merlin

:lol: £10M budget and Joe Kinnear in charge. Arsenal and Villa must be shitting thaself. Isn't the £10 million what he's prepared to put in? Not sure how many other clubs owners are prepared to stick their hand in their pocket to finance their clubs. Ashley said that he wanted to 'have fun' with his money by buying NUFC - any hobby costs you money to 'have fun' - if he was buying a boat, car or anything else, he would have to get his hand in his pocket...

Agreed, Keith - Acuna never did let us down, and I think you've hit on something when you mention Bobby having a down on players wanting to play for their countries ; this I found particularly hypocritical in view of the fact that he had been an international manager himself, and must have known all about the frustrations of trying to get players released for England games. Solano in particular was the butt of his gripes about this, and of course, the whole thing ended up with us losing him for a ridiculous fee ; very annoying when you consider some of the crazy fees Bobby paid for the likes of Bassedas, Cort and Viana - not to mention Bramble..

NUFC has had far too many who haven't really made it...which is a reflection of the club's status over the past 40 years because the CLUB has 'never really made it' to where it should be. Perhaps the number of player who haven't made it is the reason why the club hasn't...!

FYP. I may be mistaken, but i think the defender he slid to take the ball off, was Mike Gatting ( cricketer), brother. Used to stand directly over the wall at the top of the players tunnel in them days. I think he went to Liverpool, cos Willie Mcfaul,or more likely Stan Seymour, wouldnt match the money , Liverpool were paying players at the time. Yes, you are right about it being a Brighton defender - what confused me a bit was that Corrigan was in goal, and he played for City for years... Beardsley was sold to Liverpool because the Board wanted the money to pay towards the Milburn Stand.

You are of the same generation as me, Bob ! I was 21 when I saw us win the Fairs Cup, and like you, I expected more silverware to follow, esp with the 74 and 76 sides, when we fell at the last hurdle. Cannot see the club winning anything under the present set-up - we are light-years behind at least 6 other clubs and the money coming into other clubs will leave NUFC for dead. There have been too many false dawns and the gap is far harder to bridge now than it was in the 70s. Our last real chance to become a major force in the game was 96/97 - gone backwards since then, with a brief respite in 2001/3.

They are dropping prices simply because they KNOW that, under the present regime and with Kinnear as manager added to threat of unemployment, quite a number of fans will just NOt renew, and they are living in Cuckoo Land if they think this will make much difference.. They are CONSOLIDATING for a mid-lower half place in the Prem - they HOPE...

There is NO way - this comment shows Llambsarse up for what he is - an amateur who should o back to spinning roulette wheels......

I agree that he needs to go, I hope we go for somebody with a bit of hunger for goals and games. Ameobi and Xisco should do the job. Cheap and good business. Just like Rob McDonald and Bobby Shinton. Yes, the Good Old Days are coming back once again..!!

Def a Newcastle United Legend ; so many amazing goals apart from his other great qualities and hard work. Incredible to think that Mark Hateley kept him out of the England side in Mexico 86 until desperation forced Robson to play him alongside Lineker against the Poles.. Too many great goals to list but 2 stand out for me - his outrageous sliding tackle to win possession from a Man C defender in our final game of the promotion season of 83/84 and then he stood up and cheekily chipped Joe Corrigan from the edge of the box to out a great seal on a 3-1 win..always remember KK running back to the Centre circle, shaking his head in amazement..!! No 2 was a terrific run from almost the halfway line near the East Stand, beating 3 defenders and leaving the really quick Des Walker stranded for pace to score against Brian Clough's Forest at SJP in December 86...I knew after that he wouldn't be staying at SJP much longer, and he was sold to Liverpool the following August. He had an amazing second spell at the club too, when many thought he was almost past it - a really excellent player.

After reading Llambarse's latest missive in the Press about the future of Kinnear, nobody needs to concern themselves as to whether Bruce or anybody else would take the NUFC job ; they won't be asked because the Owner/board have got the ideal man - according to them.. Whether season-ticket holders will buy THAT one en masse will be interesting to see. It seems NUSC will be getting an uplift in membership soon...!!

Talking if which, this is the Villa squad for our game in Moscow this week. Brad Guzan Stuart Taylor Elliott Parish Luke Young Curtis Davies Zat Knight Nicky Shorey Eric Lichaj Ciaran Clark Shane Lowry Steve Sidwell Moustapha Salifou Craig Gardner Isaiah Osbourne Barry Bannan Marc Albrighton Marlon Harewood John Carew Nathan Delfouneso No Friedel, Heskey, Ashley Young, Barry, Milner, Petrov, Cuellar or Agbonlahor. He's clearly made a decision about priorities, by the looks of it. And thats a sad thing for most Villa fans in my opinion. Its your only chance of a trophy thrown away. Teams spend all season trying to qualify for Europe then dont take it seriously when they get there. You wonder whats the point? In ten years you wont remember finishing fourth I don't see why - NUFC fans still remember finishing second over 10 years ago, and second is hardly different from 4th because you have still fluffed it....

what other “criteria” do you expect from a casino manager, they haven’t got a clue about football. 'We like him' is Llamb-speak for ' he is our Man From Del Monte'- when we ask something, he say Y-E-S..!'

Because he can (mostly) get away with the errors. Played well today but let's not go overboard. Dear oh dear. That's canny pathetic really. He's done well at right back. Why is it pathetic? It just reads like like begrudging praise. Are you suggesting playing at fullback is a cop out & an easier position? That's how it reads, that's all. I'd say full back is an awful lot more demanding position & he's the only one of our centre halves who adapts well to playing there. He's done well there & should be praised for it in exactly the same way he's criticised for playing poorly (which he has at centre half) It's begrudging praise because I still don't rate him generally. He was clearly one of our best players today though and has covered well for us there. He still made a couple of stupid errors today and if he'd made them in the centre he'd have been punished much more, possibly by a goal being scored and/or him being sent off. All I'm saying is that his usual rash play is far more 'acceptable' out wide. Agree - if he wasn't a naturalized Geordie, he would get loads more stick.

Have not seen full match yet, but a really shocking tackle from Nolan - deserves to be suspended for 6 matches, never mind 3... Completely indefensible, went in deliberately from the side with both feet, almost jumping on the player's leg. This is probably the reason Nolan was available - he has a tendency to lose it in tackles, and Bolton knew all about that... In the circumstances, a draw is a creditable result because every point is vital, but Nolan's recklessness will cost the club because his physical presence is useful in midfield - IF it is kept under control... Not surprised at the high ratings given to Enrique - he's a good player, now starting to prove it more regularly.

Always rated this boy as an excellent prospect - he has great qualities, and considering he is still just a year into the Prem and only 22, he could turn out to be NUFC's best LB since Beresford, AND he's a better defender. If we go down, I guarantee a top side will sign him, poss Liverpool

This is what happens when you get someone in charge who is so pig-headed that they are prepared to let the person responsible for 'getting them playing again' leave so that they can retain their sacrosanct management structure...

There is no way Mourinho would join NUFC under the current set-up ; he had enough of others choosing his players at Chelsea(i.e. Shevchenko). Of the 2 clubs mentioned he is far more likely to end up at City unless Cashley fires Wise & Co... If Ashley can't do better than Kinnear, to link Mourinho with the job is ludicrous.

Villa are unbelievably average getting by on luck and late goals You win the(Booby)prize for the daftest comment of the year so far....unbelievable..! Really? I must have missed them consistently playing teams off the park. As far as I can see, their reputation they've supposedly built up this season has been based on a small handful games where their attacking talent has blended together. Average is a bit harsh, they're a good side, but true, they've got the rub of the green with a lot of things up to now: interesting to see how they bounce back after the past 7 days. Alan Green seems to agree with you going on this article. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/alan-green/alan-green-no-thrill-in-villa-surge-14197749.html The day that Alan Green is right about football will be the day I give it up...I'd love him to have said that to Cloughie about one of his sides - Clough would have had him for breakfast with a few words, such as 'that's why you are a journalist, and I am a manager , Alan..'

Whilst I believe that NUSC face an almost impossible task if their aim is to force change at the club, I think it is a good thing, overall, that they exist as a pressure group. Having dumb apathy among fans is just as bad as having a silent cartel between political parties(which is what I believe to be the case in many western countries today, esp the UK) ; the status quo will just continue and there is no pressure on the people in charge to change anything for the benefit of their customers(voters). In the case of politics, the voters do have options if they disagree with the situation, and they have the necessary skills, because they can leave/emigrate , but in the case of football fans, they will either just put up with it or stop going, so having a well-organized pressure group is good, but it will only work if the people they are targeting can see a real threat behind their rhetoric i.e., big bucks or high-profile supporters like the Press. It remains to be seen just how effective NUSC will prove to be, but, as Voltaire said,'I may not agree with what you say, but I defend to the death your right to say it'...something our dear politicians should remember when they are trying to stifle criticism...

Villa are unbelievably average getting by on luck and late goals You win the(Booby)prize for the daftest comment of the year so far....unbelievable..!

i dont think the global recession has had that much effect on our position.....except ashley couldn't find a buyer And that HASN'T affected our position ? What if a new owner had installed a really good manager and bought some decent players in Jan ? Also, wait until you see the take-up of season tickets next season before you claim that the Recession hasn't had an effect on NUFC...you may get a nasty surprise .

They have got to be taking the piss. Can't believe I'm saying this but, after reading that pukey drivvel I think I preferred it when they just hurled insults and sang "sack the board" Are we going to have a "join hands for Keegan" moment ? That would certainly enhance the protest experience. Damned if they do.... How will you contribute to raising the desire to speak in a unified voice? By coming on here and arguing with the naysaying divvies. I'm afraid you've drifted a bit "off message" here. Please internalise the core message "unity is strength" and adjust your hemline accordingly. So there's nothing whatsoever they can do that you'll approve of? Why not do what the Magpie Group did to oust McKeag? Find an investor who will challenge Ashley like the Magpie Group championed John Hall? That way the NUSC would not just be carping hopelessly but actually providing an alternative solkution. the 2 major points with this one, is that nobody else is on the horizon yet to do what Sir John did, and Malcolm Dix, and also that the situation is nowhere near as dire as the one under McKeag, Westwood - yet - whatever anyone who wasn't there may say to the contrary. This is why I have posted a few times that the NUSC need to get a profile figure on board to get them publicity, is GOOD publicity, because there is no doubt that their motives are spot on. To add to this, the problem about getting hold of a so-called 'White Knight' to challenge Ashley is that the situation is TOTALYY different from when the Magpie Group challenged McKeag;- 1.Ashley is FAR richer than McKeag was, and it was relatively inexpensive for Sir John to outmatch him financially ; today, we would need a rich Arab to outmatch Ashley comfortably 2.The club's shares are ALL owned by Ashley - during the last takeover we at the Magpie Group were able to buy shares from other shareholders(including Board members)and so weaken McKeag's grip - eventually, there was a stalemate which ended when the club was on the point of going bust.. 3.The financial outlook worldwide is dire and people who MIGHT have bought the club are not in the running anymore It will be VERY difficult to find anyone willing to challenge Ashley for ownership unless they are prepared to pay BIG money for the club, and Ashley is willing to sell, so unless there is a sudden change of heart by Ashley, the status quo will remain for the foreseeable future, and the only means of protest available to fans which can hurt the owners is a boycott - something I cannot see right now, but there is no doubt that disillusion is setting in with many fans..

Aye, the plan is great in theory but for it to work the football side needs to be as meticulous as the financial planning. The appointment of the right manager is key and who the club go for will tell us a lot about Ashley's plans and whether they match up with the big talk. Spot on, I liked what Ricky Sbragia was saying about signing players: http://www.shieldsgazette.com/safc/Sunderland-eye-top-young-keeper.4987413.jp I don't know how many times I've heard Newcastle managers say the player has to be right for this club, then end up getting sacked because they bought bad players. Hopefullt Ricky Sbragia will follow their example. They probably meant ' the player has to have an agent who gives me a backhander from the deal'.....!

Suddick was a really talented lad but a bit lazy/in-and-out ; on his day, a world beater, but he was a bit like Stan Bowles at QPR ; never cracked it with a big club.. He was a local lad(Chester-Le-St, I believe), and Joe Harvey had to sacrifice him in 1966 because the club was in danger of relegation and needed all-round strengthening. We got Big John McNamee, Dave Elliott and one other player with the money, and they tightened the side enough to keep us up.. Suddick returned to haunt us with Blackpool in the 70s(as so many former players have..!)when he was instrumental in helping them to knock us out of the Cup. At 64, its sad that he is suffering this awful illness, and I wish him well.

After we lost the title in 1996, Terry Mac said he thought the club was cursed...many others have said so, including, reputedly, a Native Canadian who visited whilst on a Police exchange visit..something about a 'dark and evil presence'....perhaps he meant members of the Board..!!