thewellander

Changed from 3 to 4.

BTW, I like this relegationometer. Kudos to the thread starter.

I don't think Barton is the right guy, for what should be obvious reasons.

I have to agree with most of the above that Beye should be the captain. He's a great player, speaks many languages, seems to have the respect of the players, and is one of only two or three guaranteed starting 11 players.

Unfortunately, if Owen were to be stripped of the arm band, I would assume that it would go to either Duff or Butt, as long as Kinnear is in charge.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/images/2007/01/02/edgar_scores_416x300.jpg

A recent one, but this made me really, really happy.

That mido has a bomb song was hilarious imo.

 

That's a fine opinion you have there sire. Cretinous and downright pathetic, but still. Racists ARE people afterall

 

Come on. Do you think Mido cried himself to sleep after that chant? Have a little humour. I'm sure mido does.

So, you're arguing that Mido probably doesn't mind being the victims of racism? That's doubtful.

Personally, I can't believe that anybody on this message board would try to defend racist chants.

If his daughter is 16 thats good enough for me 

Just be careful. They say once you're in the cockney mafia, you can never get out.

I hope that if he does come back that the fans treat him well. It doesn't help the club at all to give him stick. If the fans give him a warm welcome, it might go a long way to getting some investment in players in a month's time.

3.

It's not too likely, but I'll feel better if we start to climb.

Kinnear is doing a fine job considering the turmoil and unrest. This move signals that Ashley is not confident that the club will be sold by the end of the year and that he feels that a little stability and consistency is warranted, which is true. If the club isn't being sold, then there's no sense in sacking a manager who is obviously popular with the players and is making the best of a bad situation.

There are obviously better managers out there, but I don't understand why anyone would be too worked up about this announcement.

Considering that Allardyce (I think), Keegan, and now Kinnear have all made resigning Owen a "priority" and he still hasn't, a month before he can negotiate an exit, I think it's safe to say that he'll be gone either in January or the summer. Kinnear can prioritize whatever he likes, but I don't think that Ashley, Wise, or Owen are interested at this point.

Doesn't he get any points for immediately admitting that he was wrong and apologizing?

It's just because Joe Kinnear doesn't have any knowledge about what's going on with the signing of players. He's left in the dark.

Kevin Keegan said a lot of things about players coming in that didn't materialize as well.

No Premiership club should touch him until he's proven himself, again.

I agree. I'm just not sure that he would see it that way.

I think we should just play the giant stack of money we got for Milner at LM instead of Duff.

I would be surprised. I think he would see it as a giant step backwards. There are bound to be some Premiership teams sacking their managers soon (ie Blackburn) and I would be more inclined to think that he might hold out for a job until then.

I think this performance shows how the weak link really is the midfield, which is what alot of us on here have been saying for a while now.

 

Our defence played brilliantly today with constant pressure. A midfield with some actual ball retention in it would ease so much pressure and help create more goals at the other end. I continue to be impressed with Coloccini & Bassong. Enrique didn't have a bad game at all either.

I couldn't agree with this more. Let's hope that Ashley and Wise were watching the game and decide to invest some money in the club in January. At the very least, they should spend the money they received for Milner.

I got frustrated with some of Enrique's passing, but it would help if the midfielders tried to get into space to receive the ball. I would like to see two new central midfielders come January.

I've actually got no real problem with the job that JFK's done so far. He's doing as well or better than any manager we've had over the past few years and he seems to have the confidence of the team. And he's done it at a time when morale was at an all-time low, when attendance is down and the fans aren't solidly behind the team, when the owner is trying to sell the club, and without a long-term contract.

I don't know if he deserves a longer contract, but he deserves credit.

I'd like to see Kinnear keep this back four in place.

If we can bring in another LB in the transfer window, I would be happy with that, though. I'm happy with Enrique to a point, but I'm unsure that we can't do better.

Jonas played midweek, plus took a bit of a knock to his ankle, plus was on a yellow card. Considering that we had a good result, he didn't get injured and didn't get a second yellow, I'm going to say it wasn't a bad decision.

Alan Shearer is ready to accept the manager's job at Newcastle United and may even be prepared to work for Mike Ashley, the club's controversial owner. Rob Lee, Shearer's closest friend and confidant, said yesterday that although the former Newcastle and England forward has been until now reluctant to swap his role on Match of the Day for the dugout, Shearer has had a change of heart.

 

Lee's comments are highly significant and can be interpreted as coming directly from Shearer. Lee, who played for Newcastle for almost a decade until 2002, could expect to be offered a senior position should the latter succeed Joe Kinnear at St James' Park. Shearer is far too proud to risk losing face by touting for the job himself and then being rebuffed but Lee is unlikely to have spoken so frankly without his blessing.

 

In an interview with The Mag, Newcastle's principal fanzine, the former England midfielder said: "I can honestly say, yes, Alan Shearer will manage Newcastle. Until now I would have just said that he would one day but I finally believe that he would tomorrow if the job is how he wants it, without all the silly games going on that have killed it."

 

Ashley remains optimistic that he will sell Newcastle by the new year but is nonetheless understood to have made contingency plans for buying players in January should a proposed deal with a United States-based consortium, which is performing due diligence, fall through.

 

Lee feels that appointing Shearer in place of Kinnear, the interim manager whose short-term contract runs out after Saturday's Premier League game at Chelsea, could offer Ashley hope of a rapprochement with Newcastle's fans.

 

Those supporters cannot forgive the sports retailer for sacking Kevin Keegan in September but Lee said: "The fans would love Alan to take over now. Mike Ashley would solve a lot of his problems by appointing Alan and accepting that mistakes have been made. Alan could be a priceless get out of jail card. Now is the time to make the club what we all want."

 

Although it would be inconceivable that Lee, whose reading and knowledge of the game are much admired by Shearer, would not be offered a key role, Dennis Wise would almost certainly have to depart his director of football post.

 

"Yes I would love to be part of it," admitted Lee. "It is time for Alan to take the job on. Roy Keane and Gareth Southgate learnt on the job and, like Keane at Sunderland, one thing Alan has is the respect of every single player at Newcastle.

 

Lee is convinced Shearer would attract players of sufficient quality to transform Newcastle's fortunes. "I know for a fact that Michael Owen and any top player would play for him," he said. "We have not got European football at the moment but Alan Shearer will be a magnet for the top guys."

 

Shearer's lack of managerial experience could count against him when any new owners make an appointment but Lee's hunch is that Ashley could struggle to finalise an outright sale. Intriguingly, Tyneside rumour suggests that a group of local businessmen are willing to become minor shareholders and run the club on a day-to-day basis, leaving Ashley in majority, but remote, control.

 

"If he doesn't sell by January he has a problem attracting buyers," Lee said. "In which case he has to pull a rabbit out of the bag and make a statement of intent by making a permanent appointment and starting again. Mike Ashley has to put a top man in charge if he is going to stay. He has to create the buzz and get the fans back onside."

 

Lee suspects Kinnear will not be around much longer. "Any new owners are going to want to bring in 'their' man and I don't think it would be Joe. I can't see Joe as a permanent Newcastle manager."

 

Perhaps tellingly, Lee also doubts that Keegan will make yet another return. "Kevin would still be a good appointment if he is allowed to be Kevin Keegan the manager and not Kevin Keegan the coach," he said. "He needs to be in full control to really have an effect. But we don't know if Kevin would want it if he was offered it."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/nov/18/newcastleunited-premierleague

Looks like we might have Shearer as manager after the Chelsea drubbing.

Thank God for Nile Ranger. He's the only thing keeping us happy around here.

Apparently I'm 3380 miles away from Newcastle.

I'm 210 miles away from Toronto FC, which is the closest professional football club to where I live.

I'd like to see:

 

                   Given

Beye    Coloccini  Bassong    Beye

Jonas    Guthrie   Barton   Zogs

          Owen     Martins

 

I see that as the most attacking side we could put forward at home against a team we (ahem) should beat. It would be nice to see Zogs get a chance this season, and I think it was harsh to drop Guthrie for Butt.

 

I just assume that the Habib Beye cloning project is moving along on schedule.

 

That but with Enrique at left back. Beye is THAT good that he could play both sides though.

Is there any realistic chance that Owen might want to stay? I guess a better question might be: do we even want him to stay at this point?

I don't mind us selling him in January, but only if we bring in another capable striker who can play alongside Martins. If our striking options in the second half of the season are Martins, Ameobi, Smith, Carrol, Viduka, and Xisco, we're in trouble. Heaven knows we can't get goals from our midfielders.

Viduka would be ok if he could stay fit for half a season, but I don't see that.

I'd like to see:

                  Given

Beye    Coloccini  Bassong    Beye

Jonas    Guthrie  Barton  Zogs

          Owen    Martins

I see that as the most attacking side we could put forward at home against a team we (ahem) should beat. It would be nice to see Zogs get a chance this season, and I think it was harsh to drop Guthrie for Butt.

If Ashley and Wise are still in charge in January, I imagine that they will make an effort to sell him. Ultimately it seems to be down to him, so it depends on who is willing to pay for him in January. I can see him going to a team like Spurs or Villa.