Unbelievable

Mitrovic!

If it was the next round and we'd made loads of good signings - and the team was similarly weak - I'd agree. Huh? What I mean is - I can live with a line-up like that tonight, in the circumstances. If circumstances were different, and we had the resources to actually mount a cup run, I'd be disappointed with such a weak line-up. Well I disagree. You don't need a strong squad to give the cups a go. Give the first team players who need a rest a break and get a few youngsters or squad players in I can understand, but to me wholesale changes the likes of this doesn't particularly indicate a willingness to take the cups seriously. You said on the previous page you're fine with the team as long as we don't lose. Well duh, don't you think playing a stronger team minimises the chances of that happening? We lose this and no doubt Rafa and the club will be criticised for his team selection.

If it was the next round and we'd made loads of good signings - and the team was similarly weak - I'd agree. Huh?

We have needed an upgrade for ages. Doubt this changes anything.

Spot on that

Could be that he's hanging around hoping for another shot at first team action later in the season. It's not like we've brought in another goalkeeper who's hands down better than him.

Aye, not saying that is his only destination, if he want back to Holland for example his wage would probably be similar there. As I said, there are plenty of teams out there that would be willing to take him as he would undoubtedly improve them. Not even close

Aye, good read

Damn

Another booking coming up

'sake

Worried that we've already been forced into two subs. Could be the difference when some of our lot run on empty late in the second half.

What are you planning Rich?

Pretty clear why to be honest. We're like a depricated A-graded warehouse right next to the Piccadilly Circus billboards plastered with a giant SD advertisement while structurally falling apart.

This. Also why now?

We have a few players who should be good enough for a midtable team in the Premier League. Not a single player you could argue is ready or good enough for a top side. Some serious underestimation of our, and Rafa's predicament going on lately on the back of a few young playes signing, most had never even heard of and without much proven ability at this level, who we hope can hit the ground running. As it stands I'd be amazed if we weren't anything other than lower midtable or worse, and if we are that will be down to one man and one man only: the one whose patience is being seriously tested and to whom promises made are not being kept so far. We're miles away from where we were under Sir Bobby, miles away, and once again our cheapskate owner is gambling with the future of the club.

You'd be hard pressed to find a football club who isn't paying wages to players they no longer need. What matters in relation to others for the purpose of determining if the excuse is valid is a) if it happens more here than average and b) if it impacts our wages to turnover to such an extent that it prevents us from doing the incoming business we need. I can't be bothered to find out if a) is true, but b) shouldn't as we've had a relatively healthy w/t ratio for years and haven't gone mad with wages recently, whilst our turnover will increase dramatically in the next few years providing we stay up and do well (for which we need the investment). Even if a) is true, it's a natural result of our transfer policy and shouldn't come as a surprise or hinder our progress. Buy loads of cheap players with the aim of making massive transfer profits on individual players and you're bound to end up with loads of players who aren't good enough and hard to shift.

Do they get the TV money at the start of the season, unlike us? Obviously not, but they are spending money they don't currently have. Ashley's policy is to never do that, which is why we are where we are. Excellent from a business sense, complete s*** from a footballing sense. It's not excellent from a business sense when it puts the club's future in the Premier League in jeopardy and in a transfer market where prices are only going one way from one window to the next. It is for Ashley, as I posted the other day - his investment in NUFC is safe as prices in football continue to rise astronomically. He can continue to invest nothing, spend nothing and gain from free advertisements for his tat shop whilst knowing he could sell us at any stage for the same (if not more) than he has put in. The difference of us finishing 5th - 17th means f*** all to Ashley and he'll continue to try and run us as a club that does the bare minimum to survive. It's not surprise that the only time he has ever put his hand in his pocket is to get us back into the TV gravy train of the PL. He'll also be confident that even if we do go down, we'll always come straight back up. Also indicates why in January, when he thought we were comfortably back up - he refused to sign anyone else. This is sadly true. However with a bit of sensible investment his asset could be worth much, much more. If he'd spend 20m a year of his own money over the past decade he arguably would have recouped it in TV revenue and could have been sitting on a club like Spurs rather than one like West Brom or Stoke in terms of profile and value.

I really doubt that makes a difference, it's just an excuse. We'll hear the same crap next summer imo. Exactly. Buy cheap players based on the hope their value increases to sell them for a profit and for every Cabaye there will be a handful of duds on long term deals. So what do we end up with? A squad containing a few good players put in the shop window and dozens of dead wood. Apart from a very short period under Pardew it hasn't worked, and it's really not hard to see why.

Do they get the TV money at the start of the season, unlike us? Obviously not, but they are spending money they don't currently have. Ashley's policy is to never do that, which is why we are where we are. Excellent from a business sense, complete s*** from a footballing sense. It's not excellent from a business sense when it puts the club's future in the Premier League and the retention of one of its key assets in jeopardy and in a transfer market where prices are only going one way from one window to the next. You'd be better of spending 70m now on the right players than having 75m to spend in twelve months time. Alas, these simple economics are beyond Ashley's comprehension and have been for a decade.

Do they get the TV money at the start of the season, unlike us?

Next summer is always the big test with this lot

Someone float a Ben Arfa in plane to Newcastle rumour and we could have a N-O meet-up at Newcastle airport.

I was there, in the Sunlun (home) end

Sunlun have put their highlights up: https://www.safc.com/video They look well ready for a long and hard campaign.