Wallace

I think at at this point Owen probably wants to leave and will want to go to a club that is playing European football next season. However, with the league as it is, it is impossible to know which clubs will be doing do. At the moment, it looks like it will be the usual CL clubs plus Villa and Everton but who else? At this stage, City and Spurs are below us so why would that make them a better bet than us. It makes sense therefore to see how the league pans out before making a decison and also if a club does not have to pay a transfer fee then it increases his options as clubs like Everton may then be able to afford him. I am happy for him to stay until the end of the season - we need his goals. Any replacement bought in may need time to adapt - Xisco did not make an immediate impact and who would have though Keane would have been such a flop at Liverpool. At least we know that if he gets chances, he will put most of them away.

Well I am happy that he has committed to the end of the season.

Is there any other player where there is so much written about his contract status and whether he will stay or not. I feel sorry for the lad. I want Owen to stay but don't expect him to do so and think he would be mad to sign a contract at this stage of the season and with the club in the mess it is in. However as Decky said above, I will be glad when this whole farce is over as we have had this from the day he signed and it has been a huge distraction and he must be as frustrated as we are about the whole thing.

Players like Owen do not decide within 2-3 days that they are going to sign a contract (unless it is a last day of the transfer window).

It'll probably be Spurs or Man City for me. Ironically both clubs are below us at the moment But will Mark Hughes be at City next season? If Owen signs for them next month, would it be a short-term fix and then if City buy some big name strikers in the Summer and he will be back to being a squad member and coming off the bench. Cannot bear the thought of him going to Spurs.

I cannot imagine we will get any quality players in January with the state the club are in - players would be mad to commit to the club at this point and Ashley will not spend that kind of cash. There may be some decent loan signings available but other than that I would be amazed if we signed anyone worth getting excited about. If we do sign anyone, I wonder if they will add a relegation clause to the contract!

A taste of what's in store for January? Can see why Ashley thought of him in the first place like: Scary that a lot of in that article already sounds familiar.

Hate this constant argument about who sang and not being able to hear the other side. I think a lot of the noise especially in Level 7 drifts out over the stadium.

I have never been happy with his appointment from Day 1 but for a short-term period and the lack of alternatives, I could accept it. Now he is here for the rest of the season, I am seriously worried. I have been hugely irritated with his idiotic ramblings to the press and the way he keeps talking himself up when I think he has done (at best) a moderate job so far. It seems as if the press have been happy to go along with that (maybe because of that press conference) but reading a few of today's reports, it looks like the press are cottoning on to the fact, that the stats are not as great as he would have you believe. Apart from stopping Kinnear leaving for another job, I do not really see why a contract to the end of the season provides stability. Why would a player want to join a club to play for a manager who will be gone as soon as the club is sold and why would they want to join a club in our current state anyway - especially the standard of player that is needed. It is decision-making and leadership needed from Ashley, Llambias and co. that will provide the stability but the continued silence not only to the supporters but to their own staff and primarily the players is the most damaging. I am not saying that I want him out because after all, what is the alternative but I have little faith in his ability to get us out of a relegation battle. I wonder what nonsense he will come out with on Goals on Sunday in the morning.

I think he's the main man. Before the Boro game, he took the other three aside and was giving them instructions and encouragement. mebbe he should be captain. what was that game he fought to win a corner in the 90th min, pumped the crowd up after doing so, then scored from it? inspirational stuff. I couldn't understand why you would break up a back four that in the 2 and a half games have done well. One of the first things that happened in the second half was that Beye and Taylor went for the same ball which was a sign of the confusion in defence that was to come.

I wondered how they could arrest 2 people when there were considerably more than that singing the bomb thing around me. Also, with Mido being at the other end of the pitch, would he have heard it. However, I did see some mention of some "racist behaviour" when he was warming up - maybe something was said then for which the 2 were arrested.

The Hull game is at 3pm on Saturday 3rd January - confirmed on Hull's website http://www.hullcityafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10338~1475597,00.html

Well Moyes was talking about loan signings so if we are able to keep our best strikers in January, sending Smith on loan there would make sense for everyone. He wouldn't get many games here if everyone was fit and if he did well at Everton, it would increase his price.

There was such chanting albeit shortlived thank goodness.

If he really wanted to come and watch the games - he could just have been driven into the ground and watched from a box. Most people in the ground would be unaware he was there - only those in the corporate sections and I don't think they would have given him too much bother.

Which is why he should play some reserve games first. I had this discussion yesterday, reserve games now are basically just glorified youth teams. It almost seems like its just not the done thing anymore to get injured players back to fitness by playing them in the reserves. Owen did play a reserve game last season at Kingston Park.

When we played Hull in September, he said in interviews that he used to watch both teams but then he got beaten up at a Newcastle match and after that followed the Mackems.

Yup. I imagine we'll go all out to flog him in January. As a result we'll be lucky to get £7m. Surely if he's a free agent in the summer, you'll get nowhere near 7m for him in January? One of today's papers said he would be off to City for £1m.

There is also the doubt about whether Given will be staying. I would be reluctant to get Krul go but he must look around and see that there are other young keepers playing regularly in the Premiership and when he looks at Newcastle unless either Harper or Given leaves, he will not get a chance for a number of years. He needs to be playing regularly now and at present he is having to share games with Forster when there are not that many reserve games in a season. We are also constantly linked with other goalkeepers - there was another one earlier this week - which is strange because that is the one area where we have strength in depth.

Just wish Kinnear would stop talking - the more he talks, the more of an idiot I think he is. From The Journal this morning: http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/11/19/kinnear-wants-longer-deal-61634-22292301/ “I’m looking forward to the meeting because I think everyone would like some clarification regarding the takeover situation,” said Kinnear, who has guided United to nine points from a possible 21 since he took charge of the side. “Hopefully I’ll hear how far down the line the sale of the club is and if there is going to be any significant progress in the next couple of weeks. As far as I know due diligence has started, or is about to start, but I’m not in contact with Keith Harris directly so I don’t know. This meeting will give me the chance to find out what is going on and what my situation is going to be. “The most important thing is the club, not my personal situation, but I think it is in the best interests of the team if I am given some long-term authority with a contract until June or something like that. It will clear up a bit of the uncertainty. If the club isn’t going to be sold before the end of the year – and it’s not certain that it is – then I’m also going to give the board a list of players I want to sign and list of players I’m willing to sell in January.” We will sell players without a problem but who would want to come when they see the better players leaving - other than those from the Championship that he has already mentioned. The problem areas in defence and midfield need good players to come and hit the ground running and not some foreigners or Championship players moving up a division who will need time to adapt no matter what their potential is. I do not think his record so far as been that great. The Villa and City results seemed good at the time but then Villa went on to get beat by Boro at home and City have been poor since. The last couple of months we have thrown points away and December and January are going to be tough months. I am getting more concerned by the day.

I think if he leaves in January that it is going to send out some very bad messages. Given has put up with a lot but has always been positive that things are going to improve - if he is now ready to jump ship, thas does not bode well for what he thinks the future is for the club. Also, if our most respected player is allowed to leave, it shows that the management are prepared to sell anyone and that will make us vulnerable to other clubs trying to poach our better players.

Find it a bit strange that Trappatoni would be touting him around like this without Given's blessing. If he wants to stay, surely he would have a quiet word with Trappatoni and say thanks for the compliments but I don't want to move. If Shay was to leave, I would much prefer him to go abroad that to Spurs. Thought he was diplomatic in the Sky interview yesterday without being particularly supportive of Kinnear when he said that he couldn't say whether JFK should be given the job because no-one knows what is going on at the club - a bit different to Duff. I think Given in particular seems to have been distressed by recent events and so for the first time may be considering his options. I think it would be difficult decision for him to leave especially not knowing what could happen. If he left and then Shearer became manager shortly afterwards, I think he would be gutted about that. I think the Club would be daft to sell him unless he asked to leave. Although we are well stocked with goalkeepers, he is one of our best assets and I would prefer that the next manager made the decisions about who should leave rather than an interim manager and Dennis Wise. If Wise and co are trying to sell him just to raise cash then again, it is another example of how little regard they have for a player who has been a superb servant to the club.

Steve Harper on 5Live doing the analysis for the Hull City game.

Emre not in the Fenerbahce team - not sure if he is on the bench. Is he injured again because I don't think he was involved in the game the other week either.

Could hear the Leazes corner fine from the Gallowgate last night. I think a lot of noise drifts out of the stadium though - maybe more so during day games than evening ones.