LoveItIfWeBeatU

Pardew will probably bring Ben Arfa on for Vuckic at some point. He has said Ben Arfa is still working his way back to full sharpness. I guess Vuckic is playing in midfield rather than up front with Ba?

Well he certainly doesn't look injured. He's smiling and running around in most of his photos. That was yesterday. Maybe Alan Smith crocked him? He is holding Ba around the waist in one of the photos.

Well he certainly doesn't look injured. He's smiling and running around in most of his photos.

Ba is in Thursday's training photos. http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/News/Gallery/0,,10278~2560559,00.html

I still think Northern Rock will stay on the shirt until the end of the season. Northern Rock will be re-branding to Virgin Money but it will take a few months to do so.

Well Ben Arfa is our number 10 and his best position is supposedly behind the striker so I guess Ben Arfa should be included in the striker list. I think we'll be using a 4-4-1-1 formation while Ba is away so it's probably Ben Arfa off Shola or Best. Vuckic or Sammy to operate as strikers if required? Lovenkrands' contract ends in the summer. Xisco still has another season to run on his contract after this one. As current contracts stand, for next season we will have Ba, Best, Shola, Ben Arfa (kind of a striker), Ranger and Xisco.

Technically they've got till the Summer to sort out a shirt sponsor. Northern Rock won't become Virgin Money over night. Apparently Branson still hasn't decided what to rename Northern Rock to. The takeover hasn't been 100% approved yet.

They mentioned on Radio Newcastle on Tuesday morning that Lovenkrands was injured. Best got a shoulder injury against Swansea.

Whatever we think of their other attributes, Jonas and Obertan run back to help out the left and right backs. Would Ben Arfa do that? Maybe Pardew doesn't think Ben Arfa will provide the defensive cover he thinks we require from our wingers. The last defending Ben Arfa did resulted in a penalty for Man City. I really hope Ben Arfa puts in a decent performance the next game he plays. It's up to him to stake his claim to become an automatic starter.

I'd like to see more attacking from him. He hasn't looked like replicating his French league goal scoring form for NUFC. We need players other than Ba to start scoring goals.

I'd have said the opposite His biggest weakness/problem this season has not been knowing when to pass. Sometimes he's just moving around with the ball ignoring the obvious open man. I've found him to be frustrating in the number 10 role. He needs to be in a position where he has more clear duties with the ball. That's what I meant. He looks for the pass but then often holds on to the ball too long and the opportunity to pass has gone. The only burst of pace I can recall from him was against Man U when he won the penalty. He needs to do use his pace more. Run at the opposition more.

For his last few games Jonas has seemed reluctant to go on runs up the wing. He keeps slowing the game down.

There haven't been many "wow" moments so far in his admittedly short pitch time. If anything, my main memories of him playing are of him losing the ball by trying to take on too many players and not running at the opposition when he has the chance. He seems to look for the pass rather than go for it himself. He'd probably be better if he had two strikers playing in front of him but I can't see our team setting up like that. It's a bit early to talk about him leaving isn't it? As I said earlier, he'll get another run in the team. It's up to him to take it. My opinion of Ben Arfa doesn't mean I think other players who are in the team ahead of him should be e.g. Obertan.

Ben Arfa hasn't exactly set the game alight in any of his appearances so far. Hopefully the next time he plays he puts in a performance which makes him one of the first names on the team sheet for the next game. When Ba is at the African Cup of Nations it will be a strike force made up of two from Best, Shola and Ben Arfa. He'll get his chance. Also, I like most people wouldn't mind seeing him tried out on the right wing instead of Obertan.

Never going to happen unless it's for a huge amount of cold, hard cash. Player swaps are rare. You'd need the player to be willing to come to NUFC and then the Chelsea players would need to take a huge wage cut to come to NUFC. Also, most of them are too old to fit NUFC's transfer policy.

I'm 6ft 5in so I'm a lot bigger than Tioté.

He said the same before the ManU game. If Tioté isn't in the team on Saturday he's a bloody liar!

I met Santon and Tioté today at work. I asked Tioté if he was fit to play on Saturday and he said yes.

If this is true I hope there's a clause which covers NUFC if he gets injured on ACN duty.

And where is the mention of Sammy and Shola Ameobi BBC?

Isn't Abeid currently representing Algeria in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Tangiers?

Sky will be frantically trying to buy the rights to show the Man U and Man City Europa cup games.

Ref not sending Luiz off, Coloccini and Steven Taylor injured, losing 3 - 0. On Sunday I check the teletext and it says Sunderland are winning 1 - 0. Check the text again 10 minutes later and Wolves are winning 2 - 1. Sunderland's result cheered me up. Long may they continue to be pitiful.

MACKEM! http://www.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/invasion_of_the_body_snatchers_1978_movie_image_donald_sutherland_01.jpg

The BBC call the FA Cup "The FA Cup with Budweiser".