GafferTape

Are people still thinking 442 is a realistic option under Allardyce? Based on the players that he's bought, it doen't look like he's going to play anything other than 433. Imagine the line-up will be the same as the other week, with Beye in possibly for Taylor and Feye in for Butt. The only thing is that I'm not sure where there's room for N'Zogbia in a 433 - unless he rotates Milner and him for one of the wider forward positions.

Guardian Premiership preview No14: Newcastle Comedy is no longer on the bill at St James' Park, where Sam Allardyce's ethos is anathema to the romantic values of the club in modern times. Rob SmythAugust 7, 2007 10:32 AM Guardian Unlimited writers' prediction: 6th Odds: 250-1 Sometimes, the laughing has to stop. For Newcastle United, the comedy club of the Premiership (some might cite Manchester City, but they've always done a nicer line in tragicomedy), that time has come. We may think that Newcastle are simply here to amuse us, but Sam Allardyce will warm to that idea about as much as Joe Pesci in Goodfellas. Funny? Funny how? The external perception of Newcastle is not all that is going to change. The club's fans pride themselves on the quality of their football; not anymore. While Allardyce's Bolton were never quite as insultingly direct as received wisdom had it, there is no question that he will prioritise substance over style every time. Behind that booming, gregarious laugh lies a very shrewd, serious manager, who will stop at nothing to achieve success. He didn't win a trophy at Bolton but, in real terms, his achievements were worth at least a couple of doubles. If Allardyce cannot end Newcastle's 38-year trophy drought, nobody can. It is a long-term project, of course, and a top-half finish with a decent cup run would do for this season. But there is no doubt that Allardyce's ethos is anathema to the romantic values of the club in modern times; a culture could not change so dramatically if Jeremy Paxman started presenting Big Brother. Forget what you know, or what you think you know, about Newcastle United. Everything is up for grabs. Allardyce will probably even ban fans from going topless. He certainly won't allow his team to be as naked at the back. In a revolutionary development, he has bought three real defenders this summer and will surely put an end to the lamentable, however-many-they-concede-we'll-concede-one-more culture fostered under Kevin Keegan. Titus Bramble was always a little unjustly maligned, but he was the poster boy for Newcastle's slapstick defence and it was hugely significant that Allardyce got rid of him in his first day in the job, a symbolic gesture to match the removal of the 'Comedy' from the 'Mark Thomas Comedy Product'. Now the club will have an almost entirely new defence - new to the Premiership, never mind the club - and while that carries obvious acclimatisation risks (although Allardyce, smartly, has said he will phase them in one by one), Allardyce's success in spotting the likes of Tal Ben Haim and Radhi Jaidi has earned him enough slack when it comes to buying defenders, especially when they have a pedigree as good as that of Claudio Caçapa, an ultra-experienced Brazilian international who won six titles in a row at Lyon, David Rozehnal, Paris Saint Germain's Player of the Year last season, and the Spain Under-21 left-back José Enrique. The quality of Allardyce's signings further forward is not in dispute: Mark Viduka, Geremi Njitap, Joey Barton and Alan Smith are all proven at this level, and after taming El-Hadji Diouf and others, Allardyce should have few problems even with Barton. If anything, his biggest concern - apart from rumours of a frosty relationship with the new owner Mike Ashley - is that he now has too many cooks. The depth of the squad is startling (a second XI might be: Harper, Carr, Taylor, Ramage, Babayaro, Dyer, Butt, Emre, Duff, Martins, Luque), and there is more chance of correctly predicting when Allardyce will next talk to the BBC than what his team will be for the opening game at Bolton. It is an entirely clean slate, especially as Allardyce's healing hands have the ability to find life in the deadest of wood: in pre-season, even Albert Luque has looked the part. And that, as any Newcastle fan would tell you, really is funny. In: Mark Viduka (Middlesbrough - free), Joey Barton (Manchester City - £5.8m), David Rozenhal (PSG - £2.9m) Geremi Njitap (Newcastle - free), Alan Smith (Manchester United - £6m), Claudio Caçapa (Lyon - free), José Enrique (Villarreal - £6.3m). Out: Titus Bramble (Wigan - free), Antoine Sibierski (Wigan - free), Scott Parker (Newcastle - £7m), Alan O'Brien (Hibernian - free).

££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ The.fucking.irony. Indeed. Man City look like better proposition than us now as well for a foreign player...

Banned often there then? That's an interesting typo.

I used to prequent a forum that would ban members under the Fuckwit rule. Where a user doesn't do anything offensive and worthy of a ban under normal circumstances, but enough Fuckwit posts and he'd get booted. So....

Can't agree with Cordone at all. Cheap and cheerfull, plus I tought he was half-decent.

Marcelino instead of Goma for me as a starter.

From what I heard, it's nothing to do with money. He's happy and settled in the area, his family are settled and he doesn't want to move them. He's doing/did whatever degree it was he wanted to do and doesn't see the need to move, as long as the club wants to keep him.

31st of August. Like every year since it's been in effect, if I remember correctly.

Di Canio was injured for a lot of that season, so unless Roeder tackled Di Canio a bit too fiercely, I'd say it was the long-term injury that affected Di Canio more.

That's certainly what you said in the other thread, yes.

He had a really good game playing upfront when we were down at Charlton, but I think it was his first game for them, and wasn't as effective after that.

I'm sure he'll be taking on your concerns next time he's on.

He's never done well for newcastle, in any game. EVER. he has never been given a chance, what did he have last season 6 starts which he still managed to score 2 goals. Make your mind up. Did he do well when he started, or he didn't do well because he wasn't given the chance? Because that's not what you said before. When I ask, when?

He's never done well for newcastle, in any game. EVER.

hellman's?

Things that are useful: , .

With all the excitement over Ashley's takeover, we haven't really invested or spent money on players that are likely to push us into the top half of the second-rate clubs. A lot of clubs are spending a lot more money (so far), while we seem to be stagnating a bit.

Nobby.

If the Cannavaro link is genuine, I think we have a decent chance of getting him, if it is only between us and Chelsea (which is obviously a big assumption). I doubt that Mourinho would want to drop either Carvalho or Terry to accommodate Cannavaro – especially after the season Carvalho had, and now them having 4 central defenders – compared to just three (and that’s including Bouhlarouz) last year, they also now have depth – think they’ll be a lot stronger this year, but that’s another topic.

Premier League or Championship?

Pie in the sky.

Really? Because I don’t see any of our youngsters being any better than Toure, Eboue, Fabregas, Van Persie etc. People are over-reacting to Arsenal losing Henry, they’re still a top 4 side, and will continue to be until Wenger leaves.

You have to be completely deluded to think that a move to Arsenal from us is a backwards or even a sideways step. Infact, no, you’d have to be completely insane.