Isegrim

As I said in the other thread I am anxious. I think our chances of dropping further down into the bottom 6 of the table are much higher than closing the gap to the top 6 places. We haven't won a single game this season because we were the better team. The wins against Blackburn, West Ham etc. were flattering. Even when playing against the mackems we looked over large parts as the inferior football team. I just point to the stats of how many points we have won without Owen. In 10 games we got just 6 Points, only winning against the by far worst team of the league (and as I said even that one was lucky). In 7 of these games we even failed to score. With Parker now another important player is missing. I know I am sometimes overpessimistic but ignoring the obvious and doing lalaing by thinking Newcastle would be "too good" to go down this season would be criminal IMHO. 74088[/snapback] Points taken, but........ Greater than 50% chance? Yes or no? 74092[/snapback] If you give me the formula to convert my angst into a percentage I will answer that one.

As I said in the other thread I am anxious. I think our chances of dropping further down into the bottom 6 of the table are much higher than closing the gap to the top 6 places. We haven't won a single game this season because we were the better team. The wins against Blackburn, West Ham etc. were flattering. Even when playing against the mackems we looked over large parts as the inferior football team. I just point to the stats of how many points we have won without Owen. In 10 games we got just 6 Points, only winning against the by far worst team of the league (and as I said even that one was lucky). In 7 of these games we even failed to score. With Parker now another important player is missing. I know I am sometimes overpessimistic but ignoring the obvious and doing lalaing by thinking Newcastle would be "too good" to go down this season would be criminal IMHO.

That would still be daylight robbery. Robert's value to Newcastle was 0 quid. I don't think we were paying him wages anymore and the only options would have been letting him rot at Pompey or letting him go elsewhere for nothing. I don't think any club would have been prepared to pay a transfer fee after all the garbage that was surrounding him. For the "loss" we made out of him. We paid over the top for him when we were in desperate need for a left winger and had just missed out by being messed around by Zenden. He was much of an inprovement to the likes of Glass we had seen before and I think by taking us into the CL and helping to lift Newcastle out of mediocrity Robert was worth the money.

Well, I'll watch his CL games now as there are - thanks to the Scottish tosser - hardly any Newcastle games in midweek...

Was this ever really mentioned by some? I'm actually glad that he is gone. But I stand by what I have said in the past. He had his faults but was made a cheap scapegoat by some, most notably by the incompetent manager. But just for Gemmill I'm making sure that I flick through the Portuguese newspapers occasionally and post his latest rants...

Official site have him out for 3-5 weeks. http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsD...~763372,00.html

Gravesen and Danny Murphy by the end of Jan. [/fingers crossed] 73989[/snapback] The Evening Gazette is running a story of 5m + Faye and Bowyer for Murphy.

Hitzfeld isn't available at this time. What I was asking myself already a couple of days ago is that during the summer and before Souness always said how he is in contact with Fat Fred all the time. Now it is as the two are not communicating with each other any more. E.g. Souness says that he doesn't know if he has money to spend in the transfer window. Eh? The manager doesn't know what he is allowed to do? To me it looks like the fat controller already had started to distance himself from his most important member of staff.

I'm actually quite worried indeed. When I look at the table I don't start at the top anymore but from the bottom. With the injuries I don't think closing the gap to the likes of Bolton and Tottenham is a realistic prospect. There have been other clubs who thought they were too good to go down faced similar situations and from what I have seen in recent games even when we had Owen and Parker in the team I was worried... Regardless of who is managing the team, but the board has to act and secure that at least on short term a manager has a sufficient number of Premiership players available to his disposal.

Give him a "I was wrong" one. 73932[/snapback] Should I do one saying " I was right" for Renton and Leazes? 73939[/snapback] Yes please! 73945[/snapback] He can also create a 'Gemmill 0 - Renton 1' one both of you can share...

Give him a "I was wrong" one.

For the umpteenth time: I said that Souness needed time to prove himself one way or the other. He's used that time to prove that he isn't good enough. Which doesn't make me wrong because he still needed that time to prove his inadequacy in his role as manager of Newcastle United (not Liverpool, Blackburn, or any other club he may have been at in the past). It was simply the true, 100% correct statement that "A new manager needs time to prove himself" that makes me RIGHT and not WRONG. FACTARAMA. 73891[/snapback] Gemmill, you were wrong because you thought he was the man for the job when he came here. That is all I am saying, just admit you were wrong on that aspect and I will never bring it up again. 73902[/snapback] If that's true, then yes, Gemmill is wrong. Can't actually remember anyone thinking Souness was the man for the job though 73911[/snapback] NJS and Ally were the only ones IIRC. Though the latter should have given Gemmill a hint that it was utter nonsense to give him time...

Sorry, I hated him at Blackburn, I believe that makes me Soopa. Of course Leazes hated him at Liverpool, which makes him GREAT. 73880[/snapback] I hated him as a player at Boro. 73883[/snapback] I hated him as a player at Spurs. 73895[/snapback] In a former life I hated his father and his father's father and his father's father's father...

I do to a certain point understand why people in the beginning thought Souness was the right choice. I disagreed strongly as to me the shortcomings were to obvious (and I was right FACT tbh ). No seriously, I have no problem with being accused not giving the manager a chance. In my eyes Souness had every game the chance to prove me wrong. I was overly sceptical, but even I got a bit fooled by his first radio interview that sounded promising. Unfortunately I never saw only in the slightest that I was going to eat the humble pie Hansen (IIRC) said all Souness-bashing people will have to eat.. I'd gladly done it.

Going by that reckoning Ferguson would have been sacked by Man Utd early in his career, Morinho just likes to heap pressure on his rivals in my opinion. If he doesn't win the Champions League with Chelsea this season or next (which I'm sure is what Abramovich wants) then no doubt he'll be saying he wants time. Regarding Souness, I'm not saying give him more time as he was never the right man for the job, rather that he hasn't had time in my view. 73791[/snapback] the best 2 managers at Newcastle in recent times, Keegan and Robson. From the start, they brought an obvious improvement and came across as knowing what they were doing 73808[/snapback] So I imagined 18 months of utter shite (disguised by a cup run) under Bobby? There was no further sign of any improvement until Bellamy/Robert signed (see I can give praise to those two when rightful) 73822[/snapback] Quite correct tbh. 73827[/snapback] Yep, but with different expectations. Robson took over a club that had fallen back into meciocrity and the senior playing staff alienated by the former manager. That was the position Robson was taking over from. After messing a bit around by the signings of Cordone, Bassedas et al Robson got it right by just two signings who made a difference. Souness took over a club that had established itself in the upper half of the table. Things had gone stale under Robson and only few were disputing the fact that a change in managment was needed. But even though the trouble in the dressing room needed to be addressed it was thought that Robson's successor would take over a good squad (and himself said so). This was the position Souness was taking over from. But he didn't only in the slightest maintain Newcastle's position but took the club down into mediocrity again. That will most likely be two seasons in a row Newcastle miss out on Europe. This has a huge affect on finances and reputation. Robson might not have worked miracles right from the start, but he certainly didn't make things worse - in contrast to the current tosser still in charge.

So what's your stance now Gemmill, out of interest? Are you finally going to admit you were wrong in your assertion that Souness should be given a minimum of 2 years to prove himself, regardless of results and performances on the field, and his PR off it? Can we finally expect an "I was wrong" Gemmill exclusive? 73771[/snapback] If Souness does go now/or in the coming week(s), he hasn't had a proper chance to prove himself really. Any manager, regardless of who they are needs at least one full season in charge to do this. Of course, that ignores what most of us initially thought, i.e. he should never have been appointed in the first place. By getting rid now, without giving him a decent chance, Shepherd will be proving what a fuck up he made in the first place. 73775[/snapback] Sorry, but in my eyes Souness had more than a decent chance to prove himself. Of course you have to be sorry because some of the injuries he has to cope with. But in my eyes a manager shouldn't just be judged by what he is reaching with his first team, but also how he copes with difficult situations. Injuries are no excuse for the team he is sending out absolutely clueless. There is no apparent game plan (except 'frustrating the opposition' - and the own fans). No tactics. Just simple 70s style long ball game and waiting for a goal poacher to convert them. I'm warming to the idea of Allardyce as he looks to me in fact as the most forward thinking manager. If he is not available now (what I somewhat doubt because of the situation Bolton are currently in) then I would give Roeder the job until the end of the season and give a new proven manager a fresh chance without the burden of taking over in midseason ... especially as there are probably no suitable managers available now (i.e. the likes of Hitzfeld and Hiddink).

Yes, according to Fat Fred every big club needs a Pie Restocking department...

All hail the NHS...

Just thinking of it. What happened to Papa Lazaru? Got he kidnapped by Sepp Blatter or stabbed by Uriah Rennie? And when it comes to annoying posters you can hardly beat that Rehhagel guy...

Hmm, that for some strange reason reminds me of... http://www.jumpstation.ca/recroom/comedy/python/joke.html 73326[/snapback] Care to translate the joke for us Isegrim? If you dare, that is... 73529[/snapback] The joke is as translatable (is that a word?) as Ameobi's presence on a football pitch is expainable. It just doesn't make any sense at all...

Agree with a lot of what you said but the bit above is a pisstake surely. Even KK's teams had a holding midfielder. In addition to that I'd say almost all successful teams play with at least one midfielder like Parker. 73459[/snapback] Newcastle under KK without Batty would only been half the team they were tbh

Gemmill is not only a hom but also a boo-er in denial tbh

I know I'm worried about it. 73371[/snapback] .com are calculating the points the Mackems reach. Doing the same calculation using the ratio of points from games without Owen Newcastle end up with 37 points.

I'll swap you these rose-tinted specs for that trendy mind-reading helmet you've obviously got for Christmas. 73325[/snapback] I wonder of Leazes will come on here and admit he was wrong when Taylor doesn't turn out to be England captain 73328[/snapback] does anyone disagree with me....just to get it out of the way ? 73333[/snapback] Yes, he'll never be England captain. Decent, committed but ultimtately overrated player. IMO like. 73347[/snapback] You just have to think about Terry and Woodgate in the same age and you'll see that some people must wear rose tinted specs to think he will ever be a regular English international...

Rather have N'Zogbia than either tbh. 73307[/snapback] I'm happy with N'Zogbias contribution this season. Probably the only bright spot so far. Still I think we shouldn't have got Robert without signing a direct replacement offering natural width (which should have been easy as Robert is sooo crap).