The Fish

Mackems aren't the only ones who want him back apparently; https://www.villatalk.com/topic/15605-next-villa-manager/

Was thinking for coffee? I thought tea was supposed to be made with boiling water?

Can you set it to pour out water that's just under boiling?

W D L 1 7 3 That's fucking tragic form for a team hoping to get back into the top flight at the first time of asking. If games finished on 80 minutes, they'd be on 16pts!

Then the argument is doomed to continue forever, because the defence of him is in response to the over-the-top criticism. As an aside, you seem to be remembering a different David Ginola and Laurent Robert to me... both of them were selfish. One of the most repeated criticism of Robert was that he was a lazy selfish prick.

Well, he did when he was being played in the right system, but that system wasn't Pardew's system and so when the ball is sailing overhead I'm not sure we can demand too much from the lad. And when people say he's fat I struggle to remember a game when he was blowing out of his arse? Certainly no more than Sissoko, Cabaye, Cisse, Ba etc. Yet I do remember him getting moaning arseholes out their seats with his ability on the ball. I've not seen a single fan of his say he's perfect, but the criticism from his detractors goes way over the top. Ginola 75 games - 7 goals. HBA 86 games - 14 goals. Robert 181 games - 32 goals. And you have to consider who the lazy french wingers were playing with/for. Ginola had two of Newcastle greatest ever players in his team, plus legends in their own right dotted throughout the squad. Robert also enjoyed remarkable colleagues. HBA had James Perch and Danny Guthrie. He's definitely flawed and certainly deserves some criticism, but honestly, some of the abuse levelled at him should be reserved for ex-managers and/or sunderland players.

Jesus, a multitude of reasons. Ginola was as lazy and temperamental as Ben Arfa, but he played under a great manager, at a great time and left at his peak. Shearer's arrogance and selfishness wasn't important when stacked up against his previous goals and Leadership. Ben Arfa played under a bad manager during a shitty time and left under a cloud. I seem to recall Newcastle fans slating Robert because he didn't add tracking back to the goals, the assists and the skills. There's just a subset of football fans that think that graft trumps guile and that makes me glum.

Don't get precious, all players have failings but some players are canonised.

This... this has literally never happened before. Lads! He wants me to type more.

Spent a cuntload on Fellaini though.

I wonder what the odds are on Moyes?

Didn't he already say that the dust goes into his garage?

My mate's parents house has something similar to that. There's a foot-operated rubber button ont he floor that turns on a vacuum and most of the cupboards have, at their base, a grate. Sweep the stuff to the side, stand on the button, abracadabra and the dust is gone. I think it's only in their kitchen though. I did ask that if they're sweeping the stuff to the side, why don't they just go round with a vacuum, but apparently that's not the point.

Sam, Pearson, and it's got to be the likes of Eriksson, Pardew, right?

It no doubt helped him get where he got, but it also meant that he wasn't always doing what was best for Newcastle United.

His ego, for one.

A bag? You luddite!

I don't have a Brompton and technically the Aga belongs to my lass, but the Dyson is mine.

Unless they're matching your Ski Goggles?

9, but a couple that I don't have are definitely in my future.

#Mackemedia

Yes.

To be honest, I'm appalled that he's not a perfectly balanced player. As has been said, PSG knew exactly who he is, what he can and can't do and what you can and cannot expect him to do. I just really don't understand the anger and contempt he receives when his worst crime is not being great at putting in the effort on the defensive side of things. He's obviously a wonderfully talented footballer, who was a rare positive in a sea of negatives at Newcastle, he did brilliantly at Nice when given license to apply his talent and could do the same at PSG if he were held in higher regard. PSG would be questioned if they went out and bought Tiote and then criticised him because he couldn't contribute in the final 3rd. I just don't think that Graft > Talent, we may as well fuck off and watch Rugby if that was the case. He'll never be a world class player, but it was a joy to watch him play in Black and White. Now he's plying his trade elsewhere, where's the harm in remembering the good bits? Just like we gloss over Ginola's well documented failings, or Shearer's?

Reckon we'll lose this. lose I say

World tour of England (Home to see the folks & then back to London), I am entirely hungover. Randomly bumped into Meenzer and Cath in Newcastle before the Wolves cup game in Tilley's What have I missed?