merlin

If a smart businessman is one who learns quickly, then Ashley definitely does NOT qualify...!

As opposed to a team in danger of relegation and whose star players may well be on the move next summer....

Honestly don't know why anyone is surprised by this - also, the slating of Redknapp is just about funny... Football is a dog-eat-dog business and we have been here before...back in the 70s, Dinnis had 2 Irish players lined up to sign and we were playing their club, Bohemians, in the Uefa that night at SJP. Tommy Docherty, manager of Derby at the time, actually pinched them from under our noses before Dinnis could sign them. Then we had Sunderland, run by McMenemy at the time, pinching Alan Kennedy from under our noses when we had set up a deal to bring him back from Liverpool in 1985. If we had grabbed a player that QPR were on the brink of signing, nobody on here would have been whinging about Pardew's sneaky antics and would have laughed at any outrage expressed by QPR fans.... Redknapp was able to get the player(s) because his club were able and willing to pay more wages - that's business and that's life. Newcastle United are a club punching below their weight and because of that, they will ALWAYS be in the same position of making do and mend because there is no way Ashley is going to budge from his policies. These things are like an avalanche - get some momentum going and you pick up more ; that applies to both success and failure. The club failed to invest in the summer and are now going to find it much more difficult to attract better players because both the lack of ambition and the league position are a deterrent.....had we pushed on and been higher in the league we would have been more of a target destination for decent players. This is also likely to cause players like Cabaye and HBA to re-think their futures at SJP unless we manage to get some better players. Personally, I had a number of questions about Remy and both his commitment and fitness but that remains to be seen and if he comes off for QPR good luck to them - life and football is about taking shrewd gambles and that is what they have done. It is clear enough to a blind man now that we are always going to struggle to get top players if we have to compete with most PL club's wages so we are going to be a selling club. That is a disgrace for a club with the support of NUFC and I will never be convinced that the club will approach anything like consistent success(i.e., Top 6 regularly, winning a trophy) whilst Ashley and Llambias are at the club. Kevin Keegan laid the blame firmly at their door in his recent ESPN interview and whilst I thought he was far too quick to excuse Pardew from any blame for the club's position, he was essentially correct in what he said. Get used to it - if you are happy with the way the club is being run it is pointless to complain about things like this - the fault lies at our own door and that of greedy players, not with Rednapp, QPR, Chelsea or Man City etc

IF the club are serious about this guy, the sooner they get it sorted, the better because they may not get the chance if they wait until summer...he may well go elsewhere as there is plenty of competition for his signature.

To be honest, I think most footballers doesn't really give a damn if its us or them, IF they offer a better deal I bet he will get that ugly shirt on. Kind of makes me sad how footballers are now. If 2 employers were offering you a job, wouldn't you do the same..?

Two that look very promising in Australian A League ; 1. Marco Rojas - New Zealander of Chilean descent, 21 years old ; skillful, quick m/f player with Melbourne Victory, has 10 goals and 6 assists this season. Known as the 'Kiwi Messi' for his similarity in playing style. Was much sought-after recently but unlikely to move until the end of the season. 2. Jeremy Walker - Tasmanian aged 19 who plays for Melbourne Heart, Curtis Good's former club. A Right Back who made his debut a short time ago, I watched him play against Sydney FC yesterday and he was outstanding for a lad of his age ; supported the attack brilliantly and hardly wasted a ball. Star moment was when Del Piero was attacking him one to one in the box and Walker just backed off him until the right moment then disposessed him and came away with the ball. Del Piero is past his best but still tricky and I wouldn't have liked to see Simpson try to do what Walker did so well...! Heart were much the better side, playing as a team and keeping the ball well...this boy looks as if he has got something and at 19 still a few years to improve. Both could be bought for a pittance compared to some of the fees we have seen so would suit the Fat man down to the ground but work permits might be a problem - for some reason, German and Dutch clubs have no problem signing Australian youngsters, but despite them being in the Commonwealth, they have difficulty joining UK clubs....Good probably has a British Parent/Grandparent but I doubt that would apply to Rojas unless on his mother's side.

His position would be untenable at the majority of clubs if we lose to Reading, but I still wouldn't bet on the 2 clowns getting rid because they have begun to see what a mess they have made of it all and that their Oh so clever sacking of Hughton for Pardew has rebounded on them big time...

If the article by Liddle was in the Times, don't forget that Murdoch's outfits have always tried to do us down - it was them that set up the NOTW scam that the 2 idiots from the previous Board fell into so easily and made us all look mugs... They take every opportunity to rubbish the club....that is probably why Liddle got the article through.

I still don't think they'll sack him any time soon. A month or so in the relegation zone might change things like. ....which will be far too late.

A poor performance of which the best product was that we didn't lose. Anita gave a good all round performance, def starting to look a good player, worth the fee. Jonas, apart from a couple of first half runs, was dire and Williamson gave his usual hoof performance. Cisse was isolated and he is as bad a Ba was at keeping the ball when it is played up to him - doesn't look anything like the player of last season. Debuchy had a reasonable debut given the circumstances and was obviously surprised a couple of times by the intensity of PL pace...he got left for dead twice but he looks to be an intelligent player and will adjust. His crossing and support play is a vast improvement on Simpson. Cabaye brought some much-needed craft and graft to the m/f when he came on but it wasn't enough. The team was obviously set up to primarily obtain a point which they did, but were fortunate in the end - Pardew seems to have a knack of turning good players into mediocre ones and his general tactics/approach to the game are not going to provide either winning or entertaining football. Reading's result yesterday after being 2 goals down will be a huge fillip for their morale - would anyone here bet their house on NUFC coming back from even 1 goal down under Pardew to win a game..? The only positive is that Villa lost - even 'Arry Boy got a point so the Reading game is crucial - lose that and we become one of the faves for the drop..even a draw is no good. If we lose to Reading, Pardew should go.

If Colo leaves before Jan 31, we are now at 8...at least that's my new number.

Totally agree, BG....we've seen it all before...

Before making any firm comment on this, I would like to know the REAL reason Coloccini wants to leave right now but I suspect we'll never find out. It hardly seems sensible for a player to sign a long term new contract and then ask to go unless he is trying to do the club a favour by making sure they get a decent fee, but in this case, the club he allegedly wishes to join cannot afford to pay a decent fee. Also, you could understand him wanting to go back home in maybe 2 years time as he would be nearing the end of his PL career at the top but to leave for Argentina now when he is one of the best CBs in the PL seems strange to say the least - as for his wife's supposed unrest, even a move to a Spanish side would seem to make sense as he is going to lose a fortune going back to Argentina so soon. No, the given official reasons for this don't stack up as far as I'm concerned - there is far more than meets the eye to this and either he has got himself into a very difficult personal situation(and we can all speculate on what that might be....) or there is a problem at the club he can't see being resolved and it would be far easier to guess what THAT might be..! Eiither way,ts a disaster - he is the best defender at the club by a mile and we reached 5th last season largely as a result of his defensive play...look at the Norwich result last season when he and Taylor had been injured ...he has never rocked the boat in any way and this would seem to be out of character but I can see why he would be pi--ed off with the club's lack of team strengthening in the summer and with Pardew as a manager this season...maybe there is a bigger problem at the club about this than is apparent but most players know they can't do anything about it. Still surprised that he wants to go so quickly unless there is either a major personal issue or he has had a big falling out with the club. We all know that the chances of successfuly replacing this guy are next to zilch with the current board so it poses a huge problem - if he leaves in this window, my Relegation estimate will immediately rise to an 8 from 6. I said last week the club was in a mess and some disagreed - I'm going to repeat it but this time its in a bigger mess than I thought.

About 5 years in the Championship and then even Ashley will get sick of losing money and drop us like a hot brick. As long as they keep blundering by, they'll stick to their same old ways.

This - and he IS weak...wouldn't be in the job otherwise as the terrible twosome don't do strong managers - puppets only allowed. We have no evidence from his past record that he will start learning and he's in his 50s now.

With a bit of luck, this guy could find himself going to a Wembley Cup Final, whereas had he stayed at SJP this season, he would have been in the reserves or fighting against relegation at best... Not a bad start for a young lad in his first English season...!

Excellent post.

If we finish the season in decent form I don't think many will be calling for him to be sacked tbf. I think there's a small group that dislike him regardless, but nowhere near the majority. What has he ever done in his past career that gives people confidence that he is going to be a top manager with the same club over a period of more than 2 years ? Why does anyone think it is going to be different here..? Just as well Ipswich gave Robson a chance after his previous track record was to get Fulham relegated and then gave him time after a few rubbish seasons. Managers can improve. Pardew may not, but it is possible that he might come back a better manager for it. Have you looked at Robson's career record ? He was 35 when he became manager at Fulham and 36 when he joined Ipswich.....by the time he was Pardew's age he had achieved far more than being fired from 4 clubs - if Pardew hasn't achieved anything as a manager now, he isn't going to, or at least, the odds against it are very high. Look at Ferguson's record as a manager by the time he reached Pardew's age - do you think Man U would have appointed Pardew as their manager when he was the same age as Ferguson ?? There are plenty of managers I could quote who have made it by the time they are Pardew's age - he is at NUFC because he is cheap to employ and suits the board because of it. Any manager worth their salt wants a degree of control over signings and club policy - Ashley and Llambias are never going to allow that. My point was that the same could have been said of Robson at a particular point of his career, but obviously he went on to be a great manager. I dare say that if Ipswich had decided that finishing 19th in Robson's second season wasn't acceptable and sacked him, his managerial career might have been a very very different one. I am not suggesting that Pardew will be anywhere near as good as Robson, but maybe Pardew does need to be given another season in charge of a club to see if he can reverse the current trend. Writing him off as someone who can't produce beyond 1-2 seasons is lazy and ignores all context. I am sure there are plenty of managers you can mention who have 'made it' by 51 - I am sure there are a damn sight more managers you could list who haven't. Are you suggesting that we should only appoint managers who have now 'made it'? Perhaps we should give Jose a ring if that is now the criteria. Can you give me ONE good reason - apart from the people running the club - that NUFC should be happy with a manager who is an 'also-ran' or one who gets the side playing unattractive - and losing - football..esp with some of the players the club has ? Also, choosing to ignore Pardew's CV is just as 'lazy' as writing him off...in what other context apart from the situation we now find ourselves - is anyone supposed to judge him...after we have been relegated, perhaps..?

If we finish the season in decent form I don't think many will be calling for him to be sacked tbf. I think there's a small group that dislike him regardless, but nowhere near the majority. What has he ever done in his past career that gives people confidence that he is going to be a top manager with the same club over a period of more than 2 years ? Why does anyone think it is going to be different here..? Just as well Ipswich gave Robson a chance after his previous track record was to get Fulham relegated and then gave him time after a few rubbish seasons. Managers can improve. Pardew may not, but it is possible that he might come back a better manager for it. Have you looked at Robson's career record ? He was 35 when he became manager at Fulham and 36 when he joined Ipswich.....by the time he was Pardew's age he had achieved far more than being fired from 4 clubs - if Pardew hasn't achieved anything as a manager now, he isn't going to, or at least, the odds against it are very high. Look at Ferguson's record as a manager by the time he reached Pardew's age - do you think Man U would have appointed Pardew as their manager when he was the same age as Ferguson ?? There are plenty of managers I could quote who have made it by the time they are Pardew's age - he is at NUFC because he is cheap to employ and suits the board because of it. Any manager worth their salt wants a degree of control over signings and club policy - Ashley and Llambias are never going to allow that.

This - absolutely. The manager is responsible for motivating the team...ask KK..

I'd agree on point two. The whole team has to be prepared to press or its pointless. Our pressing game looks very half-hearted. We may be getting caught between two stools. Last year we concentrated more on just getting men behind the ball. Nothing to do with the fact that Pardew either can't get his point across, or simply doesn't know what to do...?

If we finish the season in decent form I don't think many will be calling for him to be sacked tbf. I think there's a small group that dislike him regardless, but nowhere near the majority. What has he ever done in his past career that gives people confidence that he is going to be a top manager with the same club over a period of more than 2 years ? Why does anyone think it is going to be different here..?

Gosling is a waste of space...would get rid.

Yip, however his policy has brought us Ba, Cisse, Cabaye, ben Arfa, Tiote, Anita, Santon, Debuchy, Marveux in last 3 seasons. Not bad really. The problem is the mindset that someone needs to be sold to offset this, even if Simpson / Williamson goes we need that squad player. We also need to develop players like Sammy, Tav, Fergie, Abeid, Bigi, Amalfatino, Streete, Campbell, Inman, Dummett to be capable of playing in the team. It's up to the manager to work that one out as it could solve a few problems really. Getting a few of those to being good players to bring in with right mentality, tactical nous, discipline etc would save us a fortune but we need the coaching and management to drill it into them because tactical and discipline seems shocking in all but Bigi - never seen Streete obviously Inman ? The guy was scoring and creating goals for the reserves earlier in the season and didn't even get near the first team.... What has happened to him ? He's over 20 now isn't he ?

Sensible? Having 3 senior CB's at the club, 1 who is injury prone and 1 is a Championship level defender is sensible? Having 3 senior strikers at the club (now 2), 1 of which is Shola Ameobi, is sensible? It's far from sensible, it's downright stupid and is hurting us now on the pitch. It's not about the expenditure, it's about having a balanced squad with depth. Our squad was short for last season BUT with the additional European games it was obvious more bodies were needed and we didn't get it, that isn't sensible. I think there lies a pretty serious problem within in the view of "purple players". It's not treating football as a squad game, but as a process where you try to assemble 11 good players and then hope for the rest to fill in on as few occasions as possible. It's yet another example of how little Ashley and Llambias actually understand about football. They've implemented an interesting enough business model that I firmly believe is our way forward. It does however need revising and tweaking. Relying on people from the development squad and having James Perch play in every position - it's not how football works, especially not if you want to move forward. It worked briefly during last season, but we were not hit by any amount of injuries. It gave them a false impression of how things work. They've shown before that they learn from their mistakes, they just need to quit making new ones. I hope this period serves as a warning to them. Business building owner and casino manager chairman in lack of football knowledge shocker....!