Papa Lazaru

Won 2-0 without ever really getting out of second gear, i'll take that against the mackems happilly. Butt was everywhere for 90 mins and did a great job, fullbacks impressed as ever and Owen did a great job. I couldn't believe the mackems though, from what i'd read they were supposed to play a bit of football, but they were a bunch of dirty bastards who could do nowt except hoof the ball up to Jones for 90 mins! If we'd hit form second half it could have been a humiliation for them, but as it was we went off the boil they tried their best and it became scrappy, but job done so who cares.

I'm very pleased with the structure that has finally after all these years been put into place at the club with the likes of Wise and his team of scouts, how well they have done or will do we shall start to see sometime next season when we see if any of the young lads they spotted and brought here break into the team and go on to be good players. Obviously the key thing for next season is for Keegan to get his 4-5 top class players allied to his ability to get a hell of a lot more out of the current players than previous managers. But it will also be great to see a few young players break through and become prem squad players if not even first team material next season. Our squad has lacked depth for a long time and some young lads stepping up could really help with that, and it would be great to see some players do well that hadn't cost us a fortune and that we'd spotted before others!

Its something that's always amazed me to hear from adults at football matches, it just sounds so childish. As for Chopra i think the majority of fans won't have any problem with him, he left here for first team football and when the mackems offered him a shot at the prem he took it. I think a small minority will boo him because in football these days somebody or something has to be booed at prem grounds these days, its the law! However should he score or do something in the game that annoys our fans then i can see the majority reaction to him changing very quickly and dramatically!

The police investigating the death of Mark Speight have releases the coroner's report...apparently he died of a massive art attack! nb. i don't know if the person who started this one knows he presented 'smart', not 'art attack' but anyway it still kind of works!

Could finally get a Toontasic vs Newcastle Online game on Yee in goal, me up front, 9 other positions to fill, that Mancmag is supposed to better than shite, so at least we'd have a chance with us three even if the rest were pure dides. I'll come up for a last minute corner to score the winner I'll be manager as long as i get to have a right go at the ref in the post match interviews! And Luke is right about the cricket, there was a series of one day games where every country's fans were well behaved but the games involving Pakistan had problems, i seem to remember Steve Waugh or somebody threatening not to play them anymore or something along those lines.

Don't go to festivals myself at all, but Leeds/Reading has to be worth it for others just to see RATM, i know they could well tour but they may fall out and split before coming to this country again, so prob best go and see them now!

Agreed, I think this should be Keegan's priority, it would be a great statement of intent for both parties. Definitely a good start if people see Owen signing a new contract to stay here under Keegan, and as one of the people who've always rated Owen i'd be delighted to see him spend the rst of his top level career here.

Which is amazing considering Reading "were the better team and subjecting us to a first half onslaught!"

I'm hoping Keegan pulls out one of those signings like a Ginola that basically nobody was thinking of/had even heard of and goes on to be special. Also now that the club has actualyl got a proper scouting structure and system in place hopefully we can sneak a couple of real bargains in there as well. I think Keegan will probably try to make a real statement of intent with his 1st signing if he can to say to other targets where he is taking us, because he does have to overcome the fact we aren't in europe. And who better than Keegan to talk players round to his vision of where we will be heading.

without a doubt. Beye is sitting alongside David Craig, Irving Nattrass and Venison as one of the truly top right backs I've ever seen play for Newcastle He does seem to possess everything you could want in a modern fullback and hopefully next season will be even better having had a season under his belt. He also is a real athlete as well so i can see him going for a fair few years at the top level yet.

He was the one player I thought had a look of panic about him a few times. Hoofed the ball straight back to reading on occassion. Understandable though given his lack of experience, and forgiveable when we're playing this well collectively, in a losing team he'd probably have got a load of shit for it though. Yeah I agree, couple of hooked shots straight up in the air. Hes not all that inexperienced though, it must be nearly 2 years since he scored against Man U for us. I still prefer the look of Taylor at the minute. How is he not inexperienced? How many games has he played again? Please remind me. Exactly, in prem experience terms he's a complete novice who only has an handful of appearances. In the past what i've seen of him i was impressed as he looks like a cool, calm style of defender who is comfortable enough with the ball as well. There was one game (can't remember when exactly) when our defence was all over the shop and Ramage went off injured, Edgar came on and we had no trouble for the rest of that match as he turned in a very assured performance. Obviously we need to see alot more of him to make any judgement, but i like the look of him. Yesterday he did actually have 2 or 3 moments of uncertainty, but it happens and it didn't cost us so it wasn't disasterous or anything.

With each game he gets better and is turning into the player i was expecting us to have signed! If he keeps going like this (and doesn't get sent down) he'll be an asset next season.

I think Keegan is delighted at the fullbacks he's inherited instead of having to go and buy two like last time! He may need another fullback as cover/challenge but i'm very happy with the two we have as first teamers.

People just needed to give him some time to get the players playing the right way, with confidence and things fell into place nicely. Also there's the fact that the players we have are alot better than some fans think, and with the right man in charge were going to show that. I mean going by some people, Owen was finished, a waste of space and could do nothing at all except get on the end of chances laid on a plate for him, and despite Viduka being a hate figure for many they must realise when he plays, we play better football, everything can go through him in the opposition half so he gets the best out of Owen and Martins. As for keegan, there is something unique and special about him and NUFC together that doesn't happen elsewhere for him or here with other managers, so why not have him do it a thrid time here. Also a small amount of credit to Allardyce for bringing in Beye, Faye and Enrique all of whom will do well under Keegan, and perhaps even Barton will now do the business as he's getting better each game.

I've rated him from the start and think he will work out very well here as a defender but also coming forward as he's shown some lovely passing in his time here and when confident the odd run and shot as well. So i'm glad to see Kev rates him as well and will be looking to build our team on the likes of Enrique, Beye etc. as i think Allardyce for all his mistakes did make the odd good signing!

I think this is sort of what wise is here for, to find young talent for the future and let keegan and some of the other staff worry about the current squad seems like a good idea to me all the most successful clubs have had this sort of thing in place for years Yep it's the level that a lot of the big clubs are seriously aiming at now in a world wide way, it is the future I guess. Call me defeatist, but surely those established scouting systems will have first dibs on the best and the brightest? I'm concerned about the immediate future, let's get ourselves in a position to be a truly attractive opportunity to these extremely young prospects. Fucking hell, the club can't win. If we weren't trying to get young talent people would be having a pop too. There is always talent to be unearthed and surely it's miles better if we're trying to do it and, with that in mind, I don't see a problem with the club taking a chance on some young kid before another club does. It's part of Wise's remit too surely. Exactly, its about time we were doing stuff like this and that's because finally after removing Fat Fred and his lot who ran this club like a pub team we have the complete structure from top to bottom that top clubs have. You have Wise and his scouts we've brought in finding and bringing in young talent whilst also helping look for current proven players who are reccomended to keegan who says yes or no to them. Under Fat Fred the system was a manager and then send either Mick Wadsworth or Lee Clark to south america to watch some football or have Roeder following a player round for months and then not signing him! Since the new structure came in we've seen about 8 youngsters brought in, and if even just 2 of them make the grade at prem level, its not bad for what you've paid and maybe, they might just unearth a couple or real top players instead of the old method of Fat Fred pissing millions away on Luque and the like.

I think he may have left it too late, even though keepers can go on for years. He's never mentioned in relation to England as he's never been a regular in his career at the club and so he would really need to start next season as no.1 and stay there to have any chance of a call up. Though i suppose he has timed it well in temrs of a new foreign manager arriving in Cappello who may take notice of him if he watches us, but i doubt he'll get a call up. Agree with people saying we've been lucky to have a backup keeper who will always do a steady job and this season you can't deny he's been the better keeper as Given has been miles from the player you expect him to be.

I'm a big fan of N'Zogbia and would like us to hang on to him as I still think he is an exceptional talent. But Barton and Geremi are better suited to the current formation with their defensive and positional abilities. N'Zogbia has been best used wide left so far. I reckon he could do a very good job behind the strikers without many defensive duties, but failed to impress most times he played there. That's why Owen is the best option we do have for it at the moment. Edit: Or in short words: As alex already said. unusually inefficient of you Isegrim. I think if the Zog can be patient, we'll change our system for next year. This formation strikes me as a marriage of convenience, not Keegans preferred style of play. It's playing what he can with his best players/performers. Next season we may revert to a 442, or maybe an altered 451 or who knows? I agree, whilst Keegan deserves alot of credit for seeing this and switching to it to great effect and thought of the completely different use of Owen, i imagine with his own signings we'll see more 4-4-2 than 4-3-3, but maybe he'll be tempted to use both when he sees fit. Or we could go with my preferred choice of 3-5-2 that always works!

I bet the press still manage to pick on something negative though. This is the cockney media's nightmare result to be fair If we actually managed to overhaul Spurs in the league by the end of the season i think they'd implode! All of their 'Ramos tactically outclasses yesterdays man Keegan' headlines will have to be shelved. I honestly think some of them will be in tears He's a good manager as Benitez is but I just hate all the worshipping at the feet of European coaches as soon as they arrive. Thing is though Keegan would have got all the "tactically outclassed/shown up" rubbish if it has been the other way around (or even just 2-0), but at best the press will probably try to portray it as some gungho fluke for Keegan, rather than accepting Keegan does have some quite serious strengths as a manager and is in face a pretty damn good manager. Keegan deserves alot of credit for looking at how we were going, seeing it wasn't working and changing it the way he has. He's used the 4-3-3 formation and changed Owen's role and he is getting far more out of Owen, Butt, Geremi and Barton than we've seen all season and i wouldn't have thought of using this formation and i don't remember anyone else really suggesting it either. But the media tells us Keegan's clueless tactically so it must be true!

The mackems were just getting the "top Dog" trophy out again, you know the one that we couldn't give a shit about and that doesn't exist for 99% of the time then magically appears on the brief occasion they're above us. But now they'll have to put it away again and remember their place! I bet after they beat West Ham and went above us they were all at home watching their "Black cats...top dogs" videos to remember the good old days.

I bet the press still manage to pick on something negative though. This is the cockney media's nightmare result to be fair If we actually managed to overhaul Spurs in the league by the end of the season i think they'd implode!

Aye even if the figure might be a bit off. Agree, the figure may be different but that point had some truth in it. Everything else was the typical bitter load of shite you'd expect from a sad, clueless fucker like him. He just makes some of it up as he goes along.

The idea of scoring 4 goals away to anyone never mind Spurs until Keegan came back would have been a joke! He's slowly and surely worked on turning things round, building confidence, improving the football and is now finally getting the rewards. Great result and with Reading to come they can really get some momentum going.

Highway to Hell - AC/DC Sleep now in the fire - Rage against the machine

For out and out strikers Shearer is the best of them, before all his injuries he was unstopabble and would have shattered every scoring record going for club and country. He could score any type of goal you can think of and was actually pretty fast as well, not Bellamy pace obviously, but you'd see him for Blackburn running through to score plenty. Ferdinand is rightly loved up here (one of my favourite ever toon players) and was a top allround striker, but not as good as Big Al at his peak for Blackburn. Beardsley is my alltime favourite toon player, but completely different to the Shearer's, Coles etc. so hard to judge him along with them.