and we're still falling behind in 11th and below, Icke's point still stands. *They'll probably have some money to spend and, even though it's Sunderland, it can happen. We've seen it before.

Don't disagree with you, Jon! That is regularly the case. But i think my point still stands. It's a shame we'd rather be Geordie nation et al, rather than do it properly.

You not happy with Martins then, Shak? And yeah, of the crap things that have happened this season, i don't think there's anything that's made me more angry than the N'Zogbia palarva.

The line-up's good and the theory's excellent tbh, Shak. Providing of course that the added installments are up to scratch. Scratch head. But, on a side note, forget N'Zogbia. He's either going to leave, or be converted into a centre-mid - where he's monumentally shite.

What could anyone? You need goalkeeping coaches, and for all any of us know Pav could be up there with the best. Given has been one of the best two or three goalkeepers in the Premier League for about the past 5 years, and Harper (granted he's not as good as he used to be), has been one of the best understudies and still puts in a more than decent shift when called upon. History tells us that the sentimental garbage that we put upon ourselves doesn't work. Clark, MacDermott, Roeder. I say we stick with the current goalkeeper coaching set-up.

What can Pav teach Given that Given doesn't already know?

Sexy in theory.

And you a Geordie? It definitely does show ... Careful.

Maybe we just keep Given and Harper, and if we're desperate need for another, we loan one. Like all of the sane Premiership clubs do.

Aye, he was class against Bolton wasn't he. And, in regards to Gejon's statement - Pavel Srnicek teaching Shay Given how to be a goalkeeper makes me smile, tbh. Bored, sick, tired of this sentimental shite around the place. It does us no good.

Tbh, and i know we're holding out a lot of hope for Owen and i persoanlly believe that he'll come good for us, but anyone wanting to spend a significant amount of money on him at this time would be off their head. It's touch and go as to whether he's still got the world class ability, and the chances are that his injury record may not improve. Fred would accept nothing less than £10m for Owen. No one in their right mind would pay that at this moment in time. So no - i doubt there'll be many willing buyers.

NE5, why do you keep forgetting that Michael Owen - world class goalscorer in every way... and Shola Ameobi - one in two record under Roeder... are returning next season? There's no wonder we're not scoring many goals when we've only got one striker, who was always going to be touch and go this season, in the side.

Everyone here loves you, Juniatmoko so you have no need to worry.

Probably not many! League 1 and League 2 on the other hand...

Genuinely agast at some of the statements coming out recently.

Aye, but that was almost as soon as the transfer window opened.

Pooface.

Great input to the forum, Afternoonfix.

Why did Bobby Charlton wear number 9 for England? Wasn't he actually like an attacking midfielder for us back then?

Yeah, there is a rule. Initial squad numbers have to be submitted to the FA after a certain date. Once they're submitted, they can't be changed. "But Milner was number 11 at the start of this season, though." At the very start of this season - Milner was allocated number 11, but once Duff came, that number was transferred to him as he joined the squad before the submit date.

Alright then, i'll sum up my opinion of Luque. I think that the guy obviously has quality, but i don't feel that he has or ever had the attitude to utilise it in any games for us. Deep down, i really wish that he hadn't got injured in that game against Fulham. He didn't do anything in his debut against Man Utd, but in the Fulham game he was nudged out to the left, where he's always looked more comfortable, and he looked fairly decent. Even if he hadn't got that injury, he was probably never going to make it in England, simply because he wasn't a striker - he didn't have the right striker abilities, and if he was going to be a player at Newcastle, it was always going to be as a striker. I'd have liked to see more of him out on the wing, but then he probably doesn't have the pace to cope with that, either. Mad signing tbh, don't know what the hell Souness was looking for. Nor did he have the desire - which has filtered out completely this season - although i don't think that's all his fault. Aside to his lack of ability, i think the treatment of him has been shite. He hasn't been given a proper chance, even this season. He's played about three games this season as a lone striker, and played shit. And, even though the poor bastard managed to score, he got dropped afterwards - which was just senseless. So... He didn't have the abilities to make it - his fault. He didn't have the desire - partly his fault, largely the management's fault. And now, it'd be ABSOLTUELY POINTLESS keeping him on. He hasn't had a place here for the past two seasons, we'd have to have a pretty dire transfer window for him to have one next year.