oldtype

I think I finally understand Ashley's strategy now. He's just completely disillusioned with the club since the Keegan fiasco and is no longer willing to put a single penny into financing the clubs and its significant debts. And I mean that quite literally: players are being sold to keep the creditors at bay and the wage bills down, but none of that money is going to be re-invested into the squad. Not into transfer fees. Not even to into any additional wages. But at the same time he doesn't want to sell the club at a massive loss either. He's a successful businessman, and it grates on him that he'll get so little back on his initial investment. So instead of selling right away, he'll keep running the club with the zero-cost model until a. we get promoted somehow or b. some bloke with too much money and too little sense becomes so desperate that he'll give Ashley his asking price. (The 'real' asking price, not the 100m that's been reported.) In the mean time, the club can at least be kept in the Championship indefinitely by selling off valuable assets and replenishing the squad with loans, youths, and the occasional free transfer. The idea that Ashley "wants" to sell the club also acts as a pretext to keep the fans off his back to some degree. At the very least, we won't be able to start massive protests/boycotts because of the fear that it could scare off any potential investors. I'm guessing the Simpson signing happened because a. Fergie suggested it first, rather than us pursuing him, and b. Man U are willing to pay all of his wages while he is here. This is also why I expect the Lovenkrands negotiations to hit a snag: Ashley and co. are probably barely offering him a pot to piss in. I'm guessing he really wants to come but the terms he's being offered are very-near insulting to his status as a player. I think the first, best hope for this club is that we pull off a miracle promotion this year and then subsequently get sold for a price that suits Ashley. Otherwise, I figure all of our remaining "Premiership" players get sold off and we face an indefinite stay in the Championship fueled by kids, and frees, all of which will be sold for any good cash offer when they come good, with our only hope being the miraculous appearance of a Notts Co-style sugar daddy. I realize that most of this is conjecture and believe me, nobody wishes that I was talking out of my ass more than I do. But right now I think this is where things stand at our club.

In the end we don't seem to be selling anyone either so I'm content. I just wonder how on earth we actually ended up bringing in Simpson on loan. Fergie probably had to just about shove the lad down Fat Ashley's throat.

We really don't need to worry about whether these kids are any good or not because there isn't an ice cube's chance in hell that we're signing anybody.

just another fourty minutes till he's officially staying

I'm sure we'll get a thrilling update on the players the mackems are selling to ipswich.

Of all the people they could have interviewed, they chose Fat Sam, the Nigerian fraud who made a "bid" for our club, and Charles fucking Insomnia.

Hey, at least we're not selling anyone either.

Are these "mystery players" the same kind of mystery players that Kinnear was going to bring on loan last window?

We will never spend another penny in the transfer market while Mike Ashley is owner. So basically, forever.

Plus, how class would it be to have that cunt Phil Brown lose out on a signing to a Championship side.

Really nervous as f*** about the Lovenkrands deal... It would be just like NUFC to have it fall through Doesn't have to be done by 5pm. I know, but I'm still fully expecting Llambias to come on at any second and declare that the club "was never in talks" with Peter Lovenkrands. He failed to present proof of funds, apparently.

Really nervous as fuck about the Lovenkrands deal... It would be just like NUFC to have it fall through

Knowing how our luck works, probably more like Lovenkrands - long shot Anyone else - no chance in hell.

I'll be ecstatic if we actually get Lovenkrands and nobody leaves. Anything more than that is probably a pipe dream.

Don't you normally come over for a live game? Yeah, but this is the last game I get to see this year period, not just live. I'm joining the Air Force and I'm off to basic training on the 14th

A facepalm fails to adequately express my dismay at the idiocy of that post.

Screw it, he's probably still the best keeper in the division by a mile.

This is the last NUFC game I get to see this year. The fuckers better win 5-0.

You know what, if Hughton manages to ship Butt out than he has my vote for getting the permanent job.

I don't think it is. Injuries permitting, we're basically one pacy striker away from having a nearly perfect XI for this division. (Yes, in an ideal world we'd pick up a winger and a CB as well, but still)

out of sheer curiosity, why? Because he's exactly the kind of player we need and I think he has the ability to tear the Championship a new one. You weren't expecting me to give you an ironclad 100% proof, were you?

Lovenkrands in = promotion.

I love how I'm so resigned to us signing nobody that I didn't even notice it was Tuesday. For the record, I'm thinking none in and none out.

The club sale thread is probably going to hit 600 before this hits 6 pages.