Scottish Mag

Jack Ross potentially moving on... https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/16108932/jack-ross-leading-candidate-scottish-football-job/

“If that didn’t happen” is doing a lot of work there, you could do that with every team and completely change the table. It’s not really an argument, just a hypothetical.

That’s still not really addressing the point though. I’m not saying Villa dipped a bit or a lot, I’m saying Champions League football is a different level of intensity to Europa League. Just comparing league position or saying they’ve played two fewer games doesn’t really account for that.

That’s mixing two different things though. Villa in the Europa League isn’t the same as Villa in the Champions League. When they were dealing with Champions League games their league form dipped as well, so it’s not as simple as just “style fixes it”.

If his style was “found out a couple of years ago” he doesn’t get a champions league place, and a cup final win surely? That doesn’t happen if something’s been figured out that easily. As for the if How has been appointed in June that’s a bit of a “if my auntie had balls she would be my uncle” argument tbh. You’re changing the context to make the point work. The reality is he didn’t come in in July, he came into a relegation fight, improved us massively, qualified for the Champions League team twice and won a cup.

That argument kind of assumes that changing manager guarantees European football, which it doesn’t. Plenty of clubs have gone down that route and ended up in a cycle of change without actually improving anything. I get the point about needing Europe, but sacking Howe doesn’t automatically solve that, it just introduces a different set of risks.

This is a narrative that continually gets repeated to back an argument rather than something that actually holds up. Bournemouth have spent roughly €520m since Iraola came in, about €170m a season, so the “barely had a budget” angle doesn’t really stand. Admittedly that’s based on FootballTransfers data so might be a few million either way, but ultimately there isn’t much in it. For context, Newcastle under Howe are around €780m in total, which works out at roughly €180m a season. So there’s not a huge gap there annually. He’s done well, but it’s not a case of doing it on scraps. Even looking elsewhere where the same lines get rolled out also, Brighton under Hürzeler are spending at a similar level again, and while Glasner at Palace has spent less, even he isn’t operating on pennies.

There may well be interest but I wouldn't pay too much attention to that fee. He was linked with Palace for only 12.5 only a fortnight ago.

I used the 25% off too and mine has been dispatched. Thanks for the heads up, was going to for 20% of JD but that helped save a little more. Cheers

I'm surprised Giminez hasn't been linked yet. Only signed six months ago but with Milan getting Boniface and also wanting Harder from Lisbon it looks like he could be available already.

Chris Wood got a start two days after signing too.

I’d genuinely take a chance on Rasmus Hojlund if the fee is right as one of two strikers signed. There’s been talk of £30m, and if that’s anywhere close to reality then it could be a smart bit of business for us. United clearly want rid and unlike other clubs we actually put the time and coaching into developing younger players properly. We work with them as individuals, improve their game, and give them the platform to grow. That’s been a hallmark of Howe’s time here. People forget he’s only a year older than Gordon was when we signed him, and just two years older than Tino, and Hojlund arguably has as much or more experience at a high level. We tracked him back when he was at Sturm Graz and Atalanta, so the interest has been there. For the right price, it’s not a massive gamble. Even if it didn’t work out long-term, I don’t think we’d struggle to recoup a fair chunk of the outlay. Drop him into our system, with the kind of coaching and culture Howe has built, and it could click. Low-cost gamble, but one that could seriously pay off.

Playing devil’s advocate – I’m not doubting what he’s signalled, but if Porto were to get an offer they’re happy with, it could still be out of his hands. Football can move quickly when the club’s on board.

If we hold on to Isak and with the World Cup coming at the end of the season, I can’t help but think next summer could be just as tricky for landing a striker as this window has been. Most of the forwards we’ll have an eye on will likely be involved, and there’s a long history of clubs holding off selling until after the tournament. One standout performance or a golden boot run and suddenly the asking price is through the roof. We’ve already seen how drawn-out and difficult this window has been when chasing key targets - a World Cup year could easily bring more of the same, if not worse.

Looks like we’ve now got the price point for the black and white one from the home shirt release video. I really wanted both, but it’s looking like it’ll have to be one or the other now. Even with 20% off, £80 still feels steep.

It was constant. He's never getting nominated for the Ballon d'Or but some of the takes on John McGinn were equally as bad yesterday tbh

Scotland supporters always saw a different version of McTominay than the one judged harshly in the English game. He’s always had more to his game - leadership, drive, and crucially, end product. He would've been a smart, athletic upgrade on Longstaff, and with the homegrown value Sean carried, we missed the chance to evolve that role earlier.

Seeing a lot of disappointment about the Thiaw links, with many feeling he’s not quite the level we were hoping to bring in - especially after names like Guehi and Scalvini were floated earlier in the window. Could it be that there’s now more going on behind the scenes with how we’re approaching this window. The fact we’re now being linked with what looks like a “budget” CB target of ours, and with Ramsdale on loan, rather than a big keeper signing, this doesn’t look like the behaviour of a club banking on an Isak windfall. If anything, it seems like we might be carefully managing our existing budget without factoring in any major sales. Could it be that we’re trimming costs in other areas to allow us to go big on a second striker - possibly to support Isak, not replace him?

£50m sounds steep on paper for a player with just a year left on his deal. But if we’re serious about building a top-four defence and Guehi is the profile the club want - quick, composed, Premier League-proven, homegrown, strong in a high line - then waiting 12 months because it looks like better value is a risky move. In 12 months, there’ll be a scramble for him. The “cartel” clubs will come in with bigger wages, Champions League football, and he walks for free. We don’t win those battles. We’ve seen how good recruitment has put us ahead of schedule. If Guehi is the first-choice target and open to signing, why roll the dice on a second or third-choice alternative now just because they’re “better value on paper”? He’s 24, fills a need, and gives us 6-8 years of service. That’s worth the premium, and it’s still cheaper than overpaying in wages and agent fees next year.

When we signed Isak we had Wilson, a premier league proven goalscorer, whilst he had injury problems he wasn’t quite made of glass the way he has been the last couple of years. Howe will definitely be looking for a proven goal scorer in the league as well as Sesko.

If that’s really a factor, someone might want to remind him his “dream move” is to a city where the crime stats aren’t exactly soothing either…

Wissa is only a CF? He plays AM and on the left also. I believe he was only pushed further up the pitch when Toney left.

On Vinted for £200 also…

Terrible source in goal.com but has been picked up from O Jogo in Portugal. https://www.ojogo.pt/1218412056/newcastle-esta-muito-interessado-e-pode-avancar-por-kokcu/

All the Celtic fans I know say Kuhn’s got a pea-sized heart. Started brightly but faded badly in the second half of the season. Back in December/January, the papers were talking about £30m bids and Newcastle interest, now Celtic fans seem content with just over half that. Says it all, really.