afar

Aside of the fact that it simply isn't true that we have never done it this way before, its still the quality that counts. from someone who sits and watches this forum from afar Ashley regime > Shepherd f*** face eh ? I assure you elliotman you are not watching this forum perched on my head

TBF I don't know what you expected, I'm no Shepherd apologist, far from it, but the whole thrust of your post comes over as you telling us how much better the new board do business than the old board did. I ask again, what the hell did you expect ?

This one is not really out of the blue like the Jonas deal though, the story has been doing the rounds for a while now. Just not a very exciting story, so hasn't received a lot of attention. As someone said above, who gives a shit how our transfer business is conducted as long as we get the right players in through the doors.

I can see him ending up at West Ham tbh, I don't think Spurs will be in for him during this transfer window and I don't think Arsenal are remotely interested at the moment. KK will not want him around, if he has no interest in playing for the club. I'm not sure if the money has dried up at West Ham now Egghead has moved on but if it hasn't they are the only London club I can see him ending up. He'll probably go on to have a great season or too which will be blown up out of all proportion by the London press and then he'll get his move to a glamour club.

Who exactly said that then, spackerjack? LOL that one hell of a word, thought personal abuse wasn't allowed here, anyway I think he's referring to the quote KK was attributed making through Taylor about going away signing some players within the next 10 days. Since KK wasn't quoted directly, I guess it's not worth us getting our knickers in a twist if all we do is bring in this young squad player.

Hmm wasn't the interview conducted by France football, doubt very much they would speak to a French player in English !!

I'll admit, I know pratically nothing about the lad, so can't comment on whether he's going to work out here or not. But at 2million and most probably relatively low wages, it's practically no risk. We need the heads in for sure, so from that point if this one comes off then it's good news.

So he's an Arsenal supporter then, that's why he's trying to model us on wenger's ideas.

The midfield lacks any creativity, KK managed to paper over the cracks for a short spell towards the end of the season. I doubt very much that that can be sustain over the course of a whole season. As Liam says Viduka is injured yet again and if we get more than 20 games out of him next season we'll have done very well. Viduka is absolutely essential to playing that 4-3-3 system. I fail to be convinced that Martins and Owen, despite their individual skills work as a partnership. The defence is probably the least of my concerns but it still lacks confidence because when the midfield fail to do their job in protecting the back four, it's the defence that invariably gets the blame and confidence ebbs away. Of course we'll buy some more players, even the most pessimistic of us does not think that Jonas is the end of our summer recruitment policy. But it's all about the qulaity and if the new signings can't oust some of the current starting 11, then mid table mediocrity is about all we can look forward to.

That was the point. "If we start off with basically the same team as last season............." Well we won't. I'm failing to see what you are complaining about here. Sniffer clearly uses the word "if". His statement is completely true, yet you are labling him a WUM and others calling him a twat.

Here comes another one What he says is perfectly reasonable. Our team is essentially s**** and we'll have another mid-table finish if we keep the same side. I don't think we will btw, but we need serious movement in the transfer market. Being realistic doesn't make you a t*** nor a WUM. Very true about sniffer, but ShiteaM is not realistic and Dave's more likely to win mod of the year at the annual all footy forum awards, than ShiteaM not being a WUM. Just kidding Dave ;P

LOL, that's very true but having said that ShiteaM is clearly a WUM and to be perfectly honest not a very good one at all.

So are you saying that we should accept little to no investment in the playing staff because Ashley screwed up his due diligence process ?

I agree with Aispith here, these are not very encouraging quotes. They do kind of validate all the rumours of cost cutting and explain the lack of investment in the playing staff we have witnessed under Ashley's ownership. Manorpark also makes an excellent point on how we seem to be conditioned to accepting mediocrity, it's incredible really how things have changed, under the old board (cue NE5) mediocrity would never have been accepted.

I'm a contractor, I signed up to work for the company I work for, for 6 months. I can't break that contract unless I (well my businessa anyway) compensate the company I work for. It's a little more restrictive in football as they players don't have the right to break contracts unless they are over a certain again, have honoured a certain length of the contract and move oversees. Those are all conditions that could be negoiated into any contract between two parties and make it perfectly legal. It's certainly not slavery. Blatter and Plantini never fail to amaze me with the crap they talk, but both organisation are so inherently corrupt that no matter who is in charge the same sort of crap would be spouted. Blatter has seen this as another opportunity to clip the PL wings again. That's been his agenda for some time. As bob mentioned earlier the reprocutions of this are horrifying. Oh this team are in the semi final of the FA cup, I think I'll play for them this week, next week I'll play for this team because they are the feature match on Sky, the week after I'll turn out for this team because they are going to pay me a huge appreance bonus. The beauty about the game is that we as supporters feel a conection to our clubs and the players who player for it, with the increased movement of players over the last few years, this connection has been eroded, this ridiculous idea Blatter has would simply eradicate that connection and fans would be lost to the game. If he wants a sport who's participants and merely mercenary gun for hires, then he's going about it the right way, but if that day ever comes the heart will be lost forever out for professional football.

I have to say that that article is a completely nothing article. There's just nothing there. As someone else pointed out it's so easy to look at NUFC from the outside and say "Well they can't defend", that might be true but there's a hell of a lot more to it than just whom we employ in our back four. I'm sorry but that's a crap article. As for the side deabte there, I too am not overly excited, but neither was I for Roeder's full season. I was genuinely excited for last season, I was hoodwinked by Sam, thinking he was at last a decent appointment. Dave, for a pleasant surprise ;P, makes a good point, really outside the top 4 there's nothing in this league, we are all pretty much of a muchness. It's not that difficult to go from near the relgation zone to near the european spots as Man City and West Ham proved last year. Villa improved greatly too in a short time, Portsmouth can be added to that listand we've even seen the likes of Wigan and Reading flirting with UEFA cup slots.

In depth unfortunately go into questions such as what's your favourite movie ? What music do you listen on the coach to away games ? and What's your favourite pre match meal ? All earth shattering stuff !!

I agree, club mags are completely pointless, propoganda spouting, overpriced wastes of space that appeal to only the very young.

I always thought this was accepted fact, we were used as a stalking horse. There was no way on earth that Rooney was going to come here, whatever he says. In fact I thought the tale was that Ferguson asked FFS to bid for him as his board were saying they had no money and he had to push them to make a bid. TBH I wasn't referring to the Rooney crap, the thing I found most interesting was the fact that FS's son worked for Stretford's company out of St James' and he owned a large stake in them.

Hmm just did a quick google on him found this article from a couple of years ago: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040904/ai_n12807732 Here's an intersting extract: Then, 10 days before the August deadline, Newcastle United suddenly announced a pounds 20m bid for Rooney. That is another controversial episode, given Newcastle's chairman Freddy Shepherd's friendship with Stretford and the fact that his son, Kenny Shepherd, works for Proactive out of an office in St James' Park - and has 88,000 shares in the agency. Another potential conflict of interest some might think, but all sides - Newcastle, Proactive and Manchester United - maintain the Newcastle bid was genuine and that the Shepherd connection was irrelevant.

Wasn't Stretford the agent we employed to work on our behalf a few years ago. Seem to remember the club lauding him as a role model for all agents ? My memory fades on this and I could be wrong.

They are also under pressure from their editors to sell papers,it seems lke it's not accepted in the trade to write reasoned, well balanced pieces in preference to those headline grabbing scare stories. The irony is however that if a paper did that, then word would get around pretty fast amongst the fans and their readership I would venture would increase. They under estimate the intelligence level of the fans. If a newspaper did employ this guy for example as a permenant hack, writing NUFC in place of their current guy, I have no doubt his work would turn the same way as others in the trade.

See what happens when newspapers hire non journos to write their copy, perhaps they should consider it more of the time.

That's a very level headed post and spot on. I guess I'm a little envious of those of you who are happy to sit this out and wait and see, personally I'm nervous as hell that we'll mess this window up again and desperately want to see some money spent and not just for spending sake but on both the quality and quantity we sorely lack.

Just noticed this whilst trawling for threads around this time last year: You don't sound too underwhelmed to me. In fact you had concerns about squad size too, so is that a complete turnaround or have I read your post wrong? Hehe good spot Dave, when I wrote that earlier today I actually had a 2nd thought about it, perhaps I was talking from the high and mighty hindsight position. Please feel free to requote this as conclusive proof I talk a load of crap most of the time