AyeDubbleYoo

I don't think he necessarily bought the club to make money, not in the short/medium term anyway. He thought he could do something interesting and have some fun, and totally underestimated how much it would cost him. No doubt he would leave any time if he could find a decent buyer... it's finding one that could be an issue. Let's not forget the new owner could be even worse either, we could end up with Venky's.

Luke is a dick.

It's very short-sighted, given our current transfer tactics. We no longer attract players with big salaries, which means when these kind of cheap options are available we have to be a more attractive prospect than any other clubs which may be sniffing around. The more players we lie to and treat like absolute shite, the more chance the player we want is going to be mates with, or in a team, with someone like Nolan who'll quite rightly tell them not to touch this bunch of clowns with a bargepole. Agreed. Less important if you believe new players don't actually care though, which I think might be a fair argument. Also, maybe they only mislead and mistreat people who they are getting rid of or see no future in. If that's the case then the damage might be not too bad. I don't think other clubs are 100% honest in their dealings mind, maybe Ashley is just weakened by his mistakes enough that people now think he's fair game in the media. Also, no doubt journos are working hard to get these quotes from people like Nolan.

We have that already though, unless we get an exceptionally high number of injuries. Don't get me wrong, I want more and better signings as well, I just don't think our current situation is as terrible as people think.

Well, we aren't ridiculously light in every department, and we've already signed a number of players. How many signings do you want in one summer? You're quickly turning into the anti-colocho. Grow up. The fact is we aren't "ridiculously light in every department". We're short on numbers at LB and maybe CB, and short on quality in CF. I've never denied that, but the extreme negativity is mental at times.

I don't think anyone thinks he's doing "a good job" in the normal sense, some people can just understand the financial need for what he is doing and the reality that he's actually not that different to most football club owners - he's just made a number of mistakes that have been pretty high-profile. And also the fact that the people he has pissed off aren't perfect and motivated purely by the best interests of NUFC either.

Well, we aren't ridiculously light in every department, and we've already signed a number of players. How many signings do you want in one summer?

Two years to go is a good time to deal with contracts though no? Especially to avoid the Enrique situation and things like that. Even if the contract offered/asked for was worse than he expected, better to know now that he's not going to accept the club's terms and sell him while he still has some value. Don't understand why they needed to mislead him originally mind. I guess there is a the issue of keeping him happy during the end of last season, but that's a flimsy justification and can only work so many times before players start to mistrust everything.

Not saying you're wrong, but do you think it's really as simple as that? In theory it should be, but I wonder to what extent players become aware of other interest through their agents etc. Anyway, I'm sure a key reason for the sale was that to get £4m for Nolan when he is only going to decline in the next few seasons was considered a good deal. Maybe that and the "style of football" change that the new signings are supposed to be bringing. Thank goodness the new players are all going to be a success, stay fit, and be suspension free then. I didn't see the Leeds game, what did the new style look like with only Marveaux of the new guys out? Was that a response to my post? I was just trying to explain what the reasons for Nolan's departure might have been. Obviously the repercussions of the sale remain to be seen, I was just saying what the thinking behind it might have been.

When players who are in the first year of a long contract and playing well start talking about morale and trust, then I'll be worried. When it's only unstable people like Joey Barton and people who have just been sold like Kevin Nolan, I'll take it with a massive pinch of salt.

What about Tiote and a new striker? I think most people would be amazed if we started the season with Enrique, or at least ended the transfer window with him.

Also, I think that some players and even managers are used to the feeling that the world revolves around them and they are the most important people at the football club. I think working with an obnoxious bloke like Mike Ashley, who is implementing a bit more of a ruthless approach not normally seen in football, might be a bit of a culture shock. Not saying they're wrong and he's right, but I think it might be a new experience for a lot of people and they don't like it.

Not saying you're wrong, but do you think it's really as simple as that? In theory it should be, but I wonder to what extent players become aware of other interest through their agents etc. Anyway, I'm sure a key reason for the sale was that to get £4m for Nolan when he is only going to decline in the next few seasons was considered a good deal. Maybe that and the "style of football" change that the new signings are supposed to be bringing.

You look around at some of the things that happen in football and you wonder what is a normal way to run a football club. Some of the decisions owners/boards make are baffling to put it mildly and the way they implement them even more so. However it's hard to disagree with your point that Ashley's regime has created more havoc than most. I think he could put quite a lot right by simply replacing Llambias with someone who knows what they are doing. I think Llambias is doing exactly the job Mike Ashley wants him to. Ashley has had ample opportunity to bring in a chairman who has a better football pedigree but Dekka's still here. I don't really know what to make of the transfer dealings so far. We've made some good progress in some areas but we clearly still need reinforcements in others. If we don't get a striker and a left back in while letting Enrique go, then it would seem obvious that Ashley wants to spend only enough to keep the club going without sinking any more cash in. As a fan I could quite understand if people vote with their feet and don't renew their season tickets. Ashley's running a business at the end of the day and he either gives the customers value for money or he loses them. Thing is, we got relegated and bounced back immediately, we had a great first season in the Premier League and now we've signed some players who I'm very excited about seeing. Fair enough we could have spent more in the summer, and a player and ex-player are whinging in the media about trust and morale, but I don't think there's anything there to make the average fan stop going to games. As long as we perform well enough on the pitch, I imagine our crowds will be absolutely fine.

Reading Joey's twitter feed for the last few days just makes him look like a nob TBH. If you didn't know who he was you would dismiss it immediately as the ramblings of an idiot.

No offence to you personally Otter, but these kinds of posts are really annoying. All the negative aspects of the situation blown out of proportion and the positives not mentioned.

Except Ashley hasn't "raked in" anything, he's been subsidising out losses out of his own pocket.

That's next year. At Anfield.

Spot on. If there's anyone that shouldn't be on twitter, it's Joey Barton. The guy combines the IQ of a sprout with the feeling that he's Che Guevara or something.

Did we hump it up to Carroll and hope Nolan got a knock down?

Everyone knows what came out at that tribunal, everyone knows what sort of an owner we have, everyone knows Llambias is a slimy c*nt. But the reality is that this is an industry full of despicable people and yet people still seem surprised that we aren't owned and run by angels. Look at Spurs hanging a decent manager/person like Martin Jol out to dry, and lying about Berbatov. Look properely at what the Glazers are doing at Man United. Look at Abramovich controlling transfer policy at Chelsea, sacking assistant managers and completely undermining Ancelotti (another decent man/manager). Anyone like the idea of Al Fayed, Carson Yeung or Sullivan and Gold? And does anyone really think those chicken boys at Blackburn know what they are doing? Check out great ex owners like Hicks and Gillet, Thaksin Shinawatra. Then you have the perennially unpopular owners past and present - Doug Ellis and the Everton lot spring to mind. Oh yes and there's good old Steve Gibson at Middlesbrough, an absolute gent by all accounts, I can't remember what happened to his football club though. I could go on but that will do. And I hate to bring it up but our previous owners weren't perfect. Ashley bought the club at a critical time when no one else would, he stuck his own money in and has funded his own cock ups. I can handle the venom you can get on here for posting anything that doesn't completely rubbish anything and everything the club does. But anyone who won't even entertain the idea that we could end up with someone worse is deluded imo.

The whole of Twitter needs to be shover up Luke Edward's orifice. Either that or we need to stop listen to his shite.

I don't think every quote from Pardew is gospel truth about the club's transfer plans. (For better or worse)

Official 'as it happened' match report has a "Yonas Cabaye", any idea if the lad's any good?

I guess from a management point of view it was essential they kept Nolan on-side for the remainder of last season. Not saying I agree with "lying" to players like that, but I could understand if they had given him a rosier picture than reality and tried to fudge the issue a bit until the end of the season. Doesn't look good when it comes out like this, obviously.