Neville Neville Neville

deluded, tbh

Here's a chance to show that we're not too proud to admit we've made massive errors of judgement. Hopefully it'll inspire the people "in charge" of the club to follow suit before its too late to rectify. Here's a handful of mine 1/ Thought we'd done good shipping out Gary Speed and replacing him with Nicky Butt who I though would be a younger and probably better version. Speed went on to have a good few more years at a decent level, whilst Butt has had a few good matches at a decent level since joining 2/ Was glad we didn't appoint O'Neill as manager. Watching the Beeb's coverage of World Cup 06, I though O'Neill seemed pretty clueless, and didn't have what it takes to build a decent Premier League club. I was happier with getting Big Sam than I would have been had MON joined us 3/ Thought Babayaro and Duff were decent signings when they joined. I felt they were both good value for money and would improve the team both in quality and bringing a winning mentality. How wrong was I? Uninspired/liability sicknotes the pair of them Feel free to add your own. Have a proper think, and don't just say "thought Mike Ashley would sort out the club." A chance to make some of your previous judgements look silly, seeing as we all make mistakes.

Not a winner, apparently

At 4.50pm, Stoke were 12th, at 4.55pm they're down to 18th

Shit, its really game over if the board's eternal optimist feels we're in trouble

careless on my part, can't believe I backed us to get a goal. also kinnear shocks the world by getting 2 subs on by the 80th minute, just a mere 15 mins of us going 2-0 down. glad I couldn't watch the game today. main regret however is that butt didn't get a straight red and a 3 match ban

On a related note.... this made me chuckle when I read it yesterday http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/interna...w-200901161514/

Teams according to the beeb. barton on the bench!!! Edgar ahead of geordie boy himself Blackburn: Robinson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Emerton, Andrews, Kerimoglu, Pedersen, Roberts, McCarthy. Subs: Bunn, Dunn, Roque Santa Cruz, Grella, Mokoena, Treacy, Derbyshire. Newcastle: Given, Edgar, Bassong, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Duff, Guthrie, Butt, N'Zogbia, Carroll, Owen. Subs: Harper, Barton, Gutierrez, Xisco, Taylor, Kadar, LuaLua. edit:missed that... jonas benched for the zog/duff

Insulted team mate who is a club legend .............check Involved in assault/sexual assault scandals.............check Got into a fight with a senior member of the coaching staff...........check Picked up a ridiculous amount of yellow cards for dissent...........check Fastest dismissal in Champions League history.................check Hit team mate with a golf club.........................check Damn, one short.... Oh wait, Thrown the biggest of hissy fits once you've managed to get recognised for playing football again..............check BBBIIIIINNNNNGGGGOOOO

FYP

Makes me pine for the halcyon days Journalist Well, is that what Joe thinks? JK Write what you like. Makes no difference to me. Don’t affect me I assure you. It’ll be the last time I see you anyway. Won’t affect me. See how we go at Everton and Chrissy [Chris Hughton, assistant manager] can do it, someone else can do it. Don’t trust any of yous. I will pick two local papers and speak to them and the rest can fuck off. I ain’t coming up here to have the piss taken out of me. I have a million pages of crap that has been written about me. I’m ridiculed for no reason. I’m defenceless. I can’t get a point in, I can’t say nothing, I can’t do nothing, but I ain’t going to be negative. Then, half of you, most of you are trying to get into the players. I’m not going to tell you what the players think of you, so then you try and get into them in some way or another, so I’ve got a split camp or something like that, something like that. It’s ongoing. It just doesn’t stop. Journalist It’s only been a week. JK Exactly. It feels more like a year. Journalist It’s early days for you to be like this. JK No, I’m clearing the air. And this is the last time I’m going to speak to you. You want to know why, I’m telling you. This is the last time. You can do what you like. Journalist But this isn’t going to do you or us any good. JK I’ll speak to the supporters. I’m going to tell them what the story is. I’m going to tell them. I don’t think they’ll interpret it any different, I don’t think they’ll mix it up, I don’t think they’ll miss out things.

I expect we'll see similar fair from the only fit 11/12 senior players we have. I can understand why JFK sticks with "proven""talent" , but I just want to see some of the youngsters on the pitch if we're losing with 20 minutes to go. God knows why we didn't use any youngsters against Hull, how else are we supposed to find out if they can actually play, or if Newcastle aren't setting themselves up for the next "Operation Ore" Prediction: same old uninspired fair for 70 mins. 20 mins of OK football (not sure when this will happen). 1 substitute to be made after 83 mins. Blackburn to grind out a 3-1 win

Lawro's prediction Blackburn v Newcastle Newcastle are on a bit of a bad trot and they are missing quite a few players at the moment too. Blackburn are unbeaten so far under Big Sam, he's made a decent start and he's had some time to work with them on the training ground. Their organisation is already better as is their shape, so I'm going for Blackburn in this one. Verdict: 2-1 BBC preview Blackburn v Newcastle PREMIER LEAGUE Venue: Ewood Park Date: Saturday, 17 January Kick-off: 1500 GMT Coverage: Score updates on BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Lancashire 95.5/103.9/104.5 & 855 & 1557 AM & highlights on Match of the Day; featured game on Final Score Striker Roque Santa Cruz and midfielder David Dunn return to Blackburn's squad. Santa Cruz has missed the last four matches with a calf strain, while Dunn has been nursing a hamstring problem. Newcastle's Steven Taylor (calf) and Andy Carroll (hamstring) are hoping to be included in the Magpies squad, but Joey Barton (knee) is still sidelined. Geremi (back), Jose Enrique (groin), Obafemi Martins (hernia), Habib Beye (ankle), Alan Smith (foot) and Shola Ameobi (knee) are also out. Blackburn (from): Robinson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Emerton, Tugay, Mokoena, Andrews, Dunn, Grella, Pedersen, McCarthy, Santa Cruz, Derbyshire, Roberts, Brown, Khizanishvili, Treacy, Simpson, Olsson. Newcastle (from): Given, Harper, Bassong, Coloccini, Taylor, Edgar, Kadar, Butt, Guthrie, N'Zogbia, Duff, Gutierrez, Donaldson, Godsmark, Owen, Xisco, Carroll, LuaLua, Ranger. Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce: "If I were to beat anybody, it would give me satisfaction to beat Newcastle, particularly with the difficult position we are in. "But I am like anybody else, when you play against a former club, as player or manager, you want to beat them. "A win gets us closer to them and that is critical from our point of view." Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear: "Our next four games are against teams currently below us in the table so it's a good chance to put distance between us and them. "Let's hope we are still talking like that after going to Blackburn. "We have had a tough period recently but we need to keep working hard and picking up results." Make your Premier League predictions BIG-MATCH FACTS Newcastle's 600th Premier League match and 300th away from home, sees them facing Blackburn's Sam Allardyce for the first time since his dismissal from St James' Park in January of last year, after only 24 matches in charge. The football world was just coming to terms with the shock announcement that Joe Kinnear had been appointed interim manager of Newcastle, following Kevin Keegan's swift exit, when these clubs met for the reverse fixture in September, which Kinnear watched from the stands. Blackburn, the Premier League's most infrequent winners are facing one of the top-flight's draw specialists. This would have been the second week running this has happened had Rovers' match at Fulham not been frozen off last Saturday. Rovers have won only two league games at home; Newcastle just one away from home. Blackburn are on their lowest points total to this identical stage of a Premier League season, since the relegation campaign of 1998-99; Newcastle are on their lowest total ever after 21 games of a Premier League campaign. Newcastle travel in search of their 50th league victory over Blackburn. Distance between the clubs: 128 miles (206 kilometres) CLUB FORM BLACKBURN ROVERS Club stats 19th 18 points Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 16th Lowest could fall: 20th Best & Worst categories in 2008-09 Premier League 1. Kept off the foot only by goal difference. 2. Picked up five points out of the last nine. 3. Gained one win and two draws in their three league games under Sam Allardyce, plus a narrow FA Cup victory over non-league Blyth Spartans. 4. Won one of 14 Premier League matches, and won of seven at home; 3-0, against Stoke on 20 December. Fixtures NEWCASTLE UNITED Club stats 11th 23 points Highest realistically achievable after Saturday's matches: 10th Lowest could fall: 16th Best & Worst categories in 2008-09 Premier League 1. Picked up one point out of nine. 2. Won two of 10 Premier League matches. 3. Won only one of the last 10 league games on the road; 0-3, against Portsmouth on 14 December. 4. Won only one of eight top-flight matches against North-West clubs this term; 1-0, home to Bolton on 23 August. 5. Won one of 13 league visits to the region; 1-3 against Bolton at the Reebok on 11 August 2007; lost seven of the nine subsequent trips across the Pennines, picking up two points out of 27. Fixtures KEY PLAYER NOTES BLACKBURN ROVERS Squad profiles David DUNN is a double shy of 50 club career goals. If selected:- Ryan NELSEN will be making his 100th Premier League appearance - all in Blackburn colours. Damien DUFF will be facing the club where he was a trainee. The 29 year old Republic of Ireland international made 223 appearances (184 in the league) and scored 35 goals (27 league) for Rovers before his £17m move to Chelsea in July 2003. If on the field from the outset:- Roque SANTA CRUZ will be making his 50th league start for Rovers. NEWCASTLE UNITED Squad profiles Shay GIVEN and Fabricio COLOCCINI have played every minute of every one of Newcastle's Premier League matches this season. Michael OWEN has scored nine Premier League goals against Blackburn; seven for Liverpool and two for Newcastle. If he scores:- Shola AMEOBI will take his total of goals for Newcastle to 50. If selected:- Steven TAYLOR will be making his 100th Premier League appearance in Newcastle colours. HEAD TO HEAD Last season's victory in this corresponding match was Blackburn's first home maximum over Newcastle in five attempts, and second in 10 league and cup meetings at Ewood Park. Rovers are pursuing a second successive double over the Magpies. Home and away League (inc PL): Blackburn 47 wins, Newcastle 49, Draws 25 Prem: Blackburn 12 wins, Newcastle 7, Draws 8 at Blackburn only League (inc PL): Blackburn 34 wins, Newcastle 13, Draws 13 Prem: Blackburn 7 wins, Newcastle 2, Draws 4 LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Newcastle United 1 December 2007 - Ref: Martin Atkinson Blackburn scorers: Bentley 54, 67, Kerimoglu 90 Newcastle scorer: Martins 47 THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE Newcastle United 1-2 Blackburn Rovers 27 September 2008 - Ref: Steve Tanner Newcastle scorer: Owen 51 pen Blackburn scorers: Samba 31, Roque Santa Cruz 41 REFEREE Steve Bennett (Orpington, Kent)

Ahem.... cough I direct the honourable member to my previous post

Outlined in clear evil genius way here, tbh http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?showtopic=22582

WORLD'S HOTTEST PROPERTY ON BRINK OF BECOMING TALK OF THE TOON Mike Ashley today showed his intentions to back legendary manager Joseph Kinnear by entering the race to sign one of the best players in the world, and to bring the "wow signing" that would ensure his reign as Newcastle supremo remained long in the memory. Kinnear, talking to Sky Sports this morning, said: "Mike, Dennis, Derek, and the whole gang have been tirelessly and ruthlessly negotiating the signing of one of the world's hottest properties. We have cleverly engineered a series of elaborate and non-elaborate smoke-and-mirrors stories so that no other club in world football could interfere with this move. "This guy is a genius on the ball and will revolutionise the way that football is played in the North East. This deal has been a year in the making, and that is the reason that we have had to falsify links with no-names like Lucas Neill, Barry Ferguson, and that 6 ft 2 lad from Cameroon whose name escapes me at the moment. Whilst the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, and Real Madrid will have been sent scrambling after these players, we have busied the media by splashing small amounts of cash on people who aren't even footballers. "I mean 6 million for a homeless Spanish lad I found selling the Big Issue on Oxford Street, and a midfielder signed on a season loan who doesn't even exist!! And people say that I don't have a clue!! I wonder what those people will think when they realise that Mike Ashley appointed me as manager when he took over the club, but we used Not-so Big Sam and the Keegler to create the almightiest of smokescreens. Kevin wasn't ever in charge of the club, he was just a bit hard up after his soccer circus misadventure, so we paid him £10 an hour with the express instructions of "Go distract the Geordie Nation. Do whatever it takes. This signing is much more important than me, Mike, or yourself." "So, it is my great pleasure to announce that this ingenious plan has nearly reached its conclusion. Like all evil geniuses, I will reveal my plan before it is complete, but there is nothing you can do to stop me. The player who all this has been for is a Brazilian attacking midfielder or striker who is 26 and won the Fifa World Player of the Year in 2007. He is 6ft 1 in height and wears the number 22 shirt for AC Milan. "Look I can see you searching your internet databases to find out who this player is, but do you think I would be stupid enough to give you enough information to find out my target before the contract is sealed? There are literally thousands of footballers who fit this description, it could be literally any one of them. There is nothing you or anyone in football can do to stop me. "I'm so evil that I can tell you his real name. Its Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite and his parents are Simone Cristina dos Santos Leite and Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite. But thats not the name he commonly uses. As if I would divulge that information to you, you stupid ignorant fools. He plays under a different name. One that sounds a bit like Car Car. No, here's an even more cryptic clue - he sounds like what would happen if 2 Ford Ka's crashed into each other, and became one. "So try and stop me whether you are a Mickey Mouse Premier League Referee, a Clown Championship Referee, one of the suits at Soho Square, or even Batman, Spiderman, and Superman rolled into one. Resistance is futile, I can't be stopped!!! "Whatever you try is too late. Our bid of £4 million has already been emailed to his club, AC Milan, and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. The technology does not even exist to unsend an email. "I expect to have Mr Double Ka in our squad for the trip to Blackburn, because quite frankly the rest of the team is really shit. Except for Damien Duff.... and Nicky Butt. I wonder if I can field a team with just Duff, Butt and Double Ka. "MWAHAHAAHHAHAAHHAHAAHHAHAHAAHAHHAHAAHAAHHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA"

Happy Sir Bobby Robson day everyone. Pity that it coincided with Ashley's attempts to steal the spotlight, and the fact we had to play a football match Bobby is a Gentlemen, a Geordie, and a Legend!!!

As an arm chair fan whose been to more games at my local club than st james, I've got to post and give huge credit to the newcastle fans for the last 2 games (a wigan and h liverpool, obviously!!) I do wonder about the "best fans" tag. I think at times it applies (considering our lack of succss), but there are also times where we are quiet and sometimes a bit too quick to jump on certain players. However, despite 88 terrible minutes at wigan and 90 terrible minutes against liverpool, the fans have been absolutely amazing. The noise at times has been deafening, and the Wigan fans could only be heard at about 70 mins in. Despite the ridiculousness of today's spectacle, the fans have again been fantastic, including booing and drowning out you'll never walk alone (which I've not heard drowned out before) and randomly cheering possession when we've reached 2 passes and ended up giving the ball away with the 3rd. So, huge props to the fans Lets just have a thread where we forget about the players, manager, chairman, owner, cronies, and big up the fans for putting in some fantastic performances in terrible (newcastle and non-newcastle related) circumstances :nufc::nufc::nufc:

The """""""thinking""""""" is probably that duff is too slow to put any pressure on the winger but n'zogbia's pace may help make up for tactical inawareness. However, I'd play N'zogbia at LM, A.N.Other at LB (enrique/whoever plays there for reserves/academy) and Duff at Left Back in the Changing Rooms (with Nicky Butt!!!)

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/1117...es-NZogbia.html best laugh of the day.... wenger to spunk 20+ million on given, taylor and n'zogbia, basically solving none of their main problems, and adding in geordie legend's pointing issues Maybe some toontasticers can join up to the notw graduate scheme http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/21361...cholarship.html

443 - we might have a chance then!!

Watching Damian Duff get to near to a full back and then turn back on himself, again and again, gave me a good excuse to post this..... EDIT: not sure if video working, so here's the link http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=7mssKE_b48k

I guess that makes ryan taylor the new le tissier ....although le tiss did score against other teams except newcastle

Fair enough, am always willing to respect (most) other people's points of view. However, Duff and Butt make me hysterical, and am not ashamed to admit it. For me, apart from against Spurs when we often becomes like Patrick Vieira and Stevie G rolled into one , the best a Nicky Butt performance gets is me not realising he is playing... and that doesn't happen enough for me

Am definitely not bipolar...very much at the pessimistic side of things. Have not been optimistic re:newcastle since 48 hours before the transfer window closed. I very much kept my feet on the ground post our miraculous 2 victories in the road. Stats are great and all that, but they only tell the story that the person who is using wants them to tell I honestly don't see a corner being turned. We are better than we were when Hughton was in charge, but that isn't saying much. However we are 2 points off the relegation zone after this unbeaten patch, and I saw nothing in the team's performance that suggested they were able to build off the confidence of this good recent run. I can't remember the last time Newcastle really imposed themselves on a game... they seems to wait to see whether the opponent is going to do anything decent and then give it a go if not. The two games we have gone from the get-go were against West Brom and Stoke, at home to 2 clear relegation candidates, where we were besieged for the last 30 mins of both games, and could easily have ended up with less than the 4 points we got. In the good performances/results against Villa, Portsmouth, and Everton we have basically given the opponents the first half to try and score against us, and when they have failed we've suddenly perked up, and played well and picked up decent points. What worries me is that we haven't dominated a team the way that Wigan dominated us from 0-dodgy sending off of Boyce at St James, and 0-86 at the JJB. I think this is because we have very few players who are any better than solid (and some who are sub-solid). The only players who have definable characteristics and the pace of Martins, the direct running of N'Zogbia, positional sense of Owen, and occasionally something of note from Viduka or Gutierrez. If these guys aren't fit, firing on all cylinders, and being played in the right positions, then I feel we are at the whim of the opposition, and only seem to come into the game once they begin to ease off/struggle. Factor in the amazingness that is the defensive midfielder who majestically puts pressure onto both his midfield colleagues and the defence, and the winger who has to turn back and retreat when he comes within 10 yards of the touchline or a full back before playing a (usually slightly dodgy) pass to the aforementioned defensive midfielder, and its no wonder we struggle to take games by the scruff of the neck. I just don't know if its enough. I really really hope it is... but I just don't know P.s while I might be a pathologically depressed Newcastle fan (with good reason), at least I'm not clinically insane enough to think we're 1-2 players away from a top 4 squad!!!! P.p.s I'm loving the season in general, when not looking at it from a Newcastle point of view.