Neil

As an outsider I think Rijkaard would be a very good choice for Newcastle. Led Barcelona to the CL and 2 titles in his tenure, and is used to stupidly high expectations. Whether he would come is a different topic.

Depends if you're talking about managers or above that. This Ambani character will hardly have any more of a grasp of the history and culture of the club. Comes down to money, it seems.

All Northeners have either a Yorkshire/Geordie accent and live in terraced houses, whilst all Southerners are from London. FACT!

Which is, as you are hinting, why Newcastle are being held back and may not truly progress until that is done. The sooner KK is not linked with a return and the reciprocal love affair he has with Newcastle is ended, the better. Emotion cannot get in the way of footballing progress. With Kevin Keegan, emotion is always going to get in the way. Without a doubt. I also think the whole reaction of fans comes down the emotionally iconic perception of a manager in British football. The manager is boss, he has total control. Unfortunately, I'd say Ferguson is one of the few managers who can boast such a powerful position. The landscape is changing, fast.

Which is, as you are hinting, why Newcastle are being held back and may not truly progress until that is done. The sooner KK is not linked with a return and the reciprocal love affair he has with Newcastle is ended, the better. Emotion cannot get in the way of footballing progress.

Just wait for England later as we romp to a 2-0 victory Hope Bullard scores, like.

I think it is finished. The fans can shout all they like but the atmosphere within the club and at training, I can only imagine is dreadful and negative. This negativity will filter to the pitch on match day and will massively affect performances. No doubt there's clear negativity at the club.... but 3 games of a 38 game season played. If the season is now over then serious questions have to be asked.

I'm confused about all this "this season's now a write-off" malarky. Is it? Getting behind the team against Hull and getting a win would give you 7 points from 4 games, and you've already got games at OT and the Emirates out the way. Come on, have some optimism.

"For me to sell this club, you will have to pay me.... ONE ... MILLION .. DOLLARS! mUAHAHA" "Sir, one million dollar is not as much as it used to be." "Oh.. Then.. One.. BILLION.. DOLLARS! Muhahahaha" "Why make billions when you can make..... millions?"

Bloomin hell, David Craig gets back. "A swirling wind". Oh dear!

Predictions for the England game later? I'm going for 3-0, a nice laboured performance

Possibly a massive "FAIL" sign could be introduced. But that would be an extra £15 million.

It does beg the question, how good could a server be for £200 million? I'd expect back massages from it and a free pint every day. Perhaps I have low expectations in life, though.

Keegan didn't need experience first time round. I think we need some local identity back, and I'd be proud if Shearer was our manager. And to be honest, I think he'd do the job well. I'm not saying it'd be a disaster... just a huge huge risk. If it pays off though, drinks all round.

Do people actually want Shearer? Yes, iconic, one of the most popular men in NUFC's history... but do you seriously think he'd do a good job? "Knowing the club" and "having the respect of the players" doesn't cut it 99% of the time. He needs experience. As a no.2, perhaps.

Because all the numpties that said "I'm not supporting the club anymore/I'm not going to the games anymore" realised they never actually meant it.

Not even Mr Carr? I've heard he's errr, solid.

Could it be the irony of all ironies that Newcastle, a club that often (fairly or unfairly) has attracted a lot of negative publicity, will in fact need some of it in order to progress? (I.e boycott vs Hull).

Apologies if this has previously been said.... Heard a letter on SSN going along the lines of "If Shearer really loved the club, he'd save us now". In my eyes, if Shearer really loved the club, he'd stay well away. Surely he isn't ready...

True it is something new and hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Just seems it's limiting Owen's natural ability, but he didn't do too badly when he was deployed there last year so it's worth keep going with it I guess. What about trickier away games, is it still worth playing the 3 up front in that way? Perhaps Owen playing off Xisco would be an idea in a sort of 4-4-1-1 formation (with Jonas et al supporting)?

I'll repost something I said on another thread if you don't mind.... As an Everton fan I'm obviously not as knowledgeable as you lot, but to give a few thoughts.... I've always seen Newcastle as a 4-4-2 team, personally. It depends on how KK (for the moment!) sees how he can get the best out of the current players, but Gutierrez is a right winger isn't he? His pace and ability to run at people should surely be utilised on the wing. Another problem I'd have with the aforementioned lineup is what is, from an outsider's perspective, the bamboozling deployment of Owen in what is essentially an attacking midfielder's role. Whilst he won't suddenly become a crap player, I'm confused as to why he would play anywhere other than up top? There seems to be divisions with regards to whether to keep N'Zogbia in the team. Again, I don't know the details of his form, but IF he finds some consistency, wouldn't it be a good idea to stick him on the left and Jonas on the right? However, all this does lead to the main problem with Newcastle at the moment (and ironically, the same problem with the team I support) - the lack of a quality creative midfielder, a la Moutinho, or indeed Matias Fernandez for you FM lovers. Which is where, if Owen can somehow perform successfully in this previously mentioned 4-3-1-2 setup, the problem can be somewhat nullified. At the back, again there seems to be arguments over whether Taylor is good enough to take his place alongside Coloccini. From what I've seen of him (I watch a fair few Newcastle games, family connections etc), he doesn't seem to be eliminating the mistakes he had at a younger age. His positioning doesn't seem to have improved and is still prone to mistakes, if not as obvious as the legends of Bramble and Boumsong. Thus, there's a bit of unwanted pressure on Bassong to prove a solid base alongside Curlylocks. Overall, your squad does seem quite canny, and if you get some luck with injuries as well as getting some much-needed consistency (which breeds confidence and a general team spirit), a Uefa push is certainly not out of the question. That's my 2 pennies worth, anyway.

Anyone write on Phil McNulty's blog, regarding the whole situation? Mine along with other people's comments that criticised the biased reporting of Mr McNulty were deleted. Fairly pathetic from the BBC imo.

Thanks very much. Sometimes I feel unappreciated around here! was meant for me Nope, was meant for me. Erm... coz I say so?

Coz 'arry is God, apparently. In other news, I posted on that Phil McNulty blog thingy, not abusive at all, merely saying the article had clear bias. And it got bloody removed. Oh dear BBC, oh dear oh dear.

Barring a very small handful, it strikes me as a description of a player who isn't particularly good defensively or offensively.