Frazzle

Agreed (although I still have a slight inkling that his impact is partly down to tired legs). Ditto! Ranger had not much to show for when he met a team similar to Everton, Fulham. Ranger needs his physicality to gain a good advantage, which he's not getting if he's starting. I hope for Shola and Best on top. Ranger can come on during 2nd half. The Fulham game was an absolutely crap team performance, you can't judge Ranger on that. To some extent I agree. But Everton is a physical and defensive team, and right now Ranger is mostly about physical presence and terrorizing the defense. However, if he starts, he will start to feel the fatigue approx. simultaneously with Everton's defenders. Accordingly he will never get the upper hand. On the other hand, if Rangers is a substitute, he will be lively and fresh when he enters, while the defenders start to feel tired. It's this difference in energy that tilts the game in Ranger's advantage. Ranger is the only impact substitute we have, who is truly able to change the game when needed (Bolton, Lpool, Arsenal). That's why it's better to save him and put him on when the game needs to change character or when the other attackers are getting tired. His only advantage is that he comes on when defenders are tired? What? You don't think he has any other attributes? He will feel fatigue when the defenders do? How's that? Is he not younger and fitter than most CBs?

That's the big switch? Guthrie on the wing?

Agreed (although I still have a slight inkling that his impact is partly down to tired legs). Ditto! Ranger had not much to show for when he met a team similar to Everton, Fulham. Ranger needs his physicality to gain a good advantage, which he's not getting if he's starting. I hope for Shola and Best on top. Ranger can come on during 2nd half. The Fulham game was an absolutely crap team performance, you can't judge Ranger on that.

Keegan did know we were going to appoint a Director of Football and he knew Wise was one of three possibilities. I can't remember that but either way, he thought he would at least be informed of transfers, which clearly didn't happen. No-one can blame him for taking the job...oh wait, some people apparently can...

I think he wore 4 last time because he played RB.

Ozzie wasn't it revealed in the tribunal that Keegan didn't know a DoF would be appointed and wasn't Wise appointed after Keegan? Shouldn't the Keegan haters accept that not every Toon supporter is prone to bitter hatred for icons?

http://www.true-faith.co.uk/tf/features.nsf/0/5B776FD565D563CF80257849002632BC?OpenDocument I agree

It is, and I still find the attitude absurd. Same, I wasn't complaining about the argument, just some people's priorities.

It's like the Carling Cup final thread all over again.

Earlier on in the season Kalou had the best goals to minutes ratio at Chelsea. Not inefficient.

True, I think he should have waited with those commentaries. Unless he's spot on, such utterances are only going to destroy his reputation. And the drop could now be significant since the the transfers have yet to be concluded. MA could be liable to spend money just to prove KK wrong. Oh aye, like Ashley has run the club according to anything other than his own agenda these last three and a half years. And if you had any real feel for the history of our club, you'd know it would take more than KK having one pop at a discredited regime, based on bitter personal experience, to destroy his reputation up here. The truly alarming thing is that Llambias feels compelled to have a pop back. He doth protest too much... Spot on magorific. As usual, most of the Keegan haters won't even have been supporting the club in the early nineties so won't have the same appreciation of the man. Also, anyone remember this: "Media The Board at Newcastle United wish to reiterate the points made above that there will not be at any stage in the future any comments coming from the Board regarding any issues surrounding Newcastle United save for prepared statements that are issued by the Newcastle United Media Officer. Once again, for the sake of clarity, this does not affect the Manager and coaching staff talking to the press/media about footballing matters on an everyday basis. The Board are being absolutely transparent in respect of this policy and would ask that the press/media direct any future questions that they may have regarding Newcastle United to our media officer." Funny how these statements from Llambias re: Shearer and Keegan keep making it into the press. Morons.

I assume he would give Shearer longer than eight weeks to help out wor Nile.

Watch Keegan's interview after the Chelsea game, hardly sounds like a man who wants to buy big in the summer...

Eh? I thought it was 35,000,000 See what i did there? Made a rubbish joke.

I didn't take a manager's job at the club, constantly declare how special the situation was and what the position meant and then quit knowingly leaving it in a lurch. Only thing the fans are guilty of is to have had faith in him. Leaving it in a lurch? We were 9th when Keegan left. He can't be blamed for not hiring a permanent manger for two months, then hiring Joe Kinnear, then selling Given and N'Zogbia, then not hiring a permanent manager again for two months...

I think you're overrating Diarra a little. He's not that great tbh.

Probably been posted...but that Douglas which a few people want, went mental at the weekend. He got sent off, then went for the ref, then floored another player on his way of the field.

He was asked one question as part of a larger interview. It's not like he came running out of his house this morning looking for journalists to chat to in order to slag off Ashley. I don't see how he has inserted himself into a situation, as you put it.

Sounds like Ben Arfa bought a copy at Lyon.

Agreed, Lua Lua should be fit soon and we'd get more from him over 90 minutes than Taylor. I hope so but I'm sure Taylor would look like a world beater in League 1. He looked dogshite in The Championship, which pretty much rules that out. League 1 is lower than the Champhionship isn't it? And he never looked 'dogshite.'

He's looked OK here when played. He looked decent against Accrington but he's only had a handful of sub appearances for the first team hasn't he?

Agreed, Lua Lua should be fit soon and we'd get more from him over 90 minutes than Taylor. I hope so but I'm sure Taylor would look like a world beater in League 1.

There can't be many more managers more annoying than Mark Hughes.

I hope not. He sounds like a five year old.

Yup. A lot of people seem to ignore this. No doubt they'll be complaining next season when we have a few injuries. I'm not sure how Ryan Taylor is capable of contributing to squad depth. He's either a RB who's defensively absolutely atrocious or a RW who can't run or beat a man. Unless we are going to replace him what's the point in getting rid? I'm sure lots would have wanted him sold at the start of the season and yet we still ended up having to use him.