Cronky

My feeling is that Ashley is fairly gung-ho as a businessman. He goes in feet first and then worries about any mess later, as with NUFC. There's probably an inbuilt assumption that other people are the same, and hence this over-optimistic time scale for selling the club, especially considering that any bidder is starting from scratch. Even at a modest price, a deal on this scale is hard to push through quickly.

The mysterious Tony Taylor doesn't sound any better informed than anyone else. The theory doesn't make any sense, because if Ashley's reputation has taken a battering, letting the club go to the wall isn't going to restore it. The 'revenge' idea is just a conspiracy theory. 9 times out of ten, cock-up theories turn out to be right.

Born there, but left the place when I was still a babe. I think what subsequently influenced me was that my parents travelled around a bit, but they always had a soft spot for Newcastle. They said that the people were the friendliest and the most helpful that they encountered.

Unfortunately, the game did remind me a bit of previous games in the lower division - one aspect of it anyway. It's of a smaller club raising their game against a big club, and their fans really getting behind them. They were cheering when their defenders hoofed the ball out for a throw or a corner.

Why? I was thinking the same... less controversial him revealing that happened than it is to come out and call City a small club etc Calling Man City a small club is a matter of personal opinion. It's a bit rude, but no more than that. Revealing behind the scenes negotiations is a breach of Adebayor's confidentiality and will embarrass him with the City fans and with his club. There was no reason to do this except to cause trouble within a rival club, and that's a step too far IMO.

I'm an admirer of Fergie, but he's bang out of order in revealing that Adebayor was trying to join United. That's going too far. It could be an indication that he's worried. Not necessarily about City, but about his club's general financial muscle. Tevez and Ronaldo have gone, and they missed out on Benzema.

I'd agree with most but not all. For sure, the biggest problem was that we failed to win a single header from a set piece at either end all game. At the back, neither Colo nor Taylor are leaders / organisers, Enrique looks like a frightened rabbit, and Beye seemed to spend his energy complaining. They were gifted some very soft goals. Carroll showed plenty of determination, and looks like he can do something at this level. Xisco showed the odd flourish but otherwise didn't look like he knew where he was. Lua Lua I'd agree looked ready for his chance. He was a bit greedy but I suppose he's having to prove himself every time he gets the ball. But overall we have to hope that the managerial situation is sorted out quick. A big problem at the moment is the players aren't playing for their places because no-one has to worry what Hughton thinks.

Couldnt give a f*** anymore tbh. Id take him in a flash now. I remember how relieved I was when Shepherd was forced out and we got our own "Billionaire" (at last) at the club, who was going to take us on onward and upward to the next level. 'It seemed like Heaven' . . . Now, I realise that Shepherd is 1,000,000,000,000,000 times BETTER than MA, who is undoubtedly the 'stupidest' man in football (and that's saying something!) Just to have someone owning us who CARES about our club (like we do) as Shepherd also certainly does, and who actually lives and works here in Newcastle, will be FANTASTIC in itself! If you are being sarcastic, I apologise. If not, all I can say is you're far too changeable in your opinions.

You're making various assumptions which are highly dubious. 1) Just because you and others hate Ashley doesn't mean that he hates you. 2) Ashley may own the club but that doesn't mean that he's completely in charge of events. There's this frequent idea that the delay in selling must all be part of his masterplan, but it's more likely to be just a normal by-product of the messy world of big business. 3) Keegan might not win his case. I suspect that Ashley must be confident of the outcome, because otherwise they'd have reached an out of court settlement long before. 4) The club's financial situation isn't necessarily that problematic. It's not as though Ashley owes large sums to other parties, as with Leeds.

The gap between the big four and the rest was still as big as ever last season. I'd say there was a bigger gap between 4th and 5th, than between 5th and 20th. The top four play a different level of football altogether. So I don't think Man City will bridge the gap just yet. Arsenal don't look like potential champions due to the size of their squad, but I don't think there's much to choose now between the other three. Man U now look very dependent on Rooney, and a bad injury to him will finish their chances IMO.

He's treated that club with total contempt, and despite the fact that he says he understands the fans' reaction, I don't think he does.

Is that a feeling in your water, or something more substantial?

That comment of Owen's about being with players who are 'on the same wavelength' is a real irritant. Yes, he's with a better side and that's bound to make life easier, but this idea that he's finally with players who can match up to his sublime talent is rubbish. The fuss that's surrounded this one goal is an illustration of why I think Man U have made a mistake. This soap opera that surrounds him is bound to become a distraction and an irritation to the rest of the team.

I think what Llambias meant by first over the finish line, was whoever is first to complete the legal work and all this in-depth investigation of the finances. What seems clear is that Ashley is only prepared to deal with people who are prepared to meet the £100m price. He announced the price at the start to prevent people from haggling over smaller amounts, which can be the real time waster, and obviously is what lots of businessmen love to do, especially at the later stages of negotiation. It's difficult to pinpoint the value of a football club, and saying that the club is worth £70m not £100m is just an artificial pose. The Profitable Group know the boundaries that Ashley has set, know full well that their bid won't get accepted, and are doing it for the publicity again.

I wouldn't say more interesting to watch, but given our current situation it's now very much in our interests for the standards in the Premiership to even out a bit. What I really mean is come down, actually. So all power to you, Gordon.

Two questions - On a scale of 1- 10 what confidence do you have in your source? Does 'Decision being made' include the club being taken off the market?

A further possible complication here is that Shearer may only be willing to take the job if his proposals for team-building are accepted. That seemed to be the case with Ashley, and there's no reason to think that won't apply to any new owner. So in other words, new owners have to look not only whether they can afford the club, but whether they can afford Shearer's proposals as well. At this stage, they may not have a completely free hand, considering that for many fans Shearer's appointment is very important. It's an extra complication that could well be adding to the delay. Just a thought.

If true, that sounds class - someone who knows that things need to be done quickly. Aye, reads like someone's said 'Look, we've proved we can afford it, and we're meeting the asking price. Either accept it or fuck off.'. Probably more bollocks though. It sounds like Freddie using his contacts to lean on Ashley again by manipulating public opinion. The reports were that Freddie's consortium had bid below the asking price and was hoping that no other bidders would emerge.

It's so difficult to break top four, and I don't think they'll do it next season. If you look at the European results over the last two years, you'd say that, along with Barcelona, those four would be in the top five teams in the world. The standard is very high. John Terry would make a big difference, and they must be offering him a huge contract if he's even considering coming. Santa Cruz is a good player but Tevez is a bit over-rated. Barry is good but not great. On top of all that, Hughes has got to generate some team spirit amongst a fairly disparate group who have largely been attracted by the money. Not easy.

Thats far too sensible and intelligent for an utter fuckwit like Ashley to comprehend. Is it any wonder that conspiracy theorists think he is deliberately trying to fuck us over. He isnt doing 1 single thing to try and get us prepared for the new season. There would be great difficulty in attracting players to a club where the manager is on a monthly contract and the ownership is about to change. Plus any new owners are going to want to plan their own transfer budget.

Where does this additional debt of £70 million come from?

The players can shut the fuck up as far as I'm concerned. We've been relegated and their careers are in limbo because they didn't play well enough. My heart does not bleed for them one drop.

Sunderland? I suppose, in terms of championship success, but they have one owner now I think there's something about football clubs which lends itself to individual rather than collective ownership or control. Even in situations where there is joint ownership (eg the Shepherd era) one leader tends to emerge, with the rest taking a back seat. It's not just the financial aspect, but the speed with which decisions have to be made and large amounts of money spent. Liverpool is a prime example where joint leadership has been a bit of a disaster.

Even if someone goes through every single detail, there's always going to be a high element of risk in buying a football club. The income is to a large part determined by results on the pitch, and that will always be uncertain. It's why I'm a little unsure about these so-called consortiums, especially if finance companies are involved. An owner of a football club can never rely on getting a return on their investment.

We'll say 'ni' to him.