Wallace

If McClaren is to go it will be down to Ashley - there is no way that Charnley will sack him. The Chronicle only know what those at the club tell them and none of them will have a clue on what Ashley will do next. And even if Ashley is saying one thing, he is just as likely to do the opposite.

Paul Robinson on 5Live said having played for both Allardyce and McClaren, he is confident that Sunderland will stay up.

We've got 4 away games in our next 6. We will be lucky to still be in with a chance of staying up by the time we get through those.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/chelsea-5-1-newcastle-five-10888758 2. Tactics, what tactics? It’s not just the onlookers who were bemused by what was going on out on the Stamford Bridge pitch - Newcastle players looked towards McClaren and assistant Paul Simpson for guidance during the game, but little arrived. Jonjo Shelvey in particular continued to remonstrate with the bench as the Magpies failed to impose any shape whatsoever on to their game. For the majority of the first half, McClaren continued to sit in the dugout though - refusing, or seemingly unable, to know how to change things. No substitutions arrived despite the awful start, while no obvious tactical change occurred either. It took until the interval for Jack Colback to be brought on, but by then the game was already long gone - and had been since the 17th minute.

Faustino Asprilla ‏@TinoasprillaH 45m45 minutes ago What kind of formation is that Mr. McLaren; ¿Do you know the players? Faustino Asprilla ‏@TinoasprillaH 47m47 minutes ago How can you pretend to stay in @premierleague playing at this level @NUFC Faustino Asprilla ‏@TinoasprillaH 58m58 minutes ago This is a F... JOKE!

The reason why there have been no takers for Everton until now is because they need a new stadium so I wonder whether they are prepared to make that investment or whether they are just eyeing up the new TV deal.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/feb/07/newcastle-united-steve-mcclaren-cheik-tiote-west-bromwich-albion Classic Saylor. After convincing McClaren to let him undergo rehabilitation from hamstring surgery beneath the restorative heat of the Doha sun, Taylor is similarly hungry. “I’ve been dying to get back out there for ages so I’m absolutely loving it,” he said. “I feel a million dollars. I’ve come back from Qatar fitter and stronger. “ When you’re not playing you’re always going to be written off but I like proving people wrong. It’s nice for a lot of people to eat their words. I play with my heart and soul but we need characters. When you play for Newcastle you need a bit of fruit and veg down there, you’ve got to hold your own. “I threw myself at everything and, yeah, wound West Brom up a bit. Our team’s been a little quiet in the last few months so I livened things up. It seemed to work on a few of their players – they were moaning and it put them off their game.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/6908416/Newcastles-transfer-window-shambles-is-no-laughing-matter.html "Still, McClaren seemed delighted, so I asked him on Tuesday if there was, in a way, MORE pressure on him now he had brought his own men through the door. But he merely burst into his, by now customary, fake laughter, then sarcastically said: “More? Well done. Behave. Next question.”

Caught a bit of it in the car. Quite amusing when asked directly what he thought of McClaren and waffled on about how he did OK in some places and not so in others but never answered the question. Then asked what he thought when McCLaren got the job and just replied he was on holiday at the time. Kind of gave the impression that he doesn't think much of him.

He's done well to last this long before getting injured.

Rodgers - yet another manager I dislike. Oh to have a manager that you could get excited about.

Moyes has always needed time to turn things around - I am not sure he would have the instant impact that is required.

We have the best players of the bottom teams but the worst manager. When will Ashley learn that the manager is the most important part of a good team?

If we stay up, when does the money actually come in from this new TV deal? If its fairly quick, then they can have few excuses for not spending. And, we already have (at least) £21m seemingly burning a hole in our pocket! I think I read that they were going to make the initial payment early in the new season which I don't think normally happens.

Leicester currently 5 points ahead of Arsenal!

eh? Why would England choose the stadium of light over SJP? Seriously cant think of one reason unless it's that Newcastle literally don't want it for some reason Will be too much hassle to cover up all the SD.com signage for one meaningless friendly. Maybe because we have that Rugby League Magic Weekend the week before.

Mick Lowes was saying it was all down to their chairman trying to sell the club and having Berahino on the books as an asset will increase the value of the club.

Nope. didn't think they had, but been busy at work and not kept up to speed with everything. Not even attempting to stay up are they Villa supporting mate said in December that apparently Lerner (or somebody, can't remember) that they would only be active in January if they were close to safety. Didn't really believe it, but it seems like it was true Garde said they were after Doumbia and the Bordeaux player that Sunderland signed.

It looks like we are being played by West Brom probably to flush out other interest hence the comment to say that we were encouraged to bid. It says something though that the likes of Stoke can bid £21m+ for a player. Our major advantage is that we are prepared to put the cash up front which few if any clubs actually do. Spurs like to pay in dribs and drabs over a long contract and with a heavily incentivised deal so the selling club often doesn't get that much cash. Last Summer they would have sold to anyone but Spurs, now it looks like anyone but us.

This is what happens when you make do in the Summer. Your options are always restricted in the January window and even moreso when you are in a relegation fight. How many of these players would they have signed had they not been desperate?

Wasn't he getting a lot of stick of Marseilles fans as well before he left? I can't see the abuse at Watford being the reason for him leaving only that it is being used as an excuse.

Not keen on Townsend myself but I would bin this for the time being and concentrate on a striker as that is more of a priority to me. We would be stupid to pay £14m for Townsend who even most pundits think is only worth half that and still has a lot to do to prove himself. And it is not as if there is a bidding war going on as no-one else seems prepared to pay that amount. I am not certain where he would play as I can only recall him playing on the right (and I would be surprised to see Sissoko leave in this window although I expect him to go in the Summer) and for that money, you would expect a player to start every week. Anyway giving Spurs the money they want would probably mean they would go and buy Berahino so they would stuff us over twice.

If Spurs are seriously interested in Perez I would expect that they will be trying to make him part of the deal and because it is Levy, we will probably end up paying £12m plus Perez. He won't do a deal unless he can screw the buying club in some way.

I shall wait until we put a run of results together before being confident we can be safe. We need to start beating the poorer teams rather than just raising our game against the top sides.

Also refreshing to hear Bilic say we were the better team and deserved to win rather than the usual excuses from a defeated manager.