Altamullan

Looking purposeful with some great link-ups involving Ayoze, de Jong and Gini: so take Gini off??

Thauvin needs a bit more of the ball to find his groove; trouble is if he keeps using it the way he is , no f**kers going to trust him with it! Janmaat's been biggest attacking threat. Hope right back that has just come on continues his dodgy start to the season. Hope for change: Gini into Colback's role Thauvin on the the right, Sissoko into Gini's, Perez on the left.

Predicable. Would have liked to see Perez start, but happy enough. Here's to a first half hat trick of Cisse headers! :footy:

Surely can't be too hard to avoid an EPL result -- reminds me of an old Likely Lads episode, if that cultural reference escapes anyone, it is well worth looking-up. Whatever you decide Kanji, hope you enjoy it mate. Howdy the lads! (That was a genuine typo ) Oh sod off Flint!!!!! episode is called No Hiding Place, btw.

Feel the same. I know it shouldn't, but it feels like it could be season defining. We had all the promise of a new era, the optimism, the excitement about new signings. It is time for results. Expecting our first win.

Surely can't be too hard to avoid an EPL result -- reminds me of an old Likely Lads episode, if that cultural reference escapes anyone, it is well worth looking-up. Whatever you decide Kanji, hope you enjoy it mate. Howdy the lads! (That was a genuine typo )

That was the highlight of the evening too! I know how to live

Latest attempt at a French tune to make him feel at home. What could be more fitting than "La Marseillaise"? Words (close ish to original): To Arms Young Thauvin, To Arms Young Thauvin! Let's sing, let's sing Florian is on the wing Florian Thauvin's on the wing! (might look/be sh*t but it sounds cracking in my head!--wish I was going to West Ham...) Music from about 43" to 63" on below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu3eSNi__4w

Rob Lee's perspective on JC: "If I’m honest I didn’t really know exactly what Colback was about when he was at Sunderland. I knew he was a hard-working, busy player but other than that it was hard to see what he offered. Since he’s been at Newcastle though I’ve seen more and more of him and I’ve admired his performances. Alongside Daryl Janmaat he was United’s outstanding player for me last season. What I would say is that Colback needs to start pushing on a little bit. He needs to add more goals to his game. It’s goals that really start to get people noticed – and if he scores a greater number this season then Hodgson will have to take a proper look at him and he can become a Three Lions regular." Discuss...

If you'd have witnessed the behavior of their fans when they've been down here you would probably think them a pack of c***s. True re behaviour in Newcastle. I remember--in an attempt to instil a bit of camaraderie with a group of Celtic fans in Jesmond, who were seriously p*ssed-up, getting a bit edgy, and trotting out IRA songs--playing Fields of Athenry (on a tin whistle one of them had been murdering). So far, so good...I then played The Blaydon Races which didn't trigger the kind of mutual bond of football-brotherhood I had hoped for! Chairs and tables tipped over and Police intervention. I wondered afterwards whether the tune also featured in some Unioinst/Loyalist song (it doesn't). They were just f***ing rude and disrespectful .

Fantastic! I loved it when the lads were training there. Had the dubious pleasure of bumping into Andy Cole coming out of the showers, and the even more embarrassing experience of Keegan and Terry Mc watching us play five a side (briefly, and with audible commentary... "Oooh, ha ha, 'kin 'ell" I can still hear it now...).

Whoops! Thank you. I did, mistakenly, mean this season, but point still stands. I had just been trying to figure out if all three had played together at Marseille. Did they?

Vinny Jones in the above! :lol: The ballbag grabbing... well, ballbag. Always suspected he was about as Welsh as Cascarino was Irish,

Payet, what a player! Along with Montero, and hopefully Thauvin, going to be fantastic additons to the Premiership; a joy to watch.

It was me that started the whole "making things tick" bollocks. What I meant was that McClaren has identified it as a role in his team, regardless of the individual. Anita is the man who he picked for that position. Personally I think Anita's role in the team is vital in how McClaren wants to play. Colback on the other hand is in an expendable position. Both Sissoko and Wijnaldum could both play there and offer more to our team. Where as neither could play in Anita's deeper role, nor would be suitable to it IMO. I'll pretend Tiote doesn't exist because he offers nothing in this set up. He certainly couldnt do Anita's job and would offer even less in terms of creativity in Colbacks position. At least we have options for a change. Do we know that SMc sees them as having different roles? I had assumed that he wantefd them to be the 'two' in the double six (i.e. the two who join the four attacking roles, or the four defensive roles).

Really looking forward to this. I think it will be a good indication of what to expect from this season. They've had two great away results (beating Arsenal and Liverpool) and two, no doubt, disappointing home results (losing to Leicester and to Bournemouth). SMc has now had enough time with the squad to establish a preferred formation and plenty of time to plan his tactics for the Wist Aaam, who presumably are doing better on the counter attack? Can't wait...

After 25 sets of predictions our group guesses (average home and away goals, turned into results) look like this: Everton 1 v Chelsea 2 Arsenal 2 v Stoke 1 Crystal Palace 1 v Man City 3 Norwich 1 v Bournemouth 1 Watford 0 v Swansea 2 West Brom 1 v Southampton 2 Man Utd 1 v Liverpool 1 Sunderland 1 v Spurs 2 Leicester 2 v Aston Villa 1 West Ham 1 v Newcastle 1 Eight of us have picked the Arsenal game as the double-up. Nobody has picked the Leicester game. The rest range between 2 and 4.

Costs nowt to be nice Dave...

He can't. Thanks Peter! I choose to believe that, contrary to "Luke Archibald's" unresistible one-liner, you just had to register your vote for me as voice of my generation! Chuffed to bits. I know who I'm going call if I need a reference, or if there's something strange (...stranger.) in the neighbourhood; obviously.

Thanks UD man, good translation of my ramblings. All that was missing was stating that tongue was firmly in cheek and evidently poor attempt at ( Viz-like) humour. He shoots...he misses... (but the lad keeps shooting!). My bad Kanji, you're evidently not an idiot (... Although fact we're toon fans, could be considered by some as evidence of being intellectually challenged).

d agree. I haven't seen enough of some of the players to justifiably give them the black spot. Just on sheer frustration caused, and almost certainty that there's nothing more to give, from somebody who has had a long enough shot at their preferred position: Obertan.

Considered it... But opted for rat's blood, on the netty wall. Higher impact.

Shall we re-hash Sissoko's "stamp" now? If you look closely, I think it's his heel studs which make most contact with the squealing gooner's ankle joint/ foot. This seems to be the exact same part of the boot and the exact same point of contact for squealing gooner no.2 incident, supporting role this time by Mitro-stay-on-the-pitch. Now, I can distinctly (ish...) recall a neeneck doorman doing the exact same thing to me outside the City Vaults (fat barsteward) probably around the same time Steve Black was working the doors. See where I am going?(no, not Stannington or St George's....) seems likely to me that Blackie has been training our lads in dubious door- bothering crowd control tic-tacs. It can lead to no good! Is neither big nor clever, and thank goodness Mr Marriner has taken stand, and drawn attention to the dark arts our young impressionable lads are being exposed to! Next instalment Thauvin's ninja slide.... I reckon we should be onto that by early November.

My cousin's ex-wife's sisters's boyfriend who went to school with John Gibson's best mate's son, reckons RyanAir may possibly be keen on a bit of Premership exposure. I've also heard, admittedly from a less 'in-the-know' source, that Chevron would be a strong candidate also; although I fear they may demand a V shaped 'geese in flight' formation... how would we fit Vurn and JC into that?? . Haliburton also appear to be the kind of company we may be keen to do business with. Other 'nalied-on' contenders here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/28/the-least-ethical-compani_n_440073.html