kingxlnc

This is a very good debate potentially - let the new thread begin! Haha. I'm not sure the 90's team pound for pound would do that to be honest - yes maybe as an attacking force, but not defensively? Same with the 00's team. It would be interesting though, Keegan vs Robson vs Benitez

wat As I said, from all the talent we've had over the past decade, which team would be the most fearsome? Imagine HBA on one side, ASM on the other, with Ba finishing off those chances that those two created? Would be ridiculous!

I'm seeing this done for other teams - so what would you say Newcastle's team of the decade has been? For me it would be: Dubravka Debuchy - Coloccini - Lascelles - Schar - Enrique Cabaye - Wijnaldum Ben Arfa - Ba - Saint Maximin Subs: Krul Lejeune Tiote Sissoko Remy Almiron Rondon For clarity, I don't mean the best performers for us - but what team could we put out that would be the most fearsome?

Wow just realised I posted this at the start of last season. Maybe Rafa read it and was inspired to go to the 3 at the back model that has worked ever since - and is still working?! You're welcome, guys.

Dubravka?

https://theovertake.com/~protest/liverpool-vs-the-sun/ This is how it’s done. The power of a united fan base. They got rid of a national institution by staying united. Okay, boycotting the Sun is easier than boycotting your club but even against Gilet and Hicks they took strong action.

One thing I've noticed this summer, especially if NUFC are going back to the Carr / Pardew / McClaren way of having scouted signings - is that they appear to be of a much lower calibre than they were back then, considering how extensively they will have been scouted. Our purchasing dept is a lot poorer - literally and figuratively. Think about the likes of Cabaye, Sissoko, Ben Arfa, Cisse, Ba, Debuchy, Santon even Yanga Mbiwa. All were full internationals and pretty well known. It wasn't actually a surprise when they turned out to be good. And the pricing was really good. Even later on, Wijnaldum, Mitrovic, Thauvin, Mbemba - all perhaps except Mbemba were well known and extremely highly rated. The only one who was really of the ilk of some of our recent signings was Tiote who was quite unknown to be fair. The ones this year are actually of a lower bracket given everyone seems to have great scouting set ups. The equivalents of the above this year would have been the likes of getting Haller (Cisse - well known and top scorer in Germany), Kean (Mitrovic - top youngster and considered destined for the top), even the likes of Pepe / Fornals would be considered the calibre of Thauvin, Ndombele could be seen as the equivalent of Sissoko when we signed him. ASM is nowhere near Ben Arfa in terms of reputation or potential, whereas Joelinton really doesn't have a 40m track record. As the market has moved on, and due to NUFC largely being timewasters in getting deals done, they are no longer at the front of the queue for the best of the best youngsters (Wijnaldum), or those wanting to test themselves in the PL (Cabaye, Cisse) or those who need a fresh start (Ben Arfa).

Him, Mehdi Abied and Kevin Mbabu, in that order Vuckic I thought would be like a Boban - playing number 10, threading balls through with a feint and shoot that would get him goals galore Perhaps if he went to a slower league first, it would have been better, after his injuries here they obviously took their toll and he never recovered

I've never rated Manquillo and always wondered what on earth possessed Liverpool to buy him all those years ago. I hope we see that side of him but I would still prefer a replacement who can get assists like Jetro's previous seasons / reputation shows

He also has the best attitude and work ethic of the lot of them which will mean top, top clubs will want him if he does well. ASM I am sure will have a sulk mid season or within 18 months at least you can see it now. Joelinton seems good so far, but is not even an international as yet and has only blossomed very recently - not fully proven imo. Almiron defo has the best potential and for me is the most talented, too - we saw him dominate in this summers Copa America with poor players around him.

I would have been confident of him winning a cup this season if he was allowed to keep Rondon and allowed to add Willems, Saint Maxim and Joelinton plus one great right back. His 3-4-2-1 would have looked very good tbh - already well drilled and that extra threat coming in from wing-back as well as the fast paced nature of the counter attacks with Almiron and Saint Maxim would be something he could exploit very well. Rondon would be the perfect foil a la Mista. Dubrakva Schar, Lascelles/Fernandez, Lejeune New RWB, Willems Longstaff, Hayden/Shelvey Almiron, Saint Maxim Rondon / Joelinton Oh well. A bit like Jim Bowen in Bullseye - have a look at what you could've won...

Murphy for Bowen swap deal would be good - even paying 10m on top. Murphy is not ready and after two seasons, should be further along than he is. One right back is definitely needed - what happened to that Sidibe link from a few weeks ago? Or that Swedish guy even though he does seem no better than Yedlin. In terms of using loans properly, getting Bakayoko from Chelsea to cover centre mid would be good. Or that Man U youngster that was on loan to Villa to cover the right side. Think that would do the job tbh. I'd rather get Carroll in as a free transfer (over Austin) for one season or two - a) to get it out of the way and at least now when he's still only 30. Not a bad option and different to the other options. Otherwise he'll still be linked every summer until he's 35 ('to do a job' for us) or retired. I'm not too fussed about that young Argentine from Inter - too many raw players is also not good - some experience is definitely needed. Out - Murphy, Colback, Lazaar, Saivet, Elliot, Clark,

I was going through old posts looking for something and came across this old post, written when Ben Arfa was forced out. How relevant is it today?! You can add Rafa out and Bruce in and multiple takeover fakeries to the list of crimes committed against the club formerly known as NUFC. When will the penny drop for fans and when will the nightmare end?

Depressingly, Shearer was on 40k and that was 23 years ago. How on Earth is 50k an acceptable top bracket, even as an average wage across the squad it is mediocre.

The ideal summer would have been this: BZG announce purchase to go through 1 September. Keep Rafa. New 4 year deal offered. Sign Rondon - 16.5m - ST Reject Perez bid - unless they offered 45M Reject Longstaff bid - at all costs Sign Joelinton - CF Sign Bowen / Saint Maxim - RW Sign Max / N'Soki - LB Sign Scott - CM Sign Sidibe - RB BZG then announce huge statement CM signing they will be funding on deadline day Mike Ashley dies just minutes after signing the deal to sell to BZG Charnely is fired spectacularly and is chased out of Newcastle What a pointless post lol

At the current rate of spend and considering the new players being linked, I much prefer the signings made in 2015/6 under McClaren - the likes of Wijnaldum and Mitrovic in particular were extremely highly rated (Mitrovic in fact was considered one of the best 20 or 30 young players in the world due to his CL exploits), then you had Thauvin who was extremely exciting and even Mbemba who although not a big name, filled a role that was much needed at the time. Not to mention all of them were very well priced - so it felt that the 80M spent was genuinely of good value - and topped up a squad that already had Sissoko and some remnants of the decent Carr players left. Is Bruce better than McClaren? Not that I'm bothered by any of this by the way - just saying.

This is the first time however I feel that Newcastle genuinely are one of the three weakest teams. Under Keegan they were the proverbial too good to go down team full of big names. It was off the pitch nonsense which caused it. They should never have gone down all being normal. Second time, again bad management from McClaren of course but again the as t team still had decent players and had a lot of investment that summer and players of the ilk of Sissoko, Thauvin, wijnaldum and Mitrovic. This time, it honestly feels like Newcastle are a also ran, favourite for relegation plodder team which in my 25 years of supporting NUFC I can't say I've ever seen. Even poor trams under Roeder and Carver it still felt that NUFC were a PL team who are just underperforming. Now they seem like PL wannabes, pretenders. Why would any owner oversee such a loss of prestige and position, God only knows, especially given it has happened essentially through negligence and sabotage.

I'm starting to think the personnel available are just not right for Rafa's favoured formation. There is only one left back, one right back. No real number 10. With our lopsided squad the only formation that makes sense, is 3 at the back, with 2 wing backs, 3 across the middle, 1 floating and 1 up front. GK - Dubravka We have an abundance of centre backs of decent, international quality. Therefore let's play three of them. My choice would be RCB: Fernandez CB: Lascelles LCB: Dummett Right Wing Back - Yedlin's pace is perfectly suited to the role. Left Wing Back - Kenedy is also perfectly suited to this role - I don't think he is attacking enough as an out and out left winger nor defensive enough as a decent left back. Across the middle: Perhaps Diame, Shelvey and Ritchie. Diame further back, as DM and Ritchie and Shelvey more central - Shelvey as the passer, Ritchie as the one making the runs forward. Then you would have Muto or Perez in that space in between midfield and up front. Rondon the big man up front. I think that literally is the best team we can put out from our first 11. Schar is the guy who can drop in to defence to replace any one the centrebacks. The wingbacks don't really have any replacements - perhaps I would retrain Murphy to take the right wing back role as back up. Ki would be cover for midfield. Muto/Perez for that role. Joselu for Rondon's role. It shows how paper thin the squad is that I couldn't even think of any other outfield players bar Atsu. Even though we've been horrid every time in that formation - we are bound to be if Dummett is considered a wing-back! This one above could get us through to Xmas I feel.

One thing I've noticed, is this renewed ability to conjure up chance after chance which hasn't be seen for a long, long time. Perhaps going back to the Championship season. Throughout the Pardew era, it was sneaking wins through clinical Ba or Cisse finishes, or a moment of magic from Ben Arfa or Cabaye. Rarely did we dominate and even in the games we won by 2 or 3 goals, it was rarely a total battering. Derby last few seasons were similar to the way we are starting to play, in that they would dominate possession and stamp their authority on a lot of games. So that in itself is pleasing to see. In a way, I'm thinking that Mitrovic and Perez, whilst they dovetail very well indeed, aren't the most clinical in the world. But Cisse actually is pretty clinical if you give him chances, he has scored in utter turgid teams that created very little from just one or two chances per game. The 5th season was probably best in terms of chance creation and confidence being high, and he filled his boots. Would anyone else be tempted to go 4-3-3 - like the Keegan inspired Owen, Viduka and Martins, but with Perez in the Owen role, Mitrovic as the Viduka and Cisse as Martins (albeit with more poaching, clinical prowess instead of pure speed or athleticism). Behind them, you could then play Wijnaldum, Sissoko and then Anita (or Tiote) as the defensive lynchpin. There would be a lot of pressure on the wing backs - Janmaat and in this case you would need to play Haidara. I think it would actually yield a real goal threat - more so than we have currently. As Cisse's movement not only will result in goals for him, but free up space for the likes of Mitrovic and Perez. Sissoko and Wijnaldum could cover one another with their drives up the field but would need to ensure Anita (or Tiote) stay back at all times to cover defensively. Thoughts?

In terms of calibre, history, class etc - you'd have to say Coloccini is up there too. A terrible season last year, same as everyone of course but it cannot be denied that he's probably been the best defender of the modern era for NUFC. If this poll was last year, it would be Hatem Ben Arfa without a doubt - and that's even including the new signings!

What I don't understand about NUFC is for a supposed 'risk averse' and 'safe' and 'unambitious' club we don't half take some silly chances. - Carver will oversee more than half the season. That was a frightful decision. - Pardew an 8 year contract - to be honest no-one not even Arsene Wenger or Jose Mourinho should be on an 8 year contract. - Kinnear - nuff said - Kinnear again - ditto - Dennis Wise etc etc Now, even after everything, Patrick Vieira - as much potential as he has, is still unproven. In other years, yes take a punt - but this summer there are SO many good managers available. Tuchel they could have got, ditto Garde, Gourvannec, Jemez, Klopp (possibly), Emery, Bielsa even Ketsbaia etc. There are so many people available with fantastic EUROPEAN experience which suits the current model in place - and who have also got a track record of overachieving with modest clubs. There is simply no need to go for PV. It reminds me of the Ruud Gullit appointment - and even he had somewhat of a decent record at Chelsea at least. Ruud Gullit was one of the best players of his generation - but that doesn't make a good manager, which shows in his subsequent record. Keegan worked out simply because of his pure passion he GALVANISED the club. It helped that he had an attachment to the club - he did okay at Fulham and Man City but didn't have the same impact as here, as it was part of him. He was also an overachiever as a player, achieving much more than many expected. ALl that said, he was a one-off. Bobby Robson on the other hand, was the other end of the spectrum - been there and done it all. Huge contacts, and you could see that people would want to come to the club to sign for him, even in-demand players like Hugo Viana who could have gone anywhere. That's the kind of ilk and gravitas we need. Yes although SBR was local - his wide experience and wisdom was what we benefited from most. Those two and their character were what made NUFC attractive and gave us respect. Its the same reason why people love Klopp and would take an interest in whatever club he was at. My fear with Patrick Vieira is that whilst everyone says he was a great player - which he was, Graeme Souness was a great player. Roy Keane was. Stuart Pearce was. Didier Dechamps was. Laurent Blanc was. Great players very rarely make great managers. And even if they do, it is the more studious, unassuming ones like Guardiola (who was always the thinker and heartbeat of his sides - from day one) that make them. Other clubs go for ambitious appointments - Spurs went for Villas-Boas at the peak of his appeal - it didn't work out for them perhaps (I still think they let him go too early) - he has just won the Russian league with Zenit for only the 4th time in their history. Just for once, I'd like to see NUFC make a sensible choice, based on logic. No need to take risks with a 'new' exciting face like PV, nor is there need to go uber safe and boring with McClaren. Why is there no such thing as a middle ground that exists at NUFC? All this appointment requires is some balance. Garde, Bielsa, Gourvannec, Jemez etc would genuinely fit the bill, as they are fresh, new ideas but they also have a strong experience. Why oh why is it so simple for everyone but the buffoons at the top of the board, making the decisions?!!

Looking forward to a Feast of goals from this guy. Heard he's quite skilful, a good Twister and turner. Word has it he may move to Den Haag in Dec?* *Haagen-Dazs - ok it was weak I know!

I don't believe this rumour, what's the sauce?

Really sad about this. Criminally underused. I really hoped he would play a blinder for a forward thinking manager this next six months, get a years extension to his contract and we'd play entertaining, intelligent football using him, De Jong, Cabella and Perez - would have been so promising. This present NUFC, are the antithesis of the Keegan era - they really are destroyers of dreams. One of the only reasons why I bothered tuning into games over the past four years of dross was to watch this magician at work, even if it was just for a five minute cameo. He suited us, and we suited him. He provided us with that tiny smidgen of hope, in an era when it was lost for many. The player with the greatest 'potential' and natural ability certainly, in my 20 years supporting the club. Will miss him hugely.

We hadn't scored before the 37th minute once this whole season so far. The fraud leaves, and we score twice. Coincidence?