Dear God! listen to yourselves----3 games ago we were at no.1 in the Premiership---the last 3 games have been disappointing----as Bobby said----1 point from 3 games and you are writing off your team? I feel that Shearer going forward on the right(as the best crosser in the Team)------Cordone up front with Cort and lua-lau on the left----------(getting the idea?)--------behind them-----Speed Dyer Solano Lee or Barton-----and behind them------Griffin Hughes Domi ---yes 3 in the Back as Bobby keeps trying to introduce spasmodically!!and Given who has been top-rate for weeks. Yes I know there more than 11 but I'm Fifties Fan and not "Lord Sir Robert Robson"and he lets them get on with it for an hour and then can bring on Amoebi/Coppinger and other 'newuns' and 'yunguns' and remember the main man whose cruel luck in a pre-season nothing game--THE MAN 'HIMSELF' bought as his MAIN Signing of the YEAR ----I give you-------drumroll drumroll.....Baassedas...THE STEERING WHEEL.!!!! All rights copyright and repeats... note! credits to Rik for his correct thoughs as and when they fitted mine own theories....reserved. Give it 10 games to get their machine well oiled ...and watch out ANYONE!!!! Remember you heard it first ... Hong Kong 24 th Sept in the year of our Lord (SBR) Also love to Val who has waited patiently(and on the net)beside me during the extremely long time it takes someone of my extremely slowwwww two fingered typing to complete typing this e-mail. Comments on slight variations of this 'master plan' will be welcome! onthis thread!

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2000

Answers

I can agree with most of that in principle Alan, but noting one specific reason why, at the moment, I am specifically so p*ssed off.

As you say: 3 games ago we were at no.1 in the Premiership but now, three games on, we are five points of the pace, and potentially seven points off it later this afternoon if Leicester win and go top.

Yes, I know we should be used to this kind of rollercoaster ride of footballing emotions, we have lived it long enough, some of us longer than other it has to be said, but it doesn't make it any easier to take.

The high of driving back from Coventry on top of the world, to the depression of a home defeat by bliddy Charlton in just 17 DAYS hurts and it hurts f***ing big time.

I hope you are right about Bassedas, and I hope he is soon seen (that's not easy to say) in a B&W shirt along side the rest of them and things do start to happen.

:0)

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2000

FF - dare I reply? As one of the 50,000 or so who sat thru yeaterday's abysmal performance, it is bliddy hard to be upbeat. Coming on the back of an awful performance at The Dell (OK, di dwe expect any better?) and a mediocre one against Leyton Orient (note, Leyton Orient, not Man U-f'in-nited) is it unreasonable to ask 11 highly paid professionals to have some idea of what they were doing?

As I said in my match report, I lay some of the blame at the feet of YBR. Why he left Rob Lee on the bench (a) at the start and (b) for so long during the game beggars belief. We were overrun in midfield and I'm no football coach, but I could see that from where I sat. We had options and we were a lot better when YBR exercised those options.

But I can not accept the lack off effort or ideas from those on the pitch. I'm a huge fan of Shearer but I was disappointed in his performance - not for the first time this season I might add. IMHO, he is almost back as far as he was when YBR arrived. The good news is that YBR turned him round (litterally!) then and I believe he can do so again. Far too often we see AS with his back to goal, and there's one guaranteed result from that - free kick to the opposition, as we saw many times yesterday.

I firmly believe that YBR will sort things out - perhaps as you suggest when Bassedas makes his longed-for debut in the EPL. Sure, we've had injury problem in defence, but we're not the only EPL team to suffer injuries (Leeds for one have probably a worse crop of injuries than we do). A good team should be able to accommodate these. After all, we still have one of the largest squads in the league. When the chips are down, those with some mettle should rise to the top. That did not happen yesterday until a young lad of 19 came on, along with an aad gadgie of 33+. Then things started to look up.

Excuse me, but if we've paid #6M for a midfielder, I expect him to perform. He ran and he ran, but we could have got Brendan Foster to do that and he'd have been a lot cheaper. As (I think) Clarky suggested, a spell frezing his knackers off at Kingston Park might not be a bad thing - and he's not the only one but he's the most expensive.

OK - so I'm fed up. But I feel I have a right to be. The season started so well (apart from OT) but I fear they flattered to deceive.

Yours,

Disgusted of Cheshire

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2000

Such is the life of a Newcastle supporter, a few highs, followed immediately by what feels like a kick in the nuts. I have been a NUFC fan since before I can remember, early - mid sixties. Still love em with a passion I can't explain. Thats what makes us "special" amongst football supporters worldwide. Yes, it's ok to be pi$$ed off, and at times, as ken says, it hurts, it f--king hurts, but you know what, come Tuesday we,ll all have our Black and White eyes in and our hearts will be lifted again, let's hope we aren't dissappointed again. You see, we, the fans, get up for EVERY game, always, even when our heads say we should lose, our hearts EXPECT a win. It's not the end of the world, though at times it seems so. Christ, I can remember crying my eyes out when Liverpool beat us in the Cup Final, but it wasn't cos we lost, it was because we never showed up. That, I think is at the heart of all the disappointment and hurt and bad feelings. We can all handle a loss, even to Charlton. God knows I was at Hereford for the infamous cup defeat, but wasn't gutted, disappointed yes, but we tried that day. Hereford just tried harder. What gets me is that somedays it seems the players just don't give a toss.

My point is this, for all the lads that put their heart and soul into every game, a pat on the back. for those that don't, regardless of who they are...There's the door...F--K Off.

Thats my twopenceworth anyway.

Pete

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2000

Alan, Not sure if Hughes, Domi and Griffin could work as a back 3. Only Hughes is a decent defender, I'm not saying that Griffin and Domi and Bad players, it's just that they are better as full backs or Wing backs. If we go for a 3 - 5 - 2 Fomation Domi and Griff would be better suited as the wide midfielders, not Lua Lua and Shearer. I believe that we need to get it drummed into the midfield that they have to try to create more chances, take a few risks, take on the opposition more.

Two additions that I've been thinking about though go back to a 3 man central defence. How this for an Idea, Give this 6'7" trinadad player a contract , play him in a central three with Hughes and .... drum Roll .

Dave Challinor (tranmere's long throw expert)

Imagine the damage he could do throwing his exocets into the centre for Cort and Ameobi to latch onto, joined by this giant defender, we would get a net full. OK so Challinor and Lawrence might not be the best defenders in the world but they would score more than they let in, which would mean we would win games by silly scores like 6 - 3 and 7-2.

That would get the few empty seats in the corporate area full.

Howay lads lets start some Challinor rumours using the "How to make your rumour come true" kit

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2000

Oi Rik. If I didn't know you better, I'd suspect you were acting as Challinor's agent. I mean, you've been championing him for years. If you don't watch out, he'll be too old before he makes any move. ;-))

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2000

Give me one reason for not buying him.

I won't accept he'es not very good, I've seen him in the flesh a few years ago and was impressed then. Last year he put the fear of god into opposing PREMIER league teams. We would be a better team with him in it, I'm convinced.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2000

Errr. he can't defend??? Dunno - not been impressed by him as a defender, but I'll grant you he's got a helluva throw.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2000

Sign the man!!

If it doesn't work out he'g be perfect as the peanut seller in the new stands!!!!

"Peanuts! tanner a bag!"

( Old gits only)

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2000

Thing is, has anyone on here noted that Cort played with his back to goa, all day Saturday too? Dose that not suggest that there are service issues?

-- Anonymous, September 25, 2000

Certainly does Dougal and Bobby has talked of little else after the match. The problem has been highlighted, just needs addressed now.

Overlapping full backs, Griffin and Domi I reckon! One day we will reflect on a period whereby all units of the team are performing, one week it's the defence then the midfield, we'll create loads of chances next week which won't be converted then we've had the full team disfunctioning and we'll start to play better.

-- Anonymous, September 25, 2000