If you can be bothered to wriote anything after that.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

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-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

for what...to rub salt into a gaping wound.

Seems to me we cannot hurt the opposition.A mate just called to say we were dominant for the first 15 minutes and after that pretty average with one outcome always likely.

I cannot see what can be said that all of us have not being saying for 10 weeks.

We will win some games playing well and then get beat playing badly.Mediocrity causes inconsistency.

We lack quality in depth at the back (Dabizas out/Marcelino taking up 6mil of transfer budget. He is a disgrace but dont get me started) This is a major concern....YBR 'we are in a position to move for a centre half if the need arise' Well we are.

Shearer is isolated up front and just when he needs to be nutured most, he finds himself having to shoulder the front line every time on his tod again. Cort is out till FEB, and I just wonder to what extent we shall see him effectivley until Easter.This is a major concern, particularly as LuaLua and Cordone are his back ups. No money will be invested on a front man.

Left side of midfiled is poor. Glass is not bad, but has proved his inability to stay fit and therefore cannot be relied upon. Sell him. Balance is important and we are clogged up with central midfielders.

Still should have had a draw. Bad time to miss a penalty.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Saw the match on tv. Well for the first ten minutes thought we were gonna go on a scoring spree. At 15 minutes, was still pretty confident we will put at least 3 goals by full time. By 25 minutes, wondering why we are still leading one-nil and starting to get uneasy. At halftime, my brother turn to me and said, 'You're not gonna win this match.'

And lastly when Solano hit the post, knew somehow that the Gods weren't on our side today.

IMO, the team today were just not good enough. We couldn't seem to string three passes together( after the first 15 mintutes ) before they got the ball back. There was no real leader for us just hard running and ill-time passes without much conviction. They were much more organised, playing with a purpose and I guess that's how they got the goals that mattered.

We can't really pin-point with absolute certainty which players were crap and who was good. It's just the whole team were neither crap nor good. What's wrong? What can we do to make everything right again and get back to winning ways? Where is the problem? Is there a problem with self-belief?

All these questions were running through my mind while having a smoke after the match ended. Well, whatever the case or problem may be, it needs to be overcome fast as we seem to be sliding further down the table and with matches against Pool, Villa, Leeds, Arsenal coming up, we might be in the lower half of the table come middle of December.

Can anyone pin-point what exactly is wrong? I know I'm lost as to what can be done to win two matches in a row let alone three.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Actually I thought we were pretty good up untill they equalised Sunderland were shite. We should though have been two or three up by that time. Speed has an easy chance after his rebonded goal to get another.

No one except the maKems could believe it when they equalised, after that we went to pieces. If Nobby's Free kick had gone in then it would have been the right result instead from what I can remember they broke quickly down the milburn side and crossed for the most devastating goal to go in.

When Shearer had his penalty, I think many new that he would miss. Too much presure even for him. That was it.... The toon army though were brilliant outsinging the maKems throughout the game. I can't speak as my voice has gone. If we got anything out of this game it was that we have got the crowd back, just hope that it continues to be as noisey as it was today. As for who was hot and who was not? They all gave their all, Domi, Speed and LuaLua were a bit off form, but you couldn't point the finger at anu of them and say yopu don't deserve a place. They did there best but were, Unlucky not to win. Not sure about if we should waste another £5 million on another Forward.I would perhaps bring in another defender for a million or tweo so we can play 3 at the back and move Lee back into midfield. No need for another stiker IMHO After all you can't just go out and buy a player everytime you have a few injuries. I would bring back Cordone for the Liverpool game though as he is our second best stiker at the moment, and we also have gallacher who is half decent. This Dyer playing just behind isn't working too well.I would stick him back in the centre alongside Lee and Acuna with Solano and possibly Glass playing as wingbacks.

Oh BTW Each week I take an alternative son to the games. This week was the unlucky sons game. Since the opening day he hasn't seen Newcastle win. Unlike the lucky son who's turn it is next Sunday against Liverpool.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

I'm just back from the Strawberry - much disbelief and dismay in there, soon followed by spirited defiance, naturally.
I'm sorry to all you ex-pats, but I can't even contemplate trying to analyse such a spineless capitulation to what in truth is a 2nd rate PL team. It makes it far, far worse when the 2nd rate victors are our biggest rivals from down the road, whose only redeeming feature is that they outfought an apology for a Magpie team.
This is far more painful than last year because there were no mitigating circumstances. In fact, I can't recall when I last felt this low.
I'd like to provide a rational assessment for you all, but all I can think of are adjectives!
Being a Geordie hurts pretty bad right now.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Saw the match on T.V. Thought we started great, then we lost it. That's it. Their players obviously wanted it more (again). End of report.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Any attempt at an analysis has to be better than nowt Clarky!

Just seems to me we were outfought and outworked and one thing is for certain there is a manager who will not stand for that.

I can recall only one recent moment that I have felt less miserable than this - Miami airport July 1 1999 when we had just left The Bahamas and we were saying 'have we done the right thing?'

I hate losing. To the Mackems is bad enough. To a poor Mackem side is worse.

Trouble is where the hell does that leave us.

One small consolation...we could be smoggies with two heeds and be third bottom.

Even that seems meeningless right now

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Same old story- once an opponent gets themselves together and get stuck into our players, we just dont seem to play effective football. There was plenty of effort from our lads today but they just wernt fast enough with the ball to cope with the scums enthusiasm. Why?

It was obvious we were the better side though we only played average after the 1st 15 mins. They were able to create 2 simple effective goals from the wings while we knocked the ball aimlessly about for the most part. I may be wrong but i believe the cross for the second goal floated over Lees head, whereas your typical central defender wud have cut it out. Back to 4-4-2??????

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Just to add insult to injury, Howey and Charvet played very well against MoanU. :-(((

Not that I think either of them would have made much difference today. Maybe yes, maybe no. Still too much ball watching, yet this wasn't the worst I've see either. The last 15min or so seemed like slow motion...Quinn's goal, Nobby hitting the post, Shearer missing the penalty(doesn't he usually shoot to the left of the keeper?), too many shots of Geordies in agony and Mackems(ptuh!) going wild...ugh!! And now another year of 2-1. I hope we stuff 'em at the SOS!!

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

If you can't point the finger Rik, then I certainly will. The main underperformers were, in no particular order:

1) Both our WB's were crap. Solano in particular was yards off the pace, and as usual tackled like a big lass. Only BR knows why he didn't replace him - and still stuck with him even when Barton come on for Bassedas. Domi was, well Domi.

2) Dyer, yet again was totally and utterly ineffectual. Failed totally to provide any support whatsoever to Alan Shearer. Runs around a lot, usally in pretty eye-catching patterns, can't shoot, didn't pass when it was on, and most importantly, didn't hurt the opposition.

3) Gary Speed. Scored a good goal, could have had two more from easier chances in the first half. Never, ever stops working - but he continually gave the ball away, particularly in the 2nd half. 3) BR for his bizarre and unhelpful substitutions. I also believe 3-5-2 was the wrong formation for this game, but accept that this may have been dictated by Goma's absence. We were exposed down both flanks all afternoon. Solano in particular was a glaring weakness, slow and weak in the tackle, while the best FB at the club, Andy Griffin, kept the bench warm all afternoon.
At the critical point in the game, when we were sitting far too deep, and conceding the midfield by giving the ball away time and time again, Bassedas, who had been neat and tidy, was taken off and Lua Lua brought on. That is, at the very time we needed to get hold of the bloody ball and keep it - Lua Lua is brought on!! The rest is now another chapter in our grisly history.

For the record, I thought Rob Lee was outstanding and was the one who was busting a gut trying to hold things together even in the last 10 minutes. Young Caldwell did really well for 75 minutes, but unfortunately lost Quinn completely for the winner.

Overall, we were probably unfortunate to lose it, but I'm afraid there is an alarming lack of steel in the team, and we were simply brushed aside by the mackem bullies.

Utterly depressing, and I'm afraid Bobby has some serious thinking to do about this squad which IMHO just isn't good enough.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Honey, we lost the match It started off as a "good idea". A short drive from Minnesota to Illinois. Only three states - a bit like going from Blyth to Scotch Corner. As they say in those parts, "a piece of p1$$". Or not. Rochester MN is a mere matter of 12 miles from I90. Syme lives less than 5 miles from I90. Can't be hard - Hwy52 south from Rochester, turn left, and keep gannin' til ye hit Chicago. Well, that's what I thought. Five hours later
Hmmmm - 20 cars an hour has changed to 20 cars per second. Life in the fast lane, baby. Things ain't been so much fum since we went karting in Uxbridge, near ITK's place. Who cares? It's only a hire car. Lost in the euphoria of Kennedy Expressway, Screach somehow found Michegan Avenue out the left window then Roz 'n' Yelli's place - Sears Tower. Surely Syme don't live up there?? Nah - discretion 'n' aal that. U turn, get rural. And keep driving. One our later
At last - Screach has arrived. Parp parp, and there's a familiar Geordie twang. "Hello Bonny Lad. How's it gannin'?" Well, the rest of the evening was spent winding doon and I eventually crashed oot at 2:00am (Central). Only 7 hours to kick off. I could be back in Minnesota by then! Match day
The day has dawned, and it's not snowing (for a change). Wash, shower and all the other "usuals" and then a brisk walk to find the bar - don't you just love the Oirish? Whenever I have travelled abroad, there's one thing you can guarantee. If there's an EPL match, the Oirish will show it. Rosie's Bar - (or whatever that Colleen wez caaled)
It's long time since I hit a bar on match day before 9:00am, but today was one of those days. Apparently, there was a game on in ManUreland, and we watched that while eating breakfast. Lucky barstewards. Syme was getting more nervous as time progressed. I maintained a more mature (aka Senior Citizen) approach - at least until KO. The beer and cholesterol flowed in equal measures. The rest is history. Jammy barstewards, The match
To be honest, we got what we deserved - or at least we didn't deserve any more than we got. Speed should have scored afer 40 secs, but somehow contrived to miss - arrrghhhhh! No sooner, and he arrived late, rose majestically and hit the friggin' post. But somehow, he rose from his @rse, swivelled, and the baal woz in the back of the net. One nowt - yeahhhhhh!! To be honest, from that point onwards, we didn't press the slim advantage and let the filthy Mackmes back into the game. I can't be @rsed to give a blowby-blow account (summat o do wi' Rosi's Bar). Statistics show we were more in control, but couldn't add to our tally. I know it has been asked before, but should we play Shearer 100% of the time? Personally, I don't think he had one of his better games (and that's ignoring the penalty miss). Where was Don Cordeone? No, to be honest, we didn't capitalise on our first half performance, and the filthy Mackems got more and more back into the game. Spit! Anyway, all I will say about the game is that we were beaten by a team who came with an objective and achieved that with not too much effort. We'll play worse and win. But not too often. Now, can I go and enjoy myself? Apparently, BB King is in town. Can I turn the blues to my advantage before I make that short journey back u` p the I90? Excuse me while I kiss kiss this guy.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Errr, sorry 'boot the formatting. I'm too upset to check my HTML.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

You've got it easy you bas*%"ds. I share a flat with a Mackem!!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Stu. Kill or move out. or both.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Spot on clarky. It doesn't feel any better today, does it?

Nice to see that Allan Oliver reckoned that our star performers were Hughes and Caldwell....interesting, they attacked 3 times and scored twice. Whatever they are giving him in the hospitality suite, I reckon I could do with some.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Thanks for the reports folk - you can`t have felt very much like writing them.

Listening to the webcast was bad enough, being there must have been agony. Though no-one was actually saying it on the matchday thread, you could feel it coming. Usually I can find something positive to say about a situation (probably easier to do when the only effort you have made is to tune in to the webcast), but I can`t think of a single thing that can be salvaged from that game.

How much more motivation do the team need? Surely last year`s humiliation was motivation enough for us to have put out half the reserves, the ball boys and the tealady, and still have had a resounding victory. The supporters were amazing - never mind lifting the players, with that wall of sound they should have played like giants.

This was, in reality, so much worse than last year`s defeat, and I suspect the person who is hurting the most will be wor Bobby. He`s no fool, if anyone understands the importance of that game he does, and I bet there was some real soul searching going on last night.

I know we`re not halfway through the season yet, but doesn`t it feel like `crunch` time? Still in the top half of the table, and yet I feel next week`s game could end up being THE most important game of the season. Buckle up folks, I think we`re back on the rollercoaster. (:o(

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

The commentators on the webcast said that there were a lot of people walking out before the end of the game. Was that true?

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Watching the post match interviews from the Skysports website, Robson and Shearer seemed gutted as well they might be. Robson couldn't really come to terms with the fact that Shearer got and that was we threw the game away.

Hard to criticise Shearer when he had no support all afternoon. Why on this earth hasn't he got a striking partner. Throughout all his career it has been glaringly obvious that he only scores goals when partnered up front, seems too obvious to me.

The important thing is how they come back from this. I would have them back in training today to try and lift them, leaving it to fester will not help anyone.

I said it yesterday that we need the balance the side up. It has to be done to hurt teams, to stretch teams, even if it means we lose something. We need to play 4-4-2 with Griffin and Domi as full backs, Hughes and deeply missed Goma. Solano orDyer but not both. I's go for Nobby (hard to blame him yesterday as he has never been equipped to deal with the wing back position. Dyer maybe in away games. Acuna looks decent and every good team has a defensive midfielder to protect the back four.

Now this one's out of the way we shouldn't feel we have to play Lee, but on yesterday's perormance it sounds like he should play anyway. With Bassedas coming in when Lee isn't fir or even Speed. We have to be ruthlss with these Central midfielders, sentiment out of the window, four of them played yesterday which is a nonsense.

Players should be picked because of their position and no their ability, just to get them in the team somewhere.

Left wing needs to be sorted bloody quick, Glass or even Bonvin from the reserves, or an outsider (???) but without one we will never hurt teams enough to create the type of chances that will get Shearer scoring.

Up front someone has to play with Shearer, we were crying out for a fit Dunc yesterday, if he was still hear he would have been injured I know but that is the foil Shearer needs. If Ameobi is half way good enough play him and let Lua-Lua come on as sub.

Lua-lua is still too raw and needs more work, yesterday will have damaged him as a player but you can't blame him when he shouldn't have been brought on.

And one final controversial point, we will never win anything with Warren Barton in the side, bring back Steve Watson, we were a better side then!!!! Griffin all the way for me without a shadow of a doubt.

We have most of the ingredients it's just a case ofmixing them the right way, which I think Robson will do but when. We will inevitably drop a few positions in the next few games because of the teams we have to play. We will be found out to a certain extent but it may do us some good.

Given Griffin Domi Goma Hughes Acuna Lee Solano Shearer

All quality enough, not many gaps to fill?

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

No it doesn't feel any easier this morning Softie - in fact I feel worse. I was just upset last night and suffering from hurt pride.
Today I feel bloody angry!

I was chatting to Sting in the Strawberry post-capitulation, and he correctly suggested that we still have the same small hardcore of senior players who got us out of the clag last season - but the problem is that hardcore still hasn't expanded enough.
Last season it was Lee, Shearer, Speed, Barton and possibly Solano and Dabz.
This season Hughes has become one of the dependables, and Goma has made good progress, but we are still way too dependant on AS and RL doing the business week in, week out.
IMO Dyer stilled hasn't 'graduated', Barton hasn't made very much of a contribution for various reasons, and Solano and Speed's form has been inconsistent.

I really do feel this is the crux of the problem - we're still way too dependent on the elder statesmen, and way too few of the others in the squad are 'stepping up to the plate' (to quote a baseball expression).
I really think it's time Bobby began to question how long he is going to give some of the other players to start making a meaningful contribution - every week.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

First time I have been bewildered and upset by YBR's substitutions as well. What the Hell did Acuna do to get subbed with Domi and Solano looking so completely out of sorts? Bloody MotD did a great section eulogising Nobby's crossing yesterday but somehow overlooked the 6 that went straight to Sorenson or straight out of play.

Some Saudi team were made to practice with a ball that was on fire to encourage them to pass it quickly, we have to work on a remote control genital crusher that operates when anyone within 10 feet of the ball fails to make motion towards it inside of 1 second. The second half was a nightmare watching those useless pricks waiting for the ball to come to them all the time and somehow seeming surprised when mackems would dart it and f*ck off with the bloody thing. I feel like taking a day off work to scream abuse at the twats at the training ground. Turn up with a knife and fork and demand my dinner from Bobby. Bastards still get paid don't they? I'd like to think I'd be too ashamed to accept my wages in their position. If they had any sense of decency they'd pay for everyone's tickets to the next Cup game.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

...about as much chance as Gordon Brown & Tony Blair comprehending what the so-called fuel tax protests were really about Softie! (.. and no I don't think 'the other lot' would have any greater comprehension.)

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

I've never felt so bad after a game. I was so pleased for Gary Speed when he scored, I was hoping that he would have been taken to the hearts of the fans ala Sellars, but it would seem like that's not to be. Clarky's spot on as usual, Caldwell was ball watching for the first goal but come off it he is our 5TH choice central defender. It was even more depressing to think that Howey had had a great game 3 hours earlier.Shearer needed support, I personally think that Lua Lua is not good enough for the premier yet ad he needs a long stint in the reserves to learn his trade.

I do think that the turning point was half time, whatever monkey heed said worked, as they came out after h-t with fire in their belly and we came out with tea. Depress

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Bold off.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

It was partly that Trojan Horse thing whereby the mackems were so utterly inept and incapable of getting the ball in the first half that this bunch of tourists pretending to be Newcastle United assumed that they had their measure. Horribly horribly wrong. The fact that there was no laughter or singing beneath the stands at halftime suggests that it was only us fans who weren't fooled into thinking it was all decided.

The way the heads went down was plain pitiful. The missed penalty is completely beside the point because had it gone in they would have scored from the restart. To think we should be reduced to wishing we could play as well as the mackems. Abysmal. Michael Owen must be counting the days until Sunday (I couldn't bear to say rubbing his hands with glee).

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Picking up on Softie's Saudi point.......

I know they can't necessarily be held up as the greatest in the world, but at Leicester last week, when the teams were doing the pre- match warm up, both Scratchy and I commented about the way they were playing a 16 man one touch game.

They used one ball, not the several that we we aimlessly knocking about the pitch, and by christ they were going at it hell for leather.....even against their own mates they were taking no prisoners.....and they were as likely to get clattered as the opposition if they didn't play the ball and jump in one movement.....

That was before the kick off putting their match plans in some jeopardy if just one tackle went wrong.......it didn't and in my opinion it not only encourages quick movement passing, but also encourages the art of the jump move some of our players so often get caught out by, which often see them end up nursing injuries that could have been avoided.

As I said, I know they can't be held up as the world's best team, but give them a bit of credit where its due

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Fum?

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Clarky, yes, I saw that Caldwell moment. Another good one was when one of the Mackems(Munchkin?) was giving out at the ref over a call that went our way and Caldwell put himself in between the ref(backing up) and the Mackem, patting the ref's tummy saying "well done" or soemthing along that line. Could just about see the smoke coming out of the mackem's ears.

He's definitely one of the future and not a bad option now. He has to share blame on the goals, but with his inexperience at this level I won't jump to criticize him too much yet.

From reading various posts and thinking on things a bit. It seems we have either 'elder statesmen' or 'kids' and very few in between. Unfortunately it's not a situation that will clear up overnight, especially when we can't afford, and Bobby won't pay, the outrageous fees asked for the kind of players we do need. I think we're going to have to get used to the frustrations for awhile as Bobby continues the slow and painful process of building a consistent and strong side.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Clarky, I wasn't meaning to have a dig at Caldwell, he lost Quinn and they scored, but he's still very young, made a few very good challenges and looks a very good prospect. I personally hope that Bobby doesn't bring in another central defender (unless he's one of the best in the world) as it will send the wrong signals to the kids. But as I said before he is our 5th choice central defender and so has only played 4 or 5 games.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

We were kidding ourselves thinking we're good enough to defend the 18 yard box. Lua Lua for Bassedas did not help, Shearer was never gonna get anything from the ref so he may aswell have just stayed on his feet and kicked the twats back. Speed was frustrating, just when you think he is on for a man o the match award he falls to pieces.
The linesman was bad but we have no excuses, football should not make you feel this bad.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

A very cinical view to follow on from Tony, would be,

Those that you let too close to you can hurt you the most I am not speaking from bitter experience in terms of being hurt by a woman but the football club is another matter!!

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000