stozo

This. If the Fun88 deal runs for this season then it’s very hard to see another sponsor coming in soon or mid-season. The cost of paying off Fun88 would almost certainly make any gains from a new sponsor marginal at best.

When you know how desperate we are for new signings, why would you sell on 10 January or 20 January when you could wait until 30 January and see if you can't add another 20%, 30% or 40% to the price? It's a guess, but I'm assuming that's the issue we're now running into.

I don’t think that’s right. As there are various players (e.g. Saka at Arsenal, Greenwood at Man U) who aren’t in the 25 man squads (due to being homegrown U23) but would very much be counted as official outfield players.

Genuine question - anyone know if Anderson and White count as ‘available players’? They are in the first team group but have read some stuff previously (I think in relation to Everton?) that suggested you might need to have at least one senior start to be counted as one of the thirteen outfield players.

This exactly.

I know it's bad to say but I would have zero problem with any of our next five matches being postponed. Would much rather play the Liverpool, City, Man U, Everton and Southampton games after we've been able to bring reinforcements on board in January (with the possible exception of Everton, who seem to have awful injury problems right now).

Trippier signing would obviously be a bit of both good and bad. On the bad, he’s obviously not someone who has a future 3-5 years down the track. On the good, he’s a top level player who is willing to join a team currently 19th in the Premier League. I’d 100% take him.

Can we lock the thread, delete all the other posts and just leave this one until we have a new manager?

Firstly, obviously if we have a great replacement lined up I'd be very happy to see Bruce gone ASAP. Given it might take time though I think we should see how things play out. I'd be tempted to wait until at least the November international break and then see how many points we have. Obviously if we remain averaging less than a point per game then we need to change but it wouldn't surprise me if there is an a mini up turn in form post-takeover - the atmosphere at home to Spurs is going to be a huge advantage. I guess my main point comes back to how important this next appointment is. Yes, we want Bruce gone. But if that means Howe or someone else 'because he is available' and then we end up needing to sack him mid next season (and find ourselves again going to the 'available option'), then we risk being stuck in a very unsatisfactory cycle that is going to hamper us.

People will hate this but I'm pretty comfortable with the idea of Bruce staying short-term until Jan or the end of season (provided we steer clear of danger). This is a hugely important appointment and one we need to get right - rather than just going for who is available right now. Personally, I think we'll end up with a coach who is focused on player/club development over the long term rather than a Conte-type appointment. I just don't think the model of the consortium involves spending the type of money that would make us Champions League contenders next season - sounds like this is a 5-10 year project. A name that I don't think has been mentioned so far that I think would be an interesting option is Roger Schmidt (PSV manager, formerly of Leverkusen and RB Salzburg).

Krul (Netherlands) Hughes (Northern Ireland Coloccini (Argentina) Albert (Belgium) Enrique (Spain) Solano (Peru) Speed (Wales) Cabaye (France) Asprilla (Colombia) Ba (Senegal) Shearer (England) Slightly odd formation but desperately wanted to include Cabaye and then subsequently realised that all our decent left wingers have been French (Ginola, Robert, ASM).

I agree with you that he is contributing to the rot. I disagree that wanting us to lose a game against the second worst team in the league with 11 to play is sensible. If this was October maybe I'd be with you, but as a say if we lose today it may well be relegation no matter what (we love Rafa, and saving us in his first season was beyond him).

Deep down they don’t, they are full of s*** like If I knew losing this game would 100% get Bruce sacked, I'd take a loss right now tbh. This I genuinely don't think you mean that. If we lose today, in all likelihood we go down in my view. Maybe Bruce does get sacked, but from a position of losing today I'm not sure there are any guarantees we stay up with a new manager. We've been lucky that both times we've gone down, we've come back up. As I say today could get Bruce sacked, but it could also be the catalyst for a multi-year decline. If we stay up absolutely nothing will change and we’ll be stuck in this nightmare for the foreseeable. Wohoo. We've been down twice and nothing changed. Nothing will change until Ashley leaves. Ashley leaving requires someone to pay a very substantial sum of money. That is far more likely in the Premier League than the Championship.

Deep down they don’t, they are full of s*** like If I knew losing this game would 100% get Bruce sacked, I'd take a loss right now tbh. This I genuinely don't think you mean that. If we lose today, in all likelihood we go down in my view. Maybe Bruce does get sacked, but from a position of losing today I'm not sure there are any guarantees we stay up with a new manager. We've been lucky that both times we've gone down, we've come back up. As I say today could get Bruce sacked, but it could also be the catalyst for a multi-year decline. That's already been the case since Ashley took over tbf I completely agree. But that's no sense in wanting the rot to go further and for us to end up as a mid-table Championship team.

Deep down they don’t, they are full of s*** like If I knew losing this game would 100% get Bruce sacked, I'd take a loss right now tbh. This I genuinely don't think you mean that. If we lose today, in all likelihood we go down in my view. Maybe Bruce does get sacked, but from a position of losing today I'm not sure there are any guarantees we stay up with a new manager. We've been lucky that both times we've gone down, we've come back up. As I say today could get Bruce sacked, but it could also be the catalyst for a multi-year decline.

Agree. I also think this is lots of talk filling a vacuum - either this gets done this Spring or it's not going to get done. Nothing whatsoever unexpected about the Saudis taking steps to prepare for the eventuality that it doesn't.

It's a triple blow - Almiron out, ASM out, Krafth back.

He's a pretty awful player like, I can only assume we are looking at him because he can actually run and close down a player. Can't do much else mind. That alone puts him at least on par with Hayden and better than the rest. Ha. I'd take a punt on him on loan, if only so I don't have to watch any more of Sean Longstaff giving the ball away 20-30 yards away from goal for the rest of the season. I doubt he is the long term solution though.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9165977/Newcastles-Emil-Krafth-STALLS-2-7m-Istanbul-Basaksehir-starting-against-Arsenal.html Madness if don't encourage him to go. He's no better than Manquillo and Yedlin. Grab the fee and get his wages off the books. Can't see us getting many more opportunities to get a decent fee for him - and in the worst case scenario you could see this becoming another player who we're loaning out and having to pay a portion of wages for.

Not just you who has said it, but don't understand the idea of dropping Ritchie from the squad? Our out and out wingers are ASM, Fraser, Ritchie and Atsu (and Murphy, although I don't think he's shown anything to suggest he can make it here). Ritchie is miles better than Atsu ever has been. I'd be game for selling Ritchie and investing in a younger, better winger (fat chance of that though) but dropping him from the squad would potentially mean Atsu is your starting winger for chunks of the season if ASM pulled his hamstring again - and a winger short if ASM and Fraser got injured at the same time (we've had worse luck).

Surely Murphy and Barlaser go out on loan. Saivet and Muto either loan or drop from squad if they can't be shifted. Then you only need to cut 1 more. Easy choice is probably Gayle if he is out for 4 months, on the basis you can bring him back to the squad when fit again in January. We're also carrying 3 RBs which made sense when we didn't have a proper backup LB last season (especially given Manquillo is versatile) but seems unnecessary now we have both Lewis and Dummett. Given the links to another striker and a CB, I assume we'll drop Gayle to take us to 25, offload a RB to take us to 24, offload one of CBs Bruce doesn't fancy (Schar or Lejeune) to take us to 23 and then go back up to 25 with the new striker and CB.

Unless exclusivity has been and gone. That's an issue. It isn't really. The exclusivity relates to negotiations. When the deal was agreed a contract will have been signed agreeing the sale. So essentially once PL approve (we hope) all PiF et al. would need to do is pay the money and they can complete. All the exclusivity ending means is that Ashley has the right to negotiate with others, it doesn't remove PiF's right (given to them by the deal contract) to complete. That's why I'm hugely sceptical of any claims the Owners & Directors Test has been passed and 'it's not the obstacle'. Firstly, just can't see a legal way Ashley would be able to block and secondly, I think the idea that everyone involved in the deal (including the PL, Ashley, Stevely, PiF and associated clingers on) could keep their mouths shut that the PL has approved it is very unlikely. We'd almost certainly have heard something from a 'mainstream' media outlet - many of whom seem to have sources who are varying levels of close to the deal.

Fascinated to see how 'Project Restart' evolves. Given the current testing is c25,000 people per day, it seems ambitious to say the least that a comprehensive system will be in place by early June that will allow the Premier League to restart.

French government is banning all football until August, effectively ending the Ligue 1 season.

I'd love Rafa back but can't see it given his release clause at Dalian is reportedly £20m+. Mauricio Pochettino is the next dream - but unless we're about to spend crazy money, not sure he'd come here. Allegri would obviously be another great option. Left field name I'd throw in would be Chris Wilder - done an exceptional job wherever he has been, though obviously nowhere near the experience of some of the names touted.