merlin

We all know that - but its easier said than done and clubs will hold us to ransom.

I think it's exactly a sign of Rafa's long term plan. Right now we need a settled side, a team that will win 7-8 games out of 10. This is what we are doing, a lot of our players will not be here long term, a lot of them which Rafa has signed. He's got a squad who should get those 6, 7, or 8 wins out of 10 for this league. As we move on they will gradually be phased out, first teamers now will drop down to squad players and then away from the club. The problem is when we lose those 3 games or so out of 10 we are losing them all at once. We need to keep composed though in order for Rafa's plan to work, with our position in the top 2 narrowing and NUFC's habit of shooting ourselves in the foot that is where the concern comes in. All very well to talk about long-term plans....we don't HAVE long-term, we have to go up this season or Rafa will almost certainly be away and the club back to square one. If that happens, it could be YEARS before we get out of this league, look at the likes of Leeds and Sheff Weds..both well-supported clubs and have been down for years now...

All credit to the other Champ sides that won...they are showing the necessary character to come from behind in a pressurised situation and that is a quality this Newcastle team clearly lack. They managed it against Norwich by humping the ball long in injury time and getting lucky bounces(something they attempted in the last few minutes of this match and never looked like succeeding). I have said for a while that this team is FAR from certain to be promoted because they lack character, have become predictable and have been sussed out by other teams ; do not rule out a consistent challenge from Leeds either and Derby cannot be ruled out. Colback should never play again but will because we have Africans heading away for weeks. Rafa will have a tough task getting new players because other clubs can see our situation and hold him to ransom...we also do not look the certainties for promotion that we did a month ago. You cannot pull other teams apart if you lack pace...and we do, in a big way especially with Colback in m/f. If Rafa cannot get the players he wants - and the team clearly needs - we will struggle to avoid the Play-offs and heaven help us if THAT happens..

Eh? It was basically the same as the end of the second half up until five minutes before they scored from a set piece. We're playing Blackburn though, not Liverpool. And we're Newcastle, not Liverpool. You really think we were doing well in this half until they scored? What did we create? There's no point discussing it, we clearly see things very differently. You haven't even explained it. Should we accept two losses to Blackburn? How can I explain it? You don't agree in the slightest. I felt we were still well in control and didn't see them holding out for the full 90 mins. We went off the boil for 5 mins and were hit by a classic sucker punch after a ludicrous foul from one of our worst players. And obviously two defeats to Blackburn would be pretty terrible on paper. Doesn't mean I can't appreciate that we have deserved something from this match. We deserved something from our games with Liverpool and - er- Blackburn back in 96 when we lost both....it cost us the title and you only get what you deserve - we were predictable and slow to build attacks and they won with their one real chance, given to them by a brain-dead idiot who should be manning a dust cart....oh, wait, that's an insult to guys that do....

This guy was directly responsible for the defeat today and should never, by rights, wear the B&W shirt again. His lack of contribution to the build up play, lack of imagination in passing and stupid - yes, stupid - fouls in dangerous areas mark him out as a footballer who is playing at least 1 league above his capabilities. One-paced, thick and an idiot to boot. The fact that we are dependent on African players to replace him(and they are not available because of ACN)shows that he is difficult to drop... the top clubs have either avoided signing too many African players because they lose them at critical times in certain years, or they have adequate cover in their squads. This is going to cost us dearly over the rest of the season.

This - we have been well and truly sussed ; top sides go to places like Blackburn(bottom 3 remember)and win when they have to. We did not and unless signings come along soon(and Colback sold)we will end up in the Play-offs if we are lucky...and we all know what will happen then...the next few weeks will determine the whole future of this club for years to come. Down to a 7 from 7.5.

There are far worse signings we could make in order to shore up the promotion push than Cleverley....never going to be a top PL player but an improvement on Colback for sure...plenty on other media talking about Siggurdson and he would be a great signing but there is NO way Swansea would want to sell him right now because they are desperate to try to stay in the PL...selling Siggurdson would be an admission that they are going to accept relegation.

The lack of any creative spark without him is worrying. For that reason I'd play Diame at CM in place of Colback which would mean Perez would have to start but at least it gives us a more offensive look in the middle of the park. Hayden and Colback in the middle is turgid. Agreed - this, and the lack of pace(Gayle apart)up front are the biggest worries. Its one thing to lose matches unluckily, it happens to all teams, but quite another when you are not creating many real chances.

Crickey! Still remember that as if it were yesterday. It was this game that really killed off our PL title challenge...he scored 2 goals in a couple of minutes very close to the end of the match. We had performed a similar suicide act at Anfield a few days earlier. I too will never forget these games and the total feeling of disappointment after them. We had blown a 12 point lead since Feb and this was just too much on top of that...to make it worse, Fenton disappeared from the scene after that - it was as if he was some agent of evil sent to kill our dreams and then withdrawn back over the River Styx...!

A Very Happy New Year to all posters and here's to a successful season with a return to the PL.

Good job about our away form then. Wait until after Blackburn before you say this...our form is not good and just playing away won't improve it. We've won 4 of the last 5. Does it have to be all green to be good form? We have all seen the team play in the past few games....you must draw your own conclusion.

He has been far and away more successful than the vast majority of fans imagined....fantastic value for his fee. Only Pardew could not see that he is a natural goal scorer but then, I suppose we shouldn't gloat - it was Newcastle United, under the auspices of one Willie McFaul, who played a triallist in goal only for same teenager to sign for Southampton who played him in his preferred CF position and then be bought back by Newcastle in 1996 for a world-record fee...!

He's French isn't he....? have you never heard Wenger's post match interviews..? he suffers from foul blindness as long as its an Arsenal player being accused..!

Good job about our away form then. Wait until after Blackburn before you say this...our form is not good and just playing away won't improve it.

Wouldn't attempt to predict this - we are not playing well and a draw would be acceptable.

Haven't seen the game over here, just Gayle's excellent strike over the keeper, so cannot comment on performance. From the comments I have read, it appears that the game went much as I thought it would...slightly better than Sheff Weds but not convincing until the sending off. There is no doubt that Rafa needs to get an attacking/creative m/f player of quality if he can as well as a winger with some pace in order to offset Shelvey's absence. Couldn't care less about the FAC this season but want the points to keep coming in - just as well we won because teams behind us will have been hoping for another flop.

Think I'd go along with that. Jury is very much out on Gamez and Lazaar, bar them I agree. Considering the limited time he had to scout and find players who were willing to drop down to the Championship and the ridiculous amount of players we needed, he did a fantastic job in the summer IMO This - one of the reasons why I haven't been tempted to criticize Rafa. Unfortunately, the team needs more surgery than he could manage in the summer but I am confident that if anyone can persuade decent players to step into the championship, he can That is what we need to hope over the next few weeks. Getting players to sign IF we get promotion will not be a major problem for him if the club support him with wages etc.

Both in the 'Reserved judgment' file right now...and I selected Lascelles as my choice for player of the year so I haven't got any agenda to stand by..he SHOULD be PL standard under Rafa but has wobbled a bit. Ritchie may not be in the role that suits him but Rafa is the boss..

If there's any more than 4 of the current first XI in the starting line up next season (assuming that'll be in the PL) then we're in for another relegation battle. Pretty accurate actually - Darlow, Gayle Clarke(50/50)Shelvey and maybe Yedlin. Any advance..?

Yeah and so did Norwich at the start of the season. Then Huddersfield. Then Fulham. Then Reading. Now Leeds. Next week it'll be "Sheff Weds are catching us!". Week after it'll be Derby. f*** that noise, I dislike Villa and want them to lose. Newcastle will get promoted. 'Newcastle will get promoted'....Yes, and in 1996 we all thought we were certainties for the PL title after being 12 points ahead of Man U in FEBRUARY...we also signed Asprilla - look how all THAT turned out..! Nothing certain in football and being bookies favourites isn't a guarantee either - look what happened with Brexit & Trump... Chickens/Hatched/do not count until..

And they are. Don't think anyone would be happy if we're not promoted. And it'd be disappointing if we don't go up as Champions. People being accused of sticking their heads in the sand because they haven't thrown their toys out the pram though. Personally I think our team is a bit overrated and the main reason we're in the top 2, and not fighting out with the rest of the pack, is because of Rafa. Like any manager though you take the good with the bad, and Rafa has his bad points no doubt, but he's by a distance the most distinguished manager we've ever had and it's pretty disheartening to see people jumping on his back every time he falters. In isolation the 6 defeats are bad but that's ignoring the pretty incredible runs of form we've been on around them. To the point Brighton are only 2 points ahead of us having the season of their lives. Where people ARE putting their heads in the sand is not because they are not throwing toys from their prams, its because they really think the team is better than it is....and you answered that by saying yourself that the team is somewhat over-rated, which it is and that is the point many who have raised concerns, are making. A side which is truly Champions material would not have lost 4 games at home by December...and only two of those to a side who could genuinely be assessed as possible promotion material, i.e. Sheff Weds and Huddersfield. We lack creativity and pace, both in midfield and up front with the exception of Gayle and that is possibly the main reason why these defeats have happened. Away from home we can sit back, pass the ball around the back 4 and the only people that irritates are the home supporters ; with our one player of pace - Gayle - up front, we can always catch teams on the break as they are obliged to attack more on their home grounds. At SJP, the opposition are quite happy to sit back and mark us tightly knowing the fans want Newcastle to attack more so if the opposition has planned well or has pace up front(as on Boxing Day)it is THEY that are catching us on the break...look how many times Darlow saved us from Fletcher's chances alone.... They know that if we go behind we haven't got the guile and skill in m/f or the pace up front to open them up and that is even worse when Shelvey is out of the side as we saw. The problem won't be sorted unless Rafa is able to sign a couple of decent players, one on m/f and one either up front or on the flanks. Rafa has to work with what he has, there are some chinks in the side's makeup and I don't subscribe to what appears to be a consensus view that we are certain to go up...anyone who saw what happened to our genuinely great side in 1995/96 after we were TWELVE points ahead of Man U in February and still ended up blowing the title would never make the mistake of taking anything for granted in football. We are only at Christmas, already a number of fans appear to be quite happy to accept that Brighton will pip us for the League and at least 4 other sides are putting decent runs together and will look at our stumbles and fancy their chances even more of grabbing an automatic place or at least getting into the Play-offs...I don't know about any of you but I do NOT want us to end up there because we have a poor and notorious record of failing on the big occasion...new signings are needed to steady the ship. I think that's just you and a few other fans who are over-pessimistic. This is more frustration for me, I still think we'll win this league, just getting annoyed when we put out sides with too many players who lack pace or touch. I don't think a midfield of Hayden, Colback, Gouffran and Ritchie offers much threat or pace, especially when supported by defensive full backs who can't get forward either. Actually, Tron, I am NOT among those who are happy for Brighton to pip us to the title...yes, I agree that we put out sides without much pace or threat, but that is because in some positions Rafa hasn't much choice. He COULD, though, have picked Yedlin instead of Dummett and put Mitro on sooner in the second half. Brighton MIGHT pip us to the title if we don't address the pace/creativity problem in the transfer market and we will still find it a challenge to beat well organized sides who come to SJP to park the bus. As I said earlier, our stumbles at SJP have given the chasing clubs heart and I wouldn't say we are certainties to be promoted yet....

And they are. Don't think anyone would be happy if we're not promoted. And it'd be disappointing if we don't go up as Champions. People being accused of sticking their heads in the sand because they haven't thrown their toys out the pram though. Personally I think our team is a bit overrated and the main reason we're in the top 2, and not fighting out with the rest of the pack, is because of Rafa. Like any manager though you take the good with the bad, and Rafa has his bad points no doubt, but he's by a distance the most distinguished manager we've ever had and it's pretty disheartening to see people jumping on his back every time he falters. In isolation the 6 defeats are bad but that's ignoring the pretty incredible runs of form we've been on around them. To the point Brighton are only 2 points ahead of us having the season of their lives. Where people ARE putting their heads in the sand is not because they are not throwing toys from their prams, its because they really think the team is better than it is....and you answered that by saying yourself that the team is somewhat over-rated, which it is and that is the point many who have raised concerns, are making. A side which is truly Champions material would not have lost 4 games at home by December...and only two of those to a side who could genuinely be assessed as possible promotion material, i.e. Sheff Weds and Huddersfield. We lack creativity and pace, both in midfield and up front with the exception of Gayle and that is possibly the main reason why these defeats have happened. Away from home we can sit back, pass the ball around the back 4 and the only people that irritates are the home supporters ; with our one player of pace - Gayle - up front, we can always catch teams on the break as they are obliged to attack more on their home grounds. At SJP, the opposition are quite happy to sit back and mark us tightly knowing the fans want Newcastle to attack more so if the opposition has planned well or has pace up front(as on Boxing Day)it is THEY that are catching us on the break...look how many times Darlow saved us from Fletcher's chances alone.... They know that if we go behind we haven't got the guile and skill in m/f or the pace up front to open them up and that is even worse when Shelvey is out of the side as we saw. The problem won't be sorted unless Rafa is able to sign a couple of decent players, one on m/f and one either up front or on the flanks. Rafa has to work with what he has, there are some chinks in the side's makeup and I don't subscribe to what appears to be a consensus view that we are certain to go up...anyone who saw what happened to our genuinely great side in 1995/96 after we were TWELVE points ahead of Man U in February and still ended up blowing the title would never make the mistake of taking anything for granted in football. We are only at Christmas, already a number of fans appear to be quite happy to accept that Brighton will pip us for the League and at least 4 other sides are putting decent runs together and will look at our stumbles and fancy their chances even more of grabbing an automatic place or at least getting into the Play-offs...I don't know about any of you but I do NOT want us to end up there because we have a poor and notorious record of failing on the big occasion...new signings are needed to steady the ship.

If we lose this game - or even draw it - we can start having to worry about the Play-offs... Give over man, half the season to go yet. We've won the most games and scored the most goals. Things aren't perfect but we are at the top for a reason, we have the right manager and our squad are a good bunch Read - my - lips....we have lost FOUR home games and the season is only half over...good sides would not lose more than 4 games at home over the whole season, let alone half of it. Our goal diff advantage was because of one freak result at QPR - how many goals did we concede at SJP whilst losing to the 4 sides who beat us...? also, if Darlow hadn't been in such excellent form yesterday, we could have conceded FOUR without reply. We are top UNLESS Brighton win tonight and then we won't be...fail to beat Forest and they will stay there too - that is also for a reason(maybe they have better players in crucial positions...?). Our players may be a 'good bunch' as far as you are concerned, but they are only a 'good bunch' if they get the club back into the PL - where it should be - next season. Too many of the good bunch are not good enough on the field and won't be at the club much longer. We DO have an excellent manager but he is not a miracle worker and can only work with the material at his disposal. We got beat, calm down man. We will all be singing their praises again in the not too distant future. As for losing games, we could lose loads more this season and still go up. We are a good side at this level, despite the games we've lost. It's December, the question of who is good enough or not is for another day If you think we could lose 'loads' more and still go up you are not watching the football most of us on here were watching yesterday...and have watched for most of this season. I disagree with your analysis. Fair enough, yesterday was poor but it wasn't our season. A lot of our football has been excellent this season and we've scored a s*** load of goals. Plus we have been fantastic away from home. I don't see how you can disagree with it, this division is an absolute slog and it's impossible to be great every week. Home record has NOT seen excellent football apart from Preston in the LC(they fielded a weakened side)and Birmingham in the last but one match at SJP. We huffed and puffed and failed to blow down the walls of Wolves, Blackburn, Huddersfield and Weds(they could have beaten us by a clear 4 goals but for Darlow's brilliant form). Had we conceded all the chances Wednesday created our goal diff would have disappeared(Brighton scored 3 without reply last night). We are losing home matches because our players are not good enough/lack the spirit to cope with the situation when they go a goal behind at SJP and we lack the pace to get behind well-organized defences who tackle hard and fast. The right side of our defence is poor and offers little in building attacks... Is any of this incorrect..??

He did, but he had better players at his disposal then than he has now....some fans have built our squad up to be PL quality...and it is NOT. Players like Colback and Dummett, to name just 2, should not be in a PL squad. Good thing we're not in the Premier League then. Er - isn't that where we are trying to get to by any chance...?

He did, but he had better players at his disposal then than he has now....some fans have built our squad up to be PL quality...and it is NOT. Players like Colback and Dummett, to name just 2, should not be in a PL squad.