Wullie

This is the crux isn't it? There has become a desperation, certainly within the Premier League and the people who run it, for as many teams to do well in the Champions League as possible - your average Newcastle/Stoke/Villa fan of course couldn't give a fuck but the majority have to live with it for the benefit of the minority. I'm interested in how the money is divvied up across each major European League, particularly the German one. Presumably their Champions League qualifiers get the same wedge ours do? Are they just not using it as well as ours? The game has badly lost its way in some countries, especially England, to the point where it actually being a sport has been forgotten about. Decent read on PL v BL (year or so old mind) - http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2010/06/26/1996815/the-more-profitable-bundesliga-has-a-brighter-future-than Cheers, interesting. How is the German league so profitable when (I believe) their ticket prices are much lower and their TV income is hugely lower? I guess their much bigger stadia cover the ticketing issue.

This is the crux isn't it? There has become a desperation, certainly within the Premier League and the people who run it, for as many teams to do well in the Champions League as possible - your average Newcastle/Stoke/Villa fan of course couldn't give a fuck but the majority have to live with it for the benefit of the minority. I'm interested in how the money is divvied up across each major European League, particularly the German one. Presumably their Champions League qualifiers get the same wedge ours do? Are they just not using it as well as ours? The game has badly lost its way in some countries, especially England, to the point where it actually being a sport has been forgotten about.

A league should be defined by how competitive it is as much as the quality on show and in terms of the title, La Liga's about as competitive as the SPL. The Premier League's not a great deal better, but it is better - the winners typically finish around 20 points clear of 5th, in La Liga it's double that. I'd imagine your average La Liga fan doesn't see the dominance of the top two as fantastic as people on here do. The most competitive league amongst the main European ones seems to me to be the German league. I don't watch a single second of it however so it might be a right load of shite. The football media has to take a lot of the blame for people thinking so many games are "dross" tbh, they build every game up like it's going to be some sort of epic. Football's never been like that and it's never going to be. Used to be the case that you'd probably only see a team like Barcelona once a year in the European Cup final, now they're on TV more than any British team. Is it any wonder everybody else looks shite in comparison?

He really needs a goal.

I think that's something nearly every fan of every club is saying though. I guess most of them don't have £40m or so in the bank... Well exactly. It's a big chance for us to get a player who is going to be an absolutely top class striker who would completely change the dynamics of our team because he's a constant threat wherever he has the ball. We won't take it of course.

What would your take be if we were to sign Rodallega? I've never been that impressed with him tbh, I've always thought the lower echelons of the league was about his level.

All of Ba's goals at West Ham were either scrambled in after the ball was bouncing around in the area or headed in from a free kick and most of the goals I can find on Youtube scored by him at Hoffenheim are very similar too. Nothing wrong with that of course, being in the right place at the right time is obviously a hell of a lot more difficult than it looks, but is he a player who will make things happen himself up front? He strikes me as a more clinical and dangerous version of what we've got and that's great but we're absolutely desperate for pace, mobility and skill in the striking department, as well as (simplistic as it sounds) a decent shot, it's putting too much responsibility on the midfield when our strikers all need 'service'. Whoever we sign really needs to be able to make things happen, whether it be for himself or others. In conclusion, sign Daniel Sturridge ffs.

Hopefully. I think yesterday we reaped the rewards of a shambles of a pre season. What annoyed me was that one of the few positives of the pre season was Vuckic and he was nowhere to be seen. It annoys me that Vukic isn't more invloved tbh. Even in the Carling Cup game against Arsenal last year he looked one of our best players on the day yet he constantly gets overlooked despite being one of the few players in the current squad with a eye for goal. Bit worrying that he is overlooked when he had a really good pre season and scored goals and yet yesterday nowt when he could have made an impact . Not even having him on the bench was a staggering decision tbh.

How would you define us 'underachieving' this season? Finishing below 12th? Finishing below what we did last season would be pathetic tbh, given the money we have and the time we've had to plan spend it. All things considered, underachieving would be represented by a failure to make a real shot at Europe. That's my honest opinion.

We played more long ball stuff today than we have in years. Krul's left leg will be aching like fuck tomorrow morning.

Have suspected for a while that we've signed a dud here, hope I'm wrong.

16th.

Alex Ferguson prefers an English core to his team and squad, something we seem to be trying to get rid of which I don't agree with.

Unfortunately I can't count myself a smug know-it-all about Allardyce, was happy with his appointment, didn't take long for the good will to evaporate though.

They were. Big time.

Cabaye reckons he was sold a vision of NUFC - I'd bet any amount of money it wasn't a "top ten finish". He'll be thinking 'I might as well have signed for fucking Fulham'. Pardew bringing Man City into it shows just how much of a fucking patronising bullshit merchant he is. Surprised he didn't mention Leeds for good measure.

Is there any need for this constant vitriol towards a man who has done a decent job for us when we've had nobody else to stand up and do it? Because he's useless to us now and would be better served for him and us playing Sunday League football in Scotland And that makes him a cunt?

Is there any need for this constant vitriol towards a man who has done a decent job for us when we've had nobody else to stand up and do it?

Pitiful mackem arsehole.

Pardew's remit is to reduce costs. That's it.

Barton's far more committed to and interested in the success of NUFC than Pardew is, I know that much. Like his boss, he couldn't give a shit as long as it doesn't cost too much.

Can't believe anyone was stupid enough to touch him after all that terrible stuff he put on Twitter. Mugs. They've got a real troublemaker there.

Looks like Kadar's a write off then. That's a real shame.

We've essentially rushed the deal through purely for Liverpool's benefit and to our own detriment. Even if Jose wasn't going to play on Saturday, I'd sooner have kept them waiting until next week if we gain nothing from rushing it through. We held all the cards and letting him go now beggars belief.

35 million even, though it might as well have been 35 quid.