Park Life

Thankfully exceptions to this most depressing of contemporary trends still exist. In Newcastle, there remains a childlike fascination with the No. 9 shirt; perhaps the last truly iconic one in this commercialised, sanitised world which passes for English football. It is a shirt which, through the exploits of the various heroes to have worn it, has generated a life of its own. It symbolises the collective hopes and dreams of a perpetually optimistic, romantic football public. Grown, hardened, working-class men are reduced to sentimental, emotional wrecks as they reminisce goals scored, battles fought, matches won. Above all, it conjures a fearsome Jackie Milburn shot rippling the back of the opposition net. Milburn, Ashington born, deserves to be credited with igniting the enduring love affair between the supporters and shirt. A bastion of stoic post-war masculinity, he was a man whom the masses could relate to and idolise in equal measure. The three FA Cups – 1951, 1952 and 1955 - his goals led the Magpies to still linger. Milburn’s record of 200 league and cup goals lasted until 2006. The intervening years saw the legend build. The swashbuckling bravado of Malcolm McDonald exhilarated 1970s Tyneside, before Kevin Keegan’s perfect blend of endeavour and artistry forged a relationship which bordered on the messianical. His industrious zeal resonated with the hard-bitten working-classes for whom St. James Park on a Saturday was liberation from a desperately bleak time in northeast England. His goals transcended them from the stultifications imposed by a ruthless Thatcherite government. Better still, he returned as manager, saving the team from the abyss of the Third Division, before producing a swashbuckling, quixotic team which came this close to winning the most implausible, romantic of Premier League titles in 1996. His commitment to attack in management innately understood the demands of his adoring fans. Little wonder they remain one of the most fondly remembered sides of recent years. Fittingly only one man could break Milburn’s record. Alan Shearer, arguably the prototypical English centre-forward of modern times, led a staggeringly undecorated career. Just one Premier League winner’s medal collects dust in the attic at his family home – even then only earned as a Blackburn player in 1995. No matter, he insists. He happily trades trophies for the satisfaction of living the dreams of thousands of aspirant Geordie boys. Each goal he celebrated in front of the Gallowgate End, he celebrated as a fan. The legacy thus falls to Papiss Demba Cisse, Newcastle’s recent £9 million acquisition from Freiburg. On his arrival, he is not so much a focal point in Alan Pardew’s team as the embodiment of a city’s collective past and future dreams. Football increasingly motivated increasingly hostile to heritage, Cisse is the man with the opportunity to write himself into one of the few enduring footballing legacies. For the sake of romance left in the game,"....... What are your expectations? How should we play to his strengths? Can't wait to see him link up with Demba Ba.

You're right about that. We played the maniac high line against Fulham againt pace as we did agaist Wba. By sit too deep I mean the CM don't get in and around the box enough. Santon is proving a very decent attacking threat btw but often when he's up there at the business end he has very few choices. The MF and the def are too close. Tbf though there is a kind of a false picture right now cause our best players are away.

It's doing my fuking head in. For instance you see Santon cutting inside into areas where Cabaye should be in the attcking phase or Guthrie...Where are they? On the fuking half way line.

Everybody sits too deep and the CM's don't support the forwards and are often playing in diff galaxies. Can you get that into your heads? Can you? Fuck me.

Think people were only asking for him to have a fair run in the side.

Mystic River.

I saw this coming. The first proper bad game Hba has and Pardew is vindicated. Absolute fucking nonsense. Vindicated in starting Obertan the whole first half of the season? I don't think so. I simply will not allow history to be re-written on here. So there!

Marathon man

Don't put yerself down like that man. You're still reeling from my punch yesterday, these pussy jabs aren't going to distract me. Well it was a long time coming.

He suffocated me with his big hairy chest.

That's a fair analysis. I'd like to add that Cabaye hasn't been at his best without Tiote and plays too deep. Wether that is to instruction or not I'm not sure. Manc was saying yesterday that Pards sets up sides primarily not to give anything away and I'd venture that isn't needed against Brighton. Shola was isolated cause Best was too wide most of the match. If you can pass the ball against inferior opp you might as well play through the middle.

Fwiw the first half of the season Pardew tried to find and did find a balance to the psychology of the side. He did make mistakes, but he has also found a solidity to the side (when Tiote and Cabaye are on song). My doubts about Pards aren't in the category that he is a shit manager as there are so many variables in each game, my douts are more along the lines of tactical intuition and his ability to change games from the dugout. Fulham was one of those games and Brighton is another and you might even say Swansea & WBA. The main problem he has is that he does like a more direct game and that means it is difficult for him to rationalise HBA in the side. I think you either have to totally believe in a player like this or just be honest and come out and say we want to play two proper wingers. I feel Pards due to the clamour from some sections of the support is caught between two worlds. It's an interesting tension mind and makes for good debate as we all instinctively want to see more good football.

Don't put yerself down like that man.

Lion Bar

Pepsi Max

Not denying he was poor. But we wouldn't have been playing if he hadn't scored against Blackburn. We need the Africans back as you say.

Umbongo.

Think they all played badly...To single out the beautiful arab boy is beyond the pale tbh. I'm also a little tired of this "...he's not at Barca and Milan line"...Well 99.9% of footballers aren't at Barca and Milan.

Airplane.

Think you have to lay a trail of apples on the pitch to direct his runs.

Laughable. Tevez is worht the whole Liv first 11.

Think he he recognised nonsense when he heard it. Baseball bat too good tbh.

Yeah but HTT is a bit mad. Setting that aside there seems some truth in those ramblings.