Renton

You really are on a different planet aren't you? Just one problem with your theory. I was at the Arsenal match last week, and can verify its true what they say about the Highbury library - they didn't make a squeak. Yet Arsenal are one of the best teams on the planet, and only 2 years ago went the whole SEASON unbeaten in the league, both home and away. Nothing to do with their manager and players, I suppose? Also, Newcastle fans are very noisy away from home, and guess what, we're shite. Even at Cardiff where we owned ManU, we were utter shit. So how do you square this? You really haven't a clue, have you?

Why are you being so negative? Is it any wonder that he has difficulty scoring when you're so harsh on him? What if he reads that message? I bet you want him to never score, just so he doesn't get played! What's the point in whinging and moaning? Where's your PMA - Positive Mental Attitude? if you got Ameobi 9 on the back of your shirt and hung around his house asking for autographs, telling him how great he is and how you can't wait to see him in the world cup, he'll be a 30 goal a season striker! 17928[/snapback] I don't rate Ameobi. I'm not screaming about it though. I just hope we get Owen and Luque/Anelka. I still don't think being a professional whinger is of any benefit to the club. 17966[/snapback] Funny, Souness doesn't think professional wingers are of any benefit to the club. You still think Owen will come do you? I mean really, honestly, this is what you believe?

Well said. I can't actually decide whether KM is: A: a wum B: a relative of Souness/Shepherd C: a complete fucking idiot Odds on C like. 17842[/snapback] Or D: Anal Oliver 17845[/snapback] Do you know what I think would be good. Having Abramovich/Mourinho/Pele/Karl Heinz Rummenigge and Uncle Tom Cobley. It ain't going to happen. I want us to do well. I'd like to see us win a trophy. I just think that there is too much hysteria around the club which is mistaken for passion. A club of our size SHOULD be winning the occasional cup and be finishing higher in the league. It is my conclusion that it is not the board/manager/players but THE INSANE HYSTERIA AROUND THIS CLUB. I am a Newcastle fan with a life. You disagree. No problem. I don't think your anger is of any benefit to anyone or anything. 17864[/snapback] You're right KM. I don't mean your opinions on NUFC, just that you have as much right to say what you want as everyone else. The trouble with the old board at times was that it became a slagging match when one person's opinion didn't agree with another's. Live and let live. We don't have to agree, so let's not get back to any of this slagging each other off. 17875[/snapback] Hold on, I don't normally slag fellow fans off. But when one of those fans says something as preposterous that the club is being run well, but it is the fans who are to blame (like NJM did a few months back), then he deserves to be called a fucking idiot. Or indeed he might be a clever wum, in which of course he also deserves to be slagged. To use playground parlance, he started it. Ner ner.

Haven't listened to the three legends in a while like, but last time SuperMac was telling it like it is with regards Souness and his transfer policy. And he says we play shit when we, erm, play shit. Personally I much prefer him to the Liverpool mafia. Micky Quinn was spot on on 5live this morning too, it has to be said.

Well said. I can't actually decide whether KM is: A: a wum B: a relative of Souness/Shepherd C: a complete fucking idiot Odds on C like.

Got to be a mistake.

they would probably have to accept it because of the power that players and agents have these days. if the scousers offer £9m and we offer £15m, but owen is dead set on liverpool, that is where he will end up. 17340[/snapback] If the players have that much power then Luque, LBM and Anelka would be playing for NUFC by now? 17439[/snapback] Of course they would be here by now if they really wanted to come. Maybe, just maybe, they don't want to play for a struggling side led by a soon to be sacked Souness.

Souness's Newcastle are breaking all sorts of records for shitness though - they practically were the worst Newcastle team in every way possible since we got in the premiership last year. And fail to score against ManU on Sunday and we will be approaching 10 hours of league football at SJP without a goal from a Newcastle player. Oh happy days.

Since the day he was appointed it was all predicted in accurate detail and it has all happened. It was said he'd fall out with players, particularly flair players. Said he'd get rid and replace with worse or nothing. Said he'd produce dull, crap football making us the equivalent of what Blackburn were under him when we took him on. Said he'd basically turn us to shite through a combination of childish wannabe hardman antics and piss poor management skills, and its all happened. 17623[/snapback] Exactly Papa. One word for this mess we are in: PREDICTABLE! And Souness's imminent sacking is also predictable, and predictably he will be replaced by another third rate manager!

Serious question here - why would Owen want to join this shithouse of a team? Better hope he's not watching/listening to/hearing about this. Or watching Sky on Sunday for that matter. FFS this is ridiculous.

FFS, when did you have your lobotomy?

Don't agree. Our squad would still be weak, our first team would be OK. 17202[/snapback] Given, Harper Carr, Ramage LB, Babayaro Boumsong, Bramble Taylor, Moore Jenas, Milner Luque, N'Zogbia Parker, Faye Emre, Bowyer Shearer, Ameobi Owen, Dyer. I'd say 3/4s of the Premier League would take that squad. 17210[/snapback] You've actually managed to list Dyer as a striker there. But yeah, it looks considerably better, but still huge areas of weakness and completely inadequate cover.

Don't agree. Our squad would still be weak, our first team would be OK.

I can't quite believe what I'm reading over there to be honest. Being cynical about this move is one thing, but saying that it's a huge mistake and "devastating" is fecking amateur dramatics at its best. Sad as owt. 17019[/snapback] If we pull it off, and its a big if, then it could be a fantastic signing. However, the money does really worry me, especially since I don't think we will be able to afford anyone else. I actually think a loan deal would suit both parties very well now, but probably not Real Madrid. One things for sure though, NO more excuses for Souness if this happens. I'm not massively excited yet, as it probably won't happen anyway and even if it does, the root cause of our problems are still there.

Oh the cynicism! I wonder where we could have got that from?

So it's official then is it, a record fee for Owen? God, I hope this works out, talk about putting all your eggs in one basket. Obviously I'm relieved we have signed a class striker, one eho I never thought would come here to be honest, but the money (in excess of 15M) scares me.

Not sure what good things you are suggesting but other than following Robson in overseeing the development of Taylor and overspending on the neverthless good signing Boumsong (3 defensive players out, three in, no adequate cover on the left or right), Im not sure how he has had much of a positive effect on our defence. I know stats can be misleading but the number of goals conceded in Robsons last full season 2003-4 was 40 our lowest sice we came 2nd 8 or so years ago. Last season we conceded 57, the worst since we nearly tumbled into oblivion 13 years ago. 16677[/snapback] Thanks for reminding me of this, I thought I might have been imagining things from last year. There now seems to be a general consensus that we are "sorted" at the back, but this doesn't seem to tally with last seasons results. Perhaps a before and after Boumsong statistic might be telling. Anyhow, what is certain is that at the back, like most other places, we are very thin in depth - two or three injuries/suspensions from disaster in fact.

I firmly believe most managers in the league could do a better job than Souness. I like the Burley suggestion, I have admired him for a while (I'm seeing Hearts on Saturday). Or we could go for someone like Mike Newell, and keep Shearer as his chief coach. You might scoff, but it has to be worth the risk. We need someone who knows how to use and motivate average players, because contrary to popular belief we haven't got £30M to hand out to every new manager we employ. Of course, I always wanted O'Neill, and believe we could have got him last year if we'd really pushed the boat out for him. But as we know, we made the mistake of not replacing Robson when we should, and now Shepherd has repeated the exact same mistake, for the 4th time in 7 years. It really beggars belief.

For his getting rid of players. 16505[/snapback] But it's not just that though. It's the fact he seems to be incapable of creating a team with less than £30M at his disposal. How many people on here have seen Luque play enough to know that his transfer fee of £10 M (or whatever it is now) and wages of £65K are justified? Not many I bet, but I'm not surprised Shepherd is reluctant to release a collossal amount of money on a relative unknown who might not even adapt here. FFS, Souness has had money, and he inherited a top 5 squad. Why can't people see this? The answer isn't always to throw money away (although that doesn't mean I am happy with Shepherd's role in all this).

Do you think mass prayer might be the answer? Worth a try anyway?

It's not God's fault, it's Gemmill's.

Don't feel sorry for Souness, for God's sake, this is at least partly his fault. Oh, and he won't resign, because that would mean know pay-off. He's going to be handsomely rewarded for his part in wrecking our club.

Take away Shepherd and Souness (or Paul and Barry Chuckle as they should be known) and it is very strange, with them at the helm it sounds about right to me. The whole thing has been a joke from months back. Souness categorically knew during last season he was getting rid of Bellamy and Robert and basically luivert as well. So those people with a brain would think right, first signings through this door, the ones i'll conentrate my efforts on will be two strikers and an attacking left sided player. What does this prick do, chases two central midfielders until he gets them! So he has left us with a squad with no attack and width but plenty of midfield, then Shepherd takes over the role of ruining the club. And he decides that no matter how clear it is we need goals and creativity he is going to piss about arguing over fees and buy nobody! But the fact remains, they knew back last season who was going and they went after players in other positions first, its piss poor management on every level. 16342[/snapback] It's just desperation, that's all. I'll be honest and say I hadn't even heard of Luque before we declared an interest. My attempt to fit him into a song: His name is Luque, He plays on the left wing... To the tune of Luca by Suzanne Vega if it isn't obvious....

Maybe not but it is all his fault anyway.

Would Dickov be any worse than Shearer in his current form? 16242[/snapback] It's not just Shearer's bad form, it's also the entire team around him and our tactics, or have you somehow missed that? Shearer + no supply or support = no goals. Like Dickov is going to fix it..... 16246[/snapback] No I haven't. Have you noticed that when we do have posession of the ball in midfield that the complete absence of any movement from Shearer up front leaves the midfield scratching their heads as to quite what to do with the ball? Or have you somehow missed that? 16255[/snapback] He was by himself, completely isolated, and his only supply was the long ball hoof. What the hell do you expect him to do playing under that system? Of course if we had Bellamy or Robert.... There's no need for any scape goat other than Souness for the mess we are currently in. 16261[/snapback] I'm not using him as a scapegoat, but can you really not see that the bloke is completely finished? I take no pleasure whatsoever from it, but it is an undeniable fact when you see him out there. The only time I see him animated is when he's berating a team mate for the inability to pull a ball back and thread it through the 3 defenders that have positioned themselves between the crosser and himself as a result of his inability to manouevre himself around the box. As for the Bellamy and Robert stuff.....I really can't be arsed. 16266[/snapback] Yes, he's probably completely finished as you put it (although I think he could still have a limited role to play), but my point is, ANY striker is going to struggle in this team. Replacing Shearer is not going to be the panacea to all our problems, and as for replacing him with Dickov..... I realise you probably meant that tongue in cheek by the way.