Benwell Lad

Yes, although as you'd expect it's just the usual (probably ghost written) predictable bland stuff. I was interested to see if the Reading column gave anything away but it was very short, said absolutely nowt and I'd be surprised if Colo had even seen it prior to publication, never mind written it.

He is a comsummate pro as well. During his first season he was in a new club/country, struggling on the pitch, had four managers and was watching the club fall to pieces, but he never once hid. He stuck to the cause and battled through.

Aye, that was my first thought - thank fuck I don't own anything red !

Getting beyond a joke what they'll do to try and pad their empty stadium out a bit, and they're making a laughing stock out of those fans who still actually pay to watch them. It'll be macum press gangs next.

tended to be done aye- travel to away games must have been more difficult- no net, Tv football, even full radio commentary was rare. I worked with a toon season ticket holder early 90s, who was in his 60s then and he went to joker on our away days,. was In no doubt who he supporeted tho. I went there once to see them play Ipswich with a mate who was Ipswich fan. Aye, it was normal when I were a nipper to "want all the North East teams to do well". We all wanted sunderland to win in 73 and topple nasty Leeds. Hadn't met any mackems at that stage so didn't realise how weirdly bitter and twisted they were, like. A few years later I was left open-mouthed in shock at their rants about the Metro when it was built and the penny dropped that they had this strange village mentality and hated us for being better at everything than they were. Individually they can be OK, my next-door neighbour is one and so is the lad I sit next to at work, you just have to factor it into everything you say and do when you deal with them. It's like dealing with kids. I have noticed over the last few years that the local media have a very softly softly approach to anything Sunderland. It's like because the place is so desperate and the people have such an inferiority complex that they're now treat with the same sensitivity as some strange sect or a cultural minority. Very surprising that when the media have tried so hard to kick up a fuss about Newcastle related things like St.James' Park, Sports Direct or Wonga, they have given Sunderland such an easy ride over the Invest in Africa/ Tullow Oil stuff. But of course, therein lies their problem and much of the reason for the inferiority complex. While Newcastle are always big news and at the centre of media attention, no one is really interested in Sunderland, very few people in the UK could point to it on a map, and outside of the UK no one has even heard of it.

I think that puts the "Bobby was a mackem" claims to bed in a pretty resounding way.

Didn't Bob Murray get hit with a bottle by a well heeled macum when they were enjoying a night out in a restaurant in err....Newcastle ?

OK I'll concede, maybe not a direct link. However if Ashley had to put any personal money into the deals (and we must remember that buying players at the end of their contracts costs a lot more than the "visible" transfer fee) then him being pretty flush, even by his standards, would have made his decision easier.

They get so worked up about it and it's something so trivial If he was a Sunderland supporter that's fine by me, however I would think he's a pretty lousy supporter if he basically lied about his allegiance the minute he got our job. Even Bruce didn't do that at their place. I can only vouch for what I know and that is that he consistently said he was a Newcastle supporter. I've never heard him say otherwise and in spite of the evidence posters on RTG talk about proving he was a red and whiter I haven't been presented with any, therefore I've got to assume he was genuine when he said he was a Newcastle supporter. Bobby spoke of his black and white roots and childhood visits to SJP long before he was ever connected with the Newcastle manager's job. With many of that lot it's a County Durham thing. They just can't get over the fact that most people in North Durham look upon the town as "their city" and are very loyal Newcastle fans, and there are generations of Newcastle fans in south and even east Durham too. I see last week some of them were trying to include Durham as part of "greater Sunderland". Absolute poppycock! Durham City has far more in common with Newcastle historically, culturally and economically than it ever had with Sunderland. Both Durham and Newcastle are fine cities with great universities, famous streets and landmarks. Sunderland is just a shithole.

Astute observation and almost certainly linked to last week's going ons. The remaining few on here who refer to Ashley in "stupid" or "idiot" like terms are, .....well quite frankly idiots. He may be many things but an idiot he most certainly is not.

A fusion of denial and mackematics.

From the club who's squad is full of macums of course, and lets not forget they moved from their spiritual home to play in a soulless flat pack (half empty) meccano stadium on an industrial waste land. Roker Park might have been a shithole but at least it was a shithole with an atmsosphere. Oh and now Danny "I hate Sunderland" Graham! Do those idiots never learn? Lee Clark, Chopra, Brucey and not forgetting Lawrie Mac . You couldn't make it up. That guy honestly made me laugh, he's blocked me and I've never been outwardly abusive, just challenged him on a lot his bullshit. Its just the lowest he could stoop, the last resort of his pathetic NUFc addled mind. His team have signed precisely zero english payers this window In one mate. The SoS must be the world's biggest psychiatric ward.

From the club who's squad is full of macums of course, and lets not forget they moved from their spiritual home to play in a soulless flat pack (half empty) meccano stadium on an industrial waste land. Roker Park might have been a shithole but at least it was a shithole with an atmsosphere. Oh and now Danny "I hate Sunderland" Graham! Do those idiots never learn? Lee Clark, Chopra, Brucey and not forgetting Lawrie Mac . You couldn't make it up.

Tor Van.

Are they still living in the 20th century? Ladies and Gentlemen we have just arrived in Sunderland, please put your watches back 30 years to local time, which is 1983.

And yet has put more of his own money into it than anyone else in the history of the club. In fact he's probably the only person who has ever put any money into the club's coffers, apart from the few bob that we long suffering souls spend on them. He's a strange f***er. Due Diligence can do that to a bloke eh Ahh yes. The single most important thing when buying a business and the fat c*** didn't bother with it. SJH took him to the cleaners. The Hall and Shepherd clans certainly did very well out of the sale, but before Ashley came along the potential buyers who did do due diligence ran a mile. So maybe it's just as well for us (as well as the Halls and Shepherds) that Ashley didn't bother to have a proper look before he bought. There's no argument that he's f*cked up along the way but at least when he has had to put his hand in his pocket to pay for his f*ck ups he could afford it. Shepherd valued the club probably 1.5x more than what is worth. Absolutely mental. When anything ends up being sold the ultimate call on the value has to be with the person who decides to buy it.

And yet has put more of his own money into it than anyone else in the history of the club. In fact he's probably the only person who has ever put any money into the club's coffers, apart from the few bob that we long suffering souls spend on them. He's a strange f***er. Due Diligence can do that to a bloke eh Ahh yes. The single most important thing when buying a business and the fat cunt didn't bother with it. SJH took him to the cleaners. You may have bought more businesses than me so I'll have to take your word on that. There's also a very reasonable argument that on this occasion he may have preferred to waive the due diligence process for his own reason's. It certainly didn't bankrupt him. Anyway I'm supplying mere suppositions, the certainty with which you post means you must know a lot more about these things so you're probably right. For such a big investment, he went into the deal utterly blind to the state of our finances which were pretty bad. He would had found the following: Shepherd writing clauses into loans that £60m of them had to be re paid in 60 days if the club was taken over. Club still owing money for quite a few players bought 2-3 years previously. The tell take sign for me was how easy SJH sold his stake to him. How on earth the bloke was worth nearly 2 billion by the time he was 40, in light of this staggering incompetence, is frankly mind boggling. Agreed. Struck gold with Sports Direct but 1st 2 business ventures went tits up to which he was apparently bailed out by his father. He's not stupid, but he doesn't know anything about football as KK has publicly said. Aye it's unlikely that he'll ever manage England. But there again Keegan hasn't been very bright in business, so each to their own I suppose.

And yet has put more of his own money into it than anyone else in the history of the club. In fact he's probably the only person who has ever put any money into the club's coffers, apart from the few bob that we long suffering souls spend on them. He's a strange f***er. Due Diligence can do that to a bloke eh Ahh yes. The single most important thing when buying a business and the fat cunt didn't bother with it. SJH took him to the cleaners. You may have bought more businesses than me so I'll have to take your word on that. There's also a very reasonable argument that on this occasion he may have preferred to waive the due diligence process for his own reason's. It certainly didn't bankrupt him. Anyway I'm supplying mere suppositions, the certainty with which you post means you must know a lot more about these things so you're probably right. For such a big investment, he went into the deal utterly blind to the state of our finances which were pretty bad. He would had found the following: Shepherd writing clauses into loans that £60m of them had to be re paid in 60 days if the club was taken over. Club still owing money for quite a few players bought 2-3 years previously. The tell take sign for me was how easy SJH sold his stake to him. How on earth the bloke was worth nearly 2 billion by the time he was 40, in light of this staggering incompetence, is frankly mind boggling.

And yet has put more of his own money into it than anyone else in the history of the club. In fact he's probably the only person who has ever put any money into the club's coffers, apart from the few bob that we long suffering souls spend on them. He's a strange f***er. Due Diligence can do that to a bloke eh Ahh yes. The single most important thing when buying a business and the fat cunt didn't bother with it. SJH took him to the cleaners. You may have bought more businesses than me so I'll have to take your word on that. There's also a very reasonable argument that on this occasion he may have preferred to waive the due diligence process for his own reason's. It certainly didn't bankrupt him. Anyway I'm supplying mere suppositions, the certainty with which you post means you must know a lot more about these things so you're probably right.

And yet has put more of his own money into it than anyone else in the history of the club. In fact he's probably the only person who has ever put any money into the club's coffers, apart from the few bob that we long suffering souls spend on them. He's a strange fucker.

Aye. Credit where it's due, like. I believe Carr's remit is to have at least two potential targets lined up for every position and to monitor them. We're not gonna get our first pick every time but on this occasion I definitely prefer the second pick.

Longer term probably, but lets hope we get to see them together for a while.

Based on what? Have you seen much of him? Nah, not really so I'd have to concede that Carr probably knows best I remember being impressed with Bordeaux's forward play at SJP, very fluid and good movement despite the result. Especially first half before the game was lost. My opinion is mainly based on below article which was posted earlier about Remy. He's done less in the last two years than Shola has for us, yet wanted top player money. Think Gouffran will be a better character and have better attitude too. We'll see. http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/topics/newcastle-united-have-done-well-to-dodge-loic-remy-s-potential-bu

I'd have taken this guy over Remy any time. Better player, better form and due to his existing contract much better value. Harry's done us a favour.

Harry's on the dog and bone as we write, my old china.