Signing Cole would go some way in preserving and prolonging shearer's career - making him more effective when used carefully

Look at Sheringham at Manure

To see Alan as our main striker and relying on him would be utter madness and will IMHO mean the finish of him sooner than need be.

Cort Im afraid seems damaged - three major injuries in how many appearences?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Answers

For 10 Mill tho' wouldnt you rather pay 15 and sign Fowler??

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Or come to that 7 and purchase York??

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

I'm surprised no-one has raised the issue of the frosty relationship between "Golden Boy" and Andy Cole. Would you want them in the same dressing room? I wouldn't (not unless I could padlock the door and run away sniggering ;o))

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

availability?

point is that Shearer needs someone to take the burden off him now

Cort is simply not up to it - whether this is down to bad luck or not or just fragility who knows. Bellamy and Luax 2 willnot give us this option. Shearer remains our main man and this is daft. Give him the right support now and we may have him around scoring goals for sa few years to come

Ignore this now and he will be crocked for good.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

According to the ronnie (again) BR has stated Shearer may yet not make the bench on sunday, and if he has to wait till end of september then so be it.....

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Actually ML3 i'd forgotten all about that little spat...Coley seems to find it hard to make friends :))

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

The fact is we need another top striker as we cannot rely on either AS or CC, and Bellamy, Luax2 and Ameobi will not score enough goals between them.

I totally agree with Pete that without another stiker we will yet again be overly dependant on Shearer, he will have to 90 minutes of every game, and be pressed into service when less than 100% fit. This is a certain way of permanently knackering him, assuming of course he isn't already knackered.

As for the so-called feud between AC and AS - storm in a teacup stuff, made into something by the media. They both have large egos, but so do Dyer and Robert. No big deal.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

SIGN JARDEL NOW

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Agree with you there Swifty. But is he for sale?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

yep, still at gala and wants to leave. there is no better goalscorer about.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Unbelievable, why are you writing off Bellamy as a partner for Shearer when they have probably only been in the same room as each other twice!

While we are at it Robert should be sent back to France and his mate Distin as well he will never pair with Hughes or Dabizas.

I can tell cause he was in the same ground on Wednesday.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Why pay 10 million for a useless a'hole, just to prolong Shearer's career?

NUFC's 'career' should come first!

:-(

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

we paid 6 million for one bud...

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

What amazes me about NUFC and Shearer is the way you are content to let him sit on the physio's couch for the lion's share of 5 years collecting £45,000 a week.

NUFC has shown more loyalty to AS than he ever has to the club - don't forget he turned down "The Toon" to sign for Southampton and Blackburn. Only when "the price was right" did he come to Tyneside.

If it was Mickey Gray in the same position, I reckon we'd cut our losses and sell him to an aspiring first division club with a manager that likes to toss money around.

ml :o>

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

He hasn't spent most of 5 years on the physios couch actually. You are wrong also about his loyalty. He has stuck with the club when as recent as a couple of seasons ago he could have gone to other clubs. Plus he has scored any number of goals for us, keeping us in the Pl more or less during the Dalglish season and getting us to a FA cup final.

Yes he's had major injuries but god why criticise him for that?

get your facts straight and btw - if 'superkev' ever had a serious injury would you expect the club to sell him when fit?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Fair enough, but his recent contribution has been poor.

We had a very similar situation with Kevin Ball, a fantastic servant to the club, if you cut him he would bleed red and white. He was guaranteed a first team place (bench at worst) as long as he was at the club, because his stature was one of pure leadership. When he couldn't cut the mustard any more, sentimentality didn't come into it - he was sold to Fulham for the sake of his and SAFC's future. It was the right decision.

Bally was probably making one tenth of what Shearer is on. Can you afford a drain like that on resources? I would be very surprised if AS played another full season.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Well we'll have to wait and see on that one. I think he's got another decent season in him.

BTW you can't compare Ball with Shearer can you? Seriously now? (No disrespect to Ball but come on.............)

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

ML#3,

Alan Shearer is under contract with NUFC and has been injured or recovering from injury for around 7 months - are you suggesting we should have tried to sell an injured player? If he comes back and cuts the mustard why would we sell him? If he can't cut the mustard then the Club will need to decide what to do - but that that won't involve continuing to pay him superstar wages for doing nowt. Incidentaly, he isn't, and never has, earned £45k per week. I believe he earns ca. £35k pw.

Bud Wiser,

Are you serious in suggesting that Andy Cole is a "useless a' hole"? Surely not?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Yes clarky, I don't rate him at all, his strike rate is very poor, considering the amount of opportunities he gets (not to mention his England record). He's 29 and will definitely lose a yard or two soon, we can't afford to have a striker that only scores from one chance in ten, esp. with our current midfield / supply line.

My main argument is how can an "ambitious" club (NUFC) buy back a 'reject' from the club everyone aspires to emulate, Manure's wage bill goes down ours goes up and they recoup their original investment?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

...... mmmhh, you could be right Bud! I wonder what mulla he'd want to sign for us? Probably more than AS!

Having read all the various reports on this story today, I can't help thinking there has indeed been contact between us and manure ref AC. What's worrying me is that Bobby Robson has said he knows nothing about any approach, and having seen the reports actually checked within SJP to see if it were true.

The very fact that BR even felt the need to check suggests he felt it was possible that someone else may indeed have made an approach - that I find scary.

One site went as far as suggesting it was FS who contacted OT - presumably behind BR's back! I could just imagine, after the Troyes game, Fred & Doug deciding they must get another big name in and agreeing to see if AC was available.

Somehow I can't imagine BR wanting to sign a near 30 yr-old for such a huge fee - he seems dedicated to establishing a squad of younger players who can grow together. AC just doesn't seem to fit that model.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Phew, thanks clarky we do (normally) concur, I had the feeling most of this BBS would welcome him back with open arms?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

From the Torygaph (Saturday, 25 Aug.), please Taggart let me believe you:

Cole stays, insists Ferguson By Matt Lawton (Filed: 24/08/2001) SIR ALEX FERGUSON is determined to keep Andy Cole, dismissing revelations that Manchester United are now prepared to "listen to offers" for their unsettled 29-year-old striker. Clearly angered by reports linking Cole with a move to either Newcastle or Fulham, Ferguson insisted yesterday that the England international would not be leaving Old Trafford. "There has not been a single inquiry," said Ferguson. "The matter is finished. He is going nowhere." On Thursday Peter Kenyon, the Old Trafford chief executive, said United would have no choice but to "listen to offers that came in." Ferguson responded by saying: "I have not said that."

Also a canny profile on Shola in the Torygraph today :-)

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2001

From the Grauniad:

"The origin of the story remains a mystery, but last night it emerged, from informed sources within St James' Park that it may have been deliberately leaked by senior figures inside the club to pacify supporters in the wake of their Intertoto Cup defeat by Troyes."

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2001

Why would that not surprise me. :-/

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2001