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No I don't feel sorry for a multi millionaire who gets paid a good wage to do what he loves. Like all footballers he will get full pay,won't be rushed back and will be well looked after mean while my friend of 20 years has been let go from work for having too much time off recovering from cancer. Not drop a sympathy what so ever. If you want to disagree with me and say hes been an amazing player and captain that's your opinion and entitled to one. Not sure why I need to kiss arse or I am a "worst fan" give your head a shake. I simply don't think being here a long time means much in isolation much like I don't really like longstaff just because he is local.

Yes he has been around a long time but I think my point in my mind it wasn't a thing to compliment him on but as symptom of what was wrong with the club the bumper 6 year deal signed in 2018 (which obviously also had an option to trigger an extra year), has set him up for life. I dont blame him for this as anyone would do the same but at the same time if he was good enough for anyone else he would have been moved on long before now. I dont think being here classes as being a fantastic servant he played a part and got paid well for it, we all know that if FFP didnt exist he would have been pushed off to the glue factory within 2 transfer windows of the take over.

we supposedly triggered our ability to extend for a year was announced sort of unofficially in a presser by Howe, cant really feel sorry for him he has only had a chance again since the take over thanks to FFP and will now be sitting on a nice wedge winding down his contract again on the clubs pay and then gets to be looked after and rehabbed fully fit etc into the end of next season on a free.

cursed this season hindsight I know if only we didnt waste money on triggering a years extension

hope being able to shoot from distance isnt coached out of him, we have always played to get into a good position to then recycle the ball to try and confuse/free up more space etc, the number of touches in their box yesterday is testament that at times we want to almost walk it into the goal. I get if a shot from distance can see the opposition quickly move up field the other way but when its a low block and chaotic anything can happen.

Being "one of our own" and "lives for the club" has a fairy tale element to it. According to what is portrayed he lives at the place goes to the development team games etc and is living the dream at the club he loves. Unfortunately for me all that love and character is his best quality. In terms of football terms we have been carrying him, the desire for him to do good is just not going to happen he isn't a 20 year old kid coming through he is a senior pro. I would love a local element or at least an academy prospect getting games for the club for years to come but they have to be worth the time on the pitch. If he had of not been local and signed for an actual fee I don't think he would get such an easy ride.

When pressed on the issue eddie has said clearly you can't make a player have surgery while hindsight is a wonderful thing it doesn't sound like a failing of the club if they cannot force someone contractually or not to do it. The annoyance for me is he was still out for a very long time resting/rehab etc so it isn't like the no surgery was a short term solution either he could have been back before the end the season or for preseason if he had of just got it done.

Our good old sour puss himself Hope was on true faith and mentioned while away they were struggling to field a 5 a side game due to internationals, injuries etc so think it was more of a break/reset and focus. Also this is my own opinion but as the season has turned out so poorly not sure a glut of content of the lads living it up away would go down well in some quarters of the fan base.

I was going to raise a similar point that looking at who is out of contract end of this season and then end of next the ones we effectively kicked the can down the road by offering an extension are up. Not saying it's a bad thing to offer an asset a year rather than spending money on a replacement or hope that giving them a contact means you could sell rather than let go on a free. It's all going back to the having to be ruthless in selling letting players run down contracts will not raise any more for FFP purposes for their inevitable replacements.

With LB I can see both sides we are shipping goals for fun this season and all of the options are getting a year older. Saying that if you include making targett and hall permanent we have invested into the LB position every window since the take over while CB, RW etc are in need of upgrade. If PSR/FFP are going to kick us in the nuts we need to strengthen elsewhere first. If we say manage to get someone to give us 12/15m for Targett then yes I guess get another LB if the position doesn't create any revenue through sales we need to look elsewhere on the pitch first unless they change their mind on loans.

Agreed that does sound reasonable but we also now know that summer splurge took us to spending limits leaving nothing in the purse if we say got an injury crisis or if a RW option became available (can't remember how late in the window Barnes was).

Think it's a bit of back peddling from nike if that's the excuse as forgive my old man colour blindness but looks nowt like the training kit. Even if that's the rationale it's a flag not a logo or an emblem that needed/ should be tweaking.

Barnes offered consistency good goal scoring numbers consistently. Further down the rabbit hole of squad rebuild you moan about massive drop offs in quality and having 2 high level 11s if you want to compete for stuff and general competition for places so Barnes is that sort of signing. Where we are at in the rebuild the options on the right were far weaker when everyone was fit than the left so needed addressing first as opportunistic Barnes might have been it was still a big chunk of the limited budget we had. The biggest skill Murphy has is he is willing to take one for the team and drop to the bench with no apparent fuss.

Just to add I think Keith's point was in the summer we ended up spending/committing to spend around 100m (taking out tanali) on players who were short term at best rotation players and worst ones for the long term. When money is tight you do have to make it all work both ways but at this stage in the rebuild more starting 11 players were needed.

Fuckers twisted before https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2019/10/sports-direct-calls-investigation-nike-adidas/

Obviously gone off topic here and I am sure a thread will come at the end of the season but I think in my opinion it seemed like the action was add to a great set of lads in the hope they maintain the levels they have shown for 12 months+ and add/ tweak. That left a group of players that were hardly ever called upon as we had next to no injuries and playing once a week as our backup kraft/lascelles/dummet/richie/manquillo etc knowing full well we would need to rotate more with being involved in more games at the start of the season. Then while we have no idea who was offered up for sale or who we would be willing to trade back in the summer hoping almiron purple patch continued, a recognised left back target was unable to replace dan burn in the side the previous season but we kept him around anyway, willock had been injured for so long we had no idea if we were able to call upon him and when. Our last deal was a loan to buy and committed 28m of the summer spend the following year to a player who has had just a few cameos (especially considering if we kept Targett around as a genuine LB option), IF and its a big IF there were a deal out there that enhanced the middle/striker/CB or right wing instead it would have been better spent short and medium term.

on the face of it the longstaff one is more weird/worse than the botman one if indeed this is a new injury so just bad luck. I think Howe said something along the lines he's been feeling it since Everton last season (why it wasnt addressed in the summer who knows) and then that he thinks he needs to keep playing to find his best form. No medical expert or physio but to me if your not right and haven't been for a long time its rest you need not more of the same. With longstaff I fear we could be stuck with him as knowing our luck even if someone is interested in him playing him now and potentially needing a surgery at season end could kill any transfer. I think we all agree that while you hope the list of players out and the number of long term injuries in particular (that then need weeks to get back up to speed when signed off as fit) doesnt happen again there has to be lessons learned. Burn hurting his back jumping, pope dislocated shoulder, murphy dislocated shoulder, Barnes toe are all "freak injuries". The longstaff, joelinton, botman, trippier, willock and barnes injury 2 and 3 ones I am not sure thats just down to having to go again and again. As Keith Downie has already said he classes the previous summer window as a failure which I agree. Improving the first team and previous first team starters becoming your bench and the happy clapper cheerleaders in the squad going would have also helped. Howe said at the end of the summer window ask in 12 months how the window went rather than immediately and I dont think you need to as the injuries have highlighted or enhanced the poor window.

Having better quality back ups/squad players down the line will lessen the blow when players get injured and in turn make us more careful with injuries. Not suggesting the club have not been acting in the best interest of the player but in general they want to play/help the team/do well for themselves etc a better squad overall will stop a situation where as Howe has admitted himself they are asking players who arent quite right to just go again.

A google found a snippet here: the FA have outlined that the altered colours act as a nod to the 'classic colour regime' of the training gear which was worn by England's 1966-World Cup winning squad. The Three Lions' triumph remains the men's only senior international honour. Nike have echoed similar sentiments, describing the kit in a statement as a design which "disrupts history with a modern take on a classic. The trim on the cuffs takes its cues from the training gear worn by England’s 1966 heroes, with a gradient of blues and reds topped with purple. "The same colours also feature an interpretation of the flag of St. George on the back of the collar." Not sure how many nations would be happy with a different interpretation from a nations flag on a shirt that represents them in a country representing sport.

I hope it wasn't meant to offend as I love the St George flag. Be interesting how the yanks would feel the American flag getting a multi colour update I can imagine regardless of cost the strip would be pulled. Not that political and not smart enough to eloquently say what national pride should be but sometimes I feel like we are too mild mannered for our own good.

So best case back when Tonali is or worse case after Xmas we can't buy any luck so much for fresh start in the new season.

I hope him having 2 kids in the region might slow down the pull to move. Although he is trying to carry defense and midfield on his own and will be 27 at the end of the year so is right in his prime so simply cannot begrudge him the move. I know the money gets reinvested but just don't know how you replace him even for a large fee.

In the article he says he's playing more than he thought I wonder if that's because he knows he needs to drop trippier for him or is it what Howe told him when he was bought.

Was kicked to shit in the chelsea game so not surprised if he is.

I didn't mind it personally don't want to see it get bad to booing in the stands. If Howe is off media then fan frustration is a valid thing to put to him and as per usual he handled it with dignity and respect. No point him coming out we are well supported and need the fans again and again (appreciate he has said it alot but clarified that the players need to show something for them to get behind). He isn't stupid he knows leaking goals for fun and not being able to hang your hat on which Newcastle will show up this week isn't good enough.