Chris_R

You been loitering around the Riverside Stadium again on matchdays?

That, really. If Sam can produce the results on the pitch then who will care? The reason we want him to speak is because we want him called to account for the 90 minutes of shambolic, drab and tedious meanderings of our players that we've just paid £35 to watch, not because we like the sound of his dulcet tones on the airwaves. Get us playing with verve and a swagger and I won't care if I never see or hear from the man ever again.

Firstly I really couldn't care less if we go to Wigan and get beaten. Or Derby, Sunderland, Reading or indeed any other tinpot Premiership club that we've made to look good recently. Sh#t happens, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. You take it on the chin, you whinge and bitch about it a bit but you move on. That's football. What I DO care about is the performances. The insipid, turgid, dross we've been served up with is completely unacceptable. Going to places like these with the express intention of getting a well-fought 0-0 is disgusting. Did you see Man U going to Sunderland and playing for a 0-0 on boxing day? Did you sh#te. OK, we're not Man United and I'm not comparing our relative squad strengths, only our relative intentions. But West Ham stuck 5 past Derby recently when they went there with the right mindset - I can't recall an away game this year where we've managed 5 shots, never mind 5 goals. And home games have often been little better. We made these teams look good by sitting back and inviting them onto us. We offered nothing going forward as we were too busy being terrified about what these relegation-fodder teams might do to us. It didn't take long for them to realise this, so they felt safe attacking us knowing we had no will (Or ability due to the formation we went out with) to go down their end to put one past them. The results were, largely, predictable. So what can Sam do? Attack. Send out a team designed to rip the opposition apart. Show us that with you at the helm we're capable of making teams worry about what we're going to do rather than the other way round. If it fails, it fails. I honestly won't mind. But just send out a team to scare the opposition with the way we go about things and create a hatful of chances. And if by some miracle you can do this by playing 4-5-1 with N'Zogbia at left back, Milner on the left wing, Smith at defensive midfield, Martins god-knows where and Geremi as some kind of right-sided midfielder then I'll be the first to take my hat off to you and say "Well done". However it is my uneducated opinion that the aforesaid formation will produce nothing like that in a million years. So I'll go further and make some tactical suggestions that might help. Play 4-4-2, stick Enrique at left back, Milner on at right wing and N'Zogbia on at left wing, with Martins and either Viduka or Smith up front. Have Emre in the middle alongside Butt. Martins, Milner and N'Zogbia simply must play, and play in their correct positions, as irrespecive of anyone's thoughts about their respective abilities they're the only players we have in our squads who are actually capable of beating a man. But play that lineup, in that formation and with instructions to get at the opposition, beat their man and get the ball in the box and support the forwards and I assure you everyone will be a damned sight happier. But feel free to perservere with 5 men out of position in a 4-5-1 if you want, just don't go crying when it fails yet again to produce a single shot on target and you (Rightly, IMO) get your ass fired.

Let Chelsea sign him for £20m then we'll take him in 2 years time for £5m when he's sick of warming the bench.

Here's some certainties for the Chelsea game: - We'll play for a 0-0 draw - We'll get our half of that - We'll have one half where we don't manage a single shot on goal - We'll not manage more than 2 shots on target in the whole game - At least 3 (And possibly 5) players will be played out of position even though capable players for that position are available and fit - Alan Smith will get booked Sadly none of that has anything to do with the opposition being Chelsea, as it's the same pattern we've witnessed in just about every away game this season so far.

If we stick with Allardyce we will continue get: S*** football Milner on the left Smith in midfield Geremi on the right Playing for a 0-0 against sh** teams No adventure Commitment >>> flair and talent Long ball football No chances created and no attacking nous If you think any of that is acceptable then feel free to vote to keep him. I could accept being mid-table if we were at least being entertained. But it's excruciating to watch us at the moment as we attempt to carve out another hard fought 0-0 away to a random Championship quality side. He's had 18 chances to learn from what he's seen in the Premiership this year, and IMO he's failed to learn a thing. Too stubborn for his own good and determined that his way will prevail in the face of a massive weight of evidence to the contrary. Get rid. The sooner the better. And those saying he needs time - Wake up. You CAN make a difference in a short space of time. Look, I'm not asking for us to be top 4 or anything daft like that, but by now Allardyce has laid his cards on the table and we can see what he's planning to do with the club and the players. And it's not working. Something needs to change and he is showing week after week that he is not willing to change. So if the manager is not willing or able to change, then regrettably we need to change the manager.

I guess if we MUST play 4-3-3 then Milner on the left and N'Zogbia / Duff on the right kind of makes sense. We'd offer nothing with them the other way round. Problem is though that he's not playing Zog or Duff on the left, he's playing Martins and he's looking lost out there. However when we play 4-4-2 (As we have at times) then it's nonsensical to play them on the "wrong" wings. I still think 4-4-2 is the only way to go, we don't have the players for 4-3-3 and it's not a tactic I've ever been a fan of anyway.

With 5 as average: Beye - 7 - Looked solid and threatening when going forward. Smith - 4 - Crap in midfield. Worked tirelessly up front but still no goals. Barton - 5 - Looked rubbish initially, starting to get into his stride now. Geremi - 3 - Looked great pre-season, been rubbish of late. Perhaps being played out of position though. Faye - 8 - Solid at the back. Been really impressed. OK, he's been injured but I'm not marking him down for that. Viduka - 6 - Fat, slow, lazy and very very talented. Cacapa - 7 - 15 bad minutes does not make a bad player. He's generally looked very good. Rozehnal - 5 - Hit and miss, averages an average mark. Enrique - 6 - Lots of potential, haven't been disappointed in him at all. Needs games Average: 5.66 - Well done Sam I guess. Especially as the guy I've given the lowest score to cost nowt. Pity he's our undroppable captain.

Was just gonna suggest that. Still, good of him to bother. Seems like a nice bloke and couldn't think of a single chairman that I'd swap him for. Can't say I've thought that for a long time!

For Newcastle: Beardsely Shearer Ginola (On his day) Worldwide: Maradonna Zidane Ronaldinho - Though this 3rd place could have gone to any of about 10. Bergkamp, Ronaldo, C. Ronaldo, Henry, Stoichkov, Hagi, Rui Costa, Cantona, Gascoigne (In his very short prime), Van Basten, Baggio and many others all right up there.

Legend. I just about held back the tears, but I won't claim it was easy. All the best Bobby, hope you have a long and happy retirement.

Problem with playing Geremi at RM is that he can't beat a man. At all. I don't doubt his quality to actually put a ball in to the box, but he doesn't have the technical ability of Milner or the speed of N'Zogbia to actually go past a man to get a cross in in the first place. All he can do is stand there and hit it into the penalty area from level with the edge of the box. Put a half-decent DL against him and he'll cover the angle into the box rendering all our output from the right side obselete.

From the north east, so yes. Spent most of my life in Whitley Bay / Tynemouth, but currently in South Shields.

If you're going to spend £200m on something, you might as well turn up to watch! Still, seems like a good bloke. Could have a lot worse in charge.

Gahaha! Terry Venables? He shouldn't be allowed within 100 miles of a football club.

Just for once I'd like to see us line up 4-4-2 with N'Zogbia on the left wing and Milner on the right wing. Just once. Still, we'll see how it goes today. Fingers crossed.

Another gutless performance and the players need to start taking some of the blame as well as SA If he continues to refuse to play wingers on the wings, and the correct wings at that, and sets out for a 0-0 from the start, then IMO the blame stops at his door not the players.

That's the last time I listen to Greg when I post! If it's Saturday, disregard my 5th point. But the rest still stand.

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.