Wallace

Credit to Sunderland, they were definitely up for it last night and came out of the blocks fast. But it's hard to ignore the fact Reading were awful. Completely devoid of any ideas and if they're going to play like that for most of the season then even QPR have a better chance of avoiding relegation than they do. The worrying things is Reading scored 2 against us and we were very lucky to come away with a point against them. Having said that we were unlucky with 10 men not to beat the dirty stinking mackems. The worrying thing is Reading scored 2 against us and beat us. What a farce, they're absolute w***. A Reading reporter on the radio this week said they had started the season playing quite well but they have got much poorer in recent weeks so Sunderland probably played them at the right time as they might have given them more of a game earlier on in the season.

so was it..... a) colos wages were wildly exaggerated in the first place ? b) he really has taken a whacking pay cut ? c) his 'pay' is quite small but he makes a lump in image rights paid for by the club to his own private company, registered offshore When Colo first signed, his reported wage was £40k a week but over the years it seemed to increase in newspaper reports. So many factors involved - basic pay, bonuses, image right. I guess the figure reported is whatever suits the agenda at the time whether that is the press or the club.

FWIW guy from Thomas Cook yesterday said they would be running trips for all our remaining Europa games. Might be an option for the more difficult locations.

I don't recall any stories like this emerging when he was at Liverpool or maybe they were better at hushing them up. It might not be such a good idea for him to be hanging out with Nolan so much again.

Krul seemed a better kicker when he was younger.

Best is still injured isn't he? Anyway, I think we're stronger in goal because Harper and Elliot have proven to be better than expected when called upon. Defence is as was with Good coming in and then being loaned out. Midfield is stronger numerically but weaker on the attacking side and the forwards are weaker, just. That said, we were willing to spend on a central defender and a right back, or we were at least told that we were. What did we do? We tried to penny pinch and it's proven to be a false economy because if we finish the season in our current position we'll have missed out on up to £9 million in prize money and we're not going to be the TV draw that we have been. We could have pushed the boat out and spent a few million more than we were willing to spend. We could have saved s*** loads of cash that we’re likely to now lose because of how far we’ve gone backwards. I’ve been saying to people that our transfer policy will prove to be a false economy for the reasons you mention and I wonder whether the board will come to regret their intransigence with regards to transfers. As well as the points you mention in regard to prize money and TV revenue, there will also be failing gate revenue. There are a number of reasons why it is better to invest in the Summer rather than wait till January. For example, will our better players look to agitate for moves in January? And if so, will that mean we are unlikely to achieve our perceived market value for them? It is much harder to get a good fee for a player when everyone knows they want to leave. Will we be successful in attracting players of the desired calibre in January? Players who were keen to join an aspiring Champions League club last Summer will be less enthusiastic about joining a struggling team especially if that team looks like it could be in a relegation battle and so any January recruitment may prove more difficult. Clubs will know we are desperate and will ask for higher fees and anyway, it is generally accepted that you pay more for a player in January as clubs are reluctant to sell. Next season when the new TV deal kicks in, I think transfer fees may rise considerably as European clubs will know English clubs will have a lot to spend. Would it have made more sense to have strengthened this Summer rather than wait until next year when clubs, agents and players will make higher demands of the buying club?

I think it is almost certain he has had the injury for a while and has probably been persuaded to play when he should have been rested or had the operation earlier. John Anderson on Radio Newcastle said recently that in the last few matches he had been grimacing regularly and looking to the bench and they kept thinking he was going to come off with an injury but he would end up staying on the pitch.

We can try put a positive spin on it and hope that now the "give it to Hatem and hope he skins everyone on his own" plan is out the window we might actually graft a bit better as a team. We managed to pick up a lot of points in the first part of last season without Ben Arfa. Other than Cabaye, the only other player missing from the early part of last season is Best. Obertan was a regular and Raylor was playing at left back. One of the problems is the weaker squad. Last season, we had Best, Lovenkrands, Guthrie and Taylor on the bench and although they may not have been anything special, they did a job and were far more experienced than the kids we are dependent upon now. Not replacing Guthrie has been a real problem as he played well when partnering either Tiote or Cabaye and if he was still here, it might have allowed Cabaye to be rested for the games where he has been playing with the injury or had the operation earlier. I am not sure if Amalfitano was his replacement but a kid from Ligue 2 was always going to need a fair bit of time to adjust - if indeed he is good enough in the first place.

The frustrating thing is that if this form continues into December, any prospective transfer targets will see us as a struggling team and may not fancy the move whereas in the Summer, we would have been viewed as a team with Champions League aspirations.

He talks a good game but the reality is very different. I remember how Cabaye said he was attracted to the club because Pardew wanted to instill a fluid passing game and he was to be a key part of that and I wonder what he must think. It was frustating seeing how Swansea passed the ball around yesterday - the quick movement, accurate passing and their players always making themselves available to receive a pass. Most of the other teams, even struggling ones, seem to be playing decent football regardless of the players available and we seem to be being left behind.

Didn't he come off with a back strain or similar last week? If that was the case, then the last thing you would want would be to embark on several long haul flights.

He goes on about how he has moved on but he clearly still bears a grudge. I hate the way he uses the position we were in at the time he left as proof that he was doing a good job. Anyone who watched us that season knows he did a poor job and it was getting worse by the week. Even the players were mocking of him once he went. We had the easiest start to the season then got beat by Derby when they had been thrashed in their previous 2-3 games. After that it was downhill and we still had to play the big teams. He left the club with a bunch of overpaid has been players with no pace that ended up massively contributed to our relegation. I bet he couldn't believe his luck that he was paid in full. Ashley won't make that mistake again as most clubs find a way not to pay managers in full these days. Interesting that the local journos will say how much of a disaster he was with us whereas their national counterparts who probably never watched us play, hold a different view.

That bloke in the yellow jacket was on my bus on the Thomas Cook trip. Last on the bus each time arriving just as they were about to give up on him. He did like a sing song though but a rather unusual repertoire including Abba, Adam Ant and Do-Re-Mi from The Sound of Music.

http://www.joeybarton.com/interview-with-jonathan-northcroft/ Talking about Pardew and Newcastle at 4.35.

Yep. He was never going to just settle with playing in the Europa League and cups. Seen this argument countless times on here, yet when it came to making the transfer this past summer he sure took his time to make up his mind. Pure speculation as far as I am concerned. If you look at the combined number of games Elliot and Harper have had so far I don't think he wouldn't have got his chance either. Added to constant speculation about bigger clubs eyeing up Krul, I just don't see the sense of letting him go for the sake of 1 or 2 million unless it was 100% his decision, which is not supported by evidence as far as I know. Football is a squad game. Players need competition to keep on their toes, and you need a squad to deal with injuries, suspensions, etc. I don't think having him here in direct competition with Krul for one season to see who's strongest would have done us much harm. I know someone who knows Forster and they told me 3-4 years ago that Forster had said that he wouldn't do what Harper did - he wanted to play every week and if that meant leaving Newcastle he would do so. There was no chance he would stay as back up to Krul especially after Krul signed his new contract.

If you just glanced through this evening's results, you would probably assume that Arsenal had won on penalties.

Pardew said in an interview that the clause is active again in January. I don't know about whether it only applies to CL clubs.

Pardew said on Radio Newcastle today that Sammy and Ferguson were definite starters.

I didn't realise Taylor was winding up their fans although it is not a surprise. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2221395/Sunderland-v-Newcastle-verdict--Colin-Young.html The chants aimed at Steven Taylor by Sunderland fans – which depressingly increased in volume despite its sickening message – were really shocking. After the events at Hillsborough, supporters behaviour was under scrutiny at the Stadium of Light but some people seem to relish in that. Taylor didn't do himself many favours here. He may have been talking like a fan in the build-up, and it was possible to offer some restraint in covering the sometimes crude message that he doesn't like Sunderland very much. But he still did it. And he did say he wasn’t bothered what fans sang at him. His warm-up was deliberately provocative and unnecessarily so. The pre-match stretches and kickabouts should be used as vital preparation, not a means of territory marking and Taylor and Newcastle could have handled that better. He didn't need to stand so close to the away fans, the mock orchestrating was silly in the extreme, and as for the laying down of his tracksuit top on the ground. Well, you'd imagine his manager has had words. It probably wouldn't have stopped the vile chants, which returned when he replaced Fabricio Coloccini, but at least he could say he was completely innocent. Pardew reflected that with his rock steady captain at the helm, Sunderland probably wouldn't have scored their equaliser. It came from sort of pot luck cross which had typified Sunderland all game, and which Coloccini had been attracted to like a moth to light. Taylor wasn’t blamed but he was his replacement. So when Newcastle won a corner in injury-time, Taylor sprinted forward. He was bouncing round the penalty area as Yohan Cabaye placed the ball on the turf and you just knew he wanted to score. His adrenalin was already pumped in anticipation. You could see him imagining where the French magician would float his cross, seeking the space to bludgeon the ball past Simon Mignolet. That's the Steven Taylor I like personally, the willing, over-eager and passionate if occasionally misguided footballer who wants his team, his Newcastle, to win. And even better if he plays his part in it. I just dread to think what would have happened if he had scored.

I think he came on as a sub in the second-half and Colo came off at half-time. Scored their goal.

Slowly making his way back from injury. One hell of a layoff to have so young, it must be said. Has apparently now picked up a hamstring injury.

Pardew said they had all trained today and would be available for selection on Sunday. However, Radio Newcastle seemed to think that Krul was the least likely to play out of the three.

Well with it dropping, providing you have filled out the form correctly, you can assume you are guaranteed a ticket. There is no way of knowing 100% until the money comes out of bank or an extra loyalty point has been applied to your online account. None of which has happened apart from those who have applied through Thomas Cook.,. They have had there accounts debited, I'm not sure if is NUFC or Thomas cook who has taken the cash though? Maybe someone who has applied via Thomas Cook could clarify this? I am pretty sure it is Thomas Cook as they took out the money for the whole trip and not just the ticket money. All the correspondence has come from them.

Sounds like a bit of a cock up with the roof. Apparently they said they were going to close it an hour or so ago and once it is closed, they have a heating system that will dry the pitch in 30 mins - but no attempt was made to close the roof.