Matt

Of course Fred wants us in Europe for the extra cash, but we shouldn't assume we NEED to be in Europe or else we are for the wall.

Well we've already had the story of Owen joining Newcastle and with the transfer window closed they need to fill the air with something. This 'getting into Europe' business is just a poor generalisation for the layman. Obviously European games boost income (in the case of the CL massively so) but we've hardly been on the ragged edge over last season when we played in the UEFA to a half-empty ground. As long as turnover is solid, then we'll be fine. We don't have any super-high-interest loans like Leeds and Chelsea took out.

They are talking shite. I'd be amazed if any club will ever manage to do what Leeds did, it was remarkably bad management. We've spent a bit, we're fine. It's not like we've spent £90m we didnt have. The Owen deal will be paid over time, just as the money from Jenas will be coming in. Just another scouse being unnecessarily bitter.

Souness will have headed back to Spain and Shepherd and the various dealmakers will probably sleep for a week now.

NOBBY Solano has completed his move back to St. James' Park from Aston Villa after finalising the transfer shortly before the closure of the August transfer window. The Peruvian passed a medical on Tyneside on Wednesday night before signing his contract. He joins The Magpies on an initial two-year deal with an option on the club's part to extend it for a further 12 months. Solano will once again wear the number four jersey, which was vacated following Nicky Butt's season-long loan move to Birmingham City. And his return to St. James' coincides with James Milner travelling to Villa in the opposite direction to spend the rest of the campaign with the west Midlands outfit. Nobby told nufc.co.uk: "It's great to be back at Newcastle and I hope we can have a really successful season here." Delighted chairman Freddy Shepherd added: "It's great to have Nobby back and I am sure all the fans are thrilled by the news." The 30-year old, who left United in January 2004, initially moved to Tyneside in August 1998 and went on to make a total of 214 appearances for Newcastle - with a further 20 from the bench - scoring 38 goals. The signing of Solano completed what had been an extraordinary day at St. James' Park, one which began with Michael Owen becoming the club's record signing after joining from Real Madrid on a four-year deal, and which also saw midfielder Jermaine Jenas move to Tottenham Hotspur. Solano was a firm favourite with Gallowgate crowd, and the news is sure to delight the fans who chanted his name at the unveiling of Michael Owen earlier in the day. Solano will have to wait for his United debut as he has two games left of a three-match ban following a recent red card for Villa at Portsmouth

Severe case of journalistic hard-on. He was more excited than anyone in the crowd.

He's served one so will miss Fulham and Blackburn. His 'second' debut will be against Man Shity on Sept 24th. 25514[/snapback] Arsebiscuits. I'm away that day.

I must have missed the bit with Souness stoking up the crowd. It was being sung spontaneously, the only gee-ing up was when Jim White provided an update on the Solano situation off-air over the PA.

Balague said tonight how he thinks Owen is one of the best strikers in the world. Considering we've just finished 14th last season, it's some coup.

Plenty of people will be having little sly digs, but I don't think any of us give a monkey's. This is fan-bloody-tastic.

I've not got a job yet so I'll probably mosey on down, digital camera in hand. Will aim to turn up as late as possible.

Nice work, just put the Emre one on my desktop.

Hype can be a terrible thing. Take Franz Ferdinand, their album was good but it was not some kind of momentous event in music, the way that some people went on about it. I've not listened to it in months and have no desire to, as thanks to media overkill I'd had it up to the gills with them. Kaiser Chiefs and the Bravery are both OK and again to not warrant the coverage. There seems to be a resitance to the fact that bands (in fact most bands) exist somewhere between awful and revolutionary.

I own an alarmingly low number of these. I've been meaning to 'backdate' (in that I wasn't aware of them when they first came out) my CD collection for sometime, but have never got round to it.

Spurs have benefited from the fact he's on a Bosman in 2006, plus he has some release clauses in his contract - not sure of the technicalities.

Superb!

With all that cash, you'd think they would hire someone to design a decent forum.

Drum and Bass is a funny one. I can listen to it and really enjoy it, but after about 20 minutes I can't take any more and have to put something else on.

I'd just like to add that 'Moon Safari' by Air is probably my top album.

Hmm. I'm not even sure what we're debating anymore. Something to do with you being wrong, I think....

Because people like it= a matter of taste. I am sane, sober (usually) and have a fairly sizeable pile of CDs (such as the aforementioned Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Prodigy, Fatboy Slim's earlier albums, Air and a good few Ministry of Sound albums before they started filling them with every chart release they could find). I also have about 100-150 12" house released, some on the prog side of that genre, but mainly French and funk-inspired house. I'm also a fan of the soul styles and hammond-and-bass-driven funk that proved as an inspiration for the earliest forms of house and remained close every since. Now, you've met me enough to know I am not a pill-popping 'propa radgie'. So unless I am, your supposition must be incorrect.

'Good' is entirely subjective of course, and a futile point of argument. My top songs fall either side of the electronic divide. This thread of course is music that you don't 'get' rather than you don't like.

I'm not going to stand up and say that the Flip and Fill types are doing is great music. I've already stated they are professional churners and do it to satisfy a demand and put food on their table back home. But there is no way you can generalise electronic music as requiring less talent becuase the music must still be written and performed, but with elements of programming which are MUSICAL, not computerised. While there are some similarities, producing a sound requires understanding of music far beyond the basics. These people are not coding a page of JavaScript. You might have twigged, but you appear to have stepped on one of my rant subjects.

You still have to put the music IN, though. You are suggesting that musicians in the electronic field are incapable of music, that they are not musicians per se, which is an unfair claim. Technology cannot write music (although it probably could if you really wanted it to). It simply does what the person cannot do (unless you know anyone who can sing a sawtooth wave). The result of various technological developments is a range of new sonic possibilities. Yes, the pop producers use it to replace those who can't sing in tune (Antares Autotune) but has also allowed the intuitive to develop something original (the Autotune has been used extensively by Daft Punk- particularly when used with a guitar riff in the vocals in Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger- and yes they did play the guitar themselves.) These people are musicians and in many cases musicians who have gone to far greater lengths than many you may showcase as exemplary specimens.

Pre-match is fine, but I'm touch and go for afterwards as I'm waiting on confirmation of the date of a mate's housewarming party in Boro.