TRon

The ESL suits the rest of Europe more than it suits English clubs. The PL is the big attraction, part of the reason none of the cartel clubs would want to give up on it. It will fail for the same reasons it did last time, there isn't any need for it. The Champions League in it's current format is as much ESL as you would ever need, there's certainly no fan demand for a different format.

Of course it's not the PL officials who will be footing this bill, it will be all the PL clubs in effect, since they are the ones who fund these legal costs. Rick Masters had to cancel some high profile golf tournament appearance, that is about as much as it will have cost him.

Exactly. He's a football obsessive, I'm sure he'd be honoured to take the England job but that will be a long way down the line IMO, once he's fulfilled his ambitions at club level.

It's obviously a combination of shit stirring and wishful thinking, but it's not the worst shout tbf. Big Ange does look on ropey ground at Spurs, and should Howe leave, there won't be any shortage of clubs ready to take him on. It's far more likely he'd take another PL job than the England job.

Maybe he thinks Zirkzee will reinvent himself as a wrecking ball midfielder.

There's always going to be some downside to anything, but we are still lucky enough to have two England RBs to choose from. I think Tino is better when he's played on the right as opposed to switching to LB where he's been used at times this season. Even Tripps suffers when he's got players in front of him who can't hold the ball for more than two touches. I actually think MIggy is probably the best suited for possession football down the right if end product is taken out of the equation.

I have a feeling this is somewhere close to where we'll end up as a compromise. No idea how it will hold up with IEFA regs but at some point those might get challenged in court as well.

RB is not an area we are short for cover. We have Livramento, who is arguably first choice anyway, and at a push we can play Krafth who is a capable 3rd choice. Wish we could say the same for the striker cover.

Well that's the point, his role is different. A wide man is not going to be as influential as a CM. I think Barnes has a bit more to his game anyway, but I'm prepared to hear arguments for McTominay.

If you took away McTominay's goals, how good a player is he? Is his technique good enough to control a midfield area where presumably he plays?

This basically. While I'd probably relish the opportunity to blow everyone out of the water by using our money to sign the best players like Chelsea and City did, I can understand why it's not the right way. I'd be happy to just be allowed to spend what the cartel clubs ndo using our own money. That still doesn't put us on a level playing field btw, as they have far bigger brand value now, which in many cases they have bulldozed their way through by chucking the owners money at it.. But at least we could compete.

I suppose some clubs will always have certain advantages, whether that's location, catchment area or just history. That's fair enough, we also benefit to some degree, it's just how it is and part of football. It's the pulling of the drawbridge stopping other teams from competing that sticks in the craw, especially since certain clubs have already got into the cartel by dint of outside investment. it's a bit of an idictment of the ruling body of the PL that this has had to go to court just to expose their lack of impartiality.

Worryingly there are already PL club spokesmen giving anonymous quotes in the Times that they are prepared to back the PL in future legal fights over this. I guess their grip on world domination depends on this so they will throw everything at it, including making sure enough smaller clubs fall in line with them. Money doesn't appear to be an issue.

It's more shameful they didn't take such a considered stance before rushing through the previous rule amendments a few weeks after our takeover.

At the time they were probably not expecting the ongoing legal fees rocketing to the extent that they have. Maybe it's still worth it to them I haven't looked at the bigger picture tbf. Sad state of affairs if it is though.

Rick Masters and the PL don't mind the legal scraps, they aren't going to pay out of their pockets. At some point clubs must surely wake up and realise all these costs are being subsidised by them directly, for the benefit of the cartel clubs.

And tbh, most football writers have touched upon this, even those who don't sympathise with the PIF takeover of Newcastle. It was clear as day who all these new regulations were aimed at, even if it's never going to be admitted publicly.

The irony.

Not our fault either mate, it's back page headlines every day. Pretty hard to avoid it.

I watched some of that Kieran McGuire guest piece on Loaded Mag and he said we had to sign off agreements that we wouldn't take matters to independent courts and would agree to internal arbitration only if we wanted the takeover to go ahead. So at this point that is why we have not waded in I would have thought.

I hope we do. Chelsea have had no problem taking the piss out current PSR restrictions, and they got a curtsey and "As you please!" from the PL while they did it.

Hopefully the PSR rules will get amended or dumped sooner rather than later. Then we can keep leadership team players like Burn, Longstaff and Murphy as valuable squad members while still having the ability to sign top class players for the first team.

Leadership team status just seems to be awarded to anyone who wants to stay here regardless of whether they are good enough. We were trying to find roles for Matt Ritchie and Paul Dummett at one point.