OTF

I've said it elsewhere but this is rarely a flowing game of football. As a result the quality of footballers in the side can mean very little, it's more about the attitudes and desire to win. It usually takes a very long time for the game to settle into any form of rhythm, the earlier we can achieve this the better. Players not used to it can easily get caught up in the electric atmosphere and as a result can be positionally poor and flat footed. There's no doubt that there will be a full field press from them in the early stages so the likes of Tiote and Anita will need to be at their best with making the right passes to maintain possession. That will draw fouls from them which will hopefully allow us to get the referee on side.

Really just echoing the sentiment of others on here but he was very good in this game. His passing and decision making was more team oriented and generally was just flat out better than during his cameo performances. That is to be expected though, which leaves the lingering thought - why hasn't he been started more? Setting that aside hopefully this is the start of a run in the side where we'll see some truly beautiful football from him. There will still be a desire from Ben Arfa to bring himself back into the reckoning for the World Cup with the only way to achieve that being through some exceptional performances for us.

"Oh BTW media outlet who we've blacklisted, you didn't hear this from us, but we've just put in a real and sizeable and very real bid to Lyon for Grenier. We can't stress enough that this is a genuine bid for a player who we would be delighted to get across the line."

:lol:

Fair chance he gets thrust into the derby (or as Lee Ryder would say, 'thrusted into'). Nice way to introduce him to the premier league. Assuming he doesn't get the shit kicked out of him that is...

Where we're going we don't need chemistry.

Tricky awkward player. Would be well suited to Futsal.

It doesn't matter how good they are/aren't, it matters how much they want the win. Of late there's very little free-flowing football played in these derbies so any footballing superiority we may have is instantly eroded.

Well that was shite.

Three games without Remy, including the Derby. Fucking ridiculous. Should have been two yellows, but regardless Remy wants shooting for initiating contact with the head regardless of how innocuous it clearly was.

Just had a delivery from a Pardew look-a-like. There should at least be no complacency in the second half now.

Need to make this domination count.

...and because it's not just a cameo the pressure is off Ben Arfa who has been displaying an excellent range of passing with not one speculator taken.

We've had some pretty good interplay so far.

We all grieve in different ways.

As indignant and jaded as I am I still look forward to seeing any new signings and really believe that they will perk up the other players. Silver lining and all that (glutton for punishment more like it).

The Newcastle way. Use part of your fund from the sale of your best midfielder to buy a forward to replace the forward you sold last year/several years ago. Pardew will be instructed to play Ben Arfa now to drive his value up for a summer move along with the back to form Tiote so they can bring in someone for Cabaye.

That would depend whose wage I was on!

People, grow up please and resist the urge to respond. It's exactly what he's looking for. If you keep serving it up the greedy glutton will keep gobbling it down and we'll get more of the same from him ad nauseum as he tries to feed his swelling hunger.

The club should have already had Enrique on an improved deal before he was nearing the final year of his contract. He's not been shit since, though he has had some injury problems (hamstring of course). Ba's contract should not have included a buy out clause, but I would imagine that that is how his unscrupulous money hungry agents operate. Cabaye being sold is of course no surprise, just the club operating under Mike Ashley's modus operandi. Bargains will be sought with the intention of on selling them for a profit. In this regards I think we've actually been quite lucky with the calibre of player that we've been able to attract and therefore the quality of football that we've played on occassion. I do worry that the clubs mid-table ambitions will become transparent to those who haven't tracked the club's operations under Ashley. Then there will be absolutely no credence paid to the throw away rubbish they proffer up to prospective players about how they're hoping to push on for champions league football. Pardew's more or less blatant 'revelation' of this behaviour was an amateur move.

Nice composed finish from Remy who has been involved plenty.

Their defense looks very fragile.

Wonderful Cabaye finish.

Let's save everyone the time and for the moment cast history aside and assume that he will sign.... CTs initial appraisal will be that he's not very good and that Shane is better, whilst everyone suggests that he needs to be given a chance to settle. Fast forward to a time when he's had a chance to settle and CT's appraisal will be that he's a quality player and yet another sign that Ashley is a footballing genius.

If it was Cisse he too took a swing at it - missed the ball though. Then Taylor hit his shot wide. It was offside when Cisse made a play at the ball. Matters bought though obviously.