Conjo

As far as CBs go, I'd rather keep Schar and Fernandez over any of the others. Assuming that with better players in currently weak areas, we will revert to a back 4, that would be my starting pair.

Agreed. We've tried that already, it didn't work out well. You get the odd moment of brilliance, but in general lethargic performances. The one positive thing about the current squad is that they work hard for each other. If we start getting in cheap past it players like we did with Duff, Butt, Smith, Geremi, Viduka, Campbell, Johnsen, Capcapa etc. Things won't be better on the field. There are exceptions of course, so it is a matter of evaluating the individual players personality like Benitez did to ensure we add quality on top of effort instead of replacing one for the other. Willian seems like a good shout in that regard.

How? He's had half a season with Real Madrid after being purchased for £60m. Any particular reason why they'd part ways with him that soon?

Keeper: Not needed right now. Center backs: Not needed right now. Fullbacks: We need better fullbacks on both sides, but we have loads of fullbacks on the books already. Yedlin, Manquillo, Krafth, Willems, Rose and Dummett. Since Rose and Willems are loans, I'd focus on getting in a quality left back as first priority and stick with the current right backs for another season. Central midfield: We lack someone that can make things happen from midfield. Graelish would be perfect as a first priority target for midfield. Let Hayden, Shelvey, Longstaffs battle it out for the more holding duties in midfield for another season. Wingers: Not a priority position with ASM and Almiron here. Maybe look for an available stop gap reserve/bench player that adds more to the team than Atsu and Ritchie. Maybe it's possible to make Lazaro a permanent transfer if he impresses in training/future matches. Striker: We need one. Main part of any transfer budget should go towards a new striker. Overall priority for next season: 1. Striker 2. Attacking central midfielder 3. Left back 4. Back-up winger Maybe in the context of the people hopefully taking over, this is a bit unambitious, but I don't expect them to go full Chelsea/Man City. I think it would potentially ruin the joy of any future success for me personally. If we manage to improve the team gradually, which in turn gradually improves the quality of football and results I am happy with that. Getting three quality players in those first three positions would also have a positive effect on the other players already here. I think that should be enough to be comfortably top half of the table, maybe competing for EURO cup next season provided we have a decent manager.

i'd honestly prefer we go the dortmund model myself, strong emphasis on youth scouting and development and hoovering up the best talent to build a team over time Agree to some extent. Would be nice to be able to keep hold of the talent that does emerge though. Dortmunds model includes selling top players.

Youtube "Newcastle United 3-0 Manchester United (Saturday 12th February 2000)". Just had it recommended in my feed. Great day. Ferguson scared the shit out of Stam and Keane. All three goals were excellent in their own way. Atmosphere in the ground electric.

You don’t think Rafa bought well in the Championship?! WTF?! Maybe it's a relic of the Ashley philosophy, but even at the time I thought players like Gayle and Ritchie were championship standard players and it all felt a bit short term. Ritchie Yedlin Gayle Hanley Murphy Sels Diame Hayden All very very good buys for a Championship team looking to get up, but I always felt we were a Prem club in the Championship and so maybe we could have bought with one eye on our return to the Prem in mind. Ritchie dropping down a division when he was already established at a good prem club showed that we did still have that pull. In my opinion we could have bought more players who would have been good enough for both the Prem and the Championsip, but instead, we went almost exclusively for players who were only good enough for the Championship. Ritchie, Yedlin, Diame and Hayden all played a big part in retaining our PL status in the first season.

Rafa obviously. Knows the club, most of the players, staff, has a good relationship with fans. Has demonstrated time and time that he knows how to build successful teams (Newcastle, Napoli, Liverpool, Valencia) and is able to get good results with established teams (Chelsea, Real Madrid). It's a no brainer if this takeover happens and he is open to the idea himself. I think there is a good chance that he will honor his commitment with his current club given the commitment they gave him though.

No chance this place is on a load balancer. Having issues here as well all day on my work laptop. Thought the site was down, but i can access the forum on my phone (same WiFi connection as laptop). For a moment i thought someone at work had blocked the site

Random observation: Watching highlights from Newcastle - Nottingham Forest (Newcastle Utd v Nottingham F 1995/96 on youtube) and it seems Paul Bearer is in with home crowd at 09:01 - 09:04

Completely ignoring the rules of the game, I'd go with the following top 5: HBA Solano Robert Ginola Gillespie

Ashley will just use that as an argument to squeeze out £56m more on their bid after they have met his initial "asking price", hypothetically speaking if any of it was true and a bid actually materialised.

HBA vs Bolton and HBA vs Blackburn No other Newcastle player, at least in the last 30 years, would be able to that except him.

Nooooooooooooooooooooo, don't suspend. Bigger chance of more people cancelling.

Yeah, Aaron Hughes is a great shout. Unfortunately he was needed at RB for the most part while playing for us instead of playing in his favored CB position. He did pretty well for Fulham there after he left us.

Nah, he wasn't underrated. He simply didn't perform very well for us imo. He was Ok defensively, with a tendency to back off too much instead of going for a tackle or show the attacker onto his weaker foot. He was extremely limited offensively. Whether it was down to him personally or by instruction from the manager is difficult to say, but too much hoofing of the ball aimlessly up the field. At the time (still does I think) it made perfect sense to upgrade him with Debuchy.

He's enabling it. Don't know why some people can ignore that. If he's sacked, do you expect anyone better coming in? If yes, do you really want someone better to come in and save Ashleys ass like Rafa did, just so Ashley can bin him off once he starts to except commitments from Ashley in order to stay, something we know will never ever happen? Woulnd't it be better to just keep Bruce, hope he inflicts as much damage upon the club as it seems he is able to, in order to turn as many fans as possible away and force a sale?

Make a super league with all the other shitty top teams and piss off

Burnley and Southampton has "gifted" us another season in the PL with these two last matches. Shocking performances from them both.

This. 100% agree.

Hope they both rejected any kind of relegation wage decrease clause and bleeds the club dry when we're relegated.

Championship players putting in a decent performance against a championship side? Well I never!

Maybe he thinks he's developed a footballing brain due to however many years of experience he has owning football club now?

You never know what you got til it's gone Edit: Except when you have Rafa Benitez as manager.