Yup, although some may misinterpret what I meant by the 'Sack Souness' position... those who aren't familiar with NUFC may think that means he got sacked because the team finished no higher than 7th.
When "Souey" got the boot, the Toon were 14th, I think, and headed lower... it shocked me how quickly the team changed direction that season, though perhaps Roeder got too much credit for that... anyway, that's what I meant with my phrase... that jump up to 7th was shocking, but I (only half-jokinly) associate it with the warm "fuzzy feeling" after-effect of making Souness "walk the plank".
Dunno if the same will happen this year, the ownership has certainly changed and Keegan is a wee bit more emotional and spirited than Roeder ;-) but I'm choosing to be realistic, so 9th or 10th seems a fair finish to me.
I agree with what you say about the UEFA cup spots. There's usually a gap after the top four by the end of the season, which means the CL places are usually settled weeks, if not months, in advance. Even if Newcastle's not in the fight for the UEFA cup places this year, I look forward to seeing the teams scrap and fight over them!
