KaKa

With all of this coming to light, I think we can consider ourselves lucky we didn't get dragged into a relegation battle considering how unstable the club appears to have been this season. You could even argue we have taken a step back since Souness as far as the behaviour and attitude of the players goes anyway. Could you imagine the likes of Nobby pulling a stunt like that with Souness? A drop kick to the head from Souey would have righted him straight away.

It was in the Oba goes AWOL story ... apparently Craig Moore was always swanning off to Scotland too, but nothing appears to have been done about it. http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcastleunited/chroniclesport/tm_headline=awol-%2D-martins-goes-missing%26method=full%26objectid=19101221%26siteid=50081-name_page.html

It's frustrating though because it has led to the mishandling of N'Zogbia. Didn't want to deal with the asenior players getting in his face if Duff was dropped and so he drops Charlie even though he deserved his chance? That is out of order too.

Is this why he kept on trying to convince us he could be tough when he needed to be? Why hekept on telling us he had read the players the riot act?

Despite having some truly great professionals at the club like Shay Given, Steve Harper, Nicky Butt and youngsters Steven Taylor, James Milner and Peter Ramage, there is no doubt that morale and discipline has been lacking from some players in the latter part of the season. Earlier in the season, Nobby Solano and Albert Luque had been ordered by Roeder to board the team bus going to Middlesbrough after they found out they were not in the manager's starting line-up. From the chronicle today ... Roeder was being pushed around and taken advantage of it seems.

Very sad indeed. It is all coming out now. Revelations today that even Nobby was taking liberties with Roeder when he wasn't picked for the first team. Shocking stuff really, but now it all makes sense. It often infuriated me how Roeder would pick certain players, particularly the senior players, irregardless of form or anything. Apparently he was being bullied into doing it. Pretty pathetic ... If the players had it that easy is it any surprise they just went out there and did whatever they wanted? Not really right? Roeder only had the guts to leave out the youngsters and so he was effectively picking on them and it is no surprise that N'Zogbia was infuriated with him. Simply embarrassing.

I wonder about Pearson you know ... Comes accross as a bit of a bully. Things did seem to start going pearshaped a short while after he joined. You really have to wonder how much the victimization of Bramble was down to him. I wonder if he was responsible for getting Roeder to be 'tough' with the players which ultimately led to Roeder's downfall. Would be interesting to compare Roeder's performance while with Sheare & then Kevin Bond to his performance while with Pearson?

kept them in the league and given the new manager the whole summer to settle in? Chimbonda helped keep them in the league too! And was considerate enough to give the club the whole summer to find a replacement as well as giving the new right - back the whole summer to get acclimated to his new team also! Two peas in a pod tbh.

Wow ... he's gone and done a Chimbonda. The nerve of the man!

30st? 30th surely!!!

Devil's Advocate here: What do you think his market value is right now? £12million/£13million

From The TimesMay 14, 2007 Owen carried off as injury jinx returns Watford 1 Newcastle United 1: Forward left with “headache” after collisionAlyson Rudd This was supposed to be one of the afternoon’s less anxious games. Steve McClaren, the England head coach, turned up in the hope of finding Michael Owen close to full match fitness and a candidate to score goals for his country. Instead, McClaren witnessed the striker being taken off the field on a stretcher. It was an almost comical injury. Matthew Pattison, the Newcastle midfield player, ran into Owen, his shoulder making robust contact with Owen’s face. Having seen their star striker felled on international duty, Newcastle were now in the curious position of witnessing Owen being injured by one of his own teammates. Presumably, Freddy Shepherd, the Newcastle chairman, will not consider suing Pattison should Owen’s price tag drop as a consequence. Owen suffered mild concussion. “Nothing too serious, he’s fine,” Nigel Pearson, Newcastle’s caretaker manager, said. “I am relieved for him more than anything. He’ll have a headache but nothing more.” There was generous applause as Owen was carried off but few inside the ground were not experiencing a sense of déjà vu. Owen must be starting to believe he is jinxed having broken a metatarsal and then ruptured cruciate knee ligaments while on Newcastle’s books. Newcastle’s £16 million striker was due to play in England’s B international against Albania in two weeks and has been rumoured to be considering leaving St James’ Park. While Owen was on the pitch it was possible to understand why he would contemplate a transfer. Owen made plenty of positive, intelligent runs, but the service to him was mediocre. It made you question what is more boring: working in the gym on rehabilitation – as Owen has done all season – or running around without seeing the ball at Vicarage Road. Related Links Viduka yet to decide future “His movement is fantastic off the ball,” Pearson said. “He is match sharp; I have no qualms about that.” Pearson, though, acknowledged that service to Owen was lacking. “It wasn’t the best game, but on the back of a difficult week it was important they had the right attitude,” he said. “Transitional periods are always potentially very disruptive.” Some players are finding the transition more difficult than others. Charles N’Zogbia took exception to being placed on the substitutes bench and left the stadium. “He didn’t want to be there,” Pearson said. “It’s very important everyone connected at the club behaves in a professional manner,” It can be assumed, therefore, that N’Zogbia will be disciplined. Still, there was progress of sorts for Newcastle. Kieron Dyer scored their first goal in five hours and 20 minutes; a neat finish from a well-judged pass from Nolberto Solano. “It’s been a bit of a stop-start season for Kieron, but for any player on the last day of the season it’s important they show the right attitude,” Pearson said. Dyer, though, is another of the players believed to be leaving the club. Sam Allardyce, when appointed manager tomorrow, has alot of work to attend to, never mind rebuilding morale among those who remain. The match summed up Watford’s season. They were reasonably adventurous and created chances while occasionally erratic in defence. They salvaged a point when they might have taken all three, but that was in keeping with their form in the Barclays Premiership and the reason they failed to survive. Marlon King scored the equaliser from the penalty spot, after Nicky Butt handled, and underlined why, had he been fit throughout the campaign, Watford’s fate might not have been sealed so early. Adrian Boothroyd, the Watford manager, substituted Ben Foster with a minute remaining to give the home supporters the opportunity to give their goalkeeper a standing ovation on his last appearance for the club before he returns to Old Trafford. This was not a crowd suffering depression. Every fan was presented with a brochure outlining what Watford are calling “a crusade” towards a plush new stadium. Allardyce might want to borrow the phrase for the rebuilding of the Newcastle team.

From The TimesMay 14, 2007 Allardyce to raid Bolton’s coaching set-up Our correspondent says infrastructure is key for NewcastleGeorge Caulkin Sam Allardyce’s appointment at Newcastle United will be confirmed at a specially convened board meeting today, but as well as hiring a new manager, the club are eager to bring structure to a traditionally febrile organisation. Allardyce is set to return to Bolton Wanderers, his former employers, in an attempt to bring key members of his erstwhile coaching set-up to Tyneside. Bolton have acted to secure the future of Mike Forde by offering their innovative performance director an improved contract and the newly created position of general manager, but Allardyce is determine to move for the man he took to the Reebok Stadium eight years ago. During that time, Forde has kept Bolton at the forefront of technological developments by studying the working methods of other sports. Visits to NBA and NFL franchises in the United States and talks with experts in tennis and rugby – as well as exchanging ideas with Saatchi and Saatchi, the leading advertising agency, in New York – were regarded as pivotal to Bolton’s ability to punch above their weight in the Barclays Premiership. In total, Allardyce worked with 21 members of staff at Bolton, of whom he also wishes to sign Mark Taylor, the head of sports science and medicine. Nigel Pearson, Lee Clark and Terry McDermott, Newcastle’s present coaching team, are likely to remain in their posts for the time being. “Building the infrastructure was always the most important thing,” Allardyce said yesterday of his spell at Bolton. “It has taught me that, wherever I go, it becomes the essential thing to do, to organise a group who are qualified in what they do, give them the responsibility to do it with me overseeing it, then delivering it to the players in order to make them better and enjoy playing football more than they have anywhere else.” It is a quality Newcastle – with their history of figurehead managers and high-profile players – have lacked; stability, as well as success, is craved. It was something Glenn Roeder, the former manager, always recognised, but it can be argued that he did not possess the charisma to enthuse his underachieving squad. Allardyce should not suffer the same disadvantage, although some Newcastle supporters may view his hopes of signing the trouble-prone Joey Barton from Manchester City with dismay. Indiscipline has long been an issue on Tyneside and Barton’s reputation precedes him. Whatever else, Allardyce’s four-year contract, worth about £3 million a season, will come with high expectations and, according to reports, a £20 million transfer kitty. “The first job for the new manager is to get Newcastle back into the top six in the Premiership and to make sure that the club is playing regularly in Europe,” Freddy Shepherd, the chairman, said. “Where we are in the Premier League this season [13th] simply isn’t acceptable to either me or the fans. This managerial change is about re-establishing Newcastle United as a formidable power both in the Premiership and Europe. Sam Allardyce knows that a club with Newcastle’s support, resources and wage bill must be challenging at the top end of the table.”

Let me tell you what Martins' real problem is ... he tends to rush things especially when he starts trying too hard. This causes his first touch to go down the toilet and affects his finishing also. He was under too much pressure to perform because no one else was scoring. Also, chances were so few and far between that the pressure was even worse. For your homework, look at the difference in how he plays when he gets an early goal/when the team is ahead and very comfortable, and compare it to when we are creating no chances and we are playing badly. You will see two very different players. It was his first season here and he was wearing Shearer's No. 9 in an unbelievably poor team, and he had to score all the goals. He pressed a bit too hard that is all. You do not want to let this boy go trust me. He is dynamite! An explosive force that could go off at any moment. You better pray it is while he is at this club. Mourinho knows and that is why he was sniffing around.

Are you for real? HELL YEAH! Owen ain't shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!! Seriously though I'd rather keep Martins. I love the guy. I have watched him now for years and trust me he can be so much better and will be. Please don't forget this was his first season ever as a first team player. A lot of the complaints about his touch and movement were the same complaints that were initially made about Drogba! Trust me he will emerge as in a very similar way to Drogba next season.

I'm rolling with my boy 'Quadzilla' on this one ... aka Oba Martins. Owen is about as tough as a mosquitoe. Did you see him go down when Pattison slightly brushed by him? Goodness grief ...

He will sign for us no worries. There is no way he goes to Chelsea knowing he will only play for the couple of months while Essien and Mikel are at the African Nations Cup. He will be our first signing to be announced along with Big Sam by Wednesday.

Weird logic - surely if it's not a serious injury then there's no evidence that he will 'break down all the time'? How much more evidence do you need!

If this is not a serious injury and he can still pass a medical then we absolutely have to move him on. We can't afford to have him breaking down all the time. It seems he will always find something to break!

Bumpity Bump ... Anyone still think we should keep this guy? As soon as he recovers this time please sell him! £110,000 a week and we might not be so lucky as to have compensation and insurance cover us next time!

We really need to make a clean break and make sure that we rid ourselves of any players who are here purely for financial reasons and who are not here because they are excited about playing for the club. If there is one thing I agreed with Roeder about, it was his desire to recruit players who would see Newcastle as a step up. When all is said and done we have to become a club that can identify and nurture emerging talent before the talent moves onto a club with a big status. Only then will we begin to enjoy good players who play with desire. If we continue to poach 'good' players who haven't quite panned out from big clubs then we will continue to see the likes of Owen, Duff and Butt (initially of course) let us down. It is no surprise that our best player this season, James Milner, is a young player for whom Newcastle is a step up. The previous season N'Zogbia was very much the same. This is the reason why we should be targetting the likes of Nolan, Sidwell, Bent, Nugent, Ben Haim, Distin etc because they clearly have talent but as of yet have not played at clubs the size of Newcastle. Along the same line of thought we should steer well clear of the likes of Wright-Philips and Wes Brown who would probably only let us down as they would not necessary have the hunger we need having come from big clubs where they are no longer needed. We are about to start over with a promising manager who has never had an opportunity with a club of our resources and now we have to make sure we go into the new season with players who have never had the chance to play for a club with of our size and resources too. Let Owen and his likes go in my opinion ... as long as we do our job scouting wise we could end up with a team of plyers who are hungry and motivated to play for us and this would be better for the team on the whole and would mean better results. Nexts eason cannot be about keeping Owen happy.

Look ... Michael Owen is a great footballer, but I don't think it is that big a deal if we let him leave, as long as we get in some really good players in return. If we let Owen go and brought in Darren Bent for example I really wouldn't be losing any sleep over little Micky. It might be for the best if we just made a clean break and ensured that by the time next season comes around that the only players who will be left at the club are players who have a real desire to be here and who are excited about playing for Newcastle. Besides ... considering we are a lower half club I'm not sure it is such a good idea forking out £110,000 a week to just one player. We need to start from the bottom and build ourselves back up.

Aye ... a muppet on crack!

Are you actually being serious here? We haven't had a manager that has achieved anything close to what Houllier did at Liverpool ion about 50 years!!!

He didnt do much with Liverpool who had better players and resources than weve got and hes already started to dismantle Lyon. I'd rather have Big Sam. DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELUSIONAL!!! Can I have some of what you're on ... on second thoughts keep it to yourself.