NSG

SAM Allardyce is expected to shuffle his pack with United facing what will be their second fixture in just over 48 hours. Michael Owen (groin) and Claudio Cacapa (groin) are both ruled out having picked up injuries in the 3-1 win over West Ham on Sunday. Mark Viduka took a kick to the foot in the second-half against the Hammers but should be OK for the trip to the Emirates. Stephen Carr, Celestine Babayaro, Joey Barton, Damien Duff and Peter Ramage remain long-term absentees. Emre is ready to return after picking up a slight groin strain during the international break, while the game could also mark a full debut for Abdoulaye Faye. Arsene Wenger was without Alexander Hleb (knee), Tomas Rosicky (hamstring),William Gallas (groin), Jens Lehmann (elbow) and Emmanuel Eboue (ankle) for Saturday's 6-0 demolition of Derby. And the Gunners boss has said that Nicklas Bendtner, Lassana Diarra, Denilson, Justin Hoyte, Alex Song, Eduardo, Abou Diaby, Armand Traore and Lukasz Fabianski are all likely to feature at some point. While Eboue (ankle) also has a chance of playing.

It was an absolutely dreadful ball from Geremi and a lucky punt forward from Roz

3000

Newcastle United fans will be limited to 2,700 tickets for the Magpies' visit to the Stadium of Light on Saturday, November 10. The limit has been proposed amid fears about away fans standing in the all-seater ground. The derby game, which kicks off at 12.45pm to cut down on pre-match drinking, is being televised.

Not sure on that, we seemed to play much better when Smith went up front yesterday, surely that hasn't gone unnoticed.

I'd play Smith and Martins up top.

Seems a bit ridiculous really, especially with us having a Saturday lunchtime game too.

Depends on the kind of hernia. If it's a 'sports hernia' then it's not really a hernia at all, just an irritation of the peritoneum often experienced by footballers. This just gives pain really, and people play through it until it gets too bad. If it's a true hernia it's most likely to be an inguinal hernia. In this case, it needs sorting as the herniated bowel will just increase in volume with strain, and may become incarcirated. Think you and Catmag will be the only ones who understand that tbh In summary: it depends, as 'hernia' can refer to quite a few different conditions I was taking the piss as well. ...and it backfired spectacularly

Milner had an alright game today, made to look poor because he's played a lot better than that recently.

*Doesn't reccomend googling Hernia*

Having a scan tomorrow according to Sam.

Zogs shirt to lose atm.

Link us

dontthink we needed ariel power. just needed balance. Got that when erique came on. You don't think Ashton winning every single header was important?

I was actually surprised that Sam didnt bring Faye on at the back at HT to give us some aerial prowess.

50,104 today. Looked less.

It was also good to see Sam realised how important it was to have Zog further up the pitch, so brought Enrique on.

Oh Habib Beye Oh Habib Beye When Jesus washed....

...develop over the long term? We need 2/3 the finished article now. Same paper....different article. CHAIRMAN Chris Mort insists Newcastle will never end their trophy drought until they learn how to overcome hurdles such as that facing them at Arsenal on Tuesday. United face the Gunners in the third round of the Carling Cup – a competition that represents the Magpies’ best chance of a first domestic trophy since 1955. And despite a tricky-looking draw against buoyant opposition, Mort believes United now have players capable of pulling them through. But the chairman’s boldest promise is to scour the world – from January onwards – for top-class youngsters and seasoned professionals capable of matching Arsenal in the long term. “Frankly, if we’re going to win anything, Arsenal away is the sort of game we have to play in, and try to get a result that will put them out of the competition,” says Mort. “If we accept a position where we aren’t going to be capable of beating the likes of Arsenal in a cup game, we’re never going to win a cup. “If you look at the signings we’ve made, there are strikers and midfielders, but the real focus has been on strengthening the defence, and I think that’s is going to be crucial if we’re going to compete in any competition. “We have to be a tougher side to beat and we have to be capable of going away from home and getting victories. “The Premier League is a very physical league and the players we brought in – players like Joey Barton and Alan Smith – are very capable of holding their own against any side. “We’ve also had a real focus on players who have real heart on the pitch because we want the right balance of skill and athleticism, but we also want players who have the right sort of spirit to compete for the club.” But Mort’s long-term sights are set far beyond Tuesday night – and a player hunt that will span the globe. “Our minds are already turned to who we might bring in and, in an ideal world, we’d like the focus to be on bringing in players that we can develop over the long term,” he adds. “We’ve half an eye, not specifically on January, but on how we take the club forward over the years to come. “Whilst our first major priority was to make sure we sorted out the first-team squad and had a squad capable of competing in the Premiership, we want to bring in some younger players of all kinds of age groups. “We haven’t set Sam a target of what position we want to end up in or what we want out of this season, but Sam and myself are working hard to get the squad into good shape and get a sense that we are moving in the right direction.”

As long as we win, I don't really care.

It's sad when TV and money dictate it so that there are only 4 Prem games at 3pm on a Saturday, but here we go: Arsenal v Derby, 15:00 Fulham v Man City, 17:15 Liverpool v Birmingham, 15:00 Middlesbrough v Sunderland, 15:00 Reading v Wigan, 15:00

From the Journal: HABIB Beye has revealed how the memory of one of Newcastle United’s biggest disappointments in European football was enough to persuade him to move to St James’s Park. Beye was part of the Marseille team which beat United in the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup in 2004 after Sir Bobby Robson’s side had been ravaged by injuries before a 2-0 second leg defeat in France. But Beye still remembers how well Newcastle played in those games, as well as the special atmosphere at both games, and he feels United are capable of challenging at that level once again under Sam Allardyce. “I remember playing here for Marseille in the semi-final and I remember that it was a fantastic atmosphere,” reflected Beye, who may have to make do with another place on the bench against West Ham tomorrow as Allardyce eases him into English football. “We won in Marseille, but we drew here. I remember it well because I played against Alan Shearer. He was a big personality in Newcastle and a very good player. I remember Newcastle were a very good team back them. We were playing them in the Uefa Cup semi-final, so that shows how good they were. “The memory of that game is one of the reasons why I signed for Newcastle in the summer. In Marseille, we have 55,000 people at the stadium for big games. I remember St James’s Park being a passionate place to play football and that is very important for me. It was important for me to come to a club like Newcastle that can challenge in Europe.” After four years in the south of France, Beye helped the club qualify for the Champions League last season and he hopes to have the same impact at Newcastle. He said: “Newcastle have the potential to be as big as Marseille, maybe bigger. But we need to be back in Europe. We have to have a good season and finish in the top five or six so that we can get back into Europe for next season. “I think Newcastle is one of the best places to play in the Premier League. They have the best fans, but it is very important that we are in Europe. The fans expect to be watching European football.” Beye also revealed how his proposed move to Newcastle had been whole heartedly backed by his former Marseille team-mate, Chelsea’s Didier Drogba. He added: “I am still a good friend of Didier and I speak with him regularly. He was very happy to see me join Newcastle and I look forward to playing against him. “Didier said good things about Newcastle and said it would be a good club for me. He told me to come here because it was the perfect club for me in the Premier League. “He thinks it is the best league in Europe and I am pleased to have a chance to play in it. It is very different to France, but it is the best. “I have a lot of friends that play in England I told Drogba that I was thinking about moving to England and he said, ‘The Premier League will be very good for you’. I told (Diomansy) Kamara that I was thinking of joining Newcastle and he said, ‘It is a very big team’. Everyone was complimentary.”

Whereas Big Sam has just said on NUFC World that both are fit to play.

No-one should be an automatic starter.

Northern Rock clearly going bust after forking out for that sign to hide Duffs fucked leg.