Chris_R

3000 is too many IMO. Personally it's about the last game I'd apply for. - Prices too high - Bloody miles away - We'll get thrashed - Chelsea have enough money without me further lining their pockets - Midweek match - Over the Christmas period Maybe take an extra 500-750? There'll be requests from London mags that should sell out 500-1000 at least but I'd struggle to say they'll definitely sell 2000. Better to underestimate it than overestimate at in times like this.

Yeah, one was one of the best centre forwards in the world with lots of pace and a fantastic finisher. The other was Craig Bellamy.

In all seriousness I'd say that Bellamy was replaced firstly by Owen and then when Owen was crocked long term he was replaced by Martins. To say either lacked pace when they arrived is daft, anyone would have thought (Incorrectly, I know!) that getting shot of Bellamy and bringing Michael Owen in would be a good piece of business. Likewise with Robert. We signed Albert Luque and Damien Duff to replace him. Both are fast, both can hit a shot - Luque especially. Both have failed to make an impact for various reasons but again the intent was there to replace them. As for Dyer, what exactly did he contribute for us in the 10 years he was here? 10 good games, if that? Nothing to replace IMO. And Solano was a slow but technically gifted right winger. Bit like James Milner? OK, I know Milner was here when Nobby was first here but still, do you want ANOTHER slow but skillful right winger as well? Seems like there's not a lot left to replace to me. Already done. Admittedly they've been injured or just not up to it, but the replacements have been brought in. Now even Duff is getting back to fitness (Apparantly), so it's just a case of waiting to see what Sam will do with them. Probably put Duff on at left back, N'Zogbia on at right wing and Milner on at left wing....

The Carr substitution was perhaps the only one I could understand. The match was lost at 3-0, and he wanted to give him a few minutes of pitch time to help him get back to fitness. Why he didn't take Geremi off though and put Carr on at his favoured right back position is anyone's guess, but I can understand why he brought him on. Actually, thinking about it, he probably took Enrique off as he might have realised that if he DID take Geremi off, it would have elicited the biggest cheer of the day.

I've been going to Newcastle matches for over 15 years now and have always been of the opinion that you support the team no matter what. If you want to withhold applause at the end then fine, but don't boo - leave that to the Mackems. All that changed on Saturday though. Whilst I didn't boo them myself (I did join in with "You don't know what you're doing" though) I fully understand why people have taken this course of action and was sorely tempted to join in, which I've never even contemplated before in all my time at St James's park. I've never witnessed such dross as I have this year and the only way to get the message across that the mentality we have adopted on the pitch is absolutely unacceptable is to make some kind of vocal gesture. And before anyone starts I'm not talking about the results here, I couldn't care less about getting beaten by Liverpool or even Derby as these things happen and you get on with it but at least have the right players in the right positions and try to get forward a bit. Tactically Sam is getting it wrong week after week and it's hard to just sit there and watch as your team comes out lined up so fundamentally wrongly and tries to sneak a nil-nil at the Premiership's whipping boys. I don't think any of the booing was directed at the players whatsoever, it was solely at Allardyce for his baffling and perplexing lineup, mentality, tactics and substitutions, all of which he somehow manages to get wrong every single week. If nothing changes, he can expect further insipid performances like Saturday's (And Reading, Derby, Sunderland, Portsomouth etc...) and if we keep managing to average 3 off target efforts per match, none on target and no corners then he can only expect the booing to get even louder. Next time I might join in.

We have to keep him until the end of the season as like others have said to do otherwise would make us a laughing stock. I'll add 2 "Unlesses" though: - Unless we're looking like candidates for relegation - Unless an amazing managerial candidate becomes available To me, the big test comes at Blackburn. They're a good side, but they're beatable. Allardyce has heard loud and clear what the fans think of his tactics and substitutions on Saturday so let's see what he does in the next match. I'm not saying he must bow to the will of the fans as I fully appreciate that he must pick the team not us, but if he persists with his methods then we simply must see an improvement. If he goes with a midfield of Smith, Butt, Geremi and Barton and plays for a 0-0 again then I think I'll cry.

it's not so much about milner as team balance and positioning. True and i was only being half serious but to think that Milner was going to turn that game around is f****** idiocy. Plus the people singing it were the same embarrassing twats who booed Zog going off and believe there is a replacement lined up for allardyce who is prepared to come here in this climate and to get us consistently playing decent winning football in less than his first 14 games. Get rid of that lot in January and the 20,000 seats they occupy fair enough it's getting cold but i doubt that would put off a serious manager You know what i mean. aye but too easy an opportunity. the likes of everton and blackburn,villa should be enough to let you understand that team balance and organisation can be as important as individual talent. All of which have had time to achieve that. You don't need time to play a right winger on the right wing. You just need a braincell and a pair of eyes.

If Shearer got it, all the Man Yoo fans would go apoplectic. Surely it's worth appointing him on that basis alone?

So how do you explain the fact that we've stopped winning since Geremi was moved away from his preferred central midfield role? The statistics show that he was the player responsible for: A lot of the goals we scored The possession football we played. How can you explain that we are scoring less, and have been much worse in possession since Geremi has been shoved out of his CM role? I don't think we've had a settled enough side to be able to say one way or the other although CM is his best position imo. What he said. He was dropped because he was playing poorly, not that Emre offers much of a better option though. He is better in CM than down the right though where he's poor, far too slow. Agreed, he offers nothing on the right. Was at the match yesterday and he just cannot beat a man. N'Zogbia can beat a man with pace, Milner can beat a man with technique. Geremi can do neither and his only option is to put a cross in from standing still level with the edge of the penalty area with the fullback stood in front of him. The results of such efforts were entirely predictable. I have no problem with Geremi playing CM or even DR, but it's an absolute joke to see him out as a winger.

Venables is a cockney criminal spiv who shouldn't be allowed within 100 miles of any kind of gainful employment, let alone a football club. And yes, I'm aware that would mean he'd have to live at sea in a boat. And apart from being a crook he's a crap football manager as well. Oh, I forgot, he got us to the semis of the European Championships. A feat that every other host nation has managed with the exception of Belgium in 2000, which our London press conveniently tend to forget as they have a group wank over how 'great' we were in that tournament. (You may or may not be able to guess that Mr T Venables is not my most favourite football manager ever)

Very true. Stick any fucker up front, it won't make much difference at the moment. Hell, Harper's played outfield before, hasn't he? Being a big lad, he'd suit our long ball game quite nicely away from home.

Shola has played over 200 games for us - His progress has been hindered by his own ineptness as a footballer, not by his lack of first team opportunities.

How about Rooney, Ronaldo, Drogba, Torres, Tevez and Adebayor You missed out Ameobi mind A) I was thinking of realistic targets B) Quite deliberately

I think 5 strikers are enough. I mean, who else will come to the club as a striker when we've got Smith, Owen, Martins and Viduka on the books already?

Given's not perfect, but better the devil you know IMO. And as for replacing Harper with him, well not sure on the merits of that. Harper is happy to play second fiddle to Given, can't imagine the same could be said about Jussi. He'd only come here as number 1. If he ended up 2nd choice, he'd be demanding a transfer. Then we'd be without a decent second choice 'keeper.

Sorry, Shay's WAITRESS? Eh?

Sir Bobby is a real gent, a fantastic human being and I wish him well in his retirement and I sincerely hope that it will be for many happy years. Thanks Sir Bobby for all you did for us. And to all the WUMs - Get a life lads. Just because he didn't crawl over broken glass with his flies undone to manage the club for free doesn't mean he isn't one of us.

The thing is though, FIFA won't allow women in mens squads. They can say it's because women are not as physically strong enough, but personally I think it's because the men in suits are scared in case a few are actually good enough to get in. They want to keep the delusion of grandeur. Plenty of men aren't physically strong enough to play professional football, but they'd be allowed to try! If Newcastle can find a female footballer who is better than the men, then let's sign her. However I can't see that at this stage - The only woman I've seen with any talent is that Brazilian Marta. And whether she's genuinely talented or just good compared to those she's playing against is open to interpretation. I mean, I remember Celestine Babayaro showboating on his debut against someone really crap like Stevenage (Might well have been them) in the FA cup, but he was quickly found out against decent players. I'm not saying Marta isn't as good as the men, but just that the question remains. I'd be happy to see her given a chance in the men's game though, but I understand the reasons why women are kept out of the men's game at the moment. If women were allowed in the men's game, it would become a circus with teams signing women for publicity etc rather than based on their talent. OK, this would quickly die down and the women would have to fight for places on their own merits but initially I think it's fair to say it would be a shambles. Perhaps it's a shambles we should allow? Ultimately, at the moment I don't think there's many, if any, women footballers who would make it at even the lower end of the professional game but in theory if they're good enough they should be allowed to play, I can't find a rational argument against that. I just don't think they're good enough. That's not to say they can't be one day, but I don't think that day is now or indeed any time soon.

I've no problem with the women being compensated for playing, but we've got to remember the level the women's game is at currently. At the moment there's not enough interest in the women's game at club level to make it possible for women to become full-time professional footballers in this country. If there was, then they would be. If they were, then they wouldn't be complaining about losing 2 weeks pay from their regular jobs while heading off to the World Cup. If there's not enough interest from the public to make it worthwhile for teams to go professional, then that's because the standard of the product offered does not, in the opinion of the consumer, warrant it. Therefore the women players (Like most male players, myself included in my Sunday league team!) remain amateur. We, like they, play for fun. The FA turning round and saying that they'll give the women a couple of thousand extra for 5 weeks every 4 years is not going to change the reality of this situation. Women aren't staying at home instead of representing England at the World Cup because they can't afford to. To add one further point, the Women's World Cup has been on the sporting calendar for years now. It coming round shoulnd't be a surprise to any aspiring female footballers. Surely all employers give paid holidays these years? Did the ladies not have the foresight to book these couple of weeks well in advance? OK, perhaps they don't get 5 weeks holiday allocation but 2-3 weeks paid plus the rest unpaid and then 5 weeks worth of pay from the FA should make up the shortfall for the other couple of weeks, even if it's below your normal rate of pay. I mean, surely if you're planning on possibly going to these events this is the sort of thing you consider, right? Hell, I booked most of the men's World Cup off and I was only watching it in the pub!

Cheers. Now you say Villa it all comes flooding back. Would certainly have fancied our chances against them a hell of a lot more than against Man U or Arsenal. Oh well. I just keep thinking that all these losses and near misses will make the party all the more immense when we do finally win something. I just hope that I live long enough to see it!

Remember the goal (great cross by Shearer), but not much about the game itself other than we p#ssed all over them. Who would it have been in the final, I can't even remember that.

For me, it's not about the results (Luck can have a massive effect short-term) or the signings (Who could take a few months to bed in), it's about the tactics and mentality he employs. Going to Reading, Derby and Sunderland to play for a draw is shambolic and unacceptable. That's my cause for complaint. He needs to change this outlook of his, and play for a win with wingers on the (Correct) wings. Until he does that, then he's not right for the job IMO. I'll give him time, but that's not time to win matches or get results. As already stated that's something that I'm not too bothered about anyway as there's a lot of work to be done here and some things will take time. The time I'm giving him is to realise what a muppet he's been at these grounds and set his stall out for a win in our easier away games. FFS, West Ham showed how it should be done last week - They went to Derby and stuck 5 past them. That's what we should have looked to do. If we failed, so what. I could live with that. What I can't accept is this god-awful long ball, wingerless, let-sneak-a-nil-nil shit we've been served up on the road so far under Sam.

Good shout. He did it for Lyon for long enough. Not sure what his English is like but if he can speak the lingo to any degree then I'd think he'd be a good choice.

No-brainer for me, Ashley every time. If for no other reason than that judging from that now famous photo, he's got a much better pair of tits than Quinny.

Delayed reaction for me. When I realised it had gone in I was jumping round but I think I was taking a swig of my pint as he hit it and wasn't looking at the screen, looked up to see it creep in the corner and wasn't too sure how it had got there, as half a second prior there'd been no danger whatsoever.