Is is just me or does anyone else have the feeling that we are getting left behind in the building of a team that can challenge manure, arse and chewsee. even spurs have signed a decent player, while we sign a kid for k500. It seems that the gap is widening and the sad thing is that we are the ones that started it. So chelsea now have 5 strikers of pure class and what do we have? a retired england captain, an injured scotsman and some no name from ? I am concerned that we have not bought some class players.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

Answers

I think many of us share your concern syme. However, the unfortunate reality is that the Club just haven't have the money to invest big time any more.
We are paying the penalty for employing two profligate managers who wasted large sums of the Club's financial assets acquiring sub-standard players. In addition, they gave these tossers overly generous contracts that now leave us with two further problems:
i) a huge wage bill that hampers efforts to bring in better players
ii) substandard players on massive wages who cannot get similar packages anywhere else so just refuse to move, limiting the amount of cash that's available to buy better players.
This is frankly a mess created by mismanagement. In the short term we just have to accept that the Club needs time to sort out this mess of its own making. During this period the only way we can become truly competitive is if BR works another miracle even more impressive than the one he achieved last season.
Facts of life I'm afraid.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

Give YBR time - Don't contracts run until June 30th - then we'll see some action - so far we've 2 Argentinians and it looks from Teamsh*te that there's a Portugoose on the way.

With PissedOne and a few bairns on their way out.

Trust Bobby he's done this rebuilding lark a few times over the years - I do believe PSV were in worse state than us and they qualified for the Champions League after a few months - he'll sort it.

Blind faith or what

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

I'm getting rather worried for the Toon. Like I have said before, we'll only be challenging for 6th place this season, and an outside chance of making it to Europe. However teams like Tottenham and Villa are making serious moves to get into the elite group of teams, while the likes of West Ham and Everton are making some canny moves on limited budgets.

We might have one of the best coaches in the EPL, but unless we really get some quality players in a couple of positions we could be left behind for good and finish 10th.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

C'mon Tre,

Villa are in turmoil and if I supported them I'd be pessimistic about their chances of top six.

Everton are signing nobody we couldn't, the difference is we don't want them. With Barmby, Hutchinson and Collins about to leave, how well will they do?

West Ham will again be up there as a contendor.

You have to take a step back and look at what we have at the Toon, which isn't all that bad and given time and a decent solid centre back partnership (!) we should be a good side next year.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

That still leaves us in a chasing pack with West Ham and Tottenham, not joining the eleite group of Manu, Leeds, Arse, Chewsee and pool.

It'd be different if the EPL was like the seria where the top 8 are a different class than the rest of the league and all qualify for Europe.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

It's going to take at least two years before we can hope to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Leeds never mind Newton Heath.

In an ideal world (There's a song in there somewhere!)we will qualify for the UEFA cup next year and attract some better quality players and the year after it will be hard to qualify for the CL. CL qualification in next four years is realistic IMHO.

Still, it's all better than relegation and as long as we beat the mackems this year I'll be happy.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

FOOTBALL: ROBSON'S A JAN FAN

NEWCASTLE United are the new favourites to land the Czech Republic's giant striker Jan Koller.

United manager Bobby Robson sent scouts to watch the Anderlect player last season and he has been impressed with Koller's Euro 2000 form.

Koller believes his qualities are ideally suited to the Premiership and has spoken to international team-mate Pavel Srnicek about life at Newcastle.

Robson won't want to pay the pounds 7m asking price but could offer Temuri Ketsbaia or Silvio Maric in part-exchange.

From F365

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

Considering Robson took a team heading for Div1 and got performances out of them equal to UEFA qualification...and with just 2 additions (Gallacher and Gavilan...the 2nd not really counting), I think any talk of our demise is premature to say the least!

Other teams may lash out #ms on players but it doesn't mean nowt unless they gell as a team and play for the manager as best they can...step forward Chris Sutton.

Just chill, lads n' lasses...pre-season isn't for another 2 weeks!

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

Yeh, The Journal carries a similar story today, saying that Koller is one of the few who fills a similar CV to 'Yin as the kind of 'large' player to bring the best out of AS.
Personally I don't like the idea - I just don't believe you can be successful playing two less than fully mobile forwards. Against the better sides you will run into the same tactical problem England found - being over-run in midfeld.
They also reckon BR will not pay Anderlecht's reported asking fee of #6mm, and will seek to offer Kets as a makeweight in any deal.
It's beginning to look as though BR has given up on being able to off-load DF, and is now looking to bring in an insurance policy for when he's out injured, as he surely will be.
If we were to pay #6mm for Koller, that would mean we'd have spent #14mm persevering with what IMO is a seriously flawed strategy. I certainly wouldn't pay more than #2mm + Kets for this guy.
Not Happy from North Shields.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

It'd be worth twice that much for the games when wor Al is unfit and our front line consists of Koller and Fergie.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

thinking about it, though, this would surely mean the Big Yin is on the way out. Perhaps in exchange. Do they let you keep pigeons in Prague?

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

No doubting Koller would be a useful option, but not necessarily a first option, and therefore #6m seems a high price. But these days everything seems to be pricey.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

not too keen on Zahovic either, he would be much cheaper but he's just slagged off his previous club and fans to such an extent he's been told to get on his bike. Don't like trouble makers like that unless they come for nowt.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

The Ronnie is rubbishing reports that we are interested in Koller ...err... didn't they start them?

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

What really sickens me is that NUFC & wor Bobby appear to be being left behind in terms of the evolution of the game. I do not see two big lads up front such as Shearer and Ferguson, or who ever, as the way to go.

If you you look at the top teams they have the quality defenders that can deal with such players. And before anyone brings up the defeat of Manu, remember Stam didn't have a quality centre half partner.

The Football evolution his heading towards the fast and skillful forward combination that play deeper, interacting with the midfield, and breaking towards the goal at pace.

Manu - Cole, Yorke and Solsjkaer. Arse - Henry, Kanu and Berkamp Pool - Fowler, Owen and Heskey. Chewsee - Haaslebiank, Gudjohnsen, Zola, etc. Leeds - Kewel, Viduka and Bridges.

Sure each team has a player who provides a physical presence, but that player also provides more with pace and skill. We all admit that Shearer has lost a yard or two, and he never was one for trickery.

One observation from Euro 2000 that hasn't fully been grasped upon has been teams midfield domination. Sure pundits have pointed out England were over run in the midfield, but what they have failed to highlight is that the opositions forwards were often helping their midfield creating the extra man, or two. Portugal played with two strikers against England, it just that they left Gomes up front, while Jaoa Pinto played in the midfield. France, Holland and Italy have been doing the same.

And the top EPL and Euro club teams do the same.

NUFC may dominate weaker teams with their battering ram front duo, but not the quality teams who will close down the service them.

Thats why I'd like to see us go for Cort or a pacy forward, who can play both aspects of the game.

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000

Any hopes Newcastle still harboured of landing Joao Pinto appear to have vanished, with the Portuguese star confirming he wants to join Fiorentina.

Bobby Robson is still desperate to bring in a new striker before the start of the season, with his target understood to be a Euro 2000 star.

But Pinto insists Italy will be his destination if Sporting Lisbon fail to offer him the opportunity to remain in his homeland. Bobby Robson offered the 28-year-old a three-year contract but saw a string of other clubs come in for the free agent during the tournament.

The player has insisted he would keep his options open until after his involvement in the European Championships. But with Portugal now eliminated, Pinto's agent, Jose Veiga, has confirmed: "One thing is now certain: if Joao leaves Portugal it will be, without a doubt, for Fiorentina."

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000

I understand that Koller is even bigger than Funcan Durguson and comes complete with his own lightening conductor! Should Shearer not play for any reason, playing those two together would be similar to planting two telegraph poles in the box with the rest of the team hoofing balls in hoping they bounce off them and into the net. It wouldn`t be my prefered game plan!

However, far be it for me to second guess wor Bobby, and I am not worried about next season with him in charge. He`s got more experience that most the the PL managers put together, and he will have something up his sleeve, I`m sure!(:o)

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000

The Ronnie end their latest report by saying Bellamy from Norwich prefers playing behind the front two "a position United need to fill".

What a load of tosh. Kieron Dyer on his way is he then??! Kevin Gallagher sustained a career ending injry has he? I used to respect the Ronnie for its transfer rumblings but they seem to have gone into overdrive.

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000