steve_69

Classy bastard!

His entire business portfolio is built around SD and relies on its success. NUFC is a big part of keeping SD at the top if you like. We are just the tail, SD is the head. We need to chop the head off and target SD because if that starts to fail, he is finished and so are any other ventures he is involved in. Except for us, because there are 53k people who will keep turning up and a whole city who will never stop supporting their club and keeping it solvent. Unless he sells his SD shares, we are an asset which he can gain some very quick liquidity from. HoF is going to require some major cashflow and injections from Ashley by the sounds of it. HOF doesn’t make sense to me, people have said he will just put his tat into their shops, but why go to all that expense to buy a business just for some shop floor space when he could just buy or rent more shops for his tat to sell. I think his ego and his delusion drove him to purchase it, that and such a cheap knock down price which allies to his gambling nature. He’s took a punt in it. I do think it will prove to bight him back on the arse though and could well lead to his downfall. He is nit this Greta businessman or tycoon, he has demonstrated with NUFC alone he cannot takeover a brand and turn it into somethimh bigger, the opposite infact. His real challenge lies on the high street with SD and keeping investors investing. Unless he wants shares to devalue so he can buy them all back or as many as he can... Back to NUFC. His takeover of us doesn’t make any sense either nor does how he runs the club. Yes it benefits SD, but it is a failure nontheless and continues to be like a dark cloud over him publically which will always adversely effect his business life and dealings which would be relegated, given he likes that, back to the FT and the courtroom or AGMs were he to get rid of NUFC. I do hope he is heading for a spectacular fall, a bit of karma would be nice. I reckon the value of stock within the HOF stores is probably worth more than he paid for the whole chain. Assuming the stock has already been purchased outright and isn't on sale or return he could, in theory, close down HOF and move all of the remaining stock to Flannels, SD and USC couldn't he?

Hi Keith

You're questioning a man that has won everything there is to win in the game!!! Saying Rafa should adapt his clearly very successful methods to accommodate one player is absolute lunacy. 'Ere Rafa, i know you've won multiple league titles, and the Champions League with a rank outsider but my expert opinion is that you're wrong and you should change your winning ways to work around Mitrovic because he's class'

Yeah, that stumped me as well. No clue

I'm planning on going along to a few games this season. I went to my first last year and I had a great time - really good standard of football being played as well. Playing really well. Think league football might be incoming if they keep it up. Atmosphere is miles better than 4-5 years ago as well. Don't bother going to watch Railway though. Utter dross. Been to 3 games, got humped every time lol. Can't see them wining a game! Problem is they can't expand the ground much and i'm pretty sure the league don't allow artificial pitches so they'd have to tear up the 4g. Given how much money they're be earning from the 6-a-side leagues and renting the pitch out to local clubs for training, i'm not sure it'd be a good thing for them to go up. It would obviously be great for the area though.

I'm planning on going along to a few games this season. I went to my first last year and I had a great time - really good standard of football being played as well.

It's also much more enjoyable to make the opposition fall over and then rub it in their faces by creating something. It makes the game so much more enjoyable to watch as well.

It's exactly what Messi does and occasionally Ronaldo as well. You have far more potential for causing the opposition bother if you ride challenges and exploit the space left by overcommitted defenders. With Hatem I think it was just that he loved having the ball at his feet so much and he knew if he went down he wouldn't have it any more He was an absolute joy to watch.

I can't believe that in all the time of supporting this club, this is the first time i've ever read anything about Derek Wright. I've even given him stick for being Doctor Death but he genuinely sounds like a brilliant guy and a great physio. Who knew?! https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/revealed-secrets-of-newcastles-physio-friend-and-agony-aunt-derek-wright-6xgpzwj3s?shareToken=76d4a680c2f8a204fb49ee6ee229f833

How dare you!

It seems an in popular opinion on here but I love this guy. Seems like a proper nice guy and he’s so important to the way we play because of his pace. First goal ever in the Premier League. I’m delighted for him.

What’s up with Shelvey?

Same shit, different day. It was just the usual I’ll-informed generalisation bullshit. No context whatsoever. I’m shocked quite frankly, Paul Merson is normally so insightful and accurate ?

thats amazing Shame about the rogue apostrophe F'u'c'k' o'f'f' Don't know what you mean . . . . http://i66.tinypic.com/2r2y5xt.jpg Perfect! Get it on Twitter

thats amazing Shame about the rogue apostrophe

Startling similarities between Mike Ashley and Donald Trump if that article is true.

I think Rafa did pretty much everything we would want him to do last night - introduce some of the youngsters sitting on the fringe, play some of the new signings (even though they're not up to speed with life in English football yet), protect the most valuable players eg. our only left back, our creative midfielder, our main striker (who isn't fully fit yet). When the team steps over the white line it's up to them to carry out the manager's instructions and try to win the game. We didn't set out to be defensive and I seriously doubt Rafa told them to go out and look like a sack of shit. Sometimes it just doesn't click. Imagine if he'd sent out a full strength first team and we picked up injuries to Dummett, Rondon, Shelvey (i don't even know if he's fit?), Ritchie. We'd be fucked, such is the situation Ashley has created.

Holds onto the ball for far too long but that's probably a hangover from playing in less frenetic leagues with less pace to the games, plus not being familiar with the movement of his new teammates. His movement is good and he looks like a clever player as well. Give him a bit more time with Rafa and i reckon he'll be class.

We should've insisted on a clause in Colback's loan contract that he has to play against us if we draw them in a cup. We need them as weak as possible

It might not even be that he goes easy on Mitro specifically, it might just be that he prefers to give his team a shape and structure but allows them more autonomy within their individuals roles. Roy Hodgson is know for repeatedly drilling players to do specific things in specific scenarios, so at all times they know exactly what is expected of them. That'll work for certain players and not for others. Another example is looking at Sanchez under Wenger versus Sanchez under Mourinho - Wenger allowed his creative players more freedom and autonomy and Sanchez thrived. Now he's playing for a more rigid manager and his form has dropped off. All managers are different and players that suit one manager don't necessarily suit another. Whatever it was that Rafa wanted from Mitrovic, he either couldn't or didn't want to give. The expectations of his new manager are clearly different from Rafa's and it works for Mitro.

I suppose the answer to that would be, if he's such a dodgy character, how come the guy at Fulham is managing him quite easily? But it's early days, I suppose we'll know better by about halfway through the season. Different expectations of what players should and shouldn't do. He wasn't a good fit for Rafa but he is for this new guy. Given Rafa has won everything there is to win, you'd have to say his methods are pretty solid.

Mitrovic didn't do the things Rafa asked him to do so he was never going to play - not training hard enough, not losing weight, not making the right runs etc. (apparently) The fault is Mitro's not Rafa's. If he wanted to play he could've done. Those of you who think a manager should bend to accommodate a player, even one you rate, are crazy! If Rafa has done that he would've lost all integrity and respect from the rest of the squad. At a professional club the manager is in charge fullstop. If he asks you to do something you do it. If not you can't expect to play.

Surely Dummett isn’t being told to hoof the ball?! It’s literally every time he gets the fucking thing regardless of who’s around him.

Or turn up in a Lonsdale Burka for a laugh