KaKa

Bet he would have scored in 90mins of playing time though. Owen is just so infuriatingly poor. If he gets a new contract it's a joke really.

This is why Tottenham will never amount to anything. They have blatantly just thrown this game away and not bothered to even show up. Awful mentality and pretty arrogant. No pride whatsoever. Been out on the piss all week after winning one cup and decided nothing else matters this season. Getting battered 4 - 0 by Birmingham? Disgusting.

I have to say, it at least appears we have a breakthrough, we are maintaining a decent level of performance in the second half. I am happy about this no matter what happens. Would still love a victory or a draw at the very least. Martins could come on and finish them off if he is brought on at the right time. Come on lads! Well done!

I cannot stand Tottenham. Always let you down when you need them to come through for you. I hope they get knocked out of the UEFA Cup for this. They will certainly pay for this crap.

So I see that world class finisher Owen has taken the chances Oba "always" misses Owen is "match fit" now too so what is the excuse this time?

I really couldn't possibly dislike Tottenham anymore than I do right now ... punks. Birmingham one nil up.

Tottenham not doing us any favours with that lineup We need them to beat Birmingham.

How slow is our team? The good thing is that it appears as though both Khizanishvili and Ooijer will both be in their defence so there is hope. Also this bunch of players we have out have played a run of games together now and so should be better than they have been recently. However, it pains me to see Zoggy and Martins on the bench. Hopefully, if we do need to bring them on at some point we do so early enough i.e. at around the 65th minute.

So we are now on page 17 and still no sign of any positive attributes for Taylor?

Just checked. He only played in their last group game.

ANC? Last time Martins & Geremi played. Yup. Left Besiktas just before the African Nations Cup and then played in the competition. Well I'm very happy to hear we have had him in on trial. If he is signed I will feel a lot more comfortable with it, knowing we had a proper look at him first.

Why am I not surprised ...

What annoys me is the very real possibilty that Taylor and his family and friends will no doubt buy into this idea, and he will no doubt be feeling his performances are good enough. In reality he should be pushing himself as hard as possible right now to make some big improvements in his game, which has not been up to scratch this season.

Assuming Enrique starts tomorrow, what do you think Keegan will do in midfield with Zoggy? I hope he doesn't just put him alongside Butt at centre midfield because Zoggy has shown he doesn't do much in this position. I would even prefer to see Duff alongside Butt in the middle, but Duff is just so pathetically weak it isn't even funny. Lots of people have been hoping to see Milner in this position but I'm not sure this is even a possibility as it has never happened before. All I know is that if Enrique is playing, then the first name in our midfield has to be Zoggy on the left wing. Keegan can then do whatever he wants with the rest of the midfield as far as I'm concerned, as it will no doubt be pants anyway. We just have to ensure we make use of Zoggy's best attributes from now on.

KK backs Taylor to bounce back Feb 29 2008 by Alan Oliver, Evening Chronicle KEVIN KEEGAN is backing his central defender Steven Taylor to shake off the blues Newcastle United suffered at the hands of the Reds last Saturday. The England Under-21 skipper has been United’s best defender this season, but even he had no answer to the off-the-ball running of Manchester United trio Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez in the 5-1 mauling at St James’s Park. Keegan has admitted the club’s dip in form has taken its toll on all his players, not least the 22-year-old Taylor. But the United boss is convinced Taylor’s do-or-die attitude whenever he pulls on the black-and-white shirt will see him emerge an even better player. Keegan said today: “Steven Taylor is a young player, and he’s totally committed, but again he’s feeling the effects of not winning football matches.” Taylor put his contract talks on the back burner while the club hopes to avoid being involved in a relegation battle, and Keegan knows that he will get 100% from his centre-half against Blackburn tomorrow. And Taylor goes into tomorrow’s game knowing that he has had mixed luck against Blackburn in the past. He was sent off at Ewood Park after tangling with Craig Bellamy on the day Michael Owen scored his first goal for the club in 2005-06, but last season he scored the second goal in United’s Oba Martins-inspired 3-0 victory. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/02/29/kk-backs-taylor-to-bounce-back-72703-20541079/

Well, if we do sell him then I hope it's not too another decent prem club like Man City, Arsenal, Villa or West Ham because we will regret it. The young guy has only played one year of football as a first teamer and peole think he will always remain the same player and never improve. I continue to hope for the best. Always remembering the ludicrous things that were said about Adebayor just a year ago, although many deny it now. I also refuse to forget Martins best game for us at home versus AZ where he was sensational for the whole 90 mins. If we ever get that kind of performance out of him consistently ... bingo.

Like I said, if this is true, then hopefully it is because we (Newcastle) saw him for ourselves stand out at the African Nations Cup, and not based on recommendations or video tapes etc.

Why though? Look ... if we can build a class midfield with ability on the ball and good passing and movement, and then bring in a quality target man with a good touch and goalscoring ability i.e. a Berbatov type, then Martins lesser points wouldn't be as glaring, and his strengths would shine even more. Martins is unpredictable and that can be a very valuable commodity! He can and does produce things out of nothing. That goal against Tottenham was the reason we won that game. The manner of the goal totally knocked the air out of Tottenham and their fans and inspired our team, especially as Tottenham had started so strongly against us. We absolutely have to keep Martins especially now we have an attack minded manager who will surround him with good attacking players and also help him develop.

Martins is only 22 (allegedly) so is still pretty young and considering he has been stuck out in Italy and has only been here for just over a season, I don't know why people are so surprised he doesn't know too much about Keegan. I mean it's not like Keegan actually won us any trophies (no disrespect intended!), so give Martins a break. If this talk of a new contract is true then surely it means Owen's time is up? I wouldn't want two shorties playing upfront if it can be avoided and so better to let Mickey go tbh. Get a goalscoring target man type, who Martins can play off without the pressure to get all the goals, allowing him to be his random best! Keegan as a former striker should certainly get more out of him too, with a bit of work on the the training pitch.

Ideally, yes. However, Taylor's recent performances probably means it will be both Faye and this fella at Centre back. Hopefully, we noticed him because he stood out at the African Nations Cup. Seems like an alright move to me.

Moyes has done a good job at Everton, but there is no way he would be a good appointment for Newcastle. He wouldn't get the time and support he would need. He is someone who builds teams over a period of time and needs the leeway to make a few mistakes here and there. Beattie & Kroldrup? Newcastle fans would be calling for his head! Also, I'm sure people would of course turn their noses up at the likes of Carsley, Phil Neville, Jagielka and Hibbert in the team. Moyes, no matter how much money he has, will always have a few of these types in his teams and it would be a stick most would beat him with. Moyes today, O'Neill tomorrow, Curbishley the day after and then Mark Hughes the next. All very predictable, lets hope we stay up, and then we'll see what happens next season, which is the real judgement time for Keegan. How simple minded are some people for goodness sake. Obviously getting addicted to the changing of managers. It really is pathetic, honestly.

Frank Rijkaard isn't that great. Although he will have Ten Cate to hold his hand again and so he will be slightly better than he is on his lonesome.

Lunacy. You're right. Maybe a bit of a silly offer. We'll throw Owen in as well. That should just about clinch it