merlin

Both Owen and Given are already very well paid at Newcastle and very highly regarded as senior pros. Owen has been offered a new contract which he has declined to accept. Shay is committed to Newcastle (on paper) for another couple of years. If either of them feel like jumping ship they should be encouraged to f*** off ASAP as far as I'm concerned. Don't want to stay guys? f***...RIGHT...OFF. you totally miss the point, which I continue to find pretty amazing and not just with you.....the point is that we ought to have a club where people don't want to leave for career reasons. This is like stepping back in time. Was it really all those years ago ........ if we'd won some trophies under the fat man and the addams family he wouldnt want to leave. this is the tip of the iceberg for him and a knock on effect from the souness appointment imho. ..... 2 FA Cup Finals and playing in the Champs League and europe isn't to be sniffed at though. Of course I agree the appointment of Souness was a terrible appointment and I said this at the time despite many others saying he would turn into the new Alex Ferguson just for weeding out the "cancers" because Alex Ferguson had done the same. Its only lately that Given has appeared to become disollusioned though. Or is he ? Owen is a different kettle of fish. He will basically move for football reasons if a club with some ambition makes a move for him. givens put up with his fair share of s*** in his 11 years at the club and i don't think the last year, never mind the last game can be considered in isolation from the other decade if he DOES want to leave maybe he's just heard arsenal or whoever are interested & fancies a change/chance to win something I wouldn't blame him for that, but players like Rob Lee, Gary Speed - to name 2 who weren't Geordies [which would have been even worse] - never felt like that even up to the day they left. The difference is that Lee and Speed were still playing for a club which still had some respect and standing in the game ; Given is playing for one which looks to be heading nowhere.....

Disagree - Harper is a better keeper at marshalling his defenders and steadier when going for crosses ; Given is a better reaction keeper, but has been beaten at long range far too often over the past 2 seasons. Where as Harper gets beat from inside the other half. ONCE - and he slipped ; I've heard of nit-picking, but this beats the band....

Arrogant nonsense. This "fighting relegation" thing is debatable too since we're one of many clubs in that position at the moment. You must not get excited about beating a lot of teams if that is the case. It's YOU that is arrogant(about how wonderful NUFC fans are) - he's quite right, we probably WERE the worst team they've played all season, and we ARE fighting relegation, whether you choose to stick your head in the sand or not ; you should be looking at the club for all its faults, not having a go at other clubs who make ours look like an over 50's amateur outfit - on AND off the field.....

Harper is older than Given, Krul is unproven anywhere but the SPL which is about league 1 level at best (apart from the Old Firm). On the ONE occasion we have fielded Krul competatively he has looked class, need to send him out on loan to the Championship to see if he can really do it before chancing him in the Premier League. FYP That's why we have Harper as backup So you are willing to sell Shay, to field an unproven youngster, and if he happens to not be good enough we can fall back on Harper who is older than Shay, and who is kept out of the team at this moment in time by Shay. Wierd logic that is! No it isn't - Harper isn't much older than Given, and keepers go on until their late 30s - if the sale of Given allows the club to strengthen in the areas it is so obviously weak(such as midfield and up front), then it makes sense to sell ; relegation may be something the board of NUFC deserve, but I'm sure that you, as a fan, don't want to start visiting the glamour spots of the Fizzy League.... Back in the 60s, Joe Harvey got slaughtered for selling Alan Suddick(a really talented player, but a bit of a luxury when NUFC were struggling against relegation), but he bought 3 new players with the money who kept Newcastle up ; within 3 years, they went on to win the Fairs Cup.........

Disagree - Harper is a better keeper at marshalling his defenders and steadier when going for crosses ; Given is a better reaction keeper, but has been beaten at long range far too often over the past 2 seasons. Having said that, I stick to my earlier post when I said he deserves a crack at at top club if one comes in for him ; he won't win anything at NUFC.

The truth is that ANYONE who will fetch a decent fee at NUFC could be sold for the right offer. Owen is in that category and so is Given ; frankly, we can cover for Given far better than we can for the loss of Owen, and I also think that Shay deserves the chance of a bit of success if any of the top clubs come for him ; he has been a loyal servant for 10 years and a keeper of his calibre deserves to have a couple of medals in his pocket by the time he jacks it in ; he has constantly pleaded with the club to strengthen the squad only to see these pleas fall on deaf ears.. In my view, if he can get a better club, he should be allowed to go .

This is all such old hat - NUFC fans out-sung them at Wembley in 74(before many on here were born..),did it again at Anfield in 84 during the famous KK return FA Cup game, and have done so on other occasions - and WHAT, pray, were the results? We LOST these games heavily ; 3-0 in 74 when we hardly had a shot at their goal although we had, on paper, a much better team than we have today and didn't perform on the day... we lost 4-0 in the FA Cup game and KK decided to retire, but we were a Div 2 side on the way to promotion. Yesterday, we were totally outclassed , as were were when they came to SJP in 1998 for Ruud Gullit's debut as manager and some clowns were wearing Gullit wigs and chanting about 'Sexy Football'...except that the sexy football came from them as one M.Owen scored a hat-trick and we lost 4-1... I am sick and tired of these grasping at straws excuses about their 'crap fans' and how good NUFC fans are...the Scousers won't give a toss how dominated their fans were OFF the pitch, because, as ever, trophies and points are won ON the pitch and as a club which has beaten NUFC hands down for professionalism over decades, they will just laugh because they are the ones being successful and NUFC are, as ever, the boobies....Nice feeling when you face the truth, isn't it !??

I hope no-one is pinning their hopes on it - NUFC is usually out of the Cup faster than a teabag..and this time, it may be just as well.

YAWN - Are you for real..?

Do we need a Heskey? We need a bloody miracle, mate.

I agree totally Dave - there is NO WAY a club as supposedly 'big' as Newcastle United should be accepting about losing so heavily - even to Liverpool and esp on home turf. Sadly, the result(and manner of it)indicates just how far the club has fallen and the fact that some supposed 'fans' seek to excuse it illustrates how apathetic some fans have become - as you know, I spent a great deal of my own(unpaid) time during the takeover of the early 90s trying to get into power a regime that I hoped would put an end to all this apathy and shaming results, because make no mistake, this sort of result IS shaming for a club like Newcastle - it would be bad enough if the Stokes or Hulls of this world were losing 5-1 at home, never mind us.... As I have said previously, all the work put in by those of us who cared in the 80s/90s has been totally wasted, and at times like this, I wish I hadn't bothered ; the club is run and acts, like a Championship outfit and that is where it will end up at the end of this season unless some drastic action is taken - but honestly, if you were a decent player, would YOU want to join this shambolic and dispirited outfit UNLESS you were offered a King's ransom in wages ? Heaven knows, we've has plenty of THAT type over the years. This is a total disgrace, and all involved, from Chairman down to Reserves, should be totally ashamed - the club is a laughing stock, and I am beginning to think that a spell in the Championship might be just what is needed to prick a few egos and bring people down to earth. I have rarely been so disgusted with this Football Club - and I use the term 'club' loosely....

Ashley has taken the club off the market simply because nobody is going to pay what he wants for it, and unless he makes it into a saleable proposition by getting UEFA Cup football at minimum, he won't get what he wants for it. If he doesn't invest strongly, at least 3 years of mediocrity lie ahead, because in my view, this financial crisis is going to take at least until 2011 to sort out. If no progress is made, then I CAN see crowds falling off as times get tougher.

This will go up to a 7 if Owen leaves without being adequately replaced...

Can someone please inform me where NUFC are going to get a top class replacement for Owen ? It looks now as if the Owen haters among the esteemed fans of NUFC are going to get their wish, and he could be off to Man C(so much for those who said he wouldn't fetch a decent fee...). The only player who would be anything like a decent replacement is Santa Cruz, and he is also heading for Man C...not a bad striking trio they are going to have, when you add those 2 to Robinho - NUFC fans can only dream of such a line-up. 6m is not exactly record-breaking, but probably enough to get Ashley to sell - it is nowhere NEAR enough to tempt a decent forward to SJP because of the club's position ; if they lose to Liverpool and sell Owen, relegation is still a strong possibility and players know that... As for those on about Bellamy, I think you'll find he has better pastures lined up.... A very interesting few weeks lies ahead......

True, Mick, but they got over Souness - we are still paying the price..

Interesting to reflect on how the two teams have gone in different directions since we beat them with Robert's goal in New Year's Day several years ago...we were a side chasing CL qualification and they were rivals for the spot...... There are Light-Years between the 2 clubs now - they are just as superior to us as they were in the 80s, and that is saying something seeing as we were ahead of them in the mid-90s for the first time in years. Cannot see us closing the gap any time soon unless they implode financially ; they are better managed, have a better Board(yes, even with that clown Parry involved), and have a squad that hardly any of our players would get into. The injuries picked up at Wigan mean that it will be a virtual miracle if we get 3 points from this match, and even one would be a huge cause for celebration. At one time, we were the club most like them in terms of similarity of cities, fans, etc., but now we are of no more importance in terms how of they view us than, say , Bolton. You can NEVER rule anything out in Football, but this is about as certain a home defeat as you could expect and I will be amazed if the result is anything better than a 0-2 loss ; they are after a first title for years, are getting results and are well-motivated....lets hope they have an off-day......

I agree Tooj - Mort's return would be a fantastic boost for both club and fans. He was highly-respected during his time as Chairman and I for one would be delighted to see him back. Ashley would be a fool NOT to reinstate him if he has any intention of keeping the club and frankly, even a new owner could do much worse than employ him as Chairman ; he learned the ropes very quickly and kept the fans informed. Fingers crossed......

i wonder what kind of mind that have there... very pessimists and sound like owen bitch. martin can't replace owen goals? where have you sleeping all this time along? it is a FACT martin goal much more than owen isn't it...? and it's about time also martin being NUFC 1 st main striker. if owen doesn't assured to be stay.. why holding him? as for my concern NUFC is more important than owen sake... tough job to obtain a player who get goals regularly? so why regularly premiership has always new rising striker in each season? why new rising striker never been on our team.... ahhh i guess it because this all along we have been to much "nice" to owen... which our general play was to support him let face the fact our owen wasn't the younger owen... i can bet my arse now if owen can be 1st premiership goal scorers. club already offer him contract and he delay it... for him doing that is good business. but for NUFC as whole club is bad business... martins scores nowhere near the same ratio of goals why hold on to owen ?....right now he could be the difference between going down/stopping up why new rising striker never been in our team ? why no creative midfielder/full back etc...because the players the club have brought through have been not good enough...how many have gone elsewhere and proved us wrong ? bet yor arse on owen ? similarly on martins. as for the contract...totally understandable. merlins post. last sentence....that means you wouldn't want mario gomez or any of the french team ? No Madras, that doesn't mean that ANY of the French team would be ruled out - that would be like ruling out Johan Neeskens(or Cruyff) after Holland failed to win the WC in 74 & 78 - I meant that if I was choosing a STRIKER, I wouldn't pick Gomis after his INDIVIDUAL performance. In any case, the best striker at Euro 08 was Van Nistelroy - and yes, I would have him, but he's getting on a bit now.

i wonder what kind of mind that have there... very pessimists and sound like owen bitch. martin can't replace owen goals? where have you sleeping all this time along? it is a FACT martin goal much more than owen isn't it...? and it's about time also martin being NUFC 1 st main striker. if owen doesn't assured to be stay.. why holding him? as for my concern NUFC is more important than owen sake... tough job to obtain a player who get goals regularly? so why regularly premiership has always new rising striker in each season? why new rising striker never been on our team.... ahhh i guess it because this all along we have been to much "nice" to owen... which our general play was to support him let face the fact our owen wasn't the younger owen... i can bet my arse now if owen can be 1st premiership goal scorers. club already offer him contract and he delay it... for him doing that is good business. but for NUFC as whole club is bad business... I wonder what kind of mind YOU have there - whatever it is, it doesn't live on this planet - though you are, of course, entitled to your opinion... Come back in 20 years' time, when you have seen what I have seen in Football - and especially, NUFC... By the way, who is the 'rising striker in the Prem' THIS year...!

I don't think Shepherd is in a position to preach about 'morals' to anyone, least of all Owen..!

Newcastle United are NOT in a position to replace Owen as an individual ; to sign someone who scores on a ratio of 1 in 2 games would cost a fortune and the player - if one exists - would not join a second-rate Prem club with a reputation for controversy and failure. When Lee sold Supermac to Arsenal, he wanted to replace him with Trevor Francis(at Birmingham and a young player at the time).This would have meant adding to the 333,333 pounds that NUFC received for Macdonald, and the board refused to do it - this was why Lee left for Everton the following January. However, Lee DID manage to keep NUFC in the higher reaches of Div 1, and even after he left, the club still managed to qualify for Europe, although everything went downhill after that under Dinnis. The reason Lee was able to prevent the club suffering after Supermac left was that he was able to motivate the rest of the side to 'cover' for Macdonald's goals ; Burns and Gowling were decent goalscorers in their own right, and Paul Cannell was able to get a reasonable return because these 2 kept the weight off him. Once the Board stopped backing Dinnis as manager, and the players started to protest, the whole thing went to rats--t, and the club were relegated..... The message is that if you have a decent all round side, and you can bring in a player who will have a certain amount of skill, you can make up for the loss of a player like Owen/Macdonald ; my problem with the current situation is that I do not believe NUFC will be able to replace Owen either within the squad or from outside in their current predicament. In my opinion, those who expect Martins to replace Owen's goals are living in cuckoo-land - he WON'T. It will be a really tough job to obtain a player who gets goals regularly, and the best option is to get a player like Diego(although NUFC would not be his choice at present)who can get goals from midfield...unfortunately, this type of player also needs a decent target man to feed off - he would have been a wow playing behind Shearer and Bellamy, for example. I do not envy whoever has to choose a replacement for Owen, and after watching him at Euro 2008, Gomis would not be a contender.

That tells you how bad this season has been.....

This ; the Press probably know Benitez wants him,which is why they are trying to get NUFC to sell him - can't have any decent players at anywhere but Top 4, you know....!!

One of the better games at SJP this season, and we just about shaded it - the winning goal was a brilliant piece of skill from Viduka and good running off the ball from Duff. Viduka has great control for a big man, and this is why I would play him with Owen and Martins in home games ; his kind of ability can win a game in seconds....he was obviously rusty, but still held the ball up well. Having said that, we couldn't have complained if they'd got something - they had actually more possession that we did according to Foxsport(51% to our 49),and Lennon was a constant threat, although I thought Enrique did well for the most part. Huddlestone also had a good game, and was the best player in midfield. Spurs did at least make a game of it . N'Zogbia took his goal well, though with some good fortune as the defender slipped , but I didn't think this was one of N'Zogbia's better games. He constantly ran into blind alleys, keeping the ball when there were 2 or 3 defenders facing him, although this could be because the rest of the side are often slow to find space to receive a pass; a failing we have had for 2 seasons now, apart from the latter part of KKs stay. Beye was excellent, Guthrie ran his socks off and the CBs both had decent games against talented forwards, but Jonas is a frustrating player - his ability to hold the ball up can be useful, but when he hangs on to it for too long(as he often did in this match), it allows the opposition to regroup around our attacking players.He DOES help out his fullbacks though. An entertaining game, and one that we badly needed to win, bearing in mind who we play next - WBAs win over City, and results over the weekend show that this will be a tough season to stay up ; we have given ourselves a chance now, and ANY sort of return against Liverpool would be a huge bonus.

Only twice this season have we played as well as we did very frequently last year. If we start playing for the rest of the season as well as we did last year - and it really could happen - then God knows what we could do. Liverpool are top of the league, and have looked absolutely average most of the season. id love to see villa put in a genuine title challage, like you say Liverpool are top without being out of this world and Villa are up there without playing to the standard they can week in week out, anythings possible this season.. I personally want to see Villa crash and burn. One less throat we need to stamp on on our way up the table. You'll wait a LONG time for both things - them to crash and NUFC to 'stamp on throats' as they climb the table..!