Ikon

Just seeing his name and the word straight after in hundreds of headlines just cuts into you! Despite knowing what's happened it feels surreal most of the time, but reading the headlines makes you realise reality and that it's actually happened, well it still feels surreal but less so, and more devastating. Along all the tributes and tweets from his former team mates.

:'( very much so...

Wonder if it's Rafa who's undecided on the fee or Thumb head. If Rafa doesn't mind the extra tiny bit of cash then he won't be happy about this... If we lose out on him that is.

I forgot for a while how much I actually liked him, but I realized it this sad evening

I can't believe it, I don't want to believe it, but after reading all those tweets it kind of sunk in and it makes me so sad. Why! Absolutely gutted!

No, no, man! Devastating news to come home too, so fucking sad. At first I read the title and I was wtf is this? Gutted... :(

Haven't even agreed a fee for him so lets not get ahead of ourselves. I meant the agreement on the fee which sounds to be very close. But Yeah maybe a bit early.

What do you base this on?

We almost never started building up our attacks on the left because our LB can barely pass a ball! Which makes us so one dimensional and easy to read where the opposition can focus on letting us starting down the right or centrally and then press us with many players and make it more difficult for us. Not having a proper LW doesn't help either mind. Sick of seeing Dummett take so much time on the ball before he plays it, which 9 times out of 10 is back to our CB. A quality LB would make a massive difference, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a Marcelo attacking type of LB. One that is good defensively and talented enough to handle the ball to a decent level would be a start. At times it feels like some people think Dummett is good defensively just because he's below average going forward, while in fact he's an average player defensively as well, even though he's quite "consistent". For what it's worth, I don't think Gibbs would cost 15m tbh.

Not like he requires anything sophisticated. Dunno if there will be anywhere that does a number 4 all over for an extortionate amount. Am I the only one who thinks £7.50 for a haircut is extortionate That's cheap tbh. I pay £4.50 max Surprised you don't do it yourself. I've seen a photo, I think he does it himself tbf.

Interesting if we sign a whole new back four. I guess that would mean two CB's leaving in Hanley and Mbemba. Personally I'd rather get rid of Lascelles than Mbemba. Having 5 cbs might be a good idea though, just in case.

Sounds like its more or less done!

Based on what? Nothing really, just that it was shortly mentioned in one of The Chronicle articles.

Benitez already getting frustrated by lack of transfer activity? Aye i would be very happy with Gibbs as well would improve our left side so much, as well as giving us greater balance.

Looks shit on youtube tbh

Linked with Sagna (Daily Star)

Lassie wasn't a Border Collie. Sorry, i meant Flipper of course.

Ramos the f***ing Border Collie makes me hate Lassie!!

That fucking Juve goal!! The cross, Higuain and then mansuckit!

"Don't send them the documents Charnley.."

Not seen much of him but I like the look of that Ismaila Sarr we've been linked with.

It was my first Newcastle game that I went to

Come on let's twist again, come on let's shake it..

This is by no means a criticism of Rafas coaching ability, but this constant claim that coaches can do this and that with players, make them better, make them stop making mistakes, make them concentrate, is by no means certain and frequently is obviously not the case. Titus was a supremely talented CB, physically imposing, good with both feet, but he constantly had a mistake in him and constantly lost concentration despite some excellent managers trying to improve him. Closer to home and more recently Lascelles has definitely not improved the weaknesses in his game nor has Dummett and I'm sure Rafa and everyone at NUFC have been trying to make them better players. Agree with that like. I think with Rafa he can make the player better as part of the team as a whole rather than individuals better as individuals, if you follow me. Rafa is about the team not the player. I didn't mean it like that even though it might have sounded like it. Of course it's not guaranteed that Rafa will sort out every weakness of a player. What I was implying (in a not so good way) was that at least they will have every possibility to improve as a player if the willingness to learn is there. With Rafa the player(s) will get all the tools and professional guidance to improve individually and how to work together when it comes to the shape of the them and how to work as a unit and when to do what and so on. With Rafa we'll at least now that the top quality as a manager is there, as well as how to handle players and keep them on their toes and be professional, as nothing less is acceptable. He can't make Dummett become Marcelo or stuff like that, but he can help players improve as characters, intelligence on the pitch and the tactical sense and all that.