I've just been on the Talk of the Tyne website and they ask the question that although Shepherd has done great things in getting money for players like Maric, Pistone, Domi and no Goma, he doesn't seem to be able to reason why these players don't want to play for the club or stay in the area.

So why don't these fotballers like to play/stay? Do the fans put too much/not enough pressure on them? Is it the climate? Is it because they prefer London? Is Robson managing them correctly?

Should we be looking to sign more Scandanavian players or players from the Benelux countries because they are closer to home in terms of climate etc?

It is one of the things which has prevented us from fielding a settled side for a few years now, so it has to be solved

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Answers

Of course we could just get XI geordies!

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

I don't know what the reason/answer is DeB, but I think its a bit unfair to point the finger at YBR. Alright he hmay have made mistakes, but as far as people leaving is concerned, it has been ever thus.

As long as I remember players have come in and have then left, not always 'temperamental foriegners' either.

I wish I did know the answer,(if you could find it and bottle it, you could make a fortune) but whatever it is, it's deeper than management level thats for sure.

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Do other clubs suffer from this? The only way to negate it is to start winning things I guess.

We are such a big club that players come here and expect the world. Then when we fail to get naywhere near that I suppose they are going to be disenchanted but the key is whether they roll their sleeves up and get on with it in an effort to win things or do they look elsewhere for that.

Goma's case seems a purely geographical move to me as there is no guarantee that Fulham will make it big in the Premiership next year. So is it that we are just too bliddy far North.

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Steve Watson, Lee Clark, Steve Stone, Micheal Carrick, Robbie Elliot, Alan Shearer, Shola Ameobi, Alan Thomson, Matt Jansen(why did Dogleash not buy Matt when he had the chance??) - good footballers brought up supporting the toon. Imagine our team with all these instead of the marcelinos or the poofter Glass.

Have we learned the lesson that a good technical 'local' footballer with a love for the club is better than a average footballer with a good reputation, with a shit attitude, who lacks commitment, who comes from a foreign place??? (Has Dogleash learned owt, or Gullit, OR DID THEY KNOW THIS? Sabotage? making a pay day??)

Barcelona and Real Madrid make sure they have local farmed players stuck around the club, so should we. ITS SO (PROVIDING YOU HAVE THE LOCAL TALENT) IMPORTANT TO HAVE A 'CLUB LOVING CULTURE' ON THE PLAYING STAFF, IT BREEDS MOTIVATION, AND CONTINUITY. Man Utd the nearest club to us in structure, have a 'local culture,' we strongly need a BLOODY 'LC' if we want the inevitable, sooner in the future - a NUFC, MUFC, domination of Real-Barcesque.

Would Lee Clark pretend to be injured when we are having a bad run? Did Goma do this???

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

CANT BELIEVE I FORGOT WOR MICKY BRIDGES................

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Not that bad a team is it?? Steve Harper

Steve Watson, Aaron Hughes, Steve Caldwell, Robbie Elliot

Steve Stone, Lee Clark, Micheal Carrick, Alan Thompson

Alan Shearer, Shola Ameobi

Subs:

Matt Jansen, ??????

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Shearer and Bridges then!

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

They might not conquer the world but they'd certainly fight and the collective spirit would be admirable and could achieve more than the current crop.

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

I seriously believe that team(maybe add one or two commited quality gifted foriegners outside the 80 mile radius) would be top5 material with maybe one or two trophies already.

Just imagine if all these coming through had learned off the previous generation of Gascoigne, Waddle, Beardsley, Trevor Steven, Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce etc...........

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Goma he say!

"I really enjoyed my time at Newcastle and the fans there are second to none," said the 28-year-old.

"But the chance to come to London and play under a French coach in Tigana is something that appealed to me a lot.

"Fulham are an ambitious club and I am looking forward to it."

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

I dont think Micheal Bridges supported the toon though?

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Who let the mackem in????

'Oh yes wife (cough sister), lewk, we'll call her Arrianna, just to be different' said the flustered Sunderland man on the birth of his child.

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Ive been posting here for a few weeks now, i just heard he was a Spurs fan that was all, no need to throw makem insults at me

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001