brummie

Indeed. We went 13 or 14 games without a win and were in relegation territory for a while (although he did start from a far weaker position than Allardyce has). You've got to give him the chance, no matter how shit or clueless it looks now, you've effectively got no choice. Sack him now and who do you appoint?

I said this the other day but would like to say it again. I described Agbonlahor as a one trick pony at the start of the season. I was wrong. He's turning into a very good striker indeed.

Not enough

I pop up here from time to time saying how I reckon BSA is the best appointment you could have made, and he will get it right, and part of me thinks he will. However, having watched that, it was just so dreadful, as Shearer said, they should have had 7 or 8.

7 for Everton

Watching the Boro Villa game, awful crowd to start with, other than Villa fans the ground appears to be pretty much empty.

Cheer up Everton 5 - Mackems 1

I feel sorry for Southgate. In as much as one can feel sorry for a money grabbing mercenary CUNT.

Boro 0 Villa 3 (Agbonlahor) We've got a fantastic record at the Riverside.

Boro 0 - Villa 2 (Mellberginho)

Croatia.

Thank God Anyone who rates Zat Knight shouldnt get the job What about people who rate Alan Smith? Although, I think MON did too.

MON has just ruled himself out. Fucking top stuff.

Good points, SP60'sH, however MON's weakest point (his ability in the transfer market) wouldn't be a problem with England. He still won't accept it though.

The entire midfield spent the whole match last night hiding from the ball when the defenders were looking for someone to play it to. Lampard was the worst offender. He's in many ways the epitome of witless England. Looks great for Chelsea where he's playing his habitual role, put him in a situation where he has to use his nous and he hasn't got a fucking clue and just goes missing.

I agree with you. He's seeing out his retirement playing fat knackers in California. If we're turning to him in moments of need, then we really are fucked. I know his cross for Crouch was excellent yesterday, but I don't care, he should have stayed dropped when McClown dropped him in the first place. The worst thing last night was the level of desperation in general. It was desperate. Desperate.

I don't buy in to that. England have plenty of spirit. One of our problems is that we seem to think that spirit is enough (witness the clueless Pearce as both player and manager - sums England up, bellicose, witless mediocrity). Our problems go much deeper. We're nowhere near as good as we think we are, technically we were bummed in the face ( © you) tonight, and if we'd made it to the finals, we'd only have got bummed in the face by some other supposedly second rate side in the quarter finals. Oh I'm not saying we're competent by any stretch of the imagination. Thing is those two played as teams and went very close as a consequence, we threw a load of superstars on the pitch and hoped. When he announced the team and he'd found a way to fit Lampard and Gerrard in without dropping Barry, it spoke volumes, really. See opening post: http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=46885 Indeed. Hoping against fucking hope that it might work, despite all evidence to the contrary.

I don't buy in to that. England have plenty of spirit. One of our problems is that we seem to think that spirit is enough (witness the clueless Pearce as both player and manager - sums England up, bellicose, witless mediocrity). Our problems go much deeper. We're nowhere near as good as we think we are, technically we were bummed in the face ( © you) tonight, and if we'd made it to the finals, we'd only have got bummed in the face by some other supposedly second rate side in the quarter finals. Oh I'm not saying we're competent by any stretch of the imagination. Thing is those two played as teams and went very close as a consequence, we threw a load of superstars on the pitch and hoped. When he announced the team and he'd found a way to fit Lampard and Gerrard in without dropping Barry, it spoke volumes, really.

I don't buy in to that. England have plenty of spirit. One of our problems is that we seem to think that spirit is enough (witness the clueless Pearce as both player and manager - sums England up, bellicose, witless mediocrity). Our problems go much deeper. We're nowhere near as good as we think we are, technically we were bummed in the face ( © you) tonight, and if we'd made it to the finals, we'd only have got bummed in the face by some other supposedly second rate side in the quarter finals. croatia are no second rate side and pearce was not clueless as a player Badly worded. I meant clueless as a manager, bellicose as player and manager. And I said "supposed second rate" because they're actually considerably better than us, yet the great british public prefers to think otherwise.

I don't buy in to that. England have plenty of spirit. One of our problems is that we seem to think that spirit is enough (witness the clueless Pearce as both player and manager - sums England up, bellicose, witless mediocrity). Our problems go much deeper. We're nowhere near as good as we think we are, technically we were bummed in the face ( © you) tonight, and if we'd made it to the finals, we'd only have got bummed in the face by some other supposedly second rate side in the quarter finals.

In which way is McClaren a darling of the London media? Born in Yorkshire, so clearly not a regional thing. I distinctly remember a large number of the lundun journos wanting him in the job at the time, giving us all the bollocks about "good coach", blah blah, especially with his manure connections. The bloke who used to write for the Sunday People - Paul McCarthy [the bloke who Ozzie Mandiarse dished the dirt on NUFC too] has harped on about every manager since Keegan being better than him , yet none of them have done any better, nor will any of them ever put together a club side as good as Keegans while they have a hole in their arse. I emailed Mr McCarthy on a few occasions pointing this out, as well as the bollocks he writes, and I got a couple of replies. Now he's disappeard. Shame, I'd like to have reminded him of how he said the Barwickand McLaren "dream team" was the future of English football, "doing football which is the main thing" [word to that effect]. There are others from the same mould, especially the fat cockney West Ham supporter arsehole Martin Samuel from the Times [used to be news of the screws I think], some of whom appear on Sunday Supplement on Sunday mornings ie cockney journos full of their own importance who think they know more than other football supporters just because they write for newspapers. I think half of them only write about football because their editors tell them to do it. Since when has a manager booed at a shitty little club like Middlesboro ever been considered good enough to manage England ? Yet they all fell for it. England will never be more than perennial quarter finalists anyway until the whole structure and learing of schools football changes. And sadly, I don't think it ever will. There are far too many idiotic PE teachers that fancy themselves as football managers, expecting 11 year old kids to have the stamina and strengh of 18-19 year olds, so don't develop skills. Your last point is spot on. I don't remember anyone saying McClaren was the dream choice, i just remember him being labelled the fifth choice. I'd also say that if people criticised Keegan's reign as England manager, it is because the results were woeful - worse, statistically, than McClaren's. Sir Graham Taylor also put together an excellent club side, and also failed spectacularly with England. The reason we ended up with a manager booed at a shit club like Boro is because the FA fucked it up royally, and we ended up with the worst option of the lot. Barwick needs to take a good look in the mirror tomorrow morning and ask himself a few questions. The reasons these people fail are partly to do with their decisions in the job, but as you said, the deeper underlying reason is the one that needs to be fixed, and until it is, it doesn't really matter who does the job, they'll be on a hiding to nothing.

3) Pick the best team, not the best players. England's biggest problem for decades now.

Carson is a 22 year old, making his second start only a few days after his debut in a meaningless friendly. Yet he pitches him in to the most important game England have played in years, while he's got David James who - clanger prone though he may be - has enormous experience of playing in high pressure matches. I hope Carson doesn't get crucified for this. He's a kid, and he's been excellent for us this year. And he pulled off two excellent saves later on. We lost to Croatia because they were better than us. We didn't qualify because over the course of the qualification campaign, we were far from good enough, as bobyule says.

In which way is McClaren a darling of the London media? Born in Yorkshire, so clearly not a regional thing.

Played 67 Won 40 Drew 17 Lost 10 Looks pretty good to me. He fucked up the WC when he picked his squad.