Andy

Ridiculous that like. "Great decision has been made" - fuck off man. You can't disallow a goal like that because someone's fingernails were longer than someone else's.

Joselu shinned in a couple of goals when the defenders completely forgot he was playing, but his overall contribution on the pitch was almost entirely non existent.

We'll finish about 13th. We'll be swirling around the plug-hole for the foreseeable future but I think the players we have will be enough to keep us up this year.

Rafa's training is incredibly intense and to a certain extent repetitive and boring. He will make players repeat drills, positions till they are 100% perfect. It is a lot of information for folks to process. And he is incredibly cold and brutal apparently during training. His attitude was "you train 4 hours per day for 4 days, get paid millions of dollars, why are you complaining, this is nothing compared to what the rest of society do, if you cant take this get out of here". It takes players of a certain mentality to appreciate Rafa - Torres, Reina, Baraja, Mascherano, Garcia. I think there is a big cultural mentality difference in how players from some of these countries approach training - they are ok with it being hard, repetitive, and boring. At LFC too, when Rafa left, there was a lot of statements from players like Gerrard, Carra on how training was "more fun" now. Even Bellamy, who played for LFC under Rafa and King Kenny said how training was more fun under King Kenny. However, at the end of their career, almost all of them acknowledged that Rafa was the best manager they trained under. I think pretty much all of them realized it once we started dropping down the table. So I don't think the NUFC players are being disingenuous or anything. I think they are genuinely enjoying freedom. They don't have a person walking up to them shouting at corners, when the opposition is making 32 degree runs in front of you using zonal marking, you should stand 26 inches from the goal line at 48 degrees. You were at 24 inches and standing at 41 degrees. Let us repeat this 37 more times till you get it right. Well it worked - end of last season our form was excellent. Tactically the players knew what they had to do. His angles were shit on those corners though, we conceded loads from set pieces. Should've been 21.5 inches at 43 degrees imo.

I don't think this is a terrible signing tbh. A bit apathetic towards it, but he's more than capable of causing teams problems as a sub and that's clearly what he'd be considering the money we've spent on other attacking options. On a one year deal it seems a no brainer, if he's going to give his all to stay fit for any club it's us.

Can't believe he's 30 like. He's about 24 in my head.

Definitely got a feeling he's going to be more Obertan than Ben Arfa like, but we'll see. He seems the kind of player who Rafa could've probably turned into a big counter attacking threat, whereas Bruce will probably play him a few times, get frustrated, then revert to Aarons or Atsu.

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Necessaties for vot?

Oh please that would be so good Wishing pain on a man you know nothing about is getting a bit weird like. So do people actually want this lad to fail? He's part of Ashley fc so yes. Him doing well probably keeps them up and then guess who wins again and stays longer I don't buy the idea that relegation makes Ashley more likely to leave like. He'll only sell at the kind of fee that people will pay for a Premier League club IMO.

I dunno like. Bruce is many things, but is he Pardew level of scummy cunt? Nah. And Pardew certainly doesn't have any better managerial credentials.

Well that's me convinced. Honestly can't believe how wrong I was about him tbh, cheers for all the hard work Mike Who would've known that Rafa was the evil one in all of this, what a twist

Hard to care about the fee really if he bangs in enough goals to keep us afloat then he's a good signing, regardless of the circumstances. Rondon had a shite record before signing for us too, although obviously the manager made a difference in that regard.

Defence might barely keep us up again, but teams who can't score goals will always struggle to stay up. I think Longstaff and Almiron will contribute 4 or 5 each this season, Schar and Ritchie have a few goals in them, Gayle or Muto half a dozen or so at best if they play all season... Survival basically hinges on Joelinton or whichever striker comes in scoring at least 10-15 goals.

You are, yeah. Just as people are allowed to say whatever the fuck they want if it's on-topic too your apathy (and mine) isn't applicable to everyone. If it was we might as well just shut the forum down till Ashley is gone, because there'll be piss-all positive to talk about for a while.

Pretty sure Bruce won't be sitting on him during the games, so yes. He will be directing the team to launch 50 yard Balls at him though and will drop him the second we get a bad result Even under Pardew (a worse manager) the likes of Ba and Cabaye still managed to excel. Your post is so over the top. But the point is nothing matters now, don't you agree? If anything we want him to fail as we want SD United to fail. People discussing signings, formations etc like it matters anymore is mad, and i have to question anyone doing so whether they fully understand what is going on. I'm sorry like but I'll never bring myself to actively want my club to lose, if only because losing doesn't change anything. Ashley will still be here, the sports direct logos will still surround the stadium... If anything I feel like we're more likely to be sold by having a fluke season like the Pardew one and showing would-be investors the potential... Is renewing season tickets and buying merch a mugs game? Aye, it probably is. But ostracising fellow fans for wanting the club to do well? Nah, that's not on in my opinion. When you actively want the club to lose, when it means nothing to you, that's when Ashley won. I think there’s a lot of emotion around at the moment, I hope we all don’t get into a “scab” mentality on here soon. If people wanna go/discuss then we should never really challenge it, we are better than this, have your view but don’t carry it on every day, I’m guilty of it and many more are, in truth I’m beginning to wonder why I’m here, I’m NOT supporting that club anymore. The match threads should be interesting, those who protest I take it won’t be on it, like myself, if we are we are hypocrites no? I said for many the test will be when the season starts and we get a win and the itch starts, many will resist ,me included but some just won’t admit it and have a sneak peak at the games, we’re all human ffs. Let’s not turn on each other eh ? doesn't bother me how people choose to deal with the situation on a personal level, but shaming other fans who can't bring themselves to want the club to lose is dog shite, as is telling people they shouldn't discuss potential transfers etc on a forum that was literally invented for such topics of conversation...I've been at best borderline-apathetic about the club for the entirety of Ashley's reign, but I'll never actively seek out a Newcastle result and hope we've lost, I just don't see what we gain from it. I sincerely, almost completely and entirely believe that relegation would only make us more likely to be stuck with Ashley for a longer period of time The current situation is shit but turning on each other isn't the answer, nobody here is a "better fan" than anyone else no matter how you deal with what's going on.

Pretty sure Bruce won't be sitting on him during the games, so yes. He will be directing the team to launch 50 yard Balls at him though and will drop him the second we get a bad result Even under Pardew (a worse manager) the likes of Ba and Cabaye still managed to excel. Your post is so over the top. But the point is nothing matters now, don't you agree? If anything we want him to fail as we want SD United to fail. People discussing signings, formations etc like it matters anymore is mad, and i have to question anyone doing so whether they fully understand what is going on. I'm sorry like but I'll never bring myself to actively want my club to lose, if only because losing doesn't change anything. Ashley will still be here, the sports direct logos will still surround the stadium... If anything I feel like we're more likely to be sold by having a fluke season like the Pardew one and showing would-be investors the potential... Is renewing season tickets and buying merch a mugs game? Aye, it probably is. But ostracising fellow fans for wanting the club to do well? Nah, that's not on in my opinion. When you actively want the club to lose, when it means nothing to you, that's when Ashley won.

Could've said the same about players like Gini. If a player has the right reputation and shows something you'll get money for him even if you go down.

I'm not sure I agree with that. He's putting himself in the firing line if/when it doesn't work out, but he doesn't deserve abuse for simply accepting the job, because let's be honest nobody else is going to and we do actually need a manager by next month. Respect your opinion, obviously but I completely disagree with you too. Would you take it under Ashley? Would I take the opportunity to make myself filthy rich managing the football club I love? Aye, I probably would to be honest mate, I'm not going to lie Nah, that’s a shocker of a post. No way. I don't think it's that much of a shocker to say that if, in some ridiculously contrived hypothetical scenario, Mike Ashley offered me literally millions of pounds to manage a football club for a season or two to set my family up for life I would pack in the 9-5 slog like Probably do a better job than Brucie anyway tbh, hand it over

I'm not sure I agree with that. He's putting himself in the firing line if/when it doesn't work out, but he doesn't deserve abuse for simply accepting the job, because let's be honest nobody else is going to and we do actually need a manager by next month. Respect your opinion, obviously but I completely disagree with you too. Would you take it under Ashley? Would I take the opportunity to make myself filthy rich managing the football club I love? Aye, I probably would to be honest mate, I'm not going to lie Oof. Ok. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. Ashley is killing the club, I could not be part of that. To be honest I'm being facetious but I don't see any alternatives to Bruce at the moment, literally no one other than the desperate would accept the job. Bruce is probably naive enough to think he can convert Ashley, that's the kind of bloke he is.

I'm not sure I agree with that. He's putting himself in the firing line if/when it doesn't work out, but he doesn't deserve abuse for simply accepting the job, because let's be honest nobody else is going to and we do actually need a manager by next month. Respect your opinion, obviously but I completely disagree with you too. Would you take it under Ashley? Would I take the opportunity to make myself filthy rich managing the football club I love? Aye, I probably would to be honest mate, I'm not going to lie

I'm not sure I agree with that. He's putting himself in the firing line if/when it doesn't work out, but he doesn't deserve abuse for simply accepting the job, because let's be honest nobody else is going to and we do actually need a manager by next month. The abuse needs to be channeled at Ashley and his immediate team, nobody else.

To be fair, maybe they did. Seems like the local press haven't been too far off in their negative response to the "takeover".

He's English and has a bit hype around him, he could have a shite season and get relegated and still be worth £25 million tbh.

Even by the club's usual selling policy it seems beyond moronic to let him go for £25 million now like. Can only see his value increasing over the next few years if he stayed, £25 million for a player that Man Utd will turn into an England international feels like robbery in the current market.