Howaythelads

At least it ain't gonna be your mate Freddy! So long as everybody else's mate Mike "anyone is better than Fred" Ashley sells up!

Will believe it when it happens.

Yes, I know, mate. Thing is, I'm massively hacked off at the situation the club is in but also massively hacked off that a very vocal faction of know-nowts didn't appreciate what ambition means. I lost count of the times I was called a stupid old bastard for saying stuff like "there's nowt worse than supporting a club that has no ambition, a club that isn't even trying". That's the last I'll say on it. They know who they are. We're not down yet. If we survive I hope people don't suddenly forget what a total disaster Ashley has been and continues to be for this football club.

But people still go and support this shit... I won't repeat myself, I remember the flak and abuse too well.

Anyone but Fred, they said...

Anyone but Fred... Again

I'm not digging at you personally like, but it's really beginning to irritate me now reading and hearing this stupid phrase over and over again. Ambition with regards to what exactly? 'Showing ambition' is appointing and listening to a knowledgeable, clued up director / board of directors and going after a good / successful manager that could potentially win you something. Showing ambition is not appointing the reserve team secretary, Alan Carr's fucking dad and an old, useless puppet of an ex-player and vehemently going after Steve fucking McClaren. Not once, not twice but three times? Don't get me started on the likes of John Carver being given the reigns. 'Showing ambition' is going after players and building a solid team that can win you games. Showing ambition is not getting mostly medicore, half arsed players that don't fit or belong in your team and putting them on 5 and 6 year contracts, in the blind hope that they do well so you can make more money. On a similar note, forcing out and giving away arguably one of your best players and then spending circa £40m trying to replace said player by signing a Ligue 1 flop of the season (who knocked the club back previously), another who was either not interested, not tried or frankly not good enough and then a Spurs cast off who's barely done anything of note nor turned out this season? That's not ambition, it's fucking stupidity. What's worse, they're only a handful of examples over his 8 year tenure. 8 years. You think Ashley has somehow just now decided he wants to be ambitious with the club? You don't think being on the verge of falling off the gravy train in 18th place is reason enough they are pissing all the club generated revenue up the wall? The whole thing is a massive gamble. Kinnear was a gamble. Carver was a gamble. McClaren and this transfer window will be this years gamble. There's no ambition or plan here aside from propping up the league for the benefit of Sports Direct. And all so predictable.

Jesus, where did someone drag you back from? Haven't been away, just lost interest in arguing when a load of kids insisted a club/board with no ambition is better than one that tries.

From a fans perspective Ashley has made a whole series of poor decisions since he bought the club, however he's making money, so no problem.

Abeid? Not even on the bench?..

There has been no ambition for success on the field since Ashley arrived. Entirely predictable.

Hope Carver has gone. I won't be surprised if Ashley thinks he can do the job himself though.

Sooner Ashley sells up the better. No ambition is a whole lot worse than trying and not quite making it.

Reminds me of the Westwood and McKeag days of no ambition, the days before JH and FS came along and had a go. Supporting a club that has no ambition is soul destroying and it's back.

Excellent post.

We hardly robbed PSG, we should have pushed for a lot more. No way is Cabaye a £40m player. Nor is Ozil....except that was apparently the fee . Ozil is on another planet to Cabaye, in terms of ability and achievements. We could have perhaps got another £5m or so for Cabaye, but howay. Time will tell in the PL. Cabaye is a top class player who was able to successfully transition to the PL and be a major influence. Ozil has time because he hasn't been here long but whatever he's done before, which to be honest, is ok but doesn't make him worth £40m imo. If Ozil is worth £40m Cabaye is worth similar despite not looking so fancy on the ball, so based on the evidence, we'll have to agree to disagree.

I don't want to get into that again, it's been done to death but we can both probably agree that what we have now isn't good enough. I watched an old bloke who looked to be in his 70's at the match yesterday at half time and just thought that his last memories of a derby might be getting stuffed while the club treads water, that's shite. Agree with that .

We hardly robbed PSG, we should have pushed for a lot more. No way is Cabaye a £40m player. Nor is Ozil....except that was apparently the fee .

I agree and I'd take the same gamble again, even though we could get worse than Ashley. I wouldn't, Mick. Ashley didn't save the club from going bust despite the propaganda to the contrary and going bust would be the worst thing. Taking money from the fans while showing no ambition is as bad as it gets while the club is a going entity.

Shepherd needed to go then, Ashley needs to go now. Maybe, but for different reasons. We're talking a lack of ambition and that's the market boy.

I wouldn't have made the sale at all but if Yohan was to be sold the benchmark for the fee should have been around the Mata and Ozil mark, he's better than those players.

I've not posted much for a few years and I'm not about to read 317 pages in this thread, I only hope people are still not of the thought "anyone is better than Fat Fred" because that's how it was here when I last spent much time here. Supporting a club with no ambition to succeed is not good. I saw it before Fat Fred and it's been the situation since this market stall trader bought the club.

Quite possibly the worst left back I've seen for Newcastle in years.

Top post.

Anyone is better than Fat Fred....