um pahars

Fantastic result at the end of a tough week regards travelling and nature of opponents. Absolutely amazed to be sat so solidly at the top end of the table. These last three results have really impressed me as I had a worry that we might come down to earth after stuffing Sunderland. Hats off to the players, manager and those working hard to prepare them. This start to the season is all the more sweeter for our summer "troubles".

Very, very, very surprised that the ref gave a yellow for the second tackle by Crouch as having just seen the highlights it really should have bee a straight RED. He totally lost his head microseconds after losing the ball and goes way over the top on Davis. No idea how anyone can defend him.

Have to say that my main concern at the moment is the future of our defence. There is no current concern, as it has been the bedrock of our excellent start, just a concern that it might be a bit temporary! Now given where we were May/June, then those at the Club have done well to get such a strong back 5/6, but I do wonder what the chances are of keeping hold of Bertrand & Toby, and to some extent Clyne. If Bertrand & Toby keep performing as they are, then think we might struggle to keep them despite having first dibs. And more solid performances from Clyne could also see the bigger clubs sniffing around. A decent placing in the League, some sweet talking from Koeman and a bit of luck might do the job, if not I fear we may have another rebuild next summer. Targett, Gardos, Stephens, a n others - I'm not sure, but given their success last year with regards succession planning, I imagine Les & Co are already on it.

I'm sure most people were concerned, but as trousers rightly points out it was the way that concern was expressed. Whilst some had a hissy fit and invented (or believed) stories of a meltdown, chaos, conflict behind the scenes, sellng up, asset stripping, etc etc etc, many others fortunately saw it for what it was. i.e. A few ego & £££££ driven individuals flexing their muscles and demanding a move. And fortunately this many were also prepared to give those in power a bit of time to respond and deal their way out of the situation, time afforded to a group who had helped haul us from the bottom of div 1 to the Top Flight. For me they deserved that benefit of the doubt, not the awful responses that saw them harangued and abused. Good players will still leave us (can see Tadic being snapped up & Clyne being tempted) and am sure at some point Koeman will depart, and just next time the obvious disappointment can be tempered somewhat.

With the campaign to honour Corp McLaughlin ramping up, might have to have another read of Bramley's Welcome to Hell, as can't remember how much this fella was mentioned.

Thought Throbber was quite open about being in the thick of it down there. Decent bloke, and anyone who has been in the midst of war has my total respect. Pretty sure he was on Alacrity.

St Throbber (Rich Harper) from Cardiff Saints is your man. Now a civvy in Police force I believe, but was in the thick of it in Falkland Sound/San Carlos!! Always had an interest in the Falklands War as a few friends of my older brother were on the ground and at sea down there plus brother worked on QE2 kitting it out (with Vospers in King George V)before she sailed south. Bunked school to watch QE2 come home and also popped down to welcome home Canberra. Must have read most books on the war and dropped a hint recently to the missus that I would love to visit the major battlefields down there one day (she did a great Normandy tour for my 40th).

Was in the Archers for this one and from where we were it looked as though it went in then out. BUT I just don't believe it went in as no one made a real fuss to the referee or linesman. Would have thought that if it had gone in then Hughes and others would have gone ballistic.

I'd imagine some rotation when JRod is fit, as can't see Mane, Tadic, JRod & Pelle all starting many games. Those four would be great going forward, but the other midfielders and defence would have their work cut out! Didn't mention Shane Long above, and as much as he I don't think he is worth £12m, I thought he put in a good shift yesterday and gave us an outlet & some legs in the latter stages.

Think he has slotted in seamlessly and would love to keep him, come next summer. Left back was the least of my concerns regarding players leaving and being replaced, as as good as Shaw was, I just don't think it is that critical a position. A half decent season and an arm round the shoulder might do the trick come May, but my only concer would be wages. Just wonder what Chelsea are paying him (is he on mega bucks) and whether we could or should match it.

Definitely on a roll and would regard that as a hard earned win. A win where in the past we might have only managed a point (or worse). Some good performances out there yesterday and I would go as far as saying that performances can get even better as the team really starts to knit together (fingers crossed for no major injuries!!!). Forster looked solid and The back four steady. Bertrand has fitted in as though he has been here ages, but Toby needs more game time. Vic, Davis, Cork and Morgan all performed, with Vic being my pick of the bunch. its going forward where I think we can be even better. Pelle is scoring, but think he has even more to offer. It's obvious Tadic has class, but I don't think we've seen the best of him yet, so hopefully he will get better as he really settles in. Mane provides something different to what we've had in recent years-pacy, unpredictable, busy and had a good debut, but like Pelle & Tadic I'm hoping there is even more. QPR weren't as poor as I thought they would be and gave us a good test, but a fair result would have been 5-2.

As many have already said he's a decent player, seems a key part of the squad and I just wonder how much it would cost to replace him if he does leave. Hopefully if Koeman does rate him then he can earn his wedge by putting his arm around Cork and get him to sign up.

Totally agree. Some of the Ad Hominem comments on here went way beyond differing opinions, concerns and doubts. You could of course argue that those who were attacked were unlikely to be viewing a noddy message board, but it was still OTT, unnecessary and infantile. Now back to the result. No matter how poor Newcastle were, it looked a great performance and a real morale boost to the players and management team who are still getting to know each other. We really are Newcastle's worst footballing destination! and would be interested to know what the deal is with regards a new contract for Cork as his performances (& his goals!) must be making those who hold the purse strings think about a new contract.

not sure how his schedule works, but think half time isn't the best choice. Would have thought 1:00 or 2:00 at the Common/Cowherds and then Have a run in to town with people watching or joining in would have been better.

They are under no legal obligation to sell anything to you, it is what is known as "invitation to treat", and at that point no contract is in place, they are merely inviting you to make an offer. However, if there pricing is misleading then they may have fallen foul of the Consumer Pricing (or is it Protection) Act.

Absolutely. In the current era, power has switched to mercenary players & unscrupulous agents. There was no premeditated firesale, no closing down clearance & no Club being left abandoned. Instead the Club were left to clear up the shift of a number of players putting their own interests first (whether that was selfish & disloyal, or instead a reflection of the modern game/society or just wanting to better themselves is another argument). Even if players were forcing the Club's hand and demanding a move, then the Club issuing a not for sale is a reasonable response, not least to ensure a premium price is achieved if we have to sell. As with "I've signed a 5 yr deal & I'm happy to stay here until I retire", "this is a club I've always wanted to join", "the fans are so special", blah, blah, blah, you have to take these statements & cliches with a pinch of salt & not get all piffy when you find out there ain't much substance behind them!! Think the Club have made a decent effort clearing up the shift left behind, and my gut feel is that overall we have been weakened by the summer's dealings, but not massively.

I thought only Lambert was sold before Koeman was appointed mid June???

After the May meltdown this is a very credible comeback. Some decent talent on there and conversion of the two loans would make it very impressive. My only concern would be team spirit needs to be built again as a lot of characters and stalwarts have gone (Lambert, Jos, Lallana). And Being honest, still haven't come to terms with Long for £12m and have nagging doubts over Schneiderlin & Rodrigues lasting the season (plus is Big Vic being tapped up). but this is where a decent manager earns his wages, so more than happy to sit back and watch Koeman work his stuf to mould this team together. Mid table finish this reason, then ...................

May be way off the mark, but I thought the medicals were undertaken at Nuffield/Spire hospitals as scans etc were needed, and the Uni was used for pre season and other times for fitness monitoring (heart rates, oxygen levels etc).

Very interesting read, so thanks for posting up the link. With regards the swathe of territory, I did think that large parts of the "ISIS controlled territory" were indeed barren scrubland and as the piece mentions, towns like Fallujah have only nominally run by those in Baghdad.

His army/Air Force are still dropping barrels filled with chlorine on civilian areas (as per the recent UN statement on war crimes in Syria). The whole thing is a clusterfkck. Despot dictators ruling by fear over historically imposed boundaries, minorities persecuted (then & now), potentially positive "Arab Springs" turning into 2/3/4/5 way civil wars, western countries intervening here and there, other Middle Eastern states fighting proxy wars and Ideologies & Religion being used to justify it all. Pandora's box has been smashed open.

It wasn't that long ago that the current Govt were pushing to be theirs and others Air Force against Assad!

Listening to those in groups like Al-Muhajiroun, Muslim Against Crusades etc, then I'm not sure that their lack of command of the English Language is a driving force for their hatred and radicalised views on the world.

John, I was replying to your use of the higher figure of 800,000ish who couldn't speak English when the actual figure was just over 100,000 (the difference being those who couldn't speak it well, not ideal, but definitely not speaking English at all). http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census-analysis/language-in-england-and-wales-2011/rpt---language-in-england-and-wales--2011.html I agree that not speaking English is a barrier to integration, but I don't think that's the same as not wanting to integrate (as per Powell's claim), and I would like to think that over time those who have emigrated here (and most definitely the next generation) would in turn speak the local language.

The figure who didn't speak English was just over 100,000 which really doesn't seem that big a number given the numbers who came in to the country recently (with most from non English speaking countries).