Chicken Dancer

Pot 1: Real Madrid (H), Bayern Munich (A) Pot 2: Brugge (H), Juventus (A) Pot 3: Bodo (H), Olympiacos (A) Pot 4: Monaco (H), Pafos (A)

Aye I said last night - can't blame a player for wanting to sign for Man Utd. They'll always be an attractive club to sign for as they're huge, plus the added motivation of being part of the squad that takes them to the top again (though a long way off). Logically, you'd choose Newcastle if you had any sense. We've a proven track record of actually improving players and the trajectory is upward. But I get why he or anyone would choose Man United, they're a monster in comparison to us. Also footballers will believe in their own ability, which is fair enough. I was actually uneasy about paying £80m for him though. Goals in Germany are like dog years.

Absolutely class. The locals were mint. I still think about that Cisse chance just after half time that hit the post. We done 2 nights in Albuferia then got the train into Lisbon for 2 nights. Albuferia was dead that time of year to be fair but still made for a cracking trip. We were only young (ish) at the time and couldn’t really find anywhere on the night after the game to get lathered. I done Brugge that season too and that was class, the atmosphere in their ground was very ‘English’ I felt. I’d happily go again though naturally the preference will be for somewhere new. Quite liked the idea of Olympiacos until I read the allocation is under 2k.

Totally get why Sesko or any player would choose Man Utd given the size of them, but he will regret not signing for us. It’s a graveyard there.

Yes, or buy a cheaper player - old or young- as a stop gap. The Real Madrid/Joselu route when they knew they had Mbappe coming in. Kick the can down the road until next year and just accept we fucked up this summer. Do not be spending £60m on players you never wanted, regardless of how much they want to come. also @Kid Icarus, perfect summary a few posts above.

Just think we create enough via the wings that you just need a competent striker to score every 4/5 games in all competitions to hit 10. No doubt in my mind Gordon would if he was stuck there all year. Agree about the lists too, I just hope we have considered this very thoroughly. It’s a huge price for a middle of the road player. I’ll be gutted if we spend £100-110m on SL & Wissa, and I say that as someone who likes Wissa.

You understand the point I’m making though, surely? Osula would probably hit double figures if he played every week. We obviously don’t want him else we’d have bid for him in June, so why when PSR is so tight drop £60m on a player that’s potentially 6/7th on your list? There’s being desperate but then there’s being stupid. It could be the difference in a year or two from having to keep a Bruno or a Tonali. As I said before our transfer record is so good you have to expect he will do well, but I just think there’s other ways we could have turned in the short term and addressed the striker situation when we have a Sporting Director and competent people in place.

I think he’ll score goals but is absolutely not worth anywhere near £60m, like. That’s very contradictory I know, but Andy Carroll or Charlie Austin would probably score goals for us and would be a hell of a lot cheaper. We’re not dropping £60m on a striker without planning for him to be our striker long term - we simply cant afford any misses for that price. I’d much rather they kicked the can down the road and signed a cheaper player for the short term and addressed the striker situation in the future. I appreciate the positivity of people and of course I’ll be well behind him and hoping he does well - we do have a cracking transfer record - but if you were told we’d be signing him for £60m in May you’d be lying if you said you’d be buzzing. The window has naturally lowered people’s expectations and I totally understand why. If it’s just about getting a body in to get us through the next few months there’s much better ways to use the resources. Desperate times call for desperate measures but I bet Wolves can’t believe their luck.

A cheaper, older alternative as a stop gap until Jan/next summer when we can address it properly without being panicked into spending £60m+ on him. If we’re spending so much just as a ‘body’ then I’d sooner keep that money and see the market before the World Cup next summer or see if you can get somebody in January. I totally get the whole ‘what else do we do’ and the fact we’ve a ridiculous hit rate on transfers, but spending £60m on him does nowt for the argument that our scouting system isn’t for for purpose in 2025. We’ve only got ourselves to blame for having not signed a Wilson replacement. Hopefully addressed as soon the new DOF & CEO are in the door in 2028.

I know we’re desperate and our standards have really lowered, but I fear this is one we will regret spending serious money on. Understand the timing and Isak situation will add ££ to any striker we sign now, but spending north of £50m on JSL - the third choice striker for Norway - is frankly absurd. I know I’ve had a whinge about our scouting system this summer but I refuse to believe there isn’t a player that’s much better value (even as a stopgap) overseas. Selling Isak and spending about half of what we get on JSL would be silly. Spending £100m+ on him & Wissa would be suicide.

Hope he retires here tbh. Encapsulates what playing for Newcastle is all about and has really bought into the city. His kids were born here and he seems to absolutely love it. Probably my favourite player for a long, long time. The heart of a lion and very talented to boot. Love him.

Would love to know what our reaction was to him saying that face to face. Hope to God it was 'fuck you, you can go in 2028 for nowt'. Cannot sell to them, it should be non-negotiable unless it was stupid money. Why give him what he wants? He's cost us at least 2 - probably 5 - points already. Come May, that could be worth millions. It probably will. Seriously will be so, so utterly disappointed if we let him get this move.

Tough shit Alex. I want to turn up home every day to a naked wife, but life's a shithouse. Fuck you and fuck Liverpool. We cannot and should not sell there under any circumstance.

Sometimes I thought he held back actually making a run down the line when Trippier/Bruno had the ball and could have played him in, certainly first half. But agree, thought he had a decent game.

This sounds like one of them things you see on Twitter that people make up and post, but from my seat last night there was a Dad and lad in front of me. Kid must have been 6-8 or something. When the teams came out the tunnel he just cuddled his old man and honestly it had me choked up a little. Obviously don't know if it was his first game or what but just thought it was a lush moment and really what it is all about. Jammy little bastard though, imagine your first game being that vs one of the Bruce ones truly is a different club these days. Absolutely mint.

Aye, undoubtably the club are 'doing a Chelsea' and maximising income by selling elsewhere. I try on member sale for a couple of my mates every time (even though I have ST) so I know all the tricks and shit so they're pretty successful I would say 80% of the time. I think previously you'd be absolutely fine being say 3/4000th in the queue, but now you're more or less done unless you do a complete refresh and pray job for an hour or two. I do think buying 6 (as I do) for your pals is probably too many if you want to be really fair, but then I'd sooner it went to 6 proper toon fans than anybody else.

A small sample size so far granted, but I think (and hope) Wirtz will follow in plenty other German imports who've not cut it in the Premier League.

Posted this last season, but one of my mates hasn't won a ballot since Jan 2024! Carried on into this season now as well. Was for the Bournemouth game in that February, absolutely mad. He still gets to most games but still, coming up two year

One of the proudest I’ve felt leaving that stadium the night like. Absolutely class, fair play to the lads. If you turned it on 60 mins you’d have thought they had 10 men. Beyond proud, we’re fucking class.

@et tu brute reckon your pal will show up the day?

I know we’re desperately scrambling now, but surely we aren’t this desperate? I’ve not seen what people claim to have seen, not sure he’s a good fit at all. But what do I know.

Yeah to us in England they are a laugh now, but they're still a monster football club and would be attractive to anyone, especially if you could be part of the side that brought them back to the top.

To be fair, I know they spend a fair whack - as do others btw - but Pep/City prefer to have a smaller squad. They've consistently sold homegrown players, many English, and plenty are full internationals now or feature regularly in the Premier League. Off the top of my head Palmer, Rogers, Delap, Lavia, Tosin. Now McAtee. There's shitloads, I don't agree that they hoard talent. They'd sooner sell than loan it seems, even if the buy-back is essentially a loan really. Surely selling them is better than 8 year deals and loan farming?

Yep, regardless of what we do. We simply cannot let him go this summer. We have until the end of next June to ‘bank’ the money. He can’t go this year, no way on earth. I’ll be fucking so, so disappointed in the club if we do.

Hope with all my heart this doesn’t mean we cave in with Isak. But get him in, though he’s also been a disrespectful fucker.