Wallace

I get the impression that Ashley and Pardew have bought into the media myth that all NUFC supporters expect to win the League every year and demand big name signings whereas we just want to watch football we can enjoy and be able to compete with most teams. I don't know why they have to keep telling us to lower our expectations - how much lower do they want us to go. A club of this size should comfortably be a top-half team and if not then that is down to poor decision-making at boardroom level whether that is in their choice of manager, transfers, player costs, overall management of the club etc. I am fed up of this lot looking for excuses or trying to pass the blame onto others all the time.

I had expected him to be moved on this Summer but would be reluctant to lose him until we get another decent striker in. Sameobi seems to be Ranger's replacement.

I can see why all the pundits are predicting us to be relegated because it was off the field issues that led to relegation last time and there are plenty of issues surrounding the club at the moment so it could be a difficult season. Also because the squad is lacking numbers in defence and up front, if we have injury problems, we will struggle. However, we do have good players and we could equally have a good season. I just don't know what to expect at the moment.

And yet I just see him as a younger version of Shola. Does all the clever things and then cocks up the simple stuff. Although to be fair, he does manage to work himself towards the goal whereas Shola has the knack of doing the opposite.

We are struggling to get one striker in never mind two.

Me too as it happens, strange that Pardew doing all the talking for him seeing as Jose has been banned from speaking to the press for the last few months.

It seems ridiculous that we continued to play him so much in pre-season and then sell him 2 days before the first match. Why play him last weekend? Most of the other options have had little match practice in comparison.

Liverpool fans asking journos on twitter about Enrique and getting all defensive and producing stats because they are saying his positioning isn't the best. Wonder if he will settle in straight away or take a while like he did with us.

When did that make a difference - he'a a footballer.

All about saving money on wages for a few days.

I think the players have been a really tight group for the last 2 seasons and I think they are genuinely upset when yet another one of them leaves. It's not as if it is the lesser players that are going but the best ones. Once Carroll had gone, it just opened the door for the others to go. It has been this group of players that have held things together in the last couple of years because they so supportive of each other - not so sure that the new lads will have that kind of cameraderie. On another note, I thought Liverpool had a really promising leftback coming through (local lad) in which case Jose will put a hold on his progress to the first team.

I think Ashley will have learnt his lesson with Barton and Jose. No (decent) player will be allowed to get to near the last year of his contract. They will definitely be sold in years 2 or 3 or as soon as they can realise a decent profit on them.

Wonder if that is true in that Chronicle article about Rangers being interested in Lovenkrands. I could imagine that happening if it is.

It is hardly what we want to hear, albeit the the truth. This regime has constantly aimed to throw a wet blanket on lofty hopes and delusions of grandeur amongst the fans. Like alot of things this regime have done, it is with the best intentions but miscommunication exacerbates the paranoia they themselves have created. If they continue to remove any hope for supporters, then many more will start to think what is the point. I think they are being very short-sighted in that policy. Apathy is the worse thing that could happen to NUFC but that seems to the only logical outcome from the club's perceived actions, Pardew's regular attempts to dampen expectations and the lack of communication from the hierarchy.

Coloccini and Ben Arfa are quite safe for the time being. It's Tiote I wouldn't be too confident about. If Tiote is here at the end of this transfer window, we may hold on to him for the season bearing in mind that he will be going to the ACN.

That struck home. Unfortunately it's his club and as it says further up in the article, he now wants the club to be self-financing without putting in any more of his own money. Not a situation which will make fans happy but unless there's genuine interest from outside buyers then we'll just have to suck it and see. That in bold just totally baffles me, it really does. So why do the fans resent him? What are the reasons? Oh aye, because he lied to them for starters when selling those 3year season tickets! If you wanna talk about when his bubble burst, he forced out the manager, a legend who had managed to restore confidence for fans & players, by lying to him and allowing him to be completely undermined by Dennis bloody Wise. Even when he was given the chance to sort it out he chose to keep Wise on. From then he's made one stupid decision to another, with a fair amount of p*ss taking along the way (sports direct on the gallowgate roof, allowing his mate to publically slag off people like Alan Shearer, and the fans regurlaly). The fiasco with Keegan showed the amount of class Ashley & his cronies have, because they still act completely devoid of it up till now. So guess what? He's not respected! Shock Horror! ...and guess what? He won't put more money into improving the squad for the benefit of people who can't stand him. Would you? If I had cocked up as badly as he has I'd take the critism and dislike on the chin, because theres an obvious point behind it. Its about motives for bing here though isnt it? Yes I'd put money in (aswell as actually showing that little thing called respect to fans & players) and attempt to turn things around because the chances are people might start warming to me again. If he dosent put money in because people react to his conduct that is just childish, this is the running of a football club not some social club, but it obviously shows the character & ego of the man, which was revealed years ago anyway. For an owner to invest his own money into a football club rather than run it as a business needs real commitment and love for the club. Ashley has made too many cock ups and has turned the fan base against him which for me has torpedoed any chance he will invest with any risk to himself, if he ever was going to. I think the best chance of him doing that are if he gets excited about the club again rather than be viewed as a villain. Which is why I won't support NUST or Supporters for Change as the only way things will change is if someone buys the club, not through agitators who p*ss the current owner off. The ball is in his court to prove his credibility and show some enthusiasm for the club in response to those mistakes - some of which involve leading fans & managers down the garden path. If he is unwilling to do that because the fans took, and take, exception to his actions then it is his own childlishness that has torpedoed any chance of investing some of his own money... if he wants to get excited about the club again then its well within his capability to change people's opinion of him by putting that money in, change his structure of having an MD completely unsuited for the role for example, and create more of a buzz. And to be fair, its not like theres people waiting outside for him, and police rushing him through the entrance! Whenever he's had stick its mainly came from the pocket of 3,000 out 50,000 fans in the corner way above him, and again has been in reaction to stupid & offensive decisions. If he's sitting there thinking 'bastards, youve hurt my feelings, you should like me regardless what I do, sing my name please and I might show some passion for the club' then it sums up his ego and arrogance. I do sometimes wonder if Ashley is resentful of the fact that it is the manager and the players who get the plaudits when things are going well for us. After all Hughton was reprimanded for "milking" the applause from the crowd in the 5-1 against the Mackems. Maybe, he thinks he should be getting all the credit for "saving" the club (as Llambias regularly reminds us) but of course he doesn't because the supporters perceive the position the club is in is of his own making.

Are they? To me they seem to have spent fortunes since they came up. They have done but the media always say they have the finance to do so. But I recall that when they signed Kenwyn Jones that Sunderland continued to pay some of his wages because what he wanted would have broken Stoke's wage cap. Wonder if they are still doing that? Still can't imagine them paying £60k a week though.

I get the impression that Stoke keep buying players but never sell anyone. I know they are a financially well-run club but it comes to something if they can afford £60k a week wages when we can't.

Noticed that at Leeds. He and Tiote will be picking up a lot of bookings this season.

Joey7Barton Joseph Barton @ @AP_McCoy @themichaelowen thats not even mentioning he's had that "safety haircut" since school. #playmobilehead haha For some reason, I find "playmobilehead" in reference to Owen very funny.

Wouldn't be surprised if Ashley is being difficult so that Jose gets frustrated and ends up handing in a transfer request so that Ashley does not have to pay the loyalty bonus. Ashley certainly has form for doing that.

I would like to hold on to him until after the Sunderland game because he seems to still be putting in the effort and I wouldn't want to bring in a new leftback for Arsenal and the Mackems when they have had no game time and the other options at the club would be a worry because none have done well in that position.

Ashley being awkward. Never!!!!

The fans? yeh, get to keep him I agreed we can ill afford to loose him on a number of levels, still not sure we win though. It seems most of his frustrations are around our transfers (out and lack off in). Nothing has changed (although it could I guess), so we then have player signed up who is going to be more disruptive on a longer term contract. JB, unless I am wrong, will not change the way this board/owner operates, so if, big if, he remains, some has seriously backed down. As you say nothing has changed from last week and I don't think Obertan is going to change his mind on the transfer front. The best I am hoping for is that he decides to see out this season with us as I think we need him in that midfield for the time being. If the team ends up doing OK then I would be less concerned about him moving on at the end of the season.

BTW the Carroll referred to is Tommy Carroll from Spurs.