McCormick

Especially if we get Favre; good, mobile wingbacks will be crucial.

I think he’d definitely be a statement signing, especially considering they’d want around 40 to 50 million for him. I’d absolutely love to have him here, alongside (if I’m being greedy) a physically dominant/ defensively sound cm like a Brozovic or a Zakaria.

They were looking at Pocchetino before weren’t they? Not that it’s likely at all, mind.

I imagine they’re shooting their shot with Ten Hag, and I don’t blame them. Once he firmly rejects us (and I expect he will) we’ll go for one of the other names further down on the list in Fonseca or Favre.

It won’t be Ten Hag, sadly. If Fonseca wants it we should just give him the job already; every day that goes by I get more worried we’ll end up with Lampard. Who, as I’ve made abundantly clear on here, would be an absolutely disastrous appointment. He’s legitimately as bad as Bruce in terms of coaching ability.

Erik ten Hag Brendan Rodgers Rafael Benitez Unai Emery Paulo Fonseca Lucian Favre Eddie Howe/ Martinez/Gerard Lampard

We will likely have 15 points on the board before the Jan window and we’ve burned through a good chunk of our winnable games already. It’s looking pretty grim, like.

Coward.

I think this takeover has been tough for Palace fans as we are/were in that mini-league of clubs in no man’s land; just hovering above the relegation spots year on year in the faint hope that one day it clicks and we manage to break into the top 10 or get forgiving cup ties. Must be soul-destroying to see us potentially breaking out of that depressing mould and looking at bigger and brighter things.

If Overmars comes in, I’d love for him to bring in Gravenberch for our midfield. Probably farfetched but he’s exactly the kind of player we should be looking at.

After Conte, he’s definitely the manager I’d most want. I can dream but doubt it’ll be him.

Not sure how Ten Hag can turn a team seemingly afraid of keeping the ball into a dominant possession-based team ala Man City but mannn that would be an amazing hire.

Need around a point a game (at the very least) to survive. Not impossible obviously, but we’ve just been outclassed by a team that would be in and around us and are currently 4 points adrift. Leeds will start picking up more points soon; just have to hope Burnley and Southampton don’t pick up form. We realistically could be 6 points behind next week with a very difficult winter fixture list. I’d say we’re very much up against it.

We’re fairly fucked, like. Problem is, we’ll probably be cut adrift by the time the January window comes along which will seriously affect the quality of player we can bring in.

I know it’s mental to say but I guess I don’t see him being able to manage an inferior team of players and organize them to be better than the sum of their parts. Eager to see if my silly hunch is correct with his next appointment (obviously I don’t ever expect him to replicate that incredible CL feat). Either way, his stock is way too high for us at the minute.

Good surprise or bad surprise ?

Unfair to call Gerard a PFM (respect is due for what he’s achieved at Rangers) but Lampard certainly is. His tactics(or lack thereof) and his over reliance on being a disciplinarian as opposed having an established footballing philosophy or game plan speaks to that. Hiring Lampard is confirming our relegation. He’d be among the worst 3 managers in the league.

Lampard is a horrendous manager. No idea about phases of play and on record as saying he doesn’t believe in having a particular playing philosophy. Just look at how his Chelsea side played, suicidal, formless high press and a deep backline. Similar to how we play under Bruce. Nothing compact; the bloke is clueless tactically and got away with it due to the players at his disposal. Another in a long line of British “tough, tell it like it is” man-managers with no idea whatsoever with regards to modern tactics. He’s the only one on our supposed shortlist I’d be genuinely upset about us hiring. Like replacing Bruce with a young Sherwood (might be hyperbole but I se similarities between them).

Relax man, you’re talking about a government of a country issuing a mandate to make all it’s male population buy a footie shirt. There are more pressing issues in the country and the investment fund has bigger fish to fry; NUFC is a minuscule 0.05% or whatever of PIF’s portfolio and of relatively no importance to the governance of KSA.

Big match. We really need 3 points here as, besides Norwich, there seems to be a real lack of the usual hopeless bottom-feeders in the league this year. We can’t just rely on 2 other teams being shit. Realistically, we have to get better results than Southampton, Burnley and Watford now to stay up.

There aren’t many, if any Saudis that are offended by it (the first thing a Saudi will ask ejnabi/foreigners to do over here is to fully kit up KSA style and take photos etc. they love it, it’s a sign of accepting Saudi society). It’s not inherently a religious outfit save the fact that it was worn by the Prophet (pbuh). I’ll see if I can take a picture of a prominent Saudi publication with a cover picture of guys in thobes etc. with the caption roughly translating to “KSA fever takes over Newcastle” *green heart*”. But anyway, KIO have said their piece and it’s very fucking easy not to do. Little point arguing about it tbh.

Anyway if KIO find it racist then that should be that; they’re the authority and their view on it should definitely be respected. Over here though, everyone was actually quite chuffed/touched about the whole thing, finding it funny and heartwarming. News reports were largely complimentary over the Newcastle fans and the welcome they gave to the governor.

Not really the same though is it?

Think he’d be a ‘solid pair of hands’, to use a very pfm turn of phrase. May not be the most inspiring or big statement selection but at least he has a grasp of tactics and knows how he wants his teams to play; a rarity among English dinosaur managers on the employment carousel. Won’t be jumping for joy but, Christ, the thought of Lamps or Wazza taking control (or god forbid Bruce staying on) is the stuff of nightmares. Decent appointment if true.

Most Saudis I’ve spoken to (that’s the 60 or so that have called me before, during and after the match) thought it was hilarious and were buzzing to see so many people wearing thobes, gutra and shamak tbh.