Newcastle United Monday Links: Alan Shearer DOMINATES the news!

It's Monday evening, and we're 12 days from our next match, but it could be worse. Our squad is healthy, our Chairman is not stepping down (ahem, SMB), we don't have to buy back our stadium in order to move to a new stadium. Generally speaking (after a GIGANTIC knock on the closest wooden table nearby), it is good to be a Magpie. It's a short set of links today, but I think there are a couple of interesting talking points in them. Without further ado, LINKS!

Steven Taylor: We wanted the win at Wolves - NUFC Latest News - Newcastle United - ChronicleLive

I hadn't stopped to consider that pitch sizes would vary in England-- I guess in my happy little fantasy-ville, every club over there (Including Conference sides) had a full sized pitch. /end non-related aside

Alan Pardew: We should have buried Wolves - NUFC Latest News - Newcastle United - ChronicleLive

I suppose-- I didn't see the last half-hour or so of the match, but it seemed that the result was just about right. We were nowhere near as dominant as we had been against Blackburn.

Gutierrez laughs off Maradona and Messi talk - NUFC Latest News - Newcastle United - ChronicleLive

He's laughing, I'm laughing... Surely a question borne in jest led to this, but still.

BBC Sport - Newcastle United team spirit is evident, says Tim Krul

It makes me tremendously happy to read things like this:

"It sums us up this season, everybody is fighting for each other," Krul told BBC Newcastle.

"Three points is brilliant, and as a defensive unit, the team is solid."

Pardew faces Magpies dilemma | Sky Sports | Football | Premier League | News

With all of the pieces coming into health, AP is faced with the selection log-jam that looked to be inevitable after the transfer window closed.

Talk of the Toon: Vive la France - Black & White - Shields Gazette

We've got a lot of French players. And they're all pretty good.

Giovanni Trapattoni stands firm over decision to shun Newcastle's Leon Best from Ireland squad | Mail Online

But on the there is only one ball. And winning football is about 11 players running for 90 minutes, or 94 minutes, with a winning mentality. I cannot have players who just wait for the ball.

'We need a team, we need work and commitment. That is football. We need this mentality because with our mentality anything is possible. We cannot afford to have players standing there waiting for the ball.

Shearer was famously selected on the bench by Ruud Gullit when Newcastle played Sunderland in August 1999 yet he did take the field when asked to by the Dutchman. "I was put on the bench and I went on. I understand the frustration, the anger that players feel because, yeah, it could get personal absolutely. But you're still employed, you're still getting paid, you've still got to go out and do whatever," he said.