merlin

Nobody needs to do anything - football is in for the biggest wake-up call in its history before long. As yet, the Global Financial crisis has not reached its zenith - certainly as far as the Western World is concerned. The export of jobs(and therefore prosperity)is going to continue remorselessly from West to east and already Murdoch is whingeing because he wants people to pay for access to Internet newspaper sites..unless others play ball(which looks unlikely right now), he will NOT get his wish...Murdoch's worldwide Newscorp outfit relies heavily on borrowed finance to continue..once Interest rates start to rise(as they will because the UK/USA cannot afford to keep printing money without losing their International credit ratings), Murdoch will find it harder to make the profits the organization is used to and SKY will not be able to keep financing the Prem as they have done in past years. In addition, as well-paid jobs go overseas and Benefits start being cut back(also inevitable for reason as above and insufficient Tax Revenues coming in), people will not be able to keep buying SKY packages... This will not happen overnight, but it WILL happen...unemployment is scheduled to keep rising in the West over the next 2 years and eventually, the Debts will have to be paid. Do not make the mistake of thinking football is immune - it ISN'T, and in 10 years' time, you will see a different set-up altogether..it is the that the well-run clubs with good youth policies will be successful and football will return to being the People's Game once again. In the meantime, the Dinosaurs at FIFA and UEFA need putting away so the game can join the 21st century and start using technology to ensure TOTAL FAIRNESS in games....don't hold your breath....

Yes, we used them this year when we flew into Newcastle via Dubai from Perth - very good timings on the return to UK, hardly any jet-lag, and avoiding Heathrow is worth the extra hundred dollars or so. Have used BA, QANTAS, Malaysia & Singapore and Emirates stands up really well although I think Singapore has the edge on food ; Malaysia has the best stop-over at KL for comfort & convenience...as for the hostesses, most of them are attractive...! Emirates does swing it because of being able to fly into Newcastle. It cannot be a bad thing if they DO sponsor the club.

Controlled the game against a toothless side - the fact that we hardly troubled their keeper illustrates all that is lacking in this team ; a decent striker to go with Carroll and a midfielder who can see openings and pass accurately. Enrique once again made it look easy - our best player. Jonas flatters to deceive as usual, Nolan got an excellent goal but did little else and the defence as a whole looked OK. We cannot keep relying on the likes of Nolan to score the majority of goals - he certainly won't get them if the club goes up.

He's the same old, same old.....Looks good until the final third, then messes it all up. You can see why he hasn't got many goals in his career. What is worse is that he doesn't create any danger where it matters - in the box. Looks great while carrying the ball from half-way line or further back, but flatters to deceive. Yes, works well with Enrique, but that's mainly down to Jose - give Enrique another winger and he'd still work well with them. Jonas will never be a major threat - he's what the Scots used to call a 'Tanner Ba' player'...

Totally agree with you, BG - there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with what he has said. He hasn't had a go at the club as some journalists do, he has merely stated EXACTLY what will be the problems IF the club go up. We all know that Ashley will try to sell if that happens, so there will be no real investment made in the team until a new owner takes over ; Hughton himself has admitted that there is no thought being given to how new players will do in the Prem, only that promotion is the aim... Compare that, as I have already done on other threads, with KKs team of 92/93, which was built to survive in the Prem and do really well with only a few major additions. All those who slag this article off should ask themselves whether they really believe this team will survive in the Prem - I say NOT unless there are at least 3 TOP CLASS signings....and that's just to SURVIVE.

Some great memories - 1.Chris Waddle 2.Peter Beardsley(hat-trick v Mackems in 85,fantastic solo goal against Forest in 86, brilliant chip over Corrigan in final game of 83/84 when we had won promotion, and many more...) 3.Gazza(took the place by storm in his first major appearance v Spurs in 85, and was such a great talent - could have been the best-ever NE England player if his brain had matched his ability ; WORLD'S better than Beckham for natural talent). 4.KK and the promotion season of 83/84, esp the unforgettable Easter game against Carlisle when we won 5-1 and knew we were going up... 5. Being the first English club to sign a Brazilian(Mirandinha)in 1987 - a much better player than many gave him credit for but in the wrong place at the wrong time ; never recovered from hamstring injury on Luton's plastic pitch. 6. The sad relegation of 89 which we knew we had to have to get rid of McKeag & Co

YES - this is the 21st century, technology is cheaper than it ever was. IF they want to be part of it, they must do it. If it suited FIFA they would introduce it in a shot.

Looks like his brain was in as bad shape as his first touch & movement off the ball.....

There is NO problem with video refereeing - the refs wear ear-pieces now to communicate with linesmen/4th officials etc. All that is required is an instant replay to another QUALIFIED Ref sitting in the stands, watching the game of TV ; he sees the offence, radios the ref(using a whistle device over the net to attract attention if necessary)and tells him what has occurred. Ref alters decision, there is INSTANT replay of incident on stadium screens(ALL stadiums hosting such games should have screens), and all fans can see for themselves what has happened. The whole thing would take a minute or two at maximum, and the Game is seen to be promoting COMPLETE fairness...justice prevails.... OH WAIT - there is MONEY involved.......

A good point, Big Tron - I have NO brief for the Irish in that way, but this is football and SUPPOSED to be above politics(NOT that it is...!). I have said before that the Game's rulers don't want technology because they are more interested in having a chance to influence the outcome of games which will bring them more revenue ; its a no-brainer in this case, because more French fans will be able to afford tickets to SA than Irish..also, the French have a big say inside both FIFA and UEFA. Remember some of the refereeing in South Korea/Japan 02.....

If he was to play for Liverpool/Arsenal/Man U etc., they'd suddenly start raving about 'what a great find this boy has been..!'

How so? I was estatic when we won matches last year. Perhaps it's more of a reflection of the state of the club than of the Championship. In previous promotion campaigns, the feeling was different because it was like we were moving forward, and getting to the top division felt like a real achievement. I get the sense now that we're trying to arrest a slide, like getting promoted is just ensuring that we're back where we belong. This - in 1984 and (especially)in 1993, we had the feeling that the club was going on to better things. In 84 the Board cocked it up by making things difficult for Cox in the transfer market, so he resigned. In 93, we knew the team was decent enough to do well but they surpassed expectations by finishing 3rd next season after the addition of only a few players. There is no way this team will even stay up if it gets promoted this time unless there are several new signings, so the sense of progress isn't there ; also, we all know that the club's future is not settled and it will be put on the market again if promotion is achieved.

Scotland voted for Devolution and take great delight in making English students pay to study at their Unis whereas other European students get in free ; why should their football clubs get into the Prem so they can make more money(the Scots already get more per head than the English through the Barnett Formula in grants, despite having their own Tax raising powers) ? A definite, and PERMANENT No from me.

Back in 69, just after we had won the Fairs Cup, we played Man C at SJP. During the game, a dog ran oin to the pitch and raced around, defying the best efforts of stewards to catch it. The Leazes End(yes, we had one in those days..)immediately started singing ' Will ye get Joe Baker off the field' to the tune of 'She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes'.. Absolutely hilarious - Baker was CF for the Mackems in those days...!

....Which is probably why the Hammers have been linked with Carroll...

He can wear his BIRTHDAY suit for all I care - as long as the camera doesn't linger on it, and he gets results.. hard to say which of the two I want more...!!

That Arsenal League Cup quarter final when that useless tosser of ref "Ashby" I think his name was, set out to send off Ginola from the start. He was kicked all over the park, and Dixon feigned being elbowed (which he didn't do) to get him sent off. TWICE earlier he was hacked down from behind and the ref ignored one, and BOOKED Ginola for diving the other ! He was never the same after that game. I blame that game for us losing the title, actually. The damage it did to the team, never mind Ginola. This is a really good post - I share your views, certainly about the Arsenal game ; Ginola was very harshly treated by Ashby and I never see Lee Dixon without thinking of how HE should have been the one sent off. I have heard old timers say that Arsenal are a powerful club who often get the best of refs' decisions like Man U,but I never believed it - Until I saw what happened in that match. Ginola WAS never the same player after it.

Back in 1968, we had a 21 year old left winger called Geoff Allen - he had shown promise as a younger player but never really showed his true potential. One night, in September 68., he tore Van Der Heide, Feyenoord's International right back apart in Newcastle's first Fairs Cup game and despite all the pundits' pessimism, we won 4-0. It was the foundation for the club's first(and only) European trophy win and Allen went on to show just what a great player he was going to be until he was cruelly whacked at Notts Forest by a desperate tackle from Peter Hindley, who he was crucifying in the same way as he did Van Der Heide... In those days, cruciate ligament injuries meant the end, and although Allen tried(like Tony Green)to come back, he couldn't. The point I am making is that Carroll, at 20, is too young to be yet judged a failure - a different player to Allen, but nevertheless may have just as much potential. I wouldn't write him off until he was 25 - look how many chances Ameobi was given at his age....

good edit decky! ;-) right from world war 1 there had been a strong link/ number of Irish fighting for the British army, so why would the fact Irish are fighting for the cause deny a respect from a British football club? Are Celtic Irish or Scottish? Even @that, you are bringing politics into it, there are many current and fallen heroes who not only support Celtic but are also "Irish" , hence, hence why would the club(&their supportors) not respect the poppy appeal? Perhaps I am wrong, but it is the bigoted amongst us who would not respect those who have volunteered thenselves 2fight for this nation, it's queen &all it stands for! The Irish fought for the British Army in WW1 under false pretences. Any "Irish" that fought for the Brits since after WW2 dont even consider themselves Irish and I bet they dont support Celtic. Also this stuff about Celtic being a British football club and Scottish is simply hiding from the facts. They ARE both, but they obviously dont see it their club as British and a huge chunk of their fan base is Irish. When you talk about people who fail to respect those who have volunteered themselves to fight for The Queen and Britain, you are failing to look at the other side of the coin. I.e. those who wish to not be part of the Empire. I mean do you expect all people in Northern Ireland for example to respect the Poppy Appeal, given the history here with the British Army? WHAT Empire..! Finished years ago, the UK is now part of one.....

To sell him now would be a big mistake ; Carroll is far from the finished article but he DOES have attributes which could be worked on to make him a real threat - especially in this division and maybe even in the Prem. During KKs first stint as manager, he got Lennie Hepple(Pop Robson's father-in-law)to work with players who needed correction of their balance and running style ; I believe someone like this would really improve Carroll but Lennie is too old(and unfit)now. However, I am sure that, if he goes to another club, they will reap the dividends in years to come and 4m will look like a bad deal for NUFC... Let's face it, is anyone out there confident that ; 1.Ashley would spend on a replacement 2.Hughton would get a good player in. Maybe some believe in Fairies at the bottom of the garden....promotion is worth far more than 4m to the club.

This - he's gone, I'm not sorry and he's unlamented by all NUFC fans who HAVE seen decent CFs. Will be interested to see how he does in his SECOND season with the Germans.

Jon Dahl Tomasson and Dietmar Hamann Hamann was pretty good for us in his only season here imo. Certainly remember being gutted at the sale at the time, although iirc he said a few bad things about the club after leaving (or maybe that was about Gullitt?). He didn't get on with Gullit but what he actually said was;- 'The board was average, so the club was average'..... And who would say he was wrong..!

This.

This match demonstrated just why Carroll is a big asset in this league ; he causes defenders all sorts of trouble(and Sheff Utd's are very physical)as well as being able to lay the ball off well - a skill which will improve as he gets more experience. Very unlucky not to score with that header..needs to control his temper though because he will get a lot of suspensions. Enrique head and shoulders above every other player on the park - cannot see how Ashley will resist the temptation to cash in soon because this boy should be playing in the Prem. 1 very good and 1 great save from Harper which won the 3 points late in the game. Creative midfielder a desperate need because we give away too much possession in the midfield by hurried non-passes. We are winning games without looking as convincing as we should and WBA's goal total is starting to look like an extra point to them....

A bleak assessment but one which rings true if you look at the continent. Wealthy or major cities dominate football, from Milan to Rome, from Madrid to Barcelona. Other clubs such as Juventus and Liverpool are from smaller cities but nevertheless much bigger cities than Newcastle, and are firmly established over decades as top clubs dating back to a previous era. Any buyer knows that in a city like that he has potentially millions of fans within distance of his stadium and club shops, as well as the money coming in from fans around the globe, TV revenue and all the rest of it. In a city like Newcastle, about the 20th biggest in England with a limited catchment area around it and a long way from any major metropolis, perhaps people think our potential for growth is limited. Having said that, as Mike says Portsmouth has a lot of the same issues and has been sold twice this season. As you said at the start of your post, the most likely explanation is that he wasn't intent on selling yet. There were offers, he just didn't accept them. The difference with Pompey is as I said - they are a southern club and as the North(esp the NE)loses population, so they will gain it. There are firms like Vosper Thorneycroft near to Pompey, who still do shipbuilding and Portsmouth has close proximity/links to Europe so they are more likely to obtain new industry than the NE. Another problem is that too many people in the NE vote Labour without question('My Dad, did, and HIS Dad did, etc etc') ; this means that when a Labour Govt gets in, they take the area for granted because they KNOW they will get the votes anyway - when the Tories get in, they know they will NEVER get the votes, so they don't do anything for the area either...personally, I wouldn't vote for ANY of the so-called major parties.