Cronky

Love you Odin keep posting the positives ie. reality please - the people against this happening I fully understand too As a new member I would like to know who are my contemporaries on here or almost if that's ok. I was born 1956 went to my first game on 16th November 1968 and a bullet header by Wyn Davies in the last minute saw us win 1-0 The crowd reaction and subsequent noise I will never forget the green turf laid out like a snooker table when all on tele was black and white = hook line ans sinker since then. Watched all of the home Fairs Cup games and thought I was watching the first of many trophies ... NUFC forum as Poz for many years until it closed. PM or reply as it still feels strange around here and to be honest a bit of a meltdown at the moment. I researched this player. I like his style. At 0:16 you can see his power. Ah, the Mighty Wyn. Still one of the best headers of a ball I've ever seen. I've never seen that footage before. Ten years previously, a shoulder charge like that on a keeper who was in possession of the ball would probably have been allowed. Keepers have steadily acquired more protection since.

When I first started watching the game in the 60s, roughly in one in three penalties ended up being retaken. The rule then was that the keeper had to not just remain on the line, but remain still on the line until the kick was taken. They relaxed the rule to allow the keeper to move on the line, but for no particular reason it then became the convention for referees to completely turn a blind eye to any infringements, whether it be the keeper moving off the line, or players entering the box. I'm actually quite pleased that they've decided to take the rules seriously again, because keepers were getting away with jumping a yard or more off the line to significantly narrow the angle. It was becoming a matter of how much they could get away with. Keepers will soon get used to the new approach to the law, and make adjustments. It will inevitably mean more goals scored, but so what.

Correct

I suspect the 'multiple reports' mean one report and various others copying.

And Elvis has been spotted singing karaoke in a pub in East London. True story.

Like the look of this player. Sign him up now! Read somewhere that Newcastle is his preferred choice provided Rafa stays. You just know we'll end up missing out due to all the faffing about going on at the minute. Linked with Lazio now. Only based on a Dennis-style scouting mission, but to me he looks a bit clumsy and unlikely to make a step up to a higher level. Mitro Mark 2.

Kenyon and Staveley's bids hit the buffers because they couldn't raise the money. They were trying to put together consortiums of investors and failed.

The Staveley bid was genuine, it was just unrealistic. She didn't have the money. She tried and failed to get a group of investors together, not just from the middle east but locally as well. The encouraging thing about this bid is that there's every reason to believe that the buyers have the money. It's not a so-called 'consortium' and I can't see why they should want to embarrass themselves by knowingly issuing false information. My guess is that they may be used to operating in a system where if you have the money and the right connections, you can make something happen without too much delay or scrutiny. They may be thinking that if they've agreed a price and satisfied Ashley that they've got the funds, then it's all over. In practice, there are other procedures and checks that have to be done. It's interesting how Man City have reacted to the latest accusations and investigations on financial malpractice. They seem to be outraged that some tinpot journos and bureaucrats have the temerity to question what they are doing. I wonder whether they're not used to having to kow-tow to that kind of procedure. I'm not a businessman with Middle East experience, so I'm happy to stand corrected.

All of this confirms my earlier guess. They've agreed on a price, which I think is a significant step. They now need to come up with the money. I can't see why a buyer would embarrass themselves by claiming that this has happened when it hasn't. It wouldn't exactly enhance their reputation in the business community.

I think the problem was that he couldn't raise the £2billion, and therefore didn't want to squander his deposit. I'm no businessman, but I'm sure that raising £350m is a different challenge from raising £2bn, which is far more than anyone has paid for an English club before. It seems he was hoping to push it through with the help of Chinese investors, but that doesn't sound like an arrangement that would stand the test.

Based on what exactly There have been stories of bids before, but this is the first one that I can recall where the bidder appears to have the money to see it through. The other bids I can remember, like Staveley and Kenyon, have been all about consortiums or borrowing, where the financial side looks a bit fragile. So there's more reason to believe that this one can last the course. I don't believe that these stories have been based on nothing. It's just that a lot of bids are unrealistic. This recurring idea, which appears in so many contexts, that Ashley plants fake stories in order to appease the fans, is a bit naïve.

My guess is that both parties have agreed on a price. Presumably proof of funds and due diligence now has to happen, but my feeling is that the biggest obstacle has been crossed.

Mate, Arab Sheikhs dont buy football clubs to have them "competing in the top half". If all this is true, I'm quite sure he has his dreams of glory, and that's what's motivating him. But my hopes and expectations are more modest, like most on here. It's a lot more crowded at the top now, compared to the days when Jack Walker bought the league for Blackburn. The guy may have to adjust.

Providing it's his own money he's using and he's not fronting a so-called consortium or borrowing funds, I'm fine with this. I don't want owners like Man City or PSG, who have been cheating. Just someone who can get us competing in the top half rather than the bottom half of the Premiership, while staying within FFP. If all he's got is a measly £18bn, no problem.

Those exact figures give the impression of genuine inside knowledge, so I'm inclined to take this seriously. It feels like a final offer from Ashley, so Rafa needs to make his mind up. This shouldn't drag out any longer.

Players like Longstaff are often under-rated in terms of their value. He can play that defensive role in CM, but can also get the ball moving forward quickly and accurately. I always think that players in his position see a lot of the ball, and if they can use the ball as well as win it, that makes a big difference to how the rest of the team functions. To be honest, whenever I don my anorak and try to think up my all-time Newcastle XI, I get a bit stuck trying to think of an anchor man in midfield who can also pass well. I don't think we've ever had a player with Longstaff's skill set. And I'm reluctant to talk about 'potential' because I think he's already arrived.

Yes, it's only 9 games, but in those 9 games he's more than held his own against top opponents. He is our best young player since Gazza, and it's impossible to put a value on him now.

It's heartening to know that our high opinion of his lad is justified, with these top 6 clubs beginning to circle. From Longstaff's point of view, there's no point in him leaving now in order to be a squad player at Man U or Spurs. Those clubs are trying to grab him, from the long-term viewpoint. But it looks like we've only got a year or two to convince him that his career can kick on by staying put.

It's hard to see how this is going to get resolved. It's not as though each party was unaware of the other's basic position before the meetings started. I suspect that Rafa has a genuine vision whereby if there is investment that brings the squad up to, say, a Leicester / Everton like level, he would be able to over achieve from then on. With the crowd behind the team at home, and Rafa's ability to organise a defensive performance away, we could do very well. The stumbling block is probably this idea of a one-off investment which brings the squad to a certain point, and thereafter becomes self-sustaining. Generally speaking, that doesn't seem to work in the Premiership. Once you start spending, you usually have to continue spending to maintain position. It's difficult in practice to reach the kind of 'plateau' that the strategy suggests. What Rafa has to do is sell the idea that his idea is the exception, and that in the case of our particular club with him as the particular manager, it will all work. Rafa believes in it for sure. Ashley's view - and don't shoot the messenger - is that he saved the club from administration and financial collapse, and he's not willing to put any more of his own money in. Is he going to blink first? I've really no idea. Rafa's vision makes sense, but Ashley can be a very tough nut to crack.

Lousy game - I just hope we never end up in that division. Got to say, the Mackems were clearly the better side. Portsmouth were terrible.

Very pleased to see Villa win, from the Rondon viewpoint. Grealish was a class above everyone else. It'd be interesting to see how he does in a good Premiership side. I'd definitely take a punt, but I think he'll have better offers. Abraham didn't impress at all. He looked clumsy at times and lacking in nous. Lousy penalty too.

Brighton had a terrible second half of the season. Another month and Cardiff would probably have overtaken them. You wonder if there were problems between the players that Hughton wasn't able to address. I suspect this is a job to avoid.

Ultimately, any partnership between Rafa and Ashley has to be based on trust. We can't have a situation where players won't sign unless Rafa signs, and Rafa won't sign until we bring players in. And I can't see how a commitment to spend x amount of money can be specified in Rafa's contract. The owner has to retain the ultimate say over finances. As others have said, Celtic are already as good as they can get. The only way is down. I can't see Rafa being attracted to that club.

Looks a talent. Yep, I'm in. Better than Atsu and Kenedy, that's for sure.

With the way that Ajax ran out of steam half way through the first leg, I thought that Spurs would still be in with a chance. And even when this game when into stoppage time, I had the feeling they'd score. Great also that even though Man City will probably win the treble, they're being thoroughly upstaged. Both teams are attack-minded, so it should be a great final.