michael best o luck 4 da coming season and i totally agree wit u on big sam...he's one of da best english managers we have and i hope da fans of newcastle have better luck dis year

kunzang rangdol, delhi, india

Like a lot of people I thought Allardyce was the man for the England job when Sven announced it had all become a sheikh too far for him. My main doubt was that SA had never had the chance to gain experience of motivating, preparing, and organising the best players. If he does this side of things well at Newcastle then it can only be a matter of time.

Pack Rat, Northampton,

Good to hear you're fit and well and enjoying life Michael. I think United are set to have a great season - it will be interesting to see what impact a strong defence (finally!!) will add to the exciting midfield and forwards that we have.

Bring on the so-called "top four"!

Mick Gray, Swarland, Northumberland, UK

It is funny how he finally reveals his commitment to Newcastle.. very loyal!

RB, Limerick, Ireland

Nice words, Michael. I don't think that Big Sam should be working out to much with the players though. He wouldn't be 'Big Sam' if he kept that up!

Russell Swann, Jr, Lafayette, Indiana, USA

I must admit I have been on tenterhooks the last few weeks, wondering if anyone would make a bid to entice Michael Owen away from NUFC. I'm mightily relieved that no-one has, and I'm prepared to give him (Michael Owen) the benefit of any doubt that he would not have moved on if a big club had asked for him anyway. I have a feeling in my water (!!) that 2007/08 will be an excellent season for NUFC, and all the better because Michael is a world class striker, and it looks like he is going to have a team around him worthy of wearing the black and white shirts with pride and passion, not to mention a manager who I think is about to let the footballing world know that he has "arrived". Ladinkent.

andy knox, chatham, uk

Allardyce is an enigma. He uses modern coaching and training techniques yet his Bolton team were dire, often falling back on a solid yet unexciting gameplan.

It will be interesting to see if he can play an expansive game now that he has access to greater funds and has inherited some interesting players.

While it still stuns me that we chose McLaren to manage England, and that all the other choices were better, I feel it was the dour nature of Bolton's game that hurt Big Sam.

Allardyce has more riding on Newcastle's performance this year than Owen. He not only has to win but win well.

Paul McDevitt, Oshawa, Canada

Micheal Owen commits, what great news just watch him I am
sure he can still do it, made my day....

guss, YORK, N,York's

Get real, James.

Mick, London,

well said James, you took the words right out of my mouth.

bobby, tooting/london, england

Thanks very much Micheal. This is superb news for the Toon fans. We have been starved of seeing you and now, hopefully, we will see the best of you.

THANKS.

Umar Farooq, Bradford, U.K

Whilst it's great to here your staying (at least until Christmas) I agree with the other comments it would have been nice to here this from you about a month ago. However, thank you! And I hope you can help fire the Toon up the league and add a bit more excitement and energy into the team!

Andy Cooke , Isle of Man,

Dear Michael, it is a relief to hear that you'll be staying here. So let me first thank you for clearing that up. I am a Milan supporter, but Newcastle is my favourite English club. I think we'll do well next season. The club never lacked good players but rather managers who failed to get the best out of them. Not to say Boumsong, Bowyer, Bramble and the like are brilliant players but we certainly should've been achieving much better results with the players we had. I have to admit I wasn't really thrilled with Sam's arrival, and we're yet to see how we play, but at least he seems to be a man who gets things done. The transfer campaign has been satisfactory, and we're still waiting for a left back and, if possible, a right back. We're covered in the middle and of course, up front we have you and Oba. Can't really wait to see you on the pitch for the first time for a whole season, and I have no doubts that you'll rack up the goals as you've always done. Here's for success!

Arun, Kottayam, India

I predict one or two games for Newcastle so as to preserve yourself for England's Euro campaign.

Carys Mathews, Chester, UK

Coincedence he's says he's staying after Liverpool, Arsenal & Chelsea sign strikers and United want Tevez?!?!

Tony Cutts, York,

Very gracious of you Michael. It would have been much more meaningful if it were said a month ago when the minimum release clause stuff mysteriously became public knowledge, instead of days after the "Big 4" made moves for strikers and so made it obvious they weren't interested in you.

Nevertheless, I hope this season is a great one for both you and the club. It is about time we both had something to celebrate.

James Adamson, Newcastle Upon Tyne,

AMAZING NEWS.

THANKS VERY MUCH MICHEAL. WE ALWAYS KNEW YOU WOULD BE STAYING. HOPEFULLY, WE, THE TOON ARMY CAN NOW SEE THE BEST OF YOU.

SUPERB NEWS.

Umar Farooq, Bradford, U.K

I am a Gunner myself but having one of my closest friends as a Toon, I fully concur with what's being said here. The fans have a reputation for turning up and the stadium is one of the best in the country. Now that the right management is here, expectations must be high and with good reason. However, it's naive to blame injuries and bad luck for the poor results that have come and gone at St. James' Park. How can one club be so unfortunate to have gone through almost a decade of "bad luck"?? The club's reputation is high but in some ways, overrated and not fully deserved. There is no doubt that if Newcastle is to aim for one of the places in Europe, then a few more signings need to be made. I agree, the strike force is sorted but what about the rest of the squad? There is no one like Henry, Gerrard, Lampard/Drogba, and Rooney/C Ronaldo that carries the team and holds it together at tough times. A signing like that is what's been missing after Shearer's departure.

James, London, United Kingdom