Chris_R

Was just about to bring that up. He's just making sure he backs the winner!

Fucking excellent. Didn't know that feature was there.

So if you're an alcocholic, and you stop, you die. THAT is an absolute crock of s***. To be fair, he's right. But it's not as cut and dry as that. Have a read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic#Alcohol_withdrawal

Well it shouldn't be because of the club. I took the photos myself and there was nothing anywhere to indicate that I shouldn't take them. If they don't want people taking photos then they should put up signs and make people aware of this. I've never seen anything in all the years I've been going. I think you'll find if you read the club rules and regulations you aren't actually allowed to take photographs inside the ground. I've been going to watch Newcastle for over half my life and have never yet seen these club rules and regulations. Care to point me in the right direction? Have you got a link for where you've read this? Not doubting you, just curious as to what these regulations are. I thought the only rules and regulations we had were "Turn up whatever the weather, sing your heart out and cheer like a b#stard if we score".

I love Shearer for what he's done for this club and the player he was. BUT: I get the feeling he's too big for his boots. If he came as assistant, I'd worry that he'd be angling for the top job and that he'd be hanging over Keegan waiting for him to fail. This way, Shearer will either get another job at Newcastle where he woudlnt' be "next in line to the throne" and therefore couldn't exert that pressure, or else he'll move somewhere else and we'll see if he is any good or not. I'd love him to prove himself and get a crack at the Newcastle job eventually, but ideally only when Keegan has retired of extreme old age having won us everything in sight. I'd love him to take up a coaching role at Newcastle now though as I feel he'd have an awful lot to teach the likes of Martins about finishing. But that's up to him, whether he feels that he will take that job or wants a more substantial position straight away.

Thank FCUK for that. This is exactly what Sam couldn't seem to see with our midfield. Packing the middle of the park with Smith, Butt and Geremi was killing us, and we only had an outlet on the wings. Even then, as he played people on the wrong wings, we weren't going past anyone as we were just cutting inside all the time without having to beat our man. Things are looking up again.

If we signed him, then give him a Paul McGrath "Pay as you play" deal. Give him £10k/week basic and a £70k/week appearance/fit to play bonus.

I remember that game, I was there. He won literally everything that went anywhere near him, it was a majestic performance. I left in total awe of the man, and was ecstatic when we signed him.

You're Milburn side. I went in Turnstile 84 (Though the ticket said I could use any from 79 to 84) and I went into the ground through Access 8. I was seat J364, so I can tell you you're not right at the back. Middle of the tier I'd say, but 100% you're Milburn side.

Aye that's the plan like. I've been in the Gallowgate a couple of times this season, though it's a bit of an unbalance and i can't really make a fair judgement - cos one was the Arsenal game, and the other was the City game. I fell in love with the stand at the Arsenal game, but City was garbage. I wanted to try Leazes Level 7 cos that's where the Ultras are so i suppose you're guaranteed atmosphere up there. I'm unsure as to which side of the corner i'm on, though. (Milburn/Leazes) Probably Milburn, if you got the tickets from those on general sale. From where the Leazes ends and the corner begins it's normally the away fans. Then after them it's Newcastle fans as you get towards the Milburn.

Well it shouldn't be because of the club. I took the photos myself and there was nothing anywhere to indicate that I shouldn't take them. If they don't want people taking photos then they should put up signs and make people aware of this. I've never seen anything in all the years I've been going.

They're always vocal, but then aren't we when we travel away? Just make sure you make as much noise as you can, don't let them have it all their own way. There was a bit of friendly banter going on but you just have to ensure you give as good as you get (Stay the right side of the line though, don't get thrown out!).

Here you go. Gives you a bit of a panoramic view if you start from the first image and work your way to the third: http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8260/p1901081655sb5.jpg http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/5453/p190108165401jw2.jpg http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/9605/p190108165502ot4.jpg Resolution on the cameraphone was 5mp, but they're a bit blurry as I was ever-so-slightly inebriated.

Yeah, I was right next to the Bolton fans. I'm uploading them to Imageshack now (Not sure how to embed them on here and will probably make a fool of myself if I try!)

Got a few from the corner of the Milburn / SJH stand from the Bolton game the other day if you want them as well?

I'm not interested in us improving another club's young players. Let's either improve our own young players, or else get some better players in of our own. If Walcott could get us into Europe / save us from relegation then fine. If he was a real superstar player then fine. But not just to give a big club's reserves a runout when we're in no danger of going down and no danger of getting into Europe.

OK, fair point. Using alcoholism as an example was not the best idea. But I'm sure alcoholics don't drink in order not to die. They drink because they, like smokers or heroin users, get a craving for it that they can't resist. It's still a mental choice to smoke that next cigarette to get your high though, the same as it is to log onto a gambling website to get a different high.

Whilst you're probably right, the same words were said about Michael Owen. Never say never.

I agree that there are differences between mental and physical addictions, but I think you're being too dismissive of mental addictions by saying people are just too weak willed not to resist their urge. I could say the same about alcohol addiction (Which you labeled a physical addiction) - Just don't drink. Nothing bad will happen if you don't. OK, you'll feel shitty for a good while but you'll come to no long term harm through not drinking. Just don't go to the pub and don't buy a pint. Easy, addiction cured! The same could be said about heroin. OK, the withdrawl from heroin is (So I hear) pretty horrid, but ultimately nothing bad will happen if you go cold turkey. Just don't buy any more and don't inject it. Again, piece of cake. But it's not like that. So why do smokers / alcoholics / heroin addicts take their drugs? To relieve their symptoms they get through not having them. It's the same for mental addictions. If you're addicted to online gaming then you do it because it gives you a high when things go well. When you're not doing it, you want and crave that hight. Likewise for gambling, I imagine the high of winning is immense (I've won at casinos before and it's a fantastic feeling) and when you're not doing it you're desperate to recreate it. Nobody gambles thinking they're going to lose, they are all convinced that the next time will generate a win that will pay back all they owe. If they are lucky and get that win, they chase a bigger one. If they don't get it, then they are even more convinced that next time will be the time. I think you're underestimating how powerful the mind is and how when things go wrong in your head and your brain makes the wrong connections how hard it can be to get better. For example, do you think mental illness is less serious than physical illness? That people with clinical depression should just get on with things and cheer the hell up? That schizophrenics can magically stop hearing those voices, or that pedophiles can just stop fancying kids? It just doesn't work like that.

A) All addictions are at least partly mental. That's why smokers struggle to give up long after the chemicals leave their bodies. They always say "I need something to do with my hands" or "I always have a cigarette when I drink" yet can cope fine at other times. That's a mental thing, not physical. B) Why can't you get addicted to weed? You can get addicted to sex, chocolate, food in general, computers, TV and all manner of other things. Marijuana is a mind-altering drug and of course it's possible for it to become addictive. Not that I'm saying it always does, I smoked the stuff heavily for years and then stopped when I got bored with no problems at all but to suggest it's not possible to get addicted to something is a little far-fetched and completely wide of the mark. C) If Merson isn't addicted, why the f#ck do you think he keeps doing it? Do you think he has some kind of wish to live on the streets. Gambling's an addiction as real as any other.

Whoever said teams don't play all out attack anymore: they didn't play it then either. That's why we were so special. Tactics weren't invented with the advent of the new millenium.

Haha, brilliant. That said, I'm sure Keegan has learnt a thing or 2 since Budgie was with him all those years back. Let's not forget that Newcastle was Keegan's first managerial appointment, and he's since been to Fulham, Man City and England. He's also had 3 years out of the game to think through what went wrong when he was a manager and what he might have done differently if he had his time again. Well he's got his time again now. I don't think that nothing will have changed in all that time. Even if he can't sort out the defence himself, he'll doubtless get others in who can. Still a brilliant article into how things were the first time round.

Gascoigne at his peak was the greatest footballer in the world. Sadly his peak was very short, whereas Pedro was still turning it on well into his 30s and gave me far more enjoyment, not least becasue I saw him play for Newcastle whereas Gazza was here before my time. Despite this, I voted for Gazza even though Beardsley did much more with his talent than Paul did with his, because I've decided I'm voting on simply who was the best player at their peak.

No he doesn't. He wants players who can play in the Premiership without needing to spend time adapting to it. It's a completely different thing.

Not needed. Money grabbing, move engineering little toerag as well. Steer clear.