Hughesy

I've watched this tackle again and again - it isn't a good tackle, but I don't understand how it could be more than a yellow. I think the last challenge is a poorly timed attempt to get the ball. I don't think he is trying to hurt Nasri, it's just a bad challenge.

Sad to see him go - not good enough for our starting eleven now, but was certainly a much better player than many on here like to make out.

He's got a 27% points return against Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and man City while at Newcastle. Wenger has 32%. Rodgers at Liverpool is on 22%. I didn't realise that. Interesting reading.

I obviously need to watch the tackle again, but it looked nothing more than a yellow to me?

Could you get two more different levels of heading ability? I don't think I have even seen a worse header of the ball for a top class striker than Cole and a better one than Les.

He really didn't. He was awful at saving penalties.

Some people can't or won't see past the result for some reason, it we don't get beat we've done enough. The whole ethos of the club is dumbing down expectations - even if we went 8 games without winning, people would still point at the run we are on now and hold the view that its all we can expect....sadly unless we get a change of owner or attitude at the top, that IS all we can expect. Most fans will view a Top 10 finish as a 'good season'. I am not sure if that many would regard top 10 as anything other than about par or slightly below par to be honest.

Hardly Hughton's fault that Pardew's record in the Championship and League One with several teams is fairly dire. I think it's fairly clear that the team that Hughton had in the Championship was streets ahead of anything that Pardew managed. Probably more relevant to compare their Premiership managerial records. Also, certainly in recent years the team Pardew has had in the premiership is streets ahead of what Hughton has managed. Agreed - although that hasn't stopped people suggesting they'd rather have Nolan and Barton in the team now ..!

Hardly Hughton's fault that Pardew's record in the Championship and League One with several teams is fairly dire. I think it's fairly clear that the team that Hughton had in the Championship was streets ahead of anything that Pardew managed. Probably more relevant to compare their Premiership managerial records.

I assume that the championship winning season boosts Hughton's stats a fair bit.

He is always is when you hear talk about Spurs.

Which he never will - he's injury prone and a crock basically.

Yep - massively overrated as a CM.

I never quite worked out why people were so quick to write him off.

Surely any debate about the players that Pardew has at his disposal has to take into account the relative strengths of the other teams in the league (and at the time that each of the previous NUFC managers were in charge)? I dare say that Pardew does have our best team since Robson, but relative to the other teams in the league? Not sure about that.

People's hate for Pardew has actually consumed their ability to read.

I don't quite get why people keep trotting out the line about us being lucky to have Remy's goals? It's such a non-argument.

Spot on

Really? I could have sworn it happened more than once. Or he at least made noises about moving.

I appreciate what Given did for us, but I think the way he left was always going to taint his legacy to a certain degree. I don't think he is helped by the fact that he seemed to have a propensity to sulk/ask for a transfer when he was dropped.

so answer me ian, let's assume tactically pardew IS withdrawing the team with the intention of seeing out a 2-0 lead, or a 1-0 as we've also seen pretty often...the opposition score 1 in the second half and miss 2 clear cut chances to score, gilt-egded chances you're telling me there's no element of luck in that scenario and that i'm stupid for believing there is? We've also broke on the counter and missed a couple ourselves, right? i'm not on about the norwich match, i'm just asking a hypothetical question so someone can enlighten me as to why it's stupid to acknowledge the presence of luck in a game of football i'm not a fan of being called stupid, you see I think the problem is that you are focussing purely on moments of good fortune we have and completely ignoring the luck our opposition benefit from and all other teams in general.

Yep.... looks pretty handy to me.

Yeah... pretty damn good.

Some of their players are not as good as people think they are IMO. I'd agree - a lot of UEFA cup level players.

This is exactly the point I tried to make earlier. He is far far better than a Gallagher or Lovenkrands. Because he works so hard, people lump him in with limited hard working players.