Lenny

Thought Sunderland were looking the more likely to score, decent time for Cardiff to score.

And boom goes the dynamite.

Would've been harsh if Sunderland had scored after the foul the other end.

Merry Christmas all

I honestly think Owen just panicked and didnt know what else to say and that was the first thing that came out. He'd mentioned plenty times before that how we had control of the game so it made literally no sense. I think Owen said it because the main commentator said it before hand. Yep, the commentator said it first and Owen repeated it.

Just seen this on Facebook:

Barkley sounded really nervous in that interview, poor lad

What a strike that was.

Deserved to lose. Not 3-0 IMO, but we just predictably went about the game all wrong. There's absolutely nothing proactive about Pardew, we'll never consistently get the best out of the players we have with him in charge.

Should have gone off but he's easily been motm tonight.

Embarrassing.

Worrying

Can Morrison get done for that now he's been yellowed?

That was hardly easy given that he had to hit it quick and find away past another player.

Yup, Marcus Babel I would have thought. He was class on CM 97/98 iirc.

Meh, I've never thought we paid that much, always thought it was just over £4m.

Hmmm, Wiki says he was signed for £5.5m and sold for £8m. Close enough

He also cost £8.5M which was a very very big fee at the time. I'm sure we paid about £4.5m and sold him to Liverpool for £8.5m.

Actually, I think Jonas is the perfect example of what I'm getting at, as is your response. Jonas' 50 odd games without getting an assist has coincided with his massive decline in his worth to the team, however he has played (according to Wiki) 177 games for us. Whilst he has blown hot and cold throughout his time with us, those who deny he hasn't had spells where he's been very useful to us either has a very short term memory, or has an agenda with the player. This applies to Tiote, Jonas, and whoever is currently shit. Just because a player is poor now, it doesn't erase all of the good they have done in the past.

I find that the length's of players "poor form" gets exaggerated on this forum at times, and a certain amount of history re-writing takes place. Tiote hasn't been terrible for 2 years. He was poor on the whole last season, and average the season before with some decent performances thrown in. Certain people tend to keep repeating the same bollocks until it almost seems like it's become consensus so no one questions it. Jonas is victim to this treatment as well. Whilst I wholeheartedly agree that he shouldn't be near our first 11 anymore, he has had some prolonged spells throughout his time here where he's looked a decent attacking winger (I recall reading various comments regarding an improvement in his crossing over a 6-12 month period a couple of seasons ago). I appreciate that it's an internet forum so there's going to be an element of hyperbole, especially around matchday when posts are 99% passion 1% reason, but in my time on this forum I've noticed a lot of exaggerations regarding players' form, and a brushing under the carpet of the good they've done, especially when posters appear to have an agenda with the player.

He scored 16 then 13 in the two half seasons we played him in his preferred position. Where else would we get a 30 goals a season striker? Bold. You think there is a realistic alternative who would score 30 in the Premier League available to us, penny pinching Mike Ashley NUFC? I haven't implied either way but to be honest, we simply don't know. This 30 goal a season striker you are referring to was signed on a free transfer, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that viable alternatives are out there. Signing goalscorers on the cheap isn't common, but they also aren't isolated incidents (Michu, for example). Penny pinching Mike Ashley NUFC also purchased Cisse for a decent sum, which no-one expected so you just don't know with us. I'm beyond predicting what the guy will do tbh. Our transfer policy is extremely predictable. The first page of our investment policy reads: "exploit contractual circumstance and/or maximum age 26 and/or notable sell-on value." The only mitigating circumstance refers to Newcastle's position within the league at the time. For example. Cisse was signed when Champions League qualification was a tangible goal, and a modest investment would likely prove fruitful. Similar to the signings of Sissoko, Debuchy, etc, when relegation was equally as tangible an outcome. Forced investment. If we're still in mid-table by the time January rolls around, I'd be surprised to see any investment whatsoever. If a key player leaves, perhaps then we'll sign someone. But that wouldn't be 'investment'. Fair comment, however it's gone off on a bit of a tangent from my original preference to signing someone else unless there are no realistic alternatives. Don't forget though that said transfer policy will also apply a re-signing of Ba as well, who will likely cost at least what they paid for him - so it's something of an irrelevant point in this particular case.

He scored 16 then 13 in the two half seasons we played him in his preferred position. Where else would we get a 30 goals a season striker? Bold. You think there is a realistic alternative who would score 30 in the Premier League available to us, penny pinching Mike Ashley NUFC? I haven't implied either way but to be honest, we simply don't know. This 30 goal a season striker you are referring to was signed on a free transfer, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that viable alternatives are out there. Signing goalscorers on the cheap isn't common, but they also aren't isolated incidents (Michu, for example). Penny pinching Mike Ashley NUFC also purchased Cisse for a decent sum, which no-one expected so you just don't know with us. I'm beyond predicting what the guy will do tbh.

He scored 16 then 13 in the two half seasons we played him in his preferred position. Where else would we get a 30 goals a season striker? Bold.

In fact, the more I think about this, whilst I'd take him if there were no other realistic alternatives, I'd rather we stayed away.

With regards to "staying professional up until the moment he left", I think you can put a couple of spins on that - I would say he was playing for himself and a move, so he had an incentive to score goals. In his last few games for us it felt to me like he'd have taken a defeat so long as he scored.