Memphis

Virgin Money offer loans for Muslims, sharia banking if you will. That particular brand of high street banking is also such an integral part of society, something that has been around so long there has probably been a degree of modernisation and acceptance from Muslims too. It would be extremely hard for anyone to go about their day to day lives without banks. Payday lenders are a completely different beast. They're relatively new entities that cater to those in dire need and make vast sums of cash off the back of individuals who don't have a lot to begin with. You don't need to be a religious person to feel extremely uneasy that there's an entire industry sprung up around lending money to people who are struggling to get by at frankly eye watering rates of interest. It's sick. And these cunts are associated with our club. And in a region where unemployment is through the roof and more and more people have to rely on them. I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments regarding Wonga as a classless, parasitic outfit. But I disagree with the ability to selectively choose how to display your principled stance. There is a certain awareness that comes with accepting a pay packet from a professional football club that you may at times endorse indirectly products or services you find disagreeable or even reprehensible. You have teetotalers, perhaps religiously motivated, wearing shorts with alcohol sponsors. You have players implicitly endorsing gambling, players who may themselves find it problematic or even immoral. It is difficult to pick and choose morally between a bank like Virgin Money, even if they offer sharia banking, and a payday outlet like Wonga. Most large-scale banking outlets have been involved in operations that are morally questionable, or full-on repugnant. It still represents a stretch of "principle" if you blanch at one but not the other, even if I myself find payday outlets horrible leeches on the poor.

I'm all for players having the freedom to express their personal beliefs, but not selectively. If he had a moral objection to interest-bearing loans, then he shouldn't have worn a Virgin Money shirt. A principle is a principle, or should be. It's particularly unfortunate because there's such a strong (and understandable) anti-Wonga sentiment that helps push this thing forward in the national media. Either way, I really do wish we had a less ridiculous sponsor.

Maybe he could? It's mostly rhetorical. I'm quite sure he could. It's more the idea that our business would naturally grind to a halt while he's away at a highly inopportune time. That seems antiquated and ridiculous. But it does seem true - and maybe it's anecdotal - that our activity, whatever it was before, stopped once he left. If we're conducting business that way - that a brand-new, out-of-his-depth, possibly-mentally-ill Kinnear is now such a vital part of our transfer work that his absence is impossible to deal with, then that does depress me greatly.

Why is it that a Director of Football couldn't take a few phone calls/send a few texts on holiday? Does our transfer activity (whatever the hell that phrase even means these days) simply have to grind to a halt without the cunt? If indeed he is already so vital to our efforts, then a holiday at this stage should have been absolutely out of the question. It really is just a depressing time in general around here. Very little to get excited about. Oh, what's that? Ben Arfa's smiling again? Yay.

Dortmund officially announced the signing, 5 yr deal. Whether or not we actually bid, we had no chance once their interest became serious.

Theoretically exciting news. Were we the sort of club who cleared out older players with a plan in place, this would be something to be excited about. But we're not. He isn't good enough at this level, no knock on him as a squad member and apparently a genuinely good person. As was the case with Guthrie, who wasn't adequately replaced, either. So without evidence to the contrary I can only be wary of a thin squad getting thinner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRUj8dma0oo&feature=player_detailpage#t=5s

The only consolation is that interview was so embarrassing, so shameful, so cringeworthy, so disrespectful to players in addition to the usual disrespect of supporters, that it might actually cause someone, somewhere to rethink this whole thing. Doubt it, mind, it's fat Ash and his complete lack of self-awareness, but if any interview could somehow stop this from happening, it was that one.

Are you telling me no one at the club can stop this deluded senile old cunt from talking?

Ben Afra! Yohan Kebabs! See-see!

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY BEYOND BELIEF SOMEONE GET GRANDPA'S MEDICINE HE'S FORGOTTEN TO TAKE IT FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS NOW

"We're having lunch. Er, dinner. I mean, lunch tomorrow."

"I told, Albert, er, Alton, er, uh... Pards that Jonas is the best player I've seen since a young Paul Miller led me to a runner up finish at Wimbledon in 1993. I spoke with Maradoner and he told me, 'Yoe - that's how they say it, funny blokes - Yoe, Yonas is like a young me.' When I managed Nepal and we had a young striker by the name of Yeti that led us to the 1992 World Cup, I learned a lot that will stand me in good stead here. I'm not a Geordie but I left this club leading this division and a billion miles from relegation. Those supporters who didn't love me can fuck right off. I wish they hadn't hidden my 7 Manager of the Year trophies but I'm sure they'll turn up."

I'm struggling to think of a move made by a club done with more contempt for its own supporters than this one. Literally not one supporter would have had good memories or thoughts about Joe Kinnear. Not one would have ever imagined seeing him back. Not one. Not one could have even envisioned it as anything other than a colossal joke. Yet here it is. Nothing this owner has done is more contemptible than this. And I guess all we can do is accept it because, well, it's not like we're going to support another club, is it? Feeling powerless and very sad at the moment. I'd like to be able to laugh but I can't. The idea of hoping that Pards stays on simply because it delays Joe fucking Kinnear is unimaginably depressing.

"I've been in discussion with David Llambi... with Dav- er... with Mike." - Director of Football Joe Kinnear

Might be a Giggs but the new Bayer Leverkusen kit sans sponsor is fucking beautiful. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iSzr1LXHa9I/UYpKvpuw8dI/AAAAAAAAFxU/q1pkh2HFNbI/s738/Bayer+04+Leverkusen+13+14+Home+New.jpg Apparently it won't be on sale until they get it sponsored, unfortunately.

Barbara Ann by the Beach Boys: "Au -ba -ba - au -ba -me -yang Au -ba -ba Au -ba -ba ba - au -ba -me -yaaaannnngggg, from St Et-i-ennneeeeee Au-ba-me-yaaaannngggg (au-ba-me-yang) You got me rockin and a rollin, rockin and a reelin Au -ba-me-yang (au-ba au-ba-me-yang)" Done and done.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/10433825.Magpies_need_to_act_fast_to_land___15m_man_Carroll/ http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/10440844.Pardew_s_position_is_strengthened_as_Newcastle_look_to_make_summer_improvements/ Two Echo stories from the last week, both mentioning Wilfried Bony as a target along with Aubameyang. I know we've got a lot of members here who follow Dutch football closely, so they would know much more than me, but I've always been incredibly impressed by Bony on the occasions I've seen him. Think he would be absolutely perfect, physical lad - not the tallest but has every other quality you could want. Wants to come to England, fits our profile at 24, I'd be delighted if there was something in that link.

I hope so too although I don't think this statement or banning a journalist, thereby inflaming an issue, will have much bearing on that.

No better way to confirm that there is trouble within the ranks than to ban a journalist then issue a Pravda-style statement.

Surely that's rock bottom. I'd say it can't get worse but I'd be scared it could somehow. How bad is it when the 1-2 to Reading is only the third-most humiliating home defeat of this miserable season? Pardew is even more atrocious than any of us could have imagined at handling pressure situations. The more pressurised it gets, the more he retreats into a shell no matte how much the personnel we have indicates that's the wrong approach. His tactics aren't great but I am far more concerned about his psychological approach. Either way this is beyond worrying. If the players are listening to Pardew and trying to execute his gameplan, then that's frightening. If they've quit on him, that's maybe more frightening since he's not getting sacked this season. I can only hope this spurs Ashley the way the 1-2 to Reading did. He bought players on the back of that humiliation, maybe he'll get desperate enough to do something crazy like sack Pardew on the back of this.

Fully expect a Tiote red. Would probably be a blessing if he's suspended. Wish Jonas would get a red.

Our attack - if you can call it that - is so slow it's unbelievable. Forget Liverpool, Hartlepool would have no problem sussing us out and stopping us attacking.

Definitely don't look fit enough. Who that's down to is a matter for debate. As usual though, teams that modify their initial tactics tear us apart. Pardew's Plan S is so transparent that any idiot knows what's coming. Everyone looks quite jaded. And yet again as soon as teams press us high up the pitch we freak the fuck out and start lumping it long. Should have been up 3 at half, that was a good display. Second half was borderline embarrassing. That was a train wreck of an officiating job too. That little dipshit got at least 15 things wrong, big and small. Should be demoted on that evidence.

Yeah, they've said they're taking the Premier League's normal world feed when Arlo et al are not doing the match...