midds

And I'd also finish off by saying it's still going to be a few more years on top of that before we start to see the benefits of padding out the youth teams and have them (hopefully) sending 2 or 3 players through to the first team squad every couple of years too. The Ashley years were barren as fuck and I think people forget how neglected the whole club was. We had no players of value, no operational systems in place, few/no youth products coming through and no willingness to even think about addressing it. Putting all of that right is going to take minimum 6 years. Not beyond the realm of possibility that the kids who are now 12 or 13 will break into the first team by about 2030ish. Sobering obviously but not unrealistic. Right, I'll shut up now

Yep and I'd also say that the players we manage to get out of the club will take a few years too as they're sitting on pretty hefty contracts and contributing zero on or off the park. We just need to see a few of them leave each window to create space for the better players we all want, it's just going to take some time, it's not going to happen in 3 windows or whatever, we're realistically looking at the 26-27 season before we can attack the league and cups with a bit of confidence

Totally agree, it's going to take a bit of time and patience to get the squad into the kind of shape we'd all like it to be in, maybe longer given the restrictions that we've been placed under from FFP and FMV etc. I just want the players coming in to be better than the ones who leave and it may be a bit frustrating seeing us miss out on good players in key positions for us for a while yet, it's just how football works, there is no silver bullet any longer. That said, it's still a hell of a lot nicer than watching Bruce and Ashley lowball every fucker for very very average players, christ we lived off scraps for years looking back

I agree. But some players won't have wanted to come up here so suggesting player x, y or z is fine but they may not have ever been an option on the table. We signed who we signed and I think it's a bit pointless picking faults and being wise long after the window closed. It's all just hypotheticals, no biggie

That's always assuming Palmer wanted to come to Newcastle. If he didn't then it's all moot tbh

Not too many classics so far, has to be said

He'll go to Liverpool 100% unfortunately

That lot and their mates have made life as uncomfortable and inconvenient for us for the last few years both on and off the park and now they're the ones whinging at us not just kowtowing and bending over to them? I don't give a fuck how unreasonable we appear. I don't give a single fuck who we upset or annoy. I don't give a tenth of a fuck about Dan fucking Ashworth and how long he's out of the game, they need to understand exactly who they're now negotiating with. Sure Yasir has got to the position he has by bending over and getting shafted by the likes of Ratcliffe Got a feeling we'll be juuuuust fine after the dust settles

The irony of them complaining about us being unreasonable and standing our ground, the fucking balls on him. He's our employee and they want him so either pay the money or fuck clean off. Got no objection to him wanting to work for Man U, they're far bigger than us and it's a huge job and opportunity. But if Ashworth wants it and Ratcliffe wants it then you bite the bullet and pay the money required, it's incredibly straightforward. I'd add another £3m on to the price every time the scruffy looking cunt opens his mouth personally

It's all about the profit and sustainability remember... Financial Fair play indeed

The newest mode to defend oneself

Isn't that because they just stopped taking loads of drugs?

Exactly. Joselu is banging them in aaaal ower the parish

Love to be a fly on the wall when Man U start to try and negotiate a price for compensation mind. Imagine trying to drive a hard bargain with Yasir, imagine how many people he's chewed up and spat out (not literally) over the course of his time doing deals with anyone and everyone. Hard as iron wouldn't even come close, especially considering they're having to ask us to do them a favour

Fans are definitely a millstone round the club's neck. Constantly disgusted and outraged by anything and everything, constant negativity and a huge inferiority complex from the vast majority of them.

Just imagine trying to slow-roll the richest fuckers on the planet Let's see how that business deal goes for Man U. Trying to scam a deal with the nastiest and richest cunts on the face of the earth, yeah let's see how that one plays out

If the bloke wants out then that's fair enough, it happens. Sometimes an offer comes in and you just think it'll be better and that's just life. If he's decided to do that then we're quite within our rights to esure we squeeze as much out of his new employers as possible and if it's £20m then so be it. They want him that badly then they'll cough it up, they don't then tough shit. I'd imagine trying to fuck the Saudi's over on a cash deal is a pretty difficult and risky venture tbh, good luck to them

You all just need to get your monocles out and consult your pocketwatches instead then

Brentford (A)

I'd argue that's because we were chasing the game as a result of being behind...which was also an indirect result of Burn being exposed and conceding goals down his side. Tino starts and it's a totally different game with 20 mins to go imo but that's all hypothetical. Personally I'd love Howe to got with a Rafa-esq 5-3-2 next weekend. It's Arsenal away so let's mix it up completely and have 3 CBs, 2 wingbacks with a solid, compact CM 3. Then have 2 (quick) wasps just buzzing about for 90 mins. If we scrape a draw it's a brilliant result but let's just dig the fuck in and make them work for it. Sit in, stay close and flood the CM, force them wide and try and frustrate them. Let's give Arsenal a different puzzle to solve than the one they're fully expecting

Respectfully disagree, I didn't think he was fine today, second goal wasn't totally his fault but he's under pressure in all games now due to how he's been exposed in the last few months. Managers know they'll get joy if they get the ball down his side of the park and run at him, it's happened continually and we've shipped goals as a result. It's not a great situation but Howe's actually got the option there sitting 5 yards away and he doesn't usually take it until we've shipped 2 or 3. Would you start Burn against Saka next weekend?

How many more games would you give Burn at LB before you gave him a rest? If it's happening each week he has to do something. He can't keep starting him, watching him get run past all game before subbing him after the damage is done, that's just not sustainable. His stubbornness/loyalty has a finite length surely?

They'll never know

My overarching point is that Howe's loyalty will eventually turn from a positive into a negative. Burn is the obvious example as we've got someone who could be slotted straight in so it's 100% a Howe decision to continue to start Burn. Almiron situation has mitigation as Murphy has been in and out but I'm baffled as to how he has made so many starts despite contributing little other than hard work. He's still a forward at the end of the day but his meaningful contributions are pitiful over the course of a season. Also I've no idea why Karius hasn't at least been tried out whilst Dubravka is shipping about 3 a game recently. They're all Howe's decisions but I'm not sure he's getting it even close to correct at the minute. We look a shadow of the side we did a year ago

Howe's staunch loyalty to some players has definitely shifted from 'admirable' to 'dangerous'. To back your players and not give in to pressure from fans and neutrals can't really continue if those said players are getting exposed again and again and again in every match and they're still starting each week. To continue to watch Burn get rinsed continually and start him each week regardless is definitely one of those. Teams are targeting him and he's being battered and the boss isn't doing anything until the damage is done. Man-management is one admirable skill but not when it comes at the expense of the team and results. Especially when you've got a player like Tino on the bench waiting until we're chasing the game. The other player I'm thinking of is Almiron who continues to work hard but miss chance after chance of bollocks up the move nearly every time he gets into good positions. The other is Dubravka, at best he's now just adequate but we've shipped nearly 3 a game on average for the last couple of months and he's been largely poor from what I've seen. Howe needs to do something to mix it up and ask teams different questions to the ones we're currently posing as we're being ripped open way too often, we're a predictable dream to play against, you know exactly who's playing, where they're playing and the weak spots are left untouched. He'll need to get his shit in a pile asap or he could be in a bit of bother watching it happen and not doing anything to stop it at source.