Greg

Do you actually pay anything towards the car? No. If I wanted a car that's more expensive than my allowance in my package I could top it up from my salary if I wanted to.

Yep. My company car tax is about £250 a month (40% rate) but don't pay for any maintenance or insurance etc and get a brand car every three years.

Company car tbh.

Well no, that is most certainly the most likely outcome .

Yes.

They need them to tick the home grown box for their CL squad.

So what is going to change to make him drop his vastly unrealistic asking price while we are in the Premier League (asking price is about double the clubs actual market value)? You just said he isn't going to change. Quite sad that people are happy with Ashley's version of NUFC that only exists to advertise Sports Direct. For me, I don't want us relegated as things stand but this is last chance saloon for Ashley with Rafa and self harm has to be an option if and when he fucks it up again (you said he wouldn't change) in an attempt to get the football club back.

Those options you present, that's not the debate. If it's a choice between Ashley selling us in the Premier League and Ashley selling us in League 1 then of course everyone takes selling the club in the Premier League. But to date there's been no indication that is even a remote possibility (Barry Moat was an Ashley front) because he values the club at about double it's actual market value for the sole reason he is happy to keep his free global exposure for Sports Direct. Why would he change all of a sudden or why would someone be willing to pay way beyond the market value of the club?

Wolves were bought in 2016, when they were in the Championship. Villa were a very recently relegated PL club and with every potential of bouncing straight back. All three of those clubs were also reasonably well priced and had owners with a willingness to sell. Ashley wouldn't offer either of those, even at that level or below, which is the problem. You just said that he would and it's starting to get more realistic in the PL?

Starting to get more realistic, yet he currently values a club with very poor infrastructure and much needed investment in that and the playing squad at double the current valuation of Southampton.

We don't have a future while Mike Ashley is here. More chance of a future in the Premier League than rolling around in Championship or below with a 52,000 seat stadium hanging around our neck. Regardless of well supported we've been in the Championship the one season we've stayed there each time there comes a point where the attendance figures would drop. I think that's a tough one tbh. It's difficult to judge how desirable we are to a potential purchaser, when his asking price is as unrealistically high as its alleged to be. You'd probably expect the demand to be higher for a PL club than a Championship one, but it's not as if second-tier clubs haven't been purchased. That's the thing for me. While I can sort of see why people would want the club to be relegated to rid us of Ashley due to the less exposure for SD and loss of the TV revenue et al, but an NUFC in the PL would garner more interest for buyers than an NUFC in the Championship, imo. I want Ashley out as much as anyone on here but I just couldn't get myself to the stage where I hope the club loses games and goes down, to me it's nauseous. Not when there isn't a willing seller at a reasonable price. I.e. now, because of the free global exposure for Sports Direct. There are people out there willing to buy the club, but not at the ridiculous price that Ashley wants. Let's not forget the work that would be required off the field as well, under Mike Ashley there hasn't been any investment at all beyond the absolute bare minimum in the training ground, academy and SJP etc.

It's not about just a relegation, I think most acknowledge it would take a hell of a lot more than that. It's about taking it to a point where it's not worth his while owning the club and him coming to a position where he will sell for a reasonable price. For many, this period now with Rafa is his last chance.

What the hell are you on about? This period now with Rafa is Mike Ashley's last chance or else what is the point of NUFC? If Rafa walks and some idiot akin to Pardew or Kinnear is appointed then it is a perfectly reasonable thing to want the club to nose dive to aid in the processes of finding a new buyer and getting rid of Mike Ashley. People want a club they can be proud of and identify with, for many we have that now to a degree only due to Rafa Benitez, for many we still don't after years of existing for the sole purpose of advertising Sports Direct to a global audience. The only way to get rid of him will be to take that away and make his ownership not worthwhile and the ridiculous asking price to drop. Short term pain for the long term benefit of NUFC, even if that takes 5 years or so. It's petulant and 'precious' as Yorkie might want to call it. And sadly that's the place some are in because of Mike Ashley, and that's the real issue here. Rather than hope success despite of Ashley, they'd be happy for Newcastle to be relegated to teach Ashley a lesson of some sort. Madness. It's not to teach him a lesson, it's to drive him out of the club. But it would take a lot more than just a relegation, it would need sustained damage to the point where it is not worth him owning the club (free advertising for Sports Direct) and he lowers his asking price to a realistic price.

What the hell are you on about? This period now with Rafa is Mike Ashley's last chance or else what is the point of NUFC? If Rafa walks and some idiot akin to Pardew or Kinnear is appointed then it is a perfectly reasonable thing to want the club to nose dive to aid in the processes of finding a new buyer and getting rid of Mike Ashley. People want a club they can be proud of and identify with, for many we have that now to a degree only due to Rafa Benitez, for many we still don't after years of existing for the sole purpose of advertising Sports Direct to a global audience. The only way to get rid of him will be to take that away and make his ownership not worthwhile and the ridiculous asking price to drop. Short term pain for the long term benefit of NUFC, even if that takes 5 years or so.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/scotland/41069758

Would be very risky, scored loads of goals in pub leagues. Type of signings that could go either way.

It's not one poor performance though, he's been poor for most of 2017 following his injury in January.

Alderweireld has a good chance of blocking that shot if he goes with his right foot, stupid.

67,862 there, apparently. I'm sure there was but their fans were sure it would be a sell out every week.

Loads of empty seats at the Spurs game.

He'd still be a shit 'keeper and not good enough even if he had excellent feet.

They've lost away at Man United, Southampton and here. They are hardly shocking results for a team that probably expects to be in the 10-14th bracket. The blame for their start lies more with the fact their stupid stadium takes weeks and weeks to change from athletics to football so they've had to play their first 3 games away from home.

Alan Barnes.

It hasn't though has it? He's not been himself since the injury at Brentford in January.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-footballer-set-miss-11064383