Yorkie

HTL, i worded my opening few words wrong. On the whole, i'm not happy we didn't sign a striker, but the above is one reason for why i'm somewhat glad. I still don't think i'm wording it particularly well. However, it is unfortunate that you chose to nitpick at my opening few words, considering the vast length and content of the post in general. And besides, Dyer is wholly ineffective in centre-midfield.

I'm not saying he's a shit signing and i'm not writing him off... but please don't expect too much of Gooch just yet. Although he looked promising against Fulham, and really no more than that, i don't really know how people can be calling him our 'best defender' or 'second best defender', like they are doing. He could very easily turn out to be another Bramble. He came from a highly average Standard Liege side after all. For sure, he looked decent against a striker who he's played with and sussed over the space of two or three years, but i'm not getting over-excited just yet. On the plus side though - he's a fucking beast.

Ben Foster to start against Spain. And on another goalkeeping note... as bad as James has been in the past... it's madness that he isn't even getting into the squad aswell as Robinson.

That's absolutely superb!

The one and only reason why i am glad we didn't get a striker in January, is so that the partnership of Dyer and Martins can stay intact. I had been saying constantly on the build-up to Dyer's return, that Martins would blossom because of him. With Sibierski or Shola upfront alongside him, or just him on his own, we were simply pumping balls forward. Ineffective long balls that were getting us nowhere, a la Souness. They were bouncing off the heads/chests/torsos/arses of the taller guys, and Martins wasn't getting a sniff. We immediately saw the change in play when Dyer came into the side against Arsenal. I knew that Dyer would be the catalyst for our ground play - playing it on the floor, either of them running into space, through balls, balls out wide, splitting the defense in two. It was obvious that it was going to work a hell of a lot more than with the pointless long ball, and that we were going to score goals. That being down to Martins' immense shooting ability; we're merely fortunate that Dyer's finishing appears to have come on significantly in the past few months. The two of them click. Like i say, they immediately sparked against Arsenal. Linking together and creating a superbly taken goal - and they've been doing that ever since. The two of them just work and it has brought Martins on significantly. I still think he could have worked with Shola, because Ameobi doesn't actually have that bad footwork, providing of course that he manages to hold onto the thing after his first touch. But for some bizarre reason, simply because we've got a tall man at the front, Roeder feels the need to blast the ball down field every attack. Had Roeder have followed up his pursuit of the likes of Babel, Crouch, Piquionne - tall strikers - i would have been concerned because it wouldn't have surprised me if the Dyer---Martins strikeline evaporated, and we resorted to pitiful long balls. You just have to look at the Tottenham game at White Hart Lane. Sibierski gets lumped forward and we get absolutely no joy in the final third. Simply because of the crap long balls that were just bouncing off him. Dyer moves forward, we play the ball on the floor, and hey presto - two goals in the space of two minutes. Now that Martins has got a consistent partner, and a partner that works superbly with him too, we've seen the best of him so far. He'll get better with age, but at 22 - i think Martins is playing to just about the best of his ability. His sour points previously were his movement in the box and his management of finding teammates. Since Dyer has come into the team, progressing Martins, Oba has scored countless darting headers and neat finishes from deep inside the box, proving that he is learning from his previous errors. He still doesn't have the best awareness, but that will come. He's a top class player and if we were to hold onto him for 5/6 years to come, i'd be confident that he'd be a Newcastle legend, of sorts. I never really had him down as a natural goalscorer, i felt that was up to Owen primarily, but Oba is staring down the barrel of 15 goals this season - which is simply phenomenal considering his circumstances. (Young, new league, lack of consistent partner at start of season). Why shouldn't he become something of a hero in a few years time? He comes across as a very loyal player - and appears to be absoluely desperate to do well for this club. Yes - i think he'll be here for a while. No - i'm not worried about that.

Wesus Jept. He didn't mean it like that at all, really. He meant teams outside the Top 4, clearly.

Agreed Bellers. I fear for our starting line-up every time we've got more than 11 first teamers fit.

Largely his fault again, though. Attacking-wise, he made all the right decisions, except once again refusing to make the blatantly obvious changes. The defensive line-up was an absolute joke. I honestly don't know what else he was expecting other than two, maybe more, defensive errors with that line-up.

Bobby signed him.

If you want to believe that that's what I said, who am I to tell you differently. Didn't say you said that... You said that we would be un-organised if he were to leave. Going by this post, you're claim that we're un-organised WITH him. So what difference does it make whether or not he stays or goes? He's shit.

Should we win that?

Nice one. What round does that take us into then?

i don't see the point in saving money for Roeder for the summer.(if that is true) I think the point is so that he has the tools to build his squad. Something he hasn't exactly done. Up to him to build it. that fills me with confidence. No, it doesn't with me either... but have faith. After these last two fuck-ups, he'll be ultra-determined not to make the same mistake again.

i don't see the point in saving money for Roeder for the summer.(if that is true) I think the point is so that he has the tools to build his squad. Something he hasn't exactly done. Up to him to build it.

Arguably yes... but i still think we would have faired better if our defense was picked better. Appeared that Milner was our rare attacking outlet aswell - we lose SO much when Nobby is out of the team.

So we look organised with him in do we? :|

I love it when Wullie gets rough.

Great news! Love that photo.

Bad loss but i'm not surprised. We're absolutely crap at Craven Cottage and always have been. Barring of course the two wins of 2005 and 1978. I won't be cursing all night long. I'm glad that we're still in the top half. Going into ninth on Wednesday may not have put us loads of points infront, but it was a cushion nonetheless. We're in tenth place and once we get Liverpool out the way (which isn't a foregone conclusion), we've got some very winnable games coming up. Happy to see Martins score! Idiotic selection from Roeder. As usual. I, and most, only agree with his line-ups when we've only got 11 members of the squad fit.

I'd rather have Fowler/Cole, than spend £12m on Crouch and Babel when we simply don't need them. You're forgetting that Dyer's position should officially be striker now.

Best you've ever seen?

Indeed, and considering our recent injury record, he'd be in the team every other week. Right-wing, left-wing, centre-mid, upfront.

Hmm... you're probably right. Someone on a free would be good though. Not worth going and paying £5/6/7m on a striker when we don't need someone like that. Even though it would be so typical. But if we're talking frees, i'd rather have Viduka. Anyhow, i'd rather we made Giles Barnes a major target in the summer, for £2/3m or so. He can play upfront... but he's also mega versatile across the midfield. Plus' he's gonna be ace.

Luque's scored 2 in Europe.

Aye, on a free maybe. He's got potential. However, i don't think we need any MORE stikers, and Roeder's already said he is staying. Next season, we'll have 5 strikers in the squad. Martins, Owen, Dyer, Ameobi, Sibierski. It would be a waste of time, effort and money going after another when we won't need one.