Pandamninator

TL;DR - "We hired him to achieve a goal, he failed, but he got us really, really close" What a ringing endorsement of a statement.

Like he actually gives a fuck. He does, but for selfish reasons. The reason why he wanted someone who could "take the club forward" is because he knows anyone able to bankroll the club and make it rain in the transfer market would also be able to meet his ridiculous asking price, other fellow chancers wouldn't pay 350 million for it or the 300 million he looks to have secured himself in the current fucked financial climate.

Rafa is a coach first and foremost - he has the big picture in the mind, but he loves tactics and micro managing the team more than anything else on the earth. Don't think he'd like a DOF role.

Said it a few times, I don’t get Ashley’s recent strategy at all. Getting deeper and deeper into a failing industry and brands that will never recover. I guess it’s all he knows. If I was him I’d cash out my £500m and retire, but I guess he has that business person drive that never seems to let up. Ego, decades of being branded the King of a Tat Emporium and a running joke who lucked into a winning lottery ticket have gotten to him. Same as Newcastle where he refused to change because he was going to beat football, he wants to run his business "his way" and show all those snobby twats that he's actually a genius while making himself more upmarket. What he needs to realise buying some failing high street brands doesn't undo that, it's the equivalent of sticking Steve Bruce in one of Pep's fancy suits and giving him a Gucci manpurse - it doesn't change what he is.

Nee worries mate, Saudia - the world renowned national airline of Saudi Arabia will sponsor our twitter page for 150 million.

Not surprised at any of that but it’s yet another example of why this deal needs to happen. Tin hat on, but if Chelsea are in for a player, it's difficult for us to compete. Not when it is starting in the Premier League vs sitting on the bench behind Courtois when you're fighting for your spot in the Argentinan National Team. But I'm glad to see not even Coronavirus can get in the way of you valiantly defend wor Mike.

For a guy who apparently had Joelinton forced upon him against his wishes he was sure happy to deep throat Mike Ashley in public in July for allowing him to sign Joelinton all by himself like a proper manager.

Another piece on us from the Athletic about Ashley, mostly some Rafa anecdotes and a short trip down memory lane about how he bought the club with some new quotes from John Hall. Bit I found the most interesting: Thin skinned wanker.

Why do you say that Dokko, I think he’ll follow the Pardew Route, couple of prem failures then oblivion....maybe overseas Considering he's been a busted flush in the Premier League since his first season with the Mackems and was starting to go that way in the Championship as well after bombing out at Villa, that would be a massive improvement over what his trajectory would've looked like before he joined us.

You spent 3 years contributing to Adam Johnson's salary, although to be fair that was only 50p a day making ash trays before going back to his cell.

I assume what Souness was saying is that Manchester United are only allowed 9 because of his secondary plan to only allow 0 Paul Pogbas on the pitch.

Why apply that to footballers and not say companies where the execs get paid millions each year? Why trust one drug and not the other? Because we're on a Football forum in a thread talking about football players? Also many CEOs and boards have already reduced or stopped taking their salaries. Many footballers may have given money to help, the point is making them. See what happens if CEOs etc HAVE to forego some of their salary if they want to or not. The CEOs didn't need to as such, they all did it proactively - it was a PR thing so they avoid the sticky situation the players association now finds themselves in with an ugly, awkward public stand off. I know both the Qantas CEO and Qantas Loyalty CEO where I work aren't getting paid and have made their various donations still. I'm not saying force the players either, especially with who generally owns these clubs and how they have behaved re: standing down ordinary staff - but there is a middle ground to be reached where they can help the club, the football pyramid and in their own way contribute financially to the fight, but not just give up money for the sake of it so Mike Ashley and Levy/his tax dodging backers can trouser it which will be the outcome if the "Put them all on minimum wage lol" crowd get their way.

Why apply that to footballers and not say companies where the execs get paid millions each year? Why trust one drug and not the other? Because we're on a Football forum in a thread talking about football players? Also many CEOs and boards have already reduced or stopped taking their salaries.

I see the Footballers argument, even if it just an intelligent piece of PR. What's the highest marginal tax rate in the UK - 45%? A fair compromise to me sounds like that if the players should agree to a pay cut, 45% of every dollar saved by the clubs on wages goes to recognised relief efforts and the clubs also promise to not stand down the minions working in the front lines and back offices.

Same with airlines, just wait for the survivors to emerge from the ashes and they will have so much demand they won't know how to deal with it. Won't even be luxury travel, just a horde of people living in different countries and states/regions to their hometown who just want to visit their family again.

They still are. Their relevance is tied to them being a reality TV show whose hype will die down in a month when Netflix drops the 17th new true crime series of the year - nothing to do with the Football Club.

Fuck off. Do we need anymore darkness in this world.

Yeah, think of all that productivity people locked in their homes would otherwise be doing.

Brucey has us within 6 points of them, way closer than Rafa ever did Using that flawless logic, Bruce has us 8 points behind Sheffield United - when was Rafa ever 8 points behind them? Checkmate.

Not really - he's spent the past 18 months overloading his company with debt and failed high street companies. This couldn't have come at a worse time for him. He will be involved in disaster capitalism sure, but he'll be the one the vultures will be ripping apart.

Not sure you read the room right in regards to "hope" being the main reaction in this thread

Not sure if you've been watching the news recently, but the share price of SD and every company is doing that all by itself without his help. It's the opposite, the whole thing is flailing and he is desperate for revenue.

Soon. The group was already shaky and he has just spent 18 months overloading it with debt from his shopping spree of failing, obsolete brands. Coronavirus might not finish him personally, but his business is going to have a bad time.

Joking aside he would have to be Top 5 at a bare minimum surely.

It does if people's lives are at risk, surely. Same goes for any other sport or events with large groups of spectators. Maybe we should wait for a more reliable source than a single tweet from a Scottish Tabloid before we get into this debate for 78th time.