fredbob

I was gutted whe Keegan was appointed, im still not converted but a little ashamed all the same.

Lennon id like here, £10m sounds about right to be honest providing he's a model pro. Woldnt want to pay anymore but he's a very young gifted english player who i think could be worth a lot more in the future providing a few things go his way. In fact id love him here, i can imagine keegan being extremely encouraging of his attacking side of the game, he's a very exciting player in my opinion someone the fans could really get behind providing he's consistent. Only reservation about him is his productivity, and his attitude which i hear isnt the best. Hmmmmm....

Agree with this, theres not really much else to say except Keegan eem to be proving that there is a goodsquad o players there, it shows (to me anyway) that there didnt need to be a massive overhaul like a lot of people are saying and that we areactually a good side hat has been directionless. The summer is gonna be absolutley critical for me, i dont intend to compapre Keegan wih Roeder but we achieved a good level of success immediately after Roeder took charge which i attibute now to the honeymoon period where the players were relived to be playing under any manager but Souness. The point i am trying to make is that, in the summer the squad didnt take to Roeders methods, and despite this good run we seem to be goin on, im still wary of the team not taking to Keegans methods as well. There is absolutley no guaratuee of this happening. I think you and others do Roeder a massive disservice putting it all down to a honeymoon period. What happened to Allardyce and Keegan 's honeymoon periods? Last season's form had less to do with players not taking to a system and more to do with not having enough fit players to develop any kind of consistent system, yet we still managed to do better than this season with a mostly fit squad, an allegedly great Summer transfer window, and 2 honeymoon periods. Something of a moot point which boils down to persoal opinion in the end,but i just dont see a manager like Roeder having the skills to implement the type of football we played after Souness left, he barely recreated the next season albeit with horrendous injuries and hasnt done it in the past or even at the present. To me Roeder is and alway will be a less than average manager wont achieve anything to the same levels as, what i call avergae managers like Coppel or Jewell. i put what happenend down to the relief of not being under Souness anymore, if that doesnt imporve your performances, then i dont know what will. Alklardyce sort o had his honeymoo period early on, especially with out of chracter wins like Bolton, but he had the whole summer working with a squad and the squad were adapting to his methods on a much onger time scale than being relieved to be out of a repressive regime like the likes of Keegan have and Roeder.

It's all relative. I think the average premiership spend this Summer outside the CL teams will be 10-20m, maybe more as there's a lot more TV and new owner money about. Obviously wages will take up a chunk of this additional money, but I still think there'll be a massive hike in transfer fees (I think it would have been cheaper for us to buy in January). I'm not expecting spending anything like the £100m that's been going around in rumours, but I'd be disappointed if we didn't spend significantly more than the average mid table club as a minimum. BTW From the things Mort has said in the past I'm expecting him to make a lot of noise about not focusing solely on the transfer fee, but also taking into consideration the whole package (ie player wages). I think that's fair and IS a better way of looking at it tbh especially as nowadays quite often the player's wages over the course of his contract will far exceed the transfer fee, but I think it will mean we "spend" less than a lot of people are hoping for. Good Point - hope we do spendlots this summer hough, would really get the buzzback!

Agree with this, theres not really much else to say except Keegan eem to be proving that there is a goodsquad o players there, it shows (to me anyway) that there didnt need to be a massive overhaul like a lot of people are saying and that we areactually a good side hat has been directionless. The summer is gonna be absolutley critical for me, i dont intend to compapre Keegan wih Roeder but we achieved a good level of success immediately after Roeder took charge which i attibute now to the honeymoon period where the players were relived to be playing under any manager but Souness. The point i am trying to make is that, in the summer the squad didnt take to Roeders methods, and despite this good run we seem to be goin on, im still wary of the team not taking to Keegans methods as well. There is absolutley no guaratuee of this happening.

Id be spitting blood if he didnt get backed this summer. I think he'll get backed massively to be honest, during the manager search i alwyays got the impression that Ashley was looking not necessary the very best man for te job, but te very best man to spend his money and get the ideal outcome, hence why he courted Redknapp. He wants cavalier football Keegan does Ccavalier football, it wouldbe crazy not to back him, especially after doing one over his mates club, i just think this is a game for him, one that he;s desperate not to lose.

I know everyone thinks their club is the best but come on, get real please. It's not 1996, there is nothing special to an outsider about Newcastle United these days. I have to agree. What glamour? What mystique? This is not the mid 90s any more. Bentley would have been, what, 10 years old then? Footballers these days just want to play at the highest level. If you're not in the CL, there's a f****** huge gap to bridge. The only club outside the top four with a chance of signing him, imho, is Spurs, and that is because they are in London, which is more of a factor To be fair i think Villa have an outside chance of getting him as well, they seem to be a club definitively on the up with a good manager a good squad recognized for its english talent and a good owner also Euro qualification definitively isnt out thequestion next year as wel. Villa would be my wild card, Spurs are definitively a viable option as well, but Nufc have no chance whatsoever. Villa have no chance of getting him. From what he said earlier, he wants CL football. This is what I think will happen. Villa need a right sided midfielder. Bentley will join Liverpool. Pennant will join Villa. Or, as an outside bet, Pennant will join Newcastle and Milner will join Villa (although this latter option is thrown in only out of 'wouldnt it be funny') I personally think his primary motive is on England rahter than CL, if he was that desperate for CL unless he already knows someting then i cant see the sense in essentially limiting himself to 1 CL club Liverpool, and one London club(Spurs), i can see him looking at the english talent the Villa squad have, the direction the club is definitively going and think its a smart move for his England career. The monopoly that the top 4 have on the CL means that english players have to make there repuatation at international level in order to get a look in at CL level, rather than it being the other way round. He seems like a smart ambitiuos guy, i can see him eeing sense in the move.

pretty much correct. These things aren't automatic though, much as we would like them to be. Without backing, he's got no chance. Serious backing. ManU have spent a fortune on their team, especially their forwards. You don't see their supporters turning their noses up at chequebook management or bringing in these ready made trophy players. If anything, it only provides positive proof that this is how to do it. We keep saying NUFC are a big club, one of the biggest. Well, they have to act like one of the biggest clubs or such talk is meaningless and in the end anything else will only produce an equally meaningless team. Keegan will do the trick if he is backed. I'm more sure than I ever was. Do you think Keegan will get backed this summer? depends on your standards, and what you call backing Do you think he'll be adequatley backed then? I dont want to get into any pro Ash anti Shep debate, just interested to see if you;ve seenanything to suggest that Keegan will be backed and allowed to do his job without hinderence?

I know everyone thinks their club is the best but come on, get real please. It's not 1996, there is nothing special to an outsider about Newcastle United these days. I have to agree. What glamour? What mystique? This is not the mid 90s any more. Bentley would have been, what, 10 years old then? Footballers these days just want to play at the highest level. If you're not in the CL, there's a f****** huge gap to bridge. The only club outside the top four with a chance of signing him, imho, is Spurs, and that is because they are in London, which is more of a factor To be fair i think Villa have an outside chance of getting him as well, they seem to be a club definitively on the up with a good manager a good squad recognized for its english talent and a good owner also Euro qualification definitively isnt out thequestion next year as wel. Villa would be my wild card, Spurs are definitively a viable option as well, but Nufc have no chance whatsoever.

pretty much correct. These things aren't automatic though, much as we would like them to be. Without backing, he's got no chance. Serious backing. ManU have spent a fortune on their team, especially their forwards. You don't see their supporters turning their noses up at chequebook management or bringing in these ready made trophy players. If anything, it only provides positive proof that this is how to do it. We keep saying NUFC are a big club, one of the biggest. Well, they have to act like one of the biggest clubs or such talk is meaningless and in the end anything else will only produce an equally meaningless team. Keegan will do the trick if he is backed. I'm more sure than I ever was. Do you think Keegan will get backed this summer?

I dont mean to stoke a fire here, or open up another can of worms, but by my reckoning only the very best managers in the present have been able to train there team to be able to adapt to quickly to new formations quickly and efficiently. Its hard to find many teams without world class managers who have had any degree of success by changing there formations alot, they are simply not good enough to coach tere players to adapt to formations on a weekly basis. Is Keegan really skilled enough to a) make sure players are tacticaly aware during formations changes on a weekly basis and b) get the right plyaers in who are adaptabe and equally successful in different positions. The jurys out for me, i cant help but think he'll find a couple of fomrations and stick. My hope is that eventually we will go with the attacing 433 (not 433/451) but i can't see Keegan being able to get the quality of player to make that truly effective,so i can see him reverting back to 442 for the time being which is easier to buy for and familiar with the eventual quality gradually building up to be able to make the 433 truly effective.

To be honest, Bentley is an extremely unrealistic target to be honest, as Brummie hs mentioned, his quote i about getting to the world cup in 2 years and paying at a higher level, now honestly, as much blind faith as anyone can have, does anyone here actually think that Bentley would further his cause for England and himsef by coming here this summer?? The only 3 clubs i can see him going to would be Spurs, Liverpool or an outside bet would be Villa. The reaon i say this is becaue i dont think it is a realistic idea that we could qualify for Europe at te Bentley is obviously requiring in a couple of years(in essence one year), is a viable option for the ambitious Bentley? The answer, without a shadow of a doubt is no. I am 95% certain that Bentley would not consider a move EDIT: 99% certain

See, i find that the best partnerships in he world are a combination of a beefy big defender and a slender sweeper type defender. Genereally speaking, this combination combines strengths of both defenders which neutralise the weakness of the other defenders. To have 2 of the same type of defender results in the players taking similar positioning in order to either attack the long ball or intercept a thread pass, for me Dunne and Faye are very similar type of defenders who like to attack the ball. If you have 2 silar type of defenderd who naturaly take up similar positions you can leave yourself open to lacking in the other positions that a sweeper type defender would exploit. I also happen to think that having to big defenders would leave us extremely vunerable to the small intelligent quick striker. Could be completely wrong like.

to be fair, i think its the manner in which we've done it, its a full 180 degree change tothe way we were 3-4 months ago with exactly the saem squad. Part of me agrees with the quote because in the end it is 2 games, but the other part thinks that there is a new found stability and confidence in the club whic could take us absolutley anywhere. The only way newcastle will ever play under keegan is to attack attack and attack and i think alot of pople are thinking that with the backing Ashley will hopefully give and the way Keegan will utilize those players makes for an exciting future. Im already anticipating the first game of next season.

Sounds strange but spurs is the one i want, see i dont mind Spurs to be honest think they're a decent outfit, but the media have been getting sore balls and tissues shortage writing about them. For me they seem to be the team this season that has had the most positive press despite only achieveing one notable thing all season. Compared to us, where we've been in so much turmoil, and had so much crap slung at us, it'd be nice to fininsh above them, albeit without a trophy.

He should do himself a favour and write a damage limitation article so that he's not to be made to look even more of a cunt than he actually is if/when we do one over his team.

As far as this old tosser's concerned, we did it on Sunday. I'd love to have seen his face. Hasn't been so annoyed since that dog pissed on him apparently. Who does Martin Samuel support?

I wish there was a way of being able to rub these crappy diatribes back in there faces. Alwayspains me to see all the hacks taking u turns after u turns yet not getting pulled up for it all all.

Ermmmm, Nicky Butt is 33 and he's been absolutely outstanding the last few games as a defensive midfielder. Whats your point? That just because a couple of players over 30 have good games im wrong to want to have a more youthful mobile DM?

Really difficult to say to be honest, part of me thinks dont change a winning formula, the other part of me actually thinks he;d bean excellent option in DM. However at 30 years of age id rather it be a postion whihc is ocupied by a more youthful player. At CD id be more comfortable with having him as a mture leader there. Could easily go on there for another 3-4 years like Campbell, cant really sa the same for DM.

Dont think he;d be as disciplined in geting back as barton or geremi would be to be honest. If we are to play with 3 exclusive forwards then our 18 yards box needs cprotecting without exception, he didntreally povide too much defensive protection when he has played in CM in the past. For me, Zog is exclusively a left winger. Who asked you!? (Only joking!) I just like N'Zogbia to be honest, I think he's a cut above more or less everything else in our squad and he's still got time on his side. I do think he's done his best work on the left-wing, as you've said, but I wouldn't write him off completely as being able to play more centrally. He wasn't as bad at left-back as I expected him to be and was still a standout player towards the start of the season (he's still the first choice LB for France U21's), I honestly think he gets a rough ride on here because he's a bit of a moody b******. People have been quick to forget just how important he has been at times here, for such a young player as well - same goes for Milner at times. Aye to be fair, dont diagree with that at all, i just havent neccessarrily seen the quality in him to thrive in a more central position. I think he's been dead unlucky here, because he's signed for "unfashoinable" newcastle he isnt regarded as the talent he possibly is, whereas the likes of Nani and Babel are being bummed even though, in my personal opinion, ablility wise i see very littel outstanding differences between them. If Zog were at Man U or Arsenal in particular he'd be talked about in a greater regards/ N'Zogbia is as good as Nani and Babel? I genuinely havent seen too man outstanding differences. I just think with the strength and support that Nani and Babel get in midfield from there teams that hey always stand a better chance of looking a better player. Babel in paticular hasnt impressed me that much, a direct quick player whos a decent dribbler, his output isnt particulary great and despite being here or 4 seasons we're yet to ee him in a team that is working cohesively. Nani was maybe a bit of a exaggeration but the same applies, bring eithe of those 2 here and the only one in my opinion who would of looked half decent would of been Nani - maybe.

it does make sense but wouldn't it also make sense to have 2 forwards who done that and gave us an extra midfielder. as yet it's a work in progress. keegans making the best of what he's got but i'm sure the las couple of weeks have gave him some new ideas. LWell i think that might change this summer, unless Keegan plans to utilise the 433 formation. In which case i dont see that much of a weakness in our front 3 except for Viduka, id have Ashton here to replace Viduka if he werent so injury prone.

The thing with the front 3 is that as a combination they make the perfect forward. If we play any combinaion of 2 forwards we miss out on vital aspect for example Martins /Owen = holding up the ball, strength, target man Owen/ Viduka = Pace and 'directness' Martins/Viduka = Intelligence in and out of the box When we have all three playing we have a combination of abso;utely everything hat the strikers need. Does any of that make sense??

Dont think he;d be as disciplined in geting back as barton or geremi would be to be honest. If we are to play with 3 exclusive forwards then our 18 yards box needs cprotecting without exception, he didntreally povide too much defensive protection when he has played in CM in the past. For me, Zog is exclusively a left winger. Who asked you!? (Only joking!) I just like N'Zogbia to be honest, I think he's a cut above more or less everything else in our squad and he's still got time on his side. I do think he's done his best work on the left-wing, as you've said, but I wouldn't write him off completely as being able to play more centrally. He wasn't as bad at left-back as I expected him to be and was still a standout player towards the start of the season (he's still the first choice LB for France U21's), I honestly think he gets a rough ride on here because he's a bit of a moody b******. People have been quick to forget just how important he has been at times here, for such a young player as well - same goes for Milner at times. Aye to be fair, dont diagree with that at all, i just havent neccessarrily seen the quality in him to thrive in a more central position. I think he's been dead unlucky here, because he's signed for "unfashoinable" newcastle he isnt regarded as the talent he possibly is, whereas the likes of Nani and Babel are being bummed even though, in my personal opinion, ablility wise i see very littel outstanding differences between them. If Zog were at Man U or Arsenal in particular he'd be talked about in a greater regards/

Think the single ost important postion for us at is DM, said this fo a while, the defence hasnt been protected as well as it was today, for the last 20 minutes when they wer bomarding us, the 3 in midfield protected the back 4 very very well.