Benwell Lad

I agree our attempts were rubbish, but even more worryingly I think we were serious. It seems pretty obvious that the transfer market is a difficult place to do business. There are differering agendas from players, their agents and the clubs themselves and they all have to be dealt with. We seem to be ok at identifying and closing in on release clauses and free transfers. We can also pick out a bargain. But to me we have demonstrated that there is a lack of the right sort of negotiating expertise in our structure. There are times when a bit of flexibility is required. One of the journos (Edwards?) said we are always looking for the perfect deal when, at times, you have to bite the bullet and pay a full price for a player you really need - and I think that view is right. Couldn't agree more. What annoys me, and I suspect a lot of other people, is that "the perfect deal" is sometimes paying a bit more to get a component you need rather than look at it in isolation. If we had to spend an extra £2m on signing a striker it would probably have been worth at least that just in finishing several places higher in the league table, generating excitement and therefore higher gates and so on. I just don't understand our mentality sometimes. By all means work within a budget, but when you've banked so much money from sales why not invest a bit more in the players who will take you on a level? It makes business sense to do so for most people. I'm not entirely sure it was a case of just offering a higher price, but more worryingly that extra nous is needed when the target player's club do not want to sell. Lets face it any idiot can transact a deal when the club wants to sell but we seem to lack someone with the the ability to make it happen when they don't. During the last days of the transfer window the only forwards who moved were discards and if we are aiming higher than that then we need someone involved who is capable of making it happen. Ruiz is the one I can't get my head around. If there were no players of the right quality available then fair enough, but why wait all summer then bid for Ruiz at the last minute? Because we were hoping to sign Mobidu Maiga despite Socheaux telling us repeatedly that they weren't going to sell without getting a replacement? What utter s***. Did we bid for him ? I think Sky need to keep some kind of frenzy going on the last night to maintain audience figures. They could have probably said early on that no one was going to be signed but that doesn't keep the large Newcastle interest going, so the mad presenters spout a load of guff and the punters keep viewing. Jim White strings the audience along building up their hopes and keeps them watching the adverts. Considering his name had never been mentioned until the last day and no one from the club has mentioned him at all I wonder if there was ever anything in the Ruiz story apart from Sky feeding internet sites and vice versa. Cue hysteria and much wailing but nothing of any substance. If Sky made up that crap about us having a helicopter waiting to whisk Ruiz to Newcastle then I'm surprised our board didn't call them on it and deny it outright. It would have totally blown Sky's credibility out of the water to make up such a lie, so the fact that no one from the club has denied it means: a) it was true b) Llambias was happy for the story to run even if it was complete bollocks either way the board don't come out of it very well do they? it's obvious to anyone with half a brain that there was no substance to the link. Twente said they only received a bid from fulham, ruiz said no discussions ever happened, and Jol said talk of a rival bid was incorrect. all this s*** about a helicopter seems to stem from david craig and his bespectacled source at saint james park. their motivation for talking s***? only those two cretins know the answer. In a nutshell.

I agree our attempts were rubbish, but even more worryingly I think we were serious. It seems pretty obvious that the transfer market is a difficult place to do business. There are differering agendas from players, their agents and the clubs themselves and they all have to be dealt with. We seem to be ok at identifying and closing in on release clauses and free transfers. We can also pick out a bargain. But to me we have demonstrated that there is a lack of the right sort of negotiating expertise in our structure. There are times when a bit of flexibility is required. One of the journos (Edwards?) said we are always looking for the perfect deal when, at times, you have to bite the bullet and pay a full price for a player you really need - and I think that view is right. Couldn't agree more. What annoys me, and I suspect a lot of other people, is that "the perfect deal" is sometimes paying a bit more to get a component you need rather than look at it in isolation. If we had to spend an extra £2m on signing a striker it would probably have been worth at least that just in finishing several places higher in the league table, generating excitement and therefore higher gates and so on. I just don't understand our mentality sometimes. By all means work within a budget, but when you've banked so much money from sales why not invest a bit more in the players who will take you on a level? It makes business sense to do so for most people. I'm not entirely sure it was a case of just offering a higher price, but more worryingly that extra nous is needed when the target player's club do not want to sell. Lets face it any idiot can transact a deal when the club wants to sell but we seem to lack someone with the the ability to make it happen when they don't. During the last days of the transfer window the only forwards who moved were discards and if we are aiming higher than that then we need someone involved who is capable of making it happen. Ruiz is the one I can't get my head around. If there were no players of the right quality available then fair enough, but why wait all summer then bid for Ruiz at the last minute? Because we were hoping to sign Mobidu Maiga despite Socheaux telling us repeatedly that they weren't going to sell without getting a replacement? What utter s***. Did we bid for him ? I think Sky need to keep some kind of frenzy going on the last night to maintain audience figures. They could have probably said early on that no one was going to be signed but that doesn't keep the large Newcastle interest going, so the mad presenters spout a load of guff and the punters keep viewing. Jim White strings the audience along building up their hopes and keeps them watching the adverts. Considering his name had never been mentioned until the last day and no one from the club has mentioned him at all I wonder if there was ever anything in the Ruiz story apart from Sky feeding internet sites and vice versa. Cue hysteria and much wailing but nothing of any substance. If Sky made up that crap about us having a helicopter waiting to whisk Ruiz to Newcastle then I'm surprised our board didn't call them on it and deny it outright. It would have totally blown Sky's credibility out of the water to make up such a lie, so the fact that no one from the club has denied it means: a) it was true b) Llambias was happy for the story to run even if it was complete bollocks either way the board don't come out of it very well do they? Right now they come up smelling of s*** whatever they do and characteristically they neither seem to bother denying or confirming anything. Sky aren't going to do anything that upsets their agenda on deadline day especially as viewing figures peak and they can always cite some internet site as their source if they need to. The whole summer consists of reams of media rumours of which only a very small fraction have any substance whatsoever. Nowadays they'll pick up on a a tweet from any source if it helps them fill space. It's how modern journalism works sadly. Anyway News International companies are more likely to be hacking telephone conversations they're not supposed to be listening to, rather than taking calls from anyone wanting to give them facts.

I agree our attempts were rubbish, but even more worryingly I think we were serious. It seems pretty obvious that the transfer market is a difficult place to do business. There are differering agendas from players, their agents and the clubs themselves and they all have to be dealt with. We seem to be ok at identifying and closing in on release clauses and free transfers. We can also pick out a bargain. But to me we have demonstrated that there is a lack of the right sort of negotiating expertise in our structure. There are times when a bit of flexibility is required. One of the journos (Edwards?) said we are always looking for the perfect deal when, at times, you have to bite the bullet and pay a full price for a player you really need - and I think that view is right. Couldn't agree more. What annoys me, and I suspect a lot of other people, is that "the perfect deal" is sometimes paying a bit more to get a component you need rather than look at it in isolation. If we had to spend an extra £2m on signing a striker it would probably have been worth at least that just in finishing several places higher in the league table, generating excitement and therefore higher gates and so on. I just don't understand our mentality sometimes. By all means work within a budget, but when you've banked so much money from sales why not invest a bit more in the players who will take you on a level? It makes business sense to do so for most people. I'm not entirely sure it was a case of just offering a higher price, but more worryingly that extra nous is needed when the target player's club do not want to sell. Lets face it any idiot can transact a deal when the club wants to sell but we seem to lack someone with the the ability to make it happen when they don't. During the last days of the transfer window the only forwards who moved were discards and if we are aiming higher than that then we need someone involved who is capable of making it happen. Ruiz is the one I can't get my head around. If there were no players of the right quality available then fair enough, but why wait all summer then bid for Ruiz at the last minute? Because we were hoping to sign Mobidu Maiga despite Socheaux telling us repeatedly that they weren't going to sell without getting a replacement? What utter s***. Did we bid for him ? I think Sky need to keep some kind of frenzy going on the last night to maintain audience figures. They could have probably said early on that no one was going to be signed but that doesn't keep the large Newcastle interest going, so the mad presenters spout a load of guff and the punters keep viewing. Jim White strings the audience along building up their hopes and keeps them watching the adverts. Considering his name had never been mentioned until the last day and no one from the club has mentioned him at all I wonder if there was ever anything in the Ruiz story apart from Sky feeding internet sites and vice versa. Cue hysteria and much wailing but nothing of any substance.

I agree our attempts were rubbish, but even more worryingly I think we were serious. It seems pretty obvious that the transfer market is a difficult place to do business. There are differering agendas from players, their agents and the clubs themselves and they all have to be dealt with. We seem to be ok at identifying and closing in on release clauses and free transfers. We can also pick out a bargain. But to me we have demonstrated that there is a lack of the right sort of negotiating expertise in our structure. There are times when a bit of flexibility is required. One of the journos (Edwards?) said we are always looking for the perfect deal when, at times, you have to bite the bullet and pay a full price for a player you really need - and I think that view is right. Couldn't agree more. What annoys me, and I suspect a lot of other people, is that "the perfect deal" is sometimes paying a bit more to get a component you need rather than look at it in isolation. If we had to spend an extra £2m on signing a striker it would probably have been worth at least that just in finishing several places higher in the league table, generating excitement and therefore higher gates and so on. I just don't understand our mentality sometimes. By all means work within a budget, but when you've banked so much money from sales why not invest a bit more in the players who will take you on a level? It makes business sense to do so for most people. I'm not entirely sure it was a case of just offering a higher price, but more worryingly that extra nous is needed when the target player's club do not want to sell. Lets face it any idiot can transact a deal when the club wants to sell but we seem to lack someone with the the ability to make it happen when they don't. During the last days of the transfer window the only forwards who moved were discards and if we are aiming higher than that then we need someone involved who is capable of making it happen.

Indeed.

Dunlop - and a half time guest appearance by Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke with Ashley joining them for a fat belly contest.

Good point. Problem is, if you told some of those on here that want to stand, that they had to stand, they'd sit. And of course blame Ashley for not being able to sit. And so it goes on and on............

Talk of Bruce losing the dressing room (and everything else) may be premature, but with this going on, the nature of Bent's departure, and their star striker looking like he wants to be anywhere but Sunderland right now something doesn't seem quite right.

Fair point, you're right to a degree. But even things that they're doing right, like restricting the amount they'll pay transfer fees, they can't actually come out and say because it will influence future deals. And things like the fact that Ashley would sell up to any decent buyer, they can't say because it will only cause more instability. Right or wrong, there are a lot of things that it would be very unwise to comment publicly about. Well, if the club make a point of saying that ALL the Carroll money will go back into the club and then 8 months later have a net transfer spend of about £500k i think there are some questions that are fair to ask. There's something strange about your defending of them on really quite minor points. I don't defend that promise about the Carroll money, I've always said they were wrong to promise it would all go on the team. IIRC the comment about it all being spent on 'the team' came from Pardew, not Llambias. His wording also led to the interpretation that it would all go on transfer fees, and nothing else. Now you may say that Pardew was only repeating, word for word, what he had been told - 'the owner's mouthpiece' line. However, I think we've seen more recently that Pardew tends to speak from some middle ground of his own devising, in between the owner on the one hand, and the fans and players on the other. Some of it may be literally what he's been told, some may be his interpretation of what's been said, and some may be his own slant in order to put pressure on the owner. Someone can dismiss it all in the word 'lies' if they want, but these sort of games are what goes on in the real world of a tough working environment. Personally, I think Pardew runs the danger of trying to appear to be all things to all men. It's too easy then to end up confusing the picture, or making yourself look dishonest. Hey come on, lets not introduce the real world into Newcastle discussion forums

On the basis of what we've seen, heard and read of this guy so far it looks like we may have picked up a gem.

Absolutely correct. A ridiculous futile exercise. Predictable questions, predictable answers and most predictable of all will be the totally negative reaction to whatever is said. We need better and regular communication, but this is just a joke.

There's a lot of double standards on here and other sites too. People who sometimes portray excessive drinking and partying as a badge of honour, get all sanctimonious when certain others behave that way. That's not to say he wasn't behaving like a complete cunt and should know better, by the way.

Yeah I kind of thought that with the company's majority shareholder also owning the football club and in leui of any higher bidders that they may be offered preferable rates. Revolutionary stuff. Whatever next !

What ?? Most of the people I used to stand with are still going today, it's the Johnnny come latelys and post-Keegan fashion fans who've stopped going in the main and frankly good riddance to them. Lack of passion ? Are you kidding - it might not be like the old Leazes or thereafter Gallowgate days but SJP is still one of, if not THE, most passionate arenas in the country despite whats been going on. The support shown to the team in both home games this season has been passionate and totally commited. You keep banging on about how you think it's better in the pub - isn't that what the mackems prefer according to their chairman.

Pre-2008 looks like the best bit.

Even worse Shearer.

If a disappointing transfer window and failure to sign another striker was something a manager would resign over then about 3/4 of Premiership managers and most in the Football League will be handing in their notice. .com and especially True Faith are becoming boringly repetitive with articles that sound like they've been written by moody or hysterical schoolgirls. The club has not crossed the line as far as a striker is concerned, but AP has definetely crossed The Line - he has lied 3 times in a row re. major themes [AC, reinvestment, striker] - he has to take responsibility. If he is dignified enough, he has to resign. No matter if JFK is waiting on the wings [defo hope not], but AP exposed himself - we can't trust him anymore. And this is an essential part of the manager's job - to have a certain rapport with the club's fans. Aye, alright.

A few seasons ago when there was talk of Local Hero been dropped as the team came out nufc.com refused to get involved saying words along the lines of it having no sentimental relevance and was just a piece of meaningless music. Most ordinary fans did feel it had become part of the fabric of the club and match experience and it was retained. Funny that .com has taken up the name sign story with such zeal. It's debatable but I'd say the song was more symbolic than the sign, but both are important to us. I hope the new sign retains strong Newcastle symbolism but with it being in such a prominent position for TV cameras it will be vulnerable to some kind of marketing pitch. I hope they resist the temptation.

If a disappointing transfer window and failure to sign another striker was something a manager would resign over then about 3/4 of Premiership managers and most in the Football League will be handing in their notice. .com and especially True Faith are becoming boringly repetitive with articles that sound like they've been written by moody or hysterical schoolgirls.

It's still called that by everyone with the exception of a few dozy jounalists, a few agitating mackems and other assorted idiots. No amount of sponsorship money from anyone or anything will ever change that to the people of Newcastle or Newcastle fans.

Any old timers remember the supplement "Football League Review" which was stapled into the middle of club's programmes back in the late 60s or 70s ? They ran a poll competition for the best looking players and Wyn Davies featured and I think was top of it for a while. People used to vote for him a bit like they do in the moronic Sky polls of today, despite the fact his face looked like it had collided with a few walls in it's time. I suppose the poll must have been by post back then, but I remember people bigging it up as we we generally so shit it felt good to be first in something.

Don't get me wrong so would I, I just don't think he'd have been an automatic choice any longer with the competition in there. At QPR he'll probably get to pick the team.

Whenever HBA gets fit and Marvaux and Obertan settle in, with Jonas,Tiote and Cabaye doing well, Ferguson, Vukic and Sammy knocking on the door, Joey would not have been an automatic choice this season. Good player, big heart sure, but there was one stand out fixture that we needed him for this season and fortunately he played in it before leaving.

Sounds like a comment from an Evertonian living in the real world