Tsunami

Well I disagree quite strongly. I could accept the argument that Ashley wants to run the club on a tight budget, but we have spent good money in the last couple of transfer windows, but it is all wasted because we have no one at the club with the football knowledge to ensure it is spent wisely. Rafa at least was providing that. If we didn't want to keep him, we could at least have scouted a well rated up and coming manager like Brighton and Norwich did, instead of picking up yet another reject from the British PFM scrapheap. Bruce's only redeeming feature from what I can see is that he is a Geordie. He's not going to push Ashley to compete for honours, he's not going to insist on signing the players he wants, and from the football we've seen so far, he seems to have no idea how to construct a successful side - and by successful, I mean one that would finish mid-table and play relatively attractive football. We’ve spent money on players who fit the criteria where we are gambling on resale value, the Joelinton transfer has Ashley’s grubby mitts all over it. There’s not a chance in hell that he’ll appoint a manager that the fans will adore like Rafa, or who he thinks will challenge him and the way he runs the club. Forget Bruce, forget who comes in next, let’s get at Ashley.

So can we all agree that Ashley is the start and finish of all this and vent our spleens on him and his businesses. Get to him and the rest will disappear with him. Nobody else seen how LOTR ends......

How about the part of the body you score with has to be offside? Seems fair and would stop a lot of the issues.

When does the ball become a pass? When the boot first touches the ball or when it is no longer in contact with the boot, how is that measured? Surely what we are seeing is not clear and obvious.

When was the ball kicked, how is that decided? Absolute farce.

Fuck off

Moyes to West Ham wtf

He wouldn’t go into specific examples, the impression I got was that the scouts (or certain scouts) could find the next Maradona and nothing would be done unless the right criteria was met. When Nickson was appointed the feeling was that it was a good thing, it may well be that he is singing to Ashley’s tune completely now and that new signings have to fit the right criteria above what the team actually needs. I asked about a goal scorer and he simply laughed.

Because every attempt to engage the wider fanbase has been a thankless chore. There was 52,000 there yesterday, in spite of everything. He’s shown already that he’ll happily fill the ground with free tickets to show off his brand, expecting a mass boycott is not going to happen and to be honest many supporters have completely valid reasons for going. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next season when the 10 year deal has ended and the half season tickets have expired. I suspect he’ll offer a new deal and many will renew, if he doesn’t it becomes interesting. Ashley has a thick skin for letting others take his flak, there’ll always be a manager willing to take the job and if and when we go down the next time Ashley will saddle us with more interest free debt and tighten his hold making us less attractive and more expensive in real terms to buy. We need a concerted, relentless, telling it truthfully what Ashley has done, is doing and will continue to do, campaign against him. It’s this that Ashley can’t handle and what he reacts badly to so let’s go with what works. Everything else is wasted energy and creates hurt for everyone else but Ashley.

So what happens? Bruce goes, we get another distinctly average manager and the cycle starts again. I expect every club to be strive to be the best version of itself, that’s not going to happen under Ashley and every time some momentum gets going on him personally it gets side tracked by something else. This all starts and ends with Ashley, wasting time and energy on Bruce at this point serves no purpose, he’s easily replaced by another manager from the merry go round and that will continue until Ashley goes. Bruce bashing doesn’t hurt Ashley, not buying from his shops does (yes, I know that conflicts with going to the match) publicising his lies, deceit and disregard does. I simply do not understand why there is not a constant, consistent Ashley out campaign. He doesn’t like personal protests or folk pointing out his lies - he’ll happily allow Bruce or any other manager take the flak for what is undoubtably his doing.

Nobody is expecting to do anything but keep us in the PL if possible and that’s clearly his remit. Doesn’t make him complicit, would you have turned down the job, he’s almost the perfect appointment for Ashley. Bruce bashing when we’re doing ok simply comes across elsewhere as part of the deluded Geordies rhetoric, save it for when it turns, there may not be too long to wait given our fixtures, injuries, squad depth and lack of goals. Looking at MOTD just reinforces what I thought at the match; we were done over and the pundits didn’t appear overly bothered.

Can someone explain what Bruce has done in the last couple of games that has led to 4 gifted opposition goals, complete incompetence by Lee Mason and VAR deciding not involve themselves in clear errors? This place would be up in arms with the players and officials defending Rafa but because Bruce doesn’t fit the bill then he gets the stick for whatever goes wrong. It will unravel at some point but there’s some absolute horse shit being spouted around here. I’m sick of saying this but Ashley should be the target, at his work, in the media, when he’s on the street, rinse and repeat his broken promises at some point he will break. The fractions within the support, divide and conquer is shocking given we all have a common enemy. We played well at times yesterday, were a goal up and should have been playing against 10 men at OT when we decided to dish out presents. Rafa couldn’t have stopped these errors, they may not have happened but that would be the fates not the manager making the officials getting decisions right or players not under hitting passes.

Saw the bloke I know back end of last week; says scouts have sent in their reports but absolutely no confidence that we’ll be doing much and we can forget about getting a proper striker. Was also fairly scathing about Nickson.

We all know that Bruce is very limited but the corner leading to their 1st looked a clear goal kick and we absolutely gifted them the 2nd. Nowt Bruce can do about that, the ref looked determined not to give us anything, couldn’t really see the challenge on Almiron from my seat but there was definite hands on Carroll, how hard I don’t know but at speed it really doesn’t take much. Bruce did make some strange subs mind and the defence had to ask who was playing where. Not helped by the options off the bench we have, Atsu really shouldn’t be given anymore game time, he just can’t compete physically and isn’t good enough to compensate for it.

Bruce was let done by his players and the referee yesterday. We were the better side and a goal up when McTominay should have been sent off, absolute nailed on 2nd yellow for a professional foul. We then gift 3 goals and the other started with a slap in the face by McTominay. If this becomes a regular thing and it’s the start of the real Bruce performances let the fun begin. The game was gone after the 3rd never mind the 4th.

Read something on twitter that it was the ball boy kid. No way right? Aye, was a ball boy.

Bruce is the problem. a) because he's enabling Ashley's asset stripping of NUFC. b) because he's shit. Well that’s just bollocks. If Rafa we’re winning would he also be enabling and be part of the problem? This all begins and ends with Ashley.

Even though that's the rule a special exception should have been made for Miggy for what is arguably the most deserved goal ever. Ref put his arm around him and was almost apologetic. Ref knew what it meant.

Crowd has never been on his back, he’s had nowt but encouragement.

The party line on here is pathetic. Nobody wanted Rafa to leave or Bruce as his replacement. We have a worse set of players this season and we’ve rode our luck. It will go tits up. But, we’ve got results, we’ve seen the Longstaff brothers beat Man U and Miggy score the winner today. Fuck Ashley and enjoy these memorable moments because, like it or not, they’ve been pretty good to witness. Ashley has managed to completely fracture and polarise supporters. Bloke next to me had his ST for countless years, he’s been to 3 games this season, he left at HT against Soton and 3 minutes today. He’s in his 60’s and he’s clearly torn apart. Bruce isn’t the problem nor are the supporters. Win lose or draw Ashley is the problem, concentrate on that. The unbridled joy of Miggy and the Longstaff’s are the real heart of what the club is.

Losing 2 of their AOL staff to Wolves and Leeds, looking to replace as recruitment has gone stale; so stale that their top 2 have left for better jobs. I know HTT took the plunge for his boy with them but it looks a right shambles there; rumours last week that they’d been asking parents to pay for fuel for coach travel (surely can’t be right but it’s out there).

I was at a mates funeral yesterday, good player, loved his football, he’ll never get to another match. Fans who choose to go do so for personal reasons, they should be left out of any debate.

Wow https://www.nufc.co.uk/news/latest-news/get-a-free-half-season-ticket/

That’s a very poor line they’re trying to hold.

There is an angle that makes it look like he’s offside. Disappointed MOTD didn’t take another look at it to clarify it. He literally overtook Fernandez after the ball was played, not even close. VAR checked it, Ref delayed the restart while it was checked.