Consortium of one

Before the end of May. I think there are targets already identified and close to being signed. The first one or two signings will be squad type signings. The bigger deals will take longer and will come in June or later.

I rang up Mr. Ashley's office, got put on conference call and heard the whole meeting. I thought everyone did?

I would guess this is what this whole meeting is about. Keegan is looking for older, more proven players. The rest of the staff is looking for younger more unproven players with upside. Ashley's going to get them together break out some nice cuban cigars, splash a little liquor around and get everyone on the same page.

Manager makes public statements Owner takes exception to, or wants clarification of said statements Owner and manager meet to discuss. Both leave the meeting on the same page. End of story. Nipped in the bud. Well done.

I don't see a lot of people biting like sharks today. The people who are expressing concern today are not the same people who freaked over what KK said after the Chelsea game. A fair amount of people (myself included) are simply saying that something isn't adding up quite right.

well played

Don't know if anyone posted this link yet: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=564438&in_page_id=1779 But this article is particularly troubling and seems to point to a serious disconnect btween Keegan and pretty much every else in the club's back room. I'm feeling a little troubled right now and can't help but feel that this will not end well. I hope it's just a bit of indigestion rather than a premonition.

Fair point. What do you think the relevance of the timing is then? Just a nudge at the chairman/owner, or something more sinister? I think the timing was based on losing Modric and seeing Chelsea's bench. Losing Modric sent the message that money ALONE wasn't going to solve the problem. We offered more money. Modric opted for less money and a perceived better chance at CL football. Watching who came off the bench for Chelsea as well as the quality of player that wasn't even named as a substitute drove home just how far off the club really is. Keegan was just speaking his mind and was caught in a low moment, IMO. It's a daunting task and it's going to take more than a summer transfer window to right the ship. In fact, you could say that throwing a lot of money at mediocre players would be a big step backwards.

I thought it was a combination of brutal honesty darkened by a poor second half. I heard what the majority of people heard: that Keegan doesn't think there is enough money to overtake the top four from where they are right now. He's right. Looking at Chelsea's bench in the 2nd half had to be disheartening. So, if Newcastle (and the rest of the EPL) can't catch up with the top four, a team has to maximize it's own resources by developing young players, scouting aggressively for young players on the rise and make prudent purchases of big name players when possible. The other factor is how many of the top four are doing a financial high wire act? Which or how many of them will cave in under the financial pressure to remain top four and get severely overextended?

Hi i just read some rumors that KK said we have to sell off players to avoid administration. Any truth?

I like Milner for his energy and don't mind his lack of pace but his crossing isn't quality enough to be first team for a top 5 or 6 squad. I also agree that he is a little to wispy to consistently man the middle. However, I think he'd be valuable as squad guy who can come in on either wing or the middle (for short periods) and give the team a differnet look or change of tempo. He's limited but he's easy to root for, IMO.

Turns out Modric is my 2nd cousin's 1st cousin once removed. I was given the phone number for my 2nd cousin's 1st cousin who lives in Zgreb so I called it on the off chance I could get Luka there. My 2nd cousin's 1st cousin answered the phone but damned if I could understand a word she said. I thought I caught the word "Newcastle" a couple of times but got frustrated and hung up. True story Really.

Don't you get the impression that the money is there, but we're not willing to pay over our own evaluation for players? They're not like Shepherd, who would probably say something like "Sod it, offer him £120k per week!" :S 5,4,3,2.... Oh sweet lord...see you all in about 20 pages when this gets resolved then... I'd aim higher

I'm getting extremely excited about Modric. His signing would send the massive message that Newcastle are going to be big players for years to come.

Taylor, like just about every other player, has performed better under Keegan once the Allardyce hangover wore off. He's played solid, if unspectacular, football and I hope he signs an extension.

Tevez

It could be like Thunderdome: Two posters enter, one poster leaves...

I think Duff can still be attractive to someone and moved. I tend to like the idea of Milner sharing time with Geremi. I think he is typical of the players under Allardyce: misused and with shaky confidence and I want to see him given an opportunity under Keegan. I really want to like Smith; he hustles his ass off, can play a lot of different positions but as someone else said, you could find a younger player to do what he does for a cheaper price.

Butt certainly looks like a first teamer and Barton is making a push, too. I'm a Geremi fan but I can't see him playing a full season at a high level next year. If he could live with being in the rotation one could make the point that he'd be the only player from the starting eleven to lose his position unless KK opts for a 4-4-2 next season. I'll be curious to see how the other teams try to deal with Viduka as the target man. Perhaps how he's defensed the rest of the way will tell us which direction KK will lean to for next season.

3-1 with one each for Viduka, Owen and Martins

Rozehnal doesn't have enough beef to play the back four in the EPL and, evidently, is having a problem elsewhere, too.

Barton is showing that a little confidence goes a long way. I think we've seen the worst of the team and hope we haven't yet seen it's best.

Butt's surprise really fired the team up. I was getting tired of Enrique's inartistic bombs in the first half. Butt's goal picked everyone up and they played a complete game in the 2nd half. It was great to see Geremi knock one home and better to see Martins do the same. Owen could be dangerous coming from the deeper position. Sometimes he would rush up and other times he'd hang back but just about everytime he rushed up he wasn't marked very well. Butt did a good job controlling the middle, Barton looked energized and the back four were very solid.

have you seen spanish football. foul given everytime a piece of clothing is touched. shola's style would be more suited to the BSP. Yes, I have. What was it like? Very Spanish. Holy crap but this made me laugh...