The match will be on at noon EST Saturday on FSW - I am assuming the match started at the usual Saturday kickoff time. We shall see how the club reacts to losing its most vital defender for the season.
The preview wasn't up this early, but might we see Taylor in the middle? Or is he way to raw to stick in the decimated back line with all there is to play for. Taylor Signs a New Deal Thx, Jay!
Tough call Jay. Hughes play central defense for Ulster but at the corner for the Toon. Normally, I would say that Taylor would be better off in the center, but with Bramble, who knows?
Here's that preview from Soccernet. Also, nO'seBrien begins a 2 game ban after the Man City tilt. About Bramble from the article: "However, Woodgate's torn thigh muscle, which threatens his participation in this summer's Euro 2004 finals, and O'Brien's impending Barclaycard Premiership suspension, mean that he will be the Magpies' defensive linchpin for the end of a campaign which promises so much but could yet be ripped apart by injury." And Daniel Cordone Banned for 2 years after failed drugs tests in Argentina. Didn't AC/DC sing "THC it's dynomite!" Thx, Jay!
Total garbage. Bramble should watch the tape 10 times and try and see what a total muppet he was. Viana only good player and he was awful in the last 20 mins wasting balls. Forget the UEFA cup final if they play like that in Marseille. Get Taylor in for Bramble and tell them if we don't play like we did against Chelsea then they can forget an summer hols cos it's training every day over the summer. I'm bloody sick and tired of seeing them play well against a good team and beat them and go and give a half arsed piece of piss performace like they did today. We can forget winning anything if they keep doing it. 4th place HA we don't fcuking deserve it. And as for newspaper reports about us after Keown if we do sign him i'm not renewing my season ticket and i don't care what people say because if we don't buy the players that we need (central defender, defensive midfielder and a shearer replacement) then it will be the same as this season and probably worse. I'll gladly pay £50 more a season if it means we get the players we need and actually have a decent chance of challenging for the title. Bloody hell i'm so annoyed about today. I hope nay they better feel as bad as me or worse as me because if they don't there not fit to wear the shirt. I'd rather finish 14th and have everyone playing there best than finish 4th with players stroling through matches and not giving a damn (ROBERT!!) He disappered for the last 20 mins of the match. Sell him and play young Brittain in his place because at least he'll give his all. All together a total shambles and if we don't buy the players in the summer then we'll go preciesly no-where and probably backwards. It may be controversial but I'm beginning to wonder if next season is to long for dear old Bobby to be the top man. Not get rid of him totally but just move him upstairs and get the guy from Porto in.
I have just got back from Manchester and endorse everything said by Toon Toon. If Bramble plays on Thursday, it will be a miracle if Drogba doesn't score three. Playing Taylor would be a risk, but playing Titus would be suicidal. The second half performance was a scandal - I don't think we had a shot anywhere near goal, Shearer having one blocked by a defender was all. Robert was shocking. On two separate occasions he stopped running for a ball and then had to start again when he realised it wasn't going out of play. His lack of effort is infuriating. If he misses the rest of the season, then on his current form it won't really damage us. And what was Bobby thinking about? Bringing on Bridges and Chopra for Shola and Ambrose may have been a tactical stroke of genius. However, as he did it with only four and a half minutes left we will never know. With Bellamy out of the team and the lack of a suitable replacement (i.e. a fast striker), balls through the middle do not work for us. Without any real contribution from our wide midfield players (although Ambrose did at least try) we were left just hoofing the ball up the middle, often by the back four. I am going to Marseilles (in fact I couldn't get a hotel room there, so am staying at Aix-en-Provence, about 15 miles north) but after today's performance I am treating it as a holiday with an incidental football match squeezed in.
I think it's time to sit Bramble down, play Hughes and Taylor in the middle and suffer with a cadaveor on the right - yes, Bramble is that poor. I also think that regardless of what happens for the rest of the season, the club should get rid of the players who don't give effort every match. I also think Viana played well again, even though he didn't do so well in the last 20 minutes.
While watching Leeds go down today, the announcer said that Newcastle is "in the running" for Alan Smith. It got me to thinking about the same 3 replacements needed (4 if you count the gaffer). Leeds was in the same spot just what, 3 seasons ago? And they're goin down (I loved watching that kid cry today!)! Anyway, Alan Smith is not the answer (we already have Bellamy--same player if he stays healthy). I don't want that tw@t Viduka today after he quit on his team for the second time in 3 games. We should just wait until the end of the season, then start up the wish-list thread, and dream how Bramble might (God-willing) improve in the future along the lines of Sammy Kuffor at Bayern. I'm too depressed to think about Marsally tonite. Thx, Jay!
Toon_Toon and Wideboy pretty much have hit the nail on the head. I agree especially with Toon's comments about having players who are committed. Nothing worse than having players who don't give a toss out on the pitch(especially Robert). It's so goddamn annoying that we've let some decent players go this season and now we are counting the costs. I can only hope SBR plays Taylor(I don't care how young he is) on Thursday in Marseille.