Papa Lazaru

The worry is that as Alex said he's been relatively injury free but hasn't performed like you'd expect. My mate knows a couple of Boro fans who go to all their matches and they don't seem to think he's the same player and has lost some pace. It would be a real shame if he never gets back to what he was as he was among the best in the world quite frankly and would get into any team going if he'd been injury free.

Exactly, outside the big 4 and Everton's 1 season in the CL (well qualifeirs where they got knocked out straight away) nobody has really done anything special. For me Keegan being Keegan will aim as high as possible and see where we end up, but he'll certainly be aiming for 5th/6th and into europe, he'd settle for no less. How we go this season, his pre-season signings and the like will decide if he can do that, but you wouldn't back against him if he gets things going the way he and NUFC can. And you could argue if he got us to something like 8th that while we'd be disappointed, it would still be a step up on how far back we've slipped these days!

Very good point, that reaction says everything. Also i'm not saying before Keegan returned that Bolton would have come here and been all out attack, but they would have had a bit of a go at us, like everyone else. Nobody coming up here was concerned with what we'd do anymore, back in the day nearly every team barring the likes of manu would come up here with a plan to spoil the game and stop us, that was their aim and if they got a draw they'd be happy. I just appreciated a bit of noise and passion for once. The game wasn't good but people who wouldn't normally sing were singing and people who do normally sing were going crazy We had a few silent spells like Yeah, you'll never get the atmosphere to reach the very best it did first time round, i think those days are gone and the fans are different people now. But it was just nice to be in a positive atmosphere apart from the odd dick who just has to have a go at the team. What was funny was if the team had played out a 0-0 draw with Bolton and not managed 1 shot on target under Big Sam i don't think they'd have been met with quiet applause as they walked off, they'd have got absolute torrents of booing and stick as they left! That's the Keegan effect really, though you'd hope part of it was the more intelligent fans looking at the fact they attempted to play football and that it just didnt happen that day.

I can't see why Enrique gets so much stick, more in the press who have decided he's a complete disaster for soem reason than from fans to be fair. What i've seen of him he looks decent with plenty of potential and he's pretty big and strong enough for the prem IMO with more than enough technical ability to fit into a Keegan style football team. But i'd still be happy to sign Shorey, we need competition and cover for our inevitable injuries!

Very good point, that reaction says everything. Also i'm not saying before Keegan returned that Bolton would have come here and been all out attack, but they would have had a bit of a go at us, like everyone else. Nobody coming up here was concerned with what we'd do anymore, back in the day nearly every team barring the likes of manu would come up here with a plan to spoil the game and stop us, that was their aim and if they got a draw they'd be happy.

RIP, great bloke and me and my mates have been to his retaurant many times and often had a chat with him. As for the curry hell, it is pure evil! A couple of my mates who can eat vindaloos without any problem tried it and it blew their heads off! I got 1 drop of the stuff on a bit of naan bread and there was no taste just pain! One bloke i saw get through most of it then spent a good 40 mins in the toilet, then we heard the door to the main part of the restaurant open a bit, heard a groan and he was back running to the toilet again!

All these journos and particular the cockney media constantly amuse me with what a pathetic bunch of tossers they are. They spend their whole time claimign we aren't a big club that we are above ourselves and have far too high expectations yet they give us more coverage than any club bar manu. If we arent big they wouldnt care and wouldnt concern themsleves with us at all since weve won nowt as they cant help but mention all the time. Also agree with people that the theatre comment has really got under their skin, especially the fact he basically meant it!

Agree with what's been said, good decision by Keegan as it shows he has no axe to grind with Owen and that they can work together and we didn;t really have many candidates left to choose as captain. But down the line you'd maybe expect a midfielder or defender to take over, though this is Keegan who wouldn't likely mind a striker being captain!

I was wondering what had happened as everyone around me was looking back and up at the stand as if something had been going on. I thought it was worth stickign Rozenhal there as he'splayed there often enough in France but he wasted the ball pretty much the whole game barring one excellent pass out wide, but Keegan wasn't left with much else available. Agree Shola was a waste of time today, offered nothing really except his usual scuffed shot when in a decent position and i thought he should have been subbed not long into the secodn half. Bolton came, put 10 men behind the ball and spoiled the game from the first moment, but they had to really and it was up to us to break them down and we never managed it sadly. And the ref as usual unlike fans up and down the country doesnt seem to realise Kevin Davies entire game is to back into you then dive and yet he gets a stream of freekicks for it. Also the fact they left their foot in after the ball was gone on nearly every tackle seemed to pass him by. And i'd love him to explain how 5 substitutions (30 secs have to be added for each sub) and 3 of their players at least going down "injured" equates to 2 mins added time. But it was our fault we didn't win, i don't think their keeper made one save to be honest. And i'm sick of seeing us give teams like Bolton the ball back when they do this shit. They aren't injured, they're cheating to waste time so keep the fucking ball and stick it in the back of their net and see how many more of the arseholes feign injury after that.

Definitely, he said it himself that he has unfinished business here. For me the whole thing was great it showed (to me anyway) that he seems like the same Keegan who was here last time, he's really up for it, he knows the club, city and fans like nobody else and he will make things happen. People forget that not only does KK have a massive effect on this city/club but also that the club has an effect on him. Coming back here has clearly invigorated him and he looked like he just can't wait to do everything possible to try and get us back where we were under him. The players and fans are already buzzing and that alone will have a massive affect on home games before you add in any new signings and Keegan really gettign a chance to influence them. How well he'll do ultimately, who knows, as to get near the current big 4 down the line will take alot of money, some time and a big upturn from where we are now, but there is a chance he can do it here one more time and whatever happens people will actually be looking forward to matches again like we used to!

The lift it will give the players, fans and club as a whole just by him being here is enough that it won't be a mistake considering the atmosphere of depression that has hung around for so long now dragging everything down with it. How well he does down the line and how close he could get to matchign what he did last time, who knows, he's certainly going to need backing from Ashley to have any chance of chasing the top 4 as they're streets ahead of the rest at the moment.

The Stoke game reminded me that it was possible to be there and actually enjoy a match and go home happy having seen the team play good attacking football at pace and score some goals, i'd forgotten that used to happen back in the day! I still can't believe that without Keegan even having spoken to the players just his presence produced football from them i havent seen in years. Yes it was only Stoke but it was the way we played. Fast 1 touch footbal, everybody wantign the ball and moving for it and at 4-0 they even strung about 20 passes together and started taking the piss can anyone remember the last time we did that to anyone! We even finished it just like the old days by letting the opposition get a goal themselves!

I saw it live on telly. I was at the Forest game two days later like I think he just lost it and I reckon Ferguson would have known his ploy worked and it got to him. Fair play I suppose. Tbf, they kissed and made up afterwards. I've always thought that the horrible red faced cunt was being his normal childish obnoxious self and as usual the media licked his arse clean Agree with that. Wasnt mind games or any bulshit like that to wind Keegan up as nobody (Fergie included) would have expected him to be that bothered and react to criticism of other teams in the prem. I wasn't bothered Keegan did it either at the time as Fergie gets on my tits as well, but i wouldn't have advised him to do it on TV as it was always going to be thrown back at him when we didnt win the title. However if the roles had been reversed it would no doubt have been Fergie just showing his passion for the game or something like that! Of course Keegan would never have said what Fergie did were the roles reveresed to start the whole thing off.

Its amazing how quickly people forget! Practically every home game under Roeder was either boring as fuck or just plain shite, we were breaking records for not scoring goals at home and people around me in the crowd were just ignoring the game to talk and have a laugh. Under Allardyce we have actually had home games where we've scored 3 goals, a while ago now i know but it happened. And as for sensible team/formation under Souness you appear to have forgotten the fact he played with a lack of width that makes our current team look like manu, that he started games with four central midfilelders and at least once 4 centrebacks. They were both worse than Allardyce but as he's the current boss peoples memories seem to blur what went on in the past. And the fact is Allardyce does need time, if people seriously want him to turn things round, this whole club needs a manager at some point to stay more than 1 season or we'll never get any stability at all and to sack him anytime before the end of this season is ludicrous. Sir Bobby was a top class manager and he took 2 years to get anywhere with this club, why expect a lesser manager in Big Sam to do it in 6 months!!! However i do think he should be doing better, he is making some stupid mistakes and we do need to see an upturn in the quality of football and cohesion between players as well as players being in position and some bloody creatiity in the team!

Get some young talent in next month, dont buy "once has beens" please. Some of his buys didn't work out so far, most of them were second choices tbf. Name me the first choice for the following players then please: Barton Smith Cacapa Rozehnal Beye Enrique I'd love to know who we were really after. Apart from Ben-Haim I can't think of anyone else. He said that about a month ago, how the hell should i know who were his targets. Link? Signs of a good manager that. Telling his signings that they were his second choice Perhaps he wanted Gerrard instead of Barton? He did say in at least one interview that had he been here earlier he had made proven prem players his first targets so they could start straightaway. He definitely wanted Haim, Sidwell, Silvestre, Distin and somebody else i can't remember and but for the Dyer/West Ham situation he had Elano lined up before Smith, and god how we all wish that had come off! Anyway Barton would have been first choice as would Viduka. But that's not the probem, his tactics at home with no width, players way out of position and asking teams to attack us are the problem. And away from home no attacking enough yet conceding too many! If he'd started today with Milner right and either Zog or Duff left and Martins as a striker we'd have been out of sight by half time even with our usual gift of a goal to the opposition. As soon as Duff and Emre were on and Milner on the right we started to create stuff in the second half having previously spent the 2nd half doing fuck all. Unfortunately Viduka aside everyone else seemed incapable of controlling a football near or in the box when they got a chance!

I was out after the Portsmouth game whenever that was, but that would have been the last one i was there for.

No, i've been going the other way, avoiding long drinking sessions before+after matches and on into the night these days! Still get drunk in a normal night out drinking of course.

I don't think you can go far wrong with: 'Merry muthafuckin' christmas' by NWA! if there was one group i wouldn't expect to have an xmas song its them, and yet there it is!

Too many things to deal with now! Anyway i hardly think i'm alone in thinking UEFA and FIFA are a complete and utter waste of space and filled with corrupt cretins from top to bottom!

You have to hope that after these two home games it will finalyl sink in with some of the morons in the St James crowd. Two games in a row now they've stayed with the team instead of getting on their back and the players got the lift and responded, fighting till the end and got results. If you get on their back and give them stick all game they get worse, simple as that and if they don't get it now they never will. Its been pointed out by one of our own players in Barton and opposition players like the above are making it clear that other teams know they have to start well and our fans will do the rest of their job for them.

Indeed, but will it ever sink into the heads of the boo boys? The fans backed the team from the start and when theyw ent behidn they backed them more and what a surprise the players responded, gained in confidence and played well enough to come back against Arsenal and fight right till the end. Normall they'd have booed them for conceding, got on everyones back and whinged for 90 mins and the team would have got worse and lost, its pretty simple really! Poeple can go on all they like about paying their money and being able to give people stick and how players should take it, but one fact remains, you back them you give them a lift, give them stick and they'll never get any better and will invariably get worse.

I think Crouch's description to Barton of poisonous/venemous was pretty spot on, certainly for when it kicks off. Other than that i think it starts downbeat and become progressively more depressed/angry though ocasionally when things are really shit it switches to apathetic/amused where people just barely pay attention and joke amongst themsleves! That was more in some of the Roeder home games, and around me people would just give up on watching the shite on the ptich and have a laugh!

Aye, I heard that. Sometimes you've just got to keep your mouth shut. Lad behind me has turned into a right bitter bastid, he's gone from being a piss taker and laughing about it when things are going bad like us to pretty viciously booing Geremi, Barton (before the comments) and Owen. Seems like even the more 'sensible' fans are getting frustrated at the moment. It is getting far worse amongst the fans in terms of the general attitude. A large majority now at the match just turn so quickly on the team and manager in a game its like its on a hair trigger and will go at the slightest thing. Back in the day it could actually take a long while for a majority in the ground to be on their back. I think i'm actually quite lucky in that where i sit its by and large the same people and whilst like everyone we've all been taken over by the depression and anger of recent years there isnt particularly arguments between people or any nastiness directed to each other, and thats in quite a wide area from my seat. The last argument i remember was me with some fat bloke who kept defending Souness, he doesn't go to the match anymore now! Gemmill sits in the East Stand now. Now come on be fair...i said fat, not fat and ginger!

I'll always give my full support to the man in charge...if I think the alternatives are no better. I've always thought he was a cornflake box headed, clueless charlatan (you saw the bit I did on N-O about him being a complete fake), but even so, I know he has some ability. I hope and pray he can turn it around and shove those words down my neck and will back him to do so until he's not at the club or a manager of real quality issues a come and get me plea. That's the thing really. If he goes it's Shearer - it's not like it's Marcello Lippi waiting in the wings. I know I've said I have a good feeling about Shearer's managerial ability but that's all it is - a feeling. Seems a bit daft to ditch Allardyce for that. It would be different if we were in dire straits but we simply aren't and there are a few teams poorer than us imo. Agree with that. Even though ive said Shearer shouldn't be here as his first job and that it could all go very wrong, deep down i feel it could just work with him here and you'd hope he would get more from the fans than alot of other managers. But i just don't want the complete farce and mess and following upheavals and starting from scratch yet again having scrapped aother season by sacking Allardyce. He's driving us all insane with the messed up tatctics and players out of position combined with not attacking teams, but we won't go down, he will/has improved the club in other areas of proffesionlism and whilst he now doesn't look like the answer i thought he was i'd rather keep with him for some semblance of stability till the end of the season and see where things go from there.

Aye, I heard that. Sometimes you've just got to keep your mouth shut. Lad behind me has turned into a right bitter bastid, he's gone from being a piss taker and laughing about it when things are going bad like us to pretty viciously booing Geremi, Barton (before the comments) and Owen. Seems like even the more 'sensible' fans are getting frustrated at the moment. It is getting far worse amongst the fans in terms of the general attitude. A large majority now at the match just turn so quickly on the team and manager in a game its like its on a hair trigger and will go at the slightest thing. Back in the day it could actually take a long while for a majority in the ground to be on their back. I think i'm actually quite lucky in that where i sit its by and large the same people and whilst like everyone we've all been taken over by the depression and anger of recent years there isnt particularly arguments between people or any nastiness directed to each other, and thats in quite a wide area from my seat. The last argument i remember was me with some fat bloke who kept defending Souness, he doesn't go to the match anymore now!