the evil speaks

How many times when you walk down the street or having your lunch somewhere and out of a sudden, a familar face came across u?

You know that you know him. But you can't recall his name. What would u do? Smile back? Continue munching your lunch and pretended nothing happened? Or make an effort to rekindle your friendship with him? Or maybe last option, depending who he/she is.

Basically, I would choose option 2. Most of the time I choose option 2. And why should I choose this? I always thought that if I can remember that person, it means that the person is quite important to me. If I can't remember his/her name, maybe I've just treated him as an acquaintance and hence deleted him from my brain. Then again, sometimes its awkward to try asking who the other person is and try to act concern about how he/she is doing. In that short period of time, how much can u talk to the other person? If your situation is like he sat beside u during the lunch break, its more awkward when suddenly there's a silence moment after catching up for the past 5mins. Finally, I wouldn't smile back.. fearing that I may remember the wrong person or that person never remember me too.

After much debate and who will be appointed as the next Newcastle manager, finally we've concluded on the legend himself - Kevin Keegan.

I'm happy that Harry Redknapp snubbed the job(or maybe he wasn't offered it at all). He's no better than Souness, Roeder or Allarydce. I started to lean towards Mark Hughes as he's quite good too. Then the papers said Houllier and Deschamps might be interested. I thought that's better choice. You have 2 international coach (well, Houllier is boring but he's successful) and I thought it must be one of those 3. Suddenly the unexpected happened.

It is like the person who created the mess came back and clear up the mess (Keegan is responsible for creating Newcastle into such an attacking team). The mess being playing football in entertaining fashion and the philosophy of out scoring your opponents regardless how many you conceded.

I'm glad we are able to move on from now. At least this time round, we've got a manager that the fans, players and the owner is confident and believed in. For those people who laughed at the predicament of us - Newcastle, and those who says we don't deserve to be dreaming where we should be, eat your words. Look at the effect of Sam Allarydce being sacked and the appointment of Kevin Keegan. Newcastle is a very special club, its more special than Spurs or Chelsea or even Arsenal. And we don't deserve to be where we are now, because we deserved more.

Good times are ahead for us. It can't be better to see Bolton at St James for King Kev's first game. No Anelka, no Diouf, No Meite. What can a Bolton whose run of form of late is starting to burst can do to a Newcastle whose confidence is never as high as before?

I wish I could have get a more pathetic picture of him but sadly I couldn't.

I'm glad we have seen the last of Big Sam at Newcastle. Not too long ago, I've publicly announced my decision to dump my love relationship with Newcastle but I have secretly told my gf that I will come back to them when Fat Sam goes out. He did, so here am I.

I don't think many people should criticise any Magpie fan who are chanting for his head to be chopped since a couple of months ago. Yes, Geordies are an impatient or some say irrealistic football fans, but incapable describes Fat Sam. Why?

Time should be given to Fat Sam is only the excuse any pro-Allardyce can give to him. But does he deserves the time? Maybe not. Here are my "excuse"..

1) He's never the fans first choice or the last choice.

I don't know why they say he's the most promising manager in England and he deserves the England job ahead of Mcclown 3 yrs ago. Yes, this manager have brought Bolton, a small club to a regular top half finish and true UEFA cup contender. But could it be pure luck or just a stroke of genius? Allardyce at large, is just a national manager. Yes, he's good, but he's reached his peak, he had reached his mangerial potential. And critics shouldn't blame us - fans, its fat Sheppard fault for all these shambles. Sir Bobby is the closest thing we got. You sacked him hurriedly. Then you rushed into Souness and Roeder. And with the long summer, you jumped into Allardyce, then, you ditched him for cash.

2) Godly tactics.

Any regular football fan will wonder why N'zogbia plays as a left back when he's a attacking left winger. Milner who is right legged played on the left and who don't anticipates him to cut in from the left and cross with his right? Martins with all his pace and power was left constantly on the bench (Emre the most creative player is on bench too). Mr Owen who seems to have lost all his godly touched is always guranteed first team. And playing 3 defensive midfielders against no-hopes. Then we have a natural striker (Alan Smith) playing as a midfielder everytime when we have so many midfielders already. Oh yeah.. speak about solving our defensive woes.. it could be pardoned that the likes of Cacapa, Rozendahl, Faye lapse in concentration once in awhile, shouldn't Allarydce already know that EPL's strikers are usually sprinters for 100m, so why does he recruit those bulky tortise?

3) Boring football.

I thought he's more boring than Roeder. And whatever he had done at Bolton. Enough said.

4) Give him 3 to 5 years to rebuild?

If you look at how he built his Bolton, he's never long term. How did he achieve what he got at Bolton? Resurrecting the careers of Campo, Okacha and Speed. Long term? Nah.. Short term. They are players past their prime. How could this consider as a manager who plans long term? And look at Bolton, how many of the players are from youth academy? You can blame that the academy is not successful in producing Gerrards and Terrys, but did he recruit young players to make plundits eat their words? Nah.

I'm so glad that I poured out my frustrations. Actually, i think most of us Geordies are realistic. We don't dream of title challenger or squeezing into the being one of the top 4 or 5. All we need is consistent results against the smaller or average teams, a good run at Cup games and try to push for Europe. We don't mind losing to Arsenal or Chelsea, but we wished that we put up a fight. We need not be entertaining like Arsenal, but also need not be unadventurously or sucidal.

I cross my fingers that the next man could bring back our hopes.