David Kelly

Lovenkrands is absolute gash on the wing, hes a lot better playing up front or sitting just behind the strikers. Gash against top class premiership defenders. Remember how bad Shola looks in the premier league and then think about his five goals in five games this season!

: But we can still do loan deals. Eh, I thought you couldn’t, only emergency loans outside the transfer windows, i.e. ’keepers. The definition of emergancy loans is so vague that you can basically sign anyone you want anyway.

We were never going to do anything other than loans and freebies were we. I said last night that today was all about holding on to what we had. It's probably more difficult to sort out loans today too when the other clubs are actually trying to spend or bring money in. Hopefully we'll get a few in by the time we play Cardiff. Lovenkrands is a good deal for us btw. I can see him getting 15 goals this season in this division.

I think the goal gave us a big confidence boost last night. Up until then they looked much more likely to score than us and we looked like we were frightened that with the missing players we couldn't cope. Once we scored we were a different team bossing the midfield and providing Ranger with some half decent amunition for him to come into his own. I also think Simpson deserves a bit of credit for his performance. He's clearly never going to be a centre half but he rarely looked at all troubled there last night.

I wouldn't argue, but he hasn't changed my view of him so far this season. I didn't see the game last night like. X2

I don't think we can aford to get rid of anyone with the squad the way it is but Nolans been anything but impressive to me this season or last. Admittedly I haven't seen the last two games but I thought he was annonymous against WBA, Reading and Sheff Wed. I'd have him behind Smith, Barton, Guthrie and probably Butt for a midfield spot myself.

All sounds very promising but no ones going to beleive a word of it any more unless something actually happens.

You are aware how much we refused to pay Bassong, right? We didn't have to pay him any more than he was on though did we? He had a contract so why should we increase his wages in our current state? That doesn't necessarily mean we would pay him thick end of £30k like anyway. I'll leave Peasepud to answer this one but I don't think it's preposterous for our best player to ask for a salary which still falls short of the amount we're paying another (absolutely gash) player's agent! Not preposterous at all but you know what these lot are like and if they feel they don't have to pay a player (despite him being arguably our best player) more then they won't. When you are trying to sign a player then you have to pay them what they want or they won't sign.

You are aware how much we refused to pay Bassong, right? We didn't have to pay him any more than he was on though did we? He had a contract so why should we increase his wages in our current state? That doesn't necessarily mean we would pay him thick end of £30k like anyway.

If we had an owner willing to do something with the club or a manager I think he would be a very realistic target. At the moment we have neither and until that changes we have no chance.

Sheffield look ok iyam. Also it's as likely Boro' lose those players as it is we lose Jonas, Taylor and Enrique That was the point I was trying to make. I agree about Sheffield too, they always seem to have a pretty strong team that are always there or there abouts.

It's not really that surprising that the OP is so optimistic. We've played three of what would have been considered favourites for promotion and only considered one goal. Boro and Cardiff look like the only other strong teams in this league and Boro when they lose Tuncay and if they lose Wheater and Huth will look a hell of a lot weaker. As things stand we look like we should be challenging come the end of the season. Having said that the older members on here are fully aware that as always we will get some sort of injury crisis at some point and if that comes in defence we have a some total of two senior players who come into Saturdays back four and cover. And they are Ryan Taylor and Geremi. We have no wide midfielders other than the two that started on Saturday and a striker who cost us about £5m yet four managers haven't thought worth a game. That's without selling anyone else which at this stage seems far more likely than us buying anyone. This squad will continue to be in it's current state for the rest of the season and when that happens then we will see how realistic the optimism is.

Agreed, it's a shame to miss out on him again but we can't be paying that sort of money.

What would piss me off is his constant super fan bollocks then fucking off when the going gets tough (tough being playing in front of more fans than Everton and Villa get and being paid £30k plus a week to play for the club you supposedly love). If it were me I would say no I'm going no where. Even if the club said that they couldn't afford to pay that sort of wage I'd look to try and do something with them (taking a £10k a week paycut while in the championship is hardly going to bankrupt him). I don't expect footballers to do anything like this, we all know they're all mercanaries, but I don't think it would be beyong most true fans and if that's what he's claiming to be that's what he should be telling them. If he does go the owner/off the field situation is his get out of jail card though isn't it? Would it be for you though? Personally you couldn't get me out of the club if I were in his position. I understand players like Chopra wanting to leave when they never get a game at all but Taylor has been one of the first names on the teamsheet for a few seasons now. And we can't realistically drop him for refusing a move when we've got no one else to bring in. If he stays he plays and will get hero treatment from the crowd. Nah, it wouldn't wash with me and agree with everything you've said. I just think that's how it'll be spun if he does leave. Without doubt and like you it won't wash with me. No doubt there will be plenty gulible enough to buy it though.

I've no doubt that will be his excuse but it's not good enough for me. Players are paid to play and given that we've had a decent start to the season and look like we could be in with a shout for promotion it wouldn't be too much to ask for one season of loyalty from him. He's young and will still have plenty of admirers this time next year so it's not like he would be stuck playing in the Championship for the rest of his career. If I were in his position it wouldn't bother me in the slightest playing in the championship for the rest of my career as long as it was with Newcastle. Now I know this isn't how footballers think but it is how we do.

What would piss me off is his constant super fan bollocks then fucking off when the going gets tough (tough being playing in front of more fans than Everton and Villa get and being paid £30k plus a week to play for the club you supposedly love). If it were me I would say no I'm going no where. Even if the club said that they couldn't afford to pay that sort of wage I'd look to try and do something with them (taking a £10k a week paycut while in the championship is hardly going to bankrupt him). I don't expect footballers to do anything like this, we all know they're all mercanaries, but I don't think it would be beyong most true fans and if that's what he's claiming to be that's what he should be telling them. If he does go the owner/off the field situation is his get out of jail card though isn't it? Would it be for you though? Personally you couldn't get me out of the club if I were in his position. I understand players like Chopra wanting to leave when they never get a game at all but Taylor has been one of the first names on the teamsheet for a few seasons now. And we can't realistically drop him for refusing a move when we've got no one else to bring in. If he stays he plays and will get hero treatment from the crowd.

What would piss me off is his constant super fan bollocks then fucking off when the going gets tough (tough being playing in front of more fans than Everton and Villa get and being paid £30k plus a week to play for the club you supposedly love). If it were me I would say no I'm going no where. Even if the club said that they couldn't afford to pay that sort of wage I'd look to try and do something with them (taking a £10k a week paycut while in the championship is hardly going to bankrupt him). I don't expect footballers to do anything like this, we all know they're all mercanaries, but I don't think it would be beyong most true fans and if that's what he's claiming to be that's what he should be telling them.

85 or 86 against West Brom when Charlton was in charge. Won 1-0 with a Pedro freekick. Don't remember anything about the day other than the goal and my dad telling me the names of the players before the game. Wasn't really interested in football much up to that point but I've had a season ticket in the same seat since the begining of the next season.

Slow as fuck.

Same shite as the last two months then.

What does the article say, I can't open the link.

I thought Simpson looked ok. He was never really troubled at the back but he didn't really get forward like I was hoping. But as has been said, having the piss poor Ryan Taylor in front of him couldn't have helped. I thought Enrique and S Taylor were probably our best players. Smith couldn't compete for fear of being sent off, Nolan is slower than my gran, Jonas had there fullback shitting himself but won't cross or shoot, Shola was a mixture of very good and half asleep and Coloccini does seem to have taken any confidence from the Reading game as he looked like a little boy lost again.

I hope Barton is availble for this one as our midfield looked very pedestrian without him last night (especially when Smith was forced to pull out of nearly every challenge for fear of being sent off). I think they will be one of the most difficult teams we have to play this season as Warnock never lets his teams give much away without a fight. I'd be happy with a draw but tbh I don't think there's anyone we should feel we can't beat in this league with our current squad.

Don't know about that but Patrick Barclay is apparent all for it!

Duff's been little better than shite in his time here and if he had been sold last summer everyone would have been over the moon, especially if we recouped most of our money. As Alex said though he did look like he cared (not enough to take a pay cut here though eh?)and I think he would have been happy to try and help us get promoted (and I think he would have been much better in this division) and the whole lack of number and especially attackers is frightening at the moment.