Wullie

Nut: http://news.maxifoot.fr/info-140152_110618/football.php Newcastle a la fibre française en ce moment. Après Hatem Ben Arfa il y a un an, Yohan Cabaye et Sylvain Marveaux cet été, les Magpies sont désormais sur la trace du latéral gauche de Toulouse, Cheikh M'Bengue (22 ans, 25 matchs en Ligue 1 cette saison). L'agent du joueur a confirmé à L'Equipe que le club anglais a formulé une offre de 6 millions d'euros au TFC. M'Bengue a aussi été annoncé sur les tablettes de l'OM pour succéder à Taye Taiwo. (Par Nicolas Lagavardan) Newcastle fiber French right now. Hatem Ben Arfa after a year ago, Yohan Cabaye and Sylvain Marveaux this summer, the Magpies are now on the track of the left side of Toulouse, M'Bengue Sheikh (22 years, 25 games in Ligue 1 this season). The player's agent confirmed to L'Equipe that the English club made an offer of 6 million euros in the TFC. M'Bengue was also announced on the shelves of the OM to succeed Taye Taiwo. (By Nicolas Lagavardan)

I've heard the new Assassins Creed title is going to abandon the Templar angle and have Ezio battling a new secret evil conspiracy - the N-O VIP members area. Final mission is to scale the walls of the Trent House and take Dave out.

That's the point though - there was variation. Interesting the clubs you gave as the big ones in the 80s, discounting Liverpool who were obviously a class apart: Man Utd had finishes of 7th, 11th, 11th during that decade (mainly finished 3rd or 4th) Arsenal had 5th, 10th, 6th, 7th, 7th, 6th place finishes as well as a league title. They played in Europe less than Southampton did. Everton had 19th, 15th, 8th, 7th, 7th, two league titles and then back to 4th and 7th. Spurs had 14th, 10th, 8th, 10th, 13th, 6th as well as a few top 4 finishes mixed in between those. There was no pecking order. There was no European football quarantee (well unless you were at Liverpool). There were many more clubs, players, fans went into each top flight season thinking they could achieve something. This is not the case anymore and has led to a generation of players who play to be signed up by what they see as "bigger clubs" rather than trying to help their own clubs into that bracket.

Would love to see it, he'd be a Marquee signing, but there's not a chance in hell of us paying that on one player. I reckon £10 millionish would be our limit personally. Unfortunately I agree but I don't agree with that, if you see what I mean.

I don't agree, the vast financial benefits for qualification are down to UEFA and that was already creating problems for clubs on the periphery like us and Leeds before Abramovich showed up. Continuously providing the richest clubs in the country with a revenue stream far in excess of everybody else in their respective leagues so that they can then again qualify for that revenue stream again without much difficulty (and forcing those just outside to spend more than they can afford to try and keep up) is hardly something that promotes competition.

It hasn't though, yes the biggest/richest clubs have always signed the best players but with UEFA having created this abundance of Champions League clubs and these clubs needing much bigger squads than they did previously, every player who has a five minute purple patch is now standing outside Stamford Bridge shouting "Pick me, pick me!" Looking back through the 80s before the Premier League arrived (and even the early Premier League years before the CL was extended to include more than the Champions), the variation of the teams at the top is so refreshing. Players knew they could sign for one of so many clubs in the top flight and have a go at European football or even the title, now players know they have to go to a particular group of 4 or 5 clubs for that to be possible. Where once, the shop window for players to be signed by bigger clubs might have been the second division or even the third, now practically the entire Premier League has become a shop window. That is not the way things should be. The big 5 during the 80s were Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton & Spurs. The big 5 now are Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea & Man City...the latter two because of rich owners who have spent their way there (and Spurs & Everton are still in the top 7). You're wrong. Ipswich, Watford, Forest, West Brom, Leeds, QPR and Southampton all qualified in Europe during the 80s. Luton, Derby, Crystal Palace, Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich all also qualified for it via the League but were disqualified because of Heysel. Liverpool at this point had a stranglehold over the title but this was when the UEFA Cup was a major competition. European football was not this magical holy grail that only the elite were entitled to as it is now. And recently Millwall, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Bolton, Stoke, Birmingham, etc will have qualified for Europe. I don't get your point. How many of them qualified via their league placing and how many qualified for a competition with any real value to modern players? Only Leeds for the latter, ten years ago, and their pursuit of it eventually ruined them. You can't see my point? Howay man Nut. Just about the only way any clubs other than the ultra rich can qualify for Europe now is getting to a cup final and hoping that the opposition haven't already qualified for it. It's hardly living the dream and it only qualifies you for a tatty competition that a lot of teams actively try and get knocked out of!

Having snapped up a few cheapos/freebies in a few positions we needed strengthening, I see no reason why we can't test the water with a £15m-£20m bid for Sturridge.

It hasn't though, yes the biggest/richest clubs have always signed the best players but with UEFA having created this abundance of Champions League clubs and these clubs needing much bigger squads than they did previously, every player who has a five minute purple patch is now standing outside Stamford Bridge shouting "Pick me, pick me!" Looking back through the 80s before the Premier League arrived (and even the early Premier League years before the CL was extended to include more than the Champions), the variation of the teams at the top is so refreshing. Players knew they could sign for one of so many clubs in the top flight and have a go at European football or even the title, now players know they have to go to a particular group of 4 or 5 clubs for that to be possible. Where once, the shop window for players to be signed by bigger clubs might have been the second division or even the third, now practically the entire Premier League has become a shop window. That is not the way things should be. The big 5 during the 80s were Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton & Spurs. The big 5 now are Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea & Man City...the latter two because of rich owners who have spent their way there (and Spurs & Everton are still in the top 7). You're wrong. Ipswich, Watford, Forest, West Brom, Leeds, QPR and Southampton all qualified for Europe during the 80s, not by getting a kicking in the Cup final as is generally the best hope now but via the League. Luton, Derby, Crystal Palace, Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich all also qualified for it via the League but were disqualified because of Heysel. Liverpool at this point had a stranglehold over the title but this was when the UEFA Cup was a major competition. European football was not this magical holy grail that only the elite were entitled to as it is now. It's interesting how rarely players sign for these clubs and say "I want to win titles", all the chatter is about Europe and UEFA have created a monster where Champions League is everything and nobody other than 4 or 5 clubs has a look in.

It hasn't though, yes the biggest/richest clubs have always signed the best players but with UEFA having created this abundance of Champions League clubs and these clubs needing much bigger squads than they did previously, every player who has a five minute purple patch is now standing outside Stamford Bridge shouting "Pick me, pick me!" Looking back through the 80s before the Premier League arrived (and even the early Premier League years before the CL was extended to include more than the Champions), the variation of the teams at the top is so refreshing. Players knew they could sign for one of so many clubs in the top flight and have a go at European football or even the title, now players know they have to go to a particular group of 4 or 5 clubs for that to be possible. Where once, the shop window for players to be signed by bigger clubs might have been the second division or even the third, now practically the entire Premier League has become a shop window. That is not the way things should be.

I hate Spurs but I hope they hang on to Modric. One of the worst things about the modern game is the attitude that footballers have now re: the Champions League. They think "earning" it now is being signed by a Champions League club rather than earning it by their own team getting there by being one of the best four teams over one season. Modric has some fucking nerve, he's just been in it with Spurs, they drop out of it for one year and he's like a spoilt child, "I want it now now now". Waffling on about Chelsea being a bigger club than Spurs - what an arsehole. Spurs have shown nothing but ambition since he's been at WHL but now he's too good for them? Players like Stewart Downing make me laugh. Who the fuck does he think he is trying to get out of Aston Villa? Villa are one of the biggest ten clubs in the country - that is his level. He's a canny player but now, any player who has a good half a dozen games immediately thinks they have to go running to the "big" clubs begging to be taken on and taken away from minnows like Newcastle, Spurs, Aston Villa, Everton, great historic clubs with massive support who could really punch their weight if these cunts didn't stop clamouring to go and sit on Chelsea's bench. It's like Pienaar last year, just desperate to get away to Spurs from Everton and for what? Three or four Champions League games ffs. People talk about the greed of footballers but for me, this is a much greater annoyance.

I don't know where the rest of you get it from tbh, your enthusiasm and optimism is astonishing. There's nothing better for me than seeing Newcastle score goals and win games but I stopped getting excited by signings a long time ago. Too many false dawns, too many kicks in the teeth from Mike Ashley, I just want the season to start.

You were serious? Honestly thought you were just on the wind-up by parodying your new reputation on here as the prophet of doom. Everyone else bouncing off the walls, then you posted that. No offence intended, obviously just read it wrong. Ah. No I was serious. Mind, that's not a new reputation you describe.

I'd be absolutely gutted if Charlie ended up there like.

Well I sure as fuck wouldn't put him on the wing. In the middle is the only place I'd consider him.

By saying he was impressive against Bolton and Everton? Yeah, high praise. Arsenal too, btw. Arsenal, the game where the team was non-existant for 65 of the 70+- minutes he was on the field? Really? 2 goals and winning a penalty isn't enough, obviously. He scored once and won a penalty, however, that doesn't mean he was impressive in his overall play. When you say overall play, its not only what he does in the box, which he obviously does very well since he scored 6 in 11. But you cannot say he's been very impressive in his general play. He did score twice tbh. One of them didn't count because of a ridiculous decision but he should still be given credit if discussing his quality.

Again, awful avatar, but why do you say this? This guy is probably valued more than £1m but we've taken advantage of the release clause in his contract. If we bought him for £3m or so, I reckon people would expect him to be able to develop into a relatively good LB, given his young age and lack of experience. What the fuck? I was talking about Simpson you gimboid. taxfree wasn't though, think you've been talking at cross purposes.

Splendid.

So we're going to replace both the first team and the squad players by August 13th are we SSR? You're confident of that?

Some seem to be forgetting that Best is, as things stand, part of our best XI. I don't particularly rate him either nor do I believe that he has proved himself in the top flight yet but who exactly is going to sit on the bench behind all these top class players (that we're getting on the cheap)? Some of our benches last season were fucking dire.

Absolutely must have all our business done and team ready for kick off now. No excuses. We must beat that mob.

Thundercats man Rich!

The Boxing Day fixture has more chance of being Cardiff than Swansea OCK.

Lost count of the number of transfer windows that we've gambled our Premier League future for the sake of a few quid and we'll be doing that again if we continue to sell off the lads that have just kept us up. I can understand it to an extent because we've made the mistake of buying from massive clubs like Bolton and Coventry. We can't afford to keep this lot on MEGA wages, it will cripple the club.