Wallace

Don't know about the seats but they have the Nike logo on one of the stands in the same position as the Sports Direct one is on the Gallowgate.

But isn't he looking for a big salary? In the current climate, it is unlikely we would pay him what he thinks he is worth.

As long as it has the required number of 5* jobs to house them, they don't give a f***. I thought the number of hotel rooms was one of the reasons why Newcastle failed to get a UEFA Cup Final.

Just curious as to the income v wage bill ratio of Portsmouth. I know Redknapp likes to wheel and deal but some of those players must be on big wages and their ground only holds around 20,000 and their corporate facilities are limited. So how can they afford the wages? Is their owner putting his own money into the club?

Under 21s Latest - Wales 0 England 2 Vokes playing up front for Wales and looking good.

Speaking to a client in Holland today and he asked me if Keegan was getting sacked!! I wonder just how far this non-event has travelled.

Just that it was the most difficult decison he has ever had to make to leave. Keegan had said he might get a game next season but could not guarantee it and he understands that with the way the team has been playing. Having missed most of the season and at 24, just wants to play games. Will continue to support Newcastle and go to as many games as he can home and away. Exciting times ahead for Newcastle. Fans were always great to him etc.

Press conference has been on Sky and he started off by saying that yes he was going to meet Mike Ashley tomorrow and that he would only speak about the Everton game.

Can you imagine if they sacked Keegan to bring in Wise. The city would be in open revolt.

Keegan's been to watch him regularly so it makes sense that Spurs will sign him! Seems as if we are doing all Spurs scouting for them these days - Woodgate, Modric .... You say that as if it's a guarantee Woodgate will be fit

Even if Oliver did know about Modric he should have held the story. Why would he run a story that is wholly detrimental to the signing of a major player for the Club he;'s charged with reporting on? Proves what a totally worthless c*** he is. I think Oliver causes a few problems with his exclusives - be it dissatisfied players, new signings or gossip from the training ground. In this day and age, when as soon as something is put online it is around the world instantly, there are times when he should be more circumspect if he has the Club's interests at heart.

But don't they vote some time around January. Chelsea weren't great earlier on and Fabregas had a good first half of the season.

I thought his comments in the match programme today were very positive. Said he was very happy here and it was the most exciting time since he joined the club and that he could not be happier with the manager and is enjoying playing under him. Said that Keegan had told him to tell his agent that the Chairman would be contacting him to arrange a meeting soon. He did refer the Sky interviewer to his programme notes before stumblling through the rest of the interview. I read it as he wants to stay subject to a contract being agreed.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2275025,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=5 Oba in Toon with the King After playing only seven games under Sam Allardyce, Obafemi Martins is smiling again Anna Kessel Sunday April 20, 2008 The Observer Obafemi Martins trots over the Gateshead Millennium Bridge from Newcastle, hands tucked deep into his pockets, body braced against the cold North-East wind, face pinched up under the peak of a sparkly cap. A Premier League footballer going anywhere by foot is unusual. He makes a compelling sight dwarfed under the vast expanse of grey sky. On the other side of the Tyne, in the warmth of his Gateshead penthouse, Martins has recently enjoyed a visit from his mother. She left only a few days ago, but the fridge's freezer compartment is fully stocked with Nigerian dishes. When he runs out of these he can always go next door to team-mate Emre. Emre's mum cooks up a regular Turkish culinary storm to feed the two of them. Article continues It is a rare glimpse at domestic life for a Newcastle player, a world away from the frenzied news stories of fractious dressing rooms, relegation fears and managerial instability. Eighteen months ago, a young Martins could never have envisaged such chaos when he first decided to come to England. When Martins arrived in Newcastle from Inter in 2006, a £10million Glenn Roeder purchase and the big summer signing, he was still only 21 years old. Handed the No 9 shirt worn with such rugged distinction by Alan Shearer for a decade, there was an excited buzz about the striker among the fans. Was this Champions League whizz kid who played alongside players such as Christian Vieri and Adriano, gifted and with phenomenal pace and agility, really coming to the Toon? Almost two seasons later and some people cannot quite believe he is still there. With persistent rumours of a £15m move to Arsenal - Arsène Wenger is a known admirer after Inter demolished Arsenal 3-0 at Highbury in a Champions League fixture in 2003, in which Martins played a central role - why would the Nigeria forward stick with such a troubled club? 'Actually people say that all the time,' he says with a smile, 'In Nigeria they are calling me, they are asking if I will sign a new contract. They say I should just go away, there are a lot of better teams. But they don't understand; if you feel passion for a team, even if they have problems you have to help them out. For now I'm still playing here. For now.' Martins purses his lips carefully. 'They say this because I miss playing Champions League as well, but a lot of players here at Newcastle have played Champions League. It's not only me. We're here now, we have to deal with it and try to help each other. That's the way I'm thinking.' Back in Nigeria, people are less understanding. Who are Newcastle compared to the club suitors who have come knocking for Martins' signature? 'Most Nigerians support Arsenal, or Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool. That's why people always say to me, "What are you doing there? I really don't understand why you're at Newcastle, go to Arsenal!" I'm like, leave my team alone please! You cannot imagine how they are disturbing me in Nigeria.' He glances at his agent, who also has family in Nigeria, and laughs knowingly. 'Never mind,' says Martins, 'because I'm at Newcastle and Nigerians love me a lot. They've started supporting Newcastle now. Even the Arsenal supporters will try and put themselves half-half, because of me. That makes me very happy.' It has been an eventful time for Martins on the Tyne. The club who finished seventh in the Premier League the summer that he signed have worked their way through three managers and countless other problems since. The instability has not been good for Martins. All season the boy wonder from Lagos has been on and off the bench. Under Sam Allardyce he played just seven complete matches from a total of 23 appearances. Newcastle's star signing did not expect such treatment. After being crowded out of a regular role at Inter with the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Hernán Crespo, Martins was not prepared for a bench role at his new club. 'If they change a player who is trying to get a goal and they are substituted I think a lot of players would feel upset. Even if they don't act like that, inside of themselves they will feel very, very bad. I've always been like that even when I was at Inter Milan.' He has shown his frustration. He snubbed an Allardyce handshake after being taken off against Chelsea, and burst into tears when Kevin Keegan substituted him against Birmingham. Tears and football? He and King Kev must be made for each other. Obafemi means 'The King loves me' in the Yoruba language - and it sounds as though he does. 'After five minutes we were talking and laughing,' says Martins. 'He said to me, "Oba, if you do that again you're gonna pay a fine." And I said to him, "If you do that kind of thing again [substitute me], you're gonna pay a fine too." So we started laughing about it.' Since that game Martins has played 90 minutes in three out of four matches and scored twice. The respect clearly works both ways. 'Sam Allardyce never talked a lot,' he says. 'Kevin Keegan speaks as if we are team-mates. It's different and I like it.' The changeover from Allardyce was not easy, though. 'We get confused because what Sam Allardyce was saying to us about playing is totally different from what the new manager says. It was very, very difficult for everybody. Trying to understand his tactics and everything. It takes some months.' To make matters worse, Martins was away preparing for the African Cup of Nations. 'Geremi called me. He said Sam Allardyce is no more the manager at Newcastle. I was shocked. I was worried about coming back. It's not easy going to the African Nations for two months and coming back and playing regularly.' Phone calls with Charles N'Zogbia kept him updated before Nathaniel of NVA Management phoned to break the news about Kevin Keegan's appointment. Martins says he had never heard of Keegan and had to look him up on YouTube. Does he resent the managerial mayhem? Martins is diplomatic. 'In Africa if the team are not doing well, the fans will come to the players. Here, it's different. If things aren't going well, it's the manager's fault.' He recalls the case of the Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan, who failed to satisfy the supporters at this year's Cup of Nations. 'The fans were shouting that they gonna kidnap his family.' Martins is in stitches. Compared to this, Allardyce got off rather lightly. Keegan looks to have banished the relegation spectre with 11 points from Newcastle's past five games, but with Sunderland in Toon threatening to leapfrog them in the league this afternoon, the Tyne-Wear derby is a must-win game. Around the streets of Newcastle everybody knows it. Martins cannot walk too far without somebody shaking his hand and wishing him luck for the big game. With the kind of frustrating season he has had, he will be happy to be the key man in it.

That happened last week. Lee Ryder mentioned it in his blog last Friday.

Michael Owen song was sung a couple of times but much more Oba (even before his goal) as usual.

John Beresford said at that quiz thing the other night, that he had heard that Owen has become much more influential in the dressing room since being made captain and has really stepped up to the role.

Steve Black? I am not sure if he is a myth or a genius. The Falcons pack for years has been weak & physically got done over in most games. Some members of the pack under his regime looked fat & not muscular. The falcons often got wiped out in the 2nd half or late on in games. iam going with Myth, iam sure he is good at what he does but i dont think he's the god of fitness he gets made out as on here. He gets bigges up way beyond his actual ability. I went to a talk-in with Steve Black last year and I thought he was he was really inspirational to listen to. I am sure though that after a while, it loses its impact. I don't know if this is true, but I often heard that the Falcons suffered the least muscular injuries of all the rugby premiership teams. He might have a positive impact for a short time but then he didn't have much effect when he joined the Mackems for a while before they were relegated last time.

It concerns me that "our culture" is slowly dying. 20 years ago, you would very rarely hear a non-local accent but I am shocked that some days in town, I scarcely hear a Geordie accent. Dialect is starting to die out quite quickly. I think the strong regional identity we have and the pride in our area is slowly being diluted. Many outsiders are coming in and expensive property is being built with them in mind and out of the price range of local people. They will not care about our city and history or even our football team. Even the local broadcast media have few locals these days. The remoteness of this area has meant that we have managed to maintain "our culture" but I wonder for how much longer. This area has a unique history (probably going back to Roman times, the Vikings, the Reivers, the Scots etc) which has made the people and the area so different from other parts of the country ie. that live for today mentality because you probably would not be around to see tomorrow. Having lived away from the area and then moved back a few years ago, I have been struck by the differences and it does sadden me. I still think it is a very special place and it is different to the rest of England - I just hope that we can keep it that way,

Someone I spoke to a few weeks back knows someone on the backroom staff who was lamenting that there were too many people who had all the theory but little practical experience. Was resentful about being told what to do by people he considered less experienced than himself. We were being ridiculed for having too many backroom staff and now people are concerned that some are leaving. It depends on who is leaving and why. I am sure that if there have been some massive improvements in some areas, that KK will have been told about it and is not stupid enough to dismiss it out of hand.

Caroll was much better than Shola tonight. Also thought Edgar was very good with a strong City forward line.

Contracts mean nothing these days. Richards gets a pay rise and City will be able to ask for a higher transfer fee when he moves. Would be amazed if he was still there in 5 years unless City are an established top 4 team and regularly winning things.

OK so it is one game but if it is a huge success and the clubs make tons of money, then it will become 2 games and then 3 and so on. Where will it end? The clubs have already said that the TV money is more important than the fans. Adam Pearson from Derby was on the radio earlier and said that fans would relish the opportunity to see their team play abroad especially those that did not regularly play in Europe. Melbourne, Beijing and Melbourne are a bit different from Paris and Milan - that is not a couple of days off work, is it? And they want to play the game at a time of year when people are short of money from Xmas. Thought they wanted a winter break but instead it is a good idea to travel thousands of miles and play an extra game!

It didn't help that it was a lunchtime kick off.

Was shocked at the appointment and then caught up in the excitement. ATM. think he is the right man for the job for where we are and to get the fans to reconnect with the club again. Long-term I am not so sure, but if we make progress with him and the new management structure, and are in a much better place at the end of his contract than when he took over, I would be happy with that. The rest of the season will be tough though so the supporters need to stay onside and not get on his or the players backs. I just hope he sees his contract out as that will mean some sort of success will have been achieved. And there is no other manager that I would want to win something for us more than I would want Keegan to.