merlin

100% spot on and so refreshing to hear a manager, especially a Newcastle manager, speak out about something that has almost become our stock and trade these past few years. My two cents from earlier... About this booing malarky. I honestly think we've been fed so much drivel, s*** and excuses over the last 3 years, that it was inevitable that we (the fans) would crack. Lets hope with the positives coming out of the club, when something goes wrong, or somebody fucks up, we can see how far we've come, and respect that. I'd also like to add, that I don't think the fans at home will be half as restless this time around. We can see a new horizion, we can see plans. Agree totally - as long as team gives 100%, they will get proper support as the fans now know that things are much better behind the scenes.

Best thing about this situation is that most of the midfield players seem to be mature guys with a good attitude to both the game and the situation - Smith will know, as will the likes of Geremi & Butt, that you need a decent squad to have any hope of long-term success, and they will accept that sometimes they are in the team & sometimes not, depending on injuries, opposition, whether home ar away etc. The ones who will be hardest to keep happy are the strikers - Viduka will have injuries from time to time, but will be in the side if fit(we don't have a better CF/Target man), but Owen and Martins will be fighting for the same spot and neither will want to be dropped - Owen because of his England ambitions, and Martins because he has other clubs interested.. Milner will accept being in & out for tactical reasons or loss of form, but Zoggy could be a problem.. Either way, its a nice problem to have, but we could are still vulnerable to injuries to the forwards, esp goalscorers..

Would be happy with Shorey OR Brown - both would add considerably to our defensive strength, but if I had to choose 1 it would be Brown ; can cover at RB, is a very steady & experienced Central defender and still ata good age. Brown alongside either Taylor or Rozenhal would be a strong central pairing and if we get this guy we could concede far fewer goals this season - we would only need a decent playmaker to make us realistic candidates for 5/6th.

Provided he stays clear of injury, Smith could prove to be one of the signings of the season - he will be essential to us in away games with his committed approach, and, no little skill.

Watched whole game here in Oz - much better result than I expected, although I did say before that we should get something if we scored first & kept them out for the next 20 mins. Better side by far in 1st half, went off boil in second, although we weathered their expected charge after half-time. Rozenhal was superb - coped really well with the step up in pace & aggression ; looks a class defender & its a pity we never got to see him & Woodgate play together - would have been as good a Central pairing as any in the Prem, if not better. Still problems with full-back, esp Carr ; Smith excellent, great workrate amd probably a must in midfield in away matches ; he & Butt snuffed them out, but we do need a playmaker - urgently... Viduka was great at holding up the ball until he tired, but looks a top acquisition - something we desperately needed - Ameobi showed his lack of pace off the mark when given a great pass - defender simply caught him up ; not Prem class in my opinion. Geremi was steady and involved, Milner never stopped. We had some luck with Martins' second, but I reckon either Roz or Smith would have put N'Zogs free-kick in even if it didn't drift across them , so all in all , a deserved win. As Sam says, still much to be done, and we need to retain possession better when teams put us under pressure - went through a spell after their goal when we gave the ball away recklessly outside the box... Will be interesting to see who Sam picks for first home game next week....!

It'll be a tough one - we could have done without this as a first match. They'll be fired-up because of Sam etc., and we have basically a new set-up with some key players missing. Had Barton and Owen been available, I would have fancied us to get at least a point - now, I think we'll do well to get one. If we score first and keep them out for 20 mins after that, we should get something ; if they score first, we could lose by 2 at least. Rozenhal will, as Sam says, find it a baptism of fire - they are very physical and play at a higher tempo that he has been used to in France, which is why I think that we need to keep them out for a while so he can adjust - an early goal for them could cause the defence to lose confidence & shape to disastrous effect.. Essential that we try to control the middle - hope Smith is playing in there as he and Butt will bite a few ankles - they will definitely try to do us physically... There'll be no prisoners in this one and I hope we don't get any more bad injuries from the game - if we come away with a well-earned point AND stand up to their battering, we will be on the verge of a good season - there won't be any tougher away games than this bar the top 4 & Spurs, but then, Football has a habit of surprising you !!

I know far more about the subject than you seem to - don't accuse me of incoherent rants when you haven't looked at the big picture - Trade ? They sell us far more than we sell them(we have a surplus with every area of the world and a DEFICIT with the EU(try looking at how many French/German cars on UK roads..!??). How many SHIPS built on Tyneside now ? Sunderland yards closed in 86 when they were most modern in Europe, French now build Cunard liners.... COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY costing UK families at least 1000 a year extra in food(subsidising French farmers). As for the Political parties - all these guys want to get into the Euro Parliament and get far more wages/pension than they get at Westminster(paid for my us - I mean - YOU now! Regarding companies,only multinationals want us in it because they can avoid exchange controls WHEN the UK joins the Euro(which it will have to after signing the new Constitution - Whoops !- I mean, 'TREATY'...... They will simply leave & go to China or India when EU Labour costs get too high... The only thing keeping the UK economy up is the Financial Services in the City of London - look at the disparity of house prices there and in most other parts of the country. EU/UK depend on Russia for Gas(now THAT's good 'business', isn't it!!??) As I said before, but you Europhiles never listen, do you - this is a FOOTBALL site - you asked for this reply by your continuation of the debate - just drop it before the Admin clamps down.

On the face of it, we had a better-than-expected price for a player 80% of fans wanted out of the door. However, if Ashley HAS got evidence of a tapping-up, the he's quite right to screw them. We have got Smith now, so Dyer either has to cough up himself(at least some of the extra)or reconcile himself to rotting in the Reserves. Some of the signings we have got will be fantastic value for money if they all come off, so the fact that the club has to pay Dyer's(grossly-inflated)wages will not worry Ashley too much... I reckon he's gambling on Dyer buckling, and agreeing to pay some of the 8m himself - and so he should after all his time on the sidelines etc. And, as for Dyer feeling he's been 'treated badly' by the club - well, its no more than this waste of space deserves. A pity, though, that we just couldn't have got rid....

Ashley is a tough cookie - don't rule out his putting pressure on the City Council by threatening to move to Gateshead & build a new stadium if they block any expansion plans...

Like I said before - this is a football site, so I won't debate the EU with you here. Suffice be it to say, I think it was the worst thing the UK ever did to join it - Britain is an outward-looking nation(or was), with links throughout the world. There is not ONE thing that has been of major benefit to the country, and it costs the country billions evert year. You have your view - I've got mine & thank goodness I don't live there anymore..

There should be much more optimism - a good start would make a hell of a difference to the atmosphere at the first home game - a win or fighting draw at Bolton would be a catalyst, but it will probably be a month or so before the team really starts to click, as there are quite a few new faces. Whatever the case, the club's future looks MUCH more settled now, so people should give the team & management time to get things properly sorted.

The CL is the one that really sells a club to top players, but the UEFA is better than nothing and as MJ said, it DOES raise a club's profile. In our case, it would be a sign of the right sort of progress - if anyone doubts that, just imagine how you would feel if , by some fluke, the Mackems made the UEFA & we didn't......esp if we were both in the market for the same player....

No matter HOW much 'domestic pressure' there is, it can't stop EU imports - that is the point...

It has absolutely nothing to do with "stupid EU legislation" that gets ignored by others. EU legislation doesn't affect non-EU nationals and is simply down to the national states. I've got news for you - EU Legislation DOES affect other nationalities - why do you think people from Eastern Europe can work in the UK AND get benefits there, when people whose relatives actually came from the place and are treated as Aliens at UK Airports ! You are right about ONE thing and I made that point in my first post - its down to INTERPRETATION by National states - and that is dictated by politicians... I don't know whether you are British or not, but if so, you are about to lose many of the qualities of being a nation due to the new EU Constitution - nothing like being ruled by Foreign, unaccountable bureaucrats, is there...!!?? Well, I am German and work/teach in law, so I pretty much think that I know what I am talking about. The thing about the people from Eastern European countries is down to most of them actually being members of the EU now. Therefore the EU employment market is open to them. It's just that certain countries (as Germany) did protect certain areas their employment market against the proposed influx from workers from Poland and other new members, others as the UK did less against it. This was all handled in the treaties with the new members when they entered. But as I said, that is totally different issue to people from outside of the EU (Brazilian, Croatians etc.) coming to work in an EU member state. Those regulations are simply down to the countries themselves. The UK does have strict regulations while other have more lenient regulations that especially benefit the clubs to sign players from non-EU nations. As I said this has absolutely nothing to do with EU legislation and its interpretation. The UK would be totally free to change their work permit regulations regarding non-EU nationals as they like it. I am not going to debate this issue on this site as it is a football site and others will get fed up with it. However, your being involved with the Legal profession does not mean you are automatically correct - the trouble with Lawyers is that they are more interested in the LETTER of the Law than the SPIRIT of it.. I am fully aware of the UK's interpretation of these rules - the question you haven't addressed is WHY the UK's politicians interpret them that way - and apart from Brazilians etc, these rules apply to COMMONWEALTH Citizens, many of whom are related to British people....

It has absolutely nothing to do with "stupid EU legislation" that gets ignored by others. EU legislation doesn't affect non-EU nationals and is simply down to the national states. I've got news for you - EU Legislation DOES affect other nationalities - why do you think people from Eastern Europe can work in the UK AND get benefits there, when people whose relatives actually came from the place and are treated as Aliens at UK Airports ! You are right about ONE thing and I made that point in my first post - its down to INTERPRETATION by National states - and that is dictated by politicians... I don't know whether you are British or not, but if so, you are about to lose many of the qualities of being a nation due to the new EU Constitution - nothing like being ruled by Foreign, unaccountable bureaucrats, is there...!!??

I can tell you that 10 years ago, I did a project for the club to open an Academy in Australia. There would have been many benefits(we would probably had players like Cahill for nothing),but the first thing Sir John was worried about was the Work Permit thing. I had to explain to him that we could get round it by selecting kids who either had British relatives or had been born in the UK, and so could get dual-nationality(this would also have applied to any kids who had parents from EU countries too). Sir John had to step down before we could take this ahead, and Fletcher etc put the project on the back-burner. A journalist told Fergie about the plan, and, had Sky been successful in taking over Manure in 98, they would have done it themselves...... As it happens, Manure have just invited a young kid from Oz(he's 9) to attend their UK Academy in due course.I've seen film of this kid, and he's brilliant - really skilful. I know these kids can drop off, but if he makes it, watch out for Manure setting up their own Academy in Australia......

The whole thing is a joke - look at the circumstances of, say, Dede, who might have a problem if we signed him ; look at how Ronaldo got to play in Holland long before he had 20 caps for Brazil, and how Dutch , German & French clubs get hold of players from outside the EU LONG before they would be allowed in the UK. This is all because the British Govt stick to stupid EU legislation when the others ignore it... WHY ? Because the politicians all wnat to get on the EU Gravy Train and don't want to upset people like the French who run it.... All this applies far more to stuff outside Football, but the problems with Work Permits are all part of the syndrome. The Pollies pretend its to safeguard jobs in Football, but they don't bother about 'safeguarding jobs' when they allow millions of unskilled workers in from EU countries - but then , they are being 'Good Europeans' aren't they...!!??

One thing I'd like to thank Dyer for is his honesty & transparency - both were evident in his expression of utter disdain for the Management and fans of Newcastle United by his holding the Captain's armband like a piece of used Bog roll and chucking it on the deck when substituted . That, more than any of the other appalling episodes in which he dragged down both his own and the Club's name , summed him up for me and to even GIVE him the Captain's armband in the first place insulted the fans. When you think of some of the players that were genuinely proud , not just to wear the B & W shirt, but honoured to be captain(Joe Harvey, Bobby Moncur etc) it shows the extent of the club's decline that someone so shallow could be given the honour. Bet he isn't injured half as much at W.Ham... This day should have arrived 4 years ago.

This is a brilliant posting ; the standard of journalism - esp Sports journalism - is absolutely crap in the UK. They spin so many pathetic stories that you would imagine they would make a better living by writing Fairy Tales.I reckon this all started back in the 80s when we had that ridiculous story about Socrates(Brazil star in 82 WC)joining us.... The whole lot of them are a lazy set of prats - all they want to do is get a nice quote(failing which they'll make something up)and the p--- off to the pub for the afternoon(most of them are almost alkies). I expected something like this to happen once Ashley took over, simply because of 2 factors; 1.He is a person who doesn't give interviews, and these journos need feeding.. 2.Quite a few of them are perfectly happy with the 'status quo' of the current top 4, and they know that if we ever get our act together, we will gatecrash it. Whilst Dalglish had his faults, he was a better judge of a player than many managers we've had(think about Hamman, Nobby, Given - all signed by him when we had access to decent funds - the ones like Barnes, Rush etc were because he wasn't given funds at that time). Even though he had a problem with Shearer's injury & Sir Les being sold(a corporate decision), he didn't complain and was popular with the players, but the PRESS hated him - they were used to preferential treatment by KK and Dalglish didn't trust them and was obtuse with his comments, so they had it in for him. He got NO credit for re-introducing the Reserves & Youth system which KK had scrapped, and they just wanted him out. He wasn't the manager we thought he would be, but if ever anyone had a bad press, he did. If they get it in for you, they can make a lot of trouble, and they will continue to produce articles like this - NUFC has always been a feast of rumour & speculation but as one of their more infamous brethren usually says , these are usually 'WIDE OF THE MARK !!'... Clearly, we all want some action to strengthen the squad in defence - I just think they are refusing to pay what they consider over-the-odds prices & wages to players trying to hold us to ransom(which they can because there is a dearth of good players). If that is true, it will be a difficult season - we may have to bite the bullet for a while - time will tell.

It's Melissa Theroux (SP), French news reader extraordinaire. Nice try, it's Theuriau. Whatever her name, I admire your taste, Mick...! Getting a bit long in the tooth(and don't have the necessary money!)to be chasing talent like this, but she's a stunner right enough - I'll have to start taking more Emu Oil.....!!

I think this is the crucial point - the club AND KK have both moved on now - if Allardyce is to succeed or fail it should be under the circumstances that he personally is comfortable with. He is already working for a new regime - it would be different if he & KK had worked together before ; however you dress it up, Director of Football means that the manager is virtually responsible to him - a tricky situation unless ALL are happy with it... Definitely think its too late for KK to return as manager again, and as some have pointed out, there are personality problems - in addition, if Ashley wishes to develop the Academy side of things, he will find that KK is not a great believer in that - remember how he scrapped the Reserves and wound down the Youth team..? His views on younger players were the reason some left. Chris Macmenemy said that Keegan got rid of the reserves because our squad was so small as we'd just got promoted. Don't know where Mcmenemy is getting THAT from, Mick - it was in the summer of 96 when KK decided to scrap the Reserves because of having to play at least 6 games at SJP during a season - he said he didn't want more games on the pitch... We got promoted in the Spring of '93........

I think this is the crucial point - the club AND KK have both moved on now - if Allardyce is to succeed or fail it should be under the circumstances that he personally is comfortable with. He is already working for a new regime - it would be different if he & KK had worked together before ; however you dress it up, Director of Football means that the manager is virtually responsible to him - a tricky situation unless ALL are happy with it... Definitely think its too late for KK to return as manager again, and as some have pointed out, there are personality problems - in addition, if Ashley wishes to develop the Academy side of things, he will find that KK is not a great believer in that - remember how he scrapped the Reserves and wound down the Youth team..? His views on younger players were the reason some left.

What a joke ! Its a bit rich for the likes of him to whinge about loyalty etc etc, when he had none towards others(except, of course, his son & 'friends'... He insulted the fans, women of the North-East and one of the World's best Centre-Forwards..... He alienated the club from many of its admirers.. He wouldn't have been ANYWHERE NEAR the SJP Boardroom if it hadn't been for being pally with Sir John's son ; he didn't have the personal wealth to mount a takeover from McKeag & Co himself. He should be grateful he's ended-up with more money than he would ever have seen otherwise - esp after the shambles he created over the past 3 years. It will be a really hard job to get the club anywhere near to the position it was in when he took over as Chairman.. Just disappear into the ether, you sad individual - not worthy of further discussion.

Think its a big ask to think about anything other than 6-7 at this point - in fact, without some new defenders of decent quality, even higher than 10th may be beyond us. Its not that there isn't quality - there is ; forwards look good(but suspect to injury),midfield has plenty of options when Barton is fit although we will need to replace Dire - I do expect Troisi to be the dark horse that breaks into the first team this year and with him plus Geremi's versatility, we should be OK there. Its in defence where the problems are - full-backs both need replacement, and Taylor worries me - he is starting to look injury-prone so we could really do with Campbell alongside Rozenhal - Edgar & Huntington will understudy the first choices. However, should we get some decent defenders in and get off to a good start, we just might surprise a few people, but staying clear of injuries is critical with a thin squad. Will go for 7th behind the usual Top4, Spurs & Everton or Portsmouth - but I wouldn't put money on it as injuries could just as easily result in 10th.

I've gone on record here as saying there wil be a different approach to transfers(and most other things!)at the club now, and I still stand by that - i would rather everything was done on the quiet and announced when its in the bag.Also, i believe, as i've said before, that changing the club(AND its image with top players)will take time. Having said that, there are a couple of things which do concern me slightly over the current situation. I find it strange that Allardyce should be hinting quite so openly that in effect, his hands are tied with signing players - this can only mean one of two things ; either Allardyce ISN'T getting the necessary cash, OR he has found it difficult to sign the players he actually wants - it may even be a mix of the two... If he ISN'T getting the cash, then the situation is slightly worrying, because there can only be one conclusion - that he doesn't have the full confidence of either Ashley or Mort. The problem with this situation is that it will lead to an impasse in building the team. esp this season. We have to remember that Sam was NOT Ashley's man, he was Shepherd's - Ashley has inherited the situation and in my view, he has no alternative , at this point, but to persevere with the situation. My biggest fear is that Ashley MAY be thinking that Dein will leave Arsenal, come to NUFC as CE, and bring Wenger with him - with Ashley being VERY successful in business, you would hope that he isn't going along this track because unless he has cast-iron assurances from the people involved, I would bet that Dein will end up back at Arsenal after a takeover - where would that leave NUFC as the season draws on...!!?? On the other hand, if Sam has found it difficult to sign the players he really wants - and that wouldn't be a surprise to me - maybe this is a way of keeping the pressure off him AND the Board by using the Financial review to excuse lack of money... No-one should under-estimate the size of the task ahead for all at the club - we have fallen far from grace, and other , previously viewed as 'smaller' clubs than us, now have big money too... Finally - if there IS any back-sliding on funds at THIS TIME(I don't believe this will be club policy - Ashley is too shrewd NOT to back his investment), it should stop - the team needs 3 or 4 players even to have a DECENT season(our defence needs reinforcements), and finishing outside the top 8 would be viewed by all as a disappointment.Whether the BIG money comes now or later is immaterial - what is important is PROGRESS this season, so the big funds can be splashed next... Its important not to panic, but an awareness of what needs to be done - even if it means spending 15-20m - is paramount for confidence of the fans - they have seen too many false dawns.