STM

Just let me see Mike Ashley in hand cuffs, please.

This is going to affect our transfer budget isn't it. "Sorry Rafa, my hands are tied." BTW it's a certainty that Ashley will throw Charnley under the bus to protect himself.

I think Fulham are the best side atm, probably by some margin but I want us to sign Cairney, so fuck them. Sheff Wed would be canny.

It goes without saying that Rafa will walk if he doesn't have the final say on transfers. I was simply speculating on transfer kitty figures. If McClaren got x amount, Rafa should get at least as much.

Didn't McClaren get like 50/60m? When we signed Wijnaldum and that. I expect Rafa to get that as a minimum.

Been wondering whether Rafa will give the fringe players a run out or he will be his usual pragmatic "We must play the best team", mentality. I'd like to see Gamez and Lazaar get a run out.

He might take a wage cut to stay.

Let that club, them nonces and this thread disappear into the abyss.

Canny video of him going overly-mental in the dressing room knocking about.

The north east journos are just as bad. Simon Bird (The Caaant) retweeting Rafa's noncommittal every twenty seconds or Luke Edwards pulling transfer kitty figures out of his arse are on the radio. He even said he was annoyed that Rafa chose to "make those comments" last night and that it was "bad timing". What comments would those be Luke? The one where he told you to fuck off for asking about his future, half an hour after achieving promotion. Odious, scaremongering, cunts the lot of them.

Just watching the clips of Rafa methodically going to every member of staff and shaking their hand, even when interviewed by the website he congratulated the interviewer and thanked him for his positivity. Sometimes I need to stop and remind myself how lucky we are to have Rafa in charge. We've also got a very likeable group of players, who I find easy to support. Yes there are improvements to be made but I'm happy to sit back and enjoy the moment. I long for the day which Rafa puts our minds at rest, with regards to his future. I will feel much more at ease when a few players start coming through the door, Rafa's players of course.

He's not good enough and we all know it. Rafa will too but perhaps we should think about signing players before letting them go.

He's much more likely to be a success in the premiership that Shelvey.

Interesting to see Gamez with the coaches. Wonder if Rafa has him pencilled as a coach.

Voted yes.

He's never been good enough. He will be a canny number 2 next year.

Elliott is fine. As long as he doesn't start in the premiership.

Chopey knows.

Richie, Gayle then Clark.

Will it be any more boring than your posts?

I've always been a believer in signing first teamers/key players and relegating current first teamers to squad players. Never see the point in signing squad players unless they are either to useful to turn down or have potential to improve. A quality number 10 is what I'm most keen on. Sigurdsson would be belter.

Remember when Ozil was mint. Makes some bad choices.

We could have done will much better than Diame. Hope he's moved on.

Hayden has been more consistent than Shelvey, for me.

Great game now.