GM

We have a nasty habit of buying big name players when they've gone decidedly off the boil. This thread has made me reflect on this harsh reality...well I say "reality", I'm sure someone will contest my point but anyway...I can't remember the last time we had a player that was coveted by pretty much everyone else round the world the way Owen was in his prime at Liverpool. It's only the big bucks that has seen him sign here. That, and an anxiety to be seen by Sven as a contender for the England squad.

You've got a lot of growing up to do buddy. Which clubs go down and get some kind of renewed vigour, some kind of spur-on which leads them back to an imaginary golden age of 'pure football'? I'll tell you now, absolutely none. Football is a market. A market which is constantly moving towards ever more calculated equilibrium. It doesn't matter how much you post in 'fake Geordie slang' or how much you look back to some supposedly pure era where everything was good and noble – it just looks like some pathetic raging against the dying light. The fantastic scenario you posit is exactly that: a nonsense where what 'we feel' is reciprocated by a miraculous new playing staff. Shiiieeeett, I'd rather have a mercenary intent on succeeding for-his-own-good in the squad than some pissant conforming to a parochial ideal of what 'we' (you) stand for. Good post. I concur. Wholeheartedly.

Good man. Well said. The prevalent defeatist attitude of so many won't help anyone other than our rivals. I'm not talking about being blinkered about things, but there's still a way to go yet before our destiny for this season is settled.

I just want us to do well, and I'd cope with scenario one quite well, providing the gap between them and us wasn't too great, otherwise it could perhaps be a bit irritating...but hell, I'd have that anyday over us being anywhere near the bottom three.

Surprised at that, I would have said there's at least a couple more players worthy of our interest. But othersise, totally agree with what you've said. We're right royally fucked and no mistake.

Put it this way: Wullie would give the captaincy to Duff before I'd give it to Barton. I'm a firm believer that having a centre half as captain would be useful for us right now. Bassong.

Because he's bring Babayaro and Robbie Elliot back. If we're lucky... Optimistic, more like Bernard tbh... Scarier still, but given his Crazy Gang connections, perhaps Ben Thatcher's even more likely.

Because he's bring Babayaro and Robbie Elliot back. If we're lucky...

Is it a bit like that saying "you get the governments you deserve" - and so, if we're always getting shit referees, it's probably because we deserve them? Is that how this whole thing works - some sort of karmic equilibrium type gig?

What's the point selling for any price if (as looks likely) the club's owners will simply hoard any takings for themselves and not invest in building a balanced squad of motivated players like we so desperately need?

I think that's a feature of many teams in the Premiership - money has now corrupted the game so much that there isn't a single team who fans haven't got a gripe about at least a few of their players seemingly only being in it for the money. Fingers crossed though, perhaps a change in culture in Premiership football is just around the corner? On the other hand, you could say the fact the players don't seem to care is more simply just down to a culture of shite management at our club and is symptomatic of a deeper malaise which precedes even Ashley's time here.

f***'s sake, man. You should go to your GP and get some Prozac. Seriously. I think you're on enough for both of us mate. Ritalin, actually.

Fuck's sake, man. You should go to your GP and get some Prozac. Seriously.

We just seem to have more of them......and the Knee Jerk is in full effect. If we are going to have some change, then it needs to come from the inside as progress... and not from the outside as change. For example, if you're going to change managers, get the new guy lined up and agreed and then move out JFK - that's a progressive move. Don't fire the guy without a replacement lined up - or that's just more turmoil. Oh well. Here's hoping that the protests don't do too much more damage. So you're saying we should recruit to the position before we sack the incumbent manager? AKA constructive dismissal...aye, that would be a truly progressive move.

Nah it's bollocks. I am local and I don't fall into a downward spiral of depression when we lose. Half my mates aren't even Newcastle fans. Also, while living in London and Italy I got equally as pissed off when we lost. The 'local thing' is just used by those who want to make their opinions seem more valid than the people they disagree with. Who was it before who basically said it was acceptable if you chinned your lass whenever we lose? Stevieintoon, I believe. EDIT: Bollocks, I should have read ALL the replies including Gemmill's before I chipped in.

That's right. Throw in the towel without a fight.

I don't know. I think it's perfectly understandable why some people who are making a round trip of 250 miles in a day, like yourself, at considerable expense would want to express in a very vocal and public manner the full extent of their misery and displeasure at the way things are going. And whilst the Rovers fans will doubtless be have a great time laughing at Newcastle fans chanting on about Keegan and Shearer and Ashley Out and how sick they are of us being shit etc...that's only because they've been having a shockingly bad season themselves up until now...and a bit of schadenfreude always goes down well when things are as shite as they have been for them and are for us at the moment.

If someonewas to put some crosshairs on that gif and Obama's face was replaced with Allardyce's I'd say you were spot on.

And that's because of what, do you think?

I seem to remember people on here finding it pretty funny at the time...kind of like it was some sort of poetic justice for his mismanagement of the club...and everyone was in thrall to our new moneybags saviour. Aye, we had very little if any sympathy for Shepherd at a time. Perhaps a bit unfair on him. Argh, let's stop this. A few more posts down this road and we're all going to be jumping out of our seats screaming "OMFG NE5 WAS RIGHT!" Well, he was right all along wasn't he. I guess we'll all need to learn a bit of humility and swallow som humble pie and apologise to him. Speak for yourself mate. Complaining and whining doesn't equate to offering a solution in my book. Well to be fair, he's not exactly the only one guilty of that around here, is he?

I seem to remember people on here finding it pretty funny at the time...kind of like it was some sort of poetic justice for his mismanagement of the club...and everyone was in thrall to our new moneybags saviour. Aye, we had very little if any sympathy for Shepherd at a time. Perhaps a bit unfair on him. Argh, let's stop this. A few more posts down this road and we're all going to be jumping out of our seats screaming "OMFG NE5 WAS RIGHT!" Well, he was right all along wasn't he. I guess we'll all need to learn a bit of humility and swallow som humble pie and apologise to him.

Indeed it was, but I seem to remember people on here finding it pretty funny at the time...kind of like it was some sort of poetic justice for his mismanagement of the club...and everyone was in thrall to our new moneybags saviour.

Bollocks. We'd be shit in the SPL as well. Shit in the SPL is 3rd. Wrong. 2nd is shit in the SPL. And by my reckoning on current form we'd struggle to be in the top half.

Comes to something when the housing market seems like a better investment Same people would probably be the sort who end up buying a house and then moaning about it when prices drop and they find themselves in negative equity. Still, on the upside the government's there to step in a give those people a nice taxpayer-funded buyout clause which means they're in a no-lose situation at the expense of those who have been financially prudent and not bought beyond their means.

Exiled in Texas - I think you'll find that all clubs have "unrealistic" fans. We're not unique in that respect at all.