Best Match: 2-0 Everton (H) last season; dominant from start to finish, with a clean sheet, good passing football and two good goals (particularly the second one) from Nobby

Worst Match: either
(a) 0-1 Sheff Utd (H) this season; simply woeful, as if none of our players knew how to pass to each other properly. Or
(b) 0-3 Man City (A) last season; proved to be Souness’ last game in charge. The players were simply not playing as a team.

Best Goal Scored: Nobby’s strike with the outside of his right foot against Everton last season (high degree of skill required)

Worst Goal Conceeded: Boumsong’s missed clearance against Liverpool last season which led to a red card and a penalty. Shocking to say the least.

Best Player: Have to be N’Zogbia. I could have chosen Parker, Taylor, Given or Solano. But I made this choice based on the whole of 2006, how much the player’s involved in all of our games and his overall performance. Zoggy was instrumental in our push for an Intertoto Cup place last season; this season he stepped up amidst all the injury problems we had and contributed significantly to our recent survival.

Worst Player: Boumsong; never a doubt in my mind. As a manager I would even be happy to let him leave on a free in case no clubs want him.

Best Overall Moment: Has got to be the final whistle of the final game against Chelsea last season, when we qualified for Europe after a poor season. (And also the whole Shearer testimonial, plus the last penalty he scored)

Worst Overall Moment: when we just lost 3-0 to Man City, confidence was all gone, players’ heads dropped, and we all dreaded the next matchday

Best XI: (again, based on the whole of 2006, players have to have played a significant amount of games to feature here)

Best Signing made: Sibierski by a million miles (he’s free, and has scored 6 goals, all important goals, for us this season)

Biggest Mistake in the Transfer market (i.e. The one player we should have bought but didn’t or the player we really shouldn’t have bought): Luque (GBP 9.5M).
I do feel sorry for this Spaniard.
Had a decent debut against ManU last season, then got that nasty injury, and when he got back (actually was rushed back by you-know-who) he looked like a totally uninterested human being who can’t be bothered to move his bums.
To make matters worse, the manager who signed him was fired, here came a guy who’s obviously had something personal against him and left him completely frozen out.

The point at which you were proudest to be a Toon fan:
again, had to be the 1-0 victory against (even a weakened) Chelsea.
We have to consider how dire circumstances we’re in when we just lost to Man City insipidly; we’re 6 points from the drop zone and just looking over our shoulders. We would have laughed at anyone at that point talking about qualifying for Europe. To be able to play together as a unit straight away and getting 32 points from the last 15 games, thus a place in Europe, from 15th to 7th in the table, takes a lot of character from the players, and that’s what a Geordie should be proud of.

The point at which you were deeply embarassed of the club (if any):
When we had to endure the purposeless, dour and hopeless football we played under Souness; at that point I was even thinking if this team was called Newcastle United. Also, when I had to hear all his excuses about injuries and stuff week in week out after every single defeat.

Best Home atmosphere:
Again, at the 1-0 win over Chelsea, when we’re down to 10 men and the fans, knowing that they had to spur the players on to hold onto our slender one-goal lead, sang their hearts out so loud that the players couldn’t even hear what Roeder’s telling them on the sidelines.

Best away atmosphere:
When 4000 Geordies travelled to Stamford Bridge in an FA Cup quarter final on a Wednesday night, outsang the Chelsea “fans” throughout the game and prevented the stadium from becoming a library

Toon Pros of this year:
Our legend Alan Shearer broke the goalscoring record.
Against all the odds, Roeder transformed us from genuine relegation candidates last season to a team playing in Europe.
Youngsters from our Academy like Taylor, Ramage and Huntington breaking into the first team and giving 120% every time they play.
We still have the craziest and most loyal fans in the world.
Finally, we signed a huge young talent in the name of Obafemi Martins.

Toon Cons of this year:
Roeder’s team selection when he’s got options available, always sticking with his “untouchables” - Baba, Carr, Bramble, Shola and co.
Shepherd still hasn’t learnt and will never learn from his mistakes (the list of which is too long to include here) during his reign at the club, and will not relinquish power until (everyone knows it won’t happen with him here) we win a trophy.
The inept board is still here in our club cheating supporters’ money.

Overall Comment:
With such a fantastic fan base, a wonderful stadium and a solid youth Academy, this club has got a nice foundation to build on and the potential to achieve success on the pitch.
What it needs is the right people in charge, people with vision and strategic long-term planning, from the chairman, the entire board down to the manager and his coaching staff, physios and scouting team.
Roeder still isn’t the right man to take this club forward in the long-term in my opinion.
And obviously Shepherd (and the board as well) needs to go to allow things to happen here.

Best Match: 4 - 1 against the Mackems

Worst Match: 3 - 0 against Man City away

Best Goal Scored: Parker’s 30 yarder again Charlton

Worst Goal Conceeded: Erm, let me plunge through them all

Best Player: Scotty Parker

Worst Player: Luque, heap of shite

Best Overall Moment: Shearer stepping onto the turf for the last time and the immediate roar!

Worst Overall Moment: Watching the toon fall down the table with Souness

Best XI:
Given
Solano
Bramble
Taylor
Ramage

Best Signing made: Sibi, no-one can say anything, he’s scored when called upon

Biggest Mistake in the Transfer market (i.e. The one player we should have bought but didn’t or the player we really shouldn’t have bought): Luque, absolute disgrace. Everyone uses his injury as an excuse! He’s paid mega bucks to play football he should be able to cope! Obviously not.

The point at which you were proudest to be a Toon fan: Shearer’s testimonial

The point at which you were deeply embarassed of the club (if any): Always proud

Best Home atmosphere: Shearer’s Testimonial

Best away atmosphere: Arsenal

Toon Pros of this year: Dyer’s back, Milner’s immense and Luque wants to leave!

Toon Cons of this year: Injury list is immensely long

Overall Comment: With our first team players back and some decent signings such as Distin, Nugent or Bent and a few others, I think we can come good and still finish in the top 7 and maybe with a good cup run finally break our duck of no silverware! Haway the Toon!

Scotty Parker, Given, Taylor and James Milner are world class, what would Newcastle do without them.

Best Match: Spurs at home I particularly enjoyed.

Worst Match: Sheffield United

Best Goal Scored: Nobby’s against Everton.

Worst Goal Conceeded:

Best Player: Scott Parker

Worst Player: Jean Alain Boumsong

Best Overall Moment: Qualifying for the Intertoto

Worst Overall Moment: The lack of signings.

Best XI:
Given,
Solano,
Moore,
Taylor,
Ramage,
Milner,
Parker,
Emre,
NZogbia,
Owen,
Dyer.
Individually they have been the best in their respective positions. I dont think that Owen and Dyer would work together though.

Best Signing made: Sibierski, you can’t deny it.

Biggest Mistake in the Transfer market (i.e. The one player we should have bought but didn’t or the player we really shouldn’t have bought): Not buying Woodgate, Huth or Bridge.

The point at which you were proudest to be a Toon fan:
Coming back to beat the Mackems, hardly something to be particularly proud of considering how unbelievably shit they are/were, but that’s all I can think of.

The point at which you were deeply embarassed of the club (if any): Evertime Freddie Shepherd opened his mouth. When Boumsong hauled down Crouch live on Sky Sports at the Gallowgate to get a red card and give away a penalty when it looked like we might get something out of the game.

Best Home atmosphere: Against Spurs I thought.

Best away atmosphere: I wouldn’t know to be fair. I’d guess it was at the SOS though.

Toon Pros of this year: Duff could work out as being a bargain once he gets his arse in gear? Qualifying for Europe when all seemed lost. Dyer being back.

Toon Cons of this year:
Lack of signings, no Owen, no Shearer, Freddie spouting his usual crap, Roeder looking like he’s not up to the job and admiring other managers out loud, making us look like their lap dogs. I dont like that, we’re our own team, no harm in respecting managers, but out loud is undermining the team and our aspirations I think.

Overall Comment:
Like every report card I got at school, we have potential but we need to concentrate and do better. At least I had a pen to write with though, Roeder doesn’t have many players to work with. Who knows what will happen.

Best Match:
Probably our 2-0 win over Pompey in Roeder’s first game. It was such a delight to see us play such attacking one-touch football after 18 months of hell under Souness. One of our best performances this year.

Worst Match:
We were absolutely unbelieveable against Sheffield United the other week but the 3-0 away defeat to Man City was probably the worst. The only time this year I’ve turned a Newcastle game off at half time. Shocking peformance and I knew straight afterwards, it would Souness’ last game in charge.

Best Goal Scored:
Shearer’s goal against Pompey is the goal that sticks out in my mind. Great finish for a great player and he deserved to break the record in that way.

Worst Goal Conceeded:
There’s quite a few. The two Bolton goals the other week were shocking to conceed as were the Fulham ones and the Rooney goals last season at OT.

Best Player:
It’s gonna be either Shearer or Given. Given has never put in a bad performance all season; he is arguably one of the best Goalkeepers in this league, some of his saves are World Class and in terms of consistency, there are very few who can match him. Shearer was amazing as well. We couldn’t score if he wasn’t on the pitch and his goals and leadership helped us to 7th place.

Worst Player:
Gotta be Boumsong. His mistakes were ridiculous and I’m so glad we managed to get rid of him. He was the poorest defender I’ve ever seen and Bramble is even a better defender than him. He looked clueless and in a different world on the pitch. Bramble and Ramage even managed more decent appearances than he did. Possibly one of the worst defenders we’ve ever had.

Best Overall Moment:
Watching Shearer off in style with his penalty at the Gallowgate end and the reception the fans created that night. Also making Europe beating Chelsea 1-0 was a pretty special moment.

Worst Overall Moment:
The last few days of the transfer window; I went in with so much hope and expectation and came out with Rossi, Bernard and Sibierski - the latter being the only one to impress thus far.

Best XI:
This year:
Given
Solano Taylor Moore Babayaro
Milner Parker Bowyer N’Zogbia
Emre
Shearer

This Season:
Given
Solano Taylor Ramage N’Zogbia
Milner Emre Butt Dyer
Sibierski Martins

Best Signing made:
Probably Sibierski as he’s the only signing that has impressed me this season. Duff has been a let down and Martins is only just beginning to shine.

Biggest Mistake in the Transfer market (i.e. The one player we should have bought but didn’t or the player we really shouldn’t have bought):
Duff was a waste of £5m imo. We didn’t really need him and he hasn’t really impressed. That money could have been better spent at the back or upfront - Midfield is not a priority.

The point at which you were proudest to be a Toon fan:
Probably, like T27, being involved in the Hitzfeld campaign and seeing it peak like it did. It showed what a group of Toon fans can do if they have the commitment to succeed.

The point at which you were deeply embarassed of the club (if any):
I’m never really embarassed to be a fan of Newcastle but some of the performances have made me feel like the rest of the world is laughing at us.

Best Home atmosphere:
The Shearer Testimonial was amazing and the scarf waving made it even more special. It really was a special way to bid farewell to Shearer.

Best away atmosphere:
Probably the Sunderland atmosphere after Shearer scored the penalty. It really did shut them up

Toon Pros of this year:
Shearer breaking the record, Souness finally leaving the club, reaching Europe against the odds, qualifying for the Knockout stages of the UEFA Cup, Taylor finally getting his first goal, the 4-1 thrashing of Sunderland, the development of Butt after his return from Birmingham, Milner starting to look very good on the wing, Dyer back to fitness (hopefully)

Toon Cons of this year:
Roeder isn’t the right man for the job, Shepherd is still chairman, the spending in transfer window was ridiculous, Owen’s injured, we still have players like Bramble, Carr and Babayaro at the club, Luque doesn’t look like he’s going to get any better, we haven’t replaced Shearer.

Overall Comment:
Decent year but could and should have been alot better than it was. Major things need to be changed in 2007, we need better defenders and a better manager, we need to win a trophy and we need to get away from the bottom half of the table. Bring on 2007