NJS

It was the same on Boxing day - okay the better team won but the officials did all they could to help. I still hark back to Riley not sending Sorenson off last year and then his eagerness to send Babayaro and Boumsong off this year Shearer has only been having one good game every now and then for the last 2 years at least imo. I think the write-off of Emre and Parker above after two admittedly poorish games is very harsh.

I stayed in Cologne like, but saw nowt. What was all that about? I was lucky enough to be too young to do the Belgrade number 1 trip like. You're right about daft lads 'n aal, cannit fail to spot them in Europe. 107604[/snapback] Irish bar in the cobbled square - we'd been in ages when it filled up with a full complement of you know who. Cologne had been at an away match (night before our game) and when they returned they turned up outside - cue mass exodus to the classic "the Jormans are outside, howay" and a return 10 minutes later to a resounding "that was fun" (We didn't bother being sensible/soft). Funny thing was we were talking to a good mate of ours at the match who is one of the daftest who reckoned we should have been in Dusseldorf as evry lunatic on the planet was there and had a great time. I think the fact it was our first chance to visit Germany meant an extra special effort all round. The thing about Belgrade and the like is that even though they are shitbags you tend to "trust" the coppers in Italy, Spain etc but in Easten Europe it seemed more "foreign" to me. Having said that, thats also what made the trips as a whole lot more interesting.

I've been to most of the euro trips apart from the last two UEFA seasons when I only went to a couple but I've seen a few isolated incidents almost everywhere. It has to be said that if Boro are like us then all their daft lads see Euro trips as a must - I know a few of ours from years back and they all seem to make Europe. A couple of places have had potential for a "Roma" but mainly through luck have turned out okay - Cologne (for Leverkusen) and the first Belgrade trip were the dodgiest I've seen.

Thats where we drank when we played Roma in 99 (Campo Di Fiori) - saw no bother. I've found on our trips there that they are shitbags who are happy to use weapons and spend 90 minutes chucking things at you but when faced with anything like even numbers revert to being cowards who don't want to know.

I had a holiday in Torquay when I was about 12 and remember the daft hills - how much do those flats on the cliff top go for these days?

I think all of the fixtures after the next two ae quite winnable so I'd be a tad more optimistic though I'd agree that 1 point from the two would leave us with a bit to do. Last year I thought we were comfortbale before Rooney's wonder goal which is why I'm quite hopeful this time around (famous last words etc, etc)

Didn't Rangers build their "platinum club" and other improvements during that period? Not saying they spent as much as Celtic but its not as simplistic as you make out. I could also point out the last day title loss the other year as a "negative". I also have concerns over his wife - as I 've said before I admire what he's done but the thing about cancer is that 6 months/1 year/2years down the line she could become ill again and we may face a Celtic situation again. I do think O'Neill is a better manager than Souness but not by much. I think as I've also said before that if we get him we would become a paerennial top 6 team again. However I think the ambition that LM mentions of going higher would be beyond us. I also feel we'd have to endure less "proper" football. I'd rather have him than the usual Bruce etc suspects but I think they're out of the equation now anyway.

The mackem thing doesn't bother me in the slightest - what does is the absolutely terrible football that Leicester played and I've read a couple of comments that suggest that it was no different at Celtic. I've always thought it would be "interesting" in a car crash style to see how Newcastle fans would react to a "basic" but relatively successful style of football - I think I'll find out if we get O'Neill.

Nothing more than Souness without the FA cup and shitter football.

Arca's a canny player - We should have signed him when Bernard started acting up though I think Morray might still bear a grudge over Bracewell enough to be awkward over transfers.

As I've said before the real mistake made imo is that morals require religion - people can be and are brought up to be just as "decent" as any believers without any faith (both passively like a lot of CofE people and actively by atheists). I think in the past people may have needed the carrot and stick approach of religion to morals but I think we could and should be enlightened enough to teach right and wrong on an "obvious" basis without the need for fire and brimstone nonsense. On a related note I had some missionaries knock at my door the other night so I politely told them they'd be wasting their time - "Do you have any faith?" they asked - I described myself as a "fundamentalist atheist" which at least made them smile

Theres an argument I've read that the main threat posed by religion isn't fundamentalists but moderates which you describe. The problem is that people are so obviously reasonable about it but they provide a shield for the dodgy fuckers. If moderates didn't exist then the fundamentalists would be more isolated and easier to deal with. Whats needed is for decent religious people to take as much as a stand against the extremists as non-believers do. I;m not just talking about the lip service thats goes on at the moment but a strong "we will not tolerate you" ethos.

Even though I consider organised religion to be brainwashing on a monumental scale it takes a particular kind of nastiness and stupidiity to scare your kids as badly as that. If she called herself a "satanist" the kids would be taken off her in 2 seconds - however christians have the usual "respect" getout clause. I could also say that to paraphrase Bill Hicks if she didn't like the beliefs of the other woman she could always try forgiving her.

O'Neill's connection with Sunderland is that his great hero as a kid was Charlie Hurley and so when he played for the Mackems O'Neill "supported" them. Pretty tenuous in reality but you never know.

Fair point again - I just feel that seeing it as a simple "the new manager wants him" and everythings rosy is a bit naive. Thats allowing for Shearer having left as well.

Fair point but the best player at the club was and still is Shay Given - one of those who was pissed off by Bellamy's antics. (I know thats hearsay but no more so than other "evidence" quoted as fact by people)

I can't think of anyone who said Bellamy was shit - not as good as he (or his fan club) seem to think yes but certainly not shit. I don't think a return is possible while FS/Shearer ae involved so I don't see the point in mentioning him. In the summer I'd have loved to have seen us sign Andy Cole but that also was never going to happen for similar reasons.

I'm not a big fan of Rock 'n' Roll but The Buddy Holly Story with Gary Busey was a fine film.

Morrissey and Radiohead are the headliners - wouldn't mind seeing both of them as the latter almost revert to being a "proper" band live but the rest of the lineup looks uninspiring. Details Charlatans and The Magic Numbers would be good but I'm not at all interested in Faithless, Fatboy Slim or The Sugar Babes. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 9am but I think I'll just see how the rest of the line up pans out and maybe get one off a tout on the day(s) if I fancy it.

I think even if a manager was appointed tomorrow he'd approach it in the same way - you have a list of "would be good" and then also an attitude of who comes up in the summer. I don't think its as "fatal" as you make out.

The next 3 games are the real test - though I'm not knocking the good work thats been done. The eternal optimist in me looked at the fixtures when Souness left and thought a good run could see us 6th at a push - apart from the next 3 which I've almost "written off" I think we can win the rest. If FS does take his time and the above comes off I can see there being a loud vote for Roeder - personally though I'd rather have a "top" bloke.

Tim Cahill Brian Marwood (Keeping it topical)

The sentence is due to the charge - car crime charges as a whole are a joke which is the real problem As I've said before I'd charge anybody who gets into a car pissed with attempted murder even if they don't hit anyone - its just about as reckless as you can get imo.

Roeder mention in the Chron that Bowyer had been excellent in training - if thats the case then why not play him?

I can understand the context of Austria and Germany having those laws but at the same time I fundamentally oppose any laws against opinion/belief/thought. I can see people using stuff like this to justify blasphemy laws which are abhorrent. I also think the judge should have taken into account the recent furore and erred on the side of the right to free speech.