Deano

NEWCASTLE have identified another foreign coach as a possible successor to Joe Kinnear. Malaga’s Antonio Tapia is the latest name on the Magpies’ radar as they draw up contingency plans for the possibility of Kinnear not returning to St James’s Park after heart surgery. Although he is itching to be back at the United helm next month, Kinnear’s future is set to be decided by his doctors. And the Toon hierarchy are covering for every eventuality by identifying people capable of picking up the pieces if Kinnear’s comeback hopes are shattered. Tapia is this season’s coaching sensation in La Liga, having steered newly-promoted Malaga into Champions League contention. The Costa del Sol club lie fifth in the table, with 59-year-old Tapia even managing to get the best out of notorious Newcastle flop Albert Luque. But with his contract due to expire in June, Tapia’s agents — Bahia Internacional — are understood to have been sounded out by representatives of QPR and Newcastle about a possible move to England. And Tapia admitted: “I rejected an offer during the (January) transfer window, although I am a lover of English football. I am a professional and my commitment was to Malaga. I don’t regret the decision. “I don’t want to talk too much about my personal situation. I have received a formal contract offer from Malaga and I am studying that. “Then I will speak with my agents and wait to see what happens.” Despite officially parting company with Tony Jimenez last October, sources suggest the former United vice-president is still offering the Magpies his insight into the Spanish game. ----------------- Tbh id never heard of this guy until now so i dont know what his credentials are. But to get Malaga fighting for a CL place AND Luque scoring goals.....this guy must be good! On a bright note....at least the club are looking at the possibility that JFK wont return...anyone know who his doctor is? I think should we stay up the job is for one man and one man only....Alan Shearer

Good point

Well done mate...gold star for you!

Boro were woeful today, as too were portmouth, stoke looking like they are falling apart and west brom are fucked. Thats just the teams below us. Blackburn were appauling albeit against a majestic arsenal side, hull were nothing special today and sunderland were apparently at there worst today too. As iv said other teams result can help us but we have to take care of our own business.

After todays results... 10. Man City - 35 11. Bolton - 33 12. Hull City - 33 13. Tottenham - 32 14. Sunderland - 32 15. Blackburn - 30 16. Newcastle - 29 17. Portsmouth - 29 18. Stoke City - 29 19. Middlesboro - 27 20. West Brom - 22 Spurs play Villa at Villa Park thmora and i fully expect Martin O'Neill's side to get the 3 points, if thats the case it means there isnt a great deal in it lookin up the table. Looking down the table Pompey have a game in hand but we can take some comfort in knowing its again ManU. A point today was ok, we deserved 3 but the main thing is we didnt lose, and other results have made it a better point. We play Arsenal next Saturday, and we will have Beye and Guthrie back, Duff will have another weeks training under his belt and Owen got a good run out today, with the home advantage and a perfromance similar to the one against Man U i can really see us getting at least a point. Stranger things have happened. That being said iv wrote of getting anything against Arsenal and Chelsea so if we do they are bonus points. The games against Stoke City away, Portsmouth, Fulham and Boro at home are the games we NEED to win....those 12 points would be enough to keep us up in my opinion. Other games away to Spurs and Villa again are games that im not expecting nothing but if we pick up points its a bonus. Yes other teams result can help us but if we take care of our own business it wont matter how other teams do. Based on our last 2 performances iv seen enough to suggest we can scrap our way out of this.

A draw isnt a bad result but 3 points would of been better.

Duff will come on for Geremi at half time i think. Glad Owen and Oba start up front...hope no-one crocks Owen. Come on boys!

Back... Owen: Can and should play a massive part in our run in. Butt: Been poor all season but his experience could be valuable from the subs bench Duff: Hate to say it but we missed him slightly...could be a big player in next 10 games Next week... Beye: Massive massive miss and will be great to have him back, solid and usefull going forward...nice timely return. Guthrie: By no means a finished article but should be in the side before Butt... Nolan: Could be a key player in the run in, busy, battles and could chip in with a few important goals Week after? Barton: Has been missed imo and should slot back in the engine room alongside Nolan when fit...very similar to Nolan in a sense but offers a little more in way of attack. Others... Viduka and Gonzalez...not fussed if either dont make a run out from now till end of the season tbf. So by the time we play Pompy at home which is a crucial game too our starting 11 should look like... ---Harper--- ---Beye---Coloccini---Bassong---Enrique--- ---Gutierrez---Barton---Nolan---Duff--- ---Martins---Owen--- I think in all honesty that is a side well capable of retaining PL status...where as we mite lack great creativity in the middle, we have box to box midfielders which is what we need in our situation. We may have two wingers whos cant cross but with two small strikers id imagine more through balls to be played, and dont forget we have two fullbacks who are pretty decent at times at getting crosses in. I think we have a good fully fit starting 11....but we need to pick up points with a patched up squad until we can field that side.

What do you guys think the starting 11 will be? I reckon... ---Harper--- ---S.Taylor---Coloccini---Bassong---Enrique--- ---R.Taylor---Smith---Butt---Gutierrez--- ---Lovenkrands---Martins--- I'd like to start with Owen upfront and Duff on the left bringing Gutierrez on the right, but one i dont think Duff will be fit enough and two i think CH will be too cautious to start Owen. I hope we do start with Owen but i get this horrible niggly feeling called Fagan that the Hull players mite be out to crock Owen...call it cynical but they could look at it as if the crock Owen then we are in even more shit to stay up...thus aiding there chances to survive. Starting to get nervous now...

Nervous as hell like but i just get the feeling this is the game our players step up to the plate and part justify the wages they pick up. Not really excited about Butt and Smith in the middle like, although the latter had a decent game against ManU. These are the games we should get the best from Butt although i am increasingly worried he'll give a penalty away or a freekick on the edge of the box. Excited about Oba and Owen, would like to think CH and CC will start with that pairing and bring Owen off late in the game when he tires. Im still going for a gritty 2-1 win...oba and owen....mite even stick a tenna on it!

Journal website. Is that true? I'd heard that he hated football and wanted nothing more to do with it when he retired. Yeah he hates football now and is a semi-professional motor-cross biker...iv seen him and Alan Smith together at a course near doncaster a few times.

Matter of opinion like. I fuckin hated that top with that god ugly purple and green NTL on the front......i think our current home top is the best one since the brown ale days. 6 years ago eh Nice memories......

THE Newcastle United 1998 FA Cup final team was packed with potential managers. Alan Shearer and Rob Lee are keeping their powder dry, while David Batty has totally lost interest in football and lives as a biker in North Yorkshire. But quite a few of the team which lost 2-0 to Arsenal 11 years ago have set out on the road to management. John Barnes is manager of Jamaica, and Stuart Pearce is in charge of England Under-21s. Steve Howey, Gary Speed and Warren Barton have started their apprenticeships in different ways. But of all the members of that side, Temuri Ketsbaia’s managerial CV is the most impressive. And few of his old team-mates can match the passion the Georgian with a Cypriot passport has for Newcastle United. So the next time the Magpies look for a new boss, Ketsbaia’s name should perhaps be considered as seriously as that of his ex-strike partner Shearer. Because while one of United’s legends has been studying the game from a TV studio, one of its cult heroes has been making history in a footballing backwater. In 2002, Ketsbaia left Dundee to become player-coach at Anorthosis Famagusta. Seven years on, he has a place in their folklore and a passport as a thank-you. Famagusta won the Cypriot championship in 2004-05, his first full season as player-manager. They strolled the league last season, and this term became Cyprus’ first team to play in the Champions League. But Sunday’s defeat by Apoel has left them hard-pushed to retain it. So as a manager he ticks a lot of boxes. And his passion for the black-and-white cause is legendary. One of the more ill-thought-out comments aired in the fall-out from Kevin Keegan’s departure was that only a Geordie could manage Newcastle. It ignored the fact that Keegan is from Doncaster, not Dunston. As Keegan and plenty of others proved, it is possible to fall in love with Newcastle United without being born in the city. And vice-versa. If Keegan won the Gallowgate over with a charm offensive, another Special K did it with brute force. -------------- I know im not alone when i say this but i'd love to see this fella in charge of us. Should we stay up this season i really hope MA and DL understand we need someone different to run the side. And id hope to god they would have the sense to put this fella's name on the list which would probably include Alan Shearer and Steve Bruce. This guy has done really well and although its been in cyprus he has done well in the CL too. Give the guy a phone call MA and pull your fuckin finger out.

500k wasnt it?

Viduka Hahaha.....HAS to be Bassong by a country mile!

Hahahaha he's a pure cock like, did you see him in his furr coat? haha cock. Plus we really should have the fire in there bellies, they've done us twice, managed by a mackem and we NEED the 3 points! Im going for a combative good away performace and 2-1 with Martins and Owen scoring.

your being sarcastic aren't you? I actually rate him, he's got a good engine and has a pretty good passing ability, and his technique when strikin the ball is a rare comodity in the PL. Yeah he hasnt been as good this season, in and out the side, and i think he thrived under Jol. Just think the lad needs a new challenge tbh. I could be wrong like.

NEWCASTLE are eyeing a summer swoop for Tom Huddlestone – after missing out on the Spurs star in January. The Chronicle can reveal that United tried to sign the England Under-21 international on loan during the New Year transfer window. Assistant manager Chris Hughton was among those who recommended that Magpies manager Joe Kinnear ease his midfield problems by taking Huddlestone on board until the end of the season. And although Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp rejected Newcastle’s approach, United will consider making a close-season bid for the 22-year-old – if they stay up. The Magpies signed Kevin Nolan to fill the gap in their midfield following that Spurs snub. But doubts over Joey Barton’s future at St James’s Park – and Huddlestone’s desire for a regular starting place – mean the former Derby starlet remains on Newcastle’s radar. Huddlestone’s ability to play in central defence is another major attraction for would-be buyers, who have been alerted to his dissatisfaction with spending spells on the bench under Redknapp. Hughton worked with Huddlestone at Tottenham during Martin Jol’s managerial reign at White Hart Lane, and remains a firm admirer. However, Newcastle are likely to be only one of numerous clubs keen on Huddlestone if he decides his future lies elsewhere. Jol – now in charge at German title challengers SV Hamburg – would be keen to re-sign a man he bought as an 18-year-old for £2.5m, while Fulham and Everton are also interested. ----------- Would be a great signing imo, massive range of passing and a great strike on him. I'd think he'd cost us about 5-7mil like.

This is make or break time, a 6 pointer if ever there were one. If we win we only move up one place but we would then be a point behind Hull and Stoke who we play shortly. It is a goliath challenge but one i think we can stand up to and win, but it has to start on sunday, 3 points away will set us up nicely for two battling home performances against Arsenal and Chelsea and another 3 points away to Stoke. Its not beyond us at all but sunday really is the test, if we lose then we will go down, if we win we stand a fighting chance, if we draw i think we could still stay up but we really need to be beating the teams around us....and we owe them a fucking tonking! 2-1...Martins and Owen

Just what i was thinkin!

Id say... With a bit of luck and some good performaces.....

STRIKING duo Obafemi Martins and Andy Carroll are set to hand struggling Newcastle a double boost — by committing their futures to the club. The Sunday Sun has learned that Nigerian hotshot Martins is not intent on quitting St James’s Park this summer. And we can also reveal that youngster Carroll is ready to sign a new three-year contract. Despite widespread fears that he is unsettled on Tyneside, Martins wants to stay at Newcastle . . . IF they avoid relegation this season. The 24-year-old has been repeatedly linked with Arsenal, and Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is said to be among his biggest admirers. But a source close to Martins said last night: “There have been no approaches from other clubs, and Oba will be happy to stay at Newcastle this summer. “Of course, relegation would probably change everything, not only in his attitude, but that of the club. “But he will do everything he can to keep Newcastle in the Premier League, and all being well, he sees his future here.” Meanwhile, Carroll is poised to put pen to paper after United made him an amended, significantly improved contract offer. The 20-year-old from Gateshead rejected a proposed five-year deal out of hand last month. But with the club now making an offer of three years at significantly improved terms, Carroll is prepared to sign. Doubts have been cast on United’s determination to keep Carroll after he was involved in a second training-ground bust-up with a team-mate last week. However, it seems Newcastle bosses viewed Shola Ameobi as the main aggressor in the row which broke out ahead of the Magpies’ midweek defeat against Manchester United. And the fact that rival clubs were being quoted a figure of £5 million for Carroll during the January transfer window underlined how highly he is rated at St James’s Park. ---------------- Wouldnt blame oba if he wanted to leave even if we do stay up but its positive noises should we drag ourselves out of this unholy mess. Im looking forward to seeing him and Owen upfront against Hull next week. Carroll getting a new contract makes much more sense than giving one to Strola, brings more to the team imo, just hope it doesnt go to his head when he's earning big bucks. 5mil though?

End of the season iirc.

If we go down i could well see our team looking a bit like... ---Harper/Krul--- R.Taylor---S.Taylor---Bassong---Kadar Lua-lua---Nolan---Guthrie---Godsmark Carroll---Baheng Out... Beye, Coloccini, Geremi, Cacapa, Enrique, Gutierrez, Barton, Duff, Smith, Owen, Viduka, Martins and Xisco. Out of them i think there is a chance the likes of Beye, Barton and Smith could stay and i think all have the right attitude. Staying... Harper, Krul, Forster, Soderberg, Taylor's, Bassong, Edgar, Tozer, Kadar, Lua-lua, Nolan, Butt, Guthrie, Godsmark, Baheng, Carroll, Vukcic. Alot of youth but maybe it would give them there chance to step up? The wage bill would be ALOT smaller and id imagine we'd get quite a bit of moolah for the outgoings, some of which would be spent on CHAMPIONSHIP players and the rest to help ease the runnin costs and to pay this fuckin loan back to MA. Hope to god it dont happen though.

Exactly my thoughts. Though its annoying that Viduka is injured AGAIN, at least we should have our 2 best strikers playing against Hull....Oba and Owen...lets hope they can strike up a good understanding and get the goals we so badly need.