Matt

I would like at least one left back in the first-team squad.

Well we didn't make any money on Jose. If he's good enough, we need to sign him. If he's a couple of million extra than we'd like to pay, then tough shit- that's what happens when you have no left backs and a fortnight left before the window closes.

If it weren't for the fact we're screaming out elsewhere, no-one would give a monkeys and probably won't in retrospect if come September we have filled those positions. I think anyone can be forgiven for being jumpy given the circumstances.

13th

It's him or no one. He does his best imo but he gets hung out to dry. I'd normally be sympathetic, but he knew the score when he arrived. He is paid to mislead.

I think I would feel better about this season if Pardew hadn't given a single interview since he arrived. It's death by a thousand cuts.

We won't have paid all of the contract, but probably most of it and given that he was never going to play, something was better than nothing. We might have agreed some kind of 'free with add-ons' but suspect we'll never know exactly. Either way, that's something like £15m spunked on this waster. Another consideration is the desire to rid the squad of higher earners so that the lower earners don't uise others as an argument for a new contract.

Amongst those cloggers plenty of formerly highly-rated NUFC youth.

Because of where we are financially? What can he mean by that? Because Ashley had to pump in loads of cash we're going to sell anything that moves for the next four years? What a crock of shite.

Like all things to do with NUFC this is not "noir ou blanc". We may come to some sort of peace agreement with him but right now I don't like the idea of him going through a season with us just playing out the final year of his contract. He looks for attention the whole time and it is a load of merde waiting to happen imo. He wants a great deal on a Bosman, we want him to play at the top of his game. Interests align nicely.

Vendor loans happen, but it really would take a special kind of idiot to take one from Ashley.

For capital repayment yes, but these types of loans are rarely repaid and it's all about the interest (usually charged at someo eye-watering amount). If he waives outright the interest payable for the year, then this will improve the P&L as it reduced interest costs. In turn this increases the corporation tax for the period (although past losses would likely wipe this out anyway). What Ashley could do is choose to roll the interest into the capital PIK-style, that way he can elect to pay interest in cash or 'waive' that payment- but as the payment increases the size of the liability, this is still a deduction for corporation tax purposes. Interest free isn't it? I could well be wrong, I don't have the accounts to hand. Of course he can amend the terms whenever he likes, so the logic still holds.

For the purposes of selling the club, ignore it. Either way it's Ashley getting money for selling the club- but to be clear there is no way the debt would remain on the books post sale- even if the sale price is for less than the book value of the debt.

For capital repayment yes, but these types of loans are rarely repaid and it's all about the interest (usually charged at someo eye-watering amount). If he waives outright the interest payable for the year, then this will improve the P&L as it reduced interest costs. In turn this increases the corporation tax for the period (although past losses would likely wipe this out anyway). What Ashley could do is choose to roll the interest into the capital PIK-style, that way he can elect to pay interest in cash or 'waive' that payment- but as the payment increases the size of the liability, this is still a deduction for corporation tax purposes.

You do realise that one of the pillars of his business plan is that no matter what shit he serves up, the fans keep on turning up season after season? Why do you think they did the 10-year season ticket? Altruism?

Ditto. Timed that well, didn't they. Just make sure you do it before the cut-off (October?) by which point they have you locked in for next season as well.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2011/08/02/joey-barton-s-tweet-the-last-straw-for-nufc-72703-29159767/ Notice the "It is a fact that..." Llambias-style list in the middle. Same old bullshit. Some of it may even have substance, but when you churn out the same nonsense every time we shift a player then I don't see why anyone should believe a word.

Bluff.

Pressure on the new boys to perform. Barton, Nolan and Carroll scored 27 of 56 PL goals for us last season (48%).

Good Post. No doubt you'll be called an Ashley apologist by Dave etc though still. If we weren't so short on quality players then it wouldn't have been such an issue to get rid in the first place.

I was trying quite hard to forget.

Well, if we're looking to pair Tiote and Cabaye in the middle, just who is going to play right midfield? We don't have a single player capable of performing at PL level.

Do you expect Pardew to confiscate his phone and laptop?

My point is that they paid top dollar.

Thing is, as a business, this club is only worth what it can make. And it has never made much, so anyone buying it is unlikely to be doing so for the business rationale. There are easier ways to make money. That's why football clubs are impossible to value- it's a case of how much is someone going to pay for the fact they actually own a club- and that could be any amount of money- there is no 'going rate'.