merlin

Yhis is going back a long time, but - Jan Mulder, the Dutch CF who played for Anderlecht in 1970. We had won the Fairs Cup the previous season, and were defebding the trophy. We lost 2-0 to Anderlecht in Belgium, but in the return at SJP, we pounded them for most of the game and went 3-0 up with 5 mins left. The atmosphere was unbelieveable, with 60,000 in the ground and the noise being heard over the river. However, whenever Mulder got the ball , he was really dangerous and had our defence(which was a strong one at the time)in constant panic. He set up a goal for them with a minute to go, and we were out - the atmosphere was like a funeral within seconds, and no-one could believe what had happened. Arsenal went on to win the trophy that year, when we could probably have retained it had we beaten Anderlecht.But Mulder - what a player !

Voted for O'Neill - he deserves the chance to run a club in the Prem with NUFC's potential and his record at previous clubs is very good. Has had the best of all mentors in Clough, will have learnt a great deal from him(O'Neill is an intelligent & thoughtful man), but also wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to passion for his club - in other words, he is like KK with more depth to his knowledge of the game & tactics. Has a proven system using the same coaches which has worked wherever he has been. Those who were around in the 60s will remember how Bill Shankly had a similar record to O'Neill before he went to Liverpool, except that Shanks never managed a big club like Celtic first.Shanks was basically unproven at top level, but took Liverpool from 2nd Div to a dynasty lasting 20 years. O'Neill has done a steady, but not spectacular , job at Villa, but these are very early days for a club which was struggling.Once he has been able to buy the players he wants and bed them in, I am willing to bet they will be in the top 5 - whether NUFC are there too remains to be seen - there will be many changes once the takeover goes through, but I cannot see Roeder surviving as Manager long-term. He has done well enough so far, but the better results have come about mainly because of team-changes forced on him. The issue with Parker & Butt will tell us a great deal, as will the dealing with Bramble.My feeling is that O'Neill would play the players best suited to his system - REGARDLESS of who they were. Everyone has a right to an opinion about this, and whilst O'Neill may not be the BEST manager about, he was the best that NUFC could have got in the last year, and maybe even the best one suited to the club. We will now have to go with whats in place & see what the new owners do.

Funniest Poster is easy - Kitman for his two excellent short stories ;- 'Wind in me Willows' and Clarkies Coaching Diary....best laugh I've had whilst reading this board !

You DO have a point there, Kiwi - wasn't like that in my day(remembers match-days in Leazes End)..!!!

They think we are the equivalent of the England Cricket team's Barmy Army - generally loud and supportive of the team , but with falsely-high expectations of success...!! Plenty of characters in the ranks of fans, but mainly support the team as a way of having a good day out. Many Football fans in the UK resent the amount of coverage we used to get from SKY, as the performances in the last 3 or 4 years have not generally warranted it - we will not be accepted as a genuinely big club until we win not one, but 2 or 3 trophies. Those jealous of our support/stadium etc take great pleasure in our lack of success, and the only way to shut them up is genuine success on the field.

Agree with a great deal of this - people have short memories and some of Dalglish's signings were excellent(Given, Hamman, Solano AND Tomasson, as he proved at Milan. Dalglish was basically fired because he fell out with Freddy Fletcher - he was unlucky in that Shearer was injured prior to 97/98 Season, but he was never in danger of taking the club down and I reckon he would have been a success given another season. He was also unpopular with the Press, as he was very wary of them(justifiably-so..!!). Look at the money Gullit wasted - Maric,Marcelino, Goma etc(AND his arrogance nearly caused a real relegation problem in the end). Basically, the timinng of SBR's sacking and the quality of his replacement were where it all went wrong, but many of the factors mentioned also played a part.

I said before the season started that the fans had no option but to back Roeder, and that is still the case - the fans currently have no option as Shepherd wouldn't fire him unless the club were losing every week for 3 months ; he COULDN'T fire him because no-one of any consequence would take the job at present. That DOESN'T mean Roeder is the right long-term manager for NUFC - his record in the past and player-selections tell you that. He has not got an easy job, but he knew what he was getting in to - it will be interesting to see what happens if & when a takeover occurs. My money is on him retaining the job until the end of the season, but after that, its anyone's guess....

I agree but we'll need another big striker bought in January or at least in the summer. Can't wait until we get more bodies in. Hopefully we'll get a few tall players as our squad ain't the tallest. Top marks to the lads for a great away performance today, so glad for Oba Agree - any small, quick striker sometimes needs a big guy who can hold the ball to take the weight off him.Defences will soon rumble that he is quick, and will get a quick centre-back to lay back to stop his runs, or someone will man-mark. With a big guy who is good in the air, they have more options to worry about. Remember how Shearer took much of the weight off Bellamy and created many of his goal chances - the Man City game at SJP(KKs return)springs to mind. Was uncertain about Martins at first, but he IS making progress - long may it continue !

Very good as usual, Kitman - we all know that Liverpool fans will be most unlikely to have any qualms about the Arabs taking them over ; as for some NUFC fans, well, it looks like they aren't going to have the CHOICE as to whether they worry about a takeover any more..!

Frankly, who cares about this? If this IS an effort to specifically monitor & close any NUFC-related sites, it shows we've got 'em worried, doesn't it !? I don't think many people, particularly younger ones, realise how much Democracy & Free Speech IS under attack these days, and NOT just in Football ; think about the latest Russian spy death, and the Kelly incident a few years ago..... However, its more likely that this latest edict is just another illustration of the rampant greed endemic in the game, with all parties desperately trying to grab every last penny from whatever source, including copyrights. As long as you are not directly libellous or abusive in commenting, and make it clear it is YOUR OPINION, there is very little that those who want the sites closed down can do - just DON'T use any material that may be copyright , and that will hurt them far more.... Big Brother is here to stay until the revolution comes.....!!!

Oh Yes - 'Passion' has done us ALOT of good over the past 40 years, hasn't it !!??

'Titus wants to stay'--- So does Shepherd.....!!!

Indeed - but saying the right things to the press has never been a problem for Glenn... Agreed - words are cheap ; what happens in the next 6 months will determine the future of N'Zogbia, NOT Roeder's platitudes. Also in the equation is how much money will be needed in January....!!

Get Real - Ferguson/Wenger teams ARE Winners... That's ALL that counts mate - Second is nowhere, and that is what being a successful club is about. If all NUFC fans think the same way as you do , I am sorry I wasted much of my free time in trying to get change at SJP with the Magpie Group. Not everyone can be a winner, but that is what we ALL should try to be .

Ba ha ha, you've just made my point for me - that might as well be right out of the mouth of Pete Kenyon or Fat Fred Fat Fred ? When did HE ever want a manager who won things !? OK if he's a Geordie, though...!!

Martin O'Neill has confirmed that he WILL be interested in taking Milner to Villa in January. Whilst not many on this site will be surprised, I think any approach will tell us several things about our standing in the Game. Firstly, IF we have been taken over(which looks less likely each passing day)it will tell us if the player himself has confidence in the new set-up. Secondly, it will tell us what the new Owners want to do with the Club - if I was in their position, no young player of Milner's status(Under 20 International with plenty of ability & right attitude) would be going ANYWHERE until the new Manager(which there will be in due course) has decided whether he wants them or not. It may be that the player will want to leave anyway - he was treated shambolically last summer, being allowed to talk to O'Neill then called back at the last minute, so you couldn't blame him if he had had enough, esp after he was used by Souness as an example of players NOT to have('You'll never have success with a team of James Milners' - you'll never have success with a team of Peles either, but we won't start THAT debate..!!). If the Club is still being run by the present incumbents , I am almost certain the player will leave. He will , if he has any sense, know that NUFC are going nowhere fast under the present set-up, and the Club will need the money to make any new signings requested by Roeder. Any fee of less than 6m will be a sell-out in my opinion, but I reckon he'll go for less than 5. This will leave us needing a new right-sided midfielder as Solano is better suited to full-back these days - where are we going to find a replacement for less than Milner will bring(it has to be less, for we need the rest for other gaps in the team)? Finally, to all those who STILL think O'Neill is not a good manager, it will be yet MORE salt rubbed into the wound - whatever some fans think of him, Milner is still a young player and still highly-regarded by many in the game. If he feels Villa are a better bet than NUFC, its simply confirmation of our new, falling status in the game. It will be interesting to see what happens !

Couldn't care less if we were popular or not - it didn't win us any trophies in the 90's when we were supposed to be the 'Entertainers' , did it !? All that happened was a load of patronising media articles from the likes of that clown Collins in the Mail on Sunday, who then proceeded to complain when all the 'neutrals' gloated after we tanked Man U 5-0..!! We need people running the club with a totally-focussed view of making the club successful ON the pitch & MORE successful off it - one follows the other, but you need the on-field success first. The reason people dislike Chelsea is down to several things, including the slightly suspicious background to the people in charge, but also to envy & resentment from the previously-untouchables of Arsenal , Man U & Liverpool - the latter 2 have big friends in the media, Arsenal because of the power they have previously wielded through Dein being on the FA, but NOT being able to match Chelsea for money. We were also resented by a section of the media in the 90s(why do you think NOTW set up Shepherd/D.Hall ? NOTW owned by Murdoch who was trying to buy Man U at the time.....)and I think you would have seen a different attitude among neutrals had we won the title in 96 & gone on to be more successful ; we would have become a REAL threat to the 'Establishment' , and not just a flash in the pan to be tolerated & sent back to the sticks after our brief moment of glory.....!! I couldn't care less if we won the title by 1-0 every game - so long as we DID win it. We are NOT here to win neutral popularity contests, but to win trophies , and to do that we have to become coldly-professional ; that ALSO applies to the fans. The 'Sexy Football' can wait until we've won the Champs Lge - not before......

:lol: Bassedas, Cort, Cordone, Fumaca, Viana, Bramble, Carr... £25m just there. Agree Optimistic - some complete wastes of money there, and an illustration of the fact that SBR should have been honourably moved upstairs 4 months before he was sacked ; but then , we are talking of action that sensible directors would have made....

Exactly mate.......one decent game doesn't detract from the fact that he's a horrible little overpaid malingering shite hawk. For £4m a year, it's not exactly asking a lot of him to actually play well once in a while. Agree - NOBODY has doubted Dyer's ability, but just because he's played a couple of good games in 2 years does NOT make everything right about him as an asset to the club. He is grossly-overpaid and by some on this board, over-rated - if you want to know why those of us who criticise him do so , I suggest you look at the performance of Paul Scholes for Man U since his return from injury ; here is a player older than Dyer who your hero once famously stated should be removed from the England side so HE could play - immediately after Dyer's claim, Scholes, who NEVER comments or gets himself into off-field scrapes, went out on to the field at SJP and rammed Dyer's cocky words right down his throat after orchestrating a 6-2 hammering in front of our own fans. Some of you guys seem to have forgotten all this - if I had the choice, I would swap Dyer for Scholes in an instant, regardless of Scholes' age. You would STILL get more value-years out of Scholes than you will from Dyer. So , to answer your question, we ' Dyer detractors' as you put it, have NOT gone away ; once Dyer has completed 3 full seasons without breaking down, getting involved in off-field controversy, or protesting about which position he plays in, then maybe those of us who think that way may reconsider...

In so many ways, Ned summed-up the whole spirit of the club when Keegan took over - his 110% effort, even when not at his best, his relationship with the fans, his crucial goals, not just against Pompey but all through the promotion season and the fairy-tale end to his NUFC career make him a legend for modern supporters. SJH personally thanked him for his efforts for the club and told him he would always be welcome at SJP. He received a special pen , engraved with his time of service and with the club's crest on it - something which previously had only been given to the likes of Albert Stubbins, Bobby Cowell etc and they had been great players.. Wish Ned every success in the future - he was crucial in the making of NUFC's Premiership tenure.

Unfortunately, I think N'Zogbia will be getting the things you think he needs quite soon - but NOT at NUFC, methinks......!!

Disagree - did you ever see Ardiles & Villa play for Spurs?? Also, best Brazilians never come here - always end up in Italy, Spain or Portugal. SBR had Romario at PSV & he was a raging success . We had Mirandinha, but he got injured on Luton's plastic pitch & was never the same. Up until that point, he looked as if he could have made it and I think WOULD have done in a better side.

I'm sure Freddy Fletcher was given the lions share of brownie points for bringing Keegan to the club as manager during the SOS fiasco when he was getting stick from the fans for his part in that, I can't prove it as it's just my memory. As for the board taking us forward since 1992, that was under the guidance of Sir John Hall, we've gone a long way backwards under Shepherd. We've gone from 2nd in the Premiership to where we are now, 17th and on the same number of points as Sheffield United who are in a relegation position. As for a manager like Keegan instantly putting things right, that's probably true, the thing is, Shepherd thinks that Souness and Roeder are the men to do that. Souness was the man to improve on 5th in the league and Roeder was the man to improve on 14th which he did for one half season but is so far failing to do this season, he could possibly fail to beat what Souness did in his one and only full season. Also, think about this, shitty Ellis spent less than us and still finished above us in the league, more times than we finished above them with Shepherd steering the ship. Spending money is useless and just turns a potential profit into a loss without any gain for the club if the club can't appoint a manager who can spend the money wisely, Factamundo. Spending is useless when you go backwards while doing it, spending is only of use when it improves you as a club and as a team, we've got nothing for the money spent so we've failed as a club, again, Factamundo. The situation of the Club and its performance over the past 3 years tell the whole tale of its decline under the DIRECTION of Shepherd as Chairman - 'FACTAMUNDO' !! And the previous years ? Before Souness came was what exactly ? I know the team has declined under Souness, I predicted it. That is why he has gone. The old board, pre-1992 though, would have kept him as simply being in the top league was success in their eyes, unlike nowadays. Factamundo. The current Board will be DELIGHTED if we are still in the Prem at the end of the season - is that progress..??

I'm sure Freddy Fletcher was given the lions share of brownie points for bringing Keegan to the club as manager during the SOS fiasco when he was getting stick from the fans for his part in that, I can't prove it as it's just my memory. As for the board taking us forward since 1992, that was under the guidance of Sir John Hall, we've gone a long way backwards under Shepherd. We've gone from 2nd in the Premiership to where we are now, 17th and on the same number of points as Sheffield United who are in a relegation position. As for a manager like Keegan instantly putting things right, that's probably true, the thing is, Shepherd thinks that Souness and Roeder are the men to do that. Souness was the man to improve on 5th in the league and Roeder was the man to improve on 14th which he did for one half season but is so far failing to do this season, he could possibly fail to beat what Souness did in his one and only full season. Also, think about this, shitty Ellis spent less than us and still finished above us in the league, more times than we finished above them with Shepherd steering the ship. Spending money is useless and just turns a potential profit into a loss without any gain for the club if the club can't appoint a manager who can spend the money wisely, Factamundo. Spending is useless when you go backwards while doing it, spending is only of use when it improves you as a club and as a team, we've got nothing for the money spent so we've failed as a club, again, Factamundo. The situation of the Club and its performance over the past 3 years tell the whole tale of its decline under the DIRECTION of Shepherd as Chairman - 'FACTAMUNDO' !! Good that you realise the decline during the latter stages of Robson's time and the massive mistake of appointing Souness as his replacement. Most of us have known that for ages though, but at least you got there in the end. 'Got there in the end' HTL !? You've GOT to be joking !! I put a thread up on a rival site back in 03 about the lack of action in the transfer market prior to our Champs Lge qualifiers but ALSO criticised some of SBRs buys. What sort of response do you think I got ? I can assure you that everything was pooh-poohed in the same way you have tried to rubbish the point I made, and NO-ONE agreed - don't suppose YOU post on any other sites do you....!? Maybe YOU were one of those who disagreed and now ADMIT that the Chairman has messed-up big time..Well , you DO , don't you.....!!??

I'm sure Freddy Fletcher was given the lions share of brownie points for bringing Keegan to the club as manager during the SOS fiasco when he was getting stick from the fans for his part in that, I can't prove it as it's just my memory. As for the board taking us forward since 1992, that was under the guidance of Sir John Hall, we've gone a long way backwards under Shepherd. We've gone from 2nd in the Premiership to where we are now, 17th and on the same number of points as Sheffield United who are in a relegation position. As for a manager like Keegan instantly putting things right, that's probably true, the thing is, Shepherd thinks that Souness and Roeder are the men to do that. Souness was the man to improve on 5th in the league and Roeder was the man to improve on 14th which he did for one half season but is so far failing to do this season, he could possibly fail to beat what Souness did in his one and only full season. Also, think about this, shitty Ellis spent less than us and still finished above us in the league, more times than we finished above them with Shepherd steering the ship. Spending money is useless and just turns a potential profit into a loss without any gain for the club if the club can't appoint a manager who can spend the money wisely, Factamundo. Spending is useless when you go backwards while doing it, spending is only of use when it improves you as a club and as a team, we've got nothing for the money spent so we've failed as a club, again, Factamundo. The situation of the Club and its performance over the past 3 years tell the whole tale of its decline under the DIRECTION of Shepherd as Chairman - 'FACTAMUNDO' !!