Happy Face

Didn't Given pick up a mystery injury just before going to Man City and was then fit to play for them? Probably more to do with the fact we were playing Man City the week before his move and neither party wanted him playing. He played all the games between his solicitors statement and that game.

That's a different story again, relating to whether he's a team player or not. Given said how deeply unhappy he was with the situation at the club. Having finished in the top 4 twice with Newcastle he found himself working under Joe 'sodding' Kinnear and after conceding 5 against Liverpool he said publicly he was consiidering his future. By requesting permission to speak to Man City, didn't he forego any rights to compensation on his current contract? Surely that reinforces the point that Shay has never been about the money. I'd also question whether HE fucked us over when it was never in his power to do so. Ashley fucked us over by selling Given AND N'zogbia in that window, both under contract and playing regularly.

That table is fucking hilarious Skirge. :lol: Amongst various, various other things the bottom three have a combined points total of 34. The entire thing's just insane. Man U 4th on 90 points man. 18 points is the target for survival then.

What are these shocking conditions? I'm yet to be convinced that the conditions Ashley sets are massively different to most other chairman tbh. They're no different to Blackpool. I think clubs that want to stay up have different conditions though. Like Wolves who are the second biggest spenders in this transfer window with over £16m invested in the summer. Or Birmingham who've spent £12m. Or Wigan - £10m West Ham £8m Or even Sunderland who've spent £5m These are the clubs who'll be in the relegation scrap next year, and they've all dwarfed our investment so far. I like Hughton.

He'll also know it's probably his last chance of a big pay day too. You reckon he's on a pittance at Man City? It's a strange world when Harper sitting on his arse for 10 years accumulating piles of money means he loved the club but Given showing ambition to be at a club that won't just accept relegation, insisting on a first team place, not sitting out a good contract, as players like Babayaro would, is mercenary. Can we get the story straight?

Er, nobody has said he wasn't brilliant. The question was about his behaviour, not his ability. Obviously no doubt he was class for us while here. Bit daft to have a poll where one could conceivably hold all 3 views then innit.

People have short memories. He's by far the best keeper we've had since Willie McFaul. Wright, Srnicek, Hislop, Hooper, Perez. They're keepers you can dismiss. Given was an absolute legend here.

Just had my first look at this lad on Youtube. Looks like we've signed another Guttierez. Can't shoot and can't cross but runs like the clappers and wins free kicks.

There is no way Given would beg to come back. Nothing has changed since he left in the first place so there's zero chance of him even agreeing to talk to us. Steve Harper gets called for having no drive because he sat on our bench for 10 years. Given never accepted being benched and he gets called for that too. Can't win. Nowt wrong with wanting to play....especially when you're a 34 year old international.

Huh? At Sunderland or Celtic Still probably bollocks like.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/29/article-1298767-0A9D1558000005DC-993_468x342.jpg Reminds me of a young Neville Southall.

Ashley displays PERCHase power.

Total £69.77m Where do we stand now? £111m at 0% interest secured against Mike Ashley. £20m overdraft ?

They had something on SSN before saying they were going to have something in place which wouldn't allow this. how can they not allow it? if a company wants to sponsor man city for an extremely large amount of cash per season i dont see how they can stop it Maybe they can't, but they can stop such a team from participating in European competitions. so are uefa saying theres an upper limit to club sponsorship deals? don't see how they could get away with that tbh There's no limit. But attempts to bypass the rules by owners handing out huge sponsorship contracts to their clubs from other companies they own will be checked by an independent watchdog panel appointed by UEFA to ensure they are not paying above the market rate. then that begs the question what is market rate? who determines what market rate is? I can see these regulations getting challenged in court if man city or some other team in a similar position is not allowed into cl thanks to these Sponsors decide the market rate. I can't see an owner trying to bend the rules by pumping funds into the club via another of their companies then wanting that kind of thing scrutinised in detail in court.

There's been brown envelopes in the game for decades....not sure how they stop this having an effect though. I think it's pretty weak if it still allows a £20m loss every season and doesn't account for total debt...but if it stops Man City or Chelsea signing £100m of players 5 years on the trot and pricing everyone else out of the market (which I think it will) then it's done one good thing.

They had something on SSN before saying they were going to have something in place which wouldn't allow this. how can they not allow it? if a company wants to sponsor man city for an extremely large amount of cash per season i dont see how they can stop it Maybe they can't, but they can stop such a team from participating in European competitions. so are uefa saying theres an upper limit to club sponsorship deals? don't see how they could get away with that tbh There's no limit. But attempts to bypass the rules by owners handing out huge sponsorship contracts to their clubs from other companies they own will be checked by an independent watchdog panel appointed by UEFA to ensure they are not paying above the market rate.

£4.3m

Well it doesn't look like Keegan has been flooded with offers since he left us. I suspect clubs view him as not worth the risk. We have no clue which jobs he's been offered.

He's left three out of 4 clubs he's managed in higher leagues than he found them and not left a single club lower than he found it. How's that a risk? David Moyes hasn't won a single major trophy either, Souness has shit loads though. Which would you prefer?

I don't think he implies anything about the players he wanted or the boards ability to deliver. He states implicitly the problem was a specific player being forced upon him. The players he wanted and the efforts made (or not) to secure them was never brought up by Keegan or the club. If anything, it's implied that he was quite happy that he'd had final say on the players already signed in the summer (Jonas, Colo, Guthrie, Bassong). If he was making unreasonable demands it was up to the club to show that. They haven't and won't. Keegan's never walked out of a club due to budgetry constraints. He's left every club in a better league position than he found it. Three out of four in higher divisions than he found them. The stick he gets from some Newcastle fans is appalling. do you think had we, for example, signed modric,schweinsteiger,henry aswell as those we did sign he'd have considered himself to be constructivly dismissed over the gonzalez position ? somehow i think he'd have managed to cope with a player he didn't want (and was under no obligation to play). i doubt it would be the most outlandish thing in the world to say it's quite possible he used that as an excuse to get out. edit...and as i said at the time i really think there ought to have been some form of FIFA/UEFA/Prem league enquiry into the favours to agents thing. Cloud cuckoo land. Not worth debating. Nacho's £1m wages wouldn't cover signing those 3 players. They could have been well spent on a player Keegan actually wanted though.

http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,56160.msg1520745.html#msg1520745

I don't think he implies anything about the players he wanted or the boards ability to deliver. He states implicitly the problem was a specific player being forced upon him. The players he wanted and the efforts made (or not) to secure them was never brought up by Keegan or the club. If anything, it's implied that he was quite happy that he'd had final say on the players already signed in the summer (Jonas, Colo, Guthrie, Bassong). If he was making unreasonable demands it was up to the club to show that. They haven't and won't. Keegan's never walked out of a club due to budgetry constraints. He's left every club in a better league position than he found it. Three out of four in higher divisions than he found them. The stick he gets from some Newcastle fans is appalling.

the club responded... How's it Keegan that's hiding the truth? who were the players he was after that he wasn't allowed to get ? (the only one i remember was zayatte). (and a nice little twist of words there to make it seem i think keegan is hoding out as opposed to just thinking theres a lot more to this that needs clearing up) I can't see where he says he wasn't allowed to bring in the players he was after. Genuinley, could you quote the section you're referring to?

Ghostface Killah would disagree