merlin

After one season in the Fizzy, the so-called 'parachute payments' stop - do you honestly think that Ashley will want to hang around financing a club in order to escape from the Championship ?? Look at Wolves - Jack Hayward spent loads trying to get them up(a famous old club like ourselves) and they are still down there.. YOU have a word with yourself..ffs.! There have been plenty of examples of clubs who thought they were too good to go down and no-one is safe until those points are on the board. And as for the 'crap teams' below us, I would have more belief in that statement if we had been able to beat them - take Derby for instance, or Wigan.....

bollocks we are You are in for a wake-up call...there is some coffee brewing - smell it..

Totally correct.

That about sums it up..

As Chris Mort is reputed to have said, Shearer should become a manager at a smaller club before taking over at Newcastle - that is why I wanted Tony Mowbray..he has at least proved himself a capable manager at two clubs whose aspirations are not as great as Newcastle's, and with far less resources.. Not only that, but he has done it by playing attacking football.. We cannot afford for Shearer to come in and fail no matter how much of a hero he was on the field. I did not expect KK to be in the running for the job and we must hope that he can pull off the trick twice, but he has at least proven himself at other clubs too, if not spectacularly. He now knows the true extent of the job facing him and, as with ANYONE who had been given the job, must be allowed to choose his own staff etc without any pressure from fans etc - if he fails, he will face the same fate as any other manager who fails, so it should be after he has made his own bed... I have always thought Shearer strong-minded enough to be a good manager(unlike, say Beardsley), but he will have to prove it first.

Absolutely and totally right - we don't have a divine right to win at SJP and as I KEEP saying, but many on here ignore because they can't see the wood for the trees, we are in a relegation battle which will ruin the club if we lose - we will not be safe until we have a min of 42 points.

The game - much as expected from Bolton and anyone in their position would play the same way.. We are in a bad position and some of us knew that before KK took over - today's result piles more pressure on the club because a) we were playing another side on the fringe of the relegation battle and the loss of two points pulls us further into the scrap, and b) we now need to get a couple of points from away games which we wouldn't have done if we had won this match.. Worse still is the fact that other teams will have seen how easily Bolton were able to snuff us out in midfield and will set out their stall at SJP the same way(unless they are Chelsea or Man U and then they'll come to win).. The loss of 4 members of the squad in mid-season shows the folly of buying African players just because they are cheap - this so-called 'good value for money which Allardyce ranted on about may end up costing the club dear in lost points and the lack of any intelligent play from midfield made it easy for Bolton because the movement off the ball is poor as is the ability to spot a player in a good position. KK will certainly rectify the movement off the ball, but he can only work with what he has ; poor crossing from Milner spoiled some moves and Ameobi was - Ameobi; not good enough Apart from the odd piece of complacency, I thought Enrique did OK - the Press slagging of him is totally unjustified in my opinion and his passing is usually good. KK will now know the extent of his task and he needs to move fast to get some players in - a repeat of this against Boro will really put us up against it for the rest of the season. As for the Press , the answer is in your own hands - just DON'T BUY THE PAPER and hit them where it hurts, in the pocket.

I guess we're gonna have to agree to disagree, i think the "containing mentality" used at alot of clubs is a prime example of the change in mentality in football. I think the current use of 433 throughout Europe is another example of change. If you as well as others are saying that football hasnt changed then you're directly advoacting that managers of the past would be just as successful then as they are now, even with the minor changes that your're intimating. Its alot more than physical in my book. err.........yes. Exactly. You can't do more than be the best of your era. Are you advocating that Bill Shankly and Brian Clough wouldn't be the top managers if they were still around today in their prime ? And in the playing sense, George Best wouldn't be an outstanding talent ? I had this argument with someone on this site a couple of weeks ago - I agree that they WOULD have been just as successful today..

It was at home to Villa in the run-in to the end of 95-96 ; we won 1-0 in the end, but the title bid was slipping away and everyone was under pressure - I think it was Easter, just before the ill-fated Liverpool & Blackburn games..

Just won't happen - too much money at stake now and relegation would NOT be taken in such a matter-of-fact way by those running the club ; Ashley wants to enjoy his money, not see it used in trying to get the club back into the PL...We CANNOT afford to be relegated, but yes, it is still a possibility and unless we win the next 2 home games, a strong possibility.

I think if you look at the opening pages of the thread about KK becoming manager again, most posts were of disappointment and suggested it was a bad move. What has happened since is that people have got swept up in the euphoria and the nostalgia but quite a few fans were a bit sceptical at first. I was one of them. I would never have chosen KK but now, I am looking at it as a scenario where KK can get us back on our feet again and get a bit of confidence in the team/club, then when the time is right, his replacement will carry on the work (and we wont cock it up royally like we did the last time). I dont think it will go tits up, but I cant see us hitting the massive heights of 10 years ago simply because of the gulf between the top 4 (maybe 3) and the rest A good post - agree with much of this ; unlikely to go tits-up, but unlikely to reach the same heights as 93-96..

You have to remember that many of these people were in VERY short pants last time KK was around and they won't be used to seeing NUFC as a top club ; they will have grown up being told by the outside media(many of whom have an agenda of differing kinds against the club)that we are a second-rate joke - you can thank Messrs Shepherd & Hall Jnr for that with all the stupid events that have occurred over the past 10 years. As has been said, those supporting clubs who have recently become challengers(or would-be challengers) for a place in the Top 6 are especially put out - they cannot understand why NUFC should get all the publicity etc.. There is no doubt that in the last 10 years, news reporting of all kinds has declined enormously, as has proper education, so there is more concentration on 'Tat & Trivia' than real-time info-giving, so these plebs will just not know what NUFC was like 10 years ago - the willingness of much of the media to rubbish the club has done much damage. I have to say that I am surprised how positive Sky have been about KK returning, but I suspect its because they know that if his brand of football returns to NUFC, there will be more excitement in the Prem matches, so less chance of people stopping their Sky subs as times get harder in the next year or so - much of the Press is definitely anti and it will take some time before the club gets any credit at all ; even then, they will say its all down to Ashley's money and that WE are the gloryhunters...

Ironic that you have Martins in your avatar tbh How's it ironic? Martins has been scoring goals while playing in a team that does nothing to help him play to his strengths, he doesn't get paid nearly as much as Owen and has brought some excitement when the chips were down. You will find that Martins is in for a big wake-up call from KK - he will either shape up or ship out - my money is on the latter,and if KK DOES go for Defoe, it shows he has already made his mind up - Defoe is a similar type of striker to Martins, but slightly better in my opinion.

As to the reaction of the media to all that has happened at NUFC over the past few months , I say this ; They can thank their lucky stars that I am not the Chairman, because if I had been, there would have been many of them getting a real roasting from me at the Press Conference where KK is officially announced - the disgusting crap which has been churned out by these brainless and self-important prats about both the fans and the club generally has really infuriated me, and if they think Fergie can dish it out, they haven't had a dose of what I would give them... I would leave them in no doubt that those who had rubbished the club/fans were no longer welcome at SJP, nor would be until they could behave with both intelligence and manner - something I believe is beyond most journalists who are either liars or trouble-makers. I saw a reporter interviewed on Sky about the KK appt., and he even said that KK left before because 'he couldn't get them higher than 4th..' !! Have you ever heard such bull.!?? We actually finished 3rd in the first Prem season, and second in 1996 AND 1997, although KD had taken over by then.. NUFC has always been a newsworthy club, but I don't care about that - they can get stuffed as far as I'm concerned, and to quote our new and former manager, I would 'Love it, really love it' if we could start really doing well and stuff their smug words right back down their throats !!

I've always had a bit of a "soft spot," I suppose, for Newcastle United -- sorry if that bothers you for some reason. I used to have a lot of respect for the fans there, and still do for the most part (there are obnoxious asses in every club's stands -- Liverpool at least as many as any other, I admit). I've been a fan of Owen since he was 17, so yes, I take more notice of Newcastle now that he is a player for your club. Oddly, PegasusBridge, I was rather agreeing with your earlier post -- that Owen played well and if he continues to do so, I don't understand the "f***ing sh** c***, f*** off" posts from this thread. Owen can be frustrating, he's very streaky and even when not battling serious injuries he tends to minor strains and the like. He's still mint, IMO. And as I said, it's been 7-8 years since the events described in his book. Both men have changed, and thus it may not be a problem at all. No one has ever said that a manager needs to be best mates with his players. They just need to respect one another. And you didn't address my concerns in the least. Newcastle have returned to their manager from the late 1990s. Is this truly the way forward? I'd not welcome Liverpool's former manager back, it'd feel like reverse gear. I'd like to see Newcastle do well, honestly. I think the fans deserve something, after all these years. The stroppy tone of your post is hardly conducive to adult & mature debate on the board. I'm sure I'm not the only person here for whom NUFC is not their first choice club. If you're reacting to my statement that Newcastle is not a world-class club, I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Liverpool doesn't look much like one this season either (especially of late). It's called being realistic, look into it. Just a note, telling me to f*** off merely makes me want to hang about just to aggravate you. I'm perverse that way. Also, resorting to expletives, even if in abridged form, illustrates a lack of verbal acuity or perhaps merely a lack of the ability to rebut my points/address my concerns. Maybe both. In my view you are fully entitled to your opinion - your post was reasonable and well thought-out, so you won't get any complaints from me about that.. What you say IS true - NUFC are NOT a World Class club, but they should be ; 10 years in the hands of people who know nowt has put the club back amongst the also-rans and it will take much hard work to redress the situation. Whether KK can still do this is an open question and we can only hope so - he has been appointed now, so we have to get on with it. Michael Owen was a great player, is still a very good one, but has difficulty staying free from injury - if he did remain injury-free, there MIGHT be a remore chance of him returning to Liverpool, but right now I reckon they wouldn't touch him with a barge-pole at any price higher than 5m, if that... You are welcome to take an interest in NUFC as long as any criticism is realistic - there is far too much parochialism on Tyneside and if we want NUFC to be a really big club, we have to get people from all over the world interested, not just those who think the world ends at the Tyne Bridge...!

I am fairly stunned about this in some ways - yes, I can see the reasoning at this time( the club is in a mess and we need points as well as an uplift among the fans), but I have some doubts as to the long-term viability of KK's appointment. I was all in favour of his taking over in 1992 and the club has never had such an exciting time for its fans in recent memory as during his managership - none of us will ever forget it... However, as I have said previously, I need to be convinced that the club's Academy and Reserves will still have the high priority that Mort stressed in his programme notes - this was an area very much downgraded during Kev's last stint as boss... Also, it will be interesting to see whether the defence is given as much priority as the attack - ALL top sides build from the back and defend AS A TEAM.. The appointment of a No.2 will tell us much, as will the re-jigging of the coaching staff - cannot see too many of the current bunch surviving in the medium term - wouldn't be surprised if he tries to get Fazackerly back from City. Positives ;- We'll play attacking football and excite the fans ; the enthusiasm his appointment brings SHOULD keep us out of trouble ; expect Milner and N'Zogbia to thrive under his guidance(note that Milner scored last night from the RIGHT hand side of the area..!!) ; He will be likely to sign some decent players in the close season , esp with the budget Ashley will give him, but the competition is far tougher now.. Negatives ;- A fairly short-term appointment(he will be nearly 60 by the end of the contract), and I hope there will be decent foundations at ALL levels of the club when he leaves - we do not want to have an ageing side without any decent youngsters coming through, or the next guy will have a problem ; There may be a tendency for him to go back to all his old buddies(Cox & Co)when we need some really promising new blood in the coaching staff ; His former bubbly enthusiasm may not be there in quite the same way(too many negative experiences at City/England etc)and motivation is almost 75% of his strength; he has a fairly short fuse, and any disagreements with Ashley/Mort will only end one way... Having said this, I desperately want him to succeed - that he loves the club is beyond question(don't think he would have gone anywhere else if asked)and he probably feels a sense of unfinished business, However, it will be much more difficult for him to get the club into even the Top 6, let alone challenge for the Prem this time - the Game has moved on, and we have been left far behind. Nevertheless, it will be an exciting ride..!! ENJOY !

Any why would the aforementioned clubs offer him a job? So that they can help train him for his ultimate destiny of managing us? ....in the same way that we would help Mark Hughes 'train' for HIS ultimate job of managing Man Ure..!??

Mort has hit the nail squarely on the head with his summary of what the club need in a new manager - the new man will need to BUILD A CLUB, not just a team, and that is why Mort mentioned the neglect of the Academy/Youth system which needs to be addressed - Fergie gets into OT at 7.30 most mornings and takes interest in EVERY aspect of the club's operations including the Academy set up - this requirement by Mort seems to rule out anyone who doesn't place a high priority on Youth development, so probably KK does not now fit the bill(ask Alan Thompson why he left SJP in the early days of the KK regime..). The requirement to play good football is obviously necessary, but whoever gets the job will have to tell the fans that WINNING COMES FIRST, esp this season - we HAVE to beat Bolton and Boro in the next home matches..... Being able to speak English IS necessary and in my mind, there has to be a bit of an aura round whoever gets the job - the players need to have total respect for the guy and that, I feel , has been lacking .... The thing that scares me is the time element - I do understand that they need to check all options, but we are not in a good position to go weeks without a new manager - had we already played the most difficult games and had the same number of points, then maybe things would be different, but we still have many really tough matches where we need results so time is pressing. It will be really interesting to see who they eventually choose, and I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few fans were disappointed by the eventual choice at first - there has been far too much hype about unobtainable foreign managers and I agree totally with Mort's description of where the club are right now.

Note Mort's comments about needing someone to develop the Youth system - KK did NOT place a high priority on that and scrapped the club's reserves so he doesn't fit the profile Ashley & Mort are looking for.

It could be argued that Keegan was ahead of his time in not wanting to play reserve games at St James'. Chris McMennemy said he scrapped the reserves because we were new to the Premiership and didn't have the players needed to run the reserves. Sorry, Mick - Mcmenemy is wrong ; the decision to scrap the RES taken by KK in July of 96 - we had been in the Prem for 3 years and nearly won the title, so Mcmenemy's time-scale is way out.. Whatever anyone says, it was wrong - there is no way Arsenal would scrap their reserves,and I reckon Wenger is at least on par with KK when it comes to being ahead of your time - don't you..!??

You should try telling that to the various politicians who have sold the country down the river over the last 30 years..

Given had ample space and time to put that ball to the half way line. Totally agree - the second goal was all Given's doing through a bad clearing kick. As far as Enrique goes, I think the lad has ability and, given the right coaching and time to learn the language properly, could prove a real asset.He DOES have a tendency to pull out of tackles sometimes, but this could be cured by coaching and raising his confidence. His passing is generally good and for a young defender of 21, I cannot understand why he gets so much criticism - that stupid air-head Louise Taylor's assessment of him was so wrong as to be funny - it demonstrated exactly why Brian Clough once told a journalist(who had questioned one of his player's ability 'That's why I'm a manager, and YOU are a journalist..!!'

KK did a marvellous job during his time as manager and there is no doubt that the fans would get behind him and Shearer if they were chosen, but I have one significant reservation ; KK scrapped the Reserves and downplayed the Juniors when he was told that 6 Reserve games had to be played at SJP - he did this because he didn't want them playing on the pitch which was giving problems at the time.. I was (and still am) totally against that policy decision - the club's Academy system is clearly a mess, and youth development is vital to any major club's future - if you have no Reserves, how can they gain proper competitive experience against players from other Prem sides ? You wouldn't catch Arsenal scrapping their Reserves(who, lest anyone forgets, were good enough to turn NUFC over in the L'woods Cup earlier this season..!), or Man U, so why should we, esp on a whim of convenience.... I would be against the choice if this action was to be repeated.

There's no quotes. None here either to be fair. I think everyone realised that was far too short-sighted to be true though. Can't decide if I'm still excited by all this, more anxious now. Massive decision. I have said this all along - if they get this one wrong, the club is in DEEP do-do ; a relegation battle will beckon if we fail to beat Bolton & Boro at SJP as we are only 6 points in front now... Whilst I can understand that they are reviewing all options, they should have done that before firing Allardyce because time is now of the essence. If we stay out of trouble the club can make real strides next season, but if we get drawn in to the relegation scrap and lose, they might as well sell SJP to Morrisons because I reckon there will be a real drop-off in Season Ticket sales.......

Too much playing on computers, not enough football after school.. Also, schools do not concentrate on the game as much - many have sold off playing fields, and it is now politically incorrect to be a 'Winner'...