Did anyone see the article in the daily mirror on monday.It referd to sol cambel,jeffers and Dyer bassically being money mad,I disagree. Dyer has said the Toon is a massive club with great supporters , he would like nothing more than to win things in a Black & White strip and he will be for ever grearful to the Toon for the 6Mil his they paid to give him a chance in the premier .The only way he will not sign the extension to his contract is if The Toon don,t by big and don,t get into europe.I think Dyer is spot on ,We do need at least 5 top signings to get through next season.Surely he is right and must be concernd about the way the team is heading.This has got to affect season ticket sales.We need to buy soon to get us buzzing things are to quiet.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2001

Answers

I totally agree with you YM. If the Toon don't begin to reverse the downward spiral they've been in for 3-4 seasons I for one couldn't blame YKD for buggering off.
Although very few agree, I also feel he is correct to make the situation crystal clear to everyone ahead of time - including the fans he clearly respects. If he had simply expressed, what I believe are genuinely felt concerns, in private to BR or FS, does anyone really believe that would have come out in 6 or 12 months time when his frustration came to a head and he asked for a transfer? He'd simply be tagged a traitor and a glory-seeking money- grabber.
No, I happen to believe the guy likes the area, likes the fans, and wants NUFC to be successful. Like countless other players before him he is simply saying to Club Management "get your heads out of your @rses, before it's too late".

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001

Aren't we better placed to have a sustained period of improvement, than we have been for many years?

The number of youth players achieving international recognition is impressive as is the number of very promising young players in the reserves.

Of course we need investment in the first team now but for once it won't be just papering over the cracks while no youth players come through the ranks. The legacy of Bobby Robson will be seen in a couple of years time and hopefully he can work his magic on th first team in order to get European football back at St James Park.

I'm confident we can achieve it. It will take time but we are moving in the right direction.

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001

I agree with the legacy BR is putting into place but surely the first team now needs to improve to get us to where we were under KK for these youngsters to be able to play not just in the premier but in eorope.if YKD is allowed to go who else is going to join a secound rate team this is the message that will be sent out .

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001

That's why I said 'of course we need investment in the first team'

When we are a bit thin due to injuries we have cover in the spine of the team which may not be the experienced back up but at least we have decent young players we can give an opportunity to.

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001

The slight flaws in your arguments DeB are that we are weak at FB and overall defensively, we are short up front given CC's propensity for injury and the major uncertainty regarding AS, and we basically have no credible midfield. In addition, the available youth talent is not as deep as we sometimes like to pretend, especially near-term.
Even ignoring the oft-discussed lack of adequate training facilities and Youth Academy, and the recent demise of our only professional Manager, and I suspect we're closer to a genuine calamity than a period of sustained success.
I dearly hope I'm wrong.

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001

I suppose I'm trying to look at things more optimistically. I see what you're saying but I'm trying not to get too negative at the minute.

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001

unlike others... :-)

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001

I admire your optimism DeB - there isn't much on here right now, so keep it up marra, it might stop us all committing hari-kari!
I'm afraid I'm one of lifes realists, perhaps even a pessimist.
That's what supporting this lot for 35 years does for you. You've still got some time in the tank, and may yet avoid the inevitable Victor Meldrew end-point!

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001

yep, de b, why so happy?
got your new car?

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001

I may end up having to get a diesel due to the financial penalties associated with selecting a petrol company car under the proposed scheme. Although diesels are better than they were I would suggest that this is not the reason for my unfounded optimism.

Could be something to do with the number of days left in my current job (9!) and the impending week off work doing jack all!

However, it is probably down to the fact that almost all onhere seem to be down in the dumps with regard to the club at the minute. Whilst I recognise all the reasons for such pessimism, I feel there are many positives which people are missing out on here.

We don't know jack about the transfer situation at the club. We know nothing about the situation with Stonehouse, although we can all speculate, as I have!

I'll get worked up if at the start of the season we're playing like a bag of shite and simply not trying. I recognise that inthe clubs situation some of the rumoured transfer targets are way out of our league and there is little point in getting worked up as to why we weren't able to sign them.

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001