Jimbo

Do you get the feeling that all this is a figment of Tony Adman's slightly deranged mind ? his comments on SSN yesterday had me cringing in my seat, especially his comments about Arsene Wenger ringing him up after getting sacked at Portsmouth, I bet Wenger was cringing too.

While speculation on Tyneside yesterday continued to focus on a possible Newcastle United takeover by an unknown group from Oman, City of London insiders close to the sale of the club indicated that this may not be the case. There is believed to be an interested party but it was stressed that a deal is still some way off and that the nationality of the leading players in any buyout will remain a secret for as long as is possible in such a high-profile transaction. The Newcastle owner, Mike Ashley, put the club back on the market a week after relegation from the Premier League at an asking price of £100m. The Sultan of Oman was immediately linked with them due to his wealth but doubt has been cast upon his involvement. It has been suggested that the business environment today is more favourable than when the club was put on the market for the first time by Ashley last September. Then the asking price started at £300m and dropped swiftly to £180m. But although there was interest, there were no takers. Now, however, there is confidence that a buyer can be found over the summer. Alan Shearer, meanwhile, awaits a response from the banks to Ashley's request for the continuation of a £40m working capital facility. That would enable Ashley to appoint Shearer on a permanent basis, if he wants to. Shearer could be given a long-term contract with the necessary clauses in the event of a takeover. That would give Newcastle some stability and Shearer could start working on lifting the club back into the Premier League following their relegation. He could also focus on trying to retain some of the players he sees as being key to the club's future.

*cough cough* Playstation Eye Toy tbh.

Glad you enjoyed it too, I can't fault the man, he is the compete entertainer (having said that I've not heard him sing or seen him dance).

I'll be off to the Posh and Leicester matches next season.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8077369.stm Microsoft has unveiled its new control system for the Xbox 360 console, at E3 in Los Angeles. Project Natal is a fully hands-free control system that will use face recognition and motion sensors to allow users to play games. Film director Steven Spielberg, attending the launch, said it was "a window into what the future holds". Although still in the early stages, Microsoft has sent prototypes to all the main game developers. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Spielberg said he had always stated that "the main barrier stopping people getting into video games was the complexity of a games controller," and that Natal was "a whole new world". "There is technology now that recognises not just your thumb, it recognises your entire person. The technology knows who you are," he said. Mr Spielberg drew an analogy with the film industry, saying it was evolutionary step for games. "It's like the square screen we saw all of our movies on in the early 1950s. Then The Robe came out in Cinemascope. And then came CinRam and Imax followed. That's what [Natal] is. I think the technology looks very interesting but its success depends on the content and how easy it is to use Piers Harding-Rolls, analyst During the demonstration, British developer Peter Molyneux showed how Natal could not only recognise faces, it could recognise facial expressions to determine what mood a player was in and react accordingly. Mr Spielberg said this offered new opportunities for game development "The video games industry has not allowed us the opportunity to cry, because we were too busy putting our adrenalin rush into the controller, or wherever we swing our arm with a Wii controller to get a result," he said. "Because of that, there is no room for a video game to break your heart. We now have a little more room to be a little more emotional with Natal technology than we did before." Speaking to the BBC, Piers Harding-Rolls, senior analyst with Screen Digest, said the success of Natal depended on a number of different factors. "I think the technology looks very interesting but its success depends on the content and how easy it is to use," he said. "The other aspect is cost and how they will get it out to the user base," he said. "That said, I think Microsoft would like to get it out sooner, rather than later. "Sales of the Xbox 360 hit their peak in 2008 and are now expected to decline, in terms of console sales, so you would expect them to get it out as soon as possible to rekindle interest in the platform."

is it just me or does Tony Adams seem a bit

Breaking news on SSN "Adams says he will become Celtics next manager if Wim Jansen will agree to join as technical director"

Louise Taylor: As an Omani consortium eyes Newcastle United, Alan Shearer's future remains opaque. Talks continue between the club and their former striker over whether he will become their long-term manager. With the newly relegated club up for sale at £100m, interest from wealthy investors in Muscat in a possible takeover at St James' Park swirled around Tyneside. A UK-based investment group is also contemplating an offer, but, for the moment at least, Mike Ashley is still the owner of a club which may yet take some weeks, if not months, to sell and currently lacks a manager. Shearer, who presided over the last eight games of the season, wants the job, but Ashley has been unwilling to provide the financial backing needed to meet Shearer's requirements on personal terms and transfer budget. "Talks are ongoing and we hope to have something resolved by the end of the week," said the managing director, Derek Llambias. Should Shearer fail to compromise and the deal fall through, Ashley is likely to turn to Joe ­Kinnear to serve, once again, as ­Newcastle's interim manager until a new owner takes over and identifies a preferred long-term appointment. Kinnear stepped in when Kevin Keegan walked out last September but fell ill with heart problems which required a triple bypass in February. The former Wimbledon and Nottingham Forest manager is now restored to good health and could be persuaded to return on a temporary basis. Newcastle fans are, however, likely to respond frostily to a Kinnear comeback and, in the main, desperately hope Shearer will finally be installed and kept in post when new owners eventually move in. The viability of Shearer's blueprint for rebuilding the club is being assessed by bankers who are expected to provide Ashley and Llambias with their answers on Wednesday. Last night Shearer denied making specific demands of Ashley. "I met Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias last week and we discussed at length the future of Newcastle United and my desire to be the manager moving forward. I made no demands but there were obvious conditions. We simply proposed an honest evaluation of what was needed to get the club back into the Premiership whilst building solid foundations for the future. "I fully understand Mike Ashley's decision to sell the club as he feels it's now in the best interest of the club and the fans. I hope to know more by the end of the week." Nicky Butt has urged Ashley to find a way of keeping Shearer. "Alan is somebody we all respect," the midfielder said. "To have him on board is a big plus for Newcastle United. The experience of having Alan and Iain Dowie [his assistant] in training made every player happy."

The Sun: New Portsmouth owner Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim says he was interested in buying the Toon last year. But Ashley wanted £400m - a £160m profit on his £240m investment. Al Fahim said: "I'd have paid £200m for Newcastle because it's a great club. But the guy wanted £400m. He's got to be kidding." Six months on, Ashley is prepared to take just £100m.

Don't get your hopes up until it's been on my telly

Looking to snap up Smith, Cacapa, Geremi and Barton....

Knowing our luck we'd end up the the poorest, least financially astute Arab Billionaire who made his money selling cheap sandals and burkas

1m 15 sec

Facebook ishoot eBay Twitterfon Fuzzle Flixter Movies My Football Air Sharing MMS Shazam Measures Flick Bowling LEDit AroundMe SKYPE AudioBoo

Entertainer Danny La Rue has died at his home after a short illness, his spokesperson said. He was 81. The legendary female impersonator had been suffering from cancer. His spokeswoman said: "Danny died peacefully in his sleep just before midnight last night after a short illness. "His beloved companion Annie Galbraith was with him at their home in Kent." Sky News picture tributes to the great and good who died in 2009 La Rue enjoyed a glittering career for some 60 years and was once described by Noel Coward as: "The most professional, the most witty... and the most utterly charming man in the business." Bob Hope is also said to have called him: "The most glamorous woman in the world."

How are we going to find the money to buy players ?

Make that cunting six

Gary Glitter fucked the kids surely ?

Mike Ashley races for the exit George Caulkin Alan Shearer’s blueprint for Newcastle United’s future is in the hands of the club’s bankers after Mike Ashley’s decision to end his “catastrophic” tenure at St James’ Park “as soon as I can”. The sportswear retailer has reappointed Keith Harris, the chairman of Seymour Pierce, the City advisers, to push through the sale of Newcastle, with a potential bidder already understood to have expressed a firm interest in the relegated club. Shearer is effectively working for nothing after the expiration of his eight-match contract, but expects to hear this week whether his plans for the wholesale restructuring of Newcastle have been approved by Barclays Bank, which has provided Newcastle with a £40 million working capital facility. With costs being slashed in the wake of demotion, about 120 of the club’s employees are likely to lose their jobs. Harris, who had been charged with finding a buyer last winter before Ashley withdrew the club from the market, was a visible presence at Newcastle’s training ground last week, which will not have escaped Shearer’s notice. Shearer is committed to restoring Newcastle’s fortunes and remains optimistic that a positive outcome will emerge in the next few days. There is a feeling within his camp that Newcastle with Shearer in situ represent a more attractive proposition for investors than the opposite; it is believed that broad agreement with Ashley has been reached over transfer funds, although Shearer may have to compromise on his request for a £2.5 million salary. The scale of Ashley’s desperation to sell is apparent in his willingness to write off the interest-free loan he has made to Newcastle. The founder of Sports Direct bought the club for £134 million two years ago and has subsequently pumped in a further £110 million to pay off debts, but is willing to accept a total price of £100 million; industry insiders have suggested that £80 million may be a more realistic figure. Harris’s firm signed a binding engagement letter with Ashley last week with the aim of achieving a speedy sale. In spite of much noise emanating from Freddy Shepherd, there has been no contact with Newcastle’s former chairman and even a much-reduced price would appear to be a significant deterrent to any wholly local consortium. It will take at least a month for any deal to be completed, but there is no longer any debate about Ashley’s motivation. “Of course I regret it,” he said of buying Newcastle. “I never said I was an expert in football clubs. I was just a fan — although a very wealthy fan. But I’m not so wealthy now. I put my money into it and I tried my best. But I accept my best was woefully short. I am genuinely sorry for everybody about what has happened.” Internally, there is no debate about Shearer’s suitability for the task. “There will obviously be a massive clear-out,” Damien Duff, the Ireland winger, said. “There are budgets in the Championship and I’m sure the gaffer knows who cares about the club and who stays. There is only one man to get us back up and that is Alan Shearer. I’m sure it’ll be him and I’m sure he’ll take the job.”

A Champions League standard stadium and facilities

Heard all of that before like. Exactly, I'll believe it when I see it.