Missed Sticks

I thought it was just a glitch...

Fiddy Pence

A good team defends from the front unless they have a truely exceptional back 4. A team that has confidence in it's back 4 will push the midfielders into attack more wothout such fear of reprecussions. Good fullbacks are vital to good attacking play unless you have forwards who can create absolutely everything themselves. Anyone who has said we need someone who can hold up play is right though, it allows others to come into the attack. It's a team game, you attack as a team and you should defend as one. All teams need a good finisher but i think Roeder reckoned he found that in Martins, can't see us lashing out again for that kind of quality. As much as it depends on how much we can spend it also depends on whose available. I think we need 2 good fullbacks and a Sheringham type of player, clever and good in the air, doesn't need to be quick as that we be all around him. However, i can't think of any likely candidates for any of those positions. People have mentioned Beattie and Davis, they don't fill me with optimism, Beattie's probably a better goal scorer.

It was understandable that we wn for Dalgleish imo, great record. Mentioning him and Gullit in the same breath though......

??????????????? If i have 10 apples, i give away 8 but i get back 4, how many apples have i got Freddie?

That's a good point imo. Abromavich springs to mind, hired Peter Kenyon to do that for him. Man Utd have David Gill as Cheif Exec, Dein and Edelman at Arsenal, Moores does own 51% of Liverpool. That's 3 out of 'The Top 4' who do employ people to run or help run their football clubs. All 4 of those clubs have done pretty well tbf. It has been said on this board that a Chairman who interferes with 1st team affairs is not desirable, based on comments by SBR i feel that FS should no longer fill that role. It doesn't mean i think he should relinquish his holding in the club but i do think the job could be done better. I will concede the point though that i don't know who, but then again i'm not involved in football professionally so i don't expect myself to have that answer ready at hand. It would appear that neither the Halls nor FS know who could do it better either, which is a shame.

Any Frankfurt forward

1) The Bramble revival is over, he was gash tonight. 2) Ramage has a future at Prem level. 3) Luque is a professional footballer, looked like an imposter to me. 4) Sibierski can hold the ball up, can he f**k! 5) Solano could be a full time RB

I'm always game to admit i'm wrong. What i object to is you thinking i'm stupid to suggest we had/have a bottomless pit of money. How bottomless does it have to be to sign a player for £0.00? In fact, in my post that you quoted i never suggested anything else i just pointed out that at the time we appearred to have extra funds to bid for Huth, much to my and everyone elses surprise i'm sure. We could have signed better defenders than we have for £0.00, we all know this so let's grow up and just accept the fact. Quite why it didn't happen is a mystery but the Manager obviously had his reasons. I never slag off people from N.O. I don't slag off the Board per se, i just think FS should no longer be Chairman, i've nothing against him or the Halls retaining their ownership so don't accuse me of anything until i've actually changed my mind which, so far i haven't. Don't fire wildly at anyone Leazes, you're mixing emotion with logic. Also it can make people ignore the good points you raise about the club and the players.

signifies everything that is wrong about some of you lot on here. Shame, again, but I think most of you know fuck all. No experience of life, no knowledge of the football club, nothing. BTW....ref the points about brain tumours, I know they can remain undetected and show no symptoms, they can also remain undetected while showing undiagnosed symptoms. Just a point. I don't agree with what he said about you Leazes but in this you're arguing with someone who trained to be a doctor and still works in medicine (i.e. Renton) about something you know far less about (i.e. brain tumours). Bit daft and misses the point anyway, don't you think mate? Well Alex.......if you are saying its pointless arguing with someone more experienced than you ... in that case that makes pretty much everyone on here inferior to me when they start talking about Newcastle United... not that I would go around calling someone a moron just because they don't know as much as me or anything. My last comment about brain tumours is a fact. And Renton is a prick. Period. I see Renton doesn't answer my question about his age etc...I just know that he is one of those wankers who was attracted back to the club by the very board he now slags off at every turn whatever they do, which in any way you wish to look at it, is the actions of an idiot. Thats a pretty big bat you're swinging around there Of course there is point arguing, you just have less chance of being right I tend to sit where Alex is coming from. There is no doubt that GR was a good coach and was making good progress with the kids. GS had to go when he did, and I can also understand bringing GR in as cover for the remainder of the (last) season. He done a fantastic job of turning our fortunes around last season, but what has turned me against him is his comments that he has constantly gone back on. His going to the likes of Man U to defend and so on. Whatever happened when ( I assume) FS spoke to other managers I dont know, but I do tend to think that GR was the easy option. I do know its going to be an interesting winter transfer window. I honestly think that unless he is careful and makes some critical signings, we will go down. I dont just blame GR, I think the rot started when we "kept our powder dry". Down hill from there for me and everyone since has added to the slide. I think that the rise during the Keegan era was down to nothing other than Keegan. He drove everyone, including SJH. Keegan would have done this whoever the chairman was, all he needed was the financial backing he got and the freedom to do what he chose. Shepherd would have done this just the same as SJH did. We have not appointed a manager as good for Newcastle's needs as Keegan. It isn't easy, if it is, who is this man ? Do you know ? I don't. We have no chance of getting Wenger for instance. [Or could have done last week ..... ]. There is nothing wrong with Newcastle United that the right manager will not cure almost instantly. But will he be as good as Keegan ..... It also wasn't planned ? It was an appointment that succeeded, from initially a short term one, to a long term one, that was eventually cut short, for reasons that have all been covered in the past. The Halls - by that I mean SJH - wanted into the club to make money, just like anyone. He wasn't any knight in shining armour and didn't really want the job either. He got lucky, in that his colleagues - not himself - targeted a manager who turned out to be an inspirational gamble that hit the jackpot. Roeder may have been the easy current option, but in the past we have not taken the easy - or cheap if that is what you mean - and as the board have shown they are quite prepared to pay top dollar for players I fail to see why they would take the cheap option regarding managers. So I don't believe that, I think it is an appointment made for the percieved good of the club - like all the others - and if it is wrong, then it just is !!! However, Shearer may well be the long term "plan". So what do people think of this, because its a "plan". Which is what they want. Regarding this Belgravia group and suggestions that Curbishley will be appointed, I don't think he will take the pressure of managing Newcastle United. So unfortunately, if this happens, people will realise that you can have as many "plans" as you like, but without the right manager it means nothing. We could go down, if we don't get the right players in January. There are a few people on here who said we needed defenders rather than forwards in the summer....[ie Dan the brain]....laughable. We have spent 15m quid on forwards, and still need 2 more. Like EVERY manager anywhere, if you spend your money badly, you get the sack and your club is in the shite. This is all that matters, and this is what determines whether you are successful along with your own managerial skills and motivational qualities. If Martins had came in and scored goals straight away like Andy Cole did, we would be happier with the club, with Roeder and obviously be in a better position. I am surprised Roeder took such a gamble, when we needed a player who would come in and perform from day 1, especially with Owen out. Now he has to get it right, with no room for error at all. The club has no money, or not much. However, while many clubs with shite directors - again, look 12 miles down the road if you want a perfect example - would accept the inevitable, expect our board as usual to come up with some. The rest is up to Roeder, unless they sack him before that. At the risk of trying to have a debate on football i'd like to respond to this. I was one of those who felt we should have signed defenders and my views haven't been changed. I don't see any point in rewriting history, the simple facts are that we could have signed better defenders than we have for practically nothing, also, by trying to buy Huth for the kind of money talked about, we obviously had access to funds anyway. Let's not pretend these 2 points are in some fiction just because they are in the past.

Bridge may have had a release fee inserted into the contract. He would've if he had any ambition to play regular 1st team football.

I doubt we'll have £10m to splash on a RW anyway. Would be a god additional imo, much better the Milner and more athletic than Nobby. Might be an idea to ask for a loan move with a fixed fee agreed at the season's end. Our efforts will be directed to FB's and a target man i should imagine.

Didn't he sign up to a permanent deal starting next summer? If so then i apologise for that one, i thought a price had been agreed but the deal had not yet been actually done. I'd be surprised if he wanted to move there on a permanent, like.

I've only read parts of both but it's the additions to SBR's book that i'm basing my opinion on, so i don't get your point.

Keep things in perspective though. The top teams have good CB's, Ramage isn't in that class. Makes better decisions at CB than either Taylor or Bramble however.

Personally i'm quite happy for the club to remain in with it's present ownership although i think that SJH and FS are getting on a bit and maybe don't want to be bothered with all this hassle anymore, it's the idea of them passing it on to their sons that i find slightly worrying. However, i don't think FS should be Chairman any longer or at least, his influence should be removed so it does not impact on 1st team affairs to their detriment. It seems he buys players his manager doesn't advise (Butt over Carrick) and sells players (or tries to) with out his manager's approval (Woodie, Speed and Bowyer). Neither do i think he has the abitilty or perception to choose a good manager, nor when to replace one who's starting to struggle. FS is only part of the Board though and i don't know to what extent the majority holders influence these decisions and leave FS to ake the flak on the chin.

Wildly optimistic: RB: Lucas Neil, decent defender, not much of an attacking fullback. Maybe Geremi if not Neil. Vanden Borre's not bad from what i've seen. Where's Lauren? CB: Avoid Distin as i can still remember what he used to be like. Woodie's still available (don't know when the loan ends). LB: Bridge MF: Dioup. Sneijder (as if...). SWP (may be loan with options). Tuncay (ha ha ha). CF: Darren Bent (if Charlton continue to struggle), Maynard (Crewe - athletic, technical, good on the turn. One to watch maybe, cheap anyway). Tevez (hasn't turned shite overnight - needs to settle in this league, add some trickery and movement up front and obviously no chance of coming here). Not Smith - more cards than goals.

It's all that sitiing around we do on match day, sort of rubs off, like

I've thought that Shepherd has been treated quite unfairly in som respects. The club have always had a decent transfer budget even when not doing so well and i like the fact that he's a local ladan a fan of the club. I was dissapointed at SBR's sacking. I always thought he was the perfect candidate to move 'upstairs' and give the Board good advice on footbal related appoinments and general insight into what the current manager might be up to, how sound his plans were, etc. Having read these diary entries i feel quite i'm quite amazed. All the rumours regarding FS's interference in team affairs have been just that imo, RUMOURS. However, IF TRUE, the above are crystal clear indications that we can't hope to progress anymore until the 1st team manager has the support of a better Board. If what SBR has said is true it's UNFORGIVABLE.

Yeah, i'm having the same frustration, can any of you help with an alternative source for those not presently in the Geordie Nation!

I think the Board need somone to take over the Football decisions. The current Board has always provided funds and i like the fact that Shepherd can be made to feel fan pressure and this can be a catalyst for change. If some foreign consortium owned the club we may not be in a position to have that influence. My worry is that the current Board will not be willing to designate that kind of responsibilty to somone who's appoinment is not based on nepotism. I'm happy to see the current Board maintain their position but i want to see a Director of Football/Chief Executive, etc. Somone with extensive knowledge and reputation. If this is not forth coming then i will wish for a change of Board. I'm afraid i don't trust the cureent incumbents to make informed and accurate managerial/coaching appointments.

Maybe Roeder should have waited just a bit longer before appointing Pearson

How many more games do you lot think FS will give Roeder? I reckon no wins inthe next 5 and he's gone

Any chance one of you sending a pm with a l*nk?

Harper 6 Carr 7 Taylor 4 Rather have Titus on this form Ramage 8 Duff 6 Zog 7 Parker 6 Emre 6 Milner 5 Reminds me of why i thought he was ordinary Sibs 6 Martins 5 Solano 4 Butt 6 Shola 5 Frankly, i thought Fene looked a better team. Glad we were lucky enough to win.