against the Mackems...

Harper

Griffin O'Brien Hughes Elliott

Gavilan Acuna Bassedas Bernard

Shearer Robert

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Answers

Not that one

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Harper (deserves his chance)

Griffin---Dabz---Hughes---Elliot

--------Lee---Speed---Acuna--------

Solano----------------------Robert ----------Ameobi/Shearer------------

Robert will walk rings around them

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

That's it - destroy our keepers confidence that will help him and the team loads.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

i fear that horse has already bolted mate...

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

AND doesn't Harper deserve his chance?

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

I agree apart Harper and always thought he was a better keeper. But if you drop Given now - his confidence would be shot and it would take him ages to get it back. If he has a stormer on Sunday (I hope he's not needed) his confidence will be back to being sky high.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

apart????? I mean about - sorry I should really do one thing at a time. Work BBS Work BBS etc

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Pav, Elliot, Albert, Peacock, Hottiger, Lee, Clark, Fox, Ginola, Beardo, Shearer.

How can we lose?

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

peter, can we clone him?

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Dolly was cloned...

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Newcastle manager Bobby Robson is set to drop keeper Shay Given after another comical error in the Magpies' 4-4 result at home to Troyes.

26-year-old Given was already in the bad books after his error on Sunday allowed Chelsea to grab a point in the Premiership season opener.

According to a report from the Mirror, Robson, who had described the Republic of Ireland keeper mistake on Sunday as a 'one-in-a-billion' mistake, 'was left hastily revising those odds when Medhi Leroy struck a swerving 40-yard free kick at Given who was left flailing on his backside as the effort wrong-footed him and ended up in the middle of his goal.'

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Given should be rested. He would get a huge amount of stick from the away fans, so even playing him would do his confidence no good at all. It wasn't only the 40yd free kick - he was responsible for giving the ball stright to one of the French for their 4th goal.

WRT the defence, Barton had a 'mare, but that followed an absolute blinder on Sunday. Is a derby ame the right match to re-introduce Griff? I'd stick with Robbie Elliot at LB. Central, pick any 3 from Dabs, Hughes and O'Brien. Hughes will play - maybe Dabs will be dropped due to his tendency to go AWOL (we can't afford that against a mobile striker like Philips).

Midfield is the problem. Robert on the left, but then I have no more clues as the rest were cr@p last night. Perhaps Bernard did enough to win a place, but where - LB or left m/f? Then what of Robert (could play up front I guess). I would not play Solano and don't think we should play Lee and Speed in the same team, especially as Lee will be too sh@gged out to make 3 games in 7 days.

Up front - well Shearer will figure somewhere - either a start or bench but should not play the full 90 mins. Lua x2 should also figure, but likely as a supr-sub. Bellamy will play to run rings round their defence. Shola doesn't look fit.

I'll tell you more on Saturday in the TeamPick ;-))

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Central, pick any 3 from Dabs, Hughes and O'Brien

You didn't exactly give us much of a choice there Screacher.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

LOL.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Bartez

Ferrer Campbell Ferdinand Cole

Dyer Viera Veron Giggs

Shearer Owen

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Either Given or Harper in goal, don't really mind.

Griffin - O'Brien - Hughes - Elliott

Solano - Acuna - Bassedas - Robert

Bellamy - Lua Lua/Ameobi

Shearer would be the supersub - but only if he's fit. Is 3 points against the Mackems a good swap for the great man's career if he isn't fit?

Bassedas should only play if it's in centre midifeld. Acuna and Bassedas are much more comfortable with each other than either of Speed or Lee. Bassedas also wins a hell of a lot of free kicks for us, which could be useful for relieving the pressure, or setting up chances for Robert to do his stuff. Solano and Robert are the two people the game hinge on really. They are possibly the two most talented players in the team and are capable of scoring from distance.

Gavilan has the talent apparently to play on the right, but he seems to be more lightweight than Solano (who is amazingly over 12st) which isn't suited to playing Sunderland.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

The very thought of playing the mackems with a m/f containing Solano, Acuna and Bassedas, in addition to Robert, scares the living cr@p out of me!

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Given
Griffin-Caldwell-Caldwell-Elliott
Solano-Acuna-Speed-Robert
Ameobi-Bellamy

Still can't bring myself to select Barton or Dabizas and if Hughes is supposed to be better than Rio Ferdinand why can't he dominate a game in the defence? Over-rated the lot of them! Sod the current defence, they have shown nothing to make me think they can keep a clean sheet for more than one game, which shouldn't be too much to ask. Keegan may have had is flaws but he had the character to admit he couldn't solve the defence, does Robson need similar assistance. BTW, hello all, it's been a while!!

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Hiya DeB - funny, I was thinking about you earlier. New job going well?

For Sunday I'd go with the following, with Shearer, S Caldwell and Bernard on the bench - primed and ready to go:

Given

Griffin......O'Brien......Dabz.......Hughes

Lee......Elliott......Speed

Robert......Ameobi......Bellamy

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Clarky nearly has it. Can't see Robert Lee being any better for a third game in a week than he was for the second. Need someone to take his place, but that's the problem, probably has to be Acuna

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Shearer, S Caldwell and Bernard on the bench - primed and ready to go:

CLARKY - primed and WHAAAAT??!!!

:-)

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

I certainly wouldn't argue with Acuna playing in place of Lee, Macbeth - Rob looked well knackered last night. However, with a few days rest I'd personally take a chance on him for this particular game. If it wasn't SAFC I'd rest him.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Jonno,

Just trying to make amends for missing out on the 'Uncivilised List'
;o{)

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

I would like to see, and begging pardon if the formatting is non existent,

Harper (cos Shay needs time to settle down)

Griffin Hughes O'Brien Bernard

Acuna Bassedas Speed

Robert Lua Lua Bellamy

On the Bench. Shola, Solano, Shearer, Given and Gavilan.

My thoughts, not YBR's

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

You will also note, no defenders on the bench, cos the play will be in their half for the whole game :-))

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Given
Barton Hughes Dabizas Elliot
Solano Lee Speed Robert
Shearer Bellamy

Subs: Harper, O'Brien, Acuna, Lua Lua, Ameobi

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Get back to the

left

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Given Barton Hughes Dabizas Elliot Solano Lee Speed Robert Shearer Bellamy Subs: Harper, O'Brien, Acuna, Lua Lua, Ameobi

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001

Oops sorry that was supposed to go on the team pick. And I haven't been posting enough recently

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001

          Kenny Everett (with those big hands of his)

Joe Louis     Sonny Liston Mike Tyson    Henry Cooper

Lennox Lewis  Frank Bruno  Muhammed Ali  Jim Scoular  (ooooh!) ;-)

                Peter Beardsley   Kitchen Sink

Subs : I can't see any being needed can you?

After all we're coming up against the team that committed the most fouls last season and most fouls in one match (in this corresponding fixture.)

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001

Nice one Jonno....although I think i'd have gone for Bruce Lee down the left wing instead of this scoular chap i've never heard of :))

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001

Ask anyone even older than I am Gav and the response will be a grimace, an indrawing of breath through pursed lips, and "Oooooh - 'e was a hard man". I never saw him play but the tales are the stuff of legend (and should be marked with headstones in the ashtrack around SJP!)

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001

Nice line up Jonno But id have Seaman tommy watson on right midfield... - Local lad an all...

ken

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001