Who would you start?

On Wednesday we head to White Heart Lane to take on Spurs in the quater final of the League Cup. Depending on who you ask, this is either a very, very important game(fans) or it is not that important and we would rather concentrate our efforts on premier league games and survival (club). To me the game on Wednesday is a great chance to push for some silverware and we must go in with the strongest team possible. However one eye must be firmly fixed on this weekend fixture against our most bitter rivals Sunderland.

Play or rest?
Play or rest?

As much as I would like to progress in the league cup, I want to see a good showing on the weekend and three points put in the bank after a win.
So with this in mind, there really are a few selection issues that need to be taken into account so that we don’t head into Sundays game with a bunch of tired players. From what I can gather at this early stage, we should have all of our regulars (apart from Janmaat – card trouble) available to play but I do not think we should be loading up the team too much for Wednesdays clash.
I think we should rest Sissoko and start Abied. If required we can bring Sissoko on late to add some fresh legs and drive. I would also look to rest Perez and Cisse and give Riviere a run out so he can get some game time under his belt. I would also leave Taylor out and play Williamson so that come Sunday, Taylor will be fit and firing.
It really is a hard one to juggle, how strong of a side will Pardew be prepared to send out? It really is a doubled edged sword, play a weaker team on Wednesday and lose and there will be derision amongst the fans. Play a stronger team and then lose on the weekend due player fatigue and things will get very gloomy indeed.
I hope Pardew can strike a good balance over the two games and we can come away with two victories!
It would be a very good week of football if Pardew and the lads could pull it off!
What are your thoughts?

596 thoughts on “Who would you start?

  1. If we lose Sissoko in January it will have an impact similar to the loss of Cabaye last season. Ashley is clueless and that won’t change. Go off and play with yourself in Scotland Mike.

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  2. Part of this is due to us having an absentee owner who thinks he belongs in Scotland. Be our guest Mike.

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  3. What are we going to do when Colo’s tank is empty? Is it going to be Saylor and Lascelles (if he manages to stay out of prison)? No proper right winger, no experienced depth at striker. What is the plan again Percy?

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  4. G2 Burnley will be our next win mate. 5 more wins after that and Ashley has protected his investment for another season. Sissoko will probably leave for 20 million and nobody will replace him either.

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  5. G2 I think he should sell up ? Ranger’s need him more than us. Pardew will could even join them and we could let them have Willo as a gift.

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  6. While I agree I wouldn’t necessarily say Pardew was the culprit for this defeat, it is obvious that Poyet has his number.

    Considering the Scum where the away team they undoubtedly created the better chances and for me were the better team on the day. Better finishing and they should have won by a couple more goals.

    They missed two open goals ffs.

    We had patches of good player from Sissoko and Perez individual skill.

    But the long diagnal ball to Sammi just didn’t work. Thought he had a very poor game. Became very predictable.

    Gouffran also worked hard but his final ball and end product is poor. He’s become the new Jonas. We desperately need young Aarons back.

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  7. Goof is the new Jonas.

    I feel sorry for our wingers. they have nothing left in the tank to keep creating chances after running up and down all game, yes – this should be part of their job but its no surprise all of our wingers fail under Pardew. Obertan and Aarons are fu**ed with thigh & hamstring injuries, Barfa and Marv couldnt keep up & now Goof is just a grafter, no end product at all. Sammy looks shattered while Cabella is just an expensive mistake & can’t be relied on to graft for Pardew.. 🙄

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  8. I really cannot see what Pardew see’s in Gouffran. What does he bring to the team?

    We are desparate to some creativity but we need to start getting more than one man in the box for our wingers to cross at!

    The other thing is, why have we gone back to the players who put us in the **** form? Why has Tiote, Taylor and Gouffran come back into the side? Why isnt Hadaira playing allowing Dummett to play centre half and why isnt Cabella playing instead of Gouffran?

    Just baffling. 🙄

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  9. Stuart

    I agree regards Dummet. He’s performed better as CB amd he should be played there as he is more consistent than Taylor.

    But for me, these are minor points. The facts for me are, the squad is average and the team cam be rejigged to how me, you or anyone else wants but the outcome over the season will be the same. Average results, average performances average league position.

    I thought we did ok yesterday. Can’t blame Pardew or the players. They gave their all.

    Just not good enough. I blame Ashley.

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  10. I blame Percy the FOOL for this defeat.

    Playing at home against a side with a slow and ageing defence and we play a lone striker.

    Gouffran offers nothing whatsoever to the side, again i blame the FOOL for picking him.

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  11. The best team on the day won. End of.

    2 more defeats on the way then a point against Burnley anyone? That will have us slipping toward the relegation battle yet again. Sick and tired of the whole Ashley/Pardew charade of a football club. It’s starting to feel unreal.

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  12. TGS
    Your views are valueless though. You’ve taken over from Mark as the butterfly. One minute you say he’s useless, the next breath you’ve said you called it wrong.

    TGS the butterfly floats from petal to petal whichever tastes the sweetest. We know you haven’t got any foundations in your viewpoint and for that reason you’re opinions crumble when scrutinised by me.

    You must hate me cos I’m always pulling your views apart with ease.

    That is all.

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  13. wooohoo someones not happy 😛

    is that you admitting Pardew is out of his depth in derbies 😉

    I’m waiting 😛

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  14. I dont recall any really good, clear cut chances we created. Either because I was pissed or there weren’t any.

    Yesterday I had a problem with the team Pardew picked and way we played. How can we score goals with so few players getting into the box? Why divert from players that have done well for the team recently? Throwing strikers on doesn’t make us more attack minded, it just made us lob sided. He could and should have taken Tiote off and replaced him with Cabella and have him running into the box along with the wingers and Perez. That would have made us more dangerous, not just having Cisse, Arma and Perez running around trying to get the ball.

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  15. Dear me. They Clueless Crew are that desperate now, having been made to look like bionic chumps after they refused to denounce Betsy for his ridiculous comment that Pards is out of his depth as a premier league manager, they now want me to admit he’s out of his depth as a manager when it comes to derbies.

    My thoughts. He’s has a horrific record in derbies but over time, when he completes his 8 yr contract, I’m sure his record won’t look quite as bad.

    YCMIU

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  16. As far as derby defeats go I think it was a ‘good’ defeat if such things exist. I agree with Sharpy and Troy with their comments.

    We outplayed Sunderland and went for it – can’t ask for more than that. I’d have been more annoyed if we’d have done nothing and drawn 0-0 when the Mackems were there for the taking.

    As for Pardew – jury still out on him for me but at least he’s stopped needlessly subbing LB’s with one another.

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  17. I don’t think Pardew did that much wrong to be honest. He probably should have brought on Cisse first before Armstrong but perhaps he thought getting another Geordie on would help. The players he took off were certainly the ones that needed to be taken off. Tiote looked like a red card waiting to happen and Sammy was done well before he came off, but that’s splitting hairs.

    We didn’t have a central mid-fielder to replace Tiote and that is a squad problem not a coaching problem. We were well on top in the second half so I think Pardew was right to go for the win.

    Troy will probably say I am a turncoat on Pardew but I don’t think I am. The Sunderland winner was a great move by them and Johnson’s strike was spot on but could just have easily have been mishit or at the keeper. We did have defenders back, it was just a classic counter attack which sometimes happens.

    I still don’t like Pardew and think we will never get anywhere with him as manager. I remain part of the clueless crew because I think we can do better and I hate listening to his blather. Talking of blather, is it too much to ask for my mate Troy to have an intelligent discussion without resorting to insults such as referring to people as the clueless crew? Woo hoo 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  18. Just to reiterate, I thought Tiote forced Pardew’s hand to an extent because he had to come off before he was sent off. No central midfielder on the bench in retrospect was a mistake but who do we have? I still think they were lying about Abeid’s foot and the fact that he is missing says something.

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  19. No CM. What about Bigi or Anita (or Abeid?). That was the most stupid unbalanced subsbench I have seen. Pardew prefers his purples even if they have to be put in square holes. Suspect there is something strange about the Abeid situation. After his last game he did say his toe hurt at times but that he was looking forward to the next game. Not a peep about him since. NUFC.com ahows him as available. Suspect Pardew doesn’t want to play him in case he plays so well that he will have to drop Tiote.

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  20. Groucho: I think Anita is in the Pardew doghouse. We know what he is like, he will go off players and we wont know what happened – he did it with Jonas, Ben Arfa, MBiwa, Marveaux, Obertan, Steven Taylor – and those are just the ones I can remember. There was Williamson as well before his redemption and now benching. Pardew is fickle as f@ck so I was not surprised at all not to see Anita, even though that meant we had an unbalanced bench.

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  21. Eric you are probably right. Perhaps that is why Pardew will never be a good manager because . he lets personal likes or dislikes cloud his judgement. Perhaps Abeid has also fallen in to the dislikes category. Pardew also knows his judgement is infallible.

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  22. There’s a definite problem looming in Jan. Tiote and Abeid are away, Cisse too. So we’ll only have two central midfielders and Ayoze and Arma as strikers.

    And where the hell is Abeid? He’s not listed as injured and was our top player when he played. I suspect it’s more Pardew/medical staff balls ups. They did the same thing with Benny. Aarons got a simple hamstring (should have been out a month max) and despite the staff warning Pardew decided he looked right to start at City. He’s now been out since September. Abeid was out with a broken toe. Pardew said 2 weeks. 4 weeks later he played him at Burnley and he’s now missed another 3 weeks probably with the same not mended broken toe. And what of Davide Santon? Told us he’d be out 3-4 weeks in March and 9 months later he’s still missing. WTF!

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  23. Eric

    Sorry if I’ve hurt your feelings fella. The Mackems never liked the term until they got used to it and actually adopted it as their mantle.

    With time you to will be proud to be called Clueless.

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  24. Clueless crew Troy, you are now shortening your own terms. Toot, toot.

    Now the Mackems are clueless to embrace a derogatory term. Met one who was a barman in London and I asked where he was from and he said Newcastle. I thought it was quite funny that he would disown his own City. I suppose to Southerners there is not much difference between the Mackem and Geordie accents.

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  25. Still pissed off and it is gonna get worse I’m sure. Too many poor players getting picked ahead of form players .

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  26. @ Troy. so you think Alans record will be better over his 8yr contract??. Its not like you to assume is it 😛 You havent a clue whether we’ll do better in derbies under Pardew but you make assumptions YCNMIU

    One minute youre laughing at me for assuming and the next youre doing the exact same thing. you’re all over the place like a drunk butterfly.

    Whooo hooo

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  27. I think it can be argued that both Ba and Remy played their best football when they were with us. Why can’t Ashley see that and go out and get a good striker for 15 or 20M? Why get another midfielder in like Cabella and pay 12M for him? Ashley is clueless on top of being greedy.

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  28. Wow! G2 has actually seen and spoke what the reality crew have been saying for months. Well done. Never too late.

    Mark ( nobody calls themselves Mark on a blog if you are actually called Mark, hence I would imagine Mark is really called something like Brett Strength or Brad Storm or Craven Pride)

    Mark. Let’s try and make that name sound more interesting. Maaaàrk. (Deep voice Maaaaark) squeaky voice Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark)

    Nope. I guess the name sums up the personality.

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  29. whooo hooooo 😛 the classic nobody calls themselves Mark line. 3rd time youve said this, u must be running out of interesting things to say with you assuming (again) my name isnt Mark 😉

    I’ll have to start recording myself in cupboards and posting them online or hiding in laundry baskets, maybe coming out with names like Brett Strength 😯 will improve my blog personality 😉 😛

    nope, it doesnt work 😀

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  30. I agree Stu. we definitely showed more huff nd puff but playing one upfront was a bit negative @home v the makems. we had more chances but they had clearer chances and a couple of missed sitters.

    Sunderland started with 2 so why can’t we? probably because our contain football will leave our over-worked midfield short of a runner. we’re becoming too predictable

    I see Roberts had another decent game for the U21’s. hes noted as a winger on nufc.com and played on the right wing. maybe its time to freshen things up

    well done Jonas for putting in 90mins

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  31. Pardews Gash aka Mark …. it looks like Pardew has changed tact and will now try and deflect attention away from the club with his “bringing through the kids era” at the toon… Plays right into Ashleys hands actually, and who can blame him. At the end of the day, ignoring the fact that the money has come from sales of toon players, Ashley has coughed up the money to allow Pardew to strenghten the toon. His performance in the transfer market has really been pretty pish over the last couple of seasons.. Mbwia, Anita, Reviere, Cabella, Ben Arfa … all failing to fulfil potential. Throw in the fact that anyone with a semblence of brain or skill has been moved on, Ba, Cabaye, Debuchy… Sissoko will be the next.

    The avearge players love fighting Pardew’s corner, Sammy, Gouffron, Williamson…because they all know that if Pardew didn’t believe in them they would be plying there trade at the bottom of the Championship..or back at a substandard Ligue 1. easy really…

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  32. S. Ameobi is only trying now because his contract is due to run out. He would probably be better of in the championship. Riviere needs loaning out because his value will decrease. His not a goal scorer. Carbella value will also decrease and a loan move would probably help his confidence like Abied.

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  33. @MM

    I’d rather play some of the local lads then the likes of Riviere, Goof, Anita.
    the likes of streete / satka can’t be any worse than Willo. (does anyone know if Mbabu and Kemen are injured?

    We need to look at our player recruitment as the Cabs money wasnt spent very wisely by Carr (although Pardew has maintained some say in transfers)

    20mil blew on Rivi, cabella & Mbiwa 😯

    I see Llambias is saying all of the right things @Rangers. promising every penny will go onto the park. 🙄

    (apart from the stadium advertising and sales generated in the shops) 😆

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  34. @Terry.

    I have been impressed with Sammy. although a little one dimensional he does offer more this season than last.

    Once the opposition make him play-inside he tends to run out of ideas. 😕 He’ll also burn out like most of our wide men / wingbacks

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  35. PGAM@564, you’ve got it right mate…
    I have no problem with bringing in the kids, it’s just a question of finding the right balance. In my opinion we have way too few leaders in the team, proven Premier League players with presence who can carry the club forward and rally the troops. You can have a team of 6 Geordies on the field at the end of the game, but if they are not quite good enough, or not quite ready, then it aint gonna help.
    Pardew, an average manager, is getting the best out of an average squad.

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  36. @MM

    aye, the Geordies lads definitely need to be good enough although more leaders = brains, which equals.. SELL in mikes eyes.

    getting the mix right would help like you say. Prem experience, buying the right players from abroad and maybe spending that bit more for a striker. Rivi wasnt a great buy but what do you expect for 5-6mil Ferreyra was a complete fail as a signing. will he ever play before he leaves?

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  37. PGAM…there always seems to be these strange signings at the toon…… which cost us a fortune, or make no sense… Ferreyra is one of those signings.

    Rivi isn’t alone, there have been a few signing which have fallen flat. The good players, who have something about them, have excelled….and moved on…… the average players have remained average, because they need a spark player to lighten them up. Sissoko can’t carry everyone on his broad shoulders, once the transfer window closes and his move to Arsenal doesn’t come off just watch him also tail off into blandness. We can only hope that we have enough points on the board before this happens…

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  38. @MM

    aye, I can see Sissoko going in Jan as he’s in great form now. wasnt too good at the start of the campaign tho.

    Mike will be gutted some of his purple investments havent come off, he’ll be seeking answers off Carr and Pardew to why they havent.

    I wonder if the Pardew out crew will be heard if we have poor games v Man U & Everton. we seem to be on a slide..

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  39. Eric – Think you’re giving Tiote a bit of unfair stick there mate. He didn’t force Pardew’s hand intentionally because he was booked because of a total bullshit decision when wickham backed into him and fouled him. Colback on the other hand picked up a stupid yellow for leaving a boot in late – and I think he got booked first didn’t he? He’s been better than all of us thought but I thought he had a poor game v the mackems which is disappointing.

    Our lack of a proper set piece taker is appalling really, every team in the league has at least someone who can test the keeper from free kicks. We had Ba and Cabaye who had the skill for this and now our best bet seems to be our young left back? Teams like the Scum can chop us down and know we can’t have a punt at goal because we don’t have anyone with the ability to do it. Ten years ago we’d have had about five lads willing to take a punt at goal and Robert and Shearer at least were world class at it. Look at us now for them. It’s embarrassing. Corners being given to Colback, or Goof, or even Perez to take? Didn’t QPR score three goals from corners the other day? Oh and they had that lad Barton who we let go for free pinging them in, he wasn’t half bad at that and we’ve had ***** deliveries ever since..

    New centre back to replace Williamson and Taylor (or start playing Dummett at CB and get someone who can cover for Colo) and a REAL winger with quality who is capable of shooting from free kicks!

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  40. Mark – no question he will be having words. I think his influence extends to team selection – if a purple isn’t injured and isn’t being played he will want to know why, and he will promptly order them sold or wages removed as best as possible (see benny, marv,mbiwa). We are forced to play our purples regardless of position imo. Maybe it is Pardew favouring his purples and putting them in the “wrong positions” but personally I think there is a lot of pressure to play those we pay the most – that’s how Ashley works.

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  41. Newkie…”but personally I think there is a lot of pressure to play those we pay the most – that’s how Ashley works.”…

    You got it spot on there mate, that is not how Ashley works, that is how we all would work mate. Ashley is a gazillionaire and no fool. As long as Pardew keeps the toon in the EPL he will swallow Pardew or the club buying duds and not playing them. As soon as our place in the EPL is threatened just watch how quickly Ashley will move…

    Average manager trying his best to get something out of mish mash of average players, with an average coaching staff..

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  42. Munich – true, it’s how all clubs apart the ridiculous blood money boys work, but I think Ash might be a bit more of an enforcer on cost cutting than most. I think most sides in the PL including the average ones like Stoke, West Ham, Spurs etc will be happy to have a few players around the first team who are on relatively big money. Maybe “happy” is the wrong word, but they expect it as it’s football.

    Ashley, like you say, will work like a snake to get stuff done quickly, all this **** about how hard it is to negotiate or scout blah blah is blown out the window by how fast he worked two Januaries ago, and by how quick he moved Benny and Mbiwa.

    Agree on the averageness. We are average all over and play average football to boot. At least it’s a little more exciting than what the mackems serve up I suppose.

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  43. Newkie I don’t want to excite you but Mike Ashley is going to give Alan Pardew a 100 million pounds to spend in january.

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  44. Terry, have you been on the gargle at lunch time mate ? 😆 😆 😆

    Newkie aint gonna fall for that one 😆 😆

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  45. In case I don’t get on the blog much before Xmas I would like the to wish the lads and lasses all the best for Xmas and a heathy new yr and hope for better things from the toon.for the odd one on here I have put some mistletoe in my back pocket so you can kiss my *** 😆

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  46. I shall be spending all Christmas Day worrying about Boxing Day. Nevertheless all the best to all, including Troy and the Clueless Crew, (who ever they may be). Special good wishes to Toonsy and his family and Kim and her family. Maybe a few beers will help me survive Christmas Day. & Boxing Day.

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  47. Good words Ice and Groucho!

    I probably won’t be back to whine until after the Mancs have hammered us so I will follow suit and wish all the Clueless Clue, the Neggers, the Happy Clappers, Ashley enablers, Pardew haters, Constant Iraters and everyone else all the best for Christmas.Special thanks to those who pull their finger out and write up articles so the rest of us can promptly spoil the thread with bickering.

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  48. Afternoon all, well the presents are wrapped, the food and booze bought and if I’ve forgotten anything it’s too ******* bad 😀 Didn’t get the one gift I wanted thanks to the mackems, ah well can’t win em all, or none in our case 🙄 . Anyways, thanks to Toonsy and co for all the articles this year, especially Aussie’s mrs who’s stepped up a treat 😉 .Here’s hoping everyone of you have a great, safe and happy Christmas and let’s hope the Toon get back to winning ways come boxing day.

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  49. Groucho: why worry about Boxing Day, wasn’t our win last year at the so-called Theatre of Dreams (I hate this commentator BS sometimes) the only one in like 40 years? Assume the worst with NUFC and you wont be disappointed 🙂 Bah Humbug.

    Don’t we always seem to get drawn with Man U or Liverpool on Boxing Day or New Years Day as well? That fixture computer is rigged. Bah Humbug.

    Hopefully, United will win but it will be Newcastle United. I don’t like that commentator guff either. I know there is City and United in Manchester, but I think it is disrespectful to other Uniteds like us, West Ham and Leeds for example. It is funny sometimes to hear the commentor say stuff like “2-nil to United” and then have to correct themselves when they realise that Newcastle are also “United” – bunch of overpaid, fawning, ars@ kissers the lot of ’em. Bah Humbug.

    Merry Christmas to all.

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  50. I was speaking to my brother in law today who happens to be a Ranger’s fan and apparently there banned from Europe for five years. Even if they qualify for europe next year they still can’t play in europe so it makes sense Ashley will sell up then ? So only two more season’s after this and his gone. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I would like to wish everyone on this blog a happy xmas and a happy new year.

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  51. I feel sorry for Rangers fans to go through what we’re going though.

    Although a club that can almost be guaranteed champion Lge footy every season without a huge outlay will benefit MAs prudence. It may actually suit Rangers & the fans ❓

    The Champions lge won’t get him loads of money as the advertising is already paid for by main sponsors like Mastercard, Sony etc. but the shirt sales etc will keep him happy..

    He’ll use Rangers for their commercial appeal, domestic advertising & selling their better players. the **** 😆

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  52. I won’t be round much over the next few days either, and see afew have beat me to it.
    But I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and you and your families have a happy & healthy new year.

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  53. So the club are looking for a centre half, striker and a midfielder this January… But only if they work for the club financially. Well we all know what works for this club is totally different to what works at other clubs and certainly with January prices I see another fizzled out season unfortunately. I’ll be amazed if we get them three players in.

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  54. Until Abeid returns, we have to put Coloccini as DM with Colback and put Taylor with Dummett or Streete . We aso have to put Ayoze on left flank, Sammy on right one, both would be more dangerous. And then de Jong upfront as facilitator upfront:

    —————-Krul——————
    -Janmaat-Taylor-Dummett-Santon-
    ———-Colback-Coloccini———-
    —————Sissoko—————-
    —Sammy——————Ayoze—-
    —————-S de Jong————-

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