Gallowgate Toon

Just caught up with all this and got to say, I'm feeling massively disillusioned. I've always had faith in Newcastle United, throughout relegation and seasons of being a mess, but as of now I'm sick of watching this club being run like an absolute joke, and, for the first time ever, have absolutely no excitement for the new season. When can we simply be a club run professionally and with some dignity?

Been on holiday a week, find a place with wifi and this is what I find. Speechless

We've played good football under him in the past and that provides me with a bit of hope for next season. As has been said, a break will hopefully do him some good.

He's shown that he's a good striker to lead the line for a team that plays positive and creative football with some tempo, his ability to finish from a variety of positions, movement and one-touch play are good foil for it. Make him the creative focal point or the lead striker in a team that play physical football at slow speed and he'll struggle. Fitting in to a more progressive football style isn't a criticism either, there are many strikers out there who can't as they just don't have the mentality or instinct for it. Also, he doesn't need brilliant service handed on a plate to him, just look over the goals he's scored here and in Germany. Give him something that complements his movement and he'll score plenty. For example, see his goal vs. Norwich when he first came. We do need another striker to come in over the Summer, one that can provide something different but it shouldn't be to displace Cisse, it should be a plan B or partner.

Yep, Sissoko's physicality and style should allow Cabaye to stick to what he's good at more. I find it exciting that they both have attacking qualities, Sissoko could be lethal on the counter next year with more options ahead of him when moving forward, while Cabaye can be the one to dictate when we're in possession and building attacks. Baba's nailed it really, the lad had gained quite a reputation in France, and for good reason. We should be putting him right in the heart of it next year in the middle of the park, he's built for it in this league. I imagine the majority of central midfielders would be bricking it at the thought of having to spend a match battling with him.

Sissoko's passing will improve when deeper, he won't force it as much with more options around him. I hope he's like what Dyer was for us but more of a help defensively and with the ability to shoot from the edge of the box. Got the ability to be a top box-to-box player.

We need a bloody decent winger in above anything else, it's a gaping first team position. Then a striker, then another winger for the squad.

Weren't you one of them? I'm pretty sure you were confidently stating as soon as Ba left that Cisse would be fine and you had no worries whatsoever. Complete opposite, I didn't want Ba to be sold at all and that was why. Fair enough, you didn't want Ba sold but you can't criticise anyone else for being confident that Cisse would start scoring again. I'm not criticising anyone but the player. I said I had faith in him scoring plenty and I was wrong, because he didn't. I still have faith in him, but it doesn't change the fact he had a poor season. Fair enough. You're certainly right that he's had a poor season, I can't disagree with that. Some of it's down to Cisse and some of it's down to other factors.

Weren't you one of them? I'm pretty sure you were confidently stating as soon as Ba left that Cisse would be fine and you had no worries whatsoever. Complete opposite, I didn't want Ba to be sold at all and that was why. Fair enough, you didn't want Ba sold but you can't criticise anyone else for being confident that Cisse would start scoring again.

Yeah, I thought Lineker's insistence that England had returned to the dark ages because we'd switched to 4-4-2 was daft, there's no reason why it can't work in today's game. We can't even consider it until we get a decent left midfielder in though, someone in the Robert mould, who can primarily make a yard for himself and then whip it in with some variety and genuine quality.

Go through any strikers season and they'll miss good chances, if I looked through Van Persie's then I'm sure he'll have squandered 5 good ones at least. Cisse's service has been hugely erratic and it's hardly inconceivable to suggest that perhaps he was snatching at opportunities because he was spending sizeable periods of the season getting absolutely nothing. Our manager's management of him pre-Christmas must have done nothing for his confidence either. Weren't you one of them? I'm pretty sure you were confidently stating as soon as Ba left that Cisse would be fine and you had no worries whatsoever.

Quick, tricky and good technique. Great candidate to play on the left side. I think it's between us and Spurs.

I think we'll get Bony if the price is right, I don't think any top club will take a chance on him yet. Not sure about Ince, Sinclair perhaps. I saw Boudebouz was on a list posted on here a month ago as his contract is up in the next year, I think we might go for him as he fits in with our strategy but I don't think he's quite suited to the league.

We've got quick wide forwards in HBA and Gouffran. We could do with one more perhaps but 2 wide men and a target man are what need desperately addressing. Any feasible wide men that fit our transfer criteria, Mole?

At least we have one of them (attacking midfielder), we don't have a single winger of note. We badly need someone to come in who can deliver a ball from out wide on that left side, and someone who can fill in when said winger is suspended/injured.

Really looking forward to seeing Sissoko next year, well, as long as he's not played behind the striker again. Think he could be a real machine for us when counter-attacking, the idea of him breaking with 3 players ahead of him is a good one.

There's nothing wrong with our wingers defending, it didn't really affect us last year when we were doing well. A big factor in us getting more goals next year will be letting Cabaye get into the right positions, he's very creative when in and around the final third (has a good relationship with Cisse in particular) and is good at shooting around the edge of the box, we'll see a big difference if we let him be more involved in attacks consistently.

We should be looking to Sociedad's season for a bit of hope for next year. Montanier was criticised in 11/12 for being too defensively minded, his team have played absolutely fantastic stuff over the last 9 months and still have a slim chance of making the Campions League. Hopefully Pardew will come back refreshed and with the mentality that we saw at the back end of last year.

Creativity isn't too much of an issue with our first XI, we only really need a good left midfielder to come in and there's good quality in there. Our squad options are very poor though, outside of Ben Arfa and Cabaye there's only Marveaux, and that needs addressing.

Depends on the type of creativity you're looking for. One of our best chances last week was when Gouffran got ahead of Mertesacker and put in a first-time cross across the goalmouth, Cisse was inches away from it. That's creative, not in the traditional sense but I think that could work for us. Admittedly, I wouldn't go for it unless we got a significant upgrade on the left wing in.

Yeah, he's competent out wide and could be good there if we played a creative player at the tip of the midfield diamond but his brief appearances up top show where he will be most effective.

Bellamy mostly caused problems because he'd beat players with pace and skill and he'd create. Gouffran as much as I wanted him to be of that ilk just isn't. He's a tidy, tenacious and quick decent finisher. He's not the answer to getting the best out of Cisse and never will be. I don't think he's like Bellamy on the ball but I do think they share similar traits off the ball and that could be really effective if we utilise it. As for linking with Cisse, I think he showed against Arsenal that against certain opposition he can be good foil, he runs the channels well and can create opportunities.

Coming round to the idea of him and Cisse up top more and more. Think he could be what Bellamy used to be for us in some ways, speed and movement causing defences problems and chipping in with goals too. Underrated player.

PEA won't come to Swansea or us, he's better than that and will have plenty of suitors. Bony could be good, I'm not too fussed about his goalscoring initially, we just need someone who can come on and hold up the ball, is he any good at that?

His quotes aren't too bad apart from the one about needing some monster to score from corners, that is very poor. As has been said, the transfer strategy needs re-thinking. We may have talented footballers, but do their abilities help form a cohesive and effective team? Are there enough options throughout the squad for different opposition? Do we have the right back-ups in case of injury or suspension? Do the players purchased suit the manager's philosophy? I really do think we'll see a big improvement next year but not because of the lack of Europa League or whatever, but we'll have had a chance to stabilise a little. As long as there are no major outgoings then the new lads can settle in more and the manager can be less protective of them and the team can get back to a more normal balance again.