Conjo

Compare that drivel to Haydens interview after Brighton saying that he obviosuly would like a full stadium, but that he knows they got the fans support regardless of whether they are attending or not due to their own reasons which is beyond the players control.

Dour Plummett doing Ashleys bidding I see. Not surprised. Maybe our performance would get better if he learnt how to control a ball.

I'm trying to think if there's anything he especially excelled at in that run of games. He was playing very well, like, but I'm wondering if he's just 'neat and tidy' - which obviously means he's not going to excel in a rubbish team where no one knows where they're supposed to be. He made a brilliant start to his career, regardless; feels now like he needs to leave urgently if he's going to fulfil whatever potential he's got. It's an enormous shame, like. The team had deficiencies, of course, but absolutely masses of promise under Rafa. We could easily have been staking a claim up there with the likes of West Ham and Bournemouth. Easily. Maybe even Leicester if we'd got lucky with a couple of quality signings who hit the ground running straight away. Doubt there'll ever be a greater tragedy in my lifetime than us getting Rafa and then just chucking him away. He was about as close as Newcastle United - a community behemoth in the North East with global appeal and a profound heritage - could get to guaranteed success. But we weren't allowed that cos some bloke from Buckinghamshire who's a bit of a dick isn't that into football. For me it was his awareness that struck me the most. He never seemed to get caught out by a pressing opposition no matter what angle they were closing him down from. He just elegantly created some space for himself and moved the ball forward. He also had a really good right foot with the ability to score from outside the box, which he also showed during his stint with Blackpool, and also a fantastic technique when crossing from wide right position.

He's 22 in a month. Look at players in other teams of similar age in similar positions (Tielemans, Ndiddi, McTominay, Mount, Winks, Ndombele, Guendouzi, Torreira, Cantwell - probably forgetting someone) and it's pretty clear he's not where he would want to nor should be. So far this season I think he's looked out of depth and I struggle to put all of that down to coaching. Still young so there's still time of course. And what kind of coaching has he gotten compared to those players? He came through our youth setup? Doesn't mean he can't come good but he's no where's near the exposure that other youngsters have. True

Yes

He's 22 in a month. Look at players in other teams of similar age in similar positions (Tielemans, Ndiddi, McTominay, Mount, Winks, Ndombele, Guendouzi, Torreira, Cantwell - probably forgetting someone) and it's pretty clear he's not where he would want to nor should be. So far this season I think he's looked out of depth and I struggle to put all of that down to coaching. Still young so there's still time of course.

If it's true, Longstaff should do everything in his power to force Ashley to accept. His career is going further down the drain match for match.

I doubt out of work deaths are included in the statistics, if that's what you mean Anon.

Blueprint obviously involved running the football club as a football club. Damning yes, but not surprising.

Yea, I normally think about Tottenham and Liverpool as good examples where they invest in a player and sell him on in order to improve the team. Leicester with Mahrez and Maguire to get in the likes of Soyunc, Maddison, Ndiddi, Barnes and Tielemans etc is also a really good example.

Imagine if the main stream media could be as blunt and objective.

Aye I'd love to know the ins and outs, nothing about it feels genuine. They were more bothered about getting him than they were about keeping Rafa. Suspect the deal was done at the beginning of the year when we were first linked. At the point of signing, Charnley mentioned that talks had been ongoing for a long while, which Rafa later expressed that he was not aware of.

Going to be tough for Bruce and his supporters in the media to explain our form from game week 11 and onwards.

He still spent more than the rest of the league (bar Villa maybe?) on new players regardless of how much we got from player sales last time we went down. That's pretty normal for any club that gets relegated since the best players wants to remain at the highest level and the club is usually not able to justify having players with such a high wage in a lower division. The previous relegation he spent in January to secure promotion even though we probably wouldn't have needed to do so.

It already is. At this point he's just a more likeable Jack Colback. Probably a combination of Rafa making him look better than he is and Bruce making him look worse than he is.

If we go down, keeping Bruce is a good thing. Improves the chances of not getting automatic promotion. Ashley will spend to get us up. If crowds and ST goes down significantly then the second season in the championship will be even harder as Ashley will most likely have to sell players without buying unless he gambles and puts his own money into the club. With the tragic investment in youth there won't be many, if any, youth players that will be able to step up either.

Hayden and Schar clearly showing their frustration on and off the field the last two games. Only a matter of time until one of them either lashes out at the abysmal coaching/tactics or go into apathy mode and eventually get dropped.

Voted 15 as soon as the poll was reset. Only thing that would change this is if the scale was lowered even more.

Incident didn't happen in the ground but you know. Abuse your fellow fans all you like, really going to bring about regime change. You dont know what abuse or militant means. At least I'm not stupid enough to think an organisation raising concerns to a club, when members of said organisation ask the organisation to raise those concerns and issues -that they go ahead and do that on behalf of their members - their basic mandate and part of their fundamental function - is being in bed with Mike Ashley and supporting Sports Direct. About half of NUST members in the most recent survey stated they go to games, while your view is that nobody should go to games (I've given up going, been involved in more protests than I care to remember and will not give a penny to the club as long as Ashley is still there) that doesn't mean that those that do shouldn't be stood up for if things go wrong. You still don't appear to comprehend or understand what a supporters trust is. The trust may well come to a boycott position, and I would quite like that, but it would have to be what the members want and clearly a large numbers of members still go the match. We've got TMG, AO, EFA and all sorts pushing the boycott and more now and that's great. Division and arguments amongst the fan base appears to be your approach - attack those that still go to games - this will achieve nothing - these people need to educated not belittled. If you don't understand how you hurt the club and fellow fans by going to the match by now you never will. Most likely they majority of people still going understand that deep down but are too selfish to walk away for the greater good and deserve to get shamed and watch the awful football they are getting served at the moment. You should do the absolute bare minimum to retain status as a trust until there's new ownership, while promoting walking away internally as that is literally the only way Ashley will go. I will never join an organisation that has members that still attends matches. I suspect there's more people in the same boat.

Incident didn't happen in the ground but you know. Abuse your fellow fans all you like, really going to bring about regime change. You dont know what abuse or militant means.

Looking forward to the point in the season when he has accumulated fewer points than Rafa had.

At least it looked like the away crowd had a good day out. Couldnt see any pepper spray shower throughout the match so let's all give a big thank you to SDST.

Floodgate are open

He's doesn't have the awareness of players around him. Keep losing the ball to players closing him down from behind. Always plays the ball backwards. So weird to see him in a more defensive role than Hayden when you look back at his goals for us and Blackpool where he needs to be facing the opposition goal when he receives the ball to make something happen.