fredbob

Considering three of those were brought in by Allardyce (and they weren't exactly cheap), do you think trusting him with more money will see him change targets to something more exotic? General question, not really owt to do with the thread as such. I know you've advocated giving him time. Would of been my secondpoint to Chez! Dave, i'm not sure, thats the biggest question facing the club (as i said after City ). Fruitbat, my point was that the midfielders we have dont have the attributes to match the attributes of our strikers. Both departments are lacking and neither can make up for the inadequacies of the other. So, yes, i think the players are just about playing to their potential which is why we arent any higher up the league. Blame last summer if you want. I tend not to over analyse things so forgive me for not understanding this, but why exactly do we have the wrong kind of strikers for our midfield? We've got tall ones, short one's, fat one's, skinny one's, strong one's and weak one's. Is it the midfield that's wrong? What attributes do the midfield lack when playing at potential. Duff in Blackburn form is an excellent provider and occasssional scorer. As are Milner, Smith and Zoggy on Villa, Leeds and previous form. Butt, Geremi, and Faye are solid as a rock on Man U, Chelsea and current form, while Barton always looked a classy* box to box player at Man City. Sounds like British Rail excuse like the wrong kind of snow on the track. *EDIT: Of course by classy I mean in a working class scumbag, thugish charver, blood and guts way. Not sure if you actually seriously asking me or not.... Viduka and Owen are immobile and slow, Martins is unpredictable. The midfield has no pace or creativity. You can have one or the other but both at the same time means neither makes up for the inadequacies of the other. If the midfield had class and pace, they would pull defenders out of position, allowing the strikers to find space. If the attack had more class and a lot of pace, a hardworking midfield would be able to support them. The lack of mobility up front (and the spatial spackaness of Martins) places greater emphasis on creativity behind them. So you dont think there would be a single manager in the world who could put us in a better position with the squad we have at present?

...following that logic (painful) even if we spent 50m on 2/3 players they still wouldn't come....eh? You think we can't attract top players? The PL is now the No.1 destination of most top players in the world read the opening article. Thought so. I don't think we can't, I know we can't. f****** Steve Sidwell didn't even want to come. Not good enough. You know jack s*** from what Iv'e read so far. Sorry. I just don't buy all this we can't attract quality lark. Football is a speculative business model. Are you pissed? Sidwell is not f****** good enough. Look we either compete and therefore start to spend to match our ambitions or we w*** on about Sidwell and Santa Clause or Cruz or whatever other muppet someone turns up for 5m..... The point is my dear boy, Sidwell DIDN'T WANT TO COME? How exactly are we attracting all these players better than him? We looked a joke chasing Rooney, and we'd look a joke chasing anyone else in that bracket at the moment. The point is now we have a billionaire owner, no debt, 25% more telly money, the richest league on the planet. talk of breakaway leagues, branding in Asia....Read the script ringo and the agree with me. Or move away I ain't selling peanuts. Parky, you talk daft in chat and it's funny, but football is serious man. Even when Shearer came and we were challenging, everyone outside Newcastle knew he was daft, it was just geordie loyalty that brought him here (and god bless him for it). I know you love this thread baby cause you rarely post in footie. Listen, Some people see the train, some people can even hear the train coming and some people need to look at the timetable.... I am the f****** train.

Considering three of those were brought in by Allardyce (and they weren't exactly cheap), do you think trusting him with more money will see him change targets to something more exotic? General question, not really owt to do with the thread as such. I know you've advocated giving him time. Would of been my secondpoint to Chez!

With signings like that it could take fat Sam £100 million to get us into the top 10. I thought that was Parky's original point. Not taking what Parky says completely literally, i wholeheartedly agree with the principle. I knew you would. But I was hoping for a deeper insight from you. There are still a few deluded souls who think we could get more out of our players but most recognise that, on the whole, the squad is where it ought to be in the prem. We need 2 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 strikers of higher quality than anyone already at the club to be where Ashley said he wanted the club to be in the next few years. I think over the next 18 months, £100m (spent not net spend) isnt far off. Are you categorically saying that the current pefomrances of our individuals are the best we'll ever see of them? Scratch that, not even "best" but a true reflection of what they genreally capable of? Are Barton, Geremi, Duff and Smith the sort of midfield that gets the best out of slow immobile attackers? Take your time. Thats not what im saying, and it isnt what you said (or implied for that matter). Back to the question, do you think that we have seen the best or anywhere near good enough consistent perfomrances from our players? Has Allardyce shown any ability of yet to bring out good perfomracnes from these players?

With signings like that it could take fat Sam £100 million to get us into the top 10. I thought that was Parky's original point. Not taking what Parky says completely literally, i wholeheartedly agree with the principle. I knew you would. But I was hoping for a deeper insight from you. There are still a few deluded souls who think we could get more out of our players but most recognise that, on the whole, the squad is where it ought to be in the prem. We need 2 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 strikers of higher quality than anyone already at the club to be where Ashley said he wanted the club to be in the next few years. I think over the next 18 months, £100m (spent not net spend) isnt far off. Are you categorically saying that the current pefomrances of our individuals are the best we'll ever see of them? Scratch that, not even "best" but a true reflection of what they genreally capable of?

We can get 3 players for the best part of £50m as Souey proved. Well this kinda leads back to my point, spending big on players is useless if you arent competent enough to get the best out of them. Most of Sounesses signing were justifiable but when it came down to it, they didnt perform because the management and coaching wasnt upto scratch. This is why i would be against giving Allardyce so much money in suchg a short period of time, becuase as it stands in my book he hasnt done anthing with his signings and hasnt brought on the games of many or any of the players that we have at the club. Its a recipe for disaster if you ask me.

Jesus wept, Ashley has been in charge here for about 6 months, he spent a fortune buying the club, then spent £75million on debts and also gave Sam funds in the summer, what the f*** more could he have done in the 6 months he has been here like? I have a feeling that this thread maybe goig down a different route very soon!!!

why on earth do you want to make a profit on a player mackems.gif No so much a need to make a profit on a player, but more of a case of that we havent really been a club which has transformed players or improved on them. Which is a big issue in itself. You said "when was the last time we made a profit on a player" If its alright by you, I am rather glad we kept Rob Lee, John Beresford, Alan Shearer, Gary Speed, Shay Given, Warren Barton, Laurent Robert, even Kieron Dire in his first few years, to name a few, rather than make profits on them. oh dear. Fair point, not what i meant as my second post reiterates my actual point but well done, you can mark that one onto ya little victory chalk board. But, do not you not see under which managers these were at there most profitable, that says a lot about he stae of the club at the mo as we have made some laughable losses. What id like to see, for the first time in 4 years is a set up which is able to sustain the value and even improve the value of our players as it is a massive indication of success on the pitch. I dont think this is a 10 years thing either, this is a coaching thing to be able to improve players, Mourihno for example brought on the games of Lampard, JCole Terry etc in a matter of a season. Investment is definitely required though.

So other more appealing clubs are going to step aside? Surely the same can be said about the £15m+ players? The point is if we're going to compete at the top table we are going to have to match spend and sometimes outbid. I agree, but i think sayin £100m by the end of the summer is a hugely unrealisitc and overly pessimistic price.

So other more appealing clubs are going to step aside? Surely the same can be said about the £15m+ players?

Who? Owen, Duff, Barton, Geremi....all players which havent shown a great deal of anything as of yet. Would like to see something which resembles a performance from any of the afore mentioned. They're all s****. None of them would get into a team in the top 4, probably not even the top 6 or 8 at this point of time. Maybe not the top top4, but they all have shown that they have qualities which arent being replicated in the black and white pitch, its laughalbe that you can rwrite them off so easily, players dont turn crap overnight.

Who? Owen, Duff, Barton, Geremi....all players which havent shown a great deal of anything as of yet. Would like to see something which resembles a performance from any of the afore mentioned.

why on earth do you want to make a profit on a player mackems.gif No so much a need to make a profit on a player, but more of a case of that we havent really been a club which has transformed players or improved on them. Which is a big issue in itself.

Jenas? Thats a joke in itself!

When was the last time we made a profit on a player?

I'd personally like to see us getting some good out of the players we have at the mo beofre we go raising the roof of expectations by spending big amounts.

Thought he had a bit of Lennon about him. Would of been nice to see what his delievery or his end product was, made some poorish decisions but that'll come with experience. Would like to see Allardyce give him a bit of a run out to be honest against smaller opposition, having said that, if he definitely has that all out confidents which good players generally have then big opposition shouldnt phase him too much. Playig agaisnt a big team would make him or break him. Having said all that, its clear that RW is one of our weaknesses, so if he was to get a wide birth then it will only go and provide us with another headache with Zog, Dufff and Enrique. My guess is that Enrique will get dropped.

We're football supporters who dont support. Simple innit.

Eh? That surely can't be right....I mean, just last season the only problems were the defenders and they've all been replaced with better players..... i don't think Rozenhal nor Cacapa look like good prem defenders yet, looking at them so far i'd say we've replaced players who weren't good enough with other players who still aren't good enough. all the fault of the fat b****** Allardyce is trying his best you know, lost 3lb so far. Oliver told me. Are you Chris Mort ? Are you bitter?

Eh? That surely can't be right....I mean, just last season the only problems were the defenders and they've all been replaced with better players..... i don't think Rozenhal nor Cacapa look like good prem defenders yet, looking at them so far i'd say we've replaced players who weren't good enough with other players who still aren't good enough. all the fault of the fat b****** pssssst.......dont bite

Wrote it for me. Mort's details must be with some agencies already for example, given he's dealt with a number of transfers at a decent level of profile. Yeah competitors hand out client numbers to each other all the time. You said there were no contacts. A top agency, working for a top manager would have a number of avenues before ringing up a local journalist, surely? Like ringing up competitors? All agents compete with each other so in my opinion this is a plausible route, especially given the amount of time Mort has been in football. I'm not that arsed about it really, you can be right if you want. Not looking to be right or wrong, nobody knows other than Oliver himself. I just can't see it being particularly plausible. I agree, i just think its too weak. There has to be a more likely way to get the chairmans number than the local rag.It just seems mad that the agency wont have the numbers of one of the biggest clubs in england, that would surely be a standard procedure to keep up to date.

If one is a relative then they both are but they like people to think they hold the same views independently so they can back up each other without anybody knowing why they both share the same views. Could you be less cryptic please?!! Do you mean, you think that thay may be relatvies of old board memebers?

Havent seen one performance which suggests that he is capable of playingin midfiled.

What are yours and NE5's links with the old board? Serious question.

I would but i dont think id trust him to utilizes his signings to the best.