Raconteur

hahaha Hilarious stuff I guess Strachan and Redknapp have won the Uefa cup,the Italian league and have reached the final of the Champions league ;D That way your choice to put them above Ericksson is the right one. They are some genius people on this forum Dear God... Funny you say that - I was just typing a response to your post above about his glittering resume: The only serious achievement on his CV is winning the UEFA Cup with IFK Goethenburg 25 years ago. Success in Portugal must be qualified - look at previous winners in Portugal and it's a three horse race every year in the same way Scotland is a two horse race. Eriksson's success in Portugal is the direct equivalent of Souness' at Rangers. Success in Italy must be similarly qualified - winning the Italian Cup looks nice on a CV, but it is of lower value than the League Cup in England. Some shite managers have won the League Cup... like Souness! And the scudetto at Lazio is like Dalglish's Premiership at Blackburn - paid for by the owner. But since you managed his time at England - he managed to make a team that looks pretty damned good on paper look like utter shite on the green stuff. Sure his stats look good, but look deeper, at the performances, and the unfulfilled potential, the tactical niavety and the favouritism showed to certain "stars"

Do not want Eriksson under any circumstances. Just above Bruce and O'Leary on my lengthy wishlist, below Strachan and Redknapp (and no, I'm not advocating either of those either)

I think it follows that this support provider should not be a current player but an ex-player or something similar - on the payroll specifically to support young foreign lads. One man earning a year what Owen earns in four days is one hell of an investment if it cuts down on lonliness, alienation and estrangement.

What the article actually said was Which, for me, is another sign that this is speculative bollocks. Yes Moore, Onyewu and Bramble are all off, and yes Carr, Babayaro, Ramage and Huntington are poor, but to suggest they are all leaving and that a whole new defence will be in place for the start of next season is pie-in-the-sky...

In that case I'd have to say there are many, many things more important for the new man to work on before he addresses turning Given from quality into world-class. Not comparing Given to Schmeichel, but the Great Dane didn't need someone breathing down his neck to excell - he had to compete with the likes of Pilkington and Van Der Gouw for his starting place!

Like i said, its unfair to promote Krul to no2 as he needs games (loan move) but as for Harper, well i think we'd be better off with someone else as no2 as he doesn't bring anything to the table that Given cannot do. Like Leazes1986 said - who would come here to be number two to Shay Given, and in the knowledge that a highly rated youngster is biding his time to take over as the number 1? Steve Harper isn't as good as some make out, but under those circumstances is probably better than any other option I can think of. A number two keeper at NUFC doesn't need to be pushing Given, just provide suitable backup in cases of emergency. As I said, this has been Given's worst season for injuries, surely a one off...?

I think you're right - Krul is definitely the future, while Harper's future seems to be quite dim... ... but the thing is, what is better for Krul's development? Sitting on our bench next season, or out at loan playing week-in and week-out while Harper sits on our bench until his contract expires? I say loan Krul out next season - surely Lazarus can't have another injury-jinxed season like this one?

Why? Because the players haven't performed as they should? You're funny. no. because he sold me his pubic hairs. mackems.gif Best. Episode. Ever! Gotta say I was impressed with Gibson's article - and while Oliver may have been harsh on the players, the fact is they deserve a dose of reality. Roeder was a shite tactician and woeful motivator, but the players have been shockingly poor - not putting in enough effort, not working for each other and toward a common goal... I'm hoping the new man kicks a few asses and then sets about creating some unity and purpose

How is Hiddink any less of a fantasy name than Lippi, Hitzfeld, Ramos - or for that matter Ancellotti, Ferguson, Wenger or Mourinho? In fact Guus Hiddink might be just behind Ferguson as the "most untouchable" manager on the planet - he's essentially on hold waiting for the phone call from Ambramovich!

Did I read you correctly when you said that Allardyce is bettered only by Ferguson and Mourinho? Meaning Big Sam is better than Wenger?

I can't believe that nice guy routine still works on some people. I think he's trying to come off as a nice guy - like Crumpy Gunt says, he was blaming us for a defeat a few games ago. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out Glenn...

That's nice. Can I borrow your crystal ball? There's a jackpot lottery on next week...

Gee, maybe they're right about Geordie fans - the man hasn't been hired yet and the "Allardyce Out" call has come from the peanut gallery

blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif What's wrong with Hughes? Just because the last manager we got from Blackburn was shite doesn't mean this one is... REALLY?! Good manager but not that good. I'd take Hughes before Eriksson any day I had take you to the nearest hospital any day of the week I must say I am utterly devastated that my opinion is treated with derision by such a knowledgable fan with an encyclopaedic grasp on all facets of the game as yourself. I think I'm going to top myself...

Here's hoping Big Sam signs Viduka to play the Davies role blueyes.gif

I would be delighted with Hughes, very satisfied with Allardyce, and 6th-9th is light years from where we are now... What do you want, for us to win the league next season, with Hiddink leading us to a string of 5-0 victories? that sounds acceptable ... and for my other two wishes I want a sackful of money that never runs out, and the power to control time

I would be delighted with Hughes, very satisfied with Allardyce, and 6th-9th is light years from where we are now... What do you want, for us to win the league next season, with Hiddink leading us to a string of 5-0 victories?

Who we should ship out depends entirely on what replacements are coming in. It seems the likes of Bramble, Onyewu and Moore are leaving no matter what - so whether Ramage (for instance) is good enough to get us into the top 6 is somewhat moot. The fact is we need to replace those three before we even think about letting Ramage go, simply because we need warm bodies during a gruelling campaign. I could understand the logic if we had a shit-hot reserves and academy setup, but we don't, and so we will be forced to keep sub-standard players on our books simply to have enough players available in case of emergency. Granted Huntington and Edgar are bright prospects - and who knows, the new man might promote them above Ramage in the pecking order, but we need to be realistic... If we had Chel$ki's money then Baggio's list would be perfectly reasonable - clear out the under-performers and build a squad with more talent and stronger personalities. But we don't, we're forced to treat each and every transfer as a judicious gamble. So for all those who want Ramage, Ameobi, Parker and Duff out of the club, I'm sorry, but it's not going to happen.

blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif What's wrong with Hughes? Just because the last manager we got from Blackburn was shite doesn't mean this one is... REALLY?! Good manager but not that good. I'd take Hughes before Eriksson any day

Oh goody, I thought you were going to dispense with the hyperbole and the bollocks 1) Shepherd sacked Robson. In a move that many consider too late rather than too early - a move caused by fans expectations and poor attitude from the players 2) The board of NUFC appointed Souness. Shepherd is the chairman and a minority shareholder of that board. Nevertheless, a fair point 3) Shepherd gave Souness wads of dosh. But what would you have him do? Hire him then give him no money? To borrow a line from those posters you condemn - damned if you do, damned if you don't 4) See point two. 5) Ummm... Roeder? Actually, Roeder said he would try to sign suitable players who would improve our club. Would you prefer it was us who signed Upson for 8m and then get 40 odd minutes out of him? 6) Lying to the fans is a growth industry - Roeder lied to the fans for his whole tenure, Dyer lied to the fans when he said he was sorry about his limp captain's effort, Anal Oliver lies to the fans daily. And yes, Shepherd has lied to the fans too... And I also feel that none of your deep and searching questions go close to describing our current predicament. Is Shepherd to blame for signing players with no bottle? Is Shepherd to blame for the "worst injury crisis in our clubs history"? Is Shepherd to blame for Charles N'Zogbia's baffling drop in form? The list of things wrong with our club is quite a long one - and while Shepherd is ultimately responsible for the wellbeing of the club as it's public figurehead he cannot be held directly for every contributing factor. As I say Shepherd is not the sole cause of our current predicament

blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif blueyes.gif What's wrong with Hughes? Just because the last manager we got from Blackburn was shite doesn't mean this one is...

They're defending him against hyperbole and bollocks... For instance, it's hyperbole and bollocks to say that just because they are "defending" Shepherd that they think he's "doing a good job". Everyone who loves this club knows that there are problems at every level - you, me, NE5, HTL, Freddy Shepherd, the tea lady, everyone knows something (many things) is rotten at St James' Park. But Shepherd is not the sole cause of our current predicament.

I'd love it to be Hughes, but I really don't think he'd come. Why would he leave his Blackburn project for anything other than Old Trafford?

Klinsmann would be somewhere just above O'Leary and Bruce on my wish list, and probably just below Strachan and Redknapp

Simple - hire Coleman in August Okay, so that's the absolute worst case... But you're right to fear the future if (for one reason or another) Allardyce doesn't come. The list of realistic alternatives is disturbingly short. From Geordie Messiah's uberpoll maybe half a dozen are realistic options - and maybe three or four of those realistic options would be utter disasters. I hope Shepherd plays the media game a bit smarter this time though...