AyeDubbleYoo

A severe ticking off? Don't know the details but sounds like something and nothing TBH. I know footballers should be more careful, but I wonder if they also attract harsher treatment from the police and CPS.

Walking in a Hughton wonderland!

Good to see he's picked Guthrie in the middle and two up front.

Whatever the rights and wrongs, the quotes from Capello and the statement from Terry suggest that they've handled this sensibly and the decision has been accepted. Good news.

Gareth Barry Problem solved then!

To be honest it seems it's got to be Rooney. Even he has a private life indiscrection. Who are the players in the team who haven't shagged or punched someone they shouldn't have?

Interesting decision this, Capello's whole philosophy is that nobody is bigger than the team. If Terry remains in the squad I can't see us being affected at all though, so it's not a high-risk move.

Rio missed the drugs test, he didn't fail it. [/devilsadvocate]

Alreet, alreet. Not saying he's going to be good, it's just good to hear these things.

If nothing else, it's great to have a player who thinks it's a step up to join us, and wants to raise his game to play here. Better than our usual signings of hasbeens from better clubs.

Yeah, but that's also true of a pot plant. even just the pot. To be fair, I'd put Guthrie and Smith in ahead of the pot, and the other two behind.

I think he might unleash The Be(a)st from the start, hope he doesn't get 15 pathetic minutes like most of Hughton's subs.

Being an athlete isn't a talent though, anyone can achieve physical fitness through hard work. As Ronaldo says, he just couldn't be arsed.

Yeah, but that's also true of a pot plant.

And flying pigs to stop flights into Newcastle airport.

What makes you think he is quality? Good to see we are still trying to pick up good youngsters. What makes you think he's a good youngster?

Agree with Kewell, he could have been brilliant. Not sure being injured should count as wasted talent though...

He's the best player for one of the top 5 or 6 clubs in Europe and he's only 24 - don't think his talent is wasted at all.

Wouldn't it be better to enforce them for everyone though?

Aye, good noises there... I like Hughton's comments about the number nine shirt as well.

It's rank that.

Not average for this league though. How many other Championship sides have a collection of defenders that cost £15-£20 million and a collection of midfielders that cost £15-£20 million? If you're trying to say that the midfield isn't average then got to say you're wrong. On price they're worth more than most, but on ability they're shizzite.

I bet he starts Nolan and Butt against Cardiff and I also think they will beat us. I wouldn't be surprised if you're right there, I just hope it doesn't happen.

Saw enough CAUTION in the Leicster game to last me a lifetime and he just stood there perplexed and then made changes way too late. It might happen that we miss automatic promotion by 2 points, cause it's going to be close...We will lose more games as teams are less in awe of us than the start of the season and they've worked it all out...Hence Leicester continued to attack with 10 men cause they could see we were essentially toothless. Butt and Nolan basically have almost no movement and no ability to dicatate anything other than a pizza order on the phone. I'm astounded there are people in here who refuse to see that CH doesn't really have the mental and tactical tools to help us in the PL it is quite evident already, we are just scraping by at the minute....Sooner or later we'll lose 2 or 3 games close together. It sounds like you're really criticising the players more the Hughton. I hope he plays Guthrie in the middle now he has Routledge, that's pretty much all he can do to improve central midfield.

That's a fair point, but draws are a lot more valuable than defeats in more ways than just points. To a footballer, and to a certain extent a manager and the press, a draw is a decent result, you didn't get beat. It doesn't destroy confidence like defeats can do. I think this might be part of the reason that we aren't trying harder for wins - it's definitely part of the reason why I can't criticise our approach too much.