Papa Lazaru

Won't be there before the match but should be out after, as long as my dodgy knee gets through playing football tomorrow morning and i can walk properly!

If we'd just picked up 3 points against Derby i think it'd be a very good start, as it is, the away for is a problem that needs to be sorted and we do have alot of tough games to come. But he dismanteld and rebuilt practically the whole squad, incluidng an entire defence and he needs the players to get used to all his techniques and methods, so we'll just see where we are come the end of the year and get an idea how we're going. Then see what we do in the transfer window and who knows, it could be looking quite good by then.

You're my wife now. I'm supposed to say that!

Its amazing that in no time at all Big Sam has got us to a stage where Taylor and Rozenhal are not able to get into the team as CB's and in Taylors case not even make the bench. Last season Rozenhal would have been our best defender never mind CB and Taylor was a first team regular when fit. On current form the two in possesion deserve their places, but with injury suspensions and the african nations to come they'll all get chances to stake a claim. Also Rozenhal has said he played alot of games i France as a defensive midfielder so its always another option.

Very happy with the nights work there. Alright there was a dodgy spell second half either side of their goal but that happens and a few less high balls to Owen and MArtins might have been better, but other than that, very pleased. Cacapa continues to look class, and Faye is a beast alongside him, fantastic in the air in both boxes, a very good pairing could be formed here. I thought Butt probably was man of the match putting in an excellent shift and the defence as a whole look nothing like our previous back fours! Happy with both Owen and Martins and their work together, there's nothing wrong with playign two "little-uns" together despite what soem peopel think, you just have to play accordingly. And when we did play some football they linked quite nicely and cause Spurs problems. They're not really that similar players, merely share a similar height. Owen is supremely intelligent in his off the ball movement and timing of runs and predator in the box. Martins is flair and pace, unpredictable and of course as yet inconsistent. But both worked hard, won their share of headers and looked good. And what game would be complete (for the toon and lets be honest the whole prem) without the 3 officials making complete cocks of themselves, it really is embarassing. Not one of them could work out what was or wasnt a throw, couldn't manage to see which team had got the last touch on a ball and invented a new rule whereby if two players ran or jumped into each other, as long as the Spurs player hit the deck that would be a freekick, whereas shoving Butt to the ground directly from behind as he was about to shoot, is fine! And the ref's authority for our free kick was something to behold! He counted out 10 yards and unusually for a ref it was 10, then preceeded to spend 30 seconds (no exageration) telling Spurs to get back, whilst they repeattedly ignored him, even when he grabbed one by the arm. So what did he do, get out the yellow card and do his job, no of course he didn't, he moved round in front of them so it looked like they'd moved, is there any point to these idiots being there? He then watched our freekick smack off their wall and deflect out for a corner and gave a goal kick...genius! But they're the best in the world apparently, you only have to look at the merseyside derby to see how much truth there is in that statement!

I made this same analogy last summer, it's really quite obvious we're going to drive Owen out if we carry on like this. It would be a sad day for the club if the moronic braindead element of our fans combined with some shit stirring cockney journalists got him out the club, which is what said journo's have always wanted. You'd hope Shearer's words could have some effect since the kind of mong who hate Owen are the same ones who would class Big Al's words as like the word of god and so hopefully will take it in! Yes i'd like Owen to sign a new contract sometime down the line to show his commitement, but other than that he does the business on the pitch and that's all i need. He doesn't have to spend his every waking minute proclaiming his love for the geordie nation and countering every single piece of bullshit in the press. He's always said he never comes out and does that as it doesn' stop them one bit and he doesn't feel he should have to. I've known for ages he was living up here more than anywhere else and that he and his kids were happy, i knew he'd said it, but you won't be finding much coverage of stuff like that in the rags.

They've done it yet again, unbelievable to go from the absolute humiliation against South Africa to be in the final, amazing stuff! I was always confident that after a great performance to beat the all blacks the French would follow it by struggling and England did their job yet again. You can't rule Argentina out completely but its looking like the chance for revenge on South AFrica in the final and what a game it should be this time.

'The Cat's revenge' by Claude Balls

The tabloids are really hating the fact that since Fat Fred and his lot have been dumped, and Roeder is gone the toon soap opera which kept them in work is over so a continual stream of bullshit, hype and mass exageration and shit stirring is their only recourse now. All Owen has said that is remotely worthy of comment is the "and nobody else" part of his interview and even that is hardly earth shattering. He's going with the expert who operate on him and hundreds of others and knows better than anyone else. Its just not the best turn of phrase to imply that Big Sam and his experts will have no say whatsoever in what happens. But really all he is doing is playing if he thinks his body can take it and that's what he's always goign to do as he always wants to play for club and country, nobody will change that. The rest of it is a simple difference of opinion, Sam thought he did the injury with England and Owen revealled he did it before then, wow, what controversy, best kick him out the club now!

He looks class and the more he plays the more i suspect we will love havign him here, but as it stands Woodgate is still number one, i've never seen anything like when he was here at his best. But like Woody, the effect Cacapa has on the rest of the back 4 and keeper is imense on top of his own outstanding performances!

I thought Owen himself summed it up pretty well after the match. He said if he just cared about England he wouldn't have declared himself fit to play 90 mins for NUFC a mere 8 days after a double operation having trained hard all week. If as the haters would have it he only thinks about England then he'd have missed our game so as not to risk any chance of getting a knock and then would have declared hismelf fit for England (as the surgeon had told him he would be) He's always professional and wants to play for club and clearly country and he will do so when he considers himself fit and because of Fifa's rules and regulations there's nothing NUFC can do about it if they wanted to. Personally i don't think he should play the whole of Englands first game as they should be more than capable of winning it, so either start him and take him off at half time or leave him on the bench most of the game. Well, personally i'd have him not playign for England in either game to be doubly sure, but he's fit and entitled to play unfortunately!

Zola was like an itallian Beardsley. He had the skill and technique combined with hard work, great team player and a top bloke as well, always one of my favourite non toon players and you could not have a bad word against him! He's ugly like. Maybe Mr. Beardsley senior once had a holiday in Italy and put it about a bit!

Zola was like an itallian Beardsley. He had the skill and technique combined with hard work, great team player and a top bloke as well, always one of my favourite non toon players and you could not have a bad word against him!

Sums him perfectly up to be honest. An amazing player to watch and you'd love him in your team, but spent alot of time elbowing, stamping and sly digs at players throughout his career.

2 years ago Emre scored a belting goal in a narrow 3-2 win at home. Difference was, that was against the Mackems who ended up bottom with the worst Premiership record ever. Fairly indicative of how we've improved IMO. Everton are a bloody good side. Exactly, nobody is 100% happy with this season so far, but we're moving in the right direction and it will take a bit of time to take the shambles we were into a top team. And to be fair to Everton they weren't the long ball playing bunch of cloggers they were, they tried to play some football and weren't dirty. Mind you, despite both Everton and us not being dirty in the slightest, the complete prick in charge decided to stop the game every 10 seconds with imaginary freekicks and did his best to ruin it from start to finish. Agree with you on that one. I don't think Smith should have got a yellow, from the stands it looked like two great challenges. I'd need to see the Smith one again to be fair, but to me it looked like he touched the ball and came in from an angle and not directly from behind. I've criticised him for the stupid bookings he picks up as its not good enough, but i thought he was unfairly booked today. But its a miracle any football was played from either side with it being stopped all the bloody time!

2 years ago Emre scored a belting goal in a narrow 3-2 win at home. Difference was, that was against the Mackems who ended up bottom with the worst Premiership record ever. Fairly indicative of how we've improved IMO. Everton are a bloody good side. Exactly, nobody is 100% happy with this season so far, but we're moving in the right direction and it will take a bit of time to take the shambles we were into a top team. And to be fair to Everton they weren't the long ball playing bunch of cloggers they were, they tried to play some football and weren't dirty. Mind you, despite both Everton and us not being dirty in the slightest, the complete prick in charge decided to stop the game every 10 seconds with imaginary freekicks and did his best to ruin it from start to finish.

A crucial win against a uefa cup spot rival, so a job well done in the end! Liked Cacapa and Faye together even though we let in two, 1 a freak goal by the looks of it. Faye was winnign everything in the air and Cacapa is such a good reader of the game. Enrique looks impressive, calm and a good footballer but also up to the job physically, he played some well weighted intelligent balls second half. Smith had an excellent first half playing in his favoured strikers role, Martins was at his most annoying missing the easy chance. And the subs couldn't have worked out any better, Emre came on and injected a bit of purpose and pace to our football and scored a cracker and Owen did what he does better than most other players in the game, scoring when a chance came his way!

The fans were booing the decision to take off Martins in my opinion, i've certainly never heard him get any stick from fans and they just didn't want him subbed. There was also a few wankers (just a very small number i think) that booed "England's Michael Owen" on. But these days lets be honest there are a certain group of (for want of a better word) supporters who simply aren't happy and haven't had a proper day out at the football unless they've booed some one or something connected to NUFC!

That bad? 2-2 now, though i'd still have my money on 3-2 or 4-2 to the arse by the end. If they do only draw they want shooting!

So at least this is confirmed now. I was right then! I remember ages ago saying i was convinced i'd read a sort of throwaway comment in the chroincle that mentioned Taylor being here, yet there was never any official mention of it. I'd started to think i'd imagined it. Good that he's here though and carrying on the work he did with Big Sam before.

Thats 3 times now in world cups that England have manged to suddenly make it an unimportant sport for the aussies! To be fair its losing to us they take badly i think!

Think we'd beat the French though... I certainly hope so now!! I still think we'll beat them..... Doubt we'd beat South Africa though We'll get revenge on them in the final, having cunningly lulled them into a false sense of security by being complete dogshite against them in the group game! The tactical masterplan also involved being shit for the last three years. Oh it was a big plan, devised literally seconds after Johnny kicked the winning drop goal and everyone round the rugby world has fallen for it completely!

Think we'd beat the French though... I certainly hope so now!! I still think we'll beat them..... Doubt we'd beat South Africa though We'll get revenge on them in the final, having cunningly lulled them into a false sense of security by being complete dogshite against them in the group game!

Told you New Zealand usually cock it up, now i just hope my other suggestion of France doing the all blacks then playing badly against us comes true! Will be a hell of a semi final and the Northern Hemisphere teams have certainly fought back today!

This I would really like to see also. PSG fans have said that some of Roz's best performances came from DMC and I can really see this. He uses the ball so well for a defender, has two very good feet on him, and his composure in this position would be interesting to see. Cacapa and Faye would be a really physical no nonsense force to be reckoned with at the back =) I think i saw an interview with him where he said he played alot of last season in midfield, so its certainly an option to consider sometime for Big Sam.