Wallace

Even if we stay up Benitez might just say "Sorry, either it all changes or I'm gone." I wouldn't blame him for doing so now. If that happens then there should correctly be a lot of vitriol aimed at the owner. Once again though, that probably won't happen. Honestly, and I've thought this since the appointment, I think if we stay up he'd go because the club would want rid of him. He's far too much of a threat for them. They've brought him in to get them out of the s*** (ten games too late btw - typically, trying to do things on the cheap and gamble on SMc) and, if he does, they'll let him go. In the Championship, there is no way they would pay him a premiership salary so he'd be off anyway. It's a crying shame though because a proper owner/board with just an ounce of ambition would talk him into staying by convincing him to use the season to sort out his side, structure the club and get the systems right for returning to the big time. John Hall (or, dare I say, FS) would talk him into it, no problem. I've always thought Rafa would be likely to leave even if we stayed up - he knows the situation at the club and as I said previously, I reckon he will be a target for a PROPER PL club in Arsenal during the summer. Ashley's malign influence will wreck whatever progress the club looks like making and that aint going to change any time soon. I have not allowed myself to get too excited by his appointment because it is probably too late and who knows if they intend to honour the promises made to him in their desperation. We know the club cannot be trusted. For me it was always a case of let's see if he is still here at the start of next season and then I can start to get excited. However, I am not sure that a Champions League club would be interested in him - he is slightly damaged goods there but I would think there would be a lot of interest from the next level of clubs vying for European places.

Whatever anyone thought of his playing ability, he was pretty much a regular in the team/squad until he was diagnosed with cancer - it wasn't as if he had become a peripheral player before then. Would the club have stopped playing him and tried to push him out at the same point had he not been diagnosed with cancer - it is debatable. I remember a game away to Cardiff which was his last game before he went back to Argentina for treatment, where we were hanging on to a lead and he came on as a late substitute and help shore up the defence. He would definitely have been effective in that role. What isn't debatable is that the club used his illness for PR purposes when it suited them. I have no doubt that the club acted callously and exploited his illness but it is quite common for clubs to have clauses in players contracts where an extension kicks in if they play x number of games and for clubs not to play players when they don't want to give them that extension. I have recently heard of one or two players who are currently in that position - just can't think who they are the moment. Morally it stinks but I am not sure where he stands legally although his representatives must think he has a case.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/03/22/when-will-mike-ashley-stop-scoring-own-goals/? There is, therefore, one very obvious solution to all this: if Ashley really hates the way public markets work he should take Sports Direct private, because, by the sound of it, things are only going to get worse. At Shirebrook, Ashley admitted to reporters that the retailer was in trouble and trading badly, so badly in fact that the slump could last a few years, he claimed. This shock admission managed to send the shares crashing a whopping 10pc the following day. Hard to blame the media or Miliband for that one, Mike. Sounds like SD are really struggling and Ashley is not helping matters.

Also how Villa looked after Petrov.

Can't see us keeping both Elliot and Darlow. One of them will choose to leave. It is one thing being the 2nd keeper at a Premier League club but why would Darlow want to stay to be second choice when he has already been first choice for a Championship club. Woodman could fill that role. I am not sure why they have not loaned him out again since Darlow returned to fitness.

I wonder how long it will take them to appoint a manager especially if the promised review takes place and Charnley's position is genuinely at risk as has been reported. How much scouting of the lower leagues have we done to be able to sign players quickly. There will be no time for them to waste and they don't like to do things quickly. Even selling players promptly will probably be a problem because of the Euros and we may well need the cash in before we buy. Perez will probably be here at the start of the season because Spurs don't sign players until the transfer deadline!

Indeed, his failure at running us half competently is coming back to haunt him with SD. If Jonas wins his case, it makes mistreatment of staff at SD more credible and those employees are not in a position to fight back .

They say that the training ground is not that big compared to other Premier League clubs and he wants to concentrate on those players that will be involved in the next few games so maybe their presence is an unwanted distraction. He probably can't believe how they are being coached so out of sight, out of mind and something to worry about in the future if he is still here!

Mike Ashley's mouth knocks another 8% off Sports Direct share price as founder tells paper profits will fall this year Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-3504233/Mike-Ashley-s-mouth-knocks-8-Sports-Direct-share-price-founder-tells-paper-profits-fall-year.html#ixzz43dSHgGJh

IYAM this is all down to him trying to win some public sympathy for himself and SD - he is trying to portray an image where is he is the innocent victim - those nasty MPs and the media hounding him for answers and damaging the reputation of SD and the NUFC personnel making mistakes with which he has no involvement yet is still blamed for. Surely it is because of the NUFC connection that there is increased interest in how he is running SD. He maybe trying to absolve himself of any culpability with our failings as a club but there are too many similarities in the way both SD and we are run for anyone to believe that he has no involvement. He is certainly responsible for the current system that is in place and if he wants to disassociate himself from that then he needs to go out and hire the best Football Administrator/CEO he can and let them run NUFC as they see fit. The fact that he admits that he is only responsible for who is on the board is surely an admission that the failure of NUFC is his responsibility as he is not appointing staff who are fit for purpose and they have up until now been running the club according to his blueprint. SD have not had a Financial Director for a couple of years now - and that is one of the many gripes SD investors have but as far as I am aware we have not yet replaced John Irving who resigned last year. I guess that would be Ashley's responsibility as that was previously a board position - another example of Ashley being somewhat disingenuous.

http://www.football365.com/news/premier-league-winners-and-losers-27 Alan Pardew’s bitterness Cheered by Leicester’s rise are you? Think it’s a good story for the game in need of one? Impressed by their performances under pressure and resolve? Then you aren’t Alan Pardew. ‘Unlike Leicester we have been unfortunate to lose key players for long periods,’ Pardew wrote in his programme notes ahead of Crystal Palace’s home game against Claudio Ranieri’s team. ‘Today’s opponents have been awarded 10 penalties this season, which is double the total of any other team.’ This is why Pardew is so difficult to root for, and his slumps enjoyed by supporters across the country. He sounds like a man who would tell his children Father Christmas doesn’t exist just so he could take credit for buying the presents. Crystal Palace DNA “I genuinely came back to Crystal Palace because the DNA of how I wanted to run a club and what I wanted to do, would fit me much better” – Alan Pardew, December 2015. “We had to sit ourselves down at half-time and take away the tyre that we were dragging behind us after five defeats. Make no mistake, it was Crystal Palace DNA which got us home by getting blocks in at the end. We thwarted a Swansea side who are in good form, so it makes it a little bit more sweet that we managed to pull it back” – Pardew, February 2016. “This team’s DNA has been to fight, to battle, to scrap, and we didn’t do that in the first half there. That was the most disturbing thing. It was uncharacteristic, but that will worry our fans” – Pardew, February 2016. “I thought we played a fairly measured game in the second half, so that was a good sign. We certainly had more of a Crystal Palace threat in the second half than we had in the first half. That’s what will get us out of it, our DNA” – Pardew, March 19. There are therefore two explanations for Palace’s run of two points from their last 33 available: 1) Pardew’s DNA, an inability to address a slump, is more powerful than Palace’s own DNA. 2) Palace’s manager is talking a load of old guff.

Said in a Telegraph article last weekend that negotiations were underway to have the ban lifted.

If Rafa stays, I would expect big changes with the U21s and Academy. That can wait though as he needs to concentrate on the first team for the rest of the season.

Why write off those games? Spurs could well have nothing to play for by then and we beat them at WHL? Man City could have nothing to play for in the PL (2 away wins since xmas) and also have CL commitments. They were woeful against Norwich. We play Liverpool 4 days before a potential Europa League semi final which is their only route to CL football next year. I fully expect us to lose all three but football has a habit of surprising you. The trouble is that the same also applied to Sunderland and Norwich. I don't know their fixtures only that both supposedly have a harder run-in compared to us. But if those games are against teams that have nothing to play for or are resting players for cup games, there will be unpredictable results amongst them. And the usual top teams have been pretty rubbish this year anyway. I am also hoping that Palace get carried away with their cup run and continue to lose league games so they get dragged into it.

Neither will play, Sissoko has a chance to get minutes as a back up midfielder but that's about it. There is a strong possibility that he won't even make the squad if he doesn't put in some improved performances for us.

When we were the better team in some games they had some luck with last minute equalisers - one went off Ba and another time, the ball rebounded off Gyan.

Really good article. The following excerpt shows why the protests have been worthwhile and why they might be having an effect. "It is hard to dissociate that fractured relationship between fans and club from the Sports Direct empire Ashley has built in Shirebrook, where the Unite trade union claims there are still 3,000 agency workers on contracts guaranteeing them just seven hours of work a week. In the light of the recent Guardian newspaper investigation, Sports Direct said Ashley would personally review working conditions at Shirebrook, but it is Unite’s belief that the Newcastle owner just wants the issue to go away. It might well have done were it not for the flagship football club to which Ashley hangs on to so grimly. Every failing at St James’ Park, every managerial disaster, every relegation battle leads back to the heart of the Ashley empire and that warehouse the size of 13 Olympic swimming pools, or the shops where the zero-hours contract is king. There would always have been unions such as Unite trying to improve the lot of workers at places like Sports Direct, but were it not for the attachment to the disputatious, committed supporter base of Newcastle there would be no banners at football matches and Ashley would be just another reclusive billionaire with little public profile beyond the business pages." Not sure what has happened to Ashley but that article also says that the club are going to lift their ban on The Telegraph. They even supplied some food at the press conference today.

The one thing that might give Sissoko a kick up the backside is that the French media are speculating that he is likely to be left out of the French squad due to his poor performances.

Colo and Townsend were in the training pics yesterday.

Going to start feeling something again in matches instead of the usual numbness. The games are going to be agony from now on.

There are constant references in the media about how the SackPardew and Ashleyout campaigns have had an impact in the club. So well done those people.

If Rafa is here beyond the end of the season, I have no doubt that he will be sorting out the U21s and Academy. He completely overhauled Liverpool's set up.

Is he currently available - might not be able to join at this stage.

Mark Douglas on the Chronicle blog: McClaren - no bitterness Dignity and no hint of bitterness from Steve McClaren in his statement. Always felt he was a good man. Not the right one, but a step up in class from the previous full-time incumbent.