Happy Face

http://m.npr.org/story/141658375?url=/2011/10/24/141658375/the-field-in-concert-moogfest-2011&ft=1&f=1039 Free hour long live set from The Field.

Haha. Bruce thanking god when the equaliser went in.

Great film. Anyone seen Thirst (his vampire film) yet? http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetail...994ab734c85b6b0 Finally got round to watching it. Thought it would be good for Halloween. It's not scary like, but there's a few "oooh ya bugger" moments like the hammer in Oldboy, and plenty of the same visual flair. The DVD has an interview on it and they ask him about the Spielberg/Will Smith version of Oldboy. He says he can't wait to see it. That project's since died like. The story now is that Spike Lee will be directing Josh Brolin and Christian Bale in it. As a result I've changed my mind on the entire project and look forward to that if it happens. After finishing Thirst, I turned channel 5 on and A Fistful of Dollars is on. Fucking mint. He's all fucked up in the shed doing his target practice now and Morricone is giving it the inspiring vengeance theme.

Hope you have a good ol' BBQ on the shed. Happy Birthday

Not saying that at all by the way. Don't think I've had a pop at anyone for being positive, deluded or Ashley loving. I tend to stick to making my own point than characterising posters based on their opinions. When I've said the fixtures have been kind (undisputed fact) I've been told by some posters (not all of course) that we're where we are on merit and I'm being negative...and yes, that Mike Ashley deserves credit for it...hence threads like "respect for MA?" Aye, it's brilliant. Perhaps it's down to the improvement in the training facilities that it's been our most injury free start to a season in my memory.

don't mind when they pick up English writers. But when yanks write shit like that and "Toon has the best defense" it's shat.

Danny Simpson is no doubt the biggest surprise on this list, but those who feel that he doesn't belong haven't watched him play this season. Simpson has been very solid on both sides of the ball and has been a large part of Newcastle's success this season. The former Manchester United man wasted no time in becoming Toon's first choice right back. Simpson has become one of the most valuable players at his club, with Newcastle recently offering him a three and a half year contract extension. Toon has the best defense at this point in the Premier League, allowing a league low six goals this season. The sky is the limit for the 24 year old Simpson and I expect him to establish himself as one of the best right backs in the Premier League. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/911167-english-premier-league-best-11-players-at-this-point-in-the-campaign/page/6#/articles/911167-english-premier-league-best-11-players-at-this-point-in-the-campaign/page/6 rofl

I was the first person to respond in the half price ticket thread and I was effusive with praise, as I was for several further posts before asking the question about staff.

Love the way you've been seconded into team negative cause you talk a lot of sense. I blame Cheznoir. A knaa I selected my user name on account of my positive outlook anaarl

I'm not sure why mentioning the facts is concentrating" on the negatives. The positives of our position, results, krul, cabaye, half price tickets etc have been well covered. I've certainly praised them all.

Let me aks you this, do you think This Newcastle team has put in its best performances in 14 or 15 years? We have been below average and I wouldn’t even be so generous to say the teams we’ve played (in general) have been any shitter. I know you don't see the games live, so it might be easier to forget, but look at the match reports if you think I'm negative. We only really turned up for Blackburn, and in parts for Spurs and at Villa... Arsenal "Two sides whose squad makeup remains in a state of flux ahead of the transfer window closing ultimately achieved their main objectives - of not losing or conceding a goal. The visitors could justifiably claim they had more possession but both 'keepers were rarely tested and the few opportunities were hit high or wide of the goals." Mackems "Sunderland will be angry that they did not get reward for a game which they controlled in large chunks." Fulham "an ultimately edgy win over a tired looking Fulham side." QPR Newcastle manager Alan Pardew: "I am not disappointed we did not get any more from this game because we did not deserve any more. Aston Villa "creating anything clearcut seemed to be beyond us" Blackburn "More goals could and should have followed with Ben Arfa, Best and Gabriel Obertan all coming close. To be back in this ground with supporters shouting "Ole!" as the home side sprayed passes around was as exhilarating as it was unexpected." Wolves "Wolves boss Mick McCarthy will rightly be aggrieved by two decisions." Newcastle manager Alan Pardew: "We were lucky today. We've been better than that and controlled the game much better in other matches. Today we had good fortune." Spurs "The equaliser came four minutes from normal time although both the home side and the visitors could have take away all three points” Wigan Newcastle manager Alan Pardew: "Great credit to Wigan in their approach to the game because they were faster and crisper than us”

Tevez got fined 50 times as much for refusing to warm up

Current position. I'm not some kind of geek who's gonna look at historical position Meaningless, the "hardness factor" for those we've played is presumably affected by the fact we've played them and not lost to them. Using your logic. We beat Fulham, Fulham drew with Man City ergo our game against Man City should be easier than our game against Fulham. I missed no point btw. there's only a small window where its informative. After 1 or 2 games the sample is too small, as you approach 19 games everyone has roughly the same average. After 9 or 10 games though, single spurious results have a smaller overall impact as the league is taking shape and there's enough disparity in who's played who to distinguish between easier and harder starts.

Thought you'd appreciate it, after all, every comparison in football is relative.

Current position. I'm not some kind of geek who's gonna look at historical position

I don't see how you can take that from what Leazes has said. Or that we've NEVER won games against poorer teams. We had a similar total after 9 games of Ashleys first season.

Going off a point Toonpack failed to take from Leazes in another thread, these are the average positions of the opposition faced for each club so far this season... Man U 7.7 Bolton 7.8 Sunderland 9.1 Blackburn 9.3 Stoke 9.3 Spurs 9.4 Wigan 9.4 Swansea 9.9 Arsenal 10.3 WBA 10.6 Fulham 10.7 Norwich 10.9 Everton 10.9 Wolves 11.1 Chelsea 11.2 Liverpool 11.5 Villa 12.4 Newcastle 13.2 Man City 13.3 QPR 13.4 Liverpool should be ashamed of their start looking at that and Villa should have made more of their start. QPR could be heading for disaster without having made more of their fixtures. Bolton have a valid excuse for their position it seems. Not so much the Mackems and Blackburn, but arguably so. Depending on where you finish the average of your opponents is between 10 and 11 come the end of the season, so those in blue have played a reprasentative cross-section of the teams.

Does that excuse the approach. We needed cover for Enrique (and for RB too). We should have been in the market for Santon either way. The fact we sold Enrique meant we should have been looking for another body to bring in. The performance of the defence without Enrique would suggest your post is not true in terms of percieved need and real need. We didn't have a single defender on the bench on Wednesday. The defence conceded 4. Against the club that are bottom of the league. I think it's a real need. What defensive players we have are performing over and above expectation this season. 75% of them are players that were here when we got relegated though and they need numbers bolstered. we've won a few games against the weaker opposition in the league though, so TP and his thick chums including those "experts" on skunkers etc [who also have stopped backing the club with their own hard cash despite insisting the club is "on the right lines"] now appear to think it supercedes 15 years of playing regularly in europe, and is "better" We've had our best start in 15 years, I would suggest that the "weaker" opposition appears as such partly because we've beaten them, when previously we haven't. I don't think Leazes was suggesting the opposition this season is weaker than the 14 years previous, but that we've only proven ourselves capable of beating the weaker teams in the league this season (Blackburn, Wigan, Fulham, Wolves, Sunderland), but incapable of beating anyone better than them (QPR, Villa, Arsenal, Spurs). ....important and impressive as it is that we've won all of those 5 games we have, as well as a couple of the draws.

I notice Besty is second by the way. Is it Besty that bases every opinion on FM? Might be summat to it.

Just used my wildcard. Managed to squeeze in Van Der Vaart Nani Silva Cabaye Aguero and Dzeko. Howay the lads.

Does that excuse the approach. We needed cover for Enrique (and for RB too). We should have been in the market for Santon either way. The fact we sold Enrique meant we should have been looking for another body to bring in. The performance of the defence without Enrique would suggest your post is not true in terms of percieved need and real need. We didn't have a single defender on the bench on Wednesday. The defence conceded 4. Against the club that are bottom of the league. I think it's a real need. What defensive players we have are performing over and above expectation this season. 75% of them are players that were here when we got relegated though and they need numbers bolstered.

Then there's the death squads and Lockerbie, swings and roundabouts.

Checked He scored the winning goal on his debut for the Magpies, in a 1–0 friendly victory against Sampdoria. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Smith_(footballer_born_1980)

Tim Krul's was the must unbelievable I've seen mind.