Eddie

If need then im sure hddvd technology will be used. For the time being it simply isn't needed though. By the time it really is we'll probably be talking about a new console anyway.

One reason that it is slightly easier for them is that there are fewer "dominant" teams in Spain.

Don't have a great feeling about this game, but just have to hope, please please please.

I think a lot of people are doing the trust and the board a major injustice by being so critical. We are now coming to a period where, after showing some good potential, investment could bring great rewards. However, this has not been true for a couple of seasons so it is not surprising that in recent times there hasn't been a major amount of invesmtment. In recent seasons whenever we have needed money (Cole being the perfect example and even in the Bellamy deal this summer) the trust and board have come up trumps. I fully expect that if we finish in the top 8 this summer we will see Hughe given enough money to do what he needs to secure that position and even make us into a team that can really consider itself a top 6 side. We can't be critical of a board that has shown little ambition when the club is struggling at the bottom of the table and losing money, they have kept the club running and in a great financial state, given the situation that is more than we could have ever asked for and something that about 15 premiership clubs are probably jealous of. If in a year we find that little transfer funds have been made available and that the club has gone backwards again then I think we'll have to really be looking for a new source of investment (something I'm sure is already being done and that would be more than welcome) but until then we can't be critical of the trust.

Agree with you Tango. Didn't think he meant to do it, but I really don't care, lady luck was on our side today.

Anyone else getting tired of Harry Redknapp constantly saying the squad isn't strong enough after he loses? Already he has spent more than most clubs since he's joined, most of the squad is the one he used to have (those who left were usually taken by him) and yet he says they aren't even good enough to make 17th? Guy really gets on my nerves.

Yes, but it has been mentioned recently that Hughes' balance is -900k or so. Now that isn't that much spending for a premiership side doing fairly well. I would expect us to keep our cash in our pockets for now and spend in the summer unless we see someone who we have to get. I'm not having a go at the board, but I do think there should be money made available because there is the potential for it to bring huge rewards on the pitch. That hasn't really been true for a long time.

I'd be up for a trip into london if there were a few meeting up to watch the game.

Gray probably just thinks some positive press might help Souness keep his job for a bit longer and as a Sunderland fan that probably makes him a bit happier.

I'd rather have someone who I think can handle the pressure. Why compare Hargreaves and Walcott? They aren't similar types of players so for that situation, yes, I want an attacking player.

Are you seriously comparing the Walcott and Jansen situation? Walcott has scored something like 4 goals for a first team, having not even made an appearance in the premiership. Jansen had years of experience and had scored goals in the top league and also had a season of excellent form behind him. I don't know if Walcott will turn into the next big thing, but he just might, but right now he's simply a talented youngster, no more, no less and should be playing youth games and games for his club until he has proven he can make it at this level. England caps shouldn't just be handed out because one day you might be good, or because it might work out, you earn them, especially when you're talking about sending them to a World Cup that the squad has a serious chance of winning.

Not too bad considering there's 5 days to go.

The ps3 isn't going to be any cheaper when it first comes out.

Sorry...I'll put more effort in next time.

and he always scores against us.

Tugay's shooting is pretty awful, he's just always good for one cracker a season. He's met his quota this year so he may as well stop shooting now. Reid hasn't scored many but Tugay isn't exactly streets ahead of him. Tugay has only scored 7 in 178 appearances while Reid has 3 from 74. So in terms of ratios Tugay is fairing slightly worse, especially when you consider that 22 of Reid's appearances have been from the bench while of the 178 games Tugay has played he has only come off of the bench 24 times. This season they both have one from 21 starts, though Reid has come on as a substitute 5 times while Tugay has only done this twice. In his entire career Tugay has scored 50 goals in 478 appearances, 51 of those being substitute appearances. Steven Reid has scored 22 in 241 appearances with 49 of those being as a substitute. So even overall they are fairing just about the same, though given the number of times he comes on as a substitute you'd have to say Steven Reid is probably doing just a bit better. I know most of this was pretty pointless but I was bored with nothing to do so thought I'd clear up the Tugay versus Reid shooting debate. The real answer to the question though would be in seeing number of shots and how many of those are on target. Steven Reid has a better shots on target percentage at 24%, which isn't too bad, total number of shots I can't be bothered to find.

1. Pearce - nowhere near enough experience. He's done a pretty good job with City but really gets more praise than he should because of his overall popularity and the media attention both he and City get. They are afterall only just above us and we have a game in hand, a good position, but given the cost that the city squad was assembled at not an amazing achievement. Maybe a future England manager but he has a while to go yet and a lot still to prove. 2. Curbishley - In my opinion of the five he's the best bet, but it's a poor bunch. Turning Charlton into a secure premiership side was an amazing achievement, but then since then where is the progression? They promise so much at the start of each season and then simply fade away, perhaps not a characteristic we want the England team to have. 3. Allardyce -No, just no. Couldn't stand the man though he does have an eye for a good deal and the ability to bring the best out of his side. However, his success at Bolton hasn't shown he can either handle the pressure of a big job or manage a talented side. Do we really want to see England with Davies up front and 11 men behind the ball just hoping someone will fall over in the penalty area and we scrape an ugly 1-0? 4 and 5 - One is probably a great coach, the other, well, disloyal moaner pretty much sums him up. Neither have the ability to manage a national side. England would be forced into picking a foreign coach, not that there is anything wrong with that. The failure of the English leagues to produce top quality managers who get the chance to test themselves at the highest level has left the FA with little choice. While the fact that the England set-up doesn't allow there to be coaching staff surrounding the current manager and having a great deal of input and involvement in a way that could lead them to be potential candidates for the role of manager when the current one leaves has meant there is simply no option but to look abroad. Then again, I don't think sven has done all too much wrong other than the fact that he made a few mistakes in Euro 2004 in the Portugal game and then had a bit of bad luck to be knocked out and also lost in a close match to a Brazil side that just seemed to have the mental edge over England.

Agree Neill probably is the best vote, not a chance I'd vote for Gray, there are a few that would come before him in my book, including Nelsen, Tugay, MGP and Friedel. I don't actually believe MGP should win it, having said that, there's a long way left to go so who knows what I'll think after Todd has scored the winners in two cup finals and captained the team to a European spot.

It's all relative isn't it? Good signing for the championship is a good signing for the championship. If we had a crap striker who was second top scorer in the premiership I wouldn't complain.

I've already mentioned this and I don't want to repeat myself too many times but I actually find the french version to be quite useful. For travel within the EU and daily use it's much more useful than a passport or even a drivers license for the reasons I've already said: everyone will have one regardless of age and it is easier to carry around than a passport and you can always have it on you.

I don' t think it would be smart to do it, but could he not take them to court? Surely it is illegal to impersonate the representative of an organisation and to make a job offer to someone? If the FA really had some luck they might be able to get Villa (that was the club wasn't it?) to take the NOTW to court.

I think they are nonsense when it comes to counter terrorism, agree with everyone on that, but I just think as a basic idea they are quite useful.

So before we have the chance to see if we can earn another trip to Cardiff we face an interesting trip to the North East to face a struggling Newcastle side. Things haven't really gone well for Newcastle since they did us the honour of taking Souness off of our hands. The team has gone from potential champions league qualifiers to potential religation candidates, all for the tidy price of 1.3 million to us and a further 50 million to a variety of other clubs. Souness' saving grace seemed to be the signing of Michael Owen, having said that, just about anyone could have probably told him Owen would have scored goals wherever he went. However, with Owen out, as well as eight other first team regulars, the Newcastle league looks a shell of a side that was struggling to even make it even into the top half. If there was ever an opportunity for us to get one over an old manager, surely this is it. Recent history against Newcastle isn't great, with perhaps our most dissapointing performance of the season coming in September at Ewood Park when we lost 3-0 to them, with Owen scoring his first Newcastle goals. A more worrying fact though is that Alan Shearer has made it a habbit of scoring against his former club and with the Newcastle goal record only a single finish away this seems the most likely game for him to get it in. Our own form though points to us being a tough defence for him to score against and a difficult team for Newcastle to beat. Having not let in many league goals since our 2-1 defeat at Fulham our goal production has been fairly regular, with the 0-0 draw at Bolton on Saturday being one of the few blips. My own opinion is that this could be a more difficult game than it seems. With Shearer almost destined to score we'll need to find at least two and it seems our team has the taste for the spectacular rather than the conventional when it comes to goalscoring. With Bellamy out, the threat of pace that would have frightened a weak Newcastle defense is gone and unless the likes of Kuqi and Dickov prove effective with their tireless running and a few intelligent runs we may well have to rely on a piece or two of magic from some of the usual suspects. League form going in past five games - Newcastle - LDLLL Blackburn - LWWWD Potential Position at Full Time - Newcastle: Highest - 10th Lowest - 15th Blackburn: Highest - 6th Lowest - 11th Who knows, perhaps Souness will be able to get Fat Freddie's cheque book out between now and are game and we could see the likes of Anelka in the barcodes line-up. If not ,then surely we have to be looking to continue our goo d form.

It would be interesting to see what you think now Waggy. Kuqi has almost outscored the entire Sunderland team.

Totally agree, but to be fair to the guy, none of the attacking players would be worth signing based on second half performance, we simply weren't in that match second half.