all because that no mark, two-faced Scot has gone.

-- Anonymous, August 17, 2000

Answers

Oh shut up you tart. Haddaway and droon yersel' in them bliddy floods.

Ferguson was good for a short period last season but couldn't sustain it due to injury or inclination. IMHO he could not be relied on to deliver enough games this season. Have faith, YBR will not have done this summer's transactions (we are up on incomings over outgoings) without plans to spend the "profit".

Add to that some (not a lot??) money from Fred and his chums, plus the NTL dosh, and we have some money stashed away waiting for the right man to become available. I actually believe we haven't seen the end of the departures - Goma and Marcelino must be dusting off their passports - so some more money may be available. We need a solid, dependable CH. I think we also need another striker, and as you said elsewhere, maybe a holding man in MF tho nobody has seen what Bassedas can do yet, not forgetting Speed.

You've been working too long. Go home and have some rest. You'll feel a lot better in the morning.

-- Anonymous, August 17, 2000

I for one am finding the question marks about YBR and the Dunc sale in various threads absolutely incredible, bordering on the pathetic. Let me take you back only as far as season 98-99 : we'd just been comprehensively dismantled in the Cup Final by a Heath team barely in 2nd gear. Yet again (and for months beforehand) NUFC had been publicly exposed as a piss-poor squad going nowhere fast. Most on here were baying for our players, with few exceptions, to be taken out and shot. But execution wasn't an option for Bobby when he took over. There was the small matter of staying up taking precedence. Robson achieved that and gave us back some face. This close season he's successfully shifted at least 8 pieces of dead or rotting wood, whereas his predecessors merely went around blowing millions buying it all up. These are the players who have been sucking the lifeblood out of our club's chances of success, not necessarily through lack of professionalism but through sheer lack of ability. Maybe some on here think that success is as simple as buying up the best individual players. But even if that was the case you'd need huge amounts of money to do it, money that YBR doesn't have. No team can (sustainably) go overnight from PL relegation candidate to regularly pushing for the title, not to mention success in Europe which is where we really want to be. There are several vital steps in between, and I can't believe Bobby isn't getting the credit for getting stuck into the shower of shite he was handed. What else exactly do people want him to do ? Produce a magic wand out of his backside and become a major European footballing force with the likes of Maric, Perez, Kets, Robinson and various half-fit journeymen ? Get used to it, were an average but improving team in an overpriced, average league. Our longstanding deficiencies meant we never were going to challenge this year even if wed kept Dunc. If NUFC are to make serious waves over the next few years then from all the evidence so far I back Bobby as the best man to lay the necessary foundations and to actually do the dirty work that has been essential for years now. If anyone can show how YBR is failing to take us in the right direction and as quickly as possible then by all means tell me. Im really looking forward to watching the NUFC revolution continue this season, but its made a lot less pleasurable with all the moaning in the background.

-- Anonymous, August 17, 2000

I agree with Loony.

Just a season or two ago we were shite, the 98-99 cup final sums it up to perfection, we were never in with a chance. We had inherited a great deal of not quite good enough players under Dalglish & Gullit.

Kets, tried hard but never was a world beater & Dunc was good when not injured but we were paying 40k a week to a striker who would only occasionly take the field.

I see our priority signings as a solid centre half to play alongside Dabs, a left sided midfielder / winger and cover for up front. Having read the resorve reports though maybe young Coppinger could get a start this season.

It will be a long process rebuilding, but Bobby is the perfect man for the job he won't plump for big money fan pleasing signings (as if we had the dosh anyway) unless they were to be mainstays week in week out.

By the way I see our best 11 this season looking like this:

Given Domi Dabizas Hughes Barton Speed Bassedas Lee Dyer Shearer Cort

Thoughts?

-- Anonymous, August 17, 2000

I have plenty of faith in Bobby. Just not blind faith. And it doesn't mean I need to be happy with everything he does. He's still a human being and as such can be held up to question the same as any other human being. Fumaca Unless he's been turning water into wine lately, which wouldn't surprise me...but I've not seen him do it...yet. ;-)) I'm actually much less worried about his decisions than I am about the team paying attention to what he's trying to tell them, but that's another topic.

-- Anonymous, August 17, 2000

Oh yeah an afterthought,

I don't know about you but had Dunc stayed I wiouldn't have been able to shake the feeling from the back of my mind that he's only with us for the money.

Oh yeah and I'm pissed off we lost approx 2.5 mil on the deal, bloody Gullit.

-- Anonymous, August 17, 2000

Loony, It's not moaning- I'll still be at SJP and away games every week and you will see that I started a thread elsehere reminding everyone of precisely who our manager is. I merele said that I found Ferguson's departure depressing for a variety of reasons. Bloodletting is necessary and it's good to see the Toon finally waking up, smelling the coffee and doing sometuing about its wages bill and structure before they toppled the whole club. Nonetheless, I AM depressed to see one of our more charismatic players going. Presumably I'm allowed to have personal favourites? Furthermore, I think that last year was easy compared to how hard this season will be. YBR will be burdened by the mad weight of expectation yet again and it is to be hoped that the baord and fans finally bear with a manager.

-- Anonymous, August 17, 2000

PS. Loony - you have to question managers. Part of the joy of the game is knowing that you would make a far better manager than your club's real manager.

-- Anonymous, August 17, 2000

The right to hold YBR up to question Ciara ? Maybe, but youll need a hell of a lot more evidence than Fumaca (one unknown player trialled & binned when he didnt make the grade) before you can get away with it as a Newcastle fan.

It goes without saying that youre allowed your favourites Dougal, though you do have a funny way of describing them (see start of thread) !! Glad to hear that you do agree after all with Bobbys bloodletting. But face it hinny, if were talking Winnie The Pooh then youre an Eeyore. A completely loveable Eeyore Im sure, but a "skys falling in" pessimist if ever there was one in our midst ;0). Just try and be aware before you type that not everyone wants to have their parade rained on before Brigadier Robson has even turned up to inspect it. I personally doubt that this season will be harder than last, not with the abyss that YBR turned us away from. The only way hes going to be subject to a "mad weight of expectation" is if we allow the Eeyores amongst us to skip taking their happy pills !! Still, probably best if people get it out of their systems before we start seeing Charlton & Soton take points off us.

ATB LT.

-- Anonymous, August 17, 2000

YES! Lets get a centre half. Please. Its Okay wanting another forward - but look at the pre-season performance - and don't think it doesn't matter. YBR thinks it does which is why he gave out some lectures 0n .... yes, the defense.

-- Anonymous, August 17, 2000

Ferguson was earmarked for transfer when Robson took over at Newcastle. The team by the end of next season, at the latest, although Robson will be hoping it will be by the end of this season, will be unrecognisable from the current set up at St James Park.

WHY?

Robson changed from the bustling British Centre Forward shortly after leaving the England job and headed for the continent. The teams were not set up that way. The teams revolved around the quick, bustling skilful strikers he has been famous for signing and cultivating.

The most outstanding of these of course has been Ronaldo. Cast your mind back and remember the teams in Holland, Portugal and Spain. How did they play? What type of players were used? I expect Newcastle to look like these teams.

Robson has made do with what was available to him and formed the side to avoid relegation. His purchases since have been of the type of players he has been transferring in Portugal and Spain. Do Gavilan, Bassedas and Cordone have a familiar style and look about them? All young, fast and skilful. Robson can make these moves now as the evolution of management in the EPL changes with the like of Wenger and Vialli have brought a new style to the EPL. We all know of the strikers at these clubs, even the also rans of the EPL have started the changes look at Liverpool and Leeds, even Tottenham are trying it.

There are of course hybrids to this style, a cross between the more mobile and the battering ram style centre forward. Players like Shearer and Heskey. Good strong runners who can hold up the ball but also leave the central channel to provide for the others coming through.

The old style Centre forward is an endangered species. Another is about to follow from the North East.

This should read HAS left the North East.

This is part of a discussion I had with Loony when I first heard about the Duncan transfer last week. Still think it is valid.

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2000

I think Loony is right (shurely sumfin wrong here guv). We have a long way still to go. I said that during the explosion of delight at the Cort signing and was justifiably ignored because Cort is a positive addition - but not one that will WIN the Championship. We are still a middle of the road side - but definitely one that is improving under the Generalship (who dared to call him a Brigadier!) of Mr Robson. A defense that is good enough to be part of a wining championship team does not have to be given a public lecture, in the pre-season, about not letting forwards have free headers at a corner kick!

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2000

Seems to we've done well to get rid of Ferguson for the price we have, approx #4m. If he'd been injured for the greater part of this season (and evidence suggests he would have been) how much could we have got for him in a year's time. OK we've lost some money, but we've also lost money on Maric and Pistone while made it on Kets, Howey and Robinson.

When we signed him I was gutted - I had him up there with Dennis Wise and Roy Keane as most horrible player on the planet - and he's missed between 1/4 and 1/3 of each of the 3 previous seasons he'd played. Now he's proved me wrong about his conduct, but injury-wise it's been even worse. Add to that Bobby's thinly veiled questions about Duncan's motivation on occasion, and his surprise over the amount he (and others) drink and it's no surprise he's gone.

Robson has said he has a midfielder and left back waiting to be picked up. He may well add a centre back to this, we've got 4 forwards. He's proving a genius at rebuilding this squad, so don't be down about the Ferguson deal.

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2000

Hmmm - Gusman, You see Cort as the new Ronaldo? Interesting thought. He's certainly more mobile than Shearer or Ferguson ever were. But could he dribble thru an airport??

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2000

Dribble through an airport, sounds like wisdom teeth to me. I think Cordone could be a surprise package in the mobile forward dept. & he can hit the target more often than the Loon.

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2000

dribble though airports? reminds me of the gag with the security guard looking bemused at the state of the departure lounge "bloody hell what happened" says he to his mate, "ahhh" sez the mate "had the Man U team going on preseason tour!"

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2000

Nah Screach, not Cort, maybe Cordone though.

I REALLY believe that after 2 seasons we will play like the YBR teams of the last 10 years. Just by looking at the type of players he is buying and even the reported ones that he is looking at.

They are all young skillful and fast, but above all they are thinkers, and no I do not type with a lithp

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2000