sweetleftpeg

I saw him a few times, maybe half a dozen, for the reserves and I didn't see him do anything special. That means nowt though in meaningless and pretty shit games to be honest. Need to see him in a proper league to see how good he actually is week in week out. The SPL is twatful.

I have no doubt that he is definitely not a racist. He is thick as fuck though.

He's a more creative and productive version of Jonas, just as powder puff in the tackle as him, but a much better option out there. I'm sorry, but I don't subscribe to the Jonas is a good defender stuff either. He works hard granted, but he's weak as piss in the tackle. Which is why Gouffran should start ahead of him, he offers no more than Jonas defensively but at least he creates stuff. Jonas, nice guy, grafter, great squad player, but not a starter for me.

Aye, exactly. We are a proper mid table team. The Chelsea game probably sums us up. Weak as piss and unable to string anything together first half, tearing them a new arsehole for a period of the game in the 2nd. Absolutely proper mid table team. Just as an aside, did you hear Pardew getting in a dig about Spurs definitely being knackered first half because of the Europa League? Nice little bit of 'See! I told you! I was right all last season! Look! See! None of you would believe me. Did you see?' Except Villas-Boas said that was bollocks.

We rode our luck second half but tough bollocks. Love beating Spurs, cockney mackems. We still have problems all over the park at times but I think when the mood takes us the team link up really well and play some lovely stuff. There is definitely the foundation of a decent starting 11 there. The problem is 1) doing it for 90 minutes 2) doing it over the season. Knowing this team we'll be shit against Norwich and get beat.

Although it pains me, that Ferguson quote is spot on and kind of sums Ben Arfa up for me. The lad is obviously blessed with talent, but you need more than that. I'm not asking him to stifle his game and become a chaser and grafter by the way. Le Tissier is a perfect example, a fantastically talented footballer but a lazy twat with no self motivation. People look back far too favorable on him as someone who was robbed of England caps but the fact is he was mostly unfit and half arsed. Had he pulled his finger out and sorted his all round game out, he could have been so much more. As such, he was always the nearly man. There are lots of examples all over the place. I don't want Ben Arfa to be another nearly man. Saying that, if he did suddenly do it week in week out we'd only flog him anyway...

Tune Parky. This continues to pop up randomly on my Spotify shuffle. Always welcome of course. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfgf9HatIHI

Nothing controversial I reckon. Sadly, it'll probably be the terminal ill health of a parent or close family member.

Just on the state of young fans, on the way out of the ground last week a kid who mustn't have been older than 11 stood in front of a car in the road and shouted 'WHAT YE GANNA DE ABOOT LIKE YE ALD CUNT?'

They hate Newcastle so much they all hop on the metro to shop here. Never mind the fact that most of their 1st team live/socialise in our city.

I went to Fire Warden training with the Fire Brigade who told us Sports Direct are constantly fined for the amount of flammable shite they pile on the shop floor. They said when you put together that type of material with the lack of space in getting around it's a fire tragedy waiting to happen.

I said at half time as a joke it almost looks like he's sent them out first half to stroll through it and conserve energy. It was actually the plan. Fair plan to him.

Aye, far too much credit being giving here about 'mind games.' It really isn't, just watch him man, he's just far too much of a ball watcher. He's just not very adept at staying offside. It's just one of those parts of his game that he needs to work on. If he does, I think it could really push his game on.

The thing is, you can only play what you've got. Williamson is an easy target for stick as he's neither cultured or local but he's still the 2nd best centre half at this club. The rights and wrongs of that lie solely with the men at the top.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2jb3mKp7Ek

I do this all the time when playing, including every corner we defend at the match. No just at the match either, on the settee, in the pub etc.

Used to pop in at least once a week at lunchtime for something to eat while still a student. Used to love the fact you're sitting there at 12:30pm in a a pretty empty bar eating a burger while Korn blasts from the speakers.

Ryder stirring the shit for certain but I don't blame any of the NE journalists for sticking the boot in at the minute. The only thing I don't like about the whole 'tired legs' thing is that it might give the message to the players that they already have a excuse lined up for Saturday so not to worry about it. The effort on Sunday showed that this is a team who seem to struggle to get motivated. The manager planting the seed now that they might potentially be knackered on Saturday isn't a great motivation tactic.

It is a problem part of his game, just watch him closely, he's standing in an offside position a lot shouting for the ball and then doesn't get it. I'm not personally criticising the lad, I said earlier in the thread I don't believe he's shite and I don't believe that season of goals was a fluke. However, I think he's been sussed a little so will have to adapt. A good coaching staff would recognise the offside problem and help him work on it. Inzaghi spent his career offside but still managed to be a decent goalscorer.

Agreed, the only thing worse than having Osbourne as the Chancellor would be Balls as the Chancellor. He is fucking useless.

That wasn't the point though. The comparison was that when Ben Arfa is shite and ineffective (7 out of 8 games) it's ok because he's taken 2 or 3 players out of the game. Fine, don't have a problem with that and see the logic. I'm not a fan of Shola, and David Kelly is right that he really shouldn't be here, but for whatever reason he was causing them bother last night and they looked worried by him. He should have stayed on last night. For once, his presence put the shits up them for some unknown reason.

I'm told by the Ben Arfa supporters that his presence alone helps the team even when he's doing very little. If a big man causing bother does the same thing, then what's the difference?

I actually think Rangers and Ashley are a perfect fit for what he wants to do; run a club on a shoe string with maximum profit. He wouldn't have to spend hardly anything to make them competitive in the league so the fans would be happy and he'd make a shit load of money from merchandise and ticket sales. We might have to wait a couple of years for them to get back into the SPL before he fully takes the plunge and fucks off though.

I agree, but he was causing more bother that Cisse last night.

Remember as well, there was a bit of a hoohaa about the Chronicle's coverage of the open W*nga debate they had in the city. The coverage was seen as very pro NUFC and those who opposed the sponsorship were given very little coverage. That would be the Chronicle who went into a partnership with W*nga shortly before that debate.