Isegrim

As I said, I think that is rather a British (esp. Newcastle) problem and not one of the window itself...

On the other hand smaller clubs are protected because the big ones can't come in any time and take their better players. Because in the end the small clubs can resist in selling when a player wants to move. Something I've noticed about the transfer window is the totally different approach outside of the UK, with clubs being much more eager to sort things out in advance and in between the windows. ("planning" )

Agreed, I think we're going to have to trust Pearson on this one. I am not sure. Looking at our most recent balance sheets I think it becomes a bit of a Leeds-esque gambling. But I have not seen very much from Davies tbh and say how fair the price really is. I only went to see one WBA game last summer where he didn't play. Saying that I was very impressed by McShane that day (against Southend).

I wouldn't be surprised if it is us ... keeping in mind Roeder saying that he won't gamble with the club's money...

I am not sure. SBR seemed to have some good candidates in his radar like Seitaridis at right back for example. But we only ended up with paying 8.5m on a defensive midfielder... The only decent deal in recent years was N'Zogbia.

Who do you suggest? Just looking at things down here, you probably would be able to buy a whole solid back four for that amount of money... Where's that mate? Jormany. I think there are loads of decent defenders who would cost not more than 4-5m Euro.

Who do you suggest? Just looking at things down here, you probably would be able to buy a whole solid back four for that amount of money...

Moi?

Where do I suggest that anyone should 'do a player down'? But what I think is absolutely stupid is to talk shit in public. It's rather a case of "Si tacuisses...". Roeder can big his players up personally all the time and I think he should do it, but he shouldn't do it in the press where most people think that he must be drunk. And I don't think that Roeder can get the impression that Ameobi is a fan's favourite from the reaction at the ground. In fact whenever I've been there I was surrounded by people who where having a go at Shola's perfomances and game. I am more and more annoyed by Roeder's public appearance. He can seem very sensible, but he can also come up with this making Shola an English international, Carr in the form of his life, Martins his first choice etc. rubbish. Do he really thinks fans are idiots?

I have nothing against boosting a player's confidence. I don't like taking fans for fools though...

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcast...-name_page.html Even for a Sunday, that's ridiculous...

Agree about the German league, pretty good to watch too but never gets the publicity/credibility it deserves IMO. Tbh, the league is shit and gets worse every year.

Actually hardly anybody in Germany does understand it either. It's just absurd and I like the way Hugh Johnson slates it. Most problems of the German wine industry are self made and can be based on the stupid regulations. It was funny when I was in Birmingham last summer they had the "German wine fest". People from the office actually seemed to like the wine that was there on offer and I just wondered what they had thought if there actually had been sold good German wines. But as long as the basic picture of German white wines is that of the sweet Blue nuns et al people will always be surprised because they don't really present the typical German white wine. I'll bring Renton a decent bottle of Riesling next time I'm up in Newcastle. My current favourite is from a small and new vineyard. Won prices in London and Paris last year and a bottle does only cost 5 Euro.

Well, that's really an unbiased opinion. (And doesn't really fit with my experience last summer) And the least biased place regarding German wine is probably Germany. We love to criticise ourselves. Btw, I read recently Austrian wine is really up and coming, doing extremely well at the last international wine awards. Honest! Yep, they starting to pick up after the huge (glycol) scandals in the 80s. That probably one of the best effects the new world had in respect to continental wines, they all have to improve the quality to compete on the market because the export sales dropped dramatically.

Mainly ignorance I guess. I just feel there is better value to be had in new world wine. This is especially true of white wines, which I'm normally limited to because of Mrs Rents, unless I'm going to knock back a whole bottle myself. Mind, some of those mini-bottles they sell at super markets are canny. I actually think that especially when it comes to white wine the "new world" has a lot of room for improvement. The vast majority are soulless Chardonnays spiced up with a touch of oak.

Well, that's really an unbiased opinion. (And doesn't really fit with my experience last summer) And the least biased place regarding German wine is probably Germany. We love to criticise ourselves.

I hope that wasnt aimed at me? No, at the thread in general. For cypriot wine see Renton's post... Hmm - once in the early 70's I went into an off licence and asked for "something cheap and nasty" and the bloke produced a bottle of "romanian Reisling" - "very cheap and very nasty sir - I guarantee it" and he was RIGHT!!! A terrible slur on Romania which does produce decent wines (tho as they point out most of them are exported to Jormany - where you never see any Romanian wine on sale - very odd that....) In Malta - a bottle of "Special Reserve" - guaranteed to have been in the bottle for at least a weekend.......... god knows what the "ordinary" was like In Austria in the late 90's a bottle of genuine anti freeze - it had a very odd smell, a sheen on the surface and .............................. An English wine (at the vineyard no less) that had so much sugar in it it qualified as an Energy Drink God!! I suffer for my hobbies Tbf, I wouldn't touch anything from the balkans or Greece. Then again, increasingly I'm finding anything not from Australia/NZ or South America isn't worth bothering with, as it's likely to be poorer quality and more expensive. Except champagne, naturally. The price issue is correct, the quality one is bollocks tbh Quality in MY price range I meant. I can't afford 20 quid for a vintage Bordeaux. If it's less than a tenner, a new world wine is usually the best bet. Anyway, what would a German know? Well, associating German wine just with Blue Nun rather demonstrates the British ignorance than actually being a reflection of the quality. But hey, as long as we can make money from you by exporting this sort of rubbish...

I hope that wasnt aimed at me? No, at the thread in general. For cypriot wine see Renton's post... Hmm - once in the early 70's I went into an off licence and asked for "something cheap and nasty" and the bloke produced a bottle of "romanian Reisling" - "very cheap and very nasty sir - I guarantee it" and he was RIGHT!!! A terrible slur on Romania which does produce decent wines (tho as they point out most of them are exported to Jormany - where you never see any Romanian wine on sale - very odd that....) In Malta - a bottle of "Special Reserve" - guaranteed to have been in the bottle for at least a weekend.......... god knows what the "ordinary" was like In Austria in the late 90's a bottle of genuine anti freeze - it had a very odd smell, a sheen on the surface and .............................. An English wine (at the vineyard no less) that had so much sugar in it it qualified as an Energy Drink God!! I suffer for my hobbies Tbf, I wouldn't touch anything from the balkans or Greece. Then again, increasingly I'm finding anything not from Australia/NZ or South America isn't worth bothering with, as it's likely to be poorer quality and more expensive. Except champagne, naturally. The price issue is correct, the quality one is bollocks tbh

"The Hitzfeld stuff is all part of a betting scam."

I hope that wasnt aimed at me? No, at the thread in general. For cypriot wine see Renton's post...

Rummenigge. They are all no Gerd Müller though.

And I don't think Baggio is making "knee-jerk reactions" because Martins is playing for Newcastle now. His view seems a bit clouded when it comes to former Inter players though...

tbh one in six people in the US know who David Beckham is. One is twelve might know who 'Posh' is meant to be. We're not as obsessed with has-beens over here. Yeah ? no shit ! Pele, Beckenbauer, Best, Marsh, Alberto, Chinaglia....... Way to pull out those recent examples, Jimbo. Ok, give me some examples of non-american world class players that have chosen to play in the MLS at their peak ? Fail to see the relevence. Valderamma and Donadoni spring to mind, though. Both played in the league around age 27-28. Donadoni was by no means at his peak and was about 33 when he went to the MLS. Jormans > English (even without penalties)

And neither has Kassel. We even signed some new players. "Planning" * * in respect to this comment I have to say that Kassel went bancrupt in 1997. I state that I am fully aware of what a "shit board" is. Because that shit board meant that I played higher league football in 1998 than the team I actually supported in Jormany. Ithangyouverymuch.