Frazzle

Lets analyse this apology of a statement a bit then. 1) "mistakes were made". Notice it's not "I made mistakes" or "we made mistakes", just that mistakes were made. No admission of blame there. Thank goodness he's noticed something's gone wrong though! 2) "during this and previous seasons". Still blaming the old board two years after they ceased to have any influence on matters. At least he's consistent. 3) Most importantly, what mistakes does he think were made? There's nothing in this statement to give a clue as to what he thinks the mistakes were. Everyone seems to assume he thinks the mistakes that were made are the same ones we think were made (and not all of us agree on what they were). Maybe he thinks the mistakes made were simply not making a bit of money on Owen last Summer and spending too much on Loloccini and Xisco, he could have just got a cheaper defender and given Ameobi a new contract earlier instead? Maybe it's just that he wishes he'd sold the club for the amounts he got offered off the various potential buyers last year? I don't see how you can start believing things are going to change for the better when you don't even know what he believes the mistakes made were. This apology is as bland and non-committal as it could be. Good PR, but nothing more. Absolutely nothing to pin any hopes on that the right lessons have been learned. So the old board have nothing to do with the problems we've got now? Very myopic view.

Whilst there are obviously potentially better owners out there we could still end up with another Briatore. As I said in the other thread: better the devil you know. Stability is key.

Say what you want about Ashley but another takeover is the last thing we need now. Ashley (on the surface at least) seems to have learned from his mistakes but the new guys may make the same ones. Better the devil you know IMO, at least we'll have stability.

Yeah, Redknapp spending within his means as usual...

"For the record, Shearer’s tenure has been a failure in almost every possible way, bar his ability to deflect criticism from his own inadequacies during post-match press conferences. He managed a derisory one win in eight games, executed tactical shifts and machinations that made Claudio Ranieri, the Tinkerman, seem like a rock of stability, but, most damningly of all, the St James’ Park hero failed even to inspire the passion and resolve in the players in what was the whole point of the exercise." Shearer's games: Chelsea (H), Stoke (A), Spurs (A), Portsmouth (H), Liverpool (A), Boro (H), Fulham (H), Villa (A)- Points: 5 Steve Bruce (same games)- Points: 4 Should've went for experience.

Enrique will go for more than £3m I reckon, there's a few Spanish clubs who'd love to have him probably.

Palace, Reading, QPR, Watford. Coventry, Leicester and Peterborough at a massive push. That's a very big push. An hour's drive for Coventry, 90 minutes for Leicester. About the same as getting to Reading from Watford via the M25. That's like saying York is in and around Newcastle.

What a load of s****, you don't buy a kit expecting it to never be used by the first team. It could have been used a number of times, Coventry away in the League Cup, Hull away in the FA Cup to name two opportunities. Everyone surely knew we'd wear the away kit in those games? Where has everyone been for the last ten years?

Probably the same assurances KK, was getting this time last year............. I can't see Wise coming back tbh.

To be fair when were ever going to wear it? Everyone who bought it should've know that anyway.

Even if it was he had the worst end to a 'best start.' 2 wins in his last 12.

Almost as interesting as what'll happen to us given our reported debt levels I imagine. £34 million loss in 12 months announced in January + 100 million owed to Ashley + £40 million TV revenue Loss for next season + £73 million wage bill = mess :omg: We're hardly going to have the same wage bill come August are we?

Why would Derbyshire sign? He'll be playing either CL (if at Olympiakos) or PL (if at Blackburn) football next season.

Agree with all of those, except maybe Barton. Having said that I don't think Shearer wants him so its irrelevant.

You'd be surprised.... I seriously doubt we've tripled (maybe ever more) Ryan Taylor's wages when he couldn't even get a game for Wigan, even with our board doing the deals.

I agree that Martins hasn't been the best player this season but he's pretty much played half of his campaign injured, and there has to be respect given for the fact that he actually carried on. You say he looked like he didn't care and i would agree with you in that he didn't appear to but does it not seem plausible that perhaps he was under instructions from his manager to not waste energy on pointless harrying considering he was carrying an injury that needs an operation? could it be that Shearer told him to save his energy to make a run or save it for when the opportunity in front of goal actually arose? I have to say fair play to him for playing through and injury and maybe Shearer did tell him to conserve injury, but for me he hasn't been in that top bracket I mentioned. He was obviously a good player for us but I doubt I'll shed a tear when I read on BBC: 'Martins leaves Newcastle.'

Why? I don't think he has the talent to compensate for his lack of technique. If our CM next season is Butt-Nolan I'd be very worried. he's got the talent and technique...hasn't got the legs or the players round him to make up for it. Sorry, my comment was meant to read 'he hasn't got the talent/technique to make up for his lack of fitness/mobility/speed.

JOSE ENRIQUE £60,000 — cost £6m, which was £6m too much. Did the Daily Mail not watch Newcastle this season? SHOLA AMEOBI £40,000 — Football League is his level. NICKY BUTT £60,000 a week — a leader who will be needed. Most their wage guesses are rubbish, Guthrie 40k? R.Taylor 30k? Nolan 50k? Bassong 30k? No way.

Why? I don't think he has the talent to compensate for his lack of technique. If our CM next season is Butt-Nolan I'd be very worried.

You could say the same for Owen though (our top scorer in all competitions). For me the best players this campaign were those who looked like they cared: Enrique, Jonas (more so earlier on), Bassong, Taylor and Beye. I wouldn't include Martins in that group.

Well I live in Bristol and no-one cares here.

This for me tbh.

This is what I don't get as well.

We definitely need some sort of brick shithouse (or, alternatively, someone who is capable of defending) in the midfield... but i mean, wouldn't signing a load of cloggers - like you've suggested - simply be succumbing to the league we're in? I know i'm in danger of contradicting my previous post, but surely it's a bit of flair and 'magic' that shoots teams up the Championship? A la Swansea (i think ). It's a physically tough league and our pampered little fannies would get rolled over every week. Gutierrez et al will get kicked to bits every week and we need to be strong and organised just to compete, let alone push on up the league. An extra 8 games this season and no room for passengers mean the emphasis is on graft over guile. Gutierrez got kicked to bits in a few games this season but it didn't stop him coming back for more.