Paully

"It's the toughest period of my managerial career but, yes, I do think I can survive it. As a manager you're going to have some bad times, some really bad times. If you're going to walk away, then in my view you do not have the make-up to be a manager or a leader of men. If you're in the middle of a field, surrounded by armies, left right and centre, you can't just say: 'I've had enough now, sorry.'"

Yep and every media mention of him! A few of my mates are going so I'll have to avoid them at the weekend which will be impossible! Ha ha!

From his West Ham days, comes an extraordinary anecdote courtesy of club photographer Steve Bacon, one of several staff to dine with Pardew in a hotel before a game at Sunderland. “When the gaffer sat down with his backroom team, deciding on his order, he asked fitness coach Tony Strudwick what he was getting – and told him he’d take it if it looked good. “When the meals arrived, Pards said to Tony, ‘Yours looks better, I’m having that,’ and swapped plates. “I told him you can’t just take someone else’s dinner. Pards retorted, ‘When you’re the king, you can do anything’.”

I'll be avoiding this thread! Apparently he doesn't mate - enjoy!

Imagine if we had an ambitous owner with the club at heart, we might even try to go in for him! 'Spurs have let Ajax know they would eventually talk to me when the season’s finished. ‘After the last league game (against NEC on Saturday) I’ll think about it,’ said De Boer. ‘I’ll talk to them and listen to what they have to say. I would like to add something to a club like Brendan Rodgers did at Liverpool. ‘I see a perspective at Tottenham Hotspur, just as Liverpool and Newcastle United sometimes are, they are sleeping giants.’ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2616324/Frank-Boer-talk-Tottenham-end-Ajaxs-season-sleeping-giants-Spurs-make-approach-club.html#ixzz30LosdRiy

Next Friday for me so I'll be avoiding this thread and all mentions in the media until then!

18 years ago today! I wish the current lot had 1% of this man's passion for the club!

SSN are concentrating on our record since the fraud has not been allowed on the touchline stating that's the reason for our awful form! Absolute clueless the media!

Taken away the goals/ assists from when he has came on as a substitute, or left them in to make it look better? :-)

56 starts 14 goals 13 assists Hopefully Pardew will be gone before HBA I doubt it. Joke.

Do not and I repeat do not do what I did unless you want to be seriously depressed with our current regime! Put that 1000 NUFC goals DVD on and watch the 1st 3.5 seasons of it! We really do play a different sport now!

"Are you still going to consider yourself as a player as well as a manager?" "Well I've just given myself a 5 year contract! I'm using my power while I can!"

Indeed! It's absolutely brilliant and an absolute pisser at the same time! It makes me detest the current bunch of clowns a lot more!

Hedworth Hall?! I'll be avoiding this thread and everything else when his name is mentioned as I'm at the 1 at The Fed Brewery the following Friday!

Played 5, won 5!

Cracking last ever cover on the paper version of true faith http://www.skunkers.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=775&d=1398241858

Genuinely beyond words. Ha ha ha ha! Dear me! Also, Sima is from Hebburn?!

More from Pirlo's book! Ha ha ha! Andrea Pirlo talks candidly about his career: On that 'panenka' penalty; on Roy Hodgson; on Zlatan Ibrahimovic; on Mario Balotelli; on winning the World Cup and on his PlayStation obsession 1 / 1 Andrea Pirlo has enjoyed a trophy-laden career for both club and country GETTY IMAGES In his amazing new book, Italy legend Andrea Pirlo talks about a remarkable career, Sam Wallace picks out the highlights Sam Wallace Tuesday 15 April 2014 • www.zalando-lounge.de More than that, Andrea Pirlo is one cool dude. The luxuriously bearded Italian has been one of the most cultured midfielders of his generation. He was also the man with the nerve to chip Joe Hart in the Euro 2012 penalty shoot-out. Now 34, he will face England again in their first World Cup game in Italy in Manaus on 14 June. His autobiography, I Think Therefore I Play, published in English by Back Page Press, is one of the best footballers’ memoirs of recent times. This is Pirlo, in his own words. On himself I don't feel pressure ... I don't give a toss about it. I spent the afternoon of Sunday, July 9, 2006 in Berlin sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In the evening, I went out and won the World Cup. On Milanello We met in the room used for team meals, halfway between the kitchen and the hall with the hearth where Berlusconi would pound away on the piano and tell various kinds of jokes. Equidistant between the most modest part of the complex and the richest. Between a symbol of humility and one of unabashed power. Between a place where people sweat buckets earning relatively little, and a spot where they earn a fortune sweating just the right amount. On denying transfer rumours You're then forced to tell the media a lot of crap; provided, of course, that they manage to ask you the right question. If they enquire whether it's right you'd practically signed for Madrid, you are duty-bound to respond hiding behind well worn clichés and half truths. You read a dull, lifeless script written by press officers with no talent or creative spark. “No, that's not the case. I'm perfectly happy in Milan.” F*** off! On his PlayStation obsession After the wheel, the PlayStation is the best invention of all time. And ever since it's existed, I've been Barcelona, apart from a brief spell way back at the start when I'd go Milan. The head to heads [with room-mate Alessandro Nesta, 'Sandro'] were pure adrenaline. I'd go Barcelona and so would Sandro. Barca v Barca. The first player I'd pick was the quickest one, Samuel Eto'o, but I'd still end up losing a lot of the time. I'd get pissed off and hurl away my controller before asking Sandro for a rematch. And then I'd lose again. It's not like I could use the excuse that his coach was better than mine: it was Pep Guardiola for him and Pep Guardiola for me. At least in terms of our manager we set out on a level footing. One day we thought about kidnapping him. The flesh and bones, real life version that is. It was August 25, 2010, and we were with Milan at the Nou Camp for the Gamper pre-season tournament. We thought better of our hostage-taking in the end. To avoid constantly falling out, we'd have needed to saw him in two when we got back to Italy, and that wouldn't have been a good idea. How the poor thing would have suffered. On meeting Guardiola about a move to Barca I wasn't really bothered about much else in the room besides the person who had summoned me. Guardiola was sitting in an armchair. He began to tell me about Barcelona, saying that it's a world apart, a perfect machine that pretty much invented itself. He wore a white shirt and a pair of dark trousers whose colour matched that of his tie. He was elegant in the extreme, much like his conversation. I immediately thought of Sandro – he'd die of jealousy when I told him [that Guardiola wanted to sign Pirlo]. I was taking away the 50% of Guardiola that belonged to him. On being given the first penalty in the 2006 World Cup final shootout Being first on the spot, kicking off that torture in the biggest, most incredible game that a player can play or imagine ... That's not necessarily good news. It means they think you're the best, but it also means that if you miss, you're first on the list of d********. On taking that penalty against France Caressing the ball was something I had to do. I lifted my eyes to the heavens and asked for help because if God exists, there's no way he's French. I took a long, intense breath. That breath was mine, but it could have been the manual worker who struggles to make it to the end of the month, the rich businessmen who is a bit of a shit, the teacher, the student, the Italian expats who never left our side during the tournament, the well-to-do Milanese signora, the hooker on the street corner. In that moment, I was all of them. You won't believe me, but it was right in that very moment I understood what a great thing it is to be Italian. It's a truly priceless privilege. On his ‘panenka’ penalty against Hart I made my decision right at the last second, when I saw Joe Hart, the England goalie, doing all sorts on his line. As I began my run up, I still hadn't decided what I was going to do. And then he moved and my mind was made up. It was all impromptu, not premeditated. The only way I could see pushing my chances of scoring close to 100%. There was absolutely no showboating about it - that's not my style. On the honour of playing for Italy Take someone like Antonio Cassano. He says he's slept with 700 women in his time, but he doesn't get picked for Italy any more. Deep down, can he really be happy? I certainly wouldn't be. On Rino Gattuso Rino's word was law at Milan, and anyone new to the club was aware that the first thing they had to do if they made a mistake was explain themselves to him. Just having that knowledge drastically reduced the chances of people f***ing up. On Marcello Lippi's approach during the 2006 World Cup It was a real team effort that made us world champions in Germany but, at one point, Lippi had this to say about the group: “You're all s***; you disgust me ... You talk to the journalists too much. You're spies who can't keep a single secret – those guys always know the team in real time. What's that all about? I can't even trust you.” On playing for Roy Hodgson at Inter Milan Hodgson mispronounced my name. He called me 'Pirla' (d*******), perhaps understanding my true nature more than the other managers. On agreeing to join Chelsea (Milan refused to sell) It was August 2009 and I had reached agreement with Chelsea, the club where Ancelotti had just come in as manager. Carlo was like a father and a teacher for me, a kind, friendly man who knew how to make things fun. On the legendary fight at Milanello between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Oguchi Onyewu I saw them laying into one another like two bullyboys from the roughest estate. They looked like they were trying to kill each other: there were definitely some broken ribs, despite silence and denials from the king's buglers who said it was just a 'lively confrontation'. Those of us who'd witnessed it were put in mind of a mafia-style settling of the scores. On losing the Champions League final to Liverpool in 2005 in Istanbul having led 3-0 When that torture of the game was finished, we sat like a bunch of half-wits in the dressing room ... we were bloodthirsty zombies faced with an unforeseen problem – the blood was ours and they'd drunk every last drop. We couldn't speak. We couldn't move. They'd mentally destroyed us. The damage was already evident even in those early moments, and it only got more stark and serious as the hours went on. Insomnia, rage, depression, a sense of nothingness. We'd invented a new disease with multiple symptoms: Istanbul syndrome. I no longer felt like a player, and that was devastating enough. Even worse, I no longer felt like a man. That's right: for f***'s sake. Double f***. The first words that come to my lips when I think of Istanbul. On Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to use Park Ji Sung to man-mark him, something Pirlo hates Even Ferguson, the purple-nosed manager who turned Manchester United into a fearsome battleship, couldn't resist the temptation. He's essentially a man without blemish, but he ruined that purity just for a moment when it came to me. A fleeting shabbiness came over the legend that night. On one of the many occasions when our paths crossed during my time at Milan, he unleashed Park Ji Sung to shadow me. The midfielder must have been the first nuclear powered South Korean in history, in the sense that he rushed about the pitch at the speed of an electron. On the racists who abuse Mario Balotelli They’re a truly horrendous bunch, a herd of frustrated individuals who’ve taken the worst of history and made it their own ... whenever I see Mario at an Italy training camp, I’ll give him a big smile. It’s my way of letting him know that I’m right behind and that he mustn’t give up. A gesture that means ‘thank you’.

Ha ha ha! Superb!

All Other Clubs Continue Growth While Mike Ashley Shrinks Newcastle Spot on mate!

“If we can get a win or maybe score the first goal that will give us a boost and we can kick on form there. We’re far from finished in the league. “You need to stand tall and be strong. “Particularly at a club like this because it’s a tough club to play for, Hopefully, we can show that resilience to get a result.” http://www.thejournal.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-boss-alan-pardew-6949572

Loads of stuff about 12-13 here - emphasises how drastically all revenue has decreased under the fat wanker bar the 1 area he has no control over - media

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/sport/sport-opinion/agenda-newcastle-united-stopped-talking-6940110?

Sport Football Football News Alan Pardew Dan Gosling says Manchester United's win was 'flattering' but adds pressure on Pardew Apr 07, 2014 08:55 By Stuart Rayner 5 Comments 4 Shares Share Tweet +1 Email Dan Gosling might have argued afterwards that Newcastle United's 4-0 defeat was not a fair reflection, but it added to the pressure on Alan Pardew Dan Gosling of Newcastle United and Adnan Januzaj of Manchester United Dan Gosling might have argued afterwards the scoreline flattered Manchester United, but another heavy defeat has added to the pressure on Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew. While a mid-table finish is all but guaranteed, the statistics stacking up against the Magpies are extremely worrying. The last three games have ended in heavy defeats, with 11 goals conceded and none scored, but the malaise extends back to Boxing Day. Since then Newcastle have failed to score in 11 of 15 matches. Seven of the nine home games in all competitions have been lost. So even if – and it is a big if – Gosling was right to argue Saturday’s 4-0 scoreline was not a fair reflection of the 90 minutes, many fans are coming to the conclusion a change of manager is needed. “The result doesn’t actually reflect what went on, I think we were better than the scoreline suggests,” argued the midfielder, after only his second Premier League start since joining from Everton in 2010. “We had more of the ball, passed it around and the first half was tight until they got a decision which went their way.” Newcastle had been the better side until Juan Mata curled in a 39th-minute free-kick, but from that point on they failed to contest the game. Had the Red Devils not been more concerned with preserving energy ahead of Wednesday’s European Cup quarter-final second leg at Bayern Munich, they would surely have scored further goals. Mata had his opportunity to open the scoring because Gosling tackled Darren Fletcher from the wrong side just beyond Newcastle’s penalty area. The Spaniard doubled the lead five minutes after the interval, with Javier Hernandez and Adnan Januzaj completing what became an easy away win. Gosling added: “There could have been an offside in the build-up to the move which ended in a free-kick and Mata scored it. “Even Fletcher told me he didn’t think it was a foul. “They only had four shots really, our goalkeeper (Rob Elliot) didn’t make many saves I don’t think. I think 4-0 flatters them a lot. “Papiss (Cisse) had two shots, the goalkeeper (Anders Lindegaard) pulled off some good save, and we could have had a few (goals) last week too. “We are creating chances. We just need one to go in somehow. It has been a difficult period and we need to defend better as a team and attack better as a team. It is in both areas at the minute.” Given he will be out of contract at the end of the season, Gosling had every incentive to perform and he countered the suggestion his team-mates are coasting towards the end of the season. He said: “It was nice to play and to try to help the team. “I want to play every week. We will see how training goes and I will respect the manager’s decision for his team (to travel to Stoke City on Saturday). “The game was tight until the second goal, which arrived from a mistake (By Fabricio Coloccini). “If you are two down against Man United it’s going to be difficult. No matter how tough they have had it this season they are still a top, top side. “The lads are not going out there thinking about their summer holidays. Totally not. We are trying to win games. “We are not conceding goals on purpose. We have played three very good sides lately (Everton, Southampton and Manchester United) and they are all above us in the league and have bigger squads than we have. “We are probably second in our mini-league, Southampton are above us by two points. “We are still chasing them down and if we finish eighth it will be a great season. “The Britannia (Stadium, home of Stoke) is a tough place to go next too. Stoke turn over teams on a regular basis there. “We know it will be difficult. We will be looking to put a good week of training in, rest a few legs which are struggling and go there and get a result.” Although murmurings of discontent were few and far between in what – the away end apart – was an extremely subdued St James’s Park, there was an angry reaction against Pardew on social media after the game. It did not help during a post-match press conference in which he insisted the root of Newcastle’s poor form was the absence of key players – Loic Remy, Tim Krul, Mathieu Debuchy and Moussa Sissoko were all injured – the Londoner kept referring to the away team as “United”. More alarming than the gap in ability between the sides – and Manchester United were without the injured Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Jonny Evans, Rafael da Silva and Ryan Giggs and the rested Danny Welbeck, Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand – was the complete lack of appetite the Magpies showed once behind.

Ha ha ha! https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8257914/safc.mp4