Smal

Proper weird shape from us so far. No idea what's going on.

4-2-3-1

Miggy as a 10. Murph right, Anderson left.

Feel like Zaha has to be the central player in the team to be at his best and Gala are possibly the "best" team where he could be that. He'll have the chance to win league titles there and be the key player. He's not getting that status in any of the top 5 leagues and I don't think he works in a top 6 PL side at all.

Do wonder if we could've just signed an £80m winger instead of the both of them.

bit gutted about this. Really enjoyed watching ASM in some otherwise dire years. Harvey Barnes might be a more clinical player but it’s not particularly exciting in the same way ASM was. I also thought Maxi’s general play improved massively last season when we actually got to see it and was looking forward to seeing him more this season. It’s captain obvious stuff but I wish if we were getting rid of ASM it was for a similarly exciting talent like a Kvara or Leao. Those are the kind of talents that make watching football fun.

definitely the weird half of Glasgow, like.

niche, but I can't not think of this song and sing "Harry Ashby" whenever Harrison Ashby's name comes up

Pretty sure Bruno was at fault at least as much as Darlow, like.

How’s Anderson doing?

Eddie mentioned in his interview that he won't be back in full training during pre-season

Think this’ll mean ASM is off which would be sad, but I would like to see us try him on the right before we bin him off, like. Think he might be really productive and less predictable there in Howe’s system.

Trippier is an established international who has won league titles abroad and played in a CL final. I don’t think him being there has anything to do with the captaincy.

Andy Carroll's move to Liverpool adjusted for transfer market inflation is about £102m. That's my measuring stick for transfers now https://www.totallymoney.com/content/transfer-index/data/

Yeah, if they weren't doing the modernity bit and "diversifying" their portfolio there would be a lot more questions being asked about them. That's how it works.

it's correct to challenge it and I'd disagree with what he said and especially how he said it; but at the same I can also completely understand why KaKa might be extremely weary and suspicious of white English folk, like . We do not have the best history with this kind of thing.

there’s not really anything in the thread (recently, at least) that people should feel attacked by to be honest so I don’t know why people get so aggressive about it. I don’t think anyone here with concerns is likely to have a go at individual fans for not caring or having a different opinion. It’s not really a problem that individual members of the public can tackle or solve tbh. Sure, there’s perspective. We’re dangerously close to a philosophical discussion but I don’t think it’s ludicrous to describe the Ashley years as real pain though, considering how it felt at the time on a daily basis. It’s obviously nothing compared to the pain felt by the families of victims of KSA but problems and feelings are relative I guess.

I can see what Ian means, I think, in that the problems that Ashley brought to the club were very different to an individual fan on an emotional and personal basis to the ones that KSA have brought. Yes this is a first world problem but if it's affecting your daily life, which is understandable if you're a lifelong NUFC fan with that kind of connection, then it's still a fairly big problem on that personal and emotional level. There are levels and the KSA issues are obviously worse on a macro and societal level, but I can see how it's less of a daily problem to someone in Newcastle.

I have plenty of issues with them spending all this cash on transfers for us. Given how on the previous page in this thread of all threads I've already been called a "boring twat on their high horse" I think people might get a bit irked if I was in every thread on the football forum saying similar, don't you? I'm glad the club has brought so much happiness to our fans after a miserable 15 years prior and that's the one silver lining, but to be clear I'd personally rather they hadn't bought the football club at all. I'm also not passing judgement on those who disagree.

I don't get anything from it. Apologies if I've upset you.

I can think of no greater example of this being the case than United with Pride's welcoming statement. If even they wouldn't condemn the takeover then... I'm not sure what you mean by "people like you", which certainly makes it sound like a loaded question tbh , but if someone is likening it to any other international fixture as though there's no difference to, for example, Brazil playing at Arsenal's ground, then I thought they perhaps might need it spelling out again with emphasis. Of course the Saudi football team have nothing to do with the actions of their state and nobody is suggesting such. But, you know, why else would their national team be playing at our ground if not because of the obvious links between the club and their state? If their state didn't own our football club the Saudi Arabia NT would not be playing at St James'.

It's not just hosting any international fixture though is it. It's the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A state whose dictatorship regime commits war crimes and murders Yemeni schoolchildren, chops up journalists, executes LGBTQ people and imprisons any dissenting voices. They would be playing at SJP as a display and celebration of our club's links with that regime.

Really don't like it at all. Hope protests are arranged (not necessarily just by NUFC fans) if it does happen. Also really hate to think that there'll be NUFC fans going along to support the Kindgom of Saudi Arabia, ffs.

Please can we go get this guy

Ashby might've been brought in to loan out and then sell for FFP purposes. I think we need to get used to that kind of thing. If Ashby is amazing on loan and becomes first team quality then there's even more upside for us.