Stillness and movement

Trust Mark Viduka to publicly welcome the appointment of JFK until the end of the season as key to the club regaining some stability and to declare he doesn't want to go anywhere. After all, it was his role in the three-pronged strikeforce with which we finished last season that Kevin Keegan described as to stand still. To be honest, though, when you've got an unsturdy if not exactly sinking ship, the last thing you need is your major source of ballast moving around too much...

All joking aside, I'd be keen to see JFK taking a leaf out of Keegan's book and plumping for that same strikeforce of Captain Pasty, Little Saint Mick and Obafemi Martins against Stoke on Saturday. It might mean we can't play all our wingers, but with ASBO definitely out and Damien Duff struggling, Spiderman and a pair of more defensively minded midfielders in Nicky Butt and Danny Guthrie would be useful support. Add Charles N'Zogbia at left back in place for the once-again-useless-at-Boro Jose Enrique and there'd be a lot of attacking potential in the team against visitors who've just suffered the indignity of losing at home to Derby. It's a must-win game, and so we need to be bold.

Also expressing a desire to stay put has been Shay Given, linked with a move to Spurs, who are reportedly seeking to ditch Brazilian butterfingers Heurelho Gomes after just four months. Meanwhile, as speculation rumbles on that we'll try to cash in on an unhappy Little Saint Mick in the January transfer window rather than letting him go for nowt in the summer, Rafa Benitez has said: "Clearly I can guarantee that we are not going for Michael Owen". A man of his word? Many more goalless draws at home to lowly sides like Fulham and West Ham and he might change his tune.

Of the managerial speculation, yesterday's Daily Star linked Academy director Richard Money with the vacant manager's job at Crewe, while further afield a more bizarre rumour has it that Lee Clark, the man who gave a new definition to the phrase "tongue-in-cheek", could be about to fly out from beneath Glenn Roeder's wing at Norwich and take charge at Huddersfield. So crazy it just might work?

And last but not least, no doubt prompted by the desire not to look unwanted for any longer, Stephen Carr has announced his retirement. That should put paid to any possibility of us thinking about bringing him back, thankfully...