Gallowgate Toon

According to Thomo, the takeover is imminent, it will happen next week possibly Tuesday...

I can't believe we've just signed Michael Owen, this will be massive for us, in fact i'm going to stick my neck out and say he'll get us back in the Champions League. He has a fanta stic scoring rate and although he's had some injuries, i think he's got over them. I predict that this season he'll get about 28 goals because he's so hungry for success after his Madrid experience i think he'll really fall in love with the place and take the captain's armband one day and he'll be brilliant leading the toon to that elusive trophy. I'm telling you lads, i can feel it in my blood.

WE'VE WON THE FAIRS CUP!!!

 

s***, I haven't been born yet.

 

Paradox!

Double paradox, as there was no Internet around in 1969 

I remember about 2000 to 2002 he was an absolutely immense keeper, what's a bigger shame is the decline in his career.

Get well soon Carlo, but that's probably career over now.

I've recalled another time. There was this regular in front of me at, he was pretty old, must've been pushing 75, perhaps 80. Well, he always wore this wooly army green hat, ridiculously thick or so you would have thought. One day i looked down, and he'd rolled it down, turned out it was a balaclava, honestly i've never laughed so much, seeing this doddery old guy in a f***ing balaclava, priceless. He got some right funny looks as well, what some people must have thought when he was on the way out of the ground.

He never came back after that...

Please read the forum rules, Village Idiot.

Looks like you're just insulting him at first glance 

One time there was this charva lad sitting next to me at the match and he was wearing Nike Air Maxs, Adidas tracky bottoms tucked into his football socks etc but he had a tracky top on too. He seemed alright for the first 10 minutes, but then he puts his hand into his jacket pocket and whips out... some deodorant. He then proceeds to spray the the stuff onto his armpits but not the actual skin, his jacket armpits. He then continued at regular 5 minute intervals to do this, until half time then he just pissed off.

I don't think he's really going to bitch about the guy that pays his wages tbh.

Obafemi Martins, he's played in the Champions League already and for 3 top level clubs but he's still only 15.

My sister was in Manchester with her work but met up with Charles N'Zogbia and Scott Sinclair for lunch. She's been friends with Zoggy since his time up here, but after lunch they all went shopping together, my sister basically came back with a £700 hand bag and £200s worth of clothes and makeup etc that Charles bought her, and he offered her a Blackberry too. But that's not even the best of it, my sister came down on the train but Charles decided to go back he'd get my sister and her friend a driver to take them back to Newcastle... a £325 an hour luxury Mercedes, fitted with Champagne, TV's and all the rest of it.

On a side note my sister said that Scott Sinclair was a really nice bloke, very down-to-earth and wasn't arrogant about how much he earned etc.

They also don't really like Marlon King, and really didn't want to talk about him.

For me personally i hate the fact that when we win, it just doesn't feel right.

And also looking at the Premier League and seeing the following ahead of us: Bolton, Blackburn, Burnley, Wolves, Stoke, Wigan, Sunderland and Birmigham. It's a real kick to the nads.

He didn't seem overly pleased about scoring mind. Still happy he scored though.

I think that's cause he he got injured tbh.

 

Whilst scoring?

 

He went on another run after it iirc.

Yeah, you're right i remember him pulling up later on. His celebration was weird though, it was as if he started to run to celebrate, then just kinda stopped.

He didn't seem overly pleased about scoring mind. Still happy he scored though.

I think that's cause he he got injured tbh.

That's the thing that's got to me about Jonas this season, he could do what he did today to any team in this league, and to a lot of sides in the PL imo. He's built to be a direct footballer, get the ball and make aggressive runs because his feet are so quick and his retention can be exceptional.

He's only really got into the team since Grafite got sent off in the Champions League.

Martins is a funny player, can't quite decide whether he looked thick because he is or because of the way he was deployed but watch his latest goal for Wolfsburg, he made a very intelligent run and looked lightning. He's doing ok for them, not started a lot but still got 5 in 9, which ain't half bad for someone that's been a sub mostly.

He looks ridiculously tense when he plays, not relaxed whatsoever, he just snatches at any crossing or shooting opportunity, so it's no wonder he looks crap when the key to striking a ball is to be relaxed. I thought he played well in the second half, looked really dangerous, especially when he picked up the ball and ran at the defence through the middle on a couple of occasions. He just looks a totally different player to the one that played for Mallorca and Argentina (where he actually delivered and still delivers good crosses), he's just one of those players that when it comes, he'll be good but the hard bit is getting there

The reason for the downturn is pretty obvious, all the way through the campaign we've been average in attack and excellent in defence but with our current make shift back line, which compensates a lot of height, physicality and natural defensive awareness we're prone to leaking more than we're scoring. We really need our 2 main CB's back so we can have that consistency there again.

Honestly some of the garbage about Aguero on here. The lad is not the world's best striker at the minute but it would be stupid to say he's nowhere near the likes of Villa, Torres, Drogba and dare i say it Messi. Look at his stats in the last 2 years he's provided 20 assists for his team and scored nearly 40 goals in the league alone, for a lad of 21 that is a phenomonal rate and not many players can match that. He may be out of form this season but he's scored 4 goals in 8 games in all competitions, i've seen Rooney and Van Persie go through stages of 10 games without a goal. Looking past the 4 players mentioned above there aren't many, if any better than Aguero.

Why is it every week without fail Kevin Nolan is out, it's not just once a week either. I'm all for celebrating victories, and going out but in moderation, you're a footballer you fat shit so bloody act like one.

You can see a goal coming from Ranger who hasn't scored but not from Carroll who has scored?

 

Gallowgate Toon:  Carroll has scored one and set up one with his head (not loads obviously but its not nothing either), he's won countless headers throughout the season, say he's lazy can't shoot etc. but I can't see how you can say his heading is ****, as I said, he had a bad game yesterday

I agree it has had some contribution this season but i was thinking more along the lines of whether it was a significant contribution, and i think he offers less than Loven, Harewood and Ranger. Imo Carroll offers a very limited package and he has a negative effect on our general attacking play, and he's generally not performing as a striker should. I also agree that he is a lot more energetic and hard-working than Harewood, but that's not what we need right now, we need goals and Harewood looks like he's going to score a lot more than Andy. As for his heading, predictably i'm going to disagree because i really think his ability in the air is not that good as with all of his strike partners this season, his flick-ons never seem to connect very much, is that an endictment on them or him, who knows but i wouldn't like to play with him because i would have no idea where his headers would end up.

Honestly, how the hell was Carroll better than Harewood? christ Marlon wasn't good but at least he got into some goal scoring positions and had a couple of digs and when the ball was at his feet he did some nice lay offs and a lovely back heel. Carroll has had plenty of time this season to show us what he can do, but tbh he's been largely s*** and let's not forget he's a striker who never mind hasn't scored many but hasn't even looked like scoring.

 

It's not as if he's even good in general play, he's the exact opposite of what we should be playing as when the ball's at his feet he's slow and soft as s*** diving around like an eejit. This myth about his aerial ability is farcical too, he's 6'3 and gets regularly out-jumped by smaller defenders and when he does win them they're like a pinball, zooming off his head at 100mph in any direction, no wonder nobody can read his flick ons because they're so erratic.

 

Harewood wasn't good yesterday either, but in his 3 games or so for us he's had more chances than Carroll, and he's not even fit, the lad's not played football for basically 2 years. Stick with Harewood and either Ranger/Loven, as for Carroll he can stick to the bench as far as i'm concerned.

 

This isn't an overreaction?  He played bad in a team that is ****, no surprise.  Harewood hasn't played football for two years because he's woeful.

 

How's it an overreaction?

 

Andy Carroll hasn't proven himself at any senior level yet and you can't use the s*** team excuse this season, we're second in the league. We were all over Forest in that second half and he didn't even get a sniff and if you're using that logic Harewood must be better because he actually had some chances yesterday playing for a 's*** team'. Look at it this way, since we've been in the Championship Carroll has been outdone by Kevin Nolan and Shola Ameobi, with the latter playing about 4 games.

 

Harewood isn't a world beater but he's hardly woeful. Take away his Wolves stint, he's had a tidy record in the Championship pretty much always getting well into double figures, and he did score 14 PL goals in his first season for West Ham. Give him some more game time and he'll get us goals at this level imo.

 

We're second in the league and yes were are playing ****, I can't believe people don't notice this, we've been **** all season.  Carroll didn't have a good game, I agree, but to start saying stuff like his heading is always crap is just rubbish.

 

As for your last bit...Harewood should be given time but Carroll, who's 20, should be written off?  Right.

 

Edit- A bit of faith in Carroll and he'll come good IMO, he's got bags of potential, as has Ranger, and it's mental to write either off at the moment.

Carroll shouldn't be written off totally, i'm saying he's unproven at any level and at the moment he's doing precisely nothing, he's not even forced a save in 4 games, so give me a reason to persevere with him? Imo he should be benched. You say that nobody notices we're playing shit, i think average would be a far more suitable term, and if we've been that shit how come other players have managed to perform? He's had 2 good games this season man, he's had plenty to shine.

What the hell does being 20 have anything to do with it? Harewood hasn't played in 2 years, of course he's going to be rusty but he actually looks like he could score a goal at some point in a match which would be rather handy in our current predicament.

As for his heading, you tell me how the great effect of Andy Carroll's head has really helped us this season? In fact yesterday he had 2 headers in the box and he sent them in the opposite direction, it's been like that all season, not just yesterday.

Or relying on another striker he won't score many either.

 

1 in 4 for Harewood now, when he gets to 2 in 10 does he get booted out the team as well?

 

There's a reason the strikers haven't been scoring many and I don't think its solely down to their individual abilities...

Of course it's not the sole reason, but Harewood has managed to get into some threatening positions and forced some saves etc Carroll has done nothing.

Honestly, how the hell was Carroll better than Harewood? christ Marlon wasn't good but at least he got into some goal scoring positions and had a couple of digs and when the ball was at his feet he did some nice lay offs and a lovely back heel. Carroll has had plenty of time this season to show us what he can do, but tbh he's been largely s*** and let's not forget he's a striker who never mind hasn't scored many but hasn't even looked like scoring.

 

It's not as if he's even good in general play, he's the exact opposite of what we should be playing as when the ball's at his feet he's slow and soft as s*** diving around like an eejit. This myth about his aerial ability is farcical too, he's 6'3 and gets regularly out-jumped by smaller defenders and when he does win them they're like a pinball, zooming off his head at 100mph in any direction, no wonder nobody can read his flick ons because they're so erratic.

 

Harewood wasn't good yesterday either, but in his 3 games or so for us he's had more chances than Carroll, and he's not even fit, the lad's not played football for basically 2 years. Stick with Harewood and either Ranger/Loven, as for Carroll he can stick to the bench as far as i'm concerned.

 

This isn't an overreaction?  He played bad in a team that is ****, no surprise.  Harewood hasn't played football for two years because he's woeful.

How's it an overreaction?

Andy Carroll hasn't proven himself at any senior level yet and you can't use the shit team excuse this season, we're second in the league. We were all over Forest in that second half and he didn't even get a sniff and if you're using that logic Harewood must be better because he actually had some chances yesterday playing for a 'shit team'. Look at it this way, since we've been in the Championship Carroll has been outdone by Kevin Nolan and Shola Ameobi, with the latter playing about 4 games.

Harewood isn't a world beater but he's hardly woeful. Take away his Wolves stint, he's had a tidy record in the Championship pretty much always getting well into double figures, and he did score 14 PL goals in his first season for West Ham. Give him some more game time and he'll get us goals at this level imo.

My problem with Harewood is that sometimes he just doesn't look up for it at all. He doesn't jump to challenge for a header, he doesn't stick his foot in to challenge for a ball, nothing. He just watches the ball go past him to the defender. So frustrating; at least Carroll jumps and runs!

If Carroll was a midfielder i'd be satisfied with some good running, but he's a striker and he's posing zero threat to the opposition's goal. Harewood has scored one, hit the post twice and forced a couple of decent saves from keepers in 3 matches. Carroll has done nothing of note, i'd rather have those goal scoring opportunities (which i believe Harewood will put away when he gets more game time) over some running and jumping.