Papa Lazaru

I know, some hardman if you're backing off from Franny Lee, if you're that hard he should have been flat out on the deck!

That assumes Barton is available......or does the panel only convene on a Monday morning? I'm sure they'll make an exception for Barton and nufc. If Mascherano can punch Beckford in the back of the head I don't see why Barton shouldn't get away with patting Pedersen on the chest. I think you're forgetting which team Macherano was playing for! Its the inconsistency that drives people mad, look at the Huddlestone one, everyone with eyes could see it was a deliberate stamp, rather than landing on the guy by mistake, it was as clear as day but he gets away with it.

Indeed, not only is he doing his job of target man and beating everyone in the air, but he's also banging in his share of goals as well. And when you add in his Shearer-like defending in our own area which will save goals he has become invaluable. I mean one of his clearing headers last night was so powerful it set Ranger on a break we could have scored from! The worry is that if he gets injured, Hughton like every manager before him will think because Shola is big he can play like Carroll. But he has never been able to, he can't play as a target man, he plays best with Carroll and would be lost having to do that job and his goal scoring would suffer.

Yeah, Barton drifted inside a bit too much, which he hasn't recently, and Simpson had a bad game so we were troubled down that side and also didn't attack enough there. Its why i wanted Routledge on for a decent length of time (even though he's been poor) just to occupy them there and maybe get an attack or two. And i'd have moved Barton inside, taking Nolan off as twice i saw him pull up and hold his hamstring and thought it was risky keeping him on.

This is the really annoying thing, Ben Arfa is the difference, he's the guy with a bit of magic in games when we're off form and the other team keeps it tight, its what Hughton knew he'd bring and we've been robbed of it by a thug like De Jong. I do think though that Hughton should have brough Routledge on for about 20-25 mins, i know he's been pretty bad this season, but his pace on the right would at least have given another possible option as Blackburn knew we were relying on the left to heavilly last night. yeah i agree with that. if only we hadn't been robbed of ben arfa. mind, only getting one creative player in during the summer was always going to be a gamble and it didn't pay off as he's crocked for the season. we should have been in for a striker too that could have offered a different option to what we have. against the sides that shut up shop, we need a player with more pace than shola to play alongside carroll. we've no one really at the moment that can stretch defences and get around the back of those that are sitting deep and defending in numbers. Yeah, it was a gamble like you say, though with the money he had it was the right thing as we needed Tiote as well! But the problem is definitely the need for variation alongside Carroll in games like last night.

Couldn't watch it for a whole season that's for sure, just anti football, continually foul to break up play and feign injury every so often to stop any flow of the game and kill it dead as a spectacle and continue niggling away at people all the time. that said i didn't think they were in anyway a long ball team which i was expecting, they were relatively neat and tidy in their play for the most part, just awful in respect to spoiling. Its up to refs to stop the fat sams of the world wrecking the game, crack down on their continual fouling with cards from the off and it stops, ignore the fake injuries and they'll soon get up and get on with it, but it doesn't happen so teams will continue to do it. But as awful as they are to watch doing that, they took their two chances, we took our one, so they earned the win. Fouls last night - Newcastle 16-15 Blackburn. Where was the ref when Barton punched our player?! Some of you lot are truly unbelievable. You didn't make our keeper work once last night apart from the goal. That at home against any team other than the big 4, City and Spurs is very poor football. Check the Barton thread, i said it was a red and he should have gone and in this thread i said you took your two chances we took our only one created so you deserved the win, and pretty much everyone on this thread has said we played poorly, so anything else bothering you? And if you're trying to deny fat sam's tactics are to spoil and break games up and denying that your players continually feign injury to slow the game and waste time then you're unbelievable, its what he has always done and will always do, because it works for him. The feigning injury is bollocks - we have a few that do it but then every team does. We don't foul any more than other teams do. It's not pretty football I'll give you that but you're just making things up now. Its not bollocks but if believing that makes you happy, then knock yourself out, though in the same sentence you've just admitted its not bollocks by saying you have a few players who do it And i agree there are other teams that do it a bit, but fat sam teams target it specifically, thats hardly news to people in football, he likes to break the game up away from home continually. And i even said in this thread i didn't think you played long ball football at all which surprised me, the football itself was alright, its the spoiling that people are refferring to when they mention fat sam's teams.

You are in the bottom half. When we come to your place will you be expecting to win or lose? You'll be expecting to win. As last night demonstrated, there is very little between the sides. So if you expect to win at yours, we'll expect to win at ours. Deconstruct the logic in that or shut the fuck up tbh. Table now means fuck all. We're two points off fifth, where you are FFS - you're clearly not a top five side are you? We're a point behind Spurs but they're a much better side than us (and yourselves). Last night you were the team at home, we were the team away from home. If there's not that much between the sides when you're at home, and if you can only trouble our keeper once over 90 minutes at home then we should beat you pretty comfortably at Ewood. Oh dear, have you not even thought before writing that! The whole point of this thread is we struggle to break down teams like your lot at home, away from home we've beaten Arsenal, West Ham, Everton, Chelsea in the cup and drawn at Wolves because we are set up to do that. At home even fat sam might try and actually play for a win and we'll try to take advnatage of that. And bookmark this if you like, i'll happilly say right now we'll finish above you come the end of the season, though we won't stay in fifth! Our away record under Sam on the whole has been fairly poor, however under Sam we've lost 5 matches at home in just under two years. Good luck with that whole winning at Ewood thing... Didn't say we would win, i said we're set up to play your style of team much better away than at home and we'd try and take advantage of your team attaking more at home.

Couldn't watch it for a whole season that's for sure, just anti football, continually foul to break up play and feign injury every so often to stop any flow of the game and kill it dead as a spectacle and continue niggling away at people all the time. that said i didn't think they were in anyway a long ball team which i was expecting, they were relatively neat and tidy in their play for the most part, just awful in respect to spoiling. Its up to refs to stop the fat sams of the world wrecking the game, crack down on their continual fouling with cards from the off and it stops, ignore the fake injuries and they'll soon get up and get on with it, but it doesn't happen so teams will continue to do it. But as awful as they are to watch doing that, they took their two chances, we took our one, so they earned the win. Fouls last night - Newcastle 16-15 Blackburn. Where was the ref when Barton punched our player?! Some of you lot are truly unbelievable. You didn't make our keeper work once last night apart from the goal. That at home against any team other than the big 4, City and Spurs is very poor football. Check the Barton thread, i said it was a red and he should have gone and in this thread i said you took your two chances we took our only one created so you deserved the win, and pretty much everyone on this thread has said we played poorly, so anything else bothering you? And if you're trying to deny fat sam's tactics are to spoil and break games up and denying that your players continually feign injury to slow the game and waste time then you're unbelievable, its what he has always done and will always do, because it works for him.

This is the really annoying thing, Ben Arfa is the difference, he's the guy with a bit of magic in games when we're off form and the other team keeps it tight, its what Hughton knew he'd bring and we've been robbed of it by a thug like De Jong. I do think though that Hughton should have brough Routledge on for about 20-25 mins, i know he's been pretty bad this season, but his pace on the right would at least have given another possible option as Blackburn knew we were relying on the left to heavilly last night.

You are in the bottom half. When we come to your place will you be expecting to win or lose? You'll be expecting to win. As last night demonstrated, there is very little between the sides. So if you expect to win at yours, we'll expect to win at ours. Deconstruct the logic in that or shut the fuck up tbh. Table now means fuck all. We're two points off fifth, where you are FFS - you're clearly not a top five side are you? We're a point behind Spurs but they're a much better side than us (and yourselves). Last night you were the team at home, we were the team away from home. If there's not that much between the sides when you're at home, and if you can only trouble our keeper once over 90 minutes at home then we should beat you pretty comfortably at Ewood. Oh dear, have you not even thought before writing that! The whole point of this thread is we struggle to break down teams like your lot at home, away from home we've beaten Arsenal, West Ham, Everton, Chelsea in the cup and drawn at Wolves because we are set up to do that. At home even fat sam might try and actually play for a win and we'll try to take advnatage of that. And bookmark this if you like, i'll happilly say right now we'll finish above you come the end of the season, though we won't stay in fifth!

Couldn't watch it for a whole season that's for sure, just anti football, continually foul to break up play and feign injury every so often to stop any flow of the game and kill it dead as a spectacle and continue niggling away at people all the time. that said i didn't think they were in anyway a long ball team which i was expecting, they were relatively neat and tidy in their play for the most part, just awful in respect to spoiling. Its up to refs to stop the fat sams of the world wrecking the game, crack down on their continual fouling with cards from the off and it stops, ignore the fake injuries and they'll soon get up and get on with it, but it doesn't happen so teams will continue to do it. But as awful as they are to watch doing that, they took their two chances, we took our one, so they earned the win.

Does my head in the way they defend the leg breaking tackles which this season are happening several times a week, yet bang on about stuff like this. What Barton did was stupid and petulent, he deserved a red and a ban but it won't hurt or injure anyone and anybody but a footballer wouldn't even flinch at it, i'd imagine most people have jokingly hit their mates harder than that.

Based on the documentary your first clip is from which i watched, and was hilarious, the reason for the racist abuse won't likely be that she thinks it. The main Scottish guy said his form of the disease would make you say the worst/most inappropriate things that you rreally didn't want to say and at the worst time. So it probably means she thinks racist abuse is the worst thing you can do and the tourettes blurts it out!

Wenger is a strange one, obviously a top manager, but he insists on having a below standard keeper, and always likes to have at least one shit centreback knocking about as a minimum. And he doesn't seem to remember his winning teams had the likes of Viera and Petit to mix it when needed then play the football, bit of skill, some steel as well, some youth and some experience.

Enjoyed it, obviously its not up there with their best work because it hasn't been given the time and work of a full series, but because Coogan literally just becomes Partridge completely, everytime he plays him, you'll always get some good stuff.

I said the same, does Ranger not have access to normal boots or something! I think tbh he's one of those young players who's a bit over eager/energetic and at times is a bit too hectic and falls off balance or gets ahead of himself. But he had an impact today and can do plenty of times this season off the bench.

I think that's a logical thing to do, a cheap utility player when our squad is short on numbers and we have little cash, but i can't help feeling Hughton was let down by Calderwood, he managed Perch so knows him very well, and he should have known his failings and known he was way below prem standard. I know Hughton will have checked him himself but i think he went with Calderwoods judgement here and has been lumbered with a player not good enough to be 3rd choice anything.

Definitely a good understanding as you say with Enrique, and a good partnership with Williamson, all we were lacking was a RB and as it stands Simpson has had an acceptable game at West Ham as he was just back in the first team, played well against the mackems and very well today. Its no coincidence that with Perch out the team we've won 3 games and looked much more steady at the back, also helped by Barton replacing Routledge on that side as well. Before that teams could see we were hard to beat on the left with Enrique and Jonas' work rate, so they could hammer us down the right and we had little answer. Now we have some balance and hopefully Simpson will continue his form, because he needs to be at his best as most of us think he may struggle in the prem ultimately, but he's doing well so far.

I was always a fan of Enrique so didn't understand the initial criticism he seemed to get but since our relegation season i've always thought we were lucky that the people in football being stupid/lazy as they often are were ignoring his actual ability and focussing on the "Foreign defender for NUFC, got to be shit" idea and assumed he'd struggled like Colo had in his first season. Then he stormed the championship but they probably thought, well so did Colo and we all thought he was shite. Now comes the test, they can't be thinking it anymore, he's as good as nearly any LB out there and they will have taken note, he's doing it against prem players every week, i mean today i forgot Walcott was playign at times. So sooner or later somebody will be after him.

Fully deserved because we played very well and defended/battled brilliantly whenever needed and took our chance when it came, to Wenger its not deserved because they had more chances and hit the bar twice, though he did say we played well and was more hinting they deserved a draw. But football's about taking the chance when it comes and we did! Fair play, and Wenger will moan about absolutely anything. Prick of the highest order. Just noticed I put 'morning afternoon'. Meant afternoon. Yeah, he did spend plenty of the match whingeing at the 4th official as is the norm!

Fully deserved because we played very well and defended/battled brilliantly whenever needed and took our chance when it came, to Wenger its not deserved because they had more chances and hit the bar twice, though he did say we played well and was more hinting they deserved a draw. But football's about taking the chance when it comes and we did!

Indeed, we'll see what Ashley is made of when the first bids come in for Tiote, Carroll, Enrique etc. Until he gives Hughton a contract, backs him with reasonable cash and doesn't sell any player Hughton wants to keep then we don't know where we stand yet.

This season is the most lively/awake/up for it i've seen him, he's got in the team and deserves to stay there, he clearly enjoys playing off Carroll and played a full part in todays win. Thought he was back to his usual lazy performance today. He covered plenty of ground, and occupied defenders often enough, and he was available in the channels to recieve passes and hold it wide, if it wasn't Shola i don't think you'd be saying that, and i'm not a fan of his, but he did well today. But is is and its so typical of him to follow up a great performance with an average one. I suppose it was Arsenal but its all the times you see him strolin around and your thinking "get at them". He does drive you mad, and my main gripe with him has always been attitude and energy etc. but today i was happy with him, solid contribution for the team, and deserves to keep his place.

World class keeping from him today, one saves especially. He is a brilliant keeper, particularly bearing in mind his age. Not only the saves but he commands all areas of his box which is something I am struggling to recall any newcastle keeper doing in my lifetime. With Krul it is obviously still potential, but he looks to dominate the 18 yard box, he's agressive and off his line quickly whenever he can and he's a proper big keeper. It's certainly looks good for the future, he'll have the odd moment this season as he's young but he has to be number one even when Harper returns. The good thing is though is that he's been doing exactly the same in the reserves for the last two years. Indeed, and i think there are people who think Forster may go on to be even better than Krul, which means we should have two top young keepers fighting it out. On the downside we won't get another Harper who is willing to be a perma no.2 at the club and eventually if both youngsters end up as good as people hope, one will be off.

This season is the most lively/awake/up for it i've seen him, he's got in the team and deserves to stay there, he clearly enjoys playing off Carroll and played a full part in todays win. Thought he was back to his usual lazy performance today. He covered plenty of ground, and occupied defenders often enough, and he was available in the channels to recieve passes and hold it wide, if it wasn't Shola i don't think you'd be saying that, and i'm not a fan of his, but he did well today.