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daft comment, not true and only said by bairns I'm afraid You might think it's daft Leazes, but factually it's correct. People are laughing at the piss poor way this club is being run. It's even gone so far that I hear people say they feel sorry for the Newcastle fans, not because of the years without silverware, but for the pathetic displays both on and off the pitch which the input that our fans give is deserving of so much more. We're an absolute joke at the moment and no wave of a magic wand by the fat fairy is going to turn it all around. Until the upper levels of management are re-planted, we're never going to get of this slippery slope. At the present moment, the Championship beckons, even more so than it did under Souness IMO. well I am not living in Newcastle just now either, and I haven't heard anyone making a joke of the club. There are plenty of people taking the piss out of Leeds, the mackems, West Ham, Liverpool, Manure whenever they lose, Man City [and Stuart Pearce who you thought was improving them] to name a few....and other clubs such as Sheff Wed when people even remember they exist.....speaking of which I remember when we were a joke just like them which is when we were in a state like that ourselves for quite a long time. Especially when we sold our trophy players ie England players and replaced them with tripe and has beens and ordinary players. Pre - 1992 of course, until this board stepped in and showed new ambitions for the club. Either way, I suggest you stop being so sensitive. It sounds like they just know they are winding you up, I can't imagine how you would take it if we were shit. Never mind, next week you can remind them how envious they will be when we are playing in europe - again, and they presumably are not. And - our current situation is exactly what myself and one or two others told you and some others on here would be the legacy of Souness, but you carried on saying we should back him with unlimited funds regardless. So - having forgotten you did all of that, I think you should cast your mind back....and having backed it, why are you moaning. Wasnt it the chairman rather than the people on this board who backed Souness financially? Lets face it I cant imagine anyone on here being daft enough to hoy £50m at someone like him. The other fella should have known better though.

Great in Scum. Still one of my favourite films.

Its not a question of who is better. Its simply a question of how satisfied people are and there is enough of a groundswell to suggest Fred hasnt done his job very well recently. His record in the past has some successes but to be honest he appointed Bobby who is enough of a manager to do a job wherever he goes irrespective of circumstances. His record proves that. You have to question whether he did it because of Fred or in spite of him. Other than a couple of seasonswith Bobby we have had nowt but letdowns. You can dismiss cups and point to this daft argument about 5th best, 8th best but if people are satisfied with our current predicament or the past few seasons for that matter then they have very little ambition. Of course there is the 'better the devil you know' argument but thats a futile argument that shouldnt hold us back if we really do want to progress. If anyone can find any crumbs of comfort in the present situation that say we should be satisfied and that good times are around the corner then I will listen. Personally I cant. If Fred has put plans in action to resolve the falling gates, employs respected and talented people to ensure our league position, provides a well researched scouting operation rather than throwing money at situations and in doing so gives us some hope in a squad that is probably our weakest since 1992 then I will happily get behind him. I cant see any of that unfortunately. I see some decent revenue streams, solid wood doors - not your cheap stuff (as Bobby put it) and a complete lack of understanding in planning long term to deliver the right team manager. Its the most imprtant position at the club and we have had to react and appoint substandard folk all too often recently - e.g Souness, Roeder, Gullit. Gullit was untested over any period of time and such more of a risk - one a big club like us shouldnt be taking. Bobby was thankfully available. The anomoly was Dalglish - other than that the man has either fucked up or got lucky. He hasnt been all bad but his time is up. But whilst some people will point to worse chairmen, it is also obvious that there are significantly better. People with the level of revenue this club can generate know that it can be run more successfully if it successful on the pitch. that is the bottom line. On that score alone fred has failed and is failing. If we see any more of this tripe then he has to walk. It is beyond even the most doey eyed dreamer to suggest that he has succeeded in financial management or appointment of key personnel in the recent past. How much longer do we put up with it? Nb: I have been there a couple of decades before 1992, whatever that proves.

I have to agree with Leazes here, that is plainly not true. When Bellamy first arrived he was a nothing player who'd just flopped at Coventry, he'd only managed 4 caps for Wales and most thought we paid over the odds at the time. Martins on the other hand has managed to score 1 in 3 at a far bigger club than we're ever likely to be, got an average of 1 in 2 in the CL, 7 in 6 in the UEFA cup and 11 in 13 for his country. For someone who likes to spout about facts so much LM I hope you enjoy these, do you think the Bellamy we signed then is better than Shevchenko now? after all he hasn't settled in yet and with your poor knowledge of football outside of this country I doubt you've ever heard of him. BTW are you still backing Roeder? I've asked you several times over on N-O yet you seem to be avoiding the question. You're a clueless arse. A few people rated Bellamy before he signed for Newcastle. He was a bargain and it was obvious in his very first game, if you couldn't see that it is confirmation you are blind as well as having poor judgment. A few goals doesn't make Martins a better footballer than Bellamy. Bellamy is a support striker, again if you can't appreciate this - or the difference between the roles - by now and cling onto a goals stattistic then it is simply more added proof that you are clueless. BTW, I am not avoiding any questions unlike quite a lot of people on here and NO. And to be honest, I don't give a flying fuck who is better than Craig Bellamy, all I saw is a player who was brilliant for Newcastle United and prolonged Alan Shearers career by at least 2 years. I mean, I can ask you a question. Are you really so dumb as you seem ? [but to be fair you aren't the only one] Very very few had seen Bellamy never mind rate him Leazes. He was appalling all season at Coventry. He himself acknowledges that he had a poor time at Cov. He was injured prior to that at Norwich so how people had managed to rate him is beyond me. Norwichs live performances on telly were few and far between. I thought his pace would be useful and a few Norwich fans I knew said he would do well but beyond that few people had a clue about him. Shearer benefited, but it is daft to imply that the partnership was anything other than complimentary. Certainly 70 goals didnt score themselves. If it was that easy then the 27 year old Craig Bellamy would have more than Alan Shearer scored in those 3 seasons. Martins needs time and decent players around him. It is unfortunate that some hanker after an arsehole who couldnt give a toss about anyone but himself. That statement is so bound up in empirical evidence that it doesnt need qualifying. Nor reiterating no matter how fanciful the defence of him can be. Give Martins a chance and wait til we have someone worthy of the shirt to play alongside him. He has shown decent glimpes and scored good goals. However, he is ploughing a lonely furrow when we boot 50 yard balls over his head. We wont see anywhere near his potential in my view until we get shot of the current manager and/or replace half a dozen faces in the first team. Well I thought he had good potential at Coventry, when he played through the middle near to Hartson it was obvious it was his best position rather than out wide where Strachan played him [good manager and better than Roeder because he's won the Scottish League ] and I was very pleased when we bought him, although I realise I have no proof of that, having said it on talk of the tyne and the old nufc.nu forum at the time. Of course the partnership with Shearer was 2 way. But Bellamy and Robert DID catapult Newcastle from being a mid table team with no pace or creativity into a top 4 side. Most players only care about themselves, people generally do. Bellamy however played over 50 games for Newcastle with a knee needing surgery, you won't find many players doing that. Martins may just need a chance, but I - along with isegrim - share the concern over his wild finishing and slashing at chances. You either have it or you don't. Micky Quinn was a player who wasn't really good outside the box but inside he was deadly, accurate and came alive. You watch him...he only needed a split second and 99 times out of 100 he hit the target, no matter where or how the ball came to him, the keeper had to stop the ball or it would have been in. Thats an example of a limited player, but one who had the goalscoring knack. If Martins is going to be an out and out goalscorer, and not contribute much to team play, he needs to be accurate and take his opportunities to justify it. I obviously hope he does, as he has pace he would be hard to contain. The purchase of Robert and Bellamy were right for the positions that needed filling at the time. They helped the rest of a very good midfield and attack push us to where we got. We also had a very effective Gary Speed and highly effective Dyer Solano conbination in Dec/Jan/Feb and more the second season. On top of that we had a bloke who could finish like no other Newcastle player (or any other club) recently had. They didnt catapult us, they were the last pieces of a jigsaw that was very effective. Splitting hairs I know but it always suggests to me that they did more than the rest and they didnt. It was highly effective team play. At present we are nowhere near buying for appropriate positions, have a bloke injured who could replace Alan Shearer but we will see, Martins is nowt but a youngun who needs time. He COULD be very good but we wont know til we sort out the rest of the shambles. Even our back four in that first season of Hughes, Distin, Dabizas and O'Brien were light years ahead of our current set up. Its hard to see one player from the current side who would oust one player from that side on current form. Duff has the ability to but hasnt managed to as our system just isnt working for him either. Emre is a good player but limited when we need some physical presence. Parker is good but not as good as many rate him - certainly Gary Speed was better and offered more going forward. I would personally prefer to see him as a box to box player with somone commanding alongside him in the mould of Sissoko or Papa Diop. Martins needs someone up front with him as I mentioned. The back four need binning altogether. Not one of them from Ramage, Taylor, Carr, Babayaro or Bramble is good enough for the shirt. Its hard work at present but its been coming for a long long time. Mismanagement of players, wasting money on clueless managers aswell as players acting/playing like arseholes have all been evident since 2003-4. something has to change. Whether it is policy or personnel is open to debate but watching that shower of shite in a stadium well short of capacity should send alarm bells ringing.

I have to agree with Leazes here, that is plainly not true. When Bellamy first arrived he was a nothing player who'd just flopped at Coventry, he'd only managed 4 caps for Wales and most thought we paid over the odds at the time. Martins on the other hand has managed to score 1 in 3 at a far bigger club than we're ever likely to be, got an average of 1 in 2 in the CL, 7 in 6 in the UEFA cup and 11 in 13 for his country. For someone who likes to spout about facts so much LM I hope you enjoy these, do you think the Bellamy we signed then is better than Shevchenko now? after all he hasn't settled in yet and with your poor knowledge of football outside of this country I doubt you've ever heard of him. BTW are you still backing Roeder? I've asked you several times over on N-O yet you seem to be avoiding the question. You're a clueless arse. A few people rated Bellamy before he signed for Newcastle. He was a bargain and it was obvious in his very first game, if you couldn't see that it is confirmation you are blind as well as having poor judgment. A few goals doesn't make Martins a better footballer than Bellamy. Bellamy is a support striker, again if you can't appreciate this - or the difference between the roles - by now and cling onto a goals stattistic then it is simply more added proof that you are clueless. BTW, I am not avoiding any questions unlike quite a lot of people on here and NO. And to be honest, I don't give a flying fuck who is better than Craig Bellamy, all I saw is a player who was brilliant for Newcastle United and prolonged Alan Shearers career by at least 2 years. I mean, I can ask you a question. Are you really so dumb as you seem ? [but to be fair you aren't the only one] Very very few had seen Bellamy never mind rate him Leazes. He was appalling all season at Coventry. He himself acknowledges that he had a poor time at Cov. He was injured prior to that at Norwich so how people had managed to rate him is beyond me. Norwichs live performances on telly were few and far between. I thought his pace would be useful and a few Norwich fans I knew said he would do well but beyond that few people had a clue about him. Shearer benefited, but it is daft to imply that the partnership was anything other than complimentary. Certainly 70 goals didnt score themselves. If it was that easy then the 27 year old Craig Bellamy would have more than Alan Shearer scored in those 3 seasons. Martins needs time and decent players around him. It is unfortunate that some hanker after an arsehole who couldnt give a toss about anyone but himself. That statement is so bound up in empirical evidence that it doesnt need qualifying. Nor reiterating no matter how fanciful the defence of him can be. Give Martins a chance and wait til we have someone worthy of the shirt to play alongside him. He has shown decent glimpes and scored good goals. However, he is ploughing a lonely furrow when we boot 50 yard balls over his head. We wont see anywhere near his potential in my view until we get shot of the current manager and/or replace half a dozen faces in the first team.

I have to agree with Leazes here, that is plainly not true. When Bellamy first arrived he was a nothing player who'd just flopped at Coventry, he'd only managed 4 caps for Wales and most thought we paid over the odds at the time. Martins on the other hand has managed to score 1 in 3 at a far bigger club than we're ever likely to be, got an average of 1 in 2 in the CL, 7 in 6 in the UEFA cup and 11 in 13 for his country. For someone who likes to spout about facts so much LM I hope you enjoy these, do you think the Bellamy we signed then is better than Shevchenko now? after all he hasn't settled in yet and with your poor knowledge of football outside of this country I doubt you've ever heard of him. BTW are you still backing Roeder? I've asked you several times over on N-O yet you seem to be avoiding the question. To be fair to Baggio I thought he was talking about their respective reputations they bought to the club rather than what they did when they arrived here. It's a fairish point. But I'd love an answer from LM on the last point, but he seems to have gone very quiet. Bellamy was playing alongside far better players, particularly Alan Shearer. Many dunderheeds praise Bellamy for 'getting us to 4th blah blah blah' and forget the inflence of the fella next to him. However, the fella next to him provided far more in that equation for me. 70 goals for shearer in 3 seasons together suggests that they complemented each other well. It would be madness to discount Bellamys influence on that as well as to suggest that the 130 odd goals Shearer scored at Newcastle meant he hadnt done it before. Personally I thnk the comparison is unfair. Martins clearly has talent but how we manage it is another matter. He certainly came with a far better repuation. Bellamys performance for Coventry against Newcastle was appalling and many felt we had thrown money away. Certainly people were astonished at the price we paid for him. Martins needs better players around him. He isnt a player to run the channels like Bellamy but his instinct appears to shoot at the earliest opportunity. Maybe he needs more time. I suspect that is the case.

Ozomatli - Not what you asked for but god fun music from LA Rifles album is very good. Dirty Pretty Things is good as is the Babyshambles album but they arent what you like. Get a copy of the Ordinary boys doing all the things she said by tatu cos thats very good. Bought lots of other stuff but its just ok: Fratellis is Ok in places but nowt new Kasabian is ok but gets on my wick and cant understand why bought it. Cribs/Subways are good but thats old now Go Team. Best album heard for a while but its 2005 New Razorlight one is shite Never played that Editors album cos its so totally inferior to either Interpol album. It gets on me wick aswell. Get yourself some Love, Byrds, Gram Parsons, Gene Clark, Redskins and Spizz Energi and you wont go far wrong. Still like the Coral though. They write very clever little songs. Jeff Buckley album is tripe so wont recommend that but the lass he shagged (Elizabeth Fraser) had a great voice so the Cocteau Twins would be good. Tell you what is very very good though - Ambulance Ltd. Like them a lot. Dears album is pretty good too.

Better than Robert against Tottenham by any chance? Its hard to describe how good Ginola was that night.If you saw Chrissy Waddle against Man City in 1983/84 then that was close (for a winger). Robert against Tottenham is a very poor comparison to either of those two. Those performances were light years ahead of anything Robert managed (or was capable of managing). Seriously. Ginola had to be seen live to be believed that night. You could smell Neil Cox shitting himself anytime Ginola got near him. Unbelievable. The 5 yards that Alex mentions was something I doubt anyone who saw it will forget. It was the ultimate take the piss episode on a football field. Maybe Gazza against Steve Williams at Highbury was close but still nowhere near. And yet for such an amazing player he didn't score or achieve much really, odd that. Comparisons with Robert are one thing, but you are making him sound like an all time great which he wasn't. Making him sound like a talented player Renton. I dont think I have used the word great at all in terms of his contribution to Newcastle United. Of course it depends what achievement is really doesnt it? He achieved two 2nd places in the Premiership with us. He played in a very successful team in our terms. I guess we could argue that Alan Shearer didnt achieve much either really, did he? Is that odd too? Everyones favourite Welsh hunchback has won precisely nowt in his footballing career. What does that prove? Ginola wasnt a great for us but he was undoubtedly one of the most talented players ever to play in Black and White. Probably in the top 5 I have seen. Gazza, Waddle, PB, Shearer and him possessed more talent than any of the others I have seen. He was certainly the catalyst in 1996 in that teams were shit scared of him and Les (and PB). Erratic certainly but this nonsense of more end product from LR is to ignore footballs fundamentals. Newcastle did it everytime we played against him and benefited from it when he was here - teams had to double up on him. He could do it all and he often did. Teams were shit scared of him. Other days he was a lazy twat but he still had the ability to make something happen. I liked Laurent Robert but he really wasnt ever more than a good footballer. Its like trying to compare someone like Craig Bellamy with Peter Beardsley. They really are that far apart in terms of quality. Like i say, unless you saw those first 4 or 5 months of Ginola then you really wouldnt understand why people are giggling at the mere thought of presenting a comparison with Laurent Robert.

Better than Robert against Tottenham by any chance? Its hard to describe how good Ginola was that night.If you saw Chrissy Waddle against Man City in 1983/84 then that was close (for a winger). Robert against Tottenham is a very poor comparison to either of those two. Those performances were light years ahead of anything Robert managed (or was capable of managing). Seriously. Ginola had to be seen live to be believed that night. You could smell Neil Cox shitting himself anytime Ginola got near him. Unbelievable. The 5 yards that Alex mentions was something I doubt anyone who saw it will forget. It was the ultimate take the piss episode on a football field. Maybe Gazza against Steve Williams at Highbury was close but still nowhere near.

Pfff. If Robert scored and created more than Ginola (both similar, attacking players) in a worse team, how is he a worse player? Btw, I mean for us, what either did at other clubs is irrelevant, as that introduces even more confounding variables. Ginola would run games for 90 minutes at his best and he would have two players marking him a lot of the time. There's more to football than pure stats. Ginola had it all and his humiliation of Neil Cox is one of SJPs greatest moments but he never EVER ran for more than 10 minutes never mind 90. Brilliant footballer and its amusing to see people attempt to compare Robert with Ginola and Bellamy with Beardsley. Bellamy and Robert were good players. The other two were on an altogether different level.

Assuming you play a tele. Wouldnt get a stack for a start. Wouldnt get a Marshall either for that matter. Nice Tele through a Mesa DC50 or Fender Silverface will do a far better job The Fender Blues Junior/Fender Hot Rod Deluxe are very good too. If you can afford it then track down a Mesa Mk4 Anyway the answer to your question is that you could but check impedance before you do. The heads and cabs are designed together so there is that to consider. Make sure that they have Celestions. Much better sound. I like Marshalls to be honest.. I play a Les Paul, a tele a strat and an Sg. got a bass too... At the moment i play a Fender Blues Juniour nice but not loud enough. Plus when ever a mobile goes near it switched on iit goes mad apparently that means the valves need changing Checked youre amp??? I have played a Blues Junior to 600 people and beyond that you need it mic'd anyway. Its far too loud for an acoustic drummer which benchmarks the whole PA process really. Most amps will get pissed off with mobiles but check your pickups as well. Marshalls are OK but unless its the Bluesbreaker or 18 watter (basically handwired) I am not keen at all. Anyway, check the impedance on the other issue. Ring Marshall if youre unsure. They are usually helpful. Les Paul and Marshall go together so depends what youre after.

Ta for your help. Much appreciated.

Assuming you play a tele. Wouldnt get a stack for a start. Wouldnt get a Marshall either for that matter. Nice Tele through a Mesa DC50 or Fender Silverface will do a far better job The Fender Blues Junior/Fender Hot Rod Deluxe are very good too. If you can afford it then track down a Mesa Mk4 Anyway the answer to your question is that you could but check impedance before you do. The heads and cabs are designed together so there is that to consider. Make sure that they have Celestions. Much better sound.

Been asked by a group of lasses to recommend some bars on the quayside. They are from Yorkshire but the 6 of them are going out on the piss. Anyway, I havent lived up there for 10 years and as soon as i get to the quayside i just go to the offshore, red house and then cooperage. Certain the cooperage isnt their cup of tea. Suspect this lot will want a club or two and have asked me to make sure they avoid gays bars They are all about 26 If you could recommend any bars I am sure the lasses will be very grateful. Also, can you say where things are too please. Ta. If there are any others in town that you recommend then that would be good too! I just realised I never venture from the same bars.

I stood outside Roker Park for the Bowie gig. He came out with the immortal words "Hello Newcastle"

I'll see your Manchester 1989/90 and raise you a Blackpool 1989. Pretty much anywhere in 89/90 would do me tbh. Yep, thats the one. Went to see the Charlatans instead

vastly over-rated Nirvana at the Riverside I was there for that and didnt notice them. Just another support band. King Kurt were better.

Saw Belly a few times. pretty good. Would have liked to have seen the Redskins a few more times. Saw the Smiths a few times but missed Carlisle gig cos dad wouldnt let me go!!!

My Dad is a musical embarrassment. We passed the City Hall once on the way to the match and turned round to my mam and said 'we saw a "turn" on in there didnt we?' Beatles, Roy Orbison, Gerry and the Pisstakers et al..... He really doesnt understand music at all. Anyway, another good gig was the Wonderstuff and Darling buds at Riverside for 2 nights sometime in the late 80s. Fugazi and Gaye Bikers were also good around the same time. Smiths at Mayfair were excellent though.

Man Utd are millions of fans further down the line - quite literally. I live in Yorkshire and a lot of my mtes are Salford/Sale lads who recognise the infux of daytrippers but the majority of their fans are still Manc based (and surrounding area which is bigger population wise than the north east by some distance). We would fill stadiums a lot easier than Chelsea simply because our fan base has always been big but theirs never has been. Old Trafford has always been the fullest stadium in terms of consistency for years. They didnt actually win much at all from the early seventies to late 80s but still managed to pile the fans in. In those days there wasnt such a 'daytripper' culture either. Still a few mind. We can outdo most but Man Utd. Liverpools support is less stable. In fact shite at times.

It was one of my "things to do before I die"....only 3 left and I can shoot off If I had to see REM before i could shoot off it my arms would be half the size. each to their own mate...each to their own Seen then a few times and they are very god live. Saw them at City Hall the night Arsenal won the league (1989) and at tiffanys a few years earlier. Prefer the stuff like Document to later stuff.

It was one of my "things to do before I die"....only 3 left and I can shoot off If I had to see REM before i could shoot off it my arms would be half the size.

It might be diverse but to be honest it is mostly still shite in a mockney accent. one or two decent songs in a career from alburn. Saw him as well at Rollercoaster tour with My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr Pretty good too.

Oasis at Maine Road. I imagine you'll want to delete your post now tbh. Coldplay were alreet when I saw them too. I wish I'd gone to the one at the COM Stadium last year to be honest, that would have been ace. Nah. Maine Road tbh. At their peak! Only saw Oasis once and that was at the Riverside - got short changed really for obvious reasons Best gig is hard to say .. Smiths at Mayfair, Redskins and Bunnymen at York Racecourse, Cult were very good at Tiffanys before they went all rocky. Probably the best is the Bhundu Boys at Riverside. Just a very good night alround and Guinness and whisky all night.

I agree. I've gave up on him. Yep. Me too. Got the attributes if you ignore the fact that he never uses his head. I've always hoped he would become a good player because he should be. His whole game has always been one of not using his brain, when he has concentration lapses thats what its about, he can't stay alert. When he passes the ball long too often , he is posing and can't use his brain to tell him to play short passes and vary his game, never mind the fact that the short safe pass for someone in his position is the sensible ball and the one he should play 99% of the time. His passing ability is awesome, but he should keep it for when it counts and it would be more effective if it wasn't expected. Such things are basic kids stuff. His tackle on Saturday showed his lack of brains too. Roeder is the first manager he has had who was a defender, and a captain/talking defender too, so if he can't spell it out to him then the only way he will go now is down. I've had enough. I think thats the best thing you have written. I do wonder though about Roeders comments about tiredness. Not necessarily physical but mental tiredness. His mistakes do tend to happen at later in the game although I am sure he has fucked up early in them. Not sure there is anything you can do about that. Despite his size he is still the only centre half with anything approaching decent speed. He played very well initially under Roeder and I thought he was getting somewhere. Like you say, enough is enough. One thing is certain we need to get some pace and strength in that back four. Not sure Emre helps them either - good ball player but we need some presence. Liverpool looked like bloody giants in the same way Arsenal used to. They have athletes in midfield and all can play. That Sissoko is looking a very good player and if we used the wide men properly we could do with someone imposing like him alongside Parker. Not our usual game plan but protecting that lot at the back has to be thought about. Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal with Gilberto and Vieria were never shy in using big fellas with talent. Man Utd had Keane and he was more than enough for anyone - in my view the best premiership player ever - as much as I hate to say it. We look fragile without Titus never mind with him.