macphisto

"Ill" is almost a euphemism now for Covid.

You're right about the Leeds game for a multitude of reasons, 3 points, Saudi break and who knows how much it influenced some of our signings in the latter part of the transfer window.

The US has invaded several countries since World War 2. The only reason they have never been rebuked is that they have loaded guns both economically and militarily.

I would say the Glazers on a much bigger scale are similar to how Newcastle was run under Shepherd/Hall in their last five years. Fans were disgruntled, everyone knew they took money out the club, not happy with managerial appointments but still kept the club competitive or at least kept up the appearance of trying. Basically we were kept happy enough not to demand change.

Glazers have bought £1.2 billion in players, champions league most years. Hicks and Gillett were only there for three years and it would have soon become untenable for them after that.. We got relegated twice. Neither of those clubs were run into the ground like we were under Ashley for such a length of time.

Fair enough, I feel the same. During the last 14 years, I'd love to have supported someone else but just couldn't do it.

Do you know much about the Middle East? There is not a chance anything will happen with the Saudis. They are not going to give up the protection of the US when they have Iran in the neighbourhood. Likewise for the US who deem the Saudi's far too valuable an ally. It is no coincidence that Trump made his first overseas visit to Saudi Arabia. He's not alone, Obama went to Saudi Arabia three times. They are a key strategic partner.

It's quite strange this board, as everyone I know off-line thinks it's hilarious what has happened at Chelsea, myself included. When I say that, I am talking from the very narrow perspective of only looking at Chelsea and not the situation in Ukraine. For a mid-sized London club the fans have had an unbelievable journey under Abramovich, beyond their wildest dreams. The worse that can happen is that they go back to their former status in a year or two.

Talk about governance of the game, I would be very wary if Chelsea get taken over by American owners. I think you could virtually guarantee the European Superleague within a few years. Liverpool, Man U, Arsenal and Chelsea under American ownership would lead to big changes in the game. Not sure what exactly but it would all be about consolidating their power and maximising their income to the detriment of every other club.

I wonder how much the decision at the time to give away 10,000 tickets played a part in Ashley selling up within a few years?

100% get where you're coming from. I tried to completely stop following football completely after Carroll was sold but it was there at the back of your mind. That's why I'm so pleased to have new ownership as it feels like I've discovered a new sport! I could never follow another team, just wouldn't be the same.

You think if there was mass hostility to the Saudi's that they would have still taken us over? To be clear I'm not saying I'm against the Saudis as I was over the moon when they took us over but if the vast majority of fans were hostile to the takeover then I don't think it would have gone through.

I'm convinced if we had of had mass boycotts at one or two games, drastically reduced season tickets then he would have gone much sooner. I guess we'll never know but I highly doubt Scousers or Glaswegians would have put up with Ashley like we did. As I say we'll never know.

You might not get to elect but you do get to reject potential owners.

Of course you have a say in who owns your club. Not all fan bases are like Newcastle's.

I don't quite get the sympathy for Chelsea. Genuinely, I feel more sorry by what's happened at Sunderland where wideboys have been allowed to exploit the club and fed the fans blatant lies (similar to Ashley).

How? It's true. we didn't do anything meaningful about Ashley during his whole tenure. Maybe I'm wrong but I thought @gjohnson was referring to Ashley.

Why don't you support non-league? I'm not trying to be snide when I ask that.

I think you can, it's just as a supporter base we decided not to do anything about Ashley.

When you step back, things don't change that quickly. Saudi's have been our partners since its founding. Russia has been a strategic enemy of the UK since the revolution, apart from a few years during World War 2.

He scored 11 Premier League goals last season. Decent return but nothing amazing. His only good return in the Premier League was the season before when he scored 17. He's on par with Alli as they've both lost their way. Granted Alli is further down that path but Rashford has been a regular now since 2016/17. Apart 2019/20 season he hasn't really pushed on at all since he came on the scene. I'm not saying he's a terrible player, just an average player when you look at his stats in the Premier League and who he plays for.

I'd walk away from any fee above £25 million at the very max with a load of clauses on top to bump up the fee in the event he turned it around; we have to consider that he is currently about 6th choice to start at Man U. As a player he is on par with Delli Alli, they are of a similar age, as someone who has completely lost their way and possibly never going to reach their potential.

What do you think about his performances in the Premier League over the past few seasons? Fair enough the 2019/20 season but based on numbers I would say he's been average the rest of the time. Do his stats in Premier League not tell the full story? 10/11 goals a season is not to be sniffed at in the Premier League but it's also nothing special at the same time. I get where you're coming from regarding attitude, most fans will forgive players if they can see they're putting in a shift.

Like a few others on here, I think Rashford is an average player. His career just hasn't progressed in the last three years. If it's not injuries then it's senior players not helping him out or some other excuse. He's 24 now and should be pushing on. Signing Rashford would remind me so much of former signings like Owen, Duff and Nicky Butt. Can anyone think of a young player who's career stalled at a big club, similar to Rashford, and then went on to fulfil their potential elsewhere? I know Chelsea let De Bruyne, Salah, Robben go but I would hardly say their careers had stalled when they left.

That kind of logic could apply to any owner as anything could happen to an owner. I also wouldn't worry too much about geopolitics in our case as international relations is not that volatile; Russia has never been an ally of the West.