merlin

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.

I would say that the reason the club is still owned by Ashley is basically that he wants it that way - for now.. In addition, there is the matter of the loan he has made but the factor that worries me the most is that, as far as we know, there has been nobody REALLY wealthy who has shown a real interest in buying the club. There may now be another factor at work although this is difficult to prove and that is that the NE is now seen as a permanent economic backwater in future years ; this would mean that because the disposable income in the area(and the population)is expected to keep falling, any prospective buyer from overseas is being warned off by his economic 'advisers'. Lets face it, the club's great days were in the times when the NE had shipbuilding, steel, mining and many more major industries. Since all that ended there has been a steady drift of people out of the region to areas like London(Manchester is probably the furthest north that Southerners think matters)where the UKs current staple industry - Financial Services - is situated. Following the recession, even THAT is now threatened but it is a sad fact that the SE is where the money/jobs are for now...and that is why a club like Spurs(who cannot command the fan base that Newcastle currently has)are planning for a 56,000 stadium and why they WOULD be sold for a large amount if they came on the market. I realise that this won't be a popular viewpoint, but I'm afraid there is some truth in it - we are a club that has failed to punch its weight for 50 years domestically, whereas the likes of Man C, Spurs etc have won trophies in that time. We had a chance to break the mould in 96 but it didn't happen and the club has gone backwards since ; the World is also a much different place since the recession and the power is shifting from West to East so any prospective buyer will want a club that is going to be based in the most prosperous areas of the UK, which , unfortunately, are going to get smaller and closer to Europe. I take no pleasure in posting this, but I see it as a reality. It is probably time to accept that being in the Prem is as good as its going to get - it could be worse.

Would you ban all convicted criminals from working once they have served their sentences? He is NOT 'all convicted criminals' - he is an over-paid footballer who has re-offended at least 6 times ; why should he be able to return to picking up a salary of thousands per week when soldiers don't even get provided with the right equipment for doing the Govt's dirty work ? [\b] Nobody is saying he is banned from ALL work - there are plenty of litter-ridden streets which people like him could be usefully occupied in cleaning up..... You could also say that the millions of pounds he's paid in taxes mean he's more than paid his share towards funding the government and soldiers. It's a poor argument either way. You can't punish rich people more than poor people for the same crime either which seems to be what you're advocating. Couldn't give a damn whether someone is rich or poor - they deserve the same punishment but how you can try to equate a scumbag like King with serving members of the Armed Forces is beyond me .He pays his taxes because he earns a lot of money - so does everyone else if they are paid well, but it doesn't mean they deserve it ; try Bankers who set up Sub-Prime scams....but at least they didn't go round punching women... He may be rich now, but he DESERVES to be made poor - and to suffer for his REPEATED crimes. There are far too many people who are prepared to excuse tin-pot heroes for their waywardness, and far too much acceptance of crimes against society these days.

Would you ban all convicted criminals from working once they have served their sentences? He is NOT 'all convicted criminals' - he is an over-paid footballer who has re-offended at least 6 times ; why should he be able to return to picking up a salary of thousands per week when soldiers don't even get provided with the right equipment for doing the Govt's dirty work ? Nobody is saying he is banned from ALL work - there are plenty of litter-ridden streets which people like him could be usefully occupied in cleaning up.....

I’m not advocating boycotts or protests because they will potentially harm the club and I’m sure nobody wants to do that but the chants against Ashley don’t appear to have hurt the club so if that was increased I doubt we’d suffer, the sooner Ashley goes the better it will be long term. I think the best we’ll do under Ashley is become a Yo-Yo club as he’s incapable of making the correct decision needed to take the club forwards. If we do anything positive then it will be a random decision that goes right and goes differently to almost everything he’s done so far. He had my support for far too long because I couldn’t believe that anybody could be as bad as he appeared. The number of things he’s done right can be counted on one hand and most of them have ended up kicking us in the balls because something has gone wrong further down the line. To say “Affecting such an important season in the wrong way isn’t beneficial to us even if we get Ashley out” is wrong. I don’t want to go up this season to find that we can’t hold our own in the Premiership. I don’t want to find that we’re rivals to Derby for the worst number of points gained in a season, that’s about what we can expect from our current setup. I’d much rather we possibly suffered for another season to go up again and actually be in a position to do something. It’s almost guaranteed that we’ll be up for sale in the summer if we do go up and we’ll go through the same s*** as we’ve been through this summer and up until last Christmas. Even if we get a new owner in the summer it will take time for a takeover and we’ll be in the s*** because we’ll have a puppet manager, who will probably get sacked and he’ll have no idea what is going to happen so we’ll not be in a position to bring new players in. We’ll have no funds to buy players anyway as Ashley will not want to invest and we’ll be in the s****. I don’t want that to happen so I’ rather he went now because I’m sure he’d still sell if somebody offered him £100 million to cover the £80 million plus what he’s going to put in this week. Ashley going would give the club a massive lift. Ashley out. A very good post Mick, and I agree with you. Unfortunately, it looks as if it will take one of 2 things to get him to sell ; 1. The club gets promoted and he can get a decent price 2. The club falls away this season, and he is then faced with the likelihood of at least 2 or 3 seasons in the CCC which he has to fund - esp if attendances start falling off, which they will in the event of a failed season... As you rightly say, the club will still be stuck with Hughton even if Ashley were to sell at the season's end, and that is MORE money down the drain for the buyers if they want to bring their own man in. This wouldn't matter if the buyers had the money that Man C's owners have, but since nobody with that kind of cash seems interested, it will be a consideration. All in all, the club needs to go up next May if we are to have any hope of getting new owners - and bearing in mind that no-one really rich has come forward, there is no guarantee that things will be much better for some time because it will have to be a gradual improvement of the side over years rather than months. Sadly, I wouldn't put much cash on betting that promotion IS achieved in May...

Everyone is entitled to one mistake(or even two), but in King's case he has well & truly stepped over the mark. I disagree with Wenger - the guy SHOULD be banned from the game because he brings nothing but disrepute upon it. His record of crime(including violence)is longer than Barton's - the guy is a liability and should be finished.