Wullie

I can't take that. I just can't. 20th richest club in the world iirc. 3rd largest crowds in the PL. But for some completely f***ed up reason you say we can't compete with the big clubs. And since not a single one of us expects to compete financially with Man City and Chelsea, I can only assume that by "big" clubs you mean the likes of Southampton, Fulham and f***ing Norwich. Just f*** off you cowardly, lying cockend. We all know that we could compete with them easily if we wanted, we're just owned by a thief who is creaming money out of the club and into his horrid, tatty, charva clothes shop. I take your points but I don't think there's anything wrong with the statement "We haven't got the finances of a big team," of itself. We're not bankrolled by Russian or Arab oil money. We don't have the commercial reach of Man United to sell an ungodly number of shirts in every corner of the globe. You're right that doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing better in transfer windows. But there's nothing wrong with the actual statement. There is something utterly wrong with the statement though. He's insinuating that there's a problem with the fans expectations. Ie that we're being unrealistic. And that's simply not what's happening, we just don't expect to have our manager come out and say we can't compete financially with f***ing Southampton ffs. The money has always been there for players the club feel are the right fit. Stop right there brah. This premise here- this is a completely unproven and unprovable proposition that just so happens to fit your agenda. It is also the claim of proven liars who admitted to deliberately misleading and deceiving fans in the past. Its a load of shit really. I'm sorry, do we not sign anyone unless it's on a free? Er not unless the money is made back in sales no. Hypothetically, if we'd taken all the Carroll money and signed say, Ozil... - Ignore that he'd probably not come here. - Ignore that he cost a bit more than we made on Carroll. - Ignore that the gap between now and selling Carroll. - Ignore the wage bill. But if we had gone out and signed a top player like that. Showing the ambition that we all want to see. A real player of Champions League quality. Would we now be a better team than picking players for 5m here, 3m there? Where do you think we'd have been finishing in the league? Not sure what question you're asking here. I demand a crack at a Europa League place (i.e. finishing in one of the positions that may open up to qualify for that competition) as an absolute bare minimum. Once we get there, then the minimum requirement changes. I'm not overly arsed about who the personnel is that gets us there. Why would I give the slightest fuck about that? I've never been in the least bit interested in getting excited about "marquee" (vomit) signings - I was fucking foaming with rage the day we signed Michael Owen because I knew the squad wasn't good enough to meet that minimum requirement. Nor is this one. Fair point. Misinterpreted what you were after. You're not so bothered about one big signing, you just would rather we have a negative net spend as a show of some kind of ambition. Personally, I don't care about that. If we make a profit or a loss doesn't bother me (so long as it's sustainable). I just want the players we bring in to improve the team. I agree that Europa League is a reasonable aim. I also think that with the likes of HBA, Cabaye (who we actively held on to), Colo (who we actively held on to), Cisse, Remy, Sissoko, etc we have the makings of a decent squad that can push towards that goal this year. Everyone dropped a bollock last season. Our January signings (despite our collective creaming over them) weren't amazing when it came down to producing results. Now with them getting bedded into the squad we can expect better. Er no, I'd rather the club was reinvesting the money that I and thousands of other supporters put into it, and reinvesting the gargantuan sums being thrown at them by the TV companies. Even if we finish second having spent nothing, it's not good enough because had we invested, it could have been first. Every single decision the club makes should be for the benefit of the football team and the betterment of results and performances. What you're looking for is socialism in the wealthiest football league in the world. You're valuing something non-tangible. Something that can't be seen on a balance sheet. You're wanting us to live up to our full potential, a benefit to our little society, rather than looking at success through the lens of profit and loss. You're valuing the art of being the best we can be above the almighty dollar. I'm with you entirely. I just don't think any owner would agree with us. Since we need to make do with someone owning us, I feel like I understand and somewhat agree with Ashley's outlook. Apart from all those that have just spent the money generated by their respective clubs to improve their teams.

Another minimum requirement btw is that we go into games with the intention to attack teams, score lots of goals and win the match. Can't cope with any more of Pardew's soul-destroying approach to the game of football.

I can't take that. I just can't. 20th richest club in the world iirc. 3rd largest crowds in the PL. But for some completely f***ed up reason you say we can't compete with the big clubs. And since not a single one of us expects to compete financially with Man City and Chelsea, I can only assume that by "big" clubs you mean the likes of Southampton, Fulham and f***ing Norwich. Just f*** off you cowardly, lying cockend. We all know that we could compete with them easily if we wanted, we're just owned by a thief who is creaming money out of the club and into his horrid, tatty, charva clothes shop. I take your points but I don't think there's anything wrong with the statement "We haven't got the finances of a big team," of itself. We're not bankrolled by Russian or Arab oil money. We don't have the commercial reach of Man United to sell an ungodly number of shirts in every corner of the globe. You're right that doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing better in transfer windows. But there's nothing wrong with the actual statement. There is something utterly wrong with the statement though. He's insinuating that there's a problem with the fans expectations. Ie that we're being unrealistic. And that's simply not what's happening, we just don't expect to have our manager come out and say we can't compete financially with f***ing Southampton ffs. The money has always been there for players the club feel are the right fit. Stop right there brah. This premise here- this is a completely unproven and unprovable proposition that just so happens to fit your agenda. It is also the claim of proven liars who admitted to deliberately misleading and deceiving fans in the past. Its a load of shit really. I'm sorry, do we not sign anyone unless it's on a free? Er not unless the money is made back in sales no. Hypothetically, if we'd taken all the Carroll money and signed say, Ozil... - Ignore that he'd probably not come here. - Ignore that he cost a bit more than we made on Carroll. - Ignore that the gap between now and selling Carroll. - Ignore the wage bill. But if we had gone out and signed a top player like that. Showing the ambition that we all want to see. A real player of Champions League quality. Would we now be a better team than picking players for 5m here, 3m there? Where do you think we'd have been finishing in the league? Not sure what question you're asking here. I demand a crack at a Europa League place (i.e. finishing in one of the positions that may open up to qualify for that competition) as an absolute bare minimum. Once we get there, then the minimum requirement changes. I'm not overly arsed about who the personnel is that gets us there. Why would I give the slightest fuck about that? I've never been in the least bit interested in getting excited about "marquee" (vomit) signings - I was fucking foaming with rage the day we signed Michael Owen because I knew the squad wasn't good enough to meet that minimum requirement. Nor is this one. Fair point. Misinterpreted what you were after. You're not so bothered about one big signing, you just would rather we have a negative net spend as a show of some kind of ambition. Personally, I don't care about that. If we make a profit or a loss doesn't bother me (so long as it's sustainable). I just want the players we bring in to improve the team. I agree that Europa League is a reasonable aim. I also think that with the likes of HBA, Cabaye (who we actively held on to), Colo (who we actively held on to), Cisse, Remy, Sissoko, etc we have the makings of a decent squad that can push towards that goal this year. Everyone dropped a bollock last season. Our January signings (despite our collective creaming over them) weren't amazing when it came down to producing results. Now with them getting bedded into the squad we can expect better. Er no, I'd rather the club was reinvesting the money that I and thousands of other supporters put into it, and reinvesting the gargantuan sums being thrown at them by the TV companies. Even if we finish second having spent nothing, it's not good enough because had we invested, it could have been first. Every single decision the club makes should be for the benefit of the football team and the betterment of results and performances.

I can't take that. I just can't. 20th richest club in the world iirc. 3rd largest crowds in the PL. But for some completely f***ed up reason you say we can't compete with the big clubs. And since not a single one of us expects to compete financially with Man City and Chelsea, I can only assume that by "big" clubs you mean the likes of Southampton, Fulham and f***ing Norwich. Just f*** off you cowardly, lying cockend. We all know that we could compete with them easily if we wanted, we're just owned by a thief who is creaming money out of the club and into his horrid, tatty, charva clothes shop. I take your points but I don't think there's anything wrong with the statement "We haven't got the finances of a big team," of itself. We're not bankrolled by Russian or Arab oil money. We don't have the commercial reach of Man United to sell an ungodly number of shirts in every corner of the globe. You're right that doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing better in transfer windows. But there's nothing wrong with the actual statement. There is something utterly wrong with the statement though. He's insinuating that there's a problem with the fans expectations. Ie that we're being unrealistic. And that's simply not what's happening, we just don't expect to have our manager come out and say we can't compete financially with f***ing Southampton ffs. The money has always been there for players the club feel are the right fit. Stop right there brah. This premise here- this is a completely unproven and unprovable proposition that just so happens to fit your agenda. It is also the claim of proven liars who admitted to deliberately misleading and deceiving fans in the past. Its a load of shit really. I'm sorry, do we not sign anyone unless it's on a free? Er not unless the money is made back in sales no. Hypothetically, if we'd taken all the Carroll money and signed say, Ozil... - Ignore that he'd probably not come here. - Ignore that he cost a bit more than we made on Carroll. - Ignore that the gap between now and selling Carroll. - Ignore the wage bill. But if we had gone out and signed a top player like that. Showing the ambition that we all want to see. A real player of Champions League quality. Would we now be a better team than picking players for 5m here, 3m there? Where do you think we'd have been finishing in the league? Not sure what question you're asking here. I demand a crack at a Europa League place (i.e. finishing in one of the positions that may open up to qualify for that competition) as an absolute bare minimum. Once we get there, then the minimum requirement changes. I'm not overly arsed about who the personnel is that gets us there. Why would I give the slightest fuck about that? I've never been in the least bit interested in getting excited about "marquee" (vomit) signings - I was fucking foaming with rage the day we signed Michael Owen because I knew the squad wasn't good enough to meet that minimum requirement. Nor is this one.

In this summer transfer window, I agree. January; they were ace. Summer before that; shite again. Different situations, innit. If we're struggling in January we'll try to bail ourselves out again to preserve Premier League status, if we're midtable we'll plod along. Agreed. And it's frustrating. As fans we want to see the team go for broke. We want them to take the risks that might propel us back into the champions league where we feel we belong. I get it. I also get that it's much more sensible to build slowly and purposefully. I don't like us not bringing in the players required to improve us. I'm just saying I understand why it's is the way it is. Ultimately, if it were my cash on the line, I'd probably play it a little safer than my FM save too. In what way are we building anything, never mind slowly and purposefully? We went from 5th to 16th, because we didn't want to spend money on players and we didn't want to spend money on a real manager. Now we haven't signed anyone again. What are we "building"?

I can't take that. I just can't. 20th richest club in the world iirc. 3rd largest crowds in the PL. But for some completely f***ed up reason you say we can't compete with the big clubs. And since not a single one of us expects to compete financially with Man City and Chelsea, I can only assume that by "big" clubs you mean the likes of Southampton, Fulham and f***ing Norwich. Just f*** off you cowardly, lying cockend. We all know that we could compete with them easily if we wanted, we're just owned by a thief who is creaming money out of the club and into his horrid, tatty, charva clothes shop. I take your points but I don't think there's anything wrong with the statement "We haven't got the finances of a big team," of itself. We're not bankrolled by Russian or Arab oil money. We don't have the commercial reach of Man United to sell an ungodly number of shirts in every corner of the globe. You're right that doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing better in transfer windows. But there's nothing wrong with the actual statement. There is something utterly wrong with the statement though. He's insinuating that there's a problem with the fans expectations. Ie that we're being unrealistic. And that's simply not what's happening, we just don't expect to have our manager come out and say we can't compete financially with f***ing Southampton ffs. The money has always been there for players the club feel are the right fit. Stop right there brah. This premise here- this is a completely unproven and unprovable proposition that just so happens to fit your agenda. It is also the claim of proven liars who admitted to deliberately misleading and deceiving fans in the past. Its a load of shit really. I'm sorry, do we not sign anyone unless it's on a free? Er not unless the money is made back in sales no.

In this summer transfer window, I agree. January; they were ace. Summer before that; shite again. Depends on your definition of "ace" I suppose.

The club don't seem to be doing a very good job of finding players who are the "right fit".

Got to admire the nerve of the man, a day after we sell the ground out to watch some of the greatest players this country has ever produced play for Newcastle again, he's straight back in the press talking about "big teams" and criticizing the fans. Utter arsehole, just fuck off man. Completely sick of the thoroughly depressing state of affairs that is Alan Pardew's presence on this planet.

Can't believe I've sat and watched this like.

The Journal: EXCLUSIVE! PLEASE DON'T CANCEL YOUR SEASON TICKETS!

Heartbreaking yellow card for Welbeck. Hardly Gazza in Turin like is it? Taken the gloss off the first half ffs.

Presumably we're looking at another six months before the accounts up to June 2013 are released?

I don't care when we shop as long as the squad is fully equipped to make, at the very least, an attempt at a European place and compete properly in both cups. Anything less is unacceptable. We're a long long way short at the moment and will remain so under Ashley.

They know what they're doing, constantly shopping in January. Right before season ticket renewal, chance of some of those lovely cheapo deals as contracts run down and it allows them to claim the spending was instead of either summer, depending on what lie they're attempting to push at the time.

most will want to see it proven before being accused of turning a blind eye to it. Much is already proven, the free advertising for example.

Very well put. That is just an embarrassing mentality to be honest. Oh no, we shouldn't try and improve the club's situation as there is a slight risk the next owner might be even worse, as unlikely as it is. By the same token we may as well keep Pardew for the duration of his contract regardless of relegations or results, because you never how the next manager is going to fare. Would you consider Ashley to be worse than Shepherd - Hall? Yes, hands down. He's several tens of millions of cash taken out behind Shepherd and Hall in the badness stakes tbh. What an odd reply. Personally I'm only interested in the fortunes of the football team. Your point is valid only in so far as it's correct that the dividends that were going out were detrimental to our transfer spend, but now we don't spend anything.

I say that just as much to point out how unbelievably fucking rich this bloke is, and getting richer day by day. Some people like to make out like he's a pauper in Premier League terms when he really isn't (Chelsea and City the obvious exceptions, as well as one of Arsenal's guys). He could have Everton's owner doing his fucking dishes. He's not financially prudent, he's just a thoroughly tight selfish greedy cunt.

On the more general subject, it's easy to see why it is in Ashleys interests to keep NUFC revenues as low as possible whilst maximising SD revenues by whatever dirty tricks he can manage. That way he can keep us owing him a hundred million whilst boosting the profits and share price of SD. Also, it justifies nil expenditure at NUFC. Man's an utter shitcunt, and anyone who willingly gives him another single penny needs their head looked at. The less we make in profit and the more he can use us to make money for Sports Direct, the less money he has to justify "trousering" to service the debt that saved us. It's starting to come together now. That's exactly it. I know I keep banging this drum but Sports Direct share price rose to an all time high today of over £7 a pop, 20 times more valuable than the day he bought NUFC.

http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/Club/Academy/HowToGetATrial Is this standard practice amongst Premier League clubs? Please do our scouting for us and email Peter Beardsley's son if you've seen anyone good?

You have agreed a deal with Sports Direct for the naming rights of Ibrox, yet have £21.2m cash in the bank. Why does the stadium need to be sponsored? CG: Bringing an amount of cash in by naming the stadium – and that amount will vary upwards depending on the league that we're in – or the branding of Murray Park is vitally important. This is not money that goes into Charles Green's retirement fund, it goes into Rangers and we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the team needs investment on the pitch, because it's only with a successful team that we'll get the support of the fans. We had a meeting a few weeks ago with the supporters and invited Sports Direct. We had a presentation from Derek Llambias, the chief executive of Newcastle, who talked about how that worked for him at Newcastle, how that money bought Demba Ba and, after 29 goals, he sold him for £7.5m and bought [Moussa] Sissoko. http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/sport/football/rangers-accounts-q-a.20412541

The merchandise deal with Sports Direct is mentioned in the latest Rangers accounts but no specifics given. However it looks like they went to Rangers and lied about the stadium renaming to get that deal, claiming that it had paid for us to sign Demba Ba.

Nah, can't see the tickets being like that. Though remember the Rangers Ticketus scandal! Doesn't all of rangers merchandise go through SD nowadays? The Rangers Megastore website is operated by SportsDirect.com Retail Ltd. whose registered address is Unit A, Brook Park East, Shirebrook, NG20 8RY, Company Number: 03406347, VAT Number: GB 898 439743.