Parky

Clear handball from Carra.

Benitez totally out of ideas.

Well spotted. B'ham really wanting the 3. If we're being more optimistic: a win tomorrow moves us ahead of Spurs (hurrah!) and within 6 points of West Ham after they lost at Wigan today. Love it.

Have to agree with you this time. Some of the reffing was shockingly biased. Nanni should have been off for a start/Evra handball...etc. Fantastic game well played to Spurs. Toe to Toe with the champions but for the last 10 min. MOM for me Huddlestone

Well spotted. B'ham really wanting the 3.

But I thought we we're supposed to be shite for losing to Arsenal? It turns out they're the team at the top of the league! Who'd a thunk it? We'll find out the marra.

...they were just saying Dawson mom as well. Looked like a Tevez flick to me. Spurs were awesome. Man U rocked good and proper, but threw everything at it in the last 15m. Ramos bit silly taking Lennon off imo..He was a very easy out ball. Spurs "purchases for the sake of it" Hutton and Woody were supreme.

ManU look flustered.

We could do with Spurs losing today.

I thought they played well and but for the shocking Petrov offside might have been a different game. Had Arsenal under pressure from time to time.

Yes and he has been giving rather large of late. Talking of giving it large, that bet we had, should you want to settle up now, give it to the N-O server fund. I'm assuming there is one. Will do but at the end of the season.

Yes and he has been giving rather large of late.

I agree with the first sentence, agree with the last, it's the middle one causing me the problem. Instead of saying Shearer will never be manager while I am in control, maybe for Ashley/Mort to say that KK is the manager now and any subsequent appointment will go to a candidate who has proven managerial credentials? Same message but leaving the door open if Shearer wants to prove himself elsewhere first. The club has got to stop bending over backwards to suit the career aspirations of one man. This has totally fucked us up for the last four years. When Keegan goes, we appoint the best available candidate. Nothing more needs to be said. In fact, not even that.

What we don't want is Wigan and B'Ham winning today.

what's funny about that picture is that he's actually standing up.

Can you answer this please, NE5? This is the 3rd time I've asked you. Can you answer this please, NE5? Nice to see NE5 still avoiding my question, don't worry I won't ask again because we all know why you won't answer. A conflict in your agenda, on the one hand you want to go off on one about the board not backing their manager like some whinging old tart who's found out someone's shit in her handbag, on the other hand you know a serious discussion on the subject with me will mean you either have to admit you're wrong or that Keegan is lying about wanting to wait until the Summer to get the players he wants to cover for them, you think too much of him to call him a yes man. Still, knock yourself out with your repetitive whining. I wouldn't start to overestimate KK just yet. It's going to be a tough gig.

Can you answer this please, NE5? This is the 3rd time I've asked you. Can you answer this please, NE5? Why are you assuming he'd sign players 'he didn't really want' strange assumption....And what's to say quality players he wants WILL be available in the summer. Don't you think we should have moved heaven and earth to give the mf a boost for the remainder of the season? There are still PLENTY of points to fight for... In an ideal world, we should have signed a few good players. But Keegan was only recently appointed, and hes inherited a squad with some vastly overrated and overpaid players who dont perform despite their reputation, meaning its going to be difficult to shift them - and on top of this, this was the January window when plenty of clubs arent willing to sell. I understand all of that. But tbf if I was a billionaire owner I would have conferred with one of the coaches/scouts/hangers-oners/agents/fatblokeinpub/Ventere/Jiminez/Terry Mac/agents/super-agents/bung merchants/fixers/night school truants/ nutters/ friends of nutters/ bloggers...If there was perhaps ONE player we could nick from somewhere with a bit of quality. No?

Can you answer this please, NE5? This is the 3rd time I've asked you. Can you answer this please, NE5? Why are you assuming he'd sign players 'he didn't really want' strange assumption....And what's to say quality players he wants WILL be available in the summer. Don't you think we should have moved heaven and earth to give the mf a boost for the remainder of the season? There are still PLENTY of points to fight for...

Isn't Bramble a perfect example? not really, he came for a big fee after 2 premiership seasons. the young lads we've signed now have little first team experience between them and are going to play with the academy teams and reserves. more comparable to Bernard, or our intentions for N'Zogbia (though he developed quicker than expected), or as Nut pointed out, the likes of Pinas and Gudjohnsen that Dalglish signed. let's hope they turn out more like Robson's duo than Dalglish's. Correct. Recall also that KK plucked Aaron Hughes at a very young age, and he spent quite a while playing youth team football. yeah forgot about Hughes. Emre has 3 assists. Ramage has an assist without even starting a game. You're not counting N'Zogbia's goal at Boro as an assist are you? It's on the stats sheet. Couldn't think which goal it was though Emre has 4 assists. not including that one. Does he? Link? When gol asks for da link it means war.

Not saying he isn't creative, just saying in the world of 'creatives' he's a poor cousin. Unfurstande?

Spend big =/= spend well. You HAVE to spend big to attract the players who will be good enough to improve us. Again, the Barnes deal has proved that. would barnes have improved us ? i wouldn't have put him inour starting 11 and derby fans don't reckon he's kicked on since looking good last season in an easier league. i don't even think he has been an auto first choice for them this season so it just maybe that the powers that be didn't judge £3mill a decent price for his potential. as for spending etc and attracting players. man city seemed to do it at the start of this season. Man City had the advantage that although Sven seemed to be hated by England fans, he was still a manager players wanted to play for. Hopefully Keegan will have that still too. Barnes would certainly improve our midfield. Taking Emre, Butt, Barton, Geremi and Smith out of central midfield would improve any team. aye righto Ok, I'll put it another way. He's better than all of those. No disrespect Gol...but that's bullshit. Saying that he MAY turn out to be better is probably a fairer statement. All the players mentioned above (bar Smith) are full internationals (or have been) in that position on the field. Barnes is still a relative unknown in top flight football. Which of them do you currently rate as better players than Barnes? It doesn't matter how good they used to be (Geremi for one used to be fantastic in Spain), if they're shite now, they're shite now, simple as. Butt is useless - I struggle to see what he actually does. Emre needs shipping off ASAP, as he's done nothing for us since signing, other than a couple of wonder goals (sounds a bit like Martins). The only one who I'd keep is Barton, and I'm yet to see any football ability from him since signing (which is strange as he was so good at City). Barnes would get in the team in front of all of those players at the moment. £2m+ was crazy money who do you think we are Barcelona?!! lol Totally agree with you btw. Emre? Creative? KK should get his boots on.

fookin hell leave it till the last minute and its too late then more than likely loose him in the summer well done mort . sorry getting angry now s*** timing I totally agree willow, why couldnt we have struck up a deal last week or earlier for this player, same with Giles Barnes, and Alvaro, what is an extra couple of million to a billionaire? fair enough he might have put £250m into the debts and the club but if he wants success he must know that we need players I'm inclined to doubt that he became a billionaire by throwing the odd million here and there at random things that he may not have needed. TBH I reckon if we actually wanted this lad and have made a botch of it in the way it would seem we have then I'm not overly impressed with Mort and Co. either. I just really can't stand the "Ah sure we're loaded, may as well throw it around for the laugh" attitude that some people seem to be adopting. what like buying a football club for £250m? if the management team wanted the lad then they should've been backed and we should've paid more, the price was lower than most would've expected anyway. if we're being stingy over one or two million here and there, to the extent that we'll go a whole window buying no-one and missing out on 3 or 4 targets, then it suggests reports of us having a big fund stashed away are as mythical as el dorado. Quite obviously the same thing, yeah. not the best of arguments. ashley got rich by scrimping and saving, cutting back on all costs, piling budget crap high and selling it at markups. if he takes that approach with newcastle we're heading for perennial mid-tablers, or worse. btw i'm not saying that is the approach he will take as NUFC is a lifestyle choice for him not simply a business investment. tho he shouldnt think he can sit back and relax after paying £100m paying off debt as to be successful a club has to speculate on players and infastructure rather than rest on laurels. owing nothing to banks means little if the money saved isnt then plowed back into the club and translates into increased success. but regardless, we had an opportunity to get barnes at what most would agree is a pretty bargain price, only had to offer one or two million more. we couldn't even bring that to the negotiating table, not exactly a good sign. and if the management team wanted the lad, then it is hardly "throwing the odd million here and there at random things he may not have needed". it's called backing the manager. the Kalouda deal might be down to Wise et al coming in late in the window which i will charitably put down to teething issues, but it is something they need to get sorted as similar (or one of the above) appeared to happen with the Woodgate deal too. Accurate observations as usual from jpd. I would add that with the larger spends (and bigger budgets) at a dozen or so PL clubs, speculation or slow deterioration of the playing staff will soon start becoming obvious to all.

Not coincidental our plummet seemed to coincide with him leaving We weren't exactly flying high when he was here, were we? Neither were we in the mess we are in now, though eh ? Erm, we had 1 less point 2 years ago at this stage of the season mate. Souness was still here. Short memory.

Always liked him and a bit sad it's ended like this. One of those players you have to persevere with. I'm sure he'll do fine at Lazio and putting all the hysterical good-riddance stuff aside, it is only fair to remember he was thrown in to a completely new def around him in a new league yada yada..Look at Dawson ffs..He really is a blunder a game merchant.

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