acrossthepond

That doesn't sound too bad, actually, if only he actually planned to sell.

Yes, because clubs never pay for players from other clubs whose fans think they are shit. Never.

Beye/Bassong/Enrique/Jonas/Harper... Aye, that's about it. As much as I love Martins he won't stay and he's done FA this season anyway and the rest I have absolutely no inclination towards and they can book a coach now for all I care. Bassong will be sold though. Enrique probably as well, and if we really do have to pay 5m for Jonas now they'll probably sell him too.

Still can't bring myself to blame him. Yes, I think it is justified to question him for walking out again (even though I agree with his stated reasons for doing so.) And yes, it is inconceivable that we would be anywhere near relegation let alone 3 points adrift and staring down the barrel. But the administration - the same one that lied to him, ruined his plans, and made his position untenable - could possibly have been forgiven if they'd had a plan. It's obvious, 30+ games later,that they never had a clue and the subsequent farce of Kinnear, Hughton, Kevin Nolan, selling Given, et al. is solely down to them. When we go down there's only one man who will be responsible and it won't be Kevin Keegan.

If mediocre is having the best home defence in the league, reaching a cup final, being unbeaten (apart from the Webb massacre on saturday) against the top 4, vying for a european place despite having our worst start to a league season then ill take that. All day long. Getting to a cup final means approximately fuck all if you get beat. We have been runners up in the F.A cup 7 times and I don't think we got anything for it... Yet you bang on about qualifying for the champions league. The aim of the game is trophies and it has been a while for you lads. To be fair, being in the Champions League is great for everyone involved as it brings in huge income that clubs not in the competition don't get. Winning it is great but we weren't likely to do that. It did bring us a lot of money and profile though. Are you seriously trying to tell us that you'd only be happy if Spurs WON it rather than compete in it? Didn't think so. He has actually tried to make that argument before, check that thread about how we were invited to some sort of European group of elite clubs instead of Spurs to read some of his best frothing yet.

Was looking forward with nervous anticipation to this all day at work, only to come home and find out my stream recording thing hadn't worked. Gutted until I saw the result. ...almost glad now that I didn't have to sit through what was by all accounts 90 minutes of fucking overpaid worthless scum running around in my club's shirt. We are down. Thanks for everything, Mike.

We've talked a lot about 'must-win' games this season, but I don't think it ever really sank home with the players. I hope this one does. Because if we don't win, we go down, end of story. Appropriate that it's against Portsmouth again. I hope we have another David Kelly.

86 degrees (30 C) in NYC these past two days and not a munter in sight...

Now that would be classic. Hope to see them in the Football League soon.

One thing's for sure, we need soopa geordie legend Steve Bruce to do a job on that fat hoofball bastard, and Liverpool/Arsenal to do to their opponents what they did to us. I am sure we can beat Pompey but it's out of our hands now...

We haven't paid owt yet for Jonas (or gonzalez, loan signing anyway) and he's a far better signing than those on that list. Where's Gomes like?

This'll be us in three years or so. Rupert Lowe and Mike Ashley, names that will live in infamy.

Already found out tbh. on the beard though.

Front is much nicer than our current one, back is truly gash. Also what's been said about the crest is spot on - Craig's render looks infinitely better than the slops we're wearing atm. Very dodgy business with the panel on the back but what can we expect from 'NUFC Direct?'

Agree totally: --------------------Harper----------------- --Beye---Bassong---Saylor---Enrique-- --------Jonas---Guthrie---Duff----------- --------Owen---Viduka---Martins-------- For me --------------------Harper----------------- --Beye---Bassong---Saylor---Enrique-- --------Jonas---Guthrie---Duff----------- --------------------Owen------------------ --------------Viduka---Martins----------- This for me. Exactly it. Our best starting XI I believe (don't even talk to me about Barton.) This team can beat Portsmouth, I am sure of it.

We so easily could've had him. Instead we got...oh, who did we sign that January? I remember - no-one.

You mean just below Palace and just above Watford, right?

We'll beat Portsmouth. They're awful, they're broke, and their best players want out, and they're probably safe so they'll have less to play for.

I like 19th century hotels - what can I say?

The original Bellevue Palace was built by the financier Friedrich Osswald in 1865 immediately adjacent to the seat of the federal government, the Bundeshaus. His heirs had the hotel torn down and rebuilt it in 1910[2] in the neoclassicist style. The new Bellevue Palace was reopened in 1913 and General Ulrich Wille made it Switzerland's military headquarters during World War I.[1] During World War II, the hotel remained open for business. It became a focal point of the warring powers' diplomatic and intelligence activities in Switzerland and its bar a haunt of OSS station chief Allen Dulles.[3][2] One half of the restaurant came to be frequented by Allied guests and the other by patrons from Axis states. After the war, the hotel's fortunes declined sharply.[2] To prevent the state hotel from being acquired by foreign buyers, the Swiss National Bank acquired it in 1976, and in 1994 made a gift of it to the Confederation, which retains 99.7% of the hotel's shares.[1] After it became apparent that the Bellevue Palace was in need of an overhaul, as it lacked amenities such as air conditioning,[1] it was closed in 2002 for a one-year renovation that cost CHF 40 million and cut the number of rooms from 230 to 130.[1] Following a spate of bad publicity over low staff wages,[1] the Confederation turned over the management to a chain of Swiss luxury hotels in 2007.[4] The Bellevue Palace has been host to a great number of heads of state and government, including Winston Churchill, Mikhail Gorbachev, Jawaharlal Nehru,[1] Queen Elizabeth II and Emperor Akihito.[5] When it was used as a negotiating venue in the Helsinki process during the Cold War, some participants called it "the best-protected building in Europe" due to its array of security features and extensive police protection.[6] Parts of John le Carré's spy novel Smiley's People and its TV adaption are set in the Bellevue Palace.[5] In Swiss politics, the hotel's bar and lounge are known to be the site of much late-night political horse trading during parliamentary sessions, such as arranging elections of Federal Councillors.[1] Apart from ballrooms, restaurants, salons, bars and conference facilities, the Bellevue Palace features an array of suites, including an extensive "Presidential Suite" with a view of the Bernese Alps over the River Aar.[1] The hotel's cuisine is rated at 16 Gault Millau points.[5] Frommer's Switzerland describes the Bellevue Palace as "the grand old dame of Bern" and "the most lavish and opulent choice in town", opining that "dining on the renowned Bellevue Terrace is one of the reasons to come to Bern."[7] The hotel is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World association.

What can I say, I have a lot of knowledge to impart. Either that or this place is dead without me. Rather that than be some 24/7 lurker. In....bang....and Im out Its the way I roll. Heading towards 3000 posts lad, you can make it tonight easy. Now, I'm no maths whiz, but in just over 11 months you'll have amassed around 272 posts a month, boiling down to 9 posts a day, on average, on another team's board whose members are openly hostile to you. Tells its own story like.

Think you're being a little harsh on Beye for example, never been anything but a class defender and model pro for us. I just keep looking up and seeing Owen collecting the ball at the halfway line. Our midfield is so shite that he always has to track back to collect passes/loose balls and at this stage in his career he's not much more than a poacher, so that's not a good position for him. If Viduka can stay fit then I think we'll be seeing more of Owen.

I'd have him every game over Ryan Taylor to be brutally honest. The man isn't a footballer, I don't know what he is but I don't want him anywhere near the pitch.

Putting Martins and Viduka on changed the game. 90 minutes of them on the pitch and I think we could've had a draw. It's still not hopeless. Portsmouth aren't a good side as evidenced by how we thumped them last time with essentially the same team and we can beat them again. However Shearer needs to do to R. Taylor what he did to Coloccini - leave him out the squad. Liability. Butt is the same way. Harper Beye/S. Taylor/Bassong/Enrique Jonas Guthrie Duff Owen Martins Viduka ...there's still hope.

Would've had Guthrie ahead of Nolan and of course Enrique ahead of R. Taylor (Beye/S. Taylor/Bassong/Enrique) but apart from that, that's one of our stronger starting XIs all season. Let's hope he puts on Martins when their defence is starting to flag. Dawson should have a right old time with him EDIT: 2-1 to them by the way.