Wallace

I think that is going to be a common theme for the foreseeable future - the London media will be desperate for stories of Pardew constantly getting one over us. Pretty certain that Pardew did want Shelvey when he was here - I am sure he was linked with us on numerous occasions. Probably one of those situations where Pardew was privately briefing the media of the players he wanted but which he was never going to be allowed to sign.

If Lerner had bought us, he would probably have sold us by now seeing as we have had buyers interested but Ashley will only contemplate a ridiculous deal.

Has Dawson played much this season? He didn't play on Friday - injured or out of favour? I would say he is more of a typical Sunderland signing.

I just don't understand whu the journos still mention players like him. It's like they haven't followed Newcastle for the last 7-8 years. I think the reason is that he might be a player McClaren wants and is trying to persuade the board to change their blueprint. Signings like this would just probably just harden their stance as I think he would be a massive failure.

Carrick seems to spend more time injured this day and with our record in that department, he would probably never be fit.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/jan/01/premier-league-10-things-to-look-out-for-this-weekend From The Guardian's preview of the match. Guess it has been written by Barry Glendinning (Sunderland fan) but a rather damning indictment of McClaren. 2) The same old same old from Steve McClaren? Had goalkeeper Rob Elliot not been sidelined by illness, it’s safe to say the Newcastle team that lined up for consecutive festive defeats to West Brom and Everton would have been identical. Just before Christmas, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ayoze Pérez were absent from Newcastle’s starting XI for that woeful performance against Aston Villa, although both players featured in the XI that finished it. That it seems far more difficult to get out of Steve McClaren’s struggling side than it is to get into it speaks volumes about the ongoing mess in which Newcastle United find themselves and how little their manager has done to rectify it in recent months. Newcastle have made no progress under McClaren and, having started the campaign with £50m worth of new signings and playing a possession-based attacking game, they have reverted to a turgid counter-attacking style with the same old familiar faces lining up in the same formation regardless of the opposition. Watching Jack Colback and Vurnon Anita sit deep against a team as hapless as Aston Villa – just as they do against every other team Newcastle face – it was difficult to avoid the conclusion that McClaren is completely bereft of ideas about how to outwit fellow managers, which seems strange considering his exalted reputation as an innovative coach, if not a manager. Furthermore, his ongoing reliance on the same players who continually underperform suggest an almost total lack of competition for places at Newcastle, which suggests things aren’t likely to improve any time soon. Newcastle have only beaten Arsenal once in 20 meetings in all competitions over the past 10 years, and on current form they are unlikely to double that tally this weekend. On the plus side for McClaren, as his monotonously predictable team takes to the field against the league leaders at the Emirates, he can at least console himself with the comforting knowledge that they are likely to have no shortage of opportunities to attack on the break. BG

Hm. There comes a point, as there did with Pardew, that a manager's shitness can not and no longer should be tolerated regardless of the consequences of ousting him. I'd say McClaren isn't miles away from that, a couple of heavy defeats in the next few games Inc a cup exit and he's got to go. I think the press will be doing the hounding as they don't seem to care much for McClaren (failed England manager - they will never forgive him).

Erm, so if that is the case why did we buy him in the first place? Isn't McClaren on the board and a member of our so-called transfer committee? Supposedly McClaren had no input into the Summer transfer business.

I think a team could go down with more than 40 points this year. With one more game to go to the half way stage, all but the bottom 2 could be on at least 20 points after tomorrow's game. Last year at the same stage, the 14th placed team (Sunderland) had 20 points whilst the 18th/19th teams were on 16 points. Mind you two of the bottom 3 did stay up (Palace were on 16 points and Leicester were bottom on 13). It looks like some good January transfer business is essential because there is little to separate the bottom 8 - well maybe excluding Sunderland and Villa.

That is partially true but it pre-dates the recent increase in foreign players. There reason given previously was that it was down to geography. They like to get to a couple of games in a day and can't do that with the North East.

Don't want him but if he thinks he is going to improve his England chances by coming here then someone needs to tell him that England managers never come to SJP.

Long interview with Viana who says some nice things about Speed and SBR. http://www.thenational.ae/sport/arabian-gulf-league/the-sporting-read-hugo-viana-on-gary-speed-newcastle-and-finding-peace-in-dubai?#page1

How many times did he say "can't compete"? If it wasn't so ball-smashingly excruciating it would be hilarious. I really resented the constant negative message he used to spout in every press conference about how we could not compete with virtually every other club - so much so - that it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. And that is his legacy to this club - we had belief when he arrived but it was drained out of us by the time he left.

Interesting how the narrative is changing as the months pass by.

Promoting his book.

Embarrassing that this man owns our club. He is always referred to now as "Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley".

I think he is quite influential on the pitch which we have been sorely lacking and maybe he was a factor in us not capitulating as usual once we conceded. It is going to take him time to get his performance levels up with him having barely played in 18 months. He won't be up to playing all the Xmas games anyway so McClaren will have to "rest" him or use him more sparingly.

That's what worries me if dealing with Spurs.

It's a shame that they can't see that an entertaining team that wins more than they lose at home would be far more enticing that cheap tickets. I have come across so many kids that have gone enthusiastically at first but soon decide they don't want to go anymore even if they retain an interest in football. There was a family that used to sit in front of me and their kids just played computer games for the entire game - never looked up at all. I can imagine that is quite common up in the family enclosure.

It shows their incompetence if they are unable to bring in another centre back - whether that comes down to scouting, negotiations, budget. As usual, it will end up costing them a lot more because I am sure that Colo would not have signed a new contract on reduced wages so they will up either having a very expensive reserve or having to pay him off. They have needed another CB for years and to say they can't get one is just not credible. It seems as if they don't get their first choice (i.e. the one that they end up deciding to pursue who is probably 6th on the list in the anyway) that everything grinds to a halt and they move on to another position.

I wonder how Palace fans feel about Pardew constantly talking about his next job. Doesn't sound like he is in it for the long haul.

If there's any truth in this, it's thoroughly depressing if respected managers like Moyes (and McClaren to be fair to him as well) are still interested in talking to NUFC when every man and his dog know how we operate and treat people. The thing is they will meet with the board and will probably be promised things and managers always think that once they have their foot inside the door, they will be able to make things happen. However, they don't realise that our lot lie through their teeth and they will not be allowed to do anything but coach the team. I think McClaren has already found that out - he started off being hopeful of changing things but is hitting brick wall and there have been reports that Ashley is not impressed by the demands to buy certain types of players in January. Ultimately, it is all down to what Ashley wants and the remit will only be changed if he is willing to change it. Even then, they might relent a little to try and stave off relegation but if they survive, you can see them then going back to the blueprint and the cycle starts all over again.

I guess that Sunderland match and the Darlington one probably account for a fair number but I do think the club don't need much of an excuse to ban people either.

That's what I thought mind. its not like Everton didn't play good football under moyes True enough I guess yeah But they have developed a specific style of playing and their stated policy is to recruit managers who fit that system rather than bringing in a manager with a different style. And Moyes definitely does not set up his teams in the Swansea way. But maybe they think that has run its course and want to shake things up. Yeah that's what everyone is saying really. He doesn't feel like he fits with their recent managerial recruits at all but maybe they're fancying him to take them up a level and try to establish themselves as a top 8 team. Ironically he's likely to be our only hope of not getting someone utterly s*** and unsuited to the club when McClaren is finally binned. I think the club would try for him but I am not sure if he would be interested. He would want guarantees and he would be unlikely to get them and I can't see him putting up with the current working conditions Ashley insists upon.

Contract runs out in the Summer I think. Way better than our current options but perennially knackered and will be ruled out due to bring an OAP. He is injury prone as it is. He might as well announce his immediate retirement if he signs for us because he would have no chance of ever being fit enough to play even a single minute.