NJS

The first game (2-2) in the new ground was a great atmosphere - none since have come anywhere near imo.

There was some shit at the time of all the speculation last summer that he was front for other people's money.

Thing is Bruce didn't play 5 in midfield as part of some master tactical plan - as I understand it that's how they've played all season hence Gyan being a permanent sub. It's especially heartening the way they think that adding "quality" along with a supposed good manager would inevitibly lead to this mythical progress they all expect.

The Mackem's face after the first couple is fucking brilliant.

I haven't posted anything this week on the game as I was kidding myself that I wasn't that bothered - it took the early chance for them when I nearly shit myself to make me realise there's no delusion bigger than self-delusion. Credit due to the team and it's heart warming to see a team which probably isn't as good as ones in the past who've lost to them really seem to care. I know this will make me sound a bit soft but I actually felt sorry for Titus - I'd have been perfectly okay with a yellow. I also love the fact that despite the money spent and the supposed good squad they are still basically shit with one decent footballer to their name (Malbranque).

I ordered an HTC Desire Z (combo of touch screen + slide out keyboard) from Amazon a couple of weeks ago - they were due for release on November the 1st but I've just had an email saying it won't be delivered until about the tenth - tried a few other places and its the same everywhere. I went for a £15 30 day rolling contract with T-Mobile which includes 1GB internet.

I'd also like to state that I don't like the suggestions of messing about with UK time - I'm no patriot but I think where on the meridian as of right and we shouldn't abandon it.

Just thinking that every time keeping device I now own will adjust automatically - thank the lord for technology.

Shown as a mini-series it's actually quite good imo - the scene where James Mason asks the priest to take on the master is particularly effective. His early books were more consistent but he's still capable of a good one. The Stand is probably his best. I don't like the more fantasy based ones and the collaboration with Straub didn't work for me - despite me being a Straub fan.

I realised it would be in poor taste to counter your posts on this subject, like crushing a dying dung beetle or a retarded gerbil. Inevitably you felt the need to post more unsubstantiated and ignorant bile. I can't help wondering, if your opinion of western people and their 'bloodlust' is so low - after all, Britain did support both wars fully - why don't you go and live in a hut in Timbuktu and run about naked having given up all material possessions? Oh that's right, because despite espousing a mentality that makes hippys look like Navy Seals, you can't live without your western luxuries, and you probably indirectly fund arms companies and certainly oil companies who have a vested interest in the Iraq conflict. If you're going to talk such nonsense at least back it up and go and live in a tree. As if Blair was some kind of calmimg influence - the cunt was crying "crusade" in his sleep. What the hell are you blathering on about now. A calmimg influence? Out of interest, what do you think of Blair's record of conflicts before Iraq? I took your mentioning Britain's support as some kind of suggestion that if the US was on a revenege mission then they'd have some friends who'd say "hang' on there mate. they aren't worth it". My point is that Blair was just as politically/religiously driven as Bush. Of course I accept that any Tory would have been just as much a poodle.

I realised it would be in poor taste to counter your posts on this subject, like crushing a dying dung beetle or a retarded gerbil. Inevitably you felt the need to post more unsubstantiated and ignorant bile. I can't help wondering, if your opinion of western people and their 'bloodlust' is so low - after all, Britain did support both wars fully - why don't you go and live in a hut in Timbuktu and run about naked having given up all material possessions? Oh that's right, because despite espousing a mentality that makes hippys look like Navy Seals, you can't live without your western luxuries, and you probably indirectly fund arms companies and certainly oil companies who have a vested interest in the Iraq conflict. If you're going to talk such nonsense at least back it up and go and live in a tree. As if Blair was some kind of calmimg influence - the cunt was crying "crusade" in his sleep.

This will probably prompt more abuse from KSA but I always thought one of the factors in deciding to invade Iraq was that the September the 11th revenge bloodlust hadn't been satisfied by the up to that point "easy" invasion of Afghanistan.

I flew from Stansted to Newcastle on the day after September 11th and things were understandably twitchy. There was a bloke in front of me at check-in arguing till he was blue in the face that he shouldn't have to put his laptop in the hold as he needed it in-flight. Criminal ignorance and insensitivity.

Excellent news. "Experts predicted Newcastle to lose at least 8-0 at Old Trafford - because it was only 3-0 it was an excellent result". The previous quarter was 1.2%

Bonfire night's changed a lot in recent years though - its all public events rather than the amateur stuff we used to pull.

Sand Dancer not a geordie But still only half a mile from the tyne (Closer to the tyne than most parts of Newcastle I think ) I've always used that argument (its also further north than Newcastle) - obviously cuts no ice with ultras like Stevie but still. (Late Congrats btw)

I'm sure we played for longer than that when we were kids.

I think your view that only those in the public sector or involved with someone who is should be worried and everyone else is okay is simplistic. If I worked in a service area like say taxi driving in an area which will be affected badly I wouldn't feel that immune to the effects.

Xmas possibly - new year with 20% VAT no chance.

I still dont understand your thrust here. The government and their independant advisors have models that predict a rise after a recession. Im sure they take into account lags etc and yet still believe their models to be right. Was it not the norm in the 80's and 90's to come out of recession, followed by private sector growth Are we getting hung up on headline figures of 19% cuts when in truth this is actually 4.9% cut for the first year and so on. It may be the economy does grow as expected or better and the whole thing gets even better. The bottom line however in all of this is that there is more than one train of thought out there and you know fine well that this is an argument that cant be won in advance. I think the point is "recessions are always followed by growth" is the kind of assumption which is more based on patchy history rather than any sound basis. You also have to consider the lack of bank lending as a huge obstacle to any growth. As we also keep saying the cuts will also lead to private job losses as those companies like EDS which service the public sector cut back.

At first glance "the glass slipped" sounds a bit like a "he fell down the starirs" kind of excuse but having said that a "full-on" glassing would do more damsge than a cut eyebrow.

I think its naive to think that wealth doesn't bring problems - theres enough evidence to suggest that it does. Of course that doesn't stop the desire for it - myself included.

They've been sold to the bloke who put them into administration (Chanrai). Not an expert but that sounds dodgy as fuck.

Pointing out the non-truths wouild be a start.

I think its a function of the total time since real mass unemployment (to be fair probably in the 70s under Labour) first came - in pockets like areas of the NE it wouldn't have mattered if unemployment had been 1% or 10% over the period - its the year on year depression in these places that promotes the culture. As I've said before I don't think there are any easy answers to breaking the cycle - and there's no way the Tories will.