AyeDubbleYoo

Lawro's predictions don't seem that biased to me, they just seem safe. He almost always just backs the home team or the big club, which is all you can do really. I do hate him though, obviously.

I can't work it out either way, that's why I can't be slagging off Ashley and Wise. It's a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a scotch egg casing.

I agree the decision to bring him back now seems sentimental and wrong in the circumstances. But wasn't it us (the fans) that just assumed we would be spending big because Ashley was a billionairre? Did he ever actually promise anything like that?

What have they been doing since christmas then? Think I said, getting in players of the right quality. I don't know what the average number of signings for a club is in the time we've had, but what would you have been happy with? A whole new first team? A new squad? Rebuilding takes time, we need to forget we used to be title challengers and live in the real world. That means a mid-table club with big potential, if handled right.

Sadly I would take 17th at this moment in time, as we look very unlikely to acheive anything this season anyway. So if there was a magical way to guarantee premiership football next season, I would definitely take it.

We were never going to be able to recruit the volume of players we needed in one transfer window. Firstly, that is a lot of signings, and secondly, it requires getting some of the wasters off the wage bill. The important thing was we were getting players in of the right quality, and moving in the right direction. The impatience of some people is staggering.

It seems to have already taken a position that I don't agree with, but all the same I think it is a good idea for people to get their views out there. I'll read the full blurb and give it a chance.

This is the sort of comment that makes other clubs' fans think that NUFC supporters have ideas above their station...Wenger and Ferguson's opinions carry a great deal more weight(justifiably)than this sort of remark on a fans' website. It also smacks of arrogance - despite disagreeing with your views, I still acknowledge that you are entitled to them , so it is a bit silly to say that these 2 top managers should 'keep their beaks out'.. In fact, such a comment could even be construed by some as being from a Board Ally.......! Dude Just to clarify, I'm definitely not suggesting that I know more about football then Ferguson or Wenger. And, as you say, I don't think my views 'have more weight', whatever that means. This is all about opinions though isn't it? All I'm saying is that is what I would expect fellow managers to say, they will always come out and support one of their own. And in terms of commenting on the situation at Newcastle, yes I would prefer if they minded their own business. Not sure what 'board ally' means, but I've agued the case sympathetically for Ashley at times, so I think my views are out there.

Precisely. True, but you also need a world class recruitment team and connections with clubs worldwide. They might find a couple of youngsters from the Ivory Coast that are quality, but they've signed and released another 25 to get them. Wenger might have the final say and then be able to get the best out of these players, but he's not responsible for finding them all. I would say it is his ability to recognise a player's strengths and instill self belief that are his greatest strength. That and the style of football he imposes.

I suppose that's why I was so willing to support Ashley and his long term plan. If we're going to come 5th-10th anyway, we may as well do it the right way. Obviously if I gave up NUFC I would be watching football a lot less. Could never do that though, as long as there is an NUFC I could never follow football without supporting them. I'd love to see that, but it would have to be a worldwide consensus, which I can't ever see being possible. And it would be like turkeys voting for Christmas, the owners, agents and officials are all beneficiaries of the massive amount of money in football.

Surely the only way for the fans to 'own but not run' the club would be for it to be made a public limited company again, with the fans as shareholders? Then we would be back to the previous situation where it is theoretically possible for us to choose who is the chairman, but only every so often and only from the candidates that put themselves forward. Then when he is in power he will take actions that will divide the fans just like the current owner does. And, like at Madrid, he will be forced to promise unrealistic signings that will unbalance the team in order to get reelected. If you don't like Ashley's PR then be prepared to drown in a tidal wave of populist, sycophantic drivel during the run up to an election.

I respect Wenger and Fergie, but they are bound to stick up for a fellow manager above a businessman they've never met, and they don't know what really went on any more than we do. My preffered situation would be for them to keep their beaks out.

West Ham are starting to rival us in the perma-crock stakes. Partly because they bought a few of ours obviously.

That Gazza joke is top drawer

I had a dream last night that they had a man sent off and I brought Martins off the bench to exploit the extra space! Probably not going to happen, as I'm not the manager and he's likely injured, but it was a good dream

It's getting harder to love the game, at least at the top level. The idea that the only way a club can compete is to find a foreign billionnaire to buy them is depressing as fuck. Wow, you won the league? So what. The drama still grabs me and I'll probably always love NUFC, but if I was a season ticket holder and went every week I don't know how I would feel. But that's the bigger picture, and I soon forget it whenever I get to a game and just enjoy the match. It's a weird paradox, being almost permanently worried/pissed off between matches, then loving it once you're there. I don't have a strong desire to watch every other team though, I mean I wouldn't care at all if I missed Liverpool v Man Utd.

I don't think Keegan leaving will make anyone leave who was going to stay, he's not that important to them IMO. He hardly signed any of them, and even the ones who came in during his reign we're led to believe he didn't even choose.

It's a really big problem appointing a decent manager now, and Ashley has made it a lot worse by saying he wants to sell so publicly. Now any decent manager won't touch as they know they'll likely be out the door in a few weeks.

His record doesn't seem that bad, but then again we don't judge people on their records at Newcastle anymore - we judge them on being cockney/annoying/short/pug nosed/scoring against us/not geordie etc. It's the way forward for recruitment.

Ronaldo is class, but Man Utd were great before him and will be great after. The amount of times Gerrard has saved Liverpool is ridiculous, he's the closest to being a one man team there is in the premiership. Without him Liverpool would have done nothing much over the last few years.

There's only so many lobes to remove.

I don't get the point of this thread TBH. We protested for Ashley to sell, and we got our way - now we're complaining he's 'whoring the club around', do we want him to sell or what? On one hand we want him to get out now after never giving him a decent chance, but yet we want him to treat the club like a precious diamond that he can't bear to part with. Make your minds up FFS.

My brother saw Jose Enrique in Thorntons in Eldon Square the other day. Think he needs to be keeping off the chocolates.

It's the double whammy bit that I can't believe managers can't see. We weaken our defence and we lessen one of our most dangerous attacking threats in one move. Brilliant tactics that is.

He's said he's got the message, we just need to get on with supporting the team now.