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Hope Kazenga gets a go. Still worrying. I hate to say this but Damien Duff was one of our best players. We are significantly weakened without him. Significantly? Hardly, he did nowt against West Brom except score a goal that was set up on a plate for him. Kazenga will at least do more in the other 89m of the match and actually, dare I say it, create a chance for a striker. Kazenga is bright and he's got a good future hopefully.. But Duff is a better player at the moment. It would be the best for Lua Lua if he's eased into the first team this season behind a couple experienced players. Besides, if we sell him we literally have no backup on the wings. None.

He'd possibly be the best winger in the Championship by a comfortable margin.

4m is crazy insane ballistic money for Duff. But we're not buying anyone so we can't afford to sell anyone either. I wouldn't even sell Geremi or Shola the way our squad is right now.

For six million, yeah, I'd bite their hands off

You could look at it that way... Honestly I'd bite Hodgson's hand off for 4m if we weren't in the state we're in now. But we all KNOW that there is going to be no replacement if Duff goes out the door. We really can't afford to sell any of our players, no matter how overpaid and past their best they might be.

Regardless it's very hard for a player to say no once the club accepts a bid. Who wants to stay where they're not wanted? Are we wanted? Seems like every decision in the last few years was made with pissing us off in mind. We stay, s***, we pay to stay. If someone paid me 6m to support another club, I'd have to say I'd consider it

Regardless it's very hard for a player to say no once the club accepts a bid. Who wants to stay where they're not wanted?

Hope Kazenga gets a go. Still worrying. I hate to say this but Damien Duff was one of our best players. We are significantly weakened without him.

No Duff in the side so I guess Simpson comes in and Ryan Taylor is moved up? Worrying.

I'm immensely happy at this news, but that happiness is tempered by the expectation that there will inevitably be some horrible news later today to cancel this out. There has to be. This is NUFC.

There seems to be a horrifying sense of inevitability to a Kinnear return.

It frustrates me so much that our squad right now is absolutely BEGGING for a striker, there are something like a dozen strikers available out there who could pull off 20 goals in the Championship... ...And you just know that the idiots running the club will make sure we don't get one of them before September.

He'll be gone eventually, there's no stopping that... I don't mind except for the fact that we'd be down to two wingers and we're not buying anyone.

I think Jonas will be off by the weekend, so Lua Lua will have to do for the season I suppose... (backup? what's that?) IMO Reading aren't that good at the moment, and we're at home so we have to be seen as favorites. Hopefully Shola will show that he can do a job in the Championship because like it or not, Shola-Carroll seems like our front two for the rest of the season.

I've honestly never seen him play, but every morning I wake up in fear that he'll sign for another club. I just feel that one striker + one manager indeed would open up the possibility of a lucky promotion for us.

I've got a bad feeling we won't be able to keep him.

Fuck it, I guess this isn't happening either. (And I'm not basing that on just Oliver's drivel) I guess the best remaining option now is to give up hope for a savior and see what we can do with Ashley staying and no incoming transfers. If we're stunningly lucky he may at least appoint a manager.

Boro, Sheffield, and West Brom are arguably the three strongest teams in the division. We're not going down just because we can't beat them. The Championship is "level" in the sense that there are a dozen teams or so that could be in the mix for promotion, but the gap between top table and bottom table is fucking huge.

Exactly what I've been saying. The league is s***. Caldwell and Carr were first choice in promoted sides last year FFS. Sunderland came up with a load of Irish rejects after losing their first 4 games and appointing Keane on August 28th. Not only did they come up, they romped it. I don't believe it when anyone says this league is competitive. West Brom seem to make a good go of coming and going back down consistently. Smith and Barton will be the best partnership in the league. Enrique will be the best left back in the league. Harper will be the best keeper in the league. Steven Taylor will be in the top 3 centre halves in the league. If we can supplement the above with 2 or 3 good signings and then pad the squad out a bit, we could win the league. Could is the operative word of course as we'll need a fuckin manager and owner! I agree with most of what you're saying, but the words "Smith" and "best" should not be allowed anywhere near the same sentence.

I have wet dreams about us passing Phil Brown and his shit team on our way up.

Premiership Top 4 (in order): Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City Relegation (in order): Pompey, Hull, Wolves Dark horses: Sunderland Top Scorer: Wayne Rooney Championship Promotion: Middlesbrough, WBA, Cardiff Relegation: Plymouth, Leicester, Scunthorpe Dark horses: Notts Forest Top Scorer: Simon Cox League One Promotion: I don't know enough about this league to make an educated guess. League Two Promotion: Ditto League Cup: Everton FA Cup: Liverpool Europe La Liga: Real Madrid Serie A: Inter Bundesliga: Stuttgart Europa League: Valencia Champions League: Real Madrid Other World Player of the Year: Messi Who'll be NUFC's top scorer?: Andy Carroll How many will Nile Ranger score?: 2 First Premiership Managerial casualty: Roberto Martinez. I have this odd feeling that he'll fail miserably. Where will Man City finish?: 4th Will Gareth Bale win a match?: No

We're in the Championship, average is the new world class.

The China captain? Good shout. He's very good... Although admittedly I've got no idea how he's been doing for the past two seasons. Other than Weaver and Le Sib, I'd probably take anyone on that list.

I've been utterly disinterested with football for the past two months so... ...did Downing move? Tuncay?

28, 3 year deal. 28? Dear me. that honestly shocked me.