Fiftynotout

Frank Clark

Thought you were talking about the 1969 game - Geoff Allen's finest hour!

Not as good as the Tino video at the bottom!!!!

45 years ago, 45!!!!! years since we thumped Vitoria Setubal 5-1 in the Fairs Cup on a lovely, bloody lovely night! Can still see their lot now, poor buggers had never seen snow before! Feel even older when I also see it was 37 years ago when we beat Norwich 5-1 with Graham Oates scoring - you lot who complain about some of our players now should count your blessings you didn't have to watch this bloke. I remember his most notable achievement was scoring an own goal from about 25 yards (can't remember who against) - was possibly the best o.g by one of our own, although Glen Keeley against the smoggies comes close!

Yesterday was another example of the disgrace that JFK is as a "D.O.F". Everyone knew that, if the game went badly then the crowd would react and he should have been there to offer at least a visible support for his manager. But he chose the coward's way and stayed away, leaving Pardew alone (again) to face the s**t - he should have attended the post match press conference to explain his failure to give Pardew the Cabaye replacement he promised but showed that, despite his bluster, he is a spineless, useless coward. Llambias at least did show up and speak up.

Newcastle Foundation are offerng the chance to absail from the roof next April for charity - £30 + min £140 sponsership - if you've got the nerve!

Nick Barnes (mackem commentator on Radio Newcastle) this morning reckons there was a massive bust up in their dressing room after the game and says there are severe cliques and factions amongst the squad.

I think they'll go for Steve McClaren - steady and safe pair of hands, only doing temporary coaching role at the moment

Sorry all but The Mag has various french quotes saying the deal is NOT done and that Gomis is still talking about Marseille - dragging on for a bit longer

With Harry's experience with courts, he probably thinks Remy will be OK and his dog will get the blame.

Problem with allowing Cisse to wear a non logo shirt is that it sets a precedent - the PFA etc. would use that every time any player had a "problem" with their club's choice of fund raising. The other PL clubs would be furious with NUFC and it wouldn't surprise me if they are being strongly encouraged to not give in, the range of objections possibly raised by "concerned" players would be horrendous!

Just watched that BBC programme about muslims in the premier league and how clubs etc. cope with Ramadam and prayers etc. We got a few mentions (Demba seemed to really like our Ramadam song about him!). No mention about loan companies, most concerns were about gambling / betting company and beer sponserships but the players interviewd just seemed to accept that it was part of the game and outside their control. No mention of Cisse and Wonga issue might have been recorded too early.

Hopefully!!! the fact that they still haven't offficially said anything could mean that they are trying to find out what is wrong with JFK. It seems obvious that MA was / is friends with him and it could be they are trying to contact his family etc to see if he is indeed going nuts and are trying to arrange some help for the poor old deluded bugger. They would want to be careful what they said if he has cracked but something has to be said today. We can but hope these are the rantings of some one on their way out.

I'm afraid its yet another s**t national "journalist" basing his view of Newcastle fans on what is said on a few message boards and the views of the Sky Sport types outside St James' and deciding that ALL newcastle fans think the same. In my view, a more realistic appraisal of the majority of fans is that, if Cabaye wants to go, its hard these days to stop him (who wants an unhappy player - was always so) so we should screw whoever want s him for as much as we can - that's not to say we are happy with it, not at all. The "he's s**t anyway or He's not that good" arguement is more to do with covering disappointment and hurt - a bit like when you got dumped by the love of your life back in the day!

Has anyone actually seen any quotes from Cisse about this? Isn't Barnes from the PFA just answering a question from a "journalist" about what should happen IF it is an issue? Still think it's just the usual S**t stirring from the usual parties.

I can't stand 'arry Redknapp and suspect that he's been waiting for this as an excuse to resign. He couldn't resign when they were relegated as it would look like he admitted failure and his reputation would suffer - this way he resigns "on a point of principle" and then spouts off in the press and all his media mates before conning another sucker owner into giving him a job.

Ashley also gives great store to his employees (see the bonuses the S.D. staff get for success) and I don't believe he will accept "trundling on" as acceptable - he expects year on year improvement and the public declaration of a top 10 finish next season will be the absolute minimum and will be based on an aim on where he expects to finish the season after as most good business plans are - what level that is however is the great unknown as far as we are concerned and it is this that will determine the level of investment he is prepared to make and, ultimately, the future of Pardew - if he still thinks he is the man to get us to that level that quickly.

Any one who really thinks Ashley only keeps Pardew because he doesn't want a manager "to give him a hard time" really doesn't know how he runs his businesses. He expects his managers to stand up for themselves but spells out in no uncertain terms what is expected. He also follows the reasoning that anyone can have a bad spell and doesn't chop and change knee jerk style ( a mistake he made in the early days of us when he listened to "football" advisers!) but again, expects them to sort it out quickly - look at the performance of S.D. over the last 5 years. Pardew will be in no doubt that he will be out if a significant improvement is not seen very early next season.

Going by the size of the roller Pedro has in those photos, it going to be ready for the next sponsers in 3 years time!

A bit off subject but on the radio this morning, they said that since Arsenal last won a trophy, everyone of the other 91 league clubs have changed their manager!

It comes down to what are we in the game for? These days it is more important for clubs to qualify for the CL than to win any cups but what then is the point in entering the cup competition? They were speaking about this on talksport a couple of weeks ago, asking if Chelsea would prefer to win the Europa or qualify for the CL and "Butch" Wilkins said the CL all day as it was more important for future development - what for, to "win" more money? I have been waiting 52 years to see a domestic trophy on top of a bus in Newcastle and after the relegations in the past with no "compensating reward" I would happily take that option - just once before I keel over for ever!

Pretty balanced view on True Faith - www.true-faith.co.uk/tbawe.html Also in this morning's Journal, Douglas says that the "cyber decision" has been made but "the stands" view is not so certain. This ties in with what I've heard from many of my mates - mostly older, non-internet types who tend towards the "give him until Christmas" opinion.

I think you are reading too much into what he said, to me it was just the usual "manager talk" by every manager at the bottom of the league being asked if he was worried about is job (the question being neatly edited from the broadcast to suggest he raised the subject himself, which of course, he wouldn't) - saying his future is not in his hands, but those of the owner / chairman / chief executive. To say he wasn't worried would cause more accusations of ego etc.

Lennon will stay at Celtic, win countless championships and cups, do OK in the group stages of the Champions' League then decide it's time to "move on" to outside interests and "spend more time with his family" - coincidentally, just at the same time as Rangers get back in the SPL and start to develop a decent team again.

I started going to away games in 1969 - in those days it was harder to get to places and I couldn't afford to go very often, but it was still 6 years before I saw us get a draw in a league game! My mates said I was a jinx but I did at least see some cup wins. I've been going to games since 1961 and, generally, we have always been poor away but when we hit good spells, there is nothing like away trips.