Wallace

I am on the Thomas Cook trip and I have enough points to know that I would definitely get a ticket. I also personally know of at least half a dozen others who booked with Thomas Cook who had well over 100 points so please don't assume that everyone on that trip has less than the required points. There may only only be a few people with the required points or it could be a fairly large percentage but I don't suppose we will find out. It is a difficult one because it is not fair that people miss out when others with fewer points get to go nor is it fair that those who do have enough points miss out because a decision is made too late to make alternative arrangements. I got a confirmation email and the money taken out of my account last week but was thrown by the comment on here that Steve Wraith was saying on Twitter that the trip had been cancelled so at this stage I am still not 100% convinced it is going ahead.

think Bird had a pop at him on twitter earlier today. He's totally isolated and on his own compared to all the other NE journos like. You'll usually see Douglas, Bird, Caulkin, Wilson, Starforth and sometimes that numpty McNally talking to one another on twitter. Notice that none of them ever interact in conversation with Ryder Agree. That Ryder interview was excruciating to listen to. Found the tweets between the local journos on the Wonga deal quite interesting - such a difference of opinions.

Sorry to have caused such irritation but I just have never heard it openly said by Llambias that they were "commercial partners". It may well be on the official site but I wouldn't think of looking at the Commercial pages.

So now Sports Direct are our commercial partners. That is a very one-sided partnership. Are there any commercial benefits to NUFC?

Surely it is the club's responsibility to interact with the fans rather than the sponsors. Sounds like the club will use them as an intermediary so they can continue to avoid meeting those ungrateful Geordies face to face.

I find this a bit odd - surely the problem with those players were the fact that they were recruited by Wise who bought badly and overpaid for youngsters.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/david-conn-inside-sport-blog/2012/oct/09/newcastle-united-wonga-deal?commentpage=4#start-of-comments From David Conn's piece on this. Derek Llambias, Newcastle's managing director who, with the club's owner, Mike Ashley, has made great strides to win over supporters since Newcastle's low point of relegation in 2009, depicted the deal as one whose cash would help Newcastle compete in the Premier League. "Wonga's desire to help us invest in our young playing talent, the local community and new fan initiatives really impressed us and stood them apart from other candidates," he said. "I am delighted to welcome Wonga into the fold as our lead commercial partner." It was not evident, however, that Llambias was quite ready for the level of dislike for Wonga, and the opposition which would greet the deal. Until Tuesday morning the agreement did not include the stadium, which was branded with Ashley's retail company, Sports Direct, until a naming rights buyer was found. Wonga's inclusion of the naming rights was then agreed, with the restoration of the St James' Park name seen as a PR move, because it is cherished by supporters.

Think there is some confusion over the Sunderland deal. I am sure I read somewhere that the £20m is a figure they could achieve if a certain amount of investment in Africa occurred as a result of the sponsorship. But as with us in the Virgin deal, the actual figures have never been made clear.

Has it been said why we we failed to get category 1 status originally?

How long is he out for? Didn't they originally suggest it would be 3 weeks?

There doesn't seem to many police around inside or outside the ground these days.

You are right. I had my front teeth knocked out by my brother when I was a kid and the nerves were exposed. It was at the weekend and I had to wait 48 hours to go to the dentist. The pain was excruciating and I was unable to eat or drink anything until it was treated.

it looks very edited to keep anything that makes anything that makes the club look in any way bad off camera. Pity for them its making Rogers look a right tosser Would love to see what cuts have been left on the floor. I haven't watched any of these because anything interesting will be cut, no doubt about it. Supposedly they started filming around the time of the League Cup Final so an awful lot looks to have been cut already.

Wasn't there a player we were interested in that was plagued with injury problems and they traced it back to his teeth? It sounds frivolous to miss a game because of a tooth problem but maybe there is more to it.

I can't believe I just watched all of that without understanding a single word They seem to follow his career in England very closely in France. There have been a few TV features on him.

Not bothered about the 8 year deal because there will be enough clauses in there to protect the club. Haven't fully bought into Pardew either - kind of neutral on him really. I still think he has a lot to prove. He says a lot but it often doesn't translate to what we see on the pitch. I think we have some exceptional players but we are still not getting the best out of them as a team - it always seems to be a case of just doing enough. I think we have the potential to play loads better than we do (barring the occasional game) and I find it frustrating that the team has not really evolved in its style of play. It also seems to me as if he is also trying to "manage" the fans - telling us what we should think and do - I find him quite patronising at times. And he should stop telling everyone he was manager of the year. That's been and gone. As for Llambias, I think he is a repulsive man and I don't believe a word he says and the story changes depending on what propaganda they are trying to promote at any given time. They have been at the club for 5 years now and they made a fair contribution themselves to the financial mess of the club due to their own incompetence. It's about time, he stopped looking backwards to blame what went on before them. I don't have a problem with the financial policy although when other clubs refuse to adopt a similar model and Man Utd, Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea are raking in fortunes, I don't really see how we can regularly compete for a Champions League place - the best we can hope for is trying to hang in there in the hope that one of the top 4 messes up like Chelsea last season. Sorry but I cannot help but remain hugely suspicious of anything Llambias says and the motives for saying them. I still see a mean-spirited and spiteful board that would prefer to keep the supporters at a distance rather than embrace them. However, I truly hope to be proved wrong and that they do genuinely have the best intentions for the football club itself and all its employees (whether players, coaches or admin staff) rather than using it as a vehicle primarily to promote Sports Direct.

Probably best you dont read the Sun or the Star then. Star doesnt even mention Cisse's o/head kick in the 20 words about us while the Sun's ratings were more than a little s***. Didnt bother reading the report as the match comment was some patronising guff about us playing a part. Listened to a couple of match reports and interviews on the radio last night and Newcastle were not even mentioned nor any of our players. It was like Man Utd played themselves.

For some reason, the "Arena" part of the name really irritates me as I always think of an indoor venue. Can't understand why they didn't use "Stadium". Noticed that Pardew has started to say things like "when we play them at the Arena". It sounds so wrong that it takes a while for me to realise he is referring to SJP.

One of the criticisms previously always directed at Ben Arfa has been a lack of consistency but then he has never really had the run of games to prove that before. He is certainly starting to disprove some of the longstanding critcism of him at the moment - let's hope he continues to do that over the season.

It's because he is so lovely that he wanted Cisse to take it in the first place.

And to think they were having a discussion on Radio Newcastle in the last couple of weeks (I think initiated by the Mackems) over who was better - Ben Arfa or Adam Johnson.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/9561203/Liverpool-advert-reveals-Anfields-delusions-of-grandeur.html First paragraph from a review of the Liverpool documentary. Liverpool advert reveals Anfield's delusions of grandeur There are two annoying things about Liverpool Football Club. The first is the insistence of their fans and disciples on referring to them at all times as ‘Liverpool Football Club’. Why do they do this? Perhaps it has something to do with the second, which is the belief of all Liverpool fans that they constitute some sort of chosen people; more special, more noble, more decorated, more triumphant and more tragic, more blessed and more cursed, than any other club. Quite a bold claim for a club who derive their moral credo from a Gerry and the Pacemakers song.

Well I would be one of those affected as I will have enough points. I was told when booking that they would not deduct the money for the trip until it was confirmed and so far I have not paid anything so I don't think anyone will be waiting for refunds if it is cancelled. Fans have no choice but to book their travel and accommodation as soon as dates are announced because the prices go up by so much. Maybe when the draw is made they should not confirm dates until the ticket allocation has also been sorted between the clubs because then at least fans will know where they stand from the start. Aye, a lad at work's on the Thomas Cook trip too and he was saying the same about not having had to pay up front. I hope you get there. It's just a bit of a shame that you're left sweating on wether or not the trip goes ahead, because the club has misleadingly worded their ads to suggest that if you book the trip, you'll get a ticket. Which i'm sure swayed many into the Thomas Cook option. I know what you mean about booking early too. I, like thousands of others, am all paid up for travel, hotels etc with no ticket guarantee. That's the gamble, and i'll be there regardless. I just hope that if they cancel it that they do it early to give people like me a chance to make alternative arrangements. I seem to recall that in previous years you had to give details of your travel and accommodation arrangements when applying for tickets.

Did he say both were s*** ? This was on the BBC website. Cam H on Twitter: "Shelvey reminds me of a young Zidane...and not just because of the lack of hair."

They are meant to be a decent team and have been playing well this season.