Jackie Broon

Under 21s? If so that's the game I watched and he looked head and shoulders ahead of anyone on the pitch. It was an u21 tournament and he bossed it. It was a senior match, a friendly in 2002 that finished 1-1. He came on for the second half with Portugal losing and, like with the u21s, he bossed it and set up the equaliser.

A wasted talent. I remember seeing him play for Portugal, I think it was against England, and he was sensational. He sat deep in midfield and effortlessly dictated the play, very much like Valderrama.

They used to have a very entertaining forum too, until they changed the format and the regular posters went off and set up cupwinkcook (the name was inspired by the swear filter on the old F365 forum).

Diame was much improved, although I'd rather us start games with two strikers. In Rafa I trust, but some of these games we're winning by the skin of our teeth we'd be putting to bed in the first half with an extra man in the box to put away the missed opportunities.

I remember the West Ham game at home, 3-0 or 4-0, the one where Les Sealey was amazing and we had something like 42 shots. It was only 3-0 but it was the most one-sided match I've ever seen, the peak of the Keegan years, the next match we lost at Arsenal and everything unraveled.

You dodged a very expensive bullet... well, it dodged you. For Spurs he could be a very good player, he'll be happy to be in London and playing in the Champions League, he won't have one or more eyes elsewhere and might actually put the effort into every game that he only put in for us when he was in the shop window. Everton would've ended up with the same want-away Sissoko we did, who looks like a world beater for the 2-3 games a season he puts any effort into and disappears for the rest. Or maybe it wasn't about effort and he's just a very inconsistent player. Either way we're both better off without him.

The perennial excuses. Yes it's a minority. Yes other countrys' 'supporters' may often throw the first punch. But this happens tournament after tournament with England fans, our reputation has been well earned. The only way we will lose that reputation is if these excuses stop and England fans get the message that, whatever the provocation, 'fighting back' is not excusable.

Women and kids in that crowd ffs. One time where our lot don't appear to have done anything wrong. Pity we have a reputation for fighting back mind. Eh? You wouldn't fight back? I don't want to fight anyone. It's a f***ing football match. Canny enlightening seeing all the forum hooligans coming out of the woodwork to justify all this like. Hooligan? Never had a fight at a football match in my life and don't intend to however if I was attacked I'd feel vindicated to defend myself. From what I've seen/read it's quite clear Russian / French hooligans have started most of the violence. Having said that, there's cleary a significant number of English happy to revel in the chaos. My feeling is that the vast majority of English who are well behaved are easy targets for both violence and blame. Then you are part of the problem. It's the perennial excuse... the poor England fans who were attacked, provoked by heavy-handed policing and so on and so on... it's bullshit! It takes two sides to fight. As a reasonable adult, if I were attacked I would get myself out of that situation as quickly as possible, not escalate it by fighting back. Throwing bottles, goading police and punching old men holding shopping bags is not defensive.

I can see us having an even bigger average attendance than 09/10 (43500, IIIRC) It'll be 50K at least! As I said in another thread, we're the only English club that has averaged over 50,000 for a season outside of the top flight (56,283 in 1947-48) and probably the only club in the world to have done that. We might do it a second time next season.

Think Napoli averaged 50k in Serie B a few seasons ago. Seems unlikely given that they average under 40,000 in Serie A.

? We didn't even average over 50,000 this season. Maybe not, but we have since we appointed Rafa.

We're the only English club, and quite possibly the only club in the world, to have had an average attendance of over 50,000 for a season outside of the top flight... If this comes off we might just do it again.

Has to be Wijnaldum, the other obvious options are just shit or have been out of form, he was clearly only arsed to play when he thought he was in the shop window.

Aye, they've moved up the table one place since he took over, and that one place was occupied by Aston Villa.

It's the hope that kills me. Just when I had given up they win 3-0, like the fuckin' Ramsay Bolton of football!

Am I right in thinking, along with Coloccini, he's about to become the first player in Newcastle United's history to have been relegated twice?

From what I understand it's quite the opposite. If someone writes something potentially defamatory the burden of proof in court would be on them to demonstrate that what they wrote is true, not the other way around.

Me too, although it depends how much the press decide to run with that angle after the story hits the headlines again tomorrow. But the mackems saying they haven't actually broken any rules and can't be punished might not actually be correct.

You don't know that. You're surmising. She may have still put in safeguarding procedures even with Johnson still there, but to be honest it's irrelevant. There would still have been no rules broken which could lead to a points deduction. I think it's wrong, and the rules should be changed, but as it stands that's the way it is. http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/thefaportal/governance-docs/rules-of-the-association/2015-16/fa-complete-handbook-proof---oct-15.ashx page 126 J. RULES, REGULATIONS AND LAWS OF THE GAME (g) Safeguarding Children A Participant shall abide by any regulations for safeguarding children as determined by The Association from time to time. Page 319: REGULATIONS FOR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION DISCIPLINARY ACTION 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 These Regulations set out the way in which proceedings under Rules E and G of the Rules of The Association shall be conducted. Page 326: 8 PENALTIES 8.1 The Regulatory Commission shall have the power to impose any one or more of the following penalties on the Participant Charged: (a) a reprimand and/or warning as to future conduct; (b) a fine; © suspension from all or any specified football activity from a date that the Regulatory Commission shall order, permanently or for a stated period or number of matches; (d) the closure of a ground permanently or for a stated period; (e) the playing of a match or matches without spectators being present, and/or at a specific ground; (f) any order which may be made under the rules and regulations of a Competition in which the Participant Charged participates or is associated, which shall be deemed to include the deduction of points and removal from a Competition at any stage of any Playing Season; (g) expulsion from a Competition; (h) expulsion from membership of The Association or an Affiliated Association; (i) such further or other penalty or order as it considers appropriate

If you, Durham, or anyone else can show me the rule Sunderland football club have broken then I'll quite happily take the points deduction. Acting immorally isn't a specific offence as far as I know. Don't get me wrong, I think the club have came out of this terribly, but no rules have been broken in respect of getting points deducted. The Daily Mail is a repugnant, contemptible mess of a 'newspaper', and is in no position to moralise on any subject, to anyone........ever. It would be the most abhorrent rag this country still has in print if it weren't for The Sun. I'd rather read Mein Kampf. http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/introduction-to-safeguarding-children Margaret Byrne (and therefore the club) withheld information which it seems would have almost certainly changed the outcome of whatever safeguarding assessment/s were carried out.

Adrian Durham writing in the Daily Mail As much as I despise Johnson, and to a lesser extent Byrne for what they did, Sunderland AFC haven't actually broke any FA rules. If they did I'm sure a top 'reporter' like Durham would have been able to find it. He's almost as bad in print as he is on his radio show. I wouldn't be so certain. The FA have child safeguarding policies, given what Byrne has said about her not disclosing the details she knew to anyone, Sunderland cannot have carried out a valid safeguarding assessment.

Still going down but at least we're taking these fuckers with us!

Merson is just a white nose.

These hints at change in philosophy are just making me think back to what could have been had Ashley not set out on his gigantic failure of a strategy in the first place and just supported Kev. It's a bit depressing to think about really.

He's not getting sacked, it'll be gardening leave, then he'll be given the choice to walk or take over again if we go down.