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Yes, that's what people are saying, not that as an official ambassador for the club he should keep his neb out of any real or imagined signings.

I wish some people would realise that's not the issue here.

No, incidentally I'm not one, I just think that so long as he has a nominal position in the club he should shut his cakehole when he knows he'll be quoted. You sound like someones just nicked your kets. Get over it, Bellamy is an arsehole who f***** the club over in far too many ways. Its not the first time someone had a go at Bellamy. I suspect it wont be the last. Too many people have been shown up by their defence of a kid with an inflated ego. He isnt worth the bother and most people knew that a long time ago. You seem to have reading difficulties, no offence.

Would suit me. Also give up on MOTD, he's useless.

No, incidentally I'm not one, I just think that so long as he has a nominal position in the club he should shut his cakehole when he knows he'll be quoted.

HTT. Bellamy isn't the issue, but someone with literal ties to the club shouldn't be spouting off about deals period, especially when he knows there's press present.

Sounds to me like he'd had a few beers, during that tedious interview on radio Newcastle just after he retired he managed to say complimentary things about Bellamy's playing. Naive to expect reporters to put his words in any sort of context.

Odd that he's said nothing about Joey Barton, someone who is clearly a much greater liability. Almost makes you think this is purely personal.

But we didn't know that at the time, people were quick to point out he was keeping quiet as to not draw attention to the club but thought he should speak out. Oh, 'people'. Tell you what, he should give his undivided attention to every deal done at Newcastle, real or imagined.

I'll have to guess from smilies what you mean, but will respond in words. Alan Shearer no longer plays for Newcastle United, he is entitled to opinions, obviously, even though he supported Souness until the end. Feel free to respond with rolling eyes. Where does it show in any way he is not "over it"? Bellamy is being linked to the club and with the history between the two he is going to be asked about. Not like he is hounding the press to talk about Bellamy. And regarding Souness what was he supposed to do? He played his role as club captain that is all. But any excuse to have a go for some people I guess. Rolling eyes in full swing. Yep, I'm obsessed. Regarding Souness, read the whole thing.

I'll have to guess from smilies what you mean, but will respond in words. Alan Shearer no longer plays for Newcastle United, he is entitled to opinions, obviously, even though he supported Souness until the end. Feel free to respond with rolling eyes.

Move on Alan, whatever you think of Bellendamy.

Victory is mine! On an unrelated note, you know the fascinating facts you get on the back of bottles of Brown? Why is it I only ever see the one about the star representing the five breweries? It's not even an interesting fact.

Telegraph Should the BBC or ITV ever decide to replace EastEnders or Coronation Street with a new, football-centred soap, Newcastle United would provide the perfect setting. A place where the next crisis lurks, perpetually, just around the corner, relationships constantly fracture and managers come and go while success remains elusive, Newcastle is a scriptwriter's dream. Moreover, with countless millions having been squandered on a series of largely underwhelming signings down the years, it seemed depressingly fitting that the club loomed so large in Lord Stevens' report into the probity of football transfers. Graeme Souness and Sam Allardyce were two of only three managers named in the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner's report. Quest are worried primarily about the conflict of interest that they believe existed between Sam Allardyce, his former football-agent son, Craig, and Bolton Wanderers. The doubts about Souness relate to inconsistencies in the evidence provided to Quest by the former Newcastle manager and Kenneth Shepherd, son of the club's chairman, Freddy, regarding the parts they respectively played in negotiations ahead of the acquisition of Albert Luque, Jean Alain Boumsong, Emre and Amady Faye for a total of £24 million. advertisement Two years on, the £8 million Boumsong and £9.5 million Luque rank as among the worst buys in the club's history. Boumsong, an error-prone French international centre-half, swiftly turned into a comic figure after arriving from Rangers in January 2005. Curiously he had made just 28 appearances for the Glasgow team after joining them on a free transfer from Auxerre in August 2004. Mick Martin, editor of the Newcastle fanzine True Faith, yesterday mused: "How can a player go on a free transfer to Rangers and then to Newcastle for £8 million four months later? His performances for Newcastle were a bit of a joke. I think Kenny Shepherd and Graeme Souness have a lot of explaining to do." Kenneth Shepherd has recently proved an influential figure at St James' but with Newcastle in the process of being taken over by the reclusive Mike Ashley, a billionaire sports retail tycoon, his days pacing the corridors of power may be numbered. While Freddy Shepherd - who replaced Glenn Roeder with Allardyce just days before Ashley bought out previous owners, the Hall family, and has recently been seriously ill with pneumonia - hopes to stay on as a salaried chairman under the new regime, it has emerged that he has yet to meet Ashley and his future remains shrouded in uncertainty. Indeed there have been rumours that Ashley would like to hire David Dein, an old friend and the former Arsenal vice-chairman, to assume day-to-day control of the club. While such a scenario would surely spell bad news for Allardyce, a long-standing enemy of Dein, it is fair to suggest that he is already "under pressure" after leaked suggestions that Big Sam has just a year to "get things right". Small wonder Lorelle Shepherd, wife of Freddy, last week opined: "From a personal point of view I would rather my husband was not the chairman of Newcastle. I just think pain or pleasure, what do you want?" With their team trophyless in Europe since lifting the Fairs Cup in 1969 and without domestic silverware since winning the FA Cup in 1955, pain has certainly been the Toon Army's overriding sensation throughout recent decades. Allardyce has promised to end this drought courtesy of a 'cultural revolution' featuring the deployment of psychological profilers and cutting-edge sports scientist. But fans, who have seen Kieron Dyer, Lee Bowyer, Craig Bellamy, Titus Bramble et al become embroiled in assorted embarrassing off-field scrapes, could be forgiven for scepticism last week when he finally signed Joey Barton from Manchester City. The deal had been delayed by Barton's insistence that City paid him a £300,000 'loyalty bonus'. Considering that the midfielder was involved in a series of well-publicised and unsavoury incidents during his time at Eastlands, and is presently on police bail in connection with an alleged training-ground assault on his former team-mate Ousmane Dabo, City thought this demand a bit rich and, eventually, Newcastle were forced to stump up Barton's bonus by raising the £5.5 million fee initially agreed to £5.8 million. Perhaps tellingly, Barton's agent, Willie McKay, warranted several mentions in Stevens' report. Plus ca change?

I love you man.

Their categories have been dubious, and in an hour you can't cover much, but it's been a decent series.

I saw Queen at St James's Park in the mid 80s, only band I've seen there. Since this episode is called 'We Are The Champions', I think it's a good bet.

Is this a pointless enough thread to give a heads-up about The Seven Ages Of Rock: Stadium Rock, 9pm, BBC2? Led Zep involved, some may be interested, even if they don't know how to use apostrophes.

Don't make me get medieval on your ass.

You can't hide from things said on messageboards. To think, Hitzfeld was so interested.

Of course dialect is important, it's what makes language so rich, I doubt any of us could understand 16th century English, even 19th C would sound odd.

There is no one English, our language being so widely spread........oh even I can't be bothered.

Spoilsport.

I like it, as ridiculous as this thread is (it made me think of Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse in the pub, getting righteously indignant about imagined sleights from celebrities). Oi Ashley! I may appreciate your business skills and dignified silence during the takeover of NUFC, but if you come here, trying to call our ground the......oh you get the idea.

Damn, my 1994 diary was lost in the great fire of 1997.