All your e-mails, submitted following our 20 part one month ‘Buying From Our Premiership & European Rivals’ series. Newcastle-Online.com have only edited for spelling/grammar errors. N.B Some of the e-mails sent in date as early as April as that’s when we started our series. Thanks to everyone who wrote in.

Danny Dowling - I reckon that Newcastle should buy Dean Ashton because he has proved he can do well in the Premiership and at international level for England under 21s as well. Also I think we should think of signing Wayne Bridge because he proved himself last season with Chelsea before being injured. Boa Morte would be a great replacement for Robert too.

Peter - We must break the bank and get Owen. He is the only man to replace Shearer in terms of goalscoring. We should also give the Norwich player Dean Ashton a go. And one more thing, lets all get behind Souness what ever we think he is the man in charge so lets back him to the hilt. COME ON THE TOON!

John Fox - Emre looks a good buy if he joins. We need another top class defender because lets face it even though Titus did well alongside Boumsong we are all worried that he is going to make mistakes so I think we could do with another good defender like Van Buyten but not Distin because he hasn’t set the world a light since his move to Man City. We need a couple of new strikers with Bellamy leaving, Andy Johnson or someone of that ability.

Dave - Zoltan Gera a squad player? He would walk into the mid-table Newcastle side. Also, Neil Clement spent most of the season at centre-back, not left back. Agree with your comments on Earnshaw though.

Micky Day - Reading with interest your comments on buying players from the Baggies. No.1 Neil Clement is now a very good center back and has been for the last 25 games. No.2 Zolton Gera, you’re right he’s not for sale but he’s far from as you put it big and strong, more agile and nimble. No.3 Earnshaw, spot on, best of luck next season hope you do well . In my many years following the Baggies far and wide thick and thin there’s no Geordie like a happy Geordie, hope all you Toon fans are happy next season.

Brynn - I would like to see Vicente - Valencia’s left winger - or Vonlanthen (PSV teenage striker and hot prospect). Here are some other excellent young players I would like to see at Newcastle; Marat Izmilov (20 left winger), Vagner Love (21 striker) and Sychev (19 striker).

Chris L - No player suggestions, just wanted to say I’m really enjoying reading these team/player reviews you’re doing. I can’t wait for the conclusion. I fear that players you rate highly enough above our current crop are likely to be unavailable or over priced (as you’ve said so many times) & wonder if the squad will be any stronger next season? Also, would it be worth doing a piece on any players to watch from the Championship (or lower?) like you did the general Europe one. As I said, you’re doing a top job.

Steve Sowden - Two players on my list of forwards - both young - both very talented; Daniel de Ridder of Ajax and Klaas Van Huntelaar from Heerenveen. De Ridder is pacy - very pacy and as tricky as Ronaldo - but his crossing is better. Van Huntelaar is good with both feet and in the air, but combines it with pace and Shearer like strength He has scored in 6 of 7 Dutch under 21 fixtures and is a mate of De Ridder. He does in fact remind me of the young Al at Southampton. They would cost a combined 7-8 million - total class and a bargain when you think of Wright Philips at £16 million. I have e-mailed Souness every week about the pair. Could you mention them too? We need a big centre half and a left back too. There aren’t any other players in the premiership worth pursuing after Scott Parker. So let’s look further afield and buy some class-in-the-making.

Gav - I think we need to wind the clock back and re-sign Nobby Solano and Olivier Bernard just to begin with. We need at least 2 quality strikers: Ideally Michael Owen and Robbie Keane, but I’d be surprised if we get a sniff of either. P.S Scott Parker is a great buy.

Gilly - From Southampton?? Please, not Peter Crouch, please!! One decent season and he is already after a transfer out of Southampton. To be honest, I wouldn’t like to see any one from Southampton join us. But, saying our manager is Greame Souness, everything is possible.

Damon Robinson (Pompey Fan) - With regards Yakubu, you’ve got it spot on. Although he has the power and pace in abundance needed to lead the line, he has failed to show up for nearly every Pompey match since christmas. ‘Boro are more than welcome to him! One Pompey player you should be interested in, and I pray that you don’t set about trying to sign, is under 21 skipper Gary O’Neil. Reportedly the subject of a £4m offer from Liverpool this boy will be a full England international one day. A real, box to box midfielder with his best years still in front of him! However if I could see any of our players depart for St. James’s, it would have to be Chalkias, our Greek Clown of a keeper. In fact, I’d be glad to see him move on anywhere, although the St. James’ Park in Exeter is probably more his level!!! Happy hunting!!!

Marcus - Right first of all we don’t want experienced players in other words old players who are cheap cast off’s. We need to widen our search from Ipswich and grab some young talent before they know how unsuccessful we are and move to Man U or Chelsea. We have the money so why not buy good individuals instead of the cheap players who last a year or so. I suggest we buy: Vincent Kompany from Anderlecht. Class young defender. Van Der Meyde. Stops arguments for the right wing. Emre. As has already been linked with us to replace Robert and he’s a good playmaker and the right age. Alan Smith. He’s a younger version of Shearer and quicker.

Simen - I would like Newcastle to sign John Carew, at least check him out. He’s big, strong, fast and good in the air. He could probably replace Alan Shearer, but the question is if he’s going to score goals. But it’s like that with every new striker, isn’t it? Carew’s club Besiktas will consider offers for him this summer, and i think he would be a great addition to the squad.

Michael Bush - I would like to see Newcastle sign Robbie Keane. He’s an exciting player and would do well with Big Al up front. He’s better than Bellamy anyway. I hope Graeme Souness goes for a couple of defenders as well, maybe Matthew Upson. There will be more competition for places and I think that we will see Titus Bramble showing the form he showed at the back end of last season on a regular basis. Lets hope for a better season eh!!!

Joe Cook - I would like to see Luis Boa Morte at the club. He would be a great replacement for robert who will probably leave. Boa morte has allot of pace and outside the top 3 Premiership club’s he has the highest number of assists. He also scores a few goals and in my view would add something to the attacking side of the club. It’s just a pity he has recently signed a new contract with Fulham. Realistically Boa Morte is too good for Fulham and even if he doesn’t come to Newcastle I think he will leave Fulham. He is also underrated.

Mick Dalton - Newcastle United should sign Dirk Kuyt from Feyenoord. He’s the perfect replacement for Big Al, I’ve never seen another player that reminds me so much of Shearer, his work for the team, holding up the ball, making and scoring goals. Ok we don’t need him next season because the man himself will still be there (thank God!) but we should still buy him before he gets more expensive plus he’ll have a season to settle in.

Nicholas Kerr - Dean Ashton and McKenzie from Norwich because they are two good young strikers and Newcastle are getting rid of two or three strikers in the summer and these two will be perfect and not as dear but they are still players who need to be in the Premiership, fighting top class defenders.

Skaife - Frank Queudrue, would be an excellent signing for Newcastle. Reliable, and someone who won’t cause a fuss about the place. A good left back - remind you of a man we just threw out the door to our palls at villa?

Simon James Mone - Newcastle should sign two defenders to help Babayaro and Boumsong. I feel Bramble is not quik enough to cover Boumsong and Celestine Babayaro who likes attacking so often. We need either Ledley King from Tottenham or Gareth Southgate from Middlesbrough. John O’shea could play in the right side of defence to cover up. In the center, we could go for Michael Carrick. In the attack, Andy Johnson or Peter Crouch could be useful. These are the home players who can adapt to Newcastle’a game much faster. I also feel that Greame Souness is not the right coach to change the team because he does not manage players in the way that is expected of a manager. Look at what he did to Craig Bellamy. These were my thoughts.

David Ratcliffe - I’m a Man United fan and I think last season was a bad one for Newcastle (not that ours was good either) and they do need to improve and get into Europe next season. Fortune would be a good buy, I think he’s great, very strong and got great ability. Smith - YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM!! I want him to replace Keane in the centre of midfield, I can’t think of anyone else I would prefer to do it. He’s go alot to his game. O’Shea won’t get too many games next year so he may want to move to Newcastle… We’ll see. Shay Given to Manchester United?? What’s happened there then? Is it true he’s sold up and bought a house in Cheshire?? We’ll see whether he stays or comes to us… Either way he’s a class goalie.

Phil - I think to strengthen our team we MUST buy at least 1 or 2 top quality strikers like Robbie Keane, Michael Owen or even Milan Baros. We also need at least 1 top quality Midfielder like Oliver Kapo from Juventus, and I also think we need 1 top quality defender. COME ON U TOON!

Craig Futers - Firstly I have to say I love these buying from Premiership rivals articles and have been following it since the start when you did “buying from Arsenal”. A brilliant idea, and entertaining too. Now lets get down to business, I am so glad to hear Newcastle are close to signing Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, as I have been suggesting this for months myself. Also with the rumours of Luis Boa Morte coming in the summer I feel he would be an ideal replacement for Laurent Robert, some people may be sad to see the lazy **** go, I say good riddance. One other area Newcastle may want to fill is the right wing, which has never been the same since the sale of Nobby. I would love to see James Milner hold down that place next season and really progress as a player, but thats not a guarantee so a summer move for Fulham’s Steed Malbranque could well be in order.

Josh Reeve - I think that a great signing for us would be Robbie Keane, he has a good eye for goal and could maybe get some vital goals that Big Al and Shola missed out on this season. Now don’t get me wrong Big Al is a legend but I think he would partner up well with Robbie.

Christian Hayne - I think that we should buy Wes Brown from Manchester United because he has a lack of first team football, and would be great to solidify our defence further.

Nick Durham - For the last time, Sylvain Distin did not turn you down over money. Your imbecile chairman dithered over making a decision as to whether to sign him, and as Sylvain had City hovering he simply decided to go to the club that wanted him most. As per usual you can blame that particular cock-up on the definition of moron, ‘Fat Freddy’.

Bill - Whilst the media has a field day with possible signings this summer I believe that whoever comes in will make no difference to our results with Souness in charge. His track record suggests that Souness cannot spot great or even good players and has difficulty coping with big names. So speculating on signings is a pointless exercise.

Jonathan Edmondson - I have just read your article and as much as I would like to see a host of European stars come to SJP it is unlikely as most of the players you looked at have european football next season. However we may have a chance to get Jorge Andrade as it does not look like Deportivo will be playing in Europe next season after a poor season. He would be an ideal signing as he already speaks English and should have no problem fitting in. Also from Deportivo we should definitely have a look at Fabricio Coloccini. He is a solid defender who can play in defence or in the holding midfield role. We also might be able to tempt them into selling Diego Tristan. He is a consistent goalscorer and although he has not played that well these past couple of seasons, he might view now as the time for a new challenge. After watching the Mourinho special on monday night and it occurred to me that if Sir Bobby had took over in 97 after KK left then its very possible that Jose Mourinho could well have been our manager at some point. Oh what could have been!!!!

Coolsmurf - I would be very surprised if Souness and company manage to sign anyone from your buying from Europe article, the most likely recruits to come or if they do come from the continent are likely to be players with the most obscure names hailing from little-known clubs for a bargain.

Roland Deschain - To even suggest that the monkey Souness has the ability to find someone from the continent is a nonsense - Ali Dia anyone? Couple this with the very worst scouting network in the Premiership and at the very best the new signings this Summer will be: Alan Shearer, Michael Chopra, Andy O’Brien, Robbie Elliott, Kieron Dyer (new contracts WILL count under Souey - mark my words), Robbie Keane, Gregory Vignal, Dado Prso, and maybe one or two others. I also expect a few more departures.

Aidrian Wright - I think the players listed in your buying from Europe article are genuine players who would come over not to play for the money but to raise their profiles especially in a WORLD CUP YEAR.

Pria Hebat - First of all, I am one of those who is backing Souness. No need to moan or whine about the gaffer, won’t get us anywhere. He is our manager and we need to let him get on with his job. Freddy Shepherd on the other hand needs to shut up, get new PR guys and just sign the checks. No more nonsense for a season. Ditch the Intertoto if we’re ever going to emulate Everton’s amazing season. The target should be top 4 and a good FA Cup campaign. League Cup strictly for the youngsters because we have loads of them. Arsenal did it and it didn’t do much harm for their young guns did it? With all that out of the way, we need at least 4-6 new players, preferably one with technical abilities, unbelievable hunger for success. Eg. see Martin Jol’s signings. A new potent striker being the most crucial position IMO, meaning, the main top area we need to spend REAL MONEY. We’ve got to get this right. Ideally I would prefer if we could get 2 strikers, Our physios aren’t really worth their money as far as I can remember. Glad to see that you have included Berbatov in your European article. It seems that he and Diego Placente are on the move to Deportivo this summer, after failing to agree on a fee last summer. Transfer fee rumoured to be around 10m euros. Most probably why Deportivo wanted a higher fee for Walter Pandiani. Dimitar Berbetov finished his season with 20 goals with a hat-trick in Leverkusen’s 5-1 thrashing of Borussia Monchengladbach, a game they needed to win to ensure a UEFA Cup campaign next season. A tall and powerful striker, Dimitar Berbatov is the new golden boy of Bulgarian football following the retirements of Hristo Stoichkov and Krasimir Balakov. Berbatov won the Bulgarian cup with CSKA Sofia before moving to Bayer Leverkusen in January 2001. Played in the 2002 Champions League final, and scored several vital goals for Bulgaria in the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign. He is only 24 and with that kind of credentials, we’ll be crazy not to go in after him. After all we did put in a bid for Owen didn’t we? Or was that another Fat Cat Mambo Shuffle? Seriously, I think we’ll probably get Robbie Keane… ironically, the player Craig Bellamy was bought to replace by Coventry after Keano’s big move to Inter! PS I do like the look of those two Turks and Tomas ‘I’m better than Nesta’ Ujfalusi… (btw he was SV Hamburg captain they sold sold him off for 7.5m to Fioretina) PSS how the hell did you miss out a certain Daniel da Silva Carvalho from CSKA Moscow? This Brazilian took his team all the way into cup history single handedly? Watch out for this up and coming player lads.

Tim Dempsey - Pires can play anywhere across the midfield and is a great creative player that we desperately need and now finds himself on the bench every week and he can also get you a goal. Age may count against him but a quick fix solution to what is looking like a bad team lets face it. Also take a look at Morton Gamst Pederson - good winger who can also play in the centre and very strong and good in the air too.

Mattius - I am very fond of seeing a few of these players you mention in your European article arrive. Emre is a crafty little player, Douala looks like he could make Bellamy kiss his ass in the 100m sprint, and no one doubts Owen’s potential, yet how are we going to attract such players? The InterToto, is no lure for top European players.

Peter - I think the players you have listed in your European article would be good, but I have two thinks to say about it. First Van der Vaart has agreed a move to Hamburger SV and is unfortunately not available. Second I think there are a lot more good players that you could attract from the Bundesliga. For example for defence Willy Sagnol from Bayern, Juan from Leverkusen, Meira or Hinkel from Stuttgart, Metzelder from Dortmund, Mertesacker from Hannover, Van Buyten from Hamburg, Friedrich from Berlin. For midfield Dede, Rosicky from Dortmund, Lincoln from Schalke, Petrov Wolfsburg, would be a good replacement for Robert, if the shit Souness sells him, Marcelinho, Bastürk from Berlin. For attack Kuranyi from Stuttgart or Voronin from Leverkusen, Everthon from Dortmund, Klose, Valdez, Klasnic from Bremen. You must have a look at Podolski from Köln. He was top-scorer in the Bundesliga 2nd division. He is only 20. This guy is amazing. I think he’ll go to Bayern after 2005/2006, but I hope Newcastle can catch him. Hopefully Souness is sacked before he does more mistakes like selling Hughes. He should sell Ameobi, because he’s simply not good enough. Wish us all the best for next season, but I’m not very confident.

Bazza - Nice article Skeletor, it was an interesting read. Having lived in Italy myself for over 7 years I followed and still follow Italian football a great deal. Unfortunately my home town Siena look like they might be relegated this season which is a great shame since they have built a great little squad. Well, everyone knows that any player with any ambition would prefer to stay in the top flight of football and looking at Siena’s team I can see a few players who are going to jump the sinking ship. One player which catches my eye is Igor Tudor. He is currently on loan from Juventus and looks like he doesn’t want to play in Serie B. He is a strong and intelligent defender and Juventus supporters believe he is one of the most important players they have had in recent years. I believe he could give our defence a well needed boost and is strong enough to adapt to the English style of football very quickly. Now is a great opportunity to snatch him up as I doubt very much that he’ll be returning to Juventus next season (looking at their defence!). So come on Souness tell fat Fred to get his cheque book out and spend some money on decent players for once.

Dave - There are some very good suggestions in this list (with the possible exception of Owen who I feel has lost his major asset - his pace - and doesn’t look half the player he was). We already have a player in Shearer who has the same problems. Other than Owen I’d take any or all of the other players listed. Whether they would even consider a move to lower placed EPL team with only the InterToto as an extra is debate though. HTL

Leffe186 - A Spurs fan living in exile. Just a couple of comments on the players you’ve mentioned so far: Konchesky - don’t bother. Would not add anything to what you have now. He was a real disappointment when he was at Spurs on loan. Vignal - have seen quite a bit of him while living in Scotland. He’s a reasonable player but could be another well-poisoner and wouldn’t add anything to your squad. That said, with Souness in charge this one really might have wings…

The Serbian Mag - Nenad Jestrovic of Anderlecht or Ernesto Chevanton of Monaco!!!!!

Carl Birkett - Lee Clark just for wearing the ’smb’ T-shirt. He might actually put effort in for the team unlike a certain Laurent Robert and Nicky ASS!

Richard Dempster - Sidney Govou (Lyon) - pace, touch, finishing, heading. Rochemback (Sporting) - good tackler, passer, and a good record of goals. Fernando Torres (A.Madrid) - young, strong, skillful, good header of the ball

Syed Ahmad Fadil - Thank you for giving me an opportunity to write in response to your article. Being a Liverpool fan since 1974, I strongly believe that Newcastle Utd and Liverpool have a strong bondage with players switching from one side to another more than any other clubs in the Premiership. I remember with the likes of Terry McDermott, Peter Beardsley and Didi Hamann joined Liverpool and John Barnes, manager Kenny Dalglish and Greame Souness to Newcastle Utd. Newcastle Utd is a very good club and on their day, can beat any team in the world. However, they need to strengthen a few weaknesses (like most other clubs do including Liverpool) for the coming season. I believe the strikeforce need a serious post-mortem. I suggest that proven players like Peter Crouch and Andy Johnston (also a target of Liverpool) are to be considered seriously. Another is Wayne Routledge of Crystal Palace. As for the midfielders, I reckon Aki Riihilahti will be a decent addition to the squad. And talking about defenders I heard Wolverhampton Wanderers’s Joleon Lescott is very talented. I wish Newcastle Utd (club & fans) all the best and really like to see them challenging for honours next season.

Mr. Flibble - I’d love to see Kapo come in after his recent link with the club. I’d also like to see striker rotation at the club by bringing in Walter Pandiani and Michael Owen. As for defence, I’m not sure if he’s already decided where to go yet, but Samuel Kuffour would be a good partner in the middle for Boumsong.

Peter Leng - I would like to sign: Shevchenko, Samuel Eto´o, Ronaldo, Raul, Ivan Helguera, Carlos Puyol, Fernando Torres and Guti. Oh Shit I just woke up and then remembered that we have the less signing power than Bolton (they are in the UEFA for gods sake). The chances of signing anyone half decent with the clowns we have in charge are the same as me becoming King.

Mad Magpie - I agree with your analysis of both. And in regard to Vignal, it seems strange we never seem to learn the French lesson, do we? Distain, Domi, Bernard, Robert and even Ginola. All had their moments undoubtedly but perhaps proved to be more trouble than value overall. Let’s hope Boumsong and N’Zogbia break the mould. And I hope we don’t bring any more in unless Wenger is appointed manager. You’re right, Baros does miss too many chances but other than the elite few (Henry, Van Nistelroy - er, well maybe not him anymore), they all miss chances. Composure in front of goal seems such a rare commodity as James Milner, for instance, has shown so vividly this season. And, of course, the lack of European involvement is going to make it very difficult to attract big hitters from abroad, the sort who could really sort us out like, er, Silvio Maric.

Time and again Johnny Foreigner finds it difficult to make the switch to the physicality and pace of the Premiership so if you want immediate impact (and we’re not in the mood to be patient with Souness, are we?) you have to go for someone who has proven experience and scored goals. That does limit the options. These are the players other clubs want to hang onto. Unless they have been relegated in which case a) they need to cash in, and/or b) the player wants to move on because his contract says he’s getting a pay cut for dropping to the Championship. (F**k that, see ya!) So, rather than look at the top clubs (with players who wouldn’t want to swap us for them or if they do they are likely to be suspect cast offs) or the middle clubs (whose available players aren’t going to improve us - Heskey, Morrison, Angel etc) we should look at the obvious gems from the bottom end.

That means: Andy Johnson - can take a penalty; does a good dive; quite pacey but most important, looks a lot like Alan Shearer. Dean Ashton - younger than he looks, robust, big heart good in the air and with his feet and started to show signs toward the end of the season he could make it. Would be more of a gamble; could work well with Dyer up front though. He’s a lot better than Shola who I think is one who should be moved on and should fetch decent money. Peter Crouch - I can’t stand to look at his goofy features so for that reason alone I hope we don’t buy him but he has to be a possibility because the right offer will get him; anywhere has to be an improvement on Southampton, surely, although Harry is staying and he will want to hang onto him for sure.

Derek - Dear newcastle-online.com, you forgot Anthony Le Tallec and Harry Kewell in your Liverpool article! Anthony, I have not seen too much of, but a very promising player, much more so than Charles N’Zogbia if you ask me. Harry Kewell. Flop at Liverpool? I think everyone’s getting it wrong. Just like Patrick Kluivert. We saw his sublime touches; we saw his skills on the ball, but were there anyone to compliment those sublime touches? The one thing NUFC lacks are players comfortable on the ball. Look at Fabregas, an 18 year old lad, for example. 2 opposing players closing him down, he cooly turns them with some neat touches and passes the ball on to an unmarked teammate. Jenas? Toe pokes the ball away as soon as he sees the opposing players nearing and, needless to say, loses the ball. And that’s the reason why Patrick Kluivert looked like he sucked badly.

I still believe strongly that, despite being a diehard Magpies fan, it is a case of NUFC NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH for Kluivert instead of it being the other way around. Let’s move back to Mr. Kewell. Can operate on both the left wing and up front. Perfect. Let’s analyze why he’s been deemed a “flop” in Liverpool. I think it is simple; He does not get enough of the ball. Back in his heydays at Leeds, all of the team’s offensive play evolved around him. To start off a counter attack, they pass to kewell and he’ll do his job.

In liverpool? They rely on Gerard for build up. You see, Kewell is the kind of player that will create 1 goal in, maybe, 20 attempts. Which means he has to get alot of the ball. Robert is the kind of player that creates 1 goal in 40 attempts. The reason why Kewell hasn’t created enough is because he hasn’t got 20 attempts in a game to create. You cannot expect him to create goals for the team when he gets the only 5 attempts throughout a match. I think at NUFC, he’ll get the chance to see alot more of the ball and with that his confidence will grow and he’ll be back to his former best and creating tons of goals for NUFC. Regards, Derek. PS. I pray we do not sign Vignal.

Pop - I think we should get Andy Johnson quickly because he is an excellent striker almost the same as Shearer (strong in the air, good finish, his creativity was excellent too). Or the other forward I prefer to see is Owen but face it, he is not coming unless we have another Abramovic who can pay him 100,000 pounds per week. Robbie Keane is a good choice. Boa Morte I’d take him, he is a genius.

Gosport Toon - I’m an admirer of Boa Morte and Malbranque and would be happy for both to end up at the Toon. I haven’t seen enough of Collins John to comment but his stats are impressive. Fulham’s best player in my opinion is Papa Bouba Diop however and of all the Fulham players he is the one I’d like to see most at SJP. Hard tackling, lots of strength and stamina, good in the air in both boxes and can score goals from close in and from distance. As you say £5m for the other 3 with Bowyer and Butt going South and pay £4-5m for Diop.

Joel G - I think we should buy Boa Morte, Distin, Smith and Robbie Keane. And I think we should have offered P.K a new deal.

JEFC - Oi stop looking at our players you greedy bastards they’re not for sale… we finished above you in the table and I don’t think they would want to go to a team managed by sourpuss.

Conor - I’d like to see Newcastle sign Aaron Hughes back from Villa. Gutted they are letting an indispensable player leave. He can play anywhere along the back and slots easily into midfield, has masses of experience and has been loyal to the club. A more important signing would be Martin O’Neill or the like from Celtic. At what is a scary time for Newcastle, with massive rebuilding obviously to be done, Souness is in no way capable of taking Newcastle back to the top where they belong.

Fabian - Newcastle needs a play maker and seems they are not willing to splash money, a player like Rui Costa or Delgo can lead the attack. Newcastle are not confident enough at the back, so kuffour will be a bargain buy and for the strike force, the best would be Torres but we simply couldn’t get these players, shame.

Gaute Lie - I think Newcastle needs new strikers, Shearer is an old man, and Bellamy is gone. Dean Ashton, perhaps? Not a tricky player, but he gets the job done.

Dan - Wayne Bridge, Sidney Govou, Daniel De Ridder from Ajax and Andy Johnson. We could afford all of these so why not?

Carl Bird - I love Newcastle so much and I think it’s about time Souness bought a team that is worthy of taking the title. I just hope that he uses the transfer window wisely to fill in the gaps and to put us where we belong AT THE TOP!! Great site by the way.

Scott - The article “Buying From Our Premiership Rivals - Everton” epitomizes the attitude of the majority of ignorant Newcastle fans. If they aren’t a big name they aren’t good enough. The form of Everton over a 38 game season has been so much better than a dispirited, rudderless Newcastle side that is riddled with big egos and power struggles. David Moyes has lost Everton’s top scorer last season (Radzinski), potentially the best young player in English Football history and their main creative midfield influence to Real Madrid at a crucial point in the season. For you to belittle the achievement of Everton this season is arrogance beyond the norm. Regardless of the brand of football that is played - would you rather be one place above Liverpool fighting for a Champions League spot, or hovering above Birmingham and Fulham in mid to lower table mediocrity?

I know Newcastle has a tradition of bringing top quality players to the North East and I have enjoyed watching their attacking brand of football in the Premiership era, but this is part of the problem. The amount of egos that have come and gone, and continue to come and go has stopped the club developing a team work ethic. This is partly down to the management style and the choice of players, but it is also down to the fans perception of what a good player is and their pressure for the board to sign big names. Maybe Newcastle should lower their sights and accept that they now, more than ever, need to create a team and not just a bunch of under performing “big names”? Fair enough ability wise the Everton squad doesn’t compare and I agree only Cahill, Yobo and Beattie would get in the squad.

Although I reckon Hibbert and Martyn would have a good shout. But would you rather have moderate ability, 110% effort and a 4th place finish or 70% effort, good ability and a 12th place finish? The good football can come after the team ethic is instilled in each and every player. Newcastle fans, and me included need to have a change of expectation in who should be at this club - players should come to this club to play in front of the most passionate support in the UK and probably the world. They should not come for the inflated pay packets that they currently come for. I want passion at this football club, and if we could take Everton’s example then maybe once again we can be challenging for silverware. As Everton have proved: organisation, tactical awareness, motivation and self belief are a lot more important than so called technically gifted players that don’t care about the club. If you disagree with the above you are just one of the blind, who cant see the rot that our football club is ridden with.

Matthew Farmer - Signings? Apart from a Columbian hit-man to dispose of Shepherd? Lets see - not realistic - Michael Essien. The best defensive midfielder in the market at the moment. Would be easily ours just 2 years ago (seems like a life time ago) before Freddy managed to send us up a creek without a paddle. Realistic? Andy Johnson (the most realistic purchase to fill Shearer’s boots). Phil Jagielka (good England U-21 centre back).

Leon B - I’d like to see Newcastle go for Luis Boa Morte because he’s quick, direct and has goal scoring ability. I really like Steed Malbranque too, he’s very creative and works extremely hard for the team. I reckon we could get them both for around 9m. I also feel we need to get rid of Nicky Butt! I don’t know why he always seems to get caught over the half way line when he’s supposed to be protecting the back four! If he was quicker he could afford to do so but he’s not and he should just be a holding player and stop trying to be what he’s not.

Joe Bell - Although Souness has said he wants older and experienced players for next season, I would not be unhappy about a move for Dean Ashton. He’s big, strong, good in the air and can score from outside of the box just as well as he can inside it. Basically he’s doing everything Shola Ameobi should be doing in front of goal and with alot less Premiership experience. He grows better with every game he plays and not just for Norwich but the England U21’s too

Robert McCluskey - Hi, I think Souness can’t control the players he’s got now and the only way were going to stay up is if we spend. Scott Parker is a good signing and Gareth Barry is a favourite of mine who I’d like to see at Newcastle next season, take the money on Jenas and run I say. Basically we need improving in every area, with Bellamy and Kluivert unfortunately gone, Shearer can’t play every game every season, Ameobi is useless, we need some good strikers. Adam Boyd from Hartlepool is hugely under rated and deserves a shot at top flight and Robbie Keane would be a fantastic signing to replace the pace of Bellamy, the Brazilian from Sporting also looked quality. However up front this season I was very impressed when I saw Klaas Jan Huntelaar from Heerenveen, that could be a bargain for us. Another strong centre back is needed; Chivu from Roma looks like he’s on his way out due to their financial difficulties - why not capitalise? Even Jorge Andrade from Deportivo would be great, maybe we should re show some interest in him in the summer. Rosenior from Fulham I believe is a brilliant right back, we should attempt to sign him while he’s still young. Midfield is also a concern now; at one point it looked like our strongest point. But Butt has been disappointing, after his display in FA cup semi final it appears he’s still attached to the Mancs. Faye doesn’t offer anything to Newcastle and Bowyer has been costly to us this season. De Ridder from Ajax has been mentioned who I know nothing about, but midfield is a tricky one in my opinion, as N’Zogbia and Ambrose have looked immense towards the end of the season, along with Dyer on form we may need to pick up only 1 or 2. Certainly the teams who were battling relegation have some quality in their ranks, Gera from West Brom and McKenzie from Norwich all look impressive. Overall the team needs an overhaul of quality and consistent players.

Shaun Dean - Paddy Kenny - if Given Goes or as second choice keeper. Gareth Barry, Daniel De Ridder, Nolberto Solano, Dirk Kuyt, Luis Figo and Jorge Andrade.

Stephen - I wouldn’t mind getting Andy Van Der Meyde for right midfield, Robbie Keane, Wayne Bridge if he would come for left back, I still think we need another centre back too so I wouldn’t mind Matthew Upson. I think signing Scott Parker is good too as he is exactly the type of player we need at the minute. Whoever we sign in the summer has to be willing to fight for this club and must at least have some technical ability unlike most of the current crop of players. And Eidur Gudjohnson is a player I have admired for some time I think he is underrated at Chelsea.

Davey Bone - First and foremost I would like a centre half. I am still unconvinced by Bramble and although he has played well of late and appears to be settling alongside Boumsong, we cannot take the chance of getting to September and realising Bramble has not improved. Steven Taylor however looks a very good prospect but I feel Huth would add stability to our squad and he has some good experience, despite his relative youth. The next player I would chase is again at Stamford Bridge, Wayne Bridge. I feel Bridge would be a great signing and exactly what we need, someone who is interested and who loves to get forward to put a ball into the box. I realise we have had this in Babayaro and Bernard but I feel bridge is a cut above and is not just a money chaser!

Moving into midfield I would capture Boa Morte from Fulham. I realise the Toon chased him in January, and failed but I don’t think we would fail a second time. Coleman needs cash to strengthen and I feel we could take Boa from the Cottage for around £4m. Boa Morte is a sparky left sided winger/forward who makes things happen and always seems to work hard, he can score goals and I feel he and Bridge would complement each other well, especially from an attacking point of view. Failing this, I would go to Lancashire and capture Pederson from Blackburn. He boasts a very impressive goal haul for the amount of games he has started this term and again he works hard and likes to get a ball into the box. Nobby Solano is also a very attractive midfield option. It still saddens me that we ‘dumped’ the tricky little wide man and he is doing very well at Villa, in fact, I believe he is their top goalscorer this season. Nobby loved to make things happen and was great at putting the ball into the area and delivering a good set piece, something that we will miss form the side, especially now Robert has gone.

I would keep Lee Bowyer in the middle, I realise that this looks very unlikely but I think he is the box to box work horse that we need. Now for the forwards, I would love to see Kieron Dyer play up front with Alan Shearer. I feel he is the perfect foil (in the Bellamy mould) for the dependable striker but I’m afraid that Alan can only play around half of our fixtures next term, and given Dyer’s injury problems I feel we need two new hungry centre forwards who can do the business. I would love to see Alan Smith at the Toon and I feel he would be a future captain who would inject some fight into the side. However, I believe he will try his luck at Old Trafford for one more season and we cannot wait that long. I would go for Venegoor of Hesselink from PSV. The target man is mooted to fancy a move to England and I feel we should bring him in now as he would be a perfect target man for the crosses that Bridge/Boa Morte and Carr/Solano would supply! He could also learn a lot from Mr Shearer in his final year at the Toon.

To complement Venegoor I would have Robbie Keane, the cheeky little Irishman who loves to play football and can be a deadly finisher on his day. Again I believe these two would form a dangerous ‘little and large’ partnership and would be a difficult pairing for any center halves to deal with, due to their contrasting attributes. I realise the amount of names I have mentioned may seem a little far fetched. But I honestly believe that such ‘major surgery’ is needed for us to be battling for top four again. Given the amount of money that the departures of the likes of Robert, Bellamy, Viana?, Butt?, Babayaro?, Kluivert, Bowyer? (and in my opinion Ameobi should also go) is going to generate, added to the cash that Freddy MUST put in, we could afford such major changes. I just hope that we don’t sack another manager in August, as we love to do, because we will again have to give the new man ‘time to build his team’ etc. We have Souness now, lets give him a full year and if he has not done the biz, sack him after the last game of the season and give ourselves a realistic chance of getting a top manager who has money and a full pre season to get organised!

Rob - Nathan Dyer from Southampton. Looks like the next Shaun Wright-Phillips perhaps. Left footer too.

Russell - No suggestions for players we should bring in. Having just read that you would only consider two from Bolton, clearly we have not been watching the same Newcastle this season. I would swap their manager and at least nine of their first eleven (including Gary Speed). Is it just me or have Bolton been a lot more entertaining than us this season and given the table does not lie, I suggest you see where the other nine that you would not take, have themselves taken Bolton. I would love to see you do a summary on the Toon and how many of our players would interest Bolton, Spurs, Boro, Everton and Liverpool?

Toon Fan - Forwards Michael Owen and Alan Smith. Midfielders Stuart Downing and Nobby Solano. Defenders Sami Kaffour and Wayne Bridge. ‘Keeper Paddy Kenny. Get rid of Ameobi , Jenas, Bowyer, Faye or Butt and Babayaro.

Afjyip - Development of the Magpies hasn’t been quite on track these days as the team finished 14th, it’s worse than the past three years. As an off-shore fan, I felt really sorry for the team not only on their results, but that they have violated the policy of “buy young, buy British”. Obviously that was a policy set up by Sir Bobby Robson, a patriot, as the previous manager, but given soccer as an investment, we should look further to a team when young guys like Milner, Ameobi, Jenas, Bramble, Ambrose, Taylor and (for an exception) N’Zogpia can be groomed to eventually work with Shearer (going to be the next manager) and other more mature guys such as Given, Bournsong, Dyer, Bowyer (his life in Newcastle looks over), Carr and Faye. Just one or two positions need adjustment/addition (such as Carrick and Defoe from Spurs? The young left back from Bolton whose name I’ve forgotten. Is it Hunter…?) from elsewhere. With good management, I am confident that this team will shine.

Craig Angus - I think we need to strengthen the following positions if we are to avoid another season of heartache: LB: We need a left back and if Ashley Cole does not go to Chelsea, I would love to see Newcastle go and sign Gael Cliche. Looks a class act when he fills in for Cole and I think if we pursued our interest we could get him for 3-4million. If that fails we should try for Leighton Baines at Wigan. U21 international who I think would be steady away if Given a chance at NUFC. CB: We have Boumsong who is good and Taylor who is going to be exceptional. Bramble is sound but that’s only if he keeps his form before his injury. We need a centre half with experience to help the younger centre halfs on as well as Peter Ramage. Signing Gareth Southgate would be a superb move. RM: In an ideal world SWP would be my choice, but we are Newcastle United FC and therefore he wont join us. So a realistic target would be Nobby or Brett Emerton. I think Emerton would thrive at St. James’ Park and his power and strength would bring an extra dimension to our team which we have never had.

LM: I think Charles N’Zogbia should be given a run next season with Gareth Barry being the obvious player who we could get. Don’t want Boa Morte as he could have came in Jan instead he used us to get a higher wage packet at FFC. CF: We need a striker with blistering pace to compliment Shearer. But why does Shearer have to be 1st choice? Don’t get me wrong I love Alan Shearer and he is the most committed player to ever pull on the black and white stripes (not the most talented as Peter Beardsley is that). But we should be buying players who can form the basis of this team for the next 5 years not to partner shearer for 1 season. I would go for Nathan Ellington and Andy Johnson.

Jake Bernstone - Dirk Kujt, Gareth Barry, Zoltan Gera and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Mick Grimes - Newcastle have to be realistic with the players they can attract. I think Andy Johnson and Dean Ashton fall into that, category decent players who would jump at a chance to play at Newcastle.

Andrew Stewart - David Nugent of Preston North End would be worth a gamble. He’s almost 20 and has made an effortless jump up from Bury FC (League 2) to Preston North End. He’s fast (not quite as fast as Craig Bellamy), but is great at chasing knock downs and running at the keeper to slot the ball home. One for the future? I’ve seen him a few times playing for Bury and has stood out as a starlet in a struggling side.

Jack - In my opinion we are always taking risky but expensive bids around the 2-6mil range, in my eyes we will never make any progress with players likes these (Bowyer, Titus however he really had a great second half of the season till he got bloody injured, Milner who is still young, Faye even as well) in my eyes we have wasted large amounts of money, on 10 or so players, and I think everyone would prefer 3-4 STARS then 10 players good enough for a bottom half, struggling to make UEFA even. Maybe I’m wrong, Jenas was a great buy, why we sold Nobby and Speed then bought Butt is beyond me. Viana not played enough I think he could be good and he would want to be for 8m, 3 or 4 HUGE SINGINGS obviously = millions and millions of pounds but unfortunately we don’t have 11 Steven Taylor’s coming out of our juniors do we?

Barry - Just read your comments on signing any players from our club, as much as I like NUFC I don’t think your manager has what it takes to attract the better players from other clubs (hopefully not ours) and the player you never mentioned whom when fit will become a regular on the left for England, David Dunn… good luck next season.

James - Bernard from Southampton because they have been relegated, so we should bring back Olly. It may be worth bidding for Crouch as well, tall, strong and good in the air.

Christer Westerberg - Well I have had some ideas for quite some time. Beasley from PSV who is a good left winger/striker, Diego from Porto, who is a great attacking midfield. Anzar Karadas from Portugal that has the ability to play both as striker and as a defender. We really need to get a couple of players. A goalkeeper, two Defenders at least, and a really good striker with the head of Shearer, And I feel Karadas has that head. But I also feel that the necessarily is to protect the youngsters that we have at base now. I have seen what Ramage can do, as well as Taylor. Other attackers have trouble and resent coming here because we never let Shearer rest. Don’t get me wrong he has done a great job, and I want him to stay, but now when he signed a coach/player role why don’t we have other people come forward and present him as a option? I want to keep the real talent like Zogbia, Milner, Taylor, Chopra, Viana, Ramage.

Cyril Fox - Rumour has it Arsenal are in the chase with Newcastle to buy Hatem Trabelsi. If this is the case Arsenal have an impressive right back - Emannuelle Eboue

Adam Duda - There are many areas we need to invest in over the summer. What Souness said about buying players that are in their mid 20’s is the right way of thinking. I would like to see a new left back, left and right sided wingers, a new defensive midfielder (I think Souness thought Faye would be the new Viera or something), and two new strikers. That’s 6 new players, so firstly get rid of all the deadwood - that would make a bit money. At left back I think Gael Clichy from Arsenal if Cole doesn’t go to Chelsea. He’s looked class when he’s played, and I don’t think he’d push Cole out of the starting line up, so first team football might be attractive. O’Shea from Man Utd? I do agree with Barry from Aston Villa, he would be expensive but it would be worth it in the long run.

Miles - Hi, although I think this season has been a disaster I am glad that both Shepherd and Souness at least realise the fact that there have to be countless changes. I think however hard working players they may be, players such as O’Brien, Ameobi and Bowyer just aren’t good enough. We should aim for quality seeing as we finished 3rd not so long ago. I think Robbie Keane would be a great signing as well as players such as Upson, Huth or Yobo. Definitely Barry would be a solid signing too. In terms of outside of the Premiership I think a player such as Trabelsi would be a good signing, someone who can attack down the wing but will add steel and not expose the full backs. I would not go for players such as Downing, Johnson because yes they have had good seasons but it has only been one season - so it would be a gamble that we can’t afford to take.

Shaun Pattinson - I agree that that Nobby is not the answer. We need someone along the lines of Pires or Lundberg and that is who I would go for. These 2 will start to find themselves on the fringes at Highbury and they would be perfect for us. Pires in particular.

Sean - Robbie Keane - pace up front, good finisher, nice goal celebration, wants away from Spurs. Olof Mellburg - leader, professional, experienced. Morten Gamst Pederson - young, skillful, fast, great set piece delivery, eye for a goal. Brett Emerton - hard working, good crosser, quite cheap. Wayne Bridge - Chelsea look set to bring in a new left back and Bridge could want away - with the top clubs in England already having established left backs we could be the biggest club in for him, failing that - J’lloyd Samuel. Belozglu Emre - skillful, creative, good left peg - cover for the left wing as well as a good centre midfielder - knows Souey well, good player. Sebastian Squillachi - Monaco centre back, french international team mate of Boumsong, should come quite cheap, Souey doesn’t like risks though. Lee Camp - replacement for probably outgoing Harper.

Jammo - Robbie Fowler, Joe Cole, Jerome Rothen, Jorge Andrade, Hatem Trabelsi and Wayne Bridge.

Joe Fowler - Valeri Bojinov of Lecce - he’s awesome, maybe even better than Rooney and relatively unknown…

Mads (Villa Fan) - Take Barry, he is useless and slow. His work-rate is abysmal at times and he is more inconsistent than Dyer at his worst. Barry is one of the players regarded as not good enough by us Villa-faithfulls, so please, take him!!

Nuhu- I will like to see either Steven Pienaar (Ajax) or Emre(inter), Shaun Wright Phillps, Boa Morte, Andy Johnson/Michael Owen join Nufc.

Saun Sean - Shaun Wright Phillips - sores goals, English, would solve right midfield problem, will frighten defences with his pace, still young at 23 (but no chance). Alan Smith - will give 100%, wont be Shearer’s replacement but will still be good signing, English. Stewart Downing - probably wont happen but I would like to see, good crossing for Shearer, young and English, replacement for Robert. Michael Owen - will be good replacement for Alan Shearer, proven goalscorer in Premiership, still why would he join Newcastle United when he could join almost anyone? Luis Figo - will cost abit in wages but he is a brilliant player regardless of what people say, wants to come to Premiership, creative and can play left or right wing. Do not sign Andy Johnson he has scored more goals from penalties then anything else. I think it is nine from the spot, he has had one season in the Premiership and can you remember Marcus Stewart. Do not sign rubbish Distin or average Boa Morte either, they will not improve Newcastle into a side challenging for a Champions League place.

Chris Robson - Morten Gamst Pedersen has really impressed me. He’d be a more than capable replacement for Robert in my opinion.

Ronan M - As we all know there has to be drastic changes at this club in the summer. Here are my ideas for new signings. Defence - Huth, likely to stay at Chelsea but is a possibility. Gallas - likely to leave Chelsea but a move to Barcelona is more likely. Barry - ideal signing as he can play everywhere. Kuffour - experienced player but will probably be caught for pace in the Prem. Distin - I’m not his biggest fan but better than what we have. Woodgate - may come back on loan if Real buy defenders in the summer. Bonera - Italy international playing at Parma. The English game may be too fast for him. Very unlikely. Andrade - great defender but I doubt we will get him. Bridge - might leave if they sign Cole or Carlos. Midfield - Downing, more than likely go to Arsenal but you never know. Pederson - good payer far better than Robert. I think he would definitely come if we tried to get him. Govou - right sided player. I think he is a bit overrated. Davids - I would love to see him come because he would add a bit of drive to the midfield. Van der Meyde - good player but is also a right midfielder. Kily Gonzales - will definitely leave Inter this season. Castelan - he is a good player. Riquelme - love to see him here. Great passer and that’s what we need. Forwards - Johnson, I like the way he plays and IMO would be a good signing. Smith - I doubt Man Utd will let him go but a real possibility. Saha - not happy at Man Utd. IMO would be good at NUFC. Tomasson - had a terrible time here but is now a far better player. We need 4 or 5 players from that list for next season.

Chris - My first choice summer signings would be either, Martin O’Neil or David O’Leary, who all know how to to get the best out of the players they have at their disposal, know how to deal with players personalities, can handle players also and deal effectively with the media, do not blame everyone but themselves when players do not perform, and try to get their teams to play effective attacking football. Newcastle United cannot afford to let Greame Souness destroy our club anymore than he has already. We cannot allow a repeat of what Kenny Dalglish did to a team of extremely talented attacking players, and allow Souness to buy a team full of Amdy Faye’s, when we need a team full of Rob Lee’s. I have watched newcastle United for thirty years and have been a season ticket holder for 19 years and in that time I don’t think I have ever been so disappointed with the appointment of a manager as I was when Greame Souness was appointed and I feel my disappointment has been fully justified, only what makes it worse, is the fact that I did not expect him to destroy my beloved Newcastle United as quickly as he has.

Eric Nyborg - Summer signings? Well, we need a right winger to our squad, everyone knows that. I’m not saying this because I’m a 17 year old sweed… but Christian Whilhelmsson at Anderlecht would be a perfect buy for us I must say! Have you watched him play sometimes? He’s quality I tell you! He has the speed, dribbles like Ronaldo at Man Utd and has the eye for goal.

Gosport Toon - Andy Johnson - quick, consistent, almost injury free, right attitude, can score with head and feet, quite young. Alan Smith - reasonably quick, consistent, injury free, right attitude, can score with head and feet, quite young. Downing - ideal replacement for Robert, skilful and hard working - an unusual combination, scores goals and makes goals, quite young. Distin - can play CB or LB, good in the air, quick on the ground, injury free, right attitude, might help further with Boum and N’Zogbia settling in. Emre or Gravesen - all get stuck in and can tackle, all can pass, all can score goals, right attitude, played at a high level.

Charles Ma - Lets start with the free transfers. Willy Sagnol from Bayern. Sagnol is well respected and has vast international experience and is a no nonsense player. I would highly recommend Henri Camara from Southampton. Camara has great pace and is full of energy. Camara clearly showed he can mess up the best defenders in Europe when Ronaldinho called him up to play for his team earlier this season against the European all star team. Lets head over to the Seria A. When I look at Parma’s squad, there are certainly a few players I would think may benefit Newcastle United. 1) Sebestian Frey (GK). 2) Paolo Cannavaro (Centre Back). 3) Daniele Bonera (Centre/Left back). Bonera is a quality defender who has international experience with Italy and is only in his mid 20s. Cannavaro played in the semi finals of the UEFA Cup and he did well against Sporting. Sebestian Frey, long time target by big clubs. Why not attempt to bring him over and replace Harper? No harm trying.

Arsenal Fan - Saw the story about Arsenal players Newcastle were interested in, and I have to disagree on Aliadiere. He would be a great signing for you lot. He’s been terribly unlucky with injuries, and frankly, suffers more from the players in front of him being top class than anything. When he has played, which has been rare, he’s looked like a good poacher in the box. He’s young, he isn’t a chav, and he has a pont to prove. If a club like you, who have the potential to be anywhere from top 5 to league winners, signed him, and showed faith in him, he’d fit in quite nicely alongside the other young talent in your squad. Bottom line, I’d take him over Ameobi, Chopra, or Kluivert (at this stage in his career, not the vintage Ajax Kluivert) in his position to go alongside Shearer next season.

Matthew Farmer - Just a couple of points about how our season has gone and our younger players. 1) The youngsters - I don’t think that blooding the younger players is such a great idea… (Milner, Ambrose, etc). To be honest I don’t rate the current crop of youngsters who are knocking on the door of the 1st team. I just don’t think they have the quality to be top class players. Milner especially seems very weighed down by his price tag and hasn’t performed. We need some morale boosting results and they won’t give us them. 2) Our league position. Everyone seems keen to look upwards, but I am more of a pessimist. A few bad results, and we could actually get sucked into an end of season relegation battle. A couple of defeats for us matched with some good results for the relegation battling teams, and we will be in trouble. (Which takes me back to why it would be a bad idea to use the youngsters).

3) Where we go from here - I’m not sure we’ll mange to attract many top players this close-season as, by the look of it, we might even miss out on the inter-toto cup. We know the squad needs a massive set of changes. Its going to be a long rebuilding period. I’m not really happy with the contribution of anyone except Shearer, Given and Boumsong. (And recently Dyer has been impressive). Kluivert I feel is Marcelino mark 2 , and has arrived with a big reputation and taken the piss a bit. When he came on against Sporting, he looked like he had more “excess baggage” than a top-footballer should have after one to many quay side bar visits. 4) The strikers - We know Kluivert’s probably off, and Bellamy too. And that Shola will never be a Shearer standard (or championship standard) player. Here’s what I think we should do: Celtic want Bellamy? Well they can have him for a part-exchange for Chris Sutton. I feel Sutton would be useful as he can play as a good centre-back as well as a striker, and had a good partnership with Shearer at Blackburn. I think we should also buy one of Darren Bent or Nathan Ellington as they’re both good, young and fast. And know where the goal is. Anyway, just a few things there. We all know its been a disappointing campaign well short of all our expectations, that frankly promised allot more.