Messages

Newcastle are a club run on sentiment and reckless abandon so this is the perfect appointment. It is so crazy it might actually work. Not in the sense of being successful, but the club and the city will be reborn.

The fans just want to get back to the days when they were everyones second favourite team because they played attcking football. Keegan can probably deliver that but they will never challenge for the title under him. They will struggle to break into the top 6 never mind the top 4.

Besides, if he really wanted a Championship calibre team, he's not going to go to Denver. but your probably right he's looking for attention.

But with the problems the Bengals have on Defense i doubt they'll be getting to the play-off too soon. pity becuase i really like their offense, CJ, TJ and Palmer are formidable

The good thing is the defense can't get any worse. They have a new defensive co-ordinator and a promising young secondary so if they can pull out a couple of good defensive linemen and keep their linebackers off the treatment table (perhaps even getting Thurman back from suspension) they should be fit to mount a better challenge in the next few years. There are no great teams in the AFC North so any of the 4 teams could conceivably win the division next year.

CJ definitely won't be traded this year. He knows that himself. It is another typical soundbite to the media. Chad craves attention and with the Bengals not involved in the post-season he is not getting the platform to be in the spotlight.

As I said before there is no way the Bengals will trade Chad due the salary cap situation.

However, you can any other of the Johnsons on our team if you want 

And what about the futures of Tony Dungy (likely retirment)? Payton Manning( i think his contract is up), Chad Johnson (who said he wants to be on a potential Superbowl team, envious of Moss and TO I'd say, though whether he takes a pay cut and joins a winning team or goes wherever the money is will tell you where his real priorities lie)

The Bengals can't afford to let Johnson go because they would take a big hit on the salary cap. I think Johnson is also pissed off the Bengals are drawing up a big contract for Houshmandzadeh and his nose seems to be put out of joint that he isn't getting enough love from the Bengals staff and the fans. As a Bengals fan I hope he stays but if he is traded some team is going to have to give up plenty for him.

I take it the list of hits and misses just include the six teams mentioned at the top of the thread.

Surely Tim Cahill has to be included in the list of bargains.

£1.5m and averages 10 goals a season from midfield.

Bring back Leighton Rees and Bobby George!!  What was the name of the County Antrim man who played a few times in the World Championship in the '80s.  He was from Dervock or Bushmills or Stranocum?

His name was Geoff Wylie. I think he was nicknamed the Wylie Cayote!

3-5-2 for games v Fulham, Wigan, Birmingham etc etc would be

Reina

Carra
Agger
Arbeloa

Babbel
Mascherano
Alonso
Gerrrard
Benayoun

Torres
Crouch

Same midfield formation but Arbeloa in for Finnan, because Arbeloa can play a bit more 'tucked in' than Finnan. Crouch comes on for Riise because he can add something different. In those games where the opposition are packing the midfield.

For Rafa's 'rotation' then you could substitute Kewell for Benayoun, Pennant for Babbel, this new hulk for Agger or Carra, and Kuyt (God help us) for Crouch. But whatever happens, In all the league games between now and May, I think they *have* to play Mascherano, Alonso, Gerrard and Torres.

I would love to play against a Liverpool team lined out like that for 2 reasons.

Firstly, the wing-backs in a conventional 3-5-2 would have to be capable of defending and attacking in equal measure. I don't think Benayoun or Babbel would have the positional sense or the desire to make tackles when the role required them to be a full-back.

Secondly, no English team has been successful with a 3-5-2 and it is now a dated formation, even the Germans have abandoned it. This is probably because it is one of the easiest formations for the opposition to expolit. All you need is 2 pacy wide men to get in behind the wingbacks and you are in trouble. The 4-4-1-1 formation seems to be the flavour of the month but finding the player to play the split striker is is the problem.

Nancy Griffith - Love at the five and Dime

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=SwevqcForgM&feature=related

Nice tune but my favourite Nancy song would have to be Late Night Grande Hotel. It is beautiful.

It was potentially a bad tackle on Mikel but he didnt make that much contact,no complaints with the red card though,but certainly not enough contact for Mikel to writhe about as if the sniper was out again.

It would have been a lot worse if Mikel had not been running away from the tackle. If he had been standing still it would have hit him on the thigh. I don't know what came over Crouch, very unlike him. He just lost the run of himself.

Has Benitez been taking lessons in humility from Mourinho?

Last night he sais his team played well and the turning point was the sending off. It was hardly the turning point, they were 1-0 down at the time.

On Sunday he said United were lucky despite the fact his team hardly created a chance.

Surely once in a while it would be best to admit that his team weren't up to it or perhaps he picked the wrong team.

When you're 1-0 down with eleven men, you're in a better position than when you're 1-0 down with one of your strikers having been sent off, don't you think? The game wasn't exactly lost when the first goal went in, whether or not it was a weakened team.

United created virtually nothing on Sunday either, apart from a weak shot which led to the goal, and the breakaway chance that Rooney should have scored.

When is the last time Ferguson or Wenger stood up in a press conference and said "I fucked it up!"?

I wouldn't expect him to say that but he could once in a while say that the best team won. Wenger and Ferguson have both admitted over the years that they have been out-played or out-battled. He is quick enough to point out other teams deficiencies in front of the camera so perhaps he should admit his own teams once in a while. Last night Mikel was assaulted by one of his players, yet he blamed Mikel. Ludicrous.

Has Benitez been taking lessons in humility from Mourinho?

Last night he sais his team played well and the turning point was the sending off. It was hardly the turning point, they were 1-0 down at the time.

On Sunday he said United were lucky despite the fact his team hardly created a chance.

Surely once in a while it would be best to admit that his team weren't up to it or perhaps he picked the wrong team.

Lads i get the impression you lot are against the hard working guy with the cement boots and dirty cloths I know 90% of the rows are with these guys but they are started with some shirt and tie p***k looking down their nose at them like they are a piece of dirt who then deserve a slap on the chaps.

If you go out on Friday and mind your own business and stay with your own crowd and don't insult anyone you will be fine

And b4 you start i'm sitting with a shit and tie on

I have nothing against the tradesman getting a work do but surely some of the hoors could go home for a wash beforehand.

I think the problem stems from the fact that they are all-male affairs. The mixture of beer and testosterone doesn't mix.

Anybody that has never seen trouble on black-eye Friday must live in the city. There is no way I would go anywhere near my local on Friday. It is ok until about 6 in the evening but after that anything can happen.

There are a few rare creatures that appear on black-eye Friday that make it a particulary annoying today to have a beer.

The first is the dirty hallion. This guy has done a half days work on the site and has hit the pub without going home to change. He can normally be indentified by a pool of mortar at his feet, half a bag of cement in his hair and the remains of a fiiled soda on his chin.

Then there is the 'I don't want to talk about work' guy. His good intentions last about an hour before he starts complaining about how the building trade is slowing up and naming joiners who aren't worth a f**k.

The next kind is the Christmas drinker. This guy is usually married (and the wife never lets him out of the house) or has never went with a woman in his life (and his ma never lets him out of the house). This guy is also easy to spot. He will most likely have a side parting and have his shirt rammed into his loose fit jeans. He will be sloshed after 2 beer and spends his time drooling over any woman that comes into the bar, telling everybody what he wouldn't mind doing to her. If he breaks into song it will likely be the last record he bought, Hillbilly rock by the Woolpackers. He won't see 11pm.

The final guy to watch out for is the Psycho. The reason it is known as black-eye Friday. A real bomb scare. He will drink out of town because he will be barred from his local. He will also be built like a tank but have very little between the ears. He will be drinking 5 half un's for verybody elses pint. Do not look near this specimen as it will make him extremely paranoid and you don't want that because this guy farts intimidation. He will most likely have plugged someone by 9pm and find himself barred from yet another pub.

It may be possible that one person ticks all these boxes. I have never met on and I have no intention of meeting one which is why Friday nights entertainment will be provided by Xtravsion.

Two new album nominatiions -

The National - Boxer
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Songs:
Bob Dylan - Postively 4th Street
When In Rome - The Promise
Arcade Fire - Antichrist Television Blues
Jackson Browne - Late For The Sky
Eric Bogle - Now I'm Easy

Albums:
REM - Out of Time
Bally Bragg - Talking to the Taxman about Poetry
The Wallflowers - Bringing Down The Horse
Grant lee Buffalo - Fuzzy
Crowded House - Woodface

Slim Shady.

I can confirm he is alive and well and on the beer today in Belfast.