oldtype

Man city goal. Boo

Clearly 3-5-2 with Shola hitting through balls from the hole is the way forward

Jesus two absurd passes from Shola

Until we buy a load of shit players in the summer and get relegated as a result of it. It's not as if losing here will change anybody's mind

You know I do want us to lose but if man city lose and we're the only reason they don't win the title I think I'll take that too

Jesus Christ

Feels like the managerial equivalent of signing Ryan Taylor so he can't score against us.

I think it's very, very odd that the club is leaking this information to the press on the eve of a match that is likely to see the most vociferous fan protests in ages. Would be much smarter to have done it tomorrow after the match.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” - Pardew 55:8

Given how deep grassroot support for low-level football clubs goes in England this is probably a horrible idea that devalues the most attractive aspect of English football. Then again, you do have to consider alternatives for allowing young players to get more match experience because at the moment the system just isn't working. Top clubs horde players they have no intention of using, those players don't get the necessary experience and eventually fail to meet their potential. I think a better idea may be to allow for formal parent/feeder agreements between Premiership clubs for all clubs League 1 and below. Implementation of a minimum age at which youth players can be sold to anther club could also force players to get more experience at their original club before moving.

Park chu young and ji dong won, A truly devastating duo. :lol: I mean, everyone else was so shit that we had to call up the guy who's played about as much football in the past three years as I have. What is this shit!? It's a shame because the rest of the team is awfully decent. We just never produce strikers.

After writing that, I just realized that there's not a single Korean striker who I can say with confidence is better than Shola. Now I want to shoot myself.

He's a target man, which is something Nigeria don't really have and he's an experienced vet who's a great locker room presence I suppose. Don't expect him to see a whole lot of playing time. Man I wish we had drawn Nigeria in our group this year though think I would crack up if I saw Shola coming on against us

Our track record with youth has been horrific for the past decade or so

Agree with this imo. I don't like the way that clubs like PSG and City spend money but when you consider that the alternative is nobody other than Manchester United ever winning anything, it's probably a necessary evil. It's also the only way NUFC could ever win the league in our lifetimes.

I blame Pardew. Rodgers saw who the next game was against and got carried away thinking he could make up the goal difference

Ouch.

Rodgers sounds like he's just lost a parent

No point in paying the new manager an extra week's wages?

- He was fantastic in his first few appearances in 08-09, understandably went to shit as the club descended into chaos - Paired up very well with Enrique and dominated the Championship and was solidly "better than replacement" level in 10-11. - Since 11-12 he has been in gradual decline except for some very good shifts as a DM towards the end of 11-12. So all around it's been a very inconsistent Newcastle career for him, but I don't think it's fair to say he's never been good.

Right, he was so much more likable when he was just showing up once in a blue moon to score against the Mackems

I know it's selfish of me but I wish he'd retire instead of signing somewhere else. He's shit but I don't think I could bear seeing him in another club's shirt.

The American sports model is the way to go. Only sustainable way to run a competitive league when there's so much money in sports

I think Keegan is the perfect example of the importance of fit. He was exactly the right man at the right time for NUFC. But despite the fact that his tactical abilities should probably earn him a spot in the "genius" category, he never lived up to his potential because he wasn't the right fit for basically every job he took subsequently.

Yes, but even among the group of relative no-marks, there are still some managers you would accept or tolerate if you see a certain kind of intention to play good football, honesty, dignity, and a genuine concern for the club's well being. Hughton wasn't the best manager in the world, and probably never will be. But the case against him was never made so strongly, and with such vitriol. Sure, some could see his failings, but he is a good man, and conducted himself really well in general. His teams had passion and fight in them, and clearly played for him. I would have been content - not happy, but content - to see us beat the mackems regularly, win most of our home games, and show some fight in the games we lose, under Hughton. The bloke we have in charge now has none of Hughton's personal qualities to go along with his own total ineptness at managing a football team. Pardew's ego is his biggest failing imo and he's a lot less tolerable than a man like Hughton. Yeah I think we agree here, the idea is that within that's group it's more about personality than tactical skills. Fit is also very important. No matter how good of a manager you are if the players can't stand you and you can't work with your staff it's not going to end well.