Howaythetoon

this from the man who brought you OTTMAR OTTMAR OTTMAR why wouldn't he come? fucking hell HTT you've changed your fucking tune How have I changed my tune? The summer was the ideal time to bring in a top manager, not now. We have twice fucked up big opportunities to bring in top-class managers, when SBR got sacked and back in the summer.

A dreadful manager doing a good job. A dreadful manager doing a good job as a manager? You what? He's an average manager somehow doing an unaverage job, in the circumstances. Better? So to be "good" now you don't have to be in the top half of the league? He's the epitome of an average manager man, stop using meaningless stats from the intertoto cup to big him up. I've already stated he is an average manager and it seems you agree with me, so what is your point exactly? OK then, I disagree with you that he's doing a good job, or an unaverage one as you put it. Poor manager doing a worse than average job would be more apt. Fair enough, I disagree though. I think since taking over from Souness first as a caretaker and now as actual manager, he has done a very good job in the main, especially given that he is average to say the least and has had a whole lot of problems to contend with that would have sunk other managers, even better ones than himself. I also like the man and badly want him to succeed, NUFC can be cruel enough, and I'd hate for a good man who has served us well first as a player, then as academy director, caretaker and now manager, to be chewed up and spat out like so many others, not under these circumstances. Had he spent lots of money, had all his first-teamers available to pick from, and we were where we are, then all the moans and groans would be quite valid. Until he can do that, I think he deserves some slack and our patience or at least understanding because he really is doing the best he can with what he has to work with and for a limited manager that's all I can ask of him myself. 15 Million quid isn't much money? More than most, he didn't have to blow it all on two players did he? This is why he has no right to complain about the paucity of our squad. I really don't care if the bloke is likable or not, fact is he is not a big enough name to attract the top players and never will be. You're settling for mediocrity imo. There was no-one more critical of Roeder's transfer dealings in the summer than me, he messed up big time, and is responsible for the squad being ill-prepared to cope with a full league and cup campaign. However, has he complained? I don't think he has, he recognises the injury crisis and the need to sign new players but I don't think he has blamed the paucity of talent or numbers for our woes, has he? Anyway, £15m was never going to be enough, not to replace Faye, Bowyer, Boumsong, Shearer, Owen and Chopra. A sizeable lump of that money was always going to go on a big name striker anyway, as fans were demanding. If it wasn't Martins it was Kuyt, Defoe, Bent or Klose. He could have made better use of freebies and loan signings of course but what is done is done, and I'm not exactly sure he had much of a say in one or two who were brought in, ala Duff and the McKay boys. As for not being a big enough name to attract the top players, money talks, players don't sign for NUFC because of who the manager is, those days ended with the departure of KK and then SBR, they sign for the money so I have no fears on that front. I remember everyone saying how the best we'll get under Souness was players of the calibre of Dickov et al as no top player would sign for him. Well he was the man who signed Owen who joined us for the money, in reality. Martins signed for Roeder and he was regarded as one of the hottest young strikers in European football. And you may have forgotten but we have no choice but to accept mediocrity or what we have, unless you're going to storm troop St. James' Park and remove Roeder yourself or the board. You may prefer to piss and moan and over analyse every negative aspect of Roeder's tenure or abilities and that's your prerogative but I prefer to be realistic and excuse an average manager with his hands tied behind his back with the odd Cup upset or difficulty. I see NUFC for what we are; a medicore club and until we are in a position to attract a better manager to move out of medicority, we have to accept that Roeder is as good as it gets in the meantime and look at the positives which when you DO look at them, far outweigh the negatives and show that he really is doing a good job, given his abilities and the injury crisis that has seen an almost full team out. I'd like to see where Man Utd would be without the majority of their first-team to select from, or if they lost Ronaldo and Rooney their two key players like we have lost ours (Shearer and Owen) in the past year. We are or were just 3 points behind Spurs who spent big in the summer, bringing in lots of new talent, who haven't had an injury crisis deplete their starting eleven like we have, and that's under Jol who many would rather have here over Roeder. Just goes to show you how good a job Roeder is doing.

I don't think it's his intended point but I think a point has been made, that some fans insist on instant success and will complain bitterly until there's a trophy being paraded around St James' (a proper one, made out of metal). They whinge and moan when we're fighting relegation, they whinge and moan when we climb out of danger, they whinge and moan as we start pushing the European places. It's the kind of attitude that gives me (a very little bit of) sympathy for Shepherd and gives him a small excuse for his terrible record of hiring and firing managers. I think most of want to be challenging for trophies, personally I've given up hope that we will ever win one. And that simply isn't happening right now. If others are happy to be mid table and out the cups then good for them, but personally I regard that prospect as depressing. I don't mind if we fail trying to suceed, but I want us to do everything possible to win somthing and first on the list has to be a top class manager. But we don't have a top-class manager, this is what gets me. People are expecting better from a manager they believe to be average or worse, shit. So why the high expectations from this shite manager? After the Man Utd game, some were saying we shouldn't be too pleased because they tore us apart, same with the Spurs game, what are people expecting here? A bit of realism is needed on those stands. I want us to be challenging for titles and this season is both depressing and unacceptable, but sometimes you have to concede that we can't always get what we want or be where we believe we should be, and therefore have to accept the situation, as much as it may hurt. We have an average manager, an average team littered with kids, dead wood and some good players, are in financial strife, have a boardroom that has proven itself inept and the competition around us is strong and improving all the time, this on the back of Souness' mess. To be frank, still being in the UEFA Cup and just a few wins off 6th, is amazing all things considered. I'd be happy with another top 7 finish, I'd class that as a small achievement and a sign of progress, we are in a position to finish in such a place so I'm generally quite open minded about the whole situation the club finds itself in.

I'd take a point right now tbh. I expect a scrappy game won by the odd goal. Hopefully a home win, 2-1 I say. Howay the lads!

A dreadful manager doing a good job. A dreadful manager doing a good job as a manager? You what? He's an average manager somehow doing an unaverage job, in the circumstances. Better? So to be "good" now you don't have to be in the top half of the league? He's the epitome of an average manager man, stop using meaningless stats from the intertoto cup to big him up. I've already stated he is an average manager and it seems you agree with me, so what is your point exactly? OK then, I disagree with you that he's doing a good job, or an unaverage one as you put it. Poor manager doing a worse than average job would be more apt. Fair enough, I disagree though. I think since taking over from Souness first as a caretaker and now as actual manager, he has done a very good job in the main, especially given that he is average to say the least and has had a whole lot of problems to contend with that would have sunk other managers, even better ones than himself. I also like the man and badly want him to succeed, NUFC can be cruel enough, and I'd hate for a good man who has served us well first as a player, then as academy director, caretaker and now manager, to be chewed up and spat out like so many others, not under these circumstances. Had he spent lots of money, had all his first-teamers available to pick from, and we were where we are, then all the moans and groans would be quite valid. Until he can do that, I think he deserves some slack and our patience or at least understanding because he really is doing the best he can with what he has to work with and for a limited manager that's all I can ask of him myself.

I'd love to be able to play the guitar myself but any attempt so far has failed. I don't have the patience.

I'd go: Shay Nobby Ramage Huntington O'Brien Dyer Parker Butt Milner Sibbers Martins

A dreadful manager doing a good job. A dreadful manager doing a good job as a manager? You what? He's an average manager somehow doing an unaverage job, in the circumstances. Better? So to be "good" now you don't have to be in the top half of the league? He's the epitome of an average manager man, stop using meaningless stats from the intertoto cup to big him up. I've already stated he is an average manager and it seems you agree with me, so what is your point exactly?

A dreadful manager doing a good job. A dreadful manager doing a good job as a manager? You what? He's an average manager somehow doing an unaverage job, in the circumstances. Better?

The joys of being unemployed...

I take it J69 is a non drinking puff then, aye

Aye, nowt worse Jon. Well maybe except being in the company of drunk people when you yourself are NOT drunk, if only because it makes you realise how much of a nob you probably are when you're drunk yourself, just like your drunken mates who keep repeating themselves, talking dead loud and cadging all your tabs while falling about and spilling things. That's why I think we have alcoholics you know, they've probably had bad experiences in their past while sober amongst drunks so in order to make sure they're never in the company of drunks while not drunk themselves again, they become permanently pissed.

Aye, I hate it when people post an opinion on a subject that is straight out of book Ergo the crux of my argument against tinsle boy. If people just said they really found his work entertaining I'd go along with it. But it is all this adding of film theory and the magnifyied of his importance that irritates me. Why though? Can you not judge him based purely on his films and not what others make of him or don't make of him? What others say or think should be irrelevant. Why is there even a need to discuss whether he's overrated or not, who cares. Virign to film threads alert! .....cause I display the same fawning of my fav films/dir as the geeks that irritate me. I love my films, all kinds of films, but they are just films, you watch them, and that's it. Good to while away two hours or so. Anyway I prefer more productive things to TV and DVD, like posting on message boards

Aye, I hate it when people post an opinion on a subject that is straight out of book Ergo the crux of my argument against tinsle boy. If people just said they really found his work entertaining I'd go along with it. But it is all this adding of film theory and the magnifyied of his importance that irritates me. Why though? Can you not judge him based purely on his films and not what others make of him or don't make of him? What others say or think should be irrelevant. Why is there even a need to discuss whether he's overrated or not, who cares - THEY ARE JUST FILMS MAN!

A dreadful manager doing a good job.

Aye, I hate it when people post an opinion on a subject that is straight out of book Or a reply.

If a film entertains in whatever context that comes in, then that's all that matters, surely. Generally Tarantino films entertain so he gets a thumbs up from me. Too many film geeks in this thread tbh

I think the climate is far more unpredictable these days for sure. Last January in Newcastle it was cold and we had snow, this year it has been warmer, no snow so far, but much more windy and more rain. Less icy too and less fog/frost.

15th with no hope of Europe and a big hole to the tune of 50m in the transfer kitty. Since then a respectable 7th place finish, successful European qualification via the back door, successful (unbeaten) qualification from the UEFA Cup group of death stage, currently a few wins off the top 6 and all with a patched up squad of youngsters, a foreign midget striker new to the league, 33 year-old Sibbers, a few stalwarts, a full-team out injured, demanding fans, no Owen, no Shearer and no first choice assistant. All in all I'd say he's done a damn fine job in the circumstances. 28 wins from 55 games gives him the highest win ratio of any Toon manager. It may not seem like we've been winning matches, but we have. Pointless including cup games, especially intertoto and UEFA ones. If you look at his record in the league since he's actually been manager it's W8, D5, L10. Is that impressive considering he's spent more than most his rivals? And again what is the point of the comparison with Souness. I may be much better looking than Dean Gaffney, but it doesn't make me Brad Pitt. Maybe so but when you scratch deep and consider all the circumstances like injuries, no Shearer, no Owen etc. then that job he has done looks even more remarkable, how manay managers aound him have had to put up with what he has had to? 28 wins in 55 games is a very good record, regardless and a true reflection of the job he has done, all things considered. Who should we compare him to? SBR, KK? I don't see a problem in comparing him to Souness given he is his successor and according to some, even worse or the same. We'd be dead and burried under Souness by now with all our problems and let me remind you SBR for 2 years done an average job with far better players at his disposal and without the competition around us or the problems Roeder has encountered. Don't get me wrong, I know he is an average manager and that under him we won't reach CL heights or top 4 finishes but sometimes I feel people expect way too much, and ironically most of these people demanding the earth from Roeder, consider him to be shite and doing a shite job. He's done a fantastic job and deserves some credit and a bit slack from his detractors, in my opinion anyway.

Awesome player, one of my all-time faves. Cheers for the link 2J, haven't seen that before.

Who cares about West Ham, at NUFC his record is 28 wins in 55 games and weren't they 5 points off safety when Roeder took ill? Also, the WHU support is split on Roeder, some blame him, some say he was the victim of circumstances - as ever the truth is probably in between.

Is this a first, Alex starting a thread? Shocked!

Played on the right-wing in the pre-season friendly against PSV, looked very good too and is clearly talented, seemed quite strong and comfortable there despite references to him being a striker.

Watched a life less ordinary the other night, got it on DVD recently, about Jimmy Boyle, canny film, I like your cheap British films.

I doubt we'd spend good money on a 20 year-old Peruvian not when there isn't that much money to throw about and when more pressing positions need addressed. Pure speculation in my opinion and a good bit of old fashioned 2 + 2 = From what I've heard expect no signing that costs money, just loans.