Is it just me, am I having an off day, or does anyone else feel the same?

We've had about 3 good performances this season and the rest were poor and at best ground out wins. The only time we dominated a game was v Villa and they are hardly world beaters. I fear for our results this month. The team are not showing positive signs in terms of going out and beating leeds, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Bellamy is still proving vital to the side but Robert is not looking like a 10 mill pound player and though a drop in form might be normal, if it continues much longer he'll be a waste of space. The loss of Cort for the rest of the season is also of concern, although we've got reasonable cover up front but the midfield is crying out for more steel and purpose. I thought we might have bought somone by now but it looks like we can't get the players in for whatever reason. Lee and Speed will not keep us going through the next few weeks. They are too inconsistent and prone to mistakes.

We have the bare bones of a decent side but we still need more players. I fear that if one or two are not bought in now we will slide as we did last year. Mediocrity will beckon as usual.

There. I thought I'd feel better after unburdening myself but I feel worse! Off Christmas shopping now. Humbug.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

Answers

BTW that newspaper of high journalastic standards, the Sunday Sun has the biggest none-headline of the year. Basically NUFC were going to try and buy Fowler but we didn't get him and don't need him anyway cos we've got great strikers.

Great story that (!)

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

Lynda, like most of these things, I think it's a case of things never being as good or as bad as they look at first. In terms of performances, I don't think we've done so badly actually - people are talking of spawn in a couple of away games but good goalkeeping and decent finishing ARE part of the game and you have to take what comes your way. If the league was decided on possession, we'd have been in the Champion's League for the past three seasons. Apparently Sorensen kept the Makems in yesterday's game at the SOL (according to a Makem of my acquaintance and a p*ssed off Hammer who claimed that Sunderland absolutely ming) - it's just football. It's an arseache to have these suspensions, but we are better placed to handle them - Lolo can play up front, Bernard can play on the left wing, Dyer can play up front, Shola can do a job and will hopefully be motivated to do so. In general terms, I think our defence has been better - there is still an element of individual heroics not translating into an organised unit (same as last year really) but we have cover in all the back four positions and Shay is in the form of his life. We forget that we have a very young defence - Hughes and O'Brien are only 22 and Dabs and Elliott are hardly geriatric (and their cover is even younger and possibly better). We have some exceptional attacking talent and will always score goals. It is really just the midfield that needs attention and I strongly suspect that Bobby is refusing to be held to ransome on a couple of players we are interested in and would prefer to cope with what we have than buy in haste and repent at leisure. We are honestly in a much better position than we have been for a long time. What matters is that the lads keep their morale up: the last time Shearer got sent off, we went on Gullit's suicide run. I ggenuinely feel we are in a good position to progress.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

I think Shola Ameobi has looked more convincing with every game I see him, we are nowhere near as reliant on Shearer as previous campaigns so if the suspension sticks we won't exactly be toothless, especially with Dyer on his way back. I just wish Robert could recapture some of his early form when £10m looked like a bargain.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

I'm still worried about the Shearer - Robert relationship. Were Shearer's comments after the match yesterday about players passing across the area instead of shooting directed at Robert? It wouldn't surprise me.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

What I find very frustrating is the futility of putting subs on far too late for them to do anything other than waste time. If somebody isn't pulling his weight, or has to come off for tactical reasons, at least take the guy off soon enough for his replacement to get his eye in.

It won't take very long for the likes of LuaLua to get p1ssed off coming on with 5 minutes to go and not getting much chance to show what he can do. He'll never show in a very good light in just five minute slots.

Maybe it'll turn out to be a blessing in disguise if Shearer is banned for three games. Could have come a a better time though.

It'll probably bring the roof down on my head, but it's one part of Shearer's game that I hate. His effing arms are everywhere, and I haven't seen the current incident, but it won't surprise me if it turns out to be a case of his past catching up.

He may even be justified in chucking it about a bit, but he's more likely to be watched more closely just because of who he is, than are the cloggers he's up against game by game. The 'If you can't beat them, join them' approach will always end up with him coming off second best IMO.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

PB

If Shearer is not given an unconditional discharge for what was as unaggressive challenge as you will see then the authorities better get ready for a string of letters from me.

Simple. Everytime a centre forward goes up for a ball and makes contact with the centre half then he MUST be sent off.

Mr D'Urso has set the bench mark and therefore I shall be watching the games this afternoon with added interest.

Hope Mr Fortune is ready for his visit to SJP. He went down like he had been poleaxed.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

Pete
My sympathies are all with Shearer, despite my crib about him throwing his arms about like a dervish.

If the choice was between taking it more easily with the arms and possibly taking the edge off his game, and continuing to play the way he does and risking drawing more attention to himself than might be good for us, I'd say just keep going the way you are bonny lad.

It's just that I can't help thinking that if he was a bit more subtle with it, he could maybe get away with a lot more than he does. The trouble is, one man's 'subtle' is another man's 'sneaky'. There again, would we really care, as long as he keeps coming up with the goods ?

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

I think PB makes a good point about Shearer, though I wonder if he's really any worse than any other player in the game. IMO, I don't think so and he does get battered by the opposing defenders with little protection. Somehow he just seems to have gotten a reputation for flailing arms and backing in, so gets called on it whether or not it's deserved. Haven't yet seen our highlights (BBCA only showed the Chelsea goals last night), so can't comment on yesterday's incident. But from what I've read the only people who seem to think the card was valid are Charlton supporters.

As for feeling pessimistic, not any more than usual. ;-) Actually I feel a bit more optimistic in general than the last few seasons. We finally seem to be moving forward to having a better team even if the results are still all over the map. If we can avoid a massive slump in the season, there's no reason we can't finish in the top 10.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

PB - Al went up and actually took the ball on his CHEST. As youi see him do all the time he helped cushion the ball by raising both arms. Any contact (if any?) with the defender marking tight behind him would at best have been accidental. Nothing at all like Alan Smith's deliberate elbow in the chest of the Villa player last week or other incidents of deliberate violent conduct. As someone who was prepared to condemn Shearer if it were proved he had used his elbows when I'd seen a replay, the reaction from spiteful little gobsh&tes like the Littlejohns of this world who didn't even see the incident but obviously wanted to get their digs in are nowt short of pathetic. These are the people who should be exposed and condemned. Al was badly wronged yesterday and should sue the referee and his woeful assistant for defamation of character.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

I'm back from my Xmas shopping now and feel sooooooooooo much better. NOT! Bloody Xmas, anyway good to see others point out the positives. Trouble with me is I'm an 'all or nothing' type of person. It's either all crap or all great. Recently it's been the former.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

How do you know Cort is out for the whole season?

I thought he was due back in January after seeing that Steadman bloke

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

.....I think most fans are assuming after 4 months rest hasn't cured the problem that it is probably a cruciate ligament problem. The cruciate runs through the centre of the knee joint, and as I understand it, damage to it can be difficult to diagnose other than when it is simply ruptured, a la Gazza.

I think Bellamy had this problem at Norwich, and of course this is also the problem Shearer had at Blackburn - and as someone reminded me in the Strawberry when I was deriding the Club for using witch-doctors to treat our players, it took quite some time for Al's problem to be accurately diagnosed.

Whatever, if CC has a cruciate problem, it is likely to be a long recovery period and you can forget about this season - again!

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2001

If I understood the intention correctly, he could be just about under the knife as we chat, If the examination in the US shows operable damage, they aren't going to hang about.

Whatever the outcome, he's not likely to play this season.

-- Anonymous, December 03, 2001

.........he could be just about under the knife as we chat, If the examination in the US shows operable damage, they aren't going to hang about..

Ouch!! Brought tears to my eyes reading that PB. Please consider those of a sensitive disposition before posting such in future ;-)

-- Anonymous, December 03, 2001