merlin

Immaturity - at 22 Owen was 18 when he played against Argentina in the 98 WC and scored that great goal/won a pen. As for the comment about Bergkamp - that defies belief ; Bergkamp almost came to us in 1995 before he went to Arsenal, and he had just recovered from a bad injury. If you think there is ANY comparison between Bergkamp(already a seasoned Dutch International at that stage)and Martins, I despair, and even more so if you think our fans would have got on his back. Everyone knows he was a great player, which he proved many times after his Highbury move. Martins will never be in the same class, mate.

I suppose Dyer is staring to 'Mature' now..at aged 28 !! Gave up on this guy years ago - remember his outburst at Boro, the armband fiasco, refusal to play wide for SBR And 7 goals makes this OK ?? Give me a break..... And as for 'Average players not playing for the National side" - as someone said, what about the likes of Palmer ? England ARE an average side by World standards, and have been badly-managed to boot.

Butt is probably correct - the uncaring attitude of around half the first team outfield players has been there for all to see - too many treating SJP as an early Retirement Home, OR a place to take the P--- whilst picking up hugel wages in between stints in nightclubs.... Will stand out to him like a sore thumb after the professionalism of Man U under Fergie. The club needs a HUGE sorting-out from top to bottom, and I just hope whoever gets the job(yes, even at THIS late stage, you couldn't say its cut & dried..!!)starts sweeping with a very big broom ...

How was Drogba in his first year with Chelsea ? This was Martin's first season man...Give him a break will ya... 'First year' doesn't excuse lack of effort in running off the ball to find space for team mates to pass to you, OR lack of first touch.. Pace of game, yes, but he HAS plenty of that anyway..

Re; my post above - I would be happy to swap MARTINS for Bent or ASHTON(miss-spelling) - it also looked like I meant swapping Pele..! NO chance..!!

Never totally convinced about Martins - very in and out, in many ways a typical African player - they show flashes of great brilliance and athleticism, but seem not to be able to get into the physical grind and intensive effort that is the Premiership(witness his suspect first touch and lack of off-ball movement). Not all are like that(Drogba is more suited to the Prem than Martins), but bearing in mind the number playing in Europe , they should be making more of an impact. If you look at their performances during the World Cup, only Ivory Coast looked as if they were a 'team' in the true sense. Supposed experts have been claiming that ' this time, an African team has a real chance of winning the WC', or 'it can't be long until an African side wins the WC', but I first heard that around 1974 when Zaire were in the tournament, and over 30 years later, we are still no nearer seeing it... Incidentally, DON'T anyone start bringing up the 'Racist' tag..!! My favourite player of ALL time is Pele, and he is black - but - he's Brazilian ; that's the difference, they have a different mentality. Would be happy to swap him for Bent or Aston(esp if Owen stays).

Spot on Wullie - we get second best most of the time because the top 4 Clubs can pick & choose because of their success ; players WANT to play for them. Unless you're Shearer, NUFC is simply a Golden Goose employer.... Lets hope Allardyce can change that view, although it won't happen overnight, and we will probably need to win something before players believe things have changed.

Owen - 9m tops Martins - 10m tops Emre - 4m tops Dyer - 3m tops the others look about right. Cannot see Anelka as lone striker - better with a target man(Viduka?).However, both players are moody.. Would be a tough job to get Arteta away from Everton.

Collins has always hated NUFC, esp since we turned his beloved Man ure over 5-0 - he wrote about how disgusted he felt when neutrals expressed their dellight in seeing Fergie's mob given a hammering. He never misses a chance to have a go at the club, but, sadly, the way the club has appeared to the rest of the country over the past 3 years has given him plenty of willing readers. Whatever the merits or otherwise of Allardyce, you can bet your boots that Collins will be rooting for him to fail. Basically, this scribe is just a Champagne Socialist writer , based in London, but supporting Man U. He must have cringed in the 90s when it looked for a while , that we were going to seriously challenge his beloved Reds for dominance of English football. However, we cannot deny that the current Chairman has given him plenty of ammunition for fire at us - we are the laughing stock of the Prem., and it will take a few seasons of progress before the club gains respectability again. Lets hope we get the chance to ram Collins' words down his throat.... Over to you Mr Chairman & Mr Allardyce....

Will be astonished if anyone pays even 4m for Dyer - Campbell might be difficult to get if Pompey DO have him on a 2 yr deal. Viduka is possible , Bent maybe(IF Owen goes). We will all get some surprises by what Allardyce does - I remember Gordon Lee joining in 1975, and making Alan Gowling his first signing ; everyone was outraged, but the guy went on to score 30 goals that season, and we reached the LC Final. BS may see something in some of the current staff which has not been utilised by previous managers - Lee moved Cassidy to central midfield, Nulty to the midfield 'Free'man, and both moves paid off. Its going to be an interesting few months, and I just hope Allardyce can get his men in without too much hassle - some of the overpaid Prima Donnas at SJP will undoubtedly try to hang on to their nice, well-paid contracts, A' La Marcelino - it will be a difficult first year, and Allardyce will certainly have to earn his corn. Incidentally, talking of Lee and Tommy Cassidy reminds me of a great incident involving both these guys which took place in the Dressing room . Lee walked in and said he was recommending young Aidam McCaffery to the Irish Team manager for International honours - McCaffery said, 'I'm sorry boss - I can't - I'm English(already played for U-21s)' Lee looked disgusted, and said ' with a name like yours, you should be Irish' Supermac looked up & said 'just because his name sounds Irish doesn't mean he is' Lee replied ' Well, you're a fine one to talk - you've got a Scottish name, but you play for England' At this, Tommy Cassidy broke in ;'Does that mean that you should play for CHINA, Boss!!??' Lee stormed out, amidst great amusement.....!!

Great article Amy - as one of the older fans on here(and therefore presumed to be the most mysoginistic !), may I say that you are just as entitled as anyone else to have ANY opinion you like about the game - after all, some of the crap I read on here from supposed 'knowledgeable'male fans beggars belief. Felt sorry for Schalke - I DID know they were a hugely-popular club in Germany, and like NUFC, had not been very successful, but there , I think the comparison ends - we have nowhere near the sort of National following that they do, even allowing for the difference in size of population between the 2 countries , and I don't think the mentality of British fans lends itself to the sort of co-operation they seem to achieve in every aspect of supporting the club - no Chairman there could get away with the sort of nonsense that Shepherd has perpetrated over the past 3 years without some sort of revolt - something which will NOT be happening on Tyneside any time soon(and , to be fair, shouldn't at this time - we have to give Allardyce a chance, at least for a couple of years). Keep posting, girl !

I thought Stephenson was a cracking player to start with, could dribble, cross and beat his man. Went on to do a canny job at Hartlepool mind, but didn't fulfill his promise. Agreed - Stephenson WOULD have been a great winger, but he got a bad ankle injury from a tackle by Dorigo when we played Villa in Spring 86 - he had already made his mark with a fine debut at Liverpool, with even Bob Paisley drooling over his talent - speed, dribbling skills, eye for goal and a good crosser of the ball. A crying shame that he never recovered from that injury(bit like Kewell really). Was 18 when he made his debut in 85, so could still have been playing in KKs team in 95. Geoff Allen was another - late developer who was that rarity, a great Left winger.Took Van Der Hyde(Feyenoord's Right Back) to the cleaners in our first Fairs Cup game at SJP, and we won 4-0. Suffered Cruciate Ligament injury at Notts Forest(again, a bad tackle, this time by Hindley), and in those days, that was curtains.. Would probably have played for England.

I remain convinced that MON will do a great job at Villa, and that his input will start to show benefits from next season. I fully expect them to be challenging Spurs for 5th place. He is going to prove many people wrong on this site... We are at least a season behind them, and it will show next year.

Top 4 is unlikely for ANY Club outside it already(in the foreseeable future, which is not very long in Football..!) However, I think it is possible for NUFC to make top 7 under the right manager NEXT season. DON'T think they will finish higher than Spurs or Villa - both those clubs have more stability that NUFC, and I remain convinced that O'Neill will produce a much better side next season. Whether its Allardyce or anyone else, there is masses of work to do at SJP - the Bookies' odds on Relegation for the club(8/1)tell you that, and it will take the new boss a couple of years to put right even half of the damage Souness & Roeder have left(courtesy of the Chairman). In addition, I will be surprised if we even have the 25m that the Mackems are reputedly giving Keane to spend, so getting the players the new guy will want will not be easy. Its now the time that the Piper has to be paid, and unfortunately, it will be the fans picking up the tab...

It was always likely that Owen might leave if the club failed to progress whilst he was here - he has no regional loyalty as Shearer did, and the club has actually gone backwards since he joined. Yes, he has had a series of injuries, but that was always likely to happen - any fool could have deduced that from his past record - Oh Wait - one fool didn't....! The fee was outrageous, and the only reason he came here & not back to Liverpool, although I DO believe the lad was prepared to give NUFC a chance ; if he hadn't been injured, we may have done better, but not much - there is too much wrong, right the way through the club, and Owen will know that by now. He might be torn a bit because of his lack of appearances, but in the end, his desire to perform at the highest level for as long as poss will decide his future. As usual, the Chairman is ranting away, full of bluster in order to try to disguise the lunacy of allowing a player to put escape clauses in his contract. I can understand it when it covers relegation, but nothing else - how can you plan the club's future like that ? The only consolation for supporters would be that a SHREWD manager will use the money from any sale far better than any of the past 3 incumbents would have done - PROVIDED that he is allowed to spend it on the player of his choice....!! That will tell us far more about the new manager than anything else..

Agree totally - he would be a disaster, and people who should be out(like Dyer etc) would have a free reign under his weak management.Beckham and Neville virtually ran the show when he was England boss, and his timid and uninspired tactics always cost the team dear. Would rather have Houllier by a country mile, and Allardyce would have a much greater influence on this team of under-achieveing Prima Donnas...

Fans are NOT to blame - have been too tolerant, if anything. The blame lies with the unprofessional conduct of the Chairman , who has made some disastrous mistakes - firing SBR at the wrong time, appointing Souness, appointing Roeder, just for starters. NUFC have not won a domestic trophy for more than 50 years, whilst having consistently excellent attendances(which would be envied by many of the clubs who HAVE won honours during that time), so to say the fans are too impatient is cobblers of the highest order. There is a perception within both Football and the Media that the so-called 'Top 4' are to be worshipped unconditionally, and any one who could pose a threat to that bunch of sacred cows is to be treated with distain - clubs like NUFC & Villa both fall into that category, so don't be surprised when the sort of rubbish spouted by Gallacher is heard, esp if either NUFC or AV start doing well next season....

Dyer - sums up all that is wrong with Newcastle United ; Lazy, overpaid,unprofessional,no respect for fans or management(witness his display at Boro when SBR took him off), and gives the club a bad name with the media and fans around the country with his off-field activities. Should have been out of the door ages ago, and any decent manager will get rid as soon as he can, thank goodness. Definitely in the top 4 of worst value signings by NUFC, and not a coincidence that Gullit signed him - remember Marcelino and Maric....?

The difference is that Sunderland have an ambitious Chairman who will back the manager, plus the fact that Keane will get a sympathetic hearing from the media, just like a certain KK did for us....

We need Ericksson like a hole in the head - would make the club even more of a joke with the media, has not got the necessary motivation(too much dosh), would be soft on players like Dyer, Ameobi etc., and just would NOT appeal to the majority of fans(not involved enough, too clinical, and his teams play awful football). This next appointment will be crucial for Shepherd - any cock-ups, and he can start packing his bags(see my post on the 'Quinn/Keane doing us a favour' article).

I have long thought that Sunderland being successful under Quinn & Keane would put a huge boot up the backside of a complacent Newcastle United. As a fan for more than 40 years, it gives me no great pleasure to see the mackems being successful, but fans of our generation can at least give credit where its due - and it most certainly IS due to the current SAFC outfit. Both chairman and manager have done wonders there in a very short time , and , unlike the Murray days, they now have a realistic chance of attracting good players and building the club into a real threat to NUFC's standing as top NE club. Futhermore, they will aim to achieve MORE than this, which in itself is a greater target than the current Board of NUFC seem to want. The days of complacency for the Board, Management AND supporters of Newcastle United are coming to an end - and not before time in my opinion. The club has under-performed for a few seasons now, and a successful Sunderland will put huge pressure on the Board - Newcastle supporters can take anything as long as SAFC are below them, but any reversal of that position for an extended period would have the riot police being called to SJP..!! Bring it on, I say - the fans of Newcastle United have been taken for granted for too long, and the club has thrown away many chances of becoming truly successful - it is ironic that I , as a former Magpie Group member, am having to rely on the success of our traditional rivals to shake the club out of its self-imposed slumber. Shepherd is now about to find out how tough life can be as a Chairman of a club under pressure, and we are going to see just how tough he actually IS, instead of hearing him brag about it. Now that Roeder has gone, he MUST get the next appointment right - any more cock-ups and he will be gone faster than snow in June - the mackems got it right with Keane, but it was a gamble that paid off ; will the same thing work with Shearer..?? Finally, those who take pleasure in slamming O'Neill should wait until this time NEXT year before passing judgement - my bet is that he'll prove you wrong; he spent a fraction of the money Roeder has, yet is above NUFC.....

I've said this before - judge O'Neill NEXT season ; he didn't get to Villa quick enough to make major changes before the season started. Roeder, on the other hand, had a FULL Close Season to get 'his' signings bedded-in, but despite 15m being spent, NUFC are only 7 points from a relegation place... If Villa are in the same position as NUFC this time NEXT season, then yes, I'll hold my hands up and say O'Neill isn't a top-notcher - as the article says, he has been successful at the vast majority of clubs he has managed. Roeder could yet get into the Guinness Book of Records as the first manager to finish 7th in his first season with 3 different clubs, then get them relegated in the following season...!! If anyone is trying to take some comfort from Villa's position now because the got MON and we didn't, my advice is DON'T - wait until next season. Remember the saying - 'He who laughs last laughs longest'.....

Lowes is partly right - a few humiliations at the hands of a Keane-managed Sunderland MIGHT - MIGHT- just cause enough anger and outrage among the blindly-loyal to cause them to boycott SJP for a season or two. Maybe THAT would force Shepherd out, because nothing else will, and it will take something like that before NUFC is in a position to shake out of the downward spiral. Oh, and before anyone says it couldn't happen - don't kid yourselves - NUFC are JUST as capable of becoming like the Mackems were because they are run badly - end of story..

Well, Gentlemen(and Ladies),it doesn't matter HOW sick you are of NUFC, you had better get used to it. The club had its opportunity of Domestic glory(the first in 40 years)back in the mid-90's and sadly, the moment passed without success being grasped. Had the club won its first Championship since 1927 in 1996, I believe that it would now be firmly established as one of the powers in the English game.For a variety of reasons, this did not happen, but what has transpired since is nothing short of tragic, but also a disgrace. As England's second best supported HOME side(until the building of the Emirates stadium)NUFC should at least have been able to compete for Champs Lge football every season. The club's potential was wasted at a crucial time, and the 'New World Order' of the English game now has an almost unbreakable stranglehold on both power-broking and honours. I do NOT want to drag up all the 'well, we had a crap Board in the 70's/80s' arguments - the indisputable truth is that NUFC reached a position where those days should never have been repeated, and now they ARE. When I was a younger fan in those days, we 'kept the faith' as some euphemistically call it, by hoping that someone would eventually come along and take the club over from the people who were holding it back, BUT - we didn't have any doubt that the club could take its place among the top sides in the country - even the legendary Peter Robinson, C.E.of Liverpool in their great days acknowledged on a TV programme, that NUFC had a greater potential support than Liverpool themselves.. The situation today is totally different ; even if a takeover was to occur(very unlikely, given the amount of debt & Shepherd's unwillingness to sell), it would take a mammoth effort to unseat any of the top 4 now - they are too well entrenched. I also believe that there is a real chance of disillusion setting in among many Premiership fans, as the league is now similar to Scotland - only a very few clubs can win it - and prices ar very high for Season tickets(esp if Interest Rates go up,which looks likely in May..) Whatever certain people on here think of Sir John , he DID give us the chance to be a top club again - that chance was not taken, and until someone else comes along with a new broom, the chance will not be there again. If you are happy with that, then keep the faith - if not... However, don't complain, because even if you don't want to admit it, you can see the writing on the wall. Not that I don't understand - I remember back in 1969, after we won the Fairs Cup, visiting a customer in Langley Park(SBR's old home), and waxing lyrical about Newcastle - he stunned me by saying ' You don't go to watch NEWCASTLE, do you !??' When I asked him why not, he said that he used to go in the 50's('They were a GOOD side then..!'), but the club's decline & Directors had finished him.. Don't forget, this was just after we had won a European Trophy..!! Naturally, I thought he was crackers and 'kept the faith' , but look how long it took even to change the Board - another 22 years..!! Yes, go if you want, hope you enjoy - but don't expect any miracles .