merlin

I'm not talking about the way the game went. I'm talking about the attitude of the players going into the game. Sunderland looked up for a contest. We didn't, for whatever reason. The reason..? Try 'THE MANAGER"...

Well done. Your chairman acted when it was needed and that deserved just reward. This, Tron, is the crux of the whole matter. Short realised that he had made a mistake with Di Canio and risked a lot of flak from the LMA and media by firing him and appointing Poyet. There was a time when people on here were speculating that Poyet was bound for NUFC but they obviously don't realise how greedy and determined to stick with his niggardly transfer policy that Ashley is...there is NO way he would appoint anyone who wants a say in recruitment of players. Sunderland took the gamble and its paid off big-time for their fans..they are in a Cup Final, still in the FAC and are playing with no little style and certainly with organization. Its actually quite funny because Ashley always fancies himself as a gambler, but Short has trumped him well and truly this time.. Unless there is change at the top, NUFC could be the second side in the NE for years ahead. I remember Alan Shearer telling the people at Sunderland that 'their turn would come' after they presented him with a memento on his retirement after we had beaten them at the SOS....I bet he didn't realise that it would be partly because NUFC committed suicide...!

Pardew was completely and utterly out of his depth yesterday and the performances of the two sides showed up clearly that Poyet's influence is making Sunderland into a decent side whilst Pardew's is making NUFC worse, even allowing for the loss of Cabaye and Remy. The players looked scared witless and unmotivated - hardly surprising when the club has patently displayed its lack of ambition this week, but I bet KK would have got these players playing with far more spirit than they displayed under Pardew yesterday. He has added yet another fine notch to his NUFC records bed-post....9 goals conceded without reply in 2 home games last season and our biggest home defeat for 80 years, then a 3rd Derby loss on the trot which has not happened, again, in 80 years. He is, though, just another fitting representative of Ashley - Sunderland took the brave decision to admit they got it wrong with De Canio and recruited Poyet...it now looks as though that decision is going to pay off big time whilst Pardew and Ashley drag us further into mediocrity....

To all of you who have cancelled, well done - if its any consolation, its the ONLY action you can take to even begin to get rid of this awful regime. As I have said before, quite a number of us attached to the Magpie Group did the same thing in the late 80s in order to force McKeag out and because John Hall had such a large share-holding but wouldn't put any money into the club until he got control, the club got into a financial mess and then McKeag had to go or the club would have gone under - hence the rescue by SJH. I am not saying it will be as easy this time because it won't - Ashley is in another league financially when compared to McKeag or even SJH and it will take financial losses or an even richer person to force him out. He is only interested in taking your money and giving as little as possible back on the field....the only reason we got signings last year was because his policies had got us landed with a lousy manager(shown up totally by Poyet yesterday)and too many second-rate players whilst selling decent ones, and we were in danger of relegation which we missed by the skin of our teeth on the last day. All of the club's problems have been brought on us by Ashley himself - he went behind KK's back by recruiting Wise and his two Spanish stooges and then proceeded to sell a player Keegan wanted to keep whilst pretending that Sebastian Schweinsteiger was going to be joining the club(at least this is what KK was told but he contacted the player's agent and found out this was totally false...allegedly..!). Keegan then walked out - justifiably, a verdict backed by the Tribunal who heard his constructive dismissal case - and Ashley had to cough up compensation. The fans were rightfully furious at the treatment of one of the club's legends and protested that they wanted Ashley out. Instead of admitting he had made a mistake, he set out to alienate the fans and anyone else who disagreed with him and that vendetta continues today. He has appointed and retained the 'services' of a manager who is patently out of his depth at a club of NUFC's potential and other smaller clubs have got rid of him exactly for that reason too - he has succeeded in breaking record after record from the club's past ; the only trouble is that the 'records' concerned are not ones we should be proud of ...Biggest home defeat in over 80 years last season, 9 goals conceded without reply in two home games last season, 3 of them to our Derby rivals(I won't pay them the compliment of calling them our 'biggest' rivals, because they are not big enough for that - yet..!), a spectacular achievement bettered yesterday by supervising our 3rd Derby defeat in a row, another record which hasn't happened since 1924...great stuff, isn't it ? And this all because he is Ashley's stooge and a yes-man who knows he wouldn't get a decent job anywhere else or he would follow KK's example and walk out because of lack of support from the other clown who Ashley appointed after his 'Fantastic record' with the Crazy Gang...just the pedigree you need to manage or run NUFC - NOT. Our lack of investment is there for all to see with the latest PL club spending chart - BOTTOM, with a net INCOME from transfers of 45m...nothing else needs to be said. The people in charge of finance at the club have clearly stated that winning trophies is not a club aim and just finishing in a 'mediocre' PL postion is enough because it guarantees the owner a large wedge of SKY cash and free advertising for his tatty sports outfit. Sorry this has gone on but it helps to remind yourselves just WHY you have made the sacrifice and stopped giving him ST money...there is no reason why you can't go to the occasional game if it suits YOU, but then sometimes you need to see an ex-partner to know why you left them in the first place..! Ashley will be gone one day but it may not be very quickly...in the meantime we will be forced to endure more days like yesterday and the transfer which preceded it this week - that much is certain. When it happens, you will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that you didn't contribute to the whole mess and that others will undoubtedly follow in due course. The next 2 games could be more of the same and the season is now a write-off so once again, well done....you've made the first step to getting change at the club.

Wonder how many will be taken in by all this tripe...? Far too many will eagerly swallow it IMHO..

The game IS being shown live here in Oz - wouldn't mind betting that some arms were twisted - or something like that..!- to stop the chance of another Derby defeat being shown in the UK which would upset our fans even more....

Almost certainly this combined with the fact that we probably offered him a smallish wage compared to wht he would get at a better PL club or in Spain/Germany. Why would a player who is highly-rated come to a club like Newcastle United when there is more than a 50/50 chance he could go elsewhere in the summer...? The lack of ambition stories will undoubtedly have travelled to France.... Perhaps Grenier made a phone call to Cabaye? My thoughts exactly....

There was never a hope of this decision being overturned and Pardew's swift U-turn on appealing indicates that he was pressured into backing the appeal...probably desperation by Kinnear and Ashley who foresee a bad result on Saturday and natives getting restless. All they have done is to make the club look even more stupid than they do already.

Ashley is the one who we need out, he goes and the whole stinking lot of them go with him. To think our season tickets are paying JK's wages. That's a VERY good reason NOT to buy one....

Almost certainly this combined with the fact that we probably offered him a smallish wage compared to wht he would get at a better PL club or in Spain/Germany. Why would a player who is highly-rated come to a club like Newcastle United when there is more than a 50/50 chance he could go elsewhere in the summer...? The lack of ambition stories will undoubtedly have travelled to France....

Then watch Johnson line up against Santon...

Exactly this - Kinnear is there purely and simply because Ashley put him there...a fitting representative of the sleazy underhand way the club is being run... Kinnear will probably be there as long as Ashley is - unless his health gives out first.

Replaced, eh..? You mean like the 20,000 who were on the waiting list for STs under KK and SJH and who have either now replaced those who have dropped out or given up themselves...?? There aint NO 20,000 waiting list now...! I think the stadium expansion may have had something to do with that, like. The stadium was expanded from 45,000 to 52,000 of which 5% has to be kept for away fans... Just saying...like...the difference is NOT 20,000.... It went from 36,000 to 52,000. That's 16,000 extras seats. From what date are you assessing this..? The final capacity of SJP, following the completion of the SJH and Gallowgate stands was either 42 or 45,000...it was only 36,000 before the ground was completely covered and the capacity was raised to 52,000 after the extension of the SJH stand and the Milburn. The ground could hold 29,000 even before the new SJH and Gallowgate stands were erected..check how many got in for our game with Bristol City after KKs appointment as manager in Feb 92....

Replaced, eh..? You mean like the 20,000 who were on the waiting list for STs under KK and SJH and who have either now replaced those who have dropped out or given up themselves...?? There aint NO 20,000 waiting list now...! I think the stadium expansion may have had something to do with that, like. The stadium was expanded from 45,000 to 52,000 of which 5% has to be kept for away fans... Just saying...like...the difference is NOT 20,000....

Replaced, eh..? You mean like the 20,000 who were on the waiting list for STs under KK and SJH and who have either now replaced those who have dropped out or given up themselves...?? There aint NO 20,000 waiting list now...!

I have been there 40 year as a season ticket holder since I was 4 and I just won't pay anymore good money to a regime which is openly taking the p*ss out of us all and has no desire to even attempt to win anything apart from avoiding relegation. They have one last chance in the next 46 hours or so to stop me from cancelling - two loan signings in one full year is a disgrace to a club getting 50,000 average. I firmly believe that since the Keegan scenario that Ashley has lost total interest in the club and now is only used to promote his sportsdirect.com empire, which by no coincidence has seen shares rocket in his time associated with the club. He doesn't like the supporters and I firmly believe holds a deep grudge after the justified stick he has received. I take no pride in stopping my ticket or don't feel like a martyr about it either, but when I am totally being laughed at and my support taking for granted, then I feel I have no choice. Fair play to everyone who keeps going but I think this is for the long haul and every year they are still in power, more and more people will stop going. As soon as this regime is gone then I will be back but I don't foresee that being for a very long long time. This is a great post and one that sums up perfectly what is wrong with the club and why you are right in cancelling...if indeed you do. I believe that as you say, Ashley hates the fans for taking KK's side after he justifiably walked out and he is well known for holding grudges...witness his dobbing-in of Whelan and Co years back for supposedly holding a cartel. He's not exactly short on manipulating monopolies for himself, is he..? Anyone who continues to pay STs - there is nothing wrong with picking and choosing individual games if it suits you - is keeping the regime in power and they WILL be in power for a long time if people keep doing that...loving the club is no excuse because that is like saying you won't punish a friend who has stolen your valuables because you 'love' them. If you do that, they will just think you are stupid and do it again...there are plenty of other examples you could use. If you REALLY want the best for the club and not just for yourself because you like to get away from the wife etc on a w/e, you will do what is necessary to ensure that corrective action is taken to put things right and that means a change of regime. Plenty will hide behind the excuse that 'we could get worse'...yes, and we just might get better too. If things don't improve, this thread will be repeated time after time as will the Cabaye/replacement scenario and everyone knows this deep down - if you are happy with that, go ahead, but there will be plenty who aren't - and that number will grow and grow until Ashley achieves his aim of ensuring NUFC is never a force in the PL again.

Atleast Santon should handle him better than f***ing Jonas did last year. I wouldn't bank on that either - Johnson could quite easily take Santon to the cleaners if Gouffran is not protecting him....

This - despite his lack of goals over the past few weeks, Remy is still by far our most dangerous forward and his pace/movement up front are the main reason why we are in the position we are in this season. We will miss that badly on Saturday and the Mackems will be heaving a sigh of relief that he isn't playing. This will be a tight game and we will probably have to rely on a sub appearance from HBA with a breakaway goal or one of his specials to get something. It will be an uphill battle if they get their noses in front after HT.....

Dutch players usually do plenty of off-ball running in order to create space for themselves - if we get plenty of interchanging of positions with him and Remy when the latter returns, we could get goals from it. Liked the look of this lad when I saw a youtube video clip 2 years ago - he seems to have the ability and a reasonable degree of pace so its a mystery why he didn't make it at BMG. Tomasson failed to make it here, yet went on to become a star at Milan, so lets hope the same thing happens here with de Jong. The only major downside is that should he do the business between now and May, BMG will want at least 10m for him and that might be a stumbling block to this club...it won't be to others.....

It was a financial/profile raising decision to come to the Premier League. Nothing to do with wanting to play in the CL. He left a club that was set to play CL football to come to us in the first place. Why am I not surprised at this post...? You basically follow the club line every time. Did it not cross your mind that he left a CL club because he thought we maybe had more potential..? No, just say he's a greedy c--- and that gets Ashley & Co nicely off the hook. Keep that 'Happy Face'....you'll need it....

Is it? What evidence is there that we don't negotiate? Every transfer we've done, we've just said a number and walked away? Seems a bit odd to me. Nah Ian, I didn't mean it was that simple. Of course there will be a lower initial offer as there normally is in any kind of deal, and negotiation thereafter, but there will be an advised maximum which we will not go above. That maximum will be based on probable resale value and "cash on the table" means upfront rather than tick. He's played hard ball all his life and whatever people may think about him he's proven to be quite successful at it. 'Playing hard ball' is fine - for him...have NUFC won any silverware yet...

I wish Cabaye good luck at his new club ; I believe he came to NUFC with every intention of giving of his best and being a part of a successful side going places, hence his persuasion of Debuchy to join us before last season. The fact that we only signed Anita and baulked at paying a decent fee for Debuchy after we finished 5th has no doubt caused him to realise that NUFC has no intention of trying to be a top club so at his age, he needs to move on to play CL football and he is quite right. We have seen some great goals from him and nobody should begrudge him this move....the club are more to blame for it than he is in my view.

haven't been convinced by him overall this season tbh, just doesn't seem terribly interested at times. He's shown what he can do...knows NUFC won't pay the fee demanded and in any case he's made his mind up that we are a club going nowhere - why would he be interested any more..?

If HBA is out and as expected, Remy suspended, it is going to be very hard to win this game. They will be up for it knowing we have just lost Cabaye and probably the other 2 as well although they won't want to get any injuries before their Cup games. We will be as toothless as a 90 year old without Remy and HBA ...Shola is almost a cast-iron to start, even if de Jong is available and unless a replacement for Cabaye appears out of the blue - almost impossible at this club - we will lack creativity and the chance of goals from m/f. If they score first, we will lose.

You might be joking here, but it's a decent point. How about we buy a player that's f***ing in form? Just looking to make save/money again, and f*** the actual needs of the team. Its the default setting under Ashley.