steve_69

We're a total no-brainer for an investor right now - commercial revenue not even close to being maximised, world class manager in place and seemingly committed to us long-term if the conditions are right, united fan base, global recognition despite being shit for 10 years and one of the league's best stadiums. I can't think of another club in the league that has as much immediate potential as we do. If this Staveley MILF is looking at other options they will be lesser options. The only thing that might stand in their favour is that they will probably be less problematic to acquire.

It was proper amateur stuff on MOTD2 last night. Danny Murphy didn't have a clue what he was doing

Really?! I think he deserves a lot of praise for his performances this season. There were 2-3 saves against Stoke that were absolutely class. I've never been his biggest fan but IMO he's won us points already this season.

Looking at the impact Rafa's coaching has had on the likes of Lascelles, Clark, Mbemba, Hayden etc. it makes it even more baffling that Ashley won't back him. If the whole 'buy young, increase value, sell high' is still loosely in place then we have the perfect man at the helm to execute that plan (for the record i hope that's not the plan). Lascelles in particular is now being talked about by pundits, other clubs and other managers and his value has soared. Obviously some credit has to go to the player himself but his rise in stock is primarily down to our world class manager. Merino is probably in the £20m bracket already and he's played what, 4 games? If Ashley had any sense he'd see that Rafa is the key to the club not just being successful on the pitch but also highly profitable in the transfer market.

Yeah, I'm sure about this guy. Looks shit so far

Bear in mind this is almost certainly one of the players who joined us purely because of Rafa (it was hinted at by Rafa immediately after he signed). If Rafa walks i can't see Merino wanting to hang around and play under Tim Sherwood or some other dud

He just can't let us have even an ounce of joy can he?! Any manager we like, support and get behind he undermines and belittles - Keegan, Shearer, Hughton and now Benitez. Yet he gives Pardew, the most loathsome, odious fraud (who we collectively, openly hated) an 8 year contract, and backs McLaren to the hilt. There's a clear M.O here and I assume it stems from the protests, criticism and insults levelled at him over the past 10 years (fat cockney rapist springs to mind). It's not just that he doesn't give a s*** about the progression of NUFC, it's more than that. It's a calculated process of removing any enjoyment we can derive from supporting our beloved football team. There may have been more openly awful Premier League football club owners than Ashley but I can't think of any that have been so petty, conniving, deceitful and completely unworthy of the position they hold.

or alternatively, don't read the f***ing posts The only way that's going to happen is if I avoid the forum altogether, because the doom mongers infect every thread, and I'm not going to do that. It's like having a girlfriend you really love but you spend all your time worrying about them leaving you instead of enjoying being with them. After a while they leave you anyway because they're sick of reassuring you all the time.

Rafa has said he's staying and he's clearly a man of integrity. If you're not going to believe it from the horse's mouth then nothing will convince you. After this season he'll almost certainly be gone and none of us can blame him. If you keep peddling the 'he's going to walk' line every week you're going to bore the shit out of the lot of us. If you're that convinced he'll leave before the end of the season stick £100 on it and shut the fuck up.

Lazaar is our only backup specialist left-back. If we're not sure of bringing in Targett or Kennedy it makes sense to put transfer talks to get him out of the club on hold

Maybe he has. His 'all' just happens to be fucking shit

Under Rafa he has. Under whoever's next, probably not. If he can get in them team over Merino, Shelvey and Hayden i'd be very fucking surprised. Surely not even Pardew's judgement is that bad.

To be honest, I'm not too bothered if he doesn't leave. Obviously i'd prefer he wasn't here but we know he's played his last game for the first team and that's the most important thing. If he's happy to rot in the reserves then fuck him. Out of sight, out of mind.

I'm pretty sure that's not the only way deals are done these days. Rafa has already said that he has identified targets and spoken to players who want to join the club. If we agree a fee in principal with a club and agree wages in principal with the player, once the funds become available it can all move quickly. I doubt we're waiting unless we bank the money before making initial contact with a club.

"Slams shut" tomorrow night at 11 So we still have plenty of time for 3 or 4 players to come in! If the deals are already agreed in principal, it should just be a case of completing formalities. If we were just waiting for funds/wages to become available we could see some significant movement in the next couple of days. It probably all depends on whether that tight-arsed lawyer of Ashley's sticks his fucking oar in

I can see this being the transfer that makes or breaks the board's relationship with Rafa. Surely he'll only be prepared to let Gayle go if he has someone else lined up. If the board fuck about and stop the replacement coming in it'll be the straw that broke the camel's back. We'll have around £30-40m in the coffers if this goes through and a decent budget for wages. No excuses!

Get fucked!! That's ridiculous!

Could be tricky, we've only got one sub left to use

wait, what? has he used a sky sports 'interview' to say he wants £600m for the club? surely not No, he hasn't said anything about that but something came out a while back about him wanting ridiculous money for the club. With the new TV money I can imagine he'll be taking the piss with his asking price.

Says he won't stand in the way if someone wants to buy the club from him and take it forward. Sets an asking price of £600m. Devious, lying conman!

Yes. Care to elaborate?

Has this been confirmed by anyone credible?

FWIW I totally get the whole sell to buy and in theory it should've been fine. We've already bought quality on a budget and i've no doubt Rafa could've done the same to fill the other positions we need. The problem is no one anticipated just how little demand there is for our dead wood. They could all do a job at a certain level but are they worth other teams breaking their salary ceilings for? I doubt it. So we're either left short of quality until at least the January transfer window or, God forbid we adjust the strategy. This is the part that really pisses me off because in every business strategy there is always room for flexibility or a slight change of direction when things don't go to plan. But not, it seems when it comes to Newcastle United. Basically if you can't shift the shit, you play with what you've got regardless of whether that risks another costly relegation. It's not just stubborn and reckless, it's completely stupid. We're talking about one of this country's best business men apparently. Who knows, maybe in a couple of weeks Mike will recognise the seriousness of the situation and bolster the transfer kitty, but history suggests otherwise. For now Rafa is stuck trying to undo mistakes that aren't of his own making.

Gamez? Manquillo? Lejuene? French? Came from the Spanish league

9 goals and 4 assists last season in a team completely devoid of creativity, playing up front on his own. He's still only 31 Mitro got only 8 goals and 6 assists in the championship? I don't see how Negredo is finished? Fair enough if you don't rate him but the stats don't seem to back up your statement. Also bear in mind the guy would be being coached/managed by Rafa - i'd be far more confident of Negredo getting 15+ goals in our team than Mitro next season.