merlin

Unless this deal is already done, this comment could be on the mark - how many times have we seen this happen with NUFC transfer targets over the years ? It used to happen in Joe Harvey's day, we were linked with players like Andy Gray when he was with Dundee Utd, and the club refused to pay the extra 10,000 Dundee wanted ; likewise with Alan Hansen when Gordon Lee was manager - Hansen, then at Partick, was constantly linked with us in the media, but the club wouldn't pay the asking price of 100,000 ; Liverpool eventually did, and the rest is history..... When the club signed Andy Cole in 1993, we knew NOWT until the deal was done, and that's the way it should happen. As Hansen would say on MOD ; 'SHAWKIN', ABSOLUTLEY SHAWKIN...!'

Fabulous strike - his clever movement and sleight of foot left Dabizas floundering and made it look easy. However, for sheer excitement, power of shot and build up, Supermac's goal against Leicester in 1975 was the best I've ever seen.

You are right on all counts but the likelihood of any of these problems being properly addressed is remote. The best that can be hoped for in the New Year is that somehow the team manage to keep grinding out results, but I fear your assessment of their capabilities is correct. Unless the club gets back on the winning trail in January there is a big risk of doubts setting into the players ; confidence and good fortune has played a big part in the season so far and things will start to go wrong if these things disappear. Back in 1980, the club were looking good for promotion at Christmas and had beaten the eventual League winners, Stoke City, 2-0 at SJP ; we had Peter Withe(a far better CF than any at the club now)and Alan Shoulder scoring goals and we beat the Mackems 3-1 at SJP on NYrs Day. We ended up blowing promotion over Easter and it took another 4 years(and KK)to get into the top flight....

This - very good post by queensbury and the points made about midfield and lack of PL quality up front are particularly relevant. Even to address those two problems is going to cost the neck-end of 20m and there are also big questions about the viability of many of the other midfielders iat the top level. The managerial position is a crucial decision because whoever does the job has a big task to attract the type of players the club will need so we need to appoint the best guy available who would join the club - if Ashley remains in charge, there will be doubts in the minds of many possible candidates after the KK fiasco etc. It may seem harsh to be thinking of changing the manager but it will be a much tougher job in the Prem and Hughton will find it very difficult to meet the demands. Having said that, I am convinced that he will remain in charge if Ashley stays and despite some on here using teams like Burnley as 'dross', I think they would get a shock if we had to play them with this team - they have taken many decent scalps in the Prem and I hardly think the current Newcastle side will frighten them. Make no mistake - the side will struggle to survive without a transition of at least 3 top class players.

This - spot-on.

What makes you think Hughes would do a better job with no money than Hughton? He can't keep buying Craig Bellamy to drag his teams out of the clarts. That's the reason I said that he may not even be interested in NUFC under the current owner ; any manager worth his salt would want a transfer budget and a realistic one at that. Hughton is OK at this level because its a poor league and the team almost selects itself - it will be a different ball game in the Prem and the side will need strengthening - I would back Hughes to be more successful at that(and handling the pitfalls of a first season back up)than Hughton. I also believe that Hughton will not be comfortable as a manager in the Prem, working on a shoestring.

Realistically, there is probably no better manager who would want to manage NUFC unless the club was taken over by someone with megabucks. As this looks highly unlikely, I would definitely take Hughes at the end of this season if promotion is achieved ; he did a solid job at Blackburn and I feel he was badly served by the Robinho deal, which may have been partly foisted on him anyway by the new owners. His record at Man C is not that bad that a club in Newcastle's position can turn its nose up at him - he may not even be interested in coming here under the existing set-up... People need to get a grip on reality - this club's standing in the game is light-years away from what it used to be and it will be hard to attract top managers here, something which needs to be done if we go up because I don't feel Hughton will be able to cut the mustard in the Prem, either in attracting top players or tactically.

People forget that although he was faced with turmoil and controversy during his first season in England, he still gave Ronaldo one of his hardest games when we played them at OT ; it wasn't until Ronaldo switched wings to get away from Jose that the goals started flying in. Now that he has experience of the country(and the type of football played here) I expect him to be one of the club's real successes if he is still here when promotion is achieved.

NO way on earth is this side better than the 92-93 season in our current side we dont have anyone as good as beresford,venison,lee,clark,sellars,cole,kelly Totally agree - this league is WAY worse than in 92/93 and the proof will come when and if the side are promoted. There is NO way this side would survive in the Prem without MAJOR surgery. Also, you can add Bracewell to your list above and Peacock was a more skillful forward than any at the club now.

This has to be one of the most ridiculous threads on this site - Harper is one of the best keepers in England, let alone the CCC. The number of clean sheets this season has been due to him as well as an improved defence/toothless forwards at this level. He would be one of the few players in this side capable of retaining his place if the club go up... All I can say is that the standard of pub football must have improved dramatically in the UK if Harper is classed as a pub goalie. Tongue firmly in cheek by the originator methinks...

IF Robson had come to NUFC on EITHER of the 2 occasions he was asked before he finally DID arrive, there might have been a case for naming a stand after him. He did a good job for the first 3 years at SJP but he was well past his best when he took the job. He was first asked in 1975 when the club were looking to replace Joe Harvey ; he was at Ipswich then and turned the job down - I can understand why in some ways, but Joe had always had more to spend than SBR did at Ipswich so the usual board argument is a bit thin in that case. He was asked again by SJH in 1997, even though he was 64 and on the verge of the sack at Barca, but he STILL said no.. If it was either Joe or SBR, I would give the honour to Joe Harvey.

No time for Clifford and Ashley will only ever gain a modicum of trust IF he STRENGTHENS the side after promotion and appoints a top class manager - not in that order of course....

Totally agree - the lad is better out of it anyway.

Same applies to Martins - and Milner is TWICE the player Martins is. I said at the time that Milner would benefit from MON and John Robertson's coaching/management and we are seeing the results now..do you think that Villa would sell him BACK to us for 12m...?

Ashley has little room for manoeuvre - if he wants to sell the club he will be more likely to get what he wants if the club is in the prem. If he wants that to happen, he certainly has to hang on to the players he has, or replace them with better ones and we all know that he will avoid any outlay if he can. Expect more loan signings or at the outside, one or two fairly cheap signings. The trouble will start if he fails to sell after the club is promoted - he will NOT want to spend decent money unless he gets to the start of the new season and realizes that he HAS to unless he wants to see the club go down...by then, all the decent players will have joined other clubs and the cycle starts again....

...and Derby, and Plymouth Argyle, and Peterborough's kits! Seems Adidas maybe aren't as 'exclusive' or 'Selective' as they used to be. ...and you think that these clubs will be getting the same sort of money that NUFC & now Spurs are getting...!?

This would all make perfect sense but for one slightl flaw....They make Boro's kits FFS ..For HOW long ? As I said, they look long & hard before acting and Steve Gibson has probably been the main reason why they haven't jumped ship yet - wait until the contract is up for renewal....don't forget that Boro had the best academy system in the NE.

Adidas is on of the top names in World Sportswear and a very successful company. They first took over as main sponsors for kit in 1995 by offering the club a hug deal in order to persuade them to drop Asics who were our first sponsors on return to the top League in 93. Adidas saw NUFC as a club going places, which was why they wanted to be the main kit suppliers and the first new kit(the famous wide stripe thowback to the 20s side)was so well-received that the club sold over 500,000 pounds worth overseas before the UK release - big money back then... After the departure of SBR and the following years of turmoil, I wondered how long it would be before Adidas wanted out ; to be honest, I would guess that they probably were waiting for a suitable club to show ambition and the fact that Spurs have begun to do OK suits them down to the ground. They are not a company who make decisions lightly and they will have made their move after a long hard look at the future of NUFC - their decision indicates that they have lost faith in the club's ability to be a top PL side in the future ; the economic situation which will cause a further drift of the country's(remaining)wealth and talent to the SE will have also played a part in their decision to back Spurs. Sadly, there is no sentiment in business and although Puma is a decent firm, it will not be paying as much as Adidas to sponsor the club. In all honesty, you have to say that if you were an Adidas CEO, you would probably have made the same move. NUFC will have to adjust to bread & water instead of steak.....on AND off the field.

This boy has been a great player and a credit to his club and himself ; the fact that he can still do the business in the PL at his age shows how he has been a great pro and looked after himself. Frankly, NUFC could do worse(and probably will)than sign both him and Scholes to help the club establish itself back in the PL if promotion happens this season - lets face it, there is going to b precious little cash for top signings if Ashley is still in charge.

Well said Milburn lad - the 92/93 side WOULD have mullered most teams in this league and DID 'muller' Barnsley 6-0 at SJP in March 1993 as I remember. No way will this side survive in the Prem unchanged. Maybe, BUT the 1992/93 team got beat 1-0 at Barnsley in dec 1992. ...True - but do you think that Ashley will buy players like Andy Cole(as KK did in the second half of the 92/93 season)which were instrumental in our getting some big scores late in the season..? And do you think that we will beat Barnsley 6-0 at SJP this time round(or anyone, come to that)?

Well said Milburn lad - the 92/93 side WOULD have mullered most teams in this league and DID 'muller' Barnsley 6-0 at SJP in March 1993 as I remember. No way will this side survive in the Prem unchanged.

He's been a complete class above in this league when it comes to reading the game in the final third/getting on the end of things. Even if he's looked sluggish at times when the opposition has the ball, he's always one step ahead when we're attacking. He's fired us to the top of the table and all credit it to him. He also looks like he gives a damn. I'm not gonna go ahead and write him off as a prem player if we get promoted, because he's doing all he can to get us back up there and right now that's all I care about. Being ahead of anything in this league is hardly going to make him decent Prem material - if he looks sluggish in the CCC he will be positively snail-like in the PL. If you read my post properly, it says he will survive in a PL team, but NOT get the goals he does at this level - have you a problem with that...?

Or maybe we made him look worse because our central midfielders all sat back watching instead of offering options? Was it their faults as well that he couldn't beat the first man when crossing? Beckham doesn't do that either but he gets crosses in that count. I don't think Milner is owt special even now btw, but he's being used more effectively than he was here. Probably just clueless management IMO. When he left, I said Milner would improve under MON and Robertson's coaching and so he has,,,,that is why Villa are a decent Prem side and we were relegated.

Re my post above, I missed out Nolan - would survive in a PL side, but NO WAY would he get the number of goals he gets at this level.

We've been very lucky on a lot of occasions this season, both home and away. I don't think we're getting the best out of what we've got and I only say that because it's a s*** league. Completely agree. If we even attempt to set up the way we have being away from in the Premier League we'd get ripped to shreds, the fact half the teams in this league lack cutting edge is one of the reasons we get away with it. I'd really love to see us set up 4-4-2 and have a go every game, I think we're good enough to do it but while Hughton is winning games its diffcult to be too upset with how things are going. On the button(both posts). Said before that the league is poor and major surgery will be needed to ensure no relegation if we go up this season ; that will also extend to the manager but neither action will take place if Ashley fails to sell. We have only a few players who are up to real PL standard - Harper(OK), Enrique(will do well), Guthrie(but only as a squad player), Taylor(S) and possibly Simpson(if signed FT). Krul is OK as a reserve keeper, Carroll as a reserve battering ram(although he has time to improve both skills AND attitude) and Ranger has promise.Coloccini has not done it at the top level, and there are questions as to whether his game is suited to it, and Jonas is too unproductive. As for the rest, I don't think they will be up to it. If the midfield cannot cope at this level, it certainly won't in the Prem and NONE of the forwards will cause Prem defences any trouble apart from Carroll at set-pieces, so you are looking at half a team....30m, even with a shrewd manager in charge - will Ashley pay that out ? IF results are OK over Christmas, there is a reasonable chance of being able to get promoted, but then the REAL work starts.