Big Geordie

Great night tonight - good game and also raising plenty cash for a worthy cause. SBR total legend and always will be.

6-1?! Jesus. Disgraceful - pre-season game or not. The shape of things to come for this season, amigos.

The club probably don't want to pay for the extra stewards/police.

Not painting SAFC in a good light. Is this one going to slip under the mainstream media radar?

There's no way on earth Shearer will touch this job if Ashley has asset stripped the playing staff. He'd be setting himself up as the fall guy. He wants the job, but he also wants a fighting chance at promotion. Not to see the final death throes of this football club.

I am staggered to understand how anyone can think this, I hate Ashley as much as anyone but FFS get a grip Explain to me the reasons behind the decisions that a so-called successful businessman has taken with regards to the club, and then tell me why it's implausible?

Of course, afar - but that's in an ideal world.

They may be appear to be powerless but they can put the club under pressure, I've not heard a single word from them about the fiasco at all. What pressure can they actually put on though? They can voice their concerns, they can make threats that they will act if they see evidence of Ashley intentially damaging the club. They can act, even if it's just a fine, under "best interests of the game" umbrella. Right now they are just standing by and letting it happen, if he goes into full asset stripping mode which NUFC.com are alluding too and they don't act then they are not doing their job as administers of the game. We are not talking about a small little club here, this is a big club with a huge fanbase and a proud tradition, if you think the FA's role is not to ensure they do everything they can to save clubs like that (because make no mistake about it, administration is just around the corner if this continues) then you've got a perverted sense of what a footballing authority should do. We are talking about the FA and FL here. Whether they can step in or apply pressure or not isn't the issue. They won't until the club is in administration and even then it'll be to kick us in the teeth with a points deduction. Other clubs (smaller ones) have been through similar stuff and the powers that be did nothing. They will not make an exception for Newcastle United.

They may be appear to be powerless but they can put the club under pressure, I've not heard a single word from them about the fiasco at all. What pressure can they actually put on though?

The FA or rather the Football League will be powerless here. The only time they will intervene is to dock points if he puts us in administation.

If the asset stripping does happen, then any proceeds will head straight into Ashley's back pocket and not into the club.

How come it's being classed as affray, rather than as an assault?

How good or bad is the commentary on the Chron's website. Is it a txt service or is Lee yapping into a microphone on a bad line?

Must have been about that, given we had the whole of the North Stand. Pretty impressive for a very low key friendly, IMO. Officially 3345 in the away end There were never 3000 Darlington fans there mind!

His contribution since Xmas was non-existent. More worried about not getting injured (and hampering his chance of a move) than rolling up his sleeves. I see he's been spouting off again tonight with a violin story about how his personal life has 'come under criticism' when he was up here - the helicopter story. It's bullshit, because no-one would have given a stuff about that had he done the business on the park. On reflection - it was the media who criticized him about the helicopter, not the fans. Or am I forgetting something?

Must have been about that, given we had the whole of the North Stand. Pretty impressive for a very low key friendly, IMO.

Yup - very comical. The steward got dogs abuse afterwards. Bloody jobsworth! Was an excellent afternoon's entertainment - nice to see some goals for a change. Was impressed by Lua-Lua down the right hand side. Also, the 4000+ that went down was cracking. An enjoyable time had by all in the North Stand.

That's what I was thinking, Baz. Will keep checking before we head down at 10am.

Any news this morning - pitch inspection, etc? Doesn't look like there's been too much more rain here overnight. Hopefully the game will be on.

Hopefully not too late as I want to be setting away at 10am.

Anyone got a link to a Darlington fan forum to see if we can ask what the craic down there is?

Worried that the game might be called off, if they've had owt like the rain we've had in Newcastle this pm (with more on the way too)

Is the game in danger of being pulled, tomorrow? It's pissing down in Newcastle at the moment. What's it currently like down that way?

I knew some smart arse would bring that up.

Administration is a very real worry for me, if the club is not sold. People should take our sale as being a forgone conclusion, regardless of what crap Llambiarse or Harris spouts when it suits.