KaKa

Rafa has top pedigree though, and is infinitely more dangerous with financial backing. He's not some second rate guy.

If we play out the rest of the season and he's kept in charge it will be horrible to watch man.

He'll be sucking up non stop and trying to curry favour and weasel his way into being kept on, as improbable as that would be. He'll also be asking his corny chums in the media to play up his chances.

It will be so so awful man. Hope they just cancel the rest of the season now. Couldn't bear it.

Would never have Pochettino over Rafa. No chance.

Just read that article further up man ...

Great to know we've had an erratic drunk in charge of the club all these years. Guy is nuts

That bit about how Rafa went through all the numbers both from the team standpoint and commercially to show how the club could be competitive and still make money, and MA agreed with the numbers and agreed to then back Rafa, only to then ignore his wishes startign with that Caballero transfer. I mean ... just crazy stuff.

Guy has to sell the club ASAP man. He's not well in the head.

18 months more of Bruce to wait for Rafa or get someone else in and risk Rafa retiring after his China stint?

What a cruel cruel question and scenario you pose man

Get Bruce out and go managerless for 18 months, or put the kid's team coach in there for 18 months or something.

I know I have said I wouldn't mind getting a more attacking manager in next, but I do have another theory about this now. Rafa is one of the most intelligent football managers I have ever come across, and if football has moved on to a  more pressing, front foot style, and the likes of Klopp are succeeding with it, I have a feeling that Rafa has already probably adapted mentally, and would just need the funds to buy the right players to implement it.

 

We tend to forget he was out of British football for some time, we don't really know what his style would be now with a quality squad.

Absolutely correct.

Rafa adapted to a situation where his suggestions for the squad were not being supported, and he therefore wasn't being allowed to spend money, because he didn't want the club to bring in players that he didn't want.

He basically did his best to then make the team very disciplined and tough to beat to give us the best chance possible of staying int he division. Even using the 3-5-2, which he hadn't used previously I don't think.

Pretty annoying that this is now being used as a mark against him, and being used as evidence for what his brand of football is. It's nonsense really.

Cancel the season now please.

What if the club is massively successful on and off the pitch, is a catalyst for a revitalized region, a flourishing NUFC foundation , with wealth and jobs created?

It would be great for Newcastle, but I would hope people wouldn't be fawning over them and heaping praise on them or anything.

Take it for what it is, and recognise that shouldn't suddenly mean their other practices are in anyway defendable.

Just seen the Bruce news. The rest of the season better be cancelled now. Not having any of that mess.

People are adding the flag to their profiles on social media?!

Hopefully this kind of thing calms down quickly. It is terrible form.

 

All I think is that people should be aware the Saudi's are cunts. Try not to play too much into their publicity by publically banging on about how Mohammed Bin Salman is a lovely bloke, public executions are just a lark etc etc and all wish for the day when sanity prevails and Football clubs are forced into some level of fan ownership again. I will be enjoying the ride, I will never be sad Ashley is gone I will just be sad that it had to be these cunts who rescued us but to not enjoy the sport of it as well would just be too cruel. I may be a hypocrite but I think it's frankly impossible not to be. Maybe I would be better off watching some fan owned semi professional team in the distant leagues, but sorry I want to walk up to St James Park again and go in and watch us win again.

Yeah, they obviously have deplorable practices, and there's no point justifying it because they're buying the club. It would be unfortunate if people start dressing up as Arabs and carrying on in that vein, as it would be pretty distasteful.

I wouldn't let it spoil the enjoyment of the club though. Just enjoy the sport for what it is and don't get into trying to praise them and what not. Hopefully Staveley and the Reuben brothers are more present and they just stay in the background. It's not an ideal situation, but man, why should they be able to come in and ruin this for people? Especially when not too much can be done about it. At least the area will be taking some of that money they love throwing around and actually be using it to improve people's lives.

The whole idea of sports washing is interesting to me, because I really don't think it works. Nobody is really thinking good things about these kinds of owners just because they are doing well with a football team are they? I mean even with Man City I never really even associate them with the club that way. It's just a toy they spent a bunch of money on, not some great honourable pursuit.

Asolutely has to be Rafa.

Guy was already pushing for the infrastructure to be improved and had ideas of exactly how to do it.

Let him oversee all the development and the club will be completely transformed top to bottom. He'll do it with the best interests of the fans and city in mind too.

Already has relationships with staff at the club and everything. Will put a legitimate plan together for developing young players from the region too, which he has always advocated.

It's a complete no brainer.

In the same interview he is praising Bruce for the job he has done. The football has been far more negative under Bruce though.

Really looking forward to being done with these PFMs being involved with the club man. Probably my favourite thing about being taken over.

It makes sense for him to return. They would've discussed plans with Staveley back in 2018. My only concern is that he has employed like 50 people in Dalian and might feel some loyalty to them and the owners who have backed him there.

 

I think it's more likely that Bruce will remain in charge for an initial period, while the upper management structure is settled.. As much as it pains me to say it, Bruce has sort of earned it - the team have generally played with spirit and fight this season.

If they don't fling Bruce out within 24 hours of completing the takeover I'm done with them.

Rafa coming back with backing would be phenomenal man. Has to happen please.

The guy just gets it and already had such a great understanding of the club and all the folks involved with it.

Would be so special man.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8113153/Newcastle-consider-Manchester-United-defender-Phil-Jones.html

Linked with Arsenal.

Lovely one-two there.

Love Simeone man

Love me some Simeone so this is pretty sweet.

Gomez so awful on that goal.

Just backing away and watching him. Shocking stuff.

aye gayle, he'll get one every 10 or something but at least he's in position to miss them

 

Agreed. If we'd started Joelinton up front yesterday he would have probably been lingering outside the box for all of those chances that Gayle missed.

Him 'lingering' outside the box in this setup allowed Almiron to get in behind and score his first against WBA.

He also set up Almiron's second with a clever back heel while in the box against WBA.

He also linked well with ASM to lay it off for his strike off the post against WBA.

I'd argue that with Joelinton we likely see the attacking midfielders become more of a threat in general.

Not as straight forward as 'he's not in the box, so no goals!'. Goodness sake.

It's incredible to me that we have had Joelinton stuck upfront alone in that awful formation all season, and now we have finally changed to a more attacking formation that can help him actually start to develop more as a striker, we've benched him

Benching him for a striker that we were trying to get rid of previously and who is no long term solution and who continuously proves to be unreliable.

So typical. So ridiculous. So unsurprising.