Lotus

This guy has plenty of Brambleque moments. Enough for Fergie to buy 2 LB's to make sure he doesn't get a game. IF this the type of defender we're having to look at (for whatever reason) it's gonna be a moody season.

Everyone with 4 prem level defenders playing in their natural positions.

It has s**** all to do with how much we spend!! People need to realise this! Man City have been buying Midfielders and Strikers. We've been trying to buy defenders. I'm sure if Sam wanted one of the players that Sven has bought he could have had them. People are just speculating that just because we haven't signed anyone for three weeks, there is someone to blame. There most likely isn't, and we're just finding it difficult landing the players we want. I'm not sure the position is relevant, they needed forwards and have got them, we need defendrs and haven't (yet). Just saying i don't think it's the market i think the club hasn't got it's act together. SA seems to suggest the same actually. And Gemmill is a tin pot dictator ;-)

Not wishing to put a dampener but i think SA was well aware of the urgency some time ago. It was MA/CM that seemed to not realise how things were going to go. I wonder what will change in the next 2 weeks from the last 2 weeks apart from our desperation. Why have Man City been able to spend more, didn't their owners come in even later than ours?

That French centre back spurs signed cost about £8.2m didn't he? No-one seems to have batted an eyelid over that though. Because he's rated as the best young defender in French football? Or that he was followed closely by Chelsea, Lyon and Juventus? Maybe even because they have an excellent DOF in Comolli who has a track record of spotting young talent? I bet you would have wet your pants (in the bad way) if he had signed for us for that figure. I dont think we need to be signing players like that here at the moment though, might be right for Spurs, but we need a solid unit and some experience at the back. Whilst having lots of big clubs tracking you means little (Gooch, Lucas Neill) your right with the Comolli statement. I just dont think youth is the route we should be taking over the next few years at least.. Leeds looked good when they had Woodgate and Ferdinand as their CB pairing. Both young at the time. Good enough, old enough imo.

I didn't hear Ashley say he was going to bankroll managers, did you ? Has he had any previous experience of owning football clubs so we can judge him ? If you did, please show me a link. I wouldn't have liked that hedge fund though, and quite a lot of chairman at other premiership and big city clubs around the country either. can i take it you would have preferred fred had stayed and ashley never took over then ? please don't answer anything about seeing what ashley does as what he does in the future has sod all bearing on feelings now. I think you should find where I say that or anything like it. Please explain why anyone should have a judgement on Ashley's intentions or ambitions, when he has not ran a football club before, nor told anyone what his intentions and ambitions are ? I'm a bit surprised that you appear to be believing in fairies like numerous other people, I thought you were more pragmatic than that to be honest. Nobody here has any idea at all what Ashleys intentions are, you are only saying he will spend his money because you want him to, we all want him to. Unfortunately, you can't demand that or expect it. Its his money and its up to him. Please don't you - or anyone else - say that he should just because he's the new owner and you want him to, because he doesn't. Significantly, he is a businessman, he can make small profits without being hugely successful, whereas if he was a keen football supporter, or better still a Newcastle supporter, he would have more urge to succeed on the pitch. I said this once before and was slightly slaughtered for it. And has been said by someone else, the money he has bought the club with is irrelevant, because he can just sell the club on in due course if he wants to do so. so you have no judgement on it,because you cannot see into the future you have no judgement on it. i wonder if you thought the same when the hall's took over from the previous regime ? not believing in fairies mate,but taking a punt where i think it may do us good. i'm giving up now as you won't answer a simple either/or question that everone else understands (as do you). i wish we could all live in the world you wish to believe in,only making decisions when the outcomes are known and certain. mackems.gif when the Halls etc took over the club, the only way really was up.# To remind you, as you clearly weren't there, otherwise there is no way in a million years you would even mention such a thing.....the club had sold ALL its best players for years, were staring at the old 3rd division, were playing in front of a half empty 30,000 ground that was nothing more than a s*** heap, had qualified for europe 4 times in over 30 years, had finished in the top 5 once during this period, on the brink of going bankrupt and out of existence, and appointed a journeyman manager like Jim Smith - the EIGHTH choice [for those who think we appoint only s*** managers that nobody else wants], followed by a complete tosser straight out of the clowns book of managers ie Ossie Ardiles, that the chairman Forbes laughingly thought would bring the good times back to the club, in the form of challenging for promotion to the 1st division and that was the limit of ambition as it always was under such complete tossers, when the Halls and Shepherd took over the club. I was almost believing you had half a brain lately, as you had been raising some objective and interesting points, but this completely ridiculous post puts you among the micks of this world. Go back to jail, go, or Old Kent Road, or somewhere, because you quite clearly don't have a clue. yes i was there,that season i missed about half a dozen games home and away,probably and perversely the most fun i've had following nufc.(the tales from a lot of those trips are legendary in our circle). you've also put nothing in your post you haven't posted a hundred times before and i agree about the position we were in yet no-one mentioned going to the wall,until hall took over and if you remember he was always a bit overdramatic. but anyway,the question was about now,and like all questions about now you have to make it not knowing what the future holds,so would you prefer fred was still in charge or take the risk with ashley ? I am pleased you accept that Ashley is a risk. That is my reply BTW. Maybe the vast majority of other people will have something to say about it, having assured everyone else that Shepherd was holding the club back single handed from world glory. What will they say if nothing happens, or we don't match the 3 consecutive top 5 finishes achieved under the old board, for the first time in 50 years ? Will this mean that the Halls and Shepherd weren't holding the club back after all ? Just a thought. EDIT: Ref your comments about Hall, you are correct, he and he alone said we were going to the wall. One thing for certain is that we were heading for the 3rd division, and total oblivion, and maybe the fans didn't deserve it but the people who ran the club for 30 years did and could hardly have expected anything else. As you do understand this why do you say " i wonder if you thought the same when the hall's took over from the previous regime ? " Everyone who supported the club knows the state the club was in at that time, its simply beyond discussion at all. I don't know anybody who I know supported the club who doesn't dispute it. I think the outcome of the Halls and Shepherd was never in any doubt at all. We were always going to head back upwards. In all fairness, i don't see why you get involved in debates if you haven't got the b0ll0x to clearly state an opinion to a really easy question. You're behaving like a politician on Question Time. I'm sure i remember you saying you thought we could have a revival under the previous Board, you said reckoned as they'd done it once they could do it again. I'm also pretty sure you said you fairly content it was Ashley that took over. So, i reckon AT THE TIME you were happy with Ashley. You are allowed to change your mind you know, people do that in life all the time. For me, right now i'd take a punt on Ashley. However, i think Sam would've had an easier time of it under FS than MA this transfer window.

I can see why managers would want it tbf. Toure, Gilberto, Ljungberg, Bergkamp, Fabregas, Rosicky, Van Persie. Not one of them over £7.5m (i think). If you know what you're doing experience shouldn't matter much. I chose cheaper players because i guess if you pay 'big' money the player ,theoretically, should have less of a risk factor i suppose.

This.

Do you really beleive we're not going to buy another 4/5 players? Do you?

Barton's injured! Quick, sell Dyer and Emre....

Buy Manuel Fernandes.

As someone said earlier, he's decent enough but is made to look good by a great team. He'd be expected to be a major player here and wouldn't live up to the billing imo.

I agree, still wouldn't want to spend £6m on him though. Man u over price their players, good businessmen over there like.

If we got Manuel Fernandes in i wouldn't be bothered by him leaving like. In fact, i just want us to buy Manuel Fernandes anyway. Saw him at the w/end playing for Benfica(friendly), looked good.

What about Barzagli (sp)?

What happened to Urby Emanuelson(sp) ?

I'd want the club to pay Zog's share only if he signs a contract extension.

Do your own presumptions not worry you? What are my presumptions? I know that so far, we haven't achieved anything we could of under the old Board. I'm just pointing out that it might be SA is the problem, or just bad luck with the kind of players we want. Or it might be the new board are a hindrance right now.

There are presumptions, even amongst the Ashley sceptics. Failure to add to our signings so far can be attributable to: i) Lack of experience/reluctance of the new board to make the necessary funds available for the players SA wants. ii) SA actually not informing the board of who he wants i.e. doesn't know/hasn't made up his mind. iii) Players SA wants not wanting to come here/not being available.

FYI Bellamy was got rid of by Souness (Manager) and Shearer (Captain) under Shepherd (Chairman). Only a fat-headed pig could attribute this to 'fickle fans' while failing to call Shepherd to account for sacking SBH for finishing 5th. FYI I'm quite aware who was behind the departure of Bellamy. I suggest you learn to read properly, then come back and understand I am referring to fickle supporters who turned against a player who gave everything for the club, after supporting him when he was here and playing a major part in us shooting up the league from a mid table place into the top 4, simply because he was sold on the wishes of a pig headed manager, that they mysteriously backed with this sale. I'm not sure i see the relevance of the fans opinions tbh. I wasn't happy about Bellamy leaving, less happy that the Chairman thought Souness was of more value to the club than Bellamy. If other fans thought otherwise so what? What influence does that have over what happened? None. Therefore what relevance is it? None, shirley?!? The club was in an unfortunate situation of making several bad decisions back to back. No one wanted NUFC to go through a bad patch, least of all Souness i'm sure.

Huntington and Rozenhal are both huge. 6'3. [/quote I reckon Rozza is telling him to get that f**king hair cut and stop poncing about with it during training.

I'm sure i said that on page 1 tbh.

I think West Ham will buy out Tevez's contract from MSI and receive that exact amount for the transfer to Man Utd. Net gain for West Ham of £0. I suppose West Ham won't be able be able to declare they've bought his registration because they are already meant to have it .: MSI will be able to charge what they like because West Ham will be F**ked if make it an issue. West Ham fans will be left wondering where all the money for the Tevez transfer went.

Loved the quote from a commentator (can't remember which one) when refering to Chelsea's misunderstood genius, 'Didier Drogba: pain threshold of a lamb...'

They were both cr@p but at least i have seen Zoggy play well in a Newcastle shirt previously.