Baggio

A quick look shows we're only 1 point behind our final league position before Ashley bought the club, the good news is that we've got 14 games left to better it and see how much progress we've made on the pitch under him.

I think a lot will depend on how well we can keep our shape, in the game earlier this season we kept it tight the first half so while we didn't create a lot ourselves we limited what they did too and they only got the breakthrough with a penalty, the second half we went for it a bit more and that was when Spurs are more dangerous, probably more than any other team in the league on the counter. They had a few good chances to win it when they broke so it's a case of not opening up unless we go behind and being happy if we can walk away with a point.

Was it under Robson before we won 3-1 at Arsenal? Robert played them off the park if it's the game I'm thinking of.

Watching the replay of Warnock's block on Best and to be fair it looks an excellent block, didn't make any contact with Best at all. The tackle on Taylor though was brutal.

We're going to get spanked I reckon.

If Guthrie was some unknown that we had signed from France in the summer I think people would be raving about the lad, the thing is where he's been here a few years and we've seen him put in some shocking performances and look like a passenger sometimes he doesn't get the credit he deserves. I'm not sure if he's lost weight but his fitness seems to be a lot better and he seems to be dominating the midfield more now rather than being on the edge of the game with his sleeves down over his hands like a young kid who's new to men's football.

Someone phoned in 606 last night saying the same thing and Alan Green said the media play a large part in it by how much attention they bring to incidents, going by nothing being made of it I expect Warnock to be let off.

I agree with Perch but I honestly don't think we would suffer too much if we had to go with Tiote and Guthrie in the middle, it just seems to have really clicked for the lad this season and saying we wouldn't miss Cabaye if he had to fill in as about the highest compliment I can give him. I was reading an interview with Pardew in the week and he was talking about us playing the 4-3-3 due to the lack of holding man while Tiote was away, it seems crazy that we went so long without a quality DM yet now we've got one we've got no sort of capable understudy for what you would think would be a low cost position to fill, someone to do a similar job like Acuna did for us under Sir Bobby.

Played 24 Points 43 That was the first time I've seen Cisse yesterday apart from highlights and he looks like a player made for the Premiership, he's got pace, great control and his movement in the final third was excellent. A really impressive debut. I also had a look at our remaining fixtures for the season the other day and without putting too optimistic scores I had us finishing on 57 points, that was including giving us a draw yesterday. W5 D3 L7 Now a quick scan back through league tables over the past decade show some clubs having 70 points to get into the top 4, but there were a few occasions where 60 and 61 points were enough, now I'm not going to get my hopes up but with seeing what Cisse can do, Cabaye and Tiote to return and none of the other clubs that are expected to be challenging for 4th showing any sort of consistency then maybe we can still dream.

All of this was said about Ben Arfa, Marveaux and Santon earlier in the season yet we didn't see a massive improvement when they were thrown in from the start did we? Parses could well play him from the start and he's excellent but he's a trump card that doesn't need to be thrown in at the start and can offer us something that none of the rest can from the bench, like Asprilla's debut.

Yet Best and Ba struck up a good partnership earlier in the season before his injury so he can't be that much of a waste. The point being Cisse doesn't have any understanding with his team mates yet so why throw him in at the deep end after 2 days when he can give us a much needed lift from the bench if we need it? The alternative if he doesn't hit the ground running is we sub him off for one of Best or Shola, neither of those will lift the crowd or the team in the same way.

Well this didn't happen as Sir Bobby says in his book that Gary Speed was sold behind his back and only found out about the transfer when he was saying his goodbyes...

I think Pardew will start Cisse from the bench knowing that if we're struggling to break them down his introduction will give the team and fans a lift.

Sir John stressed that as he was no longer on the Newcastle United board they were his personal views, and that he was fully behind Freddy Shepherd. He says: "It was a very difficult decision to make. I would guess that the board thought this particular season Newcastle would finish fourth and get into the Champions League. But we had a poor start to the season. "The problems in the dressing room seemed to continue through into the season and I can understand Freddy Shepherd, the chairman's decision. "It was the right decision, to my mind, and I'm standing by him. "Probably the only thing to be criticised was the timing. "It might have been better if Bobby had taken an ambassadorial role at the end of last season."

I'd rather have the team we've got now than the one your man Shepherd had when he left the club. exactly

I doubt it however most of us thought we would drop off after our tough games through November and December, and when we found out Tiote was injured or while our players were away in the ANC yet we are still up there.

This weekends fixtures should be interesting as a win against Villa should really kick us on and cement our place in the European spots, saying that I still fancy it being a draw. Arsenal vs Blackburn Stoke vs Sunderland Liverpool vs Spurs Chelsea vs Man Utd

The point being the player we want isn't available yet apparently, so we have to wait until the summer until he is. I don't see that as not pushing on, it's similar to the Cisse situation as he's come out and said he was close to joining in the summer but his club blocked it, meaning he had to wait until January.

Aye, I'd have taken Bassong on loan. This is a serious question before any nutsack bites my head off, but how do u reckon the crowd would have taken to that given how he left?? Apparently he refused to play in a friendly to push through a move to Spurs which is why we wouldn't touch him. It was a gamble not getting another centre back and fingers crossed it doesn't come back to bite us on the arse, even if we have to wait until the summer for Douglas we still should have got someone in on loan.

Sunday not Wednesday. Olte Enduz in the skoi yippy oi ay yippy oi ohh! A I said in the match thread, I think it could be a draw which is what Villa will be playing for. Not that I live or have ever lived anywhere near Birmingham.

My other half is pregnant so that knocks my foreign jaunts on the head for the next 12 months, although we're going to Prague for a weekend in March and possibly another at the beginning of April for her 30th.

When he has played off the striker he doesn't hold his position at all, we were left with him dropping deep in our half and an isolated front man up top on his own.

He wasn't getting a game though until recently while we were bringing Sammi Ameobi on ahead of him to play out there, we've also experimented with 4-4-1-1 and 4-3-3 to try and accommodate him.

Mayweather is moving up to 154lbs to fight Cotto in May. A fight I've wanted to watch for 5 years that one.

What's you thoughts about Newcastle against your local club on Wednesday? We were lucky but it's about time we had some luck, the Swansea game springs to mind where we dominated but just couldn't score. Not that I live or have ever lived anywhere near Blackburn.