ExiledGeordie

Other than a catch up with mates and a pie and a pint what would be the point? Ashley will have confirmed he'll never change even, the club is essentially Sports Direct United with no aim of achieving anything. I honesty can't understand why after the litany of previous ridiculous decisions Ashley has made that this wouldn't be the last straw.

Feel exactly the same

Imagine the chaos if as expected now Benitez says he’s off and the club has to do a frantic search for a (cheap yes man) manager and then “attempt” to bring in new signings and with pre-season literally round the corner. Total car crash of a situation but entirely predictable.

Or maybe Rafa can convince Ashley in so many words that’s he’s fucked if he brings some two bob manager in because he’s going to have to spend anyway and there’ll be the threat of relegation. Rafa guarantees Prem status and with just a modicum of change in terms of ambition and spend the manager and fans will be relatively happy. Ashley is such a stubborn fuckwit though god knows what he’ll do.

That's how I feel to an extent. If the predictable happens and they let Rafa go it's back to the viewpoint when Pardew was there. I'll look out for the results but absolutely no intention of going back to St James while Ashley is there. He will have stated clearly that he refuses to change and has absolutely no respect for the city and fans. I honestly cannot see the point of putting the effort into supporting the club if a puppet manager is installed. Each to their own though I guess.

Mike Ashley's crowing glory and his biggest fuck off to the fans yet.

I have absolutely zero interest in going again while Ashley is there if Rafa goes. It’ll just confirm Ashley has zero intention of changing and will continue as he wants with a complete disregard for the fans and city.

They clearly won't give Rafa any guarantees which he's looking for to avoid the farce that's gone before, before he commits to a new contract. You get the impression they think he'll sign eventually no matter what. I think they'll get a shock this time.

Burnley will almost certainly put Cardiff away at home. We’ll be alright but that’s a piss poor result from us today off the back of the Arsenal defeat. We are a bang average side though.

Think I should have posted this today after Rafa explicitly saying he's waiting for an answer from the club. Expect all sorts of planted stories in the press over the next month or so. I agree mate, Ashley's PR machine will be going into overdrive to try and jettison Rafa but making it look like "we did everything we could" "our hands were tied" "the club feels it did all it could to meet the managers demands". When in fact they've just done fuck all all along. That's be fear I'm afraid. It's a huge risk from Ashley but he doesn't give a fuck and there's enough fans who seem happy to go along with it.

I never expect anything from this fixture and they are playing really well at home. I guess we're nicely set up to play on the counter attack with the pace we have but a point would be a great result. At least the pressure is off a bit and we're not desperately needing a 3 points given our recent run. Can see a 2 or 3-1 to them

Absolutely criminal if Ashley doesn't do what's needed to keep him but it's also an entirely likely outcome sadly

If Cardiff’s remaining fixtures weren’t so grim you’d have to fear for Burnley but I just can’t see Cardiff doing anywhere near enough from here on in.

Really hard to call this, seems any result possible. I could see a narrow loss, can equally envisage our front three causing them some real problems on the break especially as they'll come at us. I'd take a point

That mean you going to change your username? I guess I might have to, haha I was in London for a long while, now in Carlisle. Next move likely back to the Toon

My plan is to move back to Newcastle later this year, I would love it if he stayed with more control so he could get on with things. It would be a clinching reason for me to move back.

Thinking of heading over from Carlisle for this Should be a decent match .....ticket bought, Milburn/gallowgate corner

Rafa will have them well prepared. They're bottom for a reason, we just need to start well. An early goal would be massive.

He’s been quality and he’ll continue to be quality but he has to do a lot better there. Poor goal keeping.

I think Diame will play with Longstaff in midfield. The two new signings will probably come on second half. Of the two Barreca probably has a better chance of starting with Ritchie moving further forwards.

I don’t believe anything the club says, not one thing. If Rafa is to stay it’ll have to be completely on his terms.

Unfortunately the cunts at the helm look at the complete lack of collective will of the fans to make a stand against them and likely believe they and do anything they want. It seems pretty clear that they decided ages ago they didn’t want Rafa and have been trying to force him out ever since hoping he’d walk as conditions got tougher and tougher for him.

It's incredible isn't it. All he has to do is give him some moderate backing now/in the summer and it would be a solid mid table club raking in the Pl money for years to come and he wouldn't lose Benitez or face any backlash. A bit of spending and he would make it all back and have an easy life yet he would rather go down the hard route. Beyond me what goes through his head Doesn't make any sense. Even minimal spending would secure league status and move the club into top 8-10, enable a cup run, etc but he actively works to fuck things up. I genuinely believe he enjoys rubbing the fans up the wrong way.

I agree he has a lot of respect for the area, fans and players and will do his upmost to keep us up this season. But there's a tipping point which has already "tipped". I think the trust with Ashley has gone and is that any surprise? He knows Ashley will never invest and will always go back on his word. It's just too much hassle dealing with these morons who actively work against you. The only way I see him staying is if there's a takeover which looks very unlikely. I suppose if it was written into a contract certain guarantees re spending/control but as I said the trust has probably completely gone.

We have Huddersfield, Burnley, Palace, Southampton Homer and Fulham , Brighton, West Ham, Bournemouth away All winnable , we have a chance I'd add Leicester to that, they're very up and down or rather the defence seems to implode at times