Village Idiot

I think a "Newcastle get promoted with record points, win the Premiership when they come up, then go and win the Chamions League the following year" thread should be first. That would you relegated to League 1, then.

Oh boy, there was this Liverpool fan I know blabbing on how "it would be an embarassment if Barça went out in the group stages" after we lost to Kazan at home. Can't wait to meet him this weekend

Motta, Eto'o, Quaresma... it's like us from 2004

Motta's never been a better player for us than today. Hope we keep that up in the second half.

I'm in a meeting and keeping the computer open to watch the live commentary while I pretend to take notes. What are my odds on getting caught? (Get the fuck btw)

It's quite funny how all the press seems to mention Eto'o, Mourinho and even Figo because of their Barcelona pasts, but absolutely nobody says anything about Thiago Motta

Where would he go though? ManCity might get an opening if they don't get Champion's League this year, but can't see anything else becoming available that wouldn't be a step down from Everton (can't see him going to Liverpool)

I think it's still early to sack Benítez. They have had a bad injury crisis these last weeks anyway. I think he will keep the post as long as they don't fall too far from 4th place. They may part ways on the summer though.

Most of the teams are performing as expected, and the ones who aren't have reasons for not to sack their managers (Benítez still has credit from the past seasons, West Ham can't afford to pay the cleaning lady least sack Zola).

Reminds me of all the silly shit yanks came out with after 9/11, like that campaign to change the title of the "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" movie.

Wouldn't expect him to drop down a division, though.

I have a meeting during the Barça-Inter game. It's probably for my own good.

I think that's awesome, to be honest. I suppose the relief/joy everytime the ball is cleared makes it worth it, but I've seen us concede late too often to like it I don't know, when I think of all the games more indented in my memory, most of them are hard-fought scrappy wins, rather than thomping somebody 6-1. For example, from last season I remember the Chelsea away game much more than destroying Madrid at their place (not that it wasn't delightful!).

I love it how he is first choice at Stoke even though he has no legs and it's like having 10 men on the pitch.

Can I pitch in? - Gary Lineker, the first footballing idol I had. Was heartbroken when Cruyff let him go. - People telling me that I looked like Bernd Schuster - The 1982 World Cup. I was 4 years old, but still remember the feeling of the eyes of the world suddenly being peeled at us. - Thinking Paul Gascoigne was the best player of the world. I think that's the first image I have of a Newcastle player. - The years of the "Jai Alai" when playing a Basque team was like shooting a ball against a concrete wall, Real Sociedad almost going unbeaten the year they won. - The "botifarra" (Catalan sausage) sandwiches at half time during matches when my father took me to the Stadium. Probably liked those more than the football. - Footballers wearing moustaches (like "Tarzán" Migueli, who was also fat and the best defender we had) - José Ramón Alexanko scoring a magnificient header in the dying instants of the 1988 Cup final. - Julio Salinas, the clumsiest striker I have ever seen. He was shit. He was slow. My grandmather in a wheelchair was more comfortable on the ball, in her sleep. But he would score 10+ goals every season, and most of them would be completely laughable: tripping with the ball, deflecting off his ass, bouncing off his head... but he would score them. - When football was ugly: footballers were often fat and unkempt, managers wore tracksuits, there was no posh branding of teams or ellaborate marketing efforts, no high-tech gizmos on TV broadcasts... - A great quote from a Barça sporting director "Just give me money to sign forwards, we'll get the defenders from a construction site"

I think that's awesome, to be honest.

To be honest all the cynical finger-wranging, complaining, imaginary card waving, hand raising, etc... just drives me nuts. We should just yellow card any player making tosser crap like that. You don't see that happening in most other sports, players complaining is something out of the ordinary, while footballers make arses of themselves every sodding play.

Honestly though, his final ball wasn't *that* awful when he played in Spain. I think there's a lot of confidence issues going on for him.

And I admit that I'm a spoiled brat that gets an issy fit when we don't win anything in two seasons. Hence I find purifying for my soul to watch teams that are... not so lucky. Call it big club guilt if you like.

Step away from Newcastle before you fall in love with the club. It's a whole world of pain! I'm used to suffer because of my football club! Like the dark times in the late 1990s when we were s*** and... finished 6th in the league What? Title wins in 98 and 99, cup wins in 97 and 98, Uefa Cup in 97. My heart bleeds for Barca fans in the late 90's like. Hence the lower case (admittedly it was mostly our titleless stretch from 1999-2004, late 90s was misleading) And you probably mean the Cup Winners' Cup, we have never won the Uefa Cup.

The first time I saw Jonás Gutiérrez play was Barcelona at home against Mallorca, three seasons ago. Guy made an incredible run cutting through our defense and rounded out Valdés who took him down. Gutiérrez then proceeded to calmly pick up the ball and shoot one of the tamest penalties I have ever seen, the ball moved so slowly that I probably could have outran it.

Step away from Newcastle before you fall in love with the club. It's a whole world of pain! I'm used to suffer because of my football club! Like the dark times in the late 1990s when we were s*** and... finished 6th in the league

When's your next televised game? I'm getting addicted.

Watched some bits of the game. It felt like something from another dimension. The twilight zone of football. Congratulations on the 3 points though

Aye, it was already a shitty deal for what we paid for him at 30. But he had a very good season last year and I won't complain. He needs to go to the MLS and still be a star there.