Kitman

In all honesty maybe we didn't need it with the likes of Keegan, Daglish and Robson, they probably were scouting networks on their own to a degree. But the lack of youth development (local and imported) and scouting is plain ridiculous (it's not like Fergy or Wenger is personally searching out young players he likes the look of). And stability.... how much different would things be looking now in just that context if Keegan had stayed. Which is the one good thing at the moment if the Shearer rumours are true, 4 year contract. Of course that assumes he isn't sacked (or isn't just rubbish). I agee, the lack of scouting has aggravated the bad buy huge wage cycle. And the lack of yoof development

It helps to have a manager you don't have to sack after they've blown your wad on their shite players. We've ripped it up and started again half a dozen times since the stability of SBR Of course by default that is a case for a DOF. Or not fucking up in appointing a manager. Again and again and again. Again, even with a goodish manager and had we still been in the PL we were probably about 8th choice for a player in this league and about 30th choice for a player if clubs of similar standing in Euro are taken into account. Yes, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Unless you're Chelsea. What's wrong with stability and steady improvement?

Aye a lot of it maybe, but John Hall can still bugger off all the same, he's pretty much spent his goodwill with his behaviour since ~1998. He had ample chances to help the club out in that period, but choose £££'s over that ever time. Yes. I didn't mean to imply he was blameless.

It helps to have a manager you don't have to sack after they've blown your wad on their shite players. We've ripped it up and started again half a dozen times since the stability of SBR Of course by default that is a case for a DOF. Or not fucking up in appointing a manager. Again and again and again.

It helps to have a manager you don't have to sack after they've blown your wad on their shite players. We've ripped it up and started again half a dozen times since the stability of SBR

We've been overpaying for a decade nowt to do with Ashley. It is a bigger problem than just the failings of one particular regime. Oh I agree I'm just saying that the new regime has hardly addressed the problem. We've sold players in January presumably to fund the wage bill but as it turned out they were players we couldn't spare. They've brought in players like Barton, Cacapa, Nolan, Xisco, and R. Taylor presumably on high wages, players who like their predecessors aren't good enough. I think they were gambling on getting through to the summer in the premiership when they could start making serious in-roads in the wage bill by kissing off the likes of Owen and Viduka. Even if we'd stayed up I was expecting some surgery on the squad. Now it will presumably involve full scale amputation. Yes, yes yes... But there seems to be no easy ans to the greater problem ie How to get/attract good upcoming players and keep them without paying mad money. Well that's the nature of the Prem. Certain people might call it ambition...... These days the players and their agents hold the whip hand in terms of wage demands. The strategy our club professes to prefer is the Arsenal model of buying lots of talent cheap and nurturing it. The only drawback is Arsenal have Arsene Wenger, we had Dennis Wise and er Joe Kinnear. Arsenal have a successful team, we have been shite for a long time. The answer is probably a blend of youth and experience, which is what Boro were trying to do, and got relegated. That might be cos they have a crap manager though.

I'd add that we've been living beyond our means for years, I think that's obvious. Part of that is trying to attract players to the club when we're not so attractive. This investment has not been repaid through success because we've chosen the wrong players/managers as it turns out.

We've been overpaying for a decade nowt to do with Ashley. It is a bigger problem than just the failings of one particular regime. Oh I agree I'm just saying that the new regime has hardly addressed the problem. We've sold players in January presumably to fund the wage bill but as it turned out they were players we couldn't spare. They've brought in players like Barton, Cacapa, Nolan, Xisco, and R. Taylor presumably on high wages, players who like their predecessors aren't good enough. I think they were gambling on getting through to the summer in the premiership when they could start making serious in-roads in the wage bill by kissing off the likes of Owen and Viduka. Even if we'd stayed up I was expecting some surgery on the squad. Now it will presumably involve full scale amputation.

In many ways we're paying for the sins of the past because of transfer fees and wages wasted on average or over the hill players with no strings attached. However the trend's continued under Ashley with some crap players bought and presumably high wages too. And there was no excuse for the January transfer window.

I find it hard to disagree with any of that

Be seeing you

Would this be the Stan Collymore who always put himself before all the clubs he paid for? Did he repay any of his wages whilst he was off work receiving stress counselling? Does he think he was good value for the transfer fee clubs like Liverpool paid for him? Staggering hypocrisy imo. I can see his point but personally I think it would be better all round if we see the back of Owen. We don't need the aggro, hassle and press attention and Owen doesn't want to play for us.

So many huge mistakes. But the failure to act decisively in the transfer window was the biggest for me. That and the failure to appoint a credible manager when Keegan walked out, which we only managed to do with 8 games to go.

Ability to do the hokey cokey and fall over the ball not required, thank you

That article's actually quite heartening. Damn this optimism I'm beginning to feel!!!

They've been blown away apparently. Just heard Windass turned us down, freeing up the transfer money for a fish and chip supper for the directors

All these useless cunts are trying to hang onto the gravy train the leeches. Out. This. In my experience these bastards also make their pledges of loyalty for personal reasons, either because they're busy arranging transfers but don't want to lose their "loyalty" bonuses or because they don't want the fans on their back in the street. Personally I'd like to see the back of him, that "Newcastle are too big a club for the Championship" is exactly the sort of billy big player bollocks that we can do without and which got us relegated in the first place.

Lot of Northern and midland teams there. With exception of teams like Plymouth, Ipswich and the Welsh teams, not too bad to get to for toon fans. Not that it affects me of course.

It's an interesting question. On the one hand he's motivated by money, on the other hand he wants to play for England. He might be as washed up as Geremi due to his injuries. Who is going to be big enough for Wor Mickey, prepared to gamble on his fragile body AND pay him enough money to feed the horses? I could see him warming the bench for some big foreign team but I can't for the life of me think of anyone who'd want to sign him now. He might finally need to take a massive pay cut, the greedy bastard.

I think funds have been put aside for Dean Windass

are you a relative of Derek's by any chance?

must go down as one of the worst prem signings of all time surely, hopefully when hes shit and injury prone somewhere else too the media will stop buttfucking him as being "a top top player" "world class finisher" etc etc and recognise that since hes been 24-25 hes been shit and since that amounts to around half his carreer (assuming he doesnt suddenly get good again) he does not deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as "top class" Indeed. It's all about him and England and always will be. Never mind we've paid huge amounts of money for a player who's either been recuperating from his last injury or marking time till his next one. Let him go and distract some other club with the England media circus, we don't need a player made from glass in the championship.

Can't wait to see the back of him now. Massive waste of money and not worth the hassle. I don't care where he goes, anywhere but us.

I wonder whether we'll get an apology from Ashley and LLambias for the mess they've made.

I feel like shite. Can't wait for it to be over. Howay the lads!