merlin

I kind of fear the same, until you can compete with the top 4 financially you'll always be worried that any player's startling progress will inevitably lead to him moving. That unfortunately is the reality of where we are today. Fortunately we do have some very good players at the club, despite the current wailing we are not a one man team and if we had given in to his demands as soon as another club came after him, it would have had more serious and longer term implications for the morale of the team than his departure will have. ..and are these 'very good players' going to stay at a club that sells its best young players when other clubs dangle big bucks in front of them ?? See what happens with Enrique in summer..

Do you think we will sign another player who will become England's CF in the next 10 years

Spot on BG - I despair, I really do ; some of these guys will be as old as us before they get the message !

You also leave when she plays fast and loose with your money and pretends it went on a good cause...HER ! what if she's been the one paying for everything and you just want to piss it up the wall on a new entertainament system. ..then the question shouldn't arise anyway - should it ? I don't see the comparison with the club's situation.

You also leave when she plays fast and loose with your money and pretends it went on a good cause...HER !

People have been doing the same thing for years and some of them - quite a few thousand in fact - have decided it's not worth it....take a look at the non-existent waiting list for STs...there were 20,000 on it when KK resigned.

Can I ask you, IanW, whether you are really interested in my feelings about NUFC, or are you just trying to hide behind some vision of gang loyalty by questioning my motives for the post ? Either way, I am quite prepared to answer your question and I don't give a toss what anyone else thinks about it either... If you have been reading my comments over the past 3 years, you will know that I take a different view of NUFC than most younger fans. You will know that I gave a large amount of time - my own FREE time - in being one of a group that actually DID something about bringing much-needed change to the club. We succeeded to a point - the club had its most successful league showing since the 1950s after SJH and KK took over, but it DIDN'T win a trophy. Since SJH resigned as Chairman, the club has, apart from the spell when SBR was in charge, gone backwards. It is now owned by a person whose motives are unclear - perhaps even to himself. Prior to the Hall takeover, many of us refused to buy STs in order to give another push into forcing the old board out - AND, crucially, to demonstrate our disapproval of how the club was being run. If I was still in the UK, I would have probably stopped buying STs after the KK walkout fiasco, which proved to me that Ashley was an unfit Chairman. I WOULD have picked individual games because I still wanted the club to try to pick itself off the floor, but I would certainly NOT be buying an ST now after the club have proved their intent - or lack of it. What were the first words Pardew uttered about the staff when he walked into SJP less than 2 months ago ? They were, if you need reminding, 'Andy Carroll is NOT for sale, we want to build the team round him'. Where does all this leave the manager's credibility ? Where does it leave the club ? Who are the losers ? Not Carroll, or NUFC(Ashley), not Liverpool, but the FANS - once again. If you have to approve the club's actions to be classed as a 'fan', then as far as I'm concerned, forget it. Its easier for me as I am thousands of miles away and the biggest problem I have is standing aloof from the laughter which ensues when one admits to having been an NUFC fan ! If NUFC get relegated, it won't alter my life - it will for thousands over there, but I WILL be saddened that the club has, once again, become totally second-rate when it could - and should - have been totally different. If my views offend any on here - tough. If you feel that strongly about what I think, then say so, and I'll leave the site to those who wish to live in an unreal version of the Football world.....just as thousands of older fans have done in past years - look at the fall in the ST waiting list if you don't believe me. I hope the club is on the point of being sold - otherwise, I cannot see how they are going to build a decent team - and keep it - over the next few years.

I know all about Cole - he was sold purely and simply because KK thought it was good money and he wanted Les Ferdinand ...and most of all, Alan Shearer, both of whom arrived. Are you going to put Carroll's transfer in the dame category as this ? Esp as KK forced Fergie to part with Gillespie in the deal, a young player very highly regarded at OT ? There is no comparison with the 2 deals ; NUFC were going to progress after the sale of Cole - do you think the dame sort of investment will be made by Ashley and Co, even in summer, and will they bust the wage structure to get replacements ? Yes or No ?

This has been a wake-up call for many younger fans - esp on this forum. Newcastle United's place in the scheme of things has been well and truly shown for what it is - a middle-ranking football club with an interesting history and a larger than average set of fans. Those of us who have seen this kind of thing many times before will not be surprised - disappointed that the club have no ambition, but we all knew the policies Ashley has brought to the club. Those blaming Carroll ought to get their heads out of their backsides - does anyone seriously think that he put in a transfer request without the knowledge of both NUFC and Liverpool ? If so, there must be fairies at the bottom of your garden, visible to only you....the transfer request was made so that it looked as if NUFC had made a serious effort not to sell. I am not saying the player didn't want to go - would YOU turn down the chance of instant millions and to be signed by a famous club who have just been taken over and demonstrated(by signing Suarez AND Carroll) that they want success..?? Or would you stay at a club where you don't know what's going to happen from day to day and where the owner has made so many bad decisions that you know there is little chance of success ?? Had it been NUFC trying to sign Suarez or Torres, do you seriously think that Carroll would have 'put in a transfer request'..? The lad is not blameless but he knows full well that the club is going NOWHERE, and now, so do the fans. The list of outgoings from SJP - esp to Liverpool - over the years reads like an International 11 ; Albert Stubbins(1940s), Terry McDermott(1974), Alan Kennedy(1978), Peter Beardsley(1987) and now, Andy Carroll, 2011. We have also had Pop Robson(Transfer Req)1971, Malcolm Macdonald, 1976, Tommy Craig/Irving Nattrass,1978,Chris Waddle, 1985 and Paul Gascoigne, 1988. The only period that NUFC DIDN'T have to sell its best players(and indeed, was one of the main buyers in the market)was between 1993 and 1997...even the likes of Hamman wanted away in 98 after Gullit took over. All the players named above were at their peak or still to reach it with the exception of Nattrass who had taken several major injuries - and most of them were 'Geordies' who, according to the starry-eyed on here would never leave the club...FAT CHANCE. Football is a dirty business - even more so today. Money has ruined it and unless you have rich benefactors who are willing to invest and compete, you are going nowhere. Its not a happy scenario, but that's what you have. As far as we can see, there has been no replacement or any other major signing - the club is not out of the woods yet, and even if we stay up, I wonder how they think they are going to be able to attract decent forwards with Ashley's wage structure etc. Welcome to the world of NUFC - those of us long in the tooth have seen it all before ; sell your best players and you are mediocre and, worse than that, SEEN to be by the football world. We had our chance in the 90s and blew it. Carroll won't be the last...watch this space.

They are not even the same type of player to be honest - Carroll's game is much more physical than Rooney's and he is much bigger ; Rooney is, at this time, more skillful with the ball at his feet but Carroll may improve that way. If Carroll can improve anywhere near as much as he has done this season, I would not swap Rooney for him. He is 3 years younger for a start. I also have doubts as to whether Rooney has the desire to give 100% in most games now - next season will tell the tale.

Yes, a great player - played until he was 40 I think. i could have lived with Romario being late for training because he would have done the business in matches, but NOT Ranger...!

Agree with most of your post but I actually believe that if we have a loss of players like Carroll, Enrique and Tiote, it will ruin the club for years. We can afford ONE of them to go, maybe 2 if there are decent replacements, but if 3 or 4 go in the next 6 months it will send a message loud and clear that NUFC is just a nursery club for the big boys - we will find it increasingly difficult to sign top class experienced players and even the best youngsters will shy away. Naturally, the loss of players of this calibre is going to affect the team performances badly - we could even be relegated and its back to square 1. Having said that, it would be very difficult to stop Carroll leaving if he really wanted to because players in his position are so sought after - that doesn't mean ALL the best players should be allowed to go. NUFC are too big to be a Burnley(who used to sell their young stars in the 60s/70s). There is a very fine line between balancing the books and being a nursery - as you say, we don't know what Ashley really wants, but IF he wants out, he will be tempted to sell the better players so the clubs' books look good. Don't forget - unlike other clubs, NUFC DON'T own the land on which the ground is built....

This - without a doubt. Tomasson had been a success playing alongside Shearer in the pre-season games and I am sure that he would have done the business if Shearer had not got that terrible injury at Everton in the pre-season tournament. Tomasson was never CF and he struggled badly when forced to play there because Shearer was out and Ferdinand had gone. He proved his quality at AC Milan and had a great career. We never made the best use of Milner either and he was messed about quite a bit in his early years at the club. Hamman could have been a great player for us if Gullit hadn't arrived - he didn't get on with him and wanted away.

Riiiiggghhht.....keep taking the tablets....

In addition to my earlier comment, I would like to add that what people say in private is their business and these 2 do seem to have done that....however, someone has got it in for them as the conversation was not supposed to be broadcast - fingers pointed at the technical staff who have obviously alerted other parts of the organization/media to what they said. Both men AND women are very uncomplimentary about each other in private and this isn't going to change that. Its the professional angle that gives the authorities a handle on all this but it should never have come to light. More to this than meets the eye, as with everything. I don't think Gray and Keys have a very strong negotiating hand either, because none of the other football broadcasters are likely to employ them if they resign or get fired...esp the BBC, home of PC nonsense as confirmed by Peter Sissons...

Sky have come out of this with no credit at all - if they felt that strongly about what had been said, they would have fired the 2 guys pronto...sexism laws all on their side. They've bigged it up on Sky News as if they had done something wonderful in the cause of women's emancipation. What happens now ? The miscreants return after a few weeks and all is forgotten ? Do me a favour ; either fire them or say their views are their own , not Sky policy. Pathetic load of posers, frankly...and the 2 idiots as well..!

I won't make a proper judgment on Pardew until I see the type of players he signs in summer. So far, you can't really say he's done anything drastically wrong apart from using Tiote at Stevenage and some other of his selections in that game. He is willing to make substitutions far more readily than Hughton did and results have been OK bearing in mind the loss of key players. Not thinking about Hughton - he's gone, he did a decent job in difficult circumstances but we have to get on with it now.

Carroll's absence for another 2 months would be a major blow to the club. It is patently obvious that the strikers on the books are not going to score the goals(or, just as important, create the problems for defenders)that Carroll would, so the club either has to look at getting a new striker or trying to muddle along until the end of the season. I think we all know which option they are likely to choose and at this time of year they don't have much alternative ; there is very little genuine striking talent available at the price NUFC would be willing to pay and there is no point in signing someone who is no better than what we have available. As for the question about selling Carroll, I agree that no player is bigger than the club, but in Carroll's case he is such a rare type of CF these days that it would be almost impossible to replace him - the club sold Supermac in 1976 and for a while, they managed OK without him but as soon as Gordon Lee left for Everton, performances began to deteriorate and really tailed off the following season and we were relegated. Other decent players saw that the club weren't going to spend big money on the side and they left too, so selling Carroll right now might send the wrong signal to the team. Having said that, it would be difficult to keep the player if he really wanted to go and even if he gets unsettled, it may reflect in the side's performance.

Not in the real world my friend If he is not being given what he thinks he deserves, or what he is being offered elsewhere, he can negotiate a deal whenever he likes whether the club like it or not He knows his value This - sadly.

Got caught in possession a lot today. Like Nolan probably found the pace of the game a bit too much at the end of the day. He's a good footballer, but I have always had reservations about his fitness and stamina - in our current plight with injuries etc this is even more exposed.

Lad behind me kept saying "that'll do, that'll do" every 3 seconds when we hoofed the ball out only for it to go to one of their players. Well no, it won't f***ing do will it because we're constantly giving the ball away. Pissed me right off. Absolutely right - I was tearing my hair out at the number of times the ball was needlessly given away when we should have been trying to keep it and make them chase it. Problem is that we have nobody up front who can win and keep the ball when Carroll is out.

Yes, this is a weakness but he has improved his reading of the game.

As it happens, I don't rate Krul that highly either - football is a matter of opinions and as anyone who has been watching the increasingly-boring interchange between madras and I about Forster, I can't - yet - form an opinion on him because I haven't seen him enough....and that is why I would like to see what he can do. Krul looked decent in his first few appearances but has looked increasing uncertain as the season has gone on - its no surprise to me that we have stopped conceding so many goals since Harper came back because I reckon the defence feel happier with him behind them and he doesn't flap. Not a BAD keeper, but not top notch or a progression from Harper.

Europe ? Not a chance this season - squad too small. Let's survive first - we don't know how long Carroll will be out.

For what exactly? for being a glory hunting c*** looking for his first goal, when Lovenkrands is stood alone in the 6yd box. A tap across and its 2-0. You could see half our team point straight towards Lovenkrands before he tried to score from behind the goal line. The one where he took it around Dawson? Come off it man, he's entitled to go for goal when he's made himself an opening like that. aye but if he had half a brain we would have 3pts. No, we wouldn't. Loven had stopped his run and there was a Spurs defender inbetween them ahead of Loven. Much greater chance it'd have been cleared than if he went for glory. Wrong - I saw the replay at least 3 times and the player on the far post - Lovenkrands - WAS unmarked when Ranger got round Dawson ; if the ball had been squared, he couldn't fail to score - oh wait, it WAS Lovenkrands...!!