Bombadil

hmmm....... how do you know why i dismissed Luque ? ...you couldn't be more wrong .... 72772[/snapback] Let me guess - is it because he happens to be from Spain? Surely not... To use Souness' vocabulary, under a proper manager, in a team playing proper football with a proper game-plan, Luque would be a proper player, I'm sure of that. He was, however, a panic buy.

It's official - we have a new scapegoat! He's foreign and cost a lot of money - the perfect attributes!

It really pains me to say it, but we will probably be even worse off if Shearer remains fit and plays in every match until Owen is back. Ameobi/Luque or even Ameobi up front on his own has to be better than Shearer/Ameobi...

I don't give a shit about when he will be back for England, unfortunately that's all we'll be hearing about from the media over the next couple of months.

What a sick, sick joke.

I wish he'd just fuck off, I'm sick of him and everything he stands for.

0-2. Give him time, anyone?

Today's excuse: injuries.

Owen seems to be injured.

0-1 Tainio. What a load of shit. Have we had a single chance or shot on goal?

So much for Shearer not playing every game of the festive period. It's a joke of a team and I'm not optimistic.

Team: Given; Ramage, Boumsong, Bramble, Elliott; Solano, Faye, Parker, Ameobi; Shearer, Owen. Subs: Harper, Babayaro, Clark, N'Zogbia, Luque.

Definitely agree. I've always liked Murphy, he's one of the few English players who is actually underrated. I don't think he would be first choice if everyone's fit, but seeing as that never happens, a swap deal for Bowyer plus one or two million sounds good. What's the source?

Same here

I saw that, it's pathetic when you think that all Souness said after the match was that their defenders were nervous about Owen's pace.

I've only just read this and I feel sorry - all the best to you and your family, hopefully he will recover soon and you will all be fine. Best wishes.

Oliver's (aka the club mouthpiece) match report makes for some interesting reading - he is unusually critical of Souness. Maybe that's Fat Fred's way of putting Souness under pressure...you can always hope! No joke as Reds take the Michael Dec 27 2005 By Alan Oliver, The Evening Chronicle The Liverpool fans taunted Michael Owen at Anfield yesterday, singing : "You should have joined a real club." And after watching Newcastle United's spineless and gutless performance, it's hard to argue with that. It's a long time since I saw United so outclassed at Liverpool and, worst of all, they have now become a laughing stock. For the Liverpool supporters cheered and applauded when Titus Bramble went on as a 28th-minute substitute for the luckless Steven Taylor and then mocked the central defender throughout the game. But all credit to Bramble - he demonstrated plenty of character and got on and did his job better than most in a black-and-white shirt. Graeme Souness did not wear a black-and-white shirt but he has got to share responsibility, for he is the manager of a team which seems to be going precisely nowhere. And this after being handed £50m by Freddy Shepherd in the past 15 months. United will probably beat Charlton Athletic at St James' Park tomorrow and I suppose everything in the garden will be rosy again. Or will it? It was almost as though United knew they were going to lose at Liverpool yesterday - well, they usually do. For what it's worth, why did Souness play Lee Bowyer? He was unlucky to be sent off, but this is a player who wants to be away. In Lee Clark, Souness has a Geordie boy who, while nearing the end of his career, still wears the black-and-white shirt with pride and passion. Yet how many United players can say yesterday they wore their shirt with pride and passion? Where was the fighting spirit United found to beat Arsenal? It wasn't only these qualities United lacked. They also lacked direction and they did not appear to have any sort of tactical plan. The United defence made the much-maligned Peter Crouch appear like a cross between the great Alfredo Di Stefano and Wyn "the leap" Davies. United's midfield was a joke and the less said about it the better. And the look on Owen's face said it all as he never had a sniff of a chance of all afternoon on his first return to Anfield. Alan Shearer did have one chance only for Jean Alain Boumsong to get in the way. At the other end, Liverpool could have had a hatful. The reason they didn't was over-confidence and over-elaboration. And Shay Given. How many times this season - and we are not half-way through until tomorrow - has Given saved United from further embarrassment and humiliation? Liverpool could and should have run up a cricket score, and while the final scoreline flattered United this is of no consolation to the Toon Army. As I left Anfield, Kenny Dalglish shouted at me "Are you still alive?" Yes, Kenny. More alive than Newcastle United were yesterday. VERDICT: United have lost with honour at Anfield in the past. Yesterday they lost with dishonour.

It's Köbi Kuhn, Switzerland's national team coach.

From NUFC.com:

Maybe, but I think he'd be back to Liverpool in a shot given the opportunity. 71124[/snapback] Exactly, and who could blame him? He seems to enjoy life with us for now, but Liverpool are the club he loves and they're doing really well. Reading that Benitez definitely wanted him doesn't exactly fill me with confidence either. And if they go and win the Champions League again this year, money won't be a problem.

Definitely worse than Mutya.

Definitely not! Now that everyone's fit, it is going to take at least 15 matches with Souness' preferred XI before we can say whether or not he's up to the job.

Probably not. I guess the best he can hope for is coming off the bench if we are 2-0 behind. According to the Chronicle, Emre isn't 100% certain to play either - I hope it's not Faye and Bowyer in central midfield!

I definitely think he was a panic buy, most people would probably agree on that. If we hadn't got Owen (and it was far from certain that we'd get him), we would have been stuck with Shearer and Ameobi. Luque's still a good player from what I've seen of him. He will need more games than Emre though to adapt to the Premiership.

The whole situation doesn't make sense. The problem seems to be that he's never going to be picked ahead of Shearer and Owen up front and given Souness' inept and non-existent tactics and game plan, I don't think he'll shine playing on the wing. He's had about 3-4 weeks of full training now and the odd sub appearance, hopefully he will get games soon as there's no other way for him to prove himself.