Jayson

You might end up with Owen yet, at least you won't have to pay a fee for him. I would imagine a club doing as well as yours wouldn't want their front line grinding to a standstill though. Owen will score goals for Everton if he goes there. From a midfield consisting of the grand end product of Butt, Nolan & Gutierrez, to Fellaini, Cahill & Arteta...I'd tip him to get close to 1 in 2 there anyway. You're getting far to complicated there, discussing other players ability to provide and whatnot - way to much common sense involved. Owen is just finished as a player, it all happened at christmas.

Not sure everyone will say told you so, just a few people.

Amazingly short memory syndrome again. Boumsong started his first game with a shaky performance against lower league oppisition! He did ok in some games early on but was never quite good. On the other hand Coloccini actually did do very well initially, you only have to look back to the threads much earlier in the season to see that. Who cares though, he'll be gone soon and I certainly won't be bothered one bit when he leaves, its neccesary after all. Severely debatable. Anyway. We'll be lucky to get over 5 mill on his performances this season. Have to see how far his previous rep will take him.

What a load of bollocks

I have an overwhelming feeling that they'll both fail miserably & i think it will be hilarious. Sunlun will get on his back very very quickly at the slightest hint of a few bad games, far more pressure than he had at wigan.

I hope you didn't give Given any stick then. He's not leaving a relegation threatened club mid-season having been arguably their best player all year though, so it isn't a similar situation really. I think its very similiar in many ways. Infact Barry's is possibly even worse .. No one in football thought we would actually go down and i'm sure most of our players in January didn't expect us to go down either certainly not Given - with or without him being there. Barry left to 'win trophies' - his team actually finished higher than them, and he joins a packed midfield, i don't think he is going to start every game at Man City and they aren't even playing in Europe. Villa were showing a fair bit of ambition, spending quite big that summer. Now for Given he had just conceded 5 at St James to Liverpool, had no manager, ownership issues and also lets not forget Shay was discussing a new contract in December - something obviously happened there and as a team we were showing f*** all ambition. He joined knowing he was going to be number 1 keeper and they were playing in Europe. Thing is as said, clearly a lot of players believe man city will soon be challenging the top 4. Their potential is higher than villas even at this point. With villa it'll be a slow progression if they ever do make it. Under man city, with the money they have....they just need their rep to increase gradually...buying in players like barry will do this. Then soon enough, they'll be able to compete with the likes of chelsea & united easily. They have the potential to be challenging for the title if they spend wisely. Add in crazy wages & theres a big pull...which is understandable. Givens move was also understandable on the whole. The issue came when he started claiming he really cared for our club, yet decided to leave us in the middle of a relegation battle when he could have atleast tried to help until the summer if he really gave a cack. The clubs would still have wanted him then. So it was just a moronic statement/decision based on that.

And the fact he is aboslute f***ing dogshit. If he joins everton he'll score, lots. Can't see it. He is s***, finished. w***. Come on, realistically. Only last season he got 7 in his last 9. Before christmas this season he went on a run of scoring also. like 6 in 9 games or something, that doesnt suddenly dissapear. Looked useless after christmas granted, but so did everyone bar vidukas one game v boro. He can't even run, unless he has a shearer-esque revitalisation I just can't see it.. just ignore him, nufc fan my arse, still hero worshiping the little scumbag Its just an opinion, dont get so upset about it.

And the fact he is aboslute f***ing dogshit. If he joins everton he'll score, lots. Can't see it. He is s***, finished. w***. Come on, realistically. Only last season he got 7 in his last 9. Before christmas this season he went on a run of scoring also. like 6 in 9 games or something, that doesnt suddenly dissapear. Looked useless after christmas granted, but so did everyone bar vidukas one game v boro.

Beye? Probably the next best yeah. Only been here a couple years, not sure hes shown himself to be a leader either. I see him bringing players together, but ive not seen him getting riled up or showing real leadership like Al used to. Barton is the next guy who comes closest to that personality & that would just be disasterous.

And the fact he is aboslute f***ing dogshit. If he joins everton he'll score, lots.

Pointless moaning about the captain situation anyhow. Who is this other person that would have been a masterful captain for us in Owens place ? Butt ?? The guy who clearly lead by example Or Geremi still ? We have no real capable leaders here anymore. Taylor is probably our best hope and the lads still young.

LOL

The first season he was with us he was class. Over time its gone down hill...but so has the team, this whole "all the players must be incredibly crap as we got relegated" thing is nonsense. Before christmas our strikeforce had a very good record despite us being so low in the table. Its unrealistic & way to simplistic to think you can judge a players ability fairly when he's put in a side like ours, in a position like ours has been in, with all the crap thats gone on this season. A players mentality comes into things also, a large amount of pressure especially can have a big big effect on how they perform. The pressure over how important the goals are at that point, the level of confidence a player who doesnt have many chances is going to have when he actually finally gets one, the confidence a player has in making runs because of how likely/unlikely it is that the team has the ability to supply him with the ball...you cant just say a players now crap when you dont know how much of the real player you're actually seeing.

Interesting what Ginola thought of it also, he went to see the side under Keegan and says they lacked spirit then even: http://www.football.co.uk/newcastle_united/newcastle_players_did_not_care_enough_to_beat_relegation_says_david_ginola_rss108928.shtml "The players are not humble at all. I was in the dressing room at the training ground when Keegan was there and I met the players. The atmosphere in the dressing room is not the same any more. "They don't talk to each other any more. They don't share things. Winning games is not about putting names on a sheet, it's something you prepare and organise during the week before a game. It's the way you talk to each other and react. "

Its just cos he said ""There will obviously be a massive clear-out, there are budgets in the Championship and also I'm sure the gaffer knows who cares about the club and who stays, who's going work to get out of the Championship," Duff said. "He knows that already."

Gutis position is atleast slightly understandable. He covers lots of ground, tried very hard to get back etc. Good workrate is applauded. Wtf has colo done to get more than guthrie, enrique, beye Ameobi was more useful this season.

He said we wouldnt be able to compete with the top 4 etc We might make 2 or 3 signings. Im talking when he realised he'd been lied to as he claims, they brought in men he didnt want and didnt give him the players they promised. His reason for walking was probably so he wouldnt be held accountable if we were crap, because it was taken out of his hands. Where as he could have just come out to the fans, spelt out what had happened. Then he'd have had a tide of support behind him & Ashley would have had a far better idea of what our reaction would be if he backed wise etc over keegan & didnt listen to the man. In the end he saw it afterwards instead and tried to get him back because of it. So he would never have sacked keegan if he'd just talked to the media. Then january transfer window comes up & chances are ashley would have backed him, or next season. Then we'd all have had what we wanted. Keegan did have other options if he'd been passionate about staying in the game & helping us, though walking was understandable to.

Surely the issue was freddy backing crap managers with money, they then wasted it & we did rubbish...barely made much back etc When we had good managers he was the perfect owner, backs them, they make good purchases, teams improves and we make it back. So i suppose its based on a persons faith in shearer being a good manager. His ability in the transfer market also, he'd certainly have some extra pull for players simply from his name. If he does turn out to be very good, freddy would turn out to be a good owner ?

Why would keegan not just tell the fans exactly what the crap situation was behind the scenes whilst he was still there ? I fail to see how this clearly wasnt the best option if he really wanted to help the club, rather than getting compensation for it all.

Im absolutely over the moon with this if he sorts it quickly. Ashley has never been up to it....horrible decision making. Reality is, hes a greedy twat & will not be looking to negotiate much atall...& it will get drawn out. I just cannot see this going quickly, no chance.

What are the chances that even though the club will go up for sale, he'll still sell off our better players if he gets offers during the process ?

No doubt he'll somehow make this drag out for weeks and weeks to well and truly fuck any preperation time we could have had

colo should be last easily

Where they went wrong with owen was making him captain & putting a shit midfield behind him. Nothing more.

great cross great finish