Minhosa

Yup - it's long been my fear that all of these positive noises were coming from one source. Could easily be misguided/wrong/badly advised. Disagree they’ll have a good idea from the league’s lawyers who they’ll have been dealing with on a daily basis. Yes it has to go to the board, but this is obviously complex and I can’t see them going against the legal advice. Either where waiting for a remedy to tv situation, or they’ll just pass it based on PIF being a separate legal entity. Hmmm. Well, it's all guesswork but I'd have said if they were 'good to go' and 'expecting an announcement over the next 24 hours' and 'cans in the fridge' then I'd say they were given a bum steer by the Lawyers as that was over a month ago. The TV situation and the seperate entity argument have been there since day 1 and yet the deal still seems nowhere near being done. I'd say it's entirely reasonable to be doubting the validity of the prior positive noises coming from the buyers side tbh.

Yup - it's long been my fear that all of these positive noises were coming from one source. Could easily be misguided/wrong/badly advised.

or it could work the other way where having 90 minutes played is beneficial to them getting back up to speed since obviously no ones going to be at their best in the first few weeks True. Don't care tbh. They should be capable of beating us just on the basis of a competent management team tbf.

Bruce might get lucky if these are knackered having played a few days earlier.

It’ll be Kenyon’s lot Yeah just watched it back 'two american bidders with genuine and serious interest who are now watching on the sidelines as this Saudi bid develops. They are waiting in the wings. One with sporting connections and one with serious personal wealth, even by American standards'. Can only imagine the Kenyon bid is the 'sporting connections' reference and the serious wealth is presumably Mauriss. I'd take the saudi's over both every day of the week.

Any rumour as to who these American buyers are that HW refers to? Also, didn't he state that it was actually Mauriss on the Sunday Supplement or on some zoom thing about a month ago? I'm sure he was the first one to break Mauriss's name, so is he now saying that this isn't the case?

It crossed my mind why the Reubens, in particular, didn't just step in and fund the deal whilst waiting for PIF clearance tbh. That way, the fans/staff/whole club benefit, we can begin plans to move forward pending their arrival and Ashley can die celebrating his windfall with eighteen pints and falling into a fire face first. Wonder if its the backup plan? If rejected we'll come back without PIF.,,,then sneak them through the backdoor at a later date. Well it would certainly buy everyone time and tbh, PIF, could easily send the Reubens the cash to fund it. Buy it in their name. RB & PCP clear the tests and take over the club and then sell the 80% to them for £1 but without any media scrutiny nor rush. That way they can allow the PL tests to take as long as they take and still control the club via the RB's and PCP. I can't understand why they haven't done that tbh. Also, if this does get rejected, it would be one way of solving things without Qatar/Bein having been seen to have won or got one over on them so publically.

The other interesting element here, if this doesn't get approved imminently, is that Amanda Staveley's court case against Barclays is due to be heard over the next few weeks. AFAIK she gave assurances over that claim to Ashley as part of guaranteeing the nufc deal (her element? I can't recall....). If she goes on to lose that claim against Barclays then surely there'd be implications for the NUFC deal too?

It crossed my mind why the Reubens, in particular, didn't just step in and fund the deal whilst waiting for PIF clearance tbh. That way, the fans/staff/whole club benefit, we can begin plans to move forward pending their arrival and Ashley can die celebrating his windfall with eighteen pints and falling into a fire face first.

This just needs to reach a conclusion FFS. I'll happily deal with being stuck in the middle of a geo-political war WHEN we have the benefits of new owners and no Ashley. Until that point, this is pure torment with zero upside. Hurry up FFS.

Given the way the rest of the deal has played out, I'd say it will be leaked imho.

Great post this Yorkie.

I can definitely see this mind Bruce will allude to it in press conferences and certain sections of the media will draw the same conclusions I'm gonna bet against us in every game. Fairly sure, come the end of the season, I'll be well up. Also, wonder if they do bets for most injuries to first team players after restart? We'll be nailed on.

Aye but that's a bit like graduating from a nursery mate to be fair. Ryder's still biting the crayons.....with Douglas following him around every day telling him not to put his fingers in the sockets and shouting 'OOOOHHH Hottttttt' every time he goes near a kettle.

couldn't agree more about the hosting and Waugh. It's almost the antithesis of the Athletic output n all, canny tabloid. Good point - I hadn't thought of it but it is quite 'tabloidy' with their shit sausage jokes etc etc. I used to love Caulkin but for me his best work was at the Times. I always thought he was a rational voice of the fans in a semi-independent sense but this season I feel his loyalty to Bruce has majorly hampered the standard of his work and to some extent his journalistic integrity. He's also hardly done any anti-ashley stuff even long before the takeover was rumoured. On another note, I do find it utterly laughable that the local journos have been criticial of Ashleys reign through loads of the various stories of the last few months yet said fuck all before they thought this takeover was coming. Like the little weeds in the bar who hid when the fight broke out and when their mates have won, they emerge from the ladies toilet and kick the big fella lying on the deck looking like journalistic Mr Muscle characters. Ryder et al are all hard men now but they were fucking silent for years. Pack of spineless cunts. To a man. I have been a long time subscriber to the Times for years, used to get it delivered before the digital era, but am going to bin it off soon as I used to read it for certain journalists in particular, none of whom are there any more. I don't agree with the politics, and never have tbh, but that's not why I bought it. These days I barely even read most of it, just skim through certain sections, so I was thinking of replacing it with the Athletic, but I was a bit suspicious whether the content could be that much better. Tbh, if journalists can't see past their friendships then it's not really worth reading what they write on NUFC. If I want matey patter I can just watch Soccer Saturday on Sky. Brian Glanville used to write for the Times, and he came across as a bit of a cunt, but he at least wrote real opinion, and he did seem to know his football. I don't think Bobby Robson was a fan, but that's what happens when you get football writers giving genuine feedback, whether it's right or not. I also get the Times delivered mate - Saturdays and Sundays. Tried their online offering and didn't like it. I like the content particularly on business/personal finance and travel so the politics element of it all I'm not that fussed about. I'd say generally the Athletic's written coverage is decent. Some of it is outstanding. IMHO Caulkin has not been at his best since he joined and I'm yet to see anything truly great like he did on regular occasions in the Times. People were raving about a piece he wrote about Matt Ritchie being a radgie but it didn't float my boat tbh. I'd say he'd be worth reading more if a takeover happens as presumably he'll have greater access than most. I'd also say that his relationship with Bruce, like many local journos, has massively impacted his work/output imho. Overall, I now think of him as one of the better journos but not out ahead on his own which he was for years whilst at the Times. He's very much part of the pack now and not a trailblazer.

No................link?

Lose Bruce to a heart attack more like.

couldn't agree more about the hosting and Waugh. It's almost the antithesis of the Athletic output n all, canny tabloid. Disco[/member] On Waugh, by the way, it's like he knows he doesn't belong. He's forever self-depricating to the point where you actually think 'Are you experienced enough for this gig?'. Caulkin is obviously the senior writer but Waugh genuinely comes across like the work experience kid. Even in the most recent podcast he talks about writing a piece about why PIF might want to buy NUFC and whether there is an economic angle to it and almost immediately says 'I wrote this with the help of Joe Bloggs because he knows more about the finance stuff than me!'. Almost like a cop-out/lack of confidence in his own work. He's more Ryder than Caulkin at this moment in time that's for sure.

couldn't agree more about the hosting and Waugh. It's almost the antithesis of the Athletic output n all, canny tabloid. Good point - I hadn't thought of it but it is quite 'tabloidy' with their shit sausage jokes etc etc. I used to love Caulkin but for me his best work was at the Times. I always thought he was a rational voice of the fans in a semi-independent sense but this season I feel his loyalty to Bruce has majorly hampered the standard of his work and to some extent his journalistic integrity. He's also hardly done any anti-ashley stuff even long before the takeover was rumoured. On another note, I do find it utterly laughable that the local journos have been criticial of Ashleys reign through loads of the various stories of the last few months yet said fuck all before they thought this takeover was coming. Like the little weeds in the bar who hid when the fight broke out and when their mates have won, they emerge from the ladies toilet and kick the big fella lying on the deck looking like journalistic Mr Muscle characters. Ryder et al are all hard men now but they were fucking silent for years. Pack of spineless cunts. To a man.

Agreed that he used to be better to listen to as guests on other platforms but I think he's (seemingly happily) dragged to the level of chat from the bellend host.

Been the same since they started it tbf but got increasingly worse as that wanker hosting it has increased his input/shit chat and his mocking of the work experience kid.

Subscribe to the Athletic and the written work covering NUFC is decent if sometimes a bit 'on the fencey' particularly pre-takeover rumours. Clearly they're fans of Bruce, the bloke, and that's borne out in the coverage he's recieved all year. The podcast is utter bilge though. The 'Sergeant Waffles' craic is diabolical and actually demeans him massively like he's the work experience kid. He plays that role very well, by the way, he comes across as green as fuck. The bloke hosting the podcast has the worst chat of all time and Caulkin doesn't cover himself in glory. I think you have a vision/opinion of an author/journo and then you hear their chat and are instantly let down. Caulkin is that for me. He'd be better off sticking to written work imho. Sacking the plum who hosts it off and giving Waugh a couple of years to develop then reconsider with a bit more gravitas around it.

Nowt.

Yeah can't argue with that tbh. Delaney can fuck off an'all. I'm all for reasoned debate but he's just a cunt. Completely blind to the other side of the argument. Prick.

I don't think he can. He geniunely cannot be seen to have come to any preformed position on this nor be seen to having influenced the outcome before it's reached the Exec Committee for sign off. So, as frustrating as it is, I do have some sympathy for him and the PL more widely. I don't think it's a war they want right now but that's what they're stuck in now. A geo-political war. We all are. Why not just say I can't discuss anything, he didn't though and that's the issue I have as it led to more questions Sorry - yes - misread your post.