Emotic

Good chap is Wor Miggy. Humble and happy to be here.

Seems to be a lot less outrage from the media over WBA binning him versus us. Nobody saying that he was hard done by as he was starting to "turn things around"; that he should be given a full season; that fan abuse was unwarranted; that he deserves better because he is "one of the most influential managers in the last century"; that WBA fans suffer from delusions of grandeur. Nothing. Either his pals have cottoned on that he is, in fact, a woeful football manager, or it was all about kicking Newcastle and its fanbase to the curb the last time around being that we're too easy to bait. Maybe both.

Imagine an all-Brazilian midfield 3 when Santos replaces Shelvey . Also amazing to see us doing deals in the off-season for youngsters. This is insane.

Apopros of nothing, I recall Alf-Inge Haaland's quote - "There's only one Manchester and there's only one United, and I've played for them both.". Class, that.

Best thing about the takeover is not at all about us being "minted" - it's about how we're clearly using the money in a way that the improvement to the club is foundational and generational - appointing young, progressive senior management, sorting out the facilities, building up the youth and women's teams. That's not so much down to the PIF. That's down to some serious fans who are serious about building up this club for long term success and being a beacon to the city and community. Amanda, Merhdad and Jamie Reuben are driving this hard and driving it well. If you think we're enjoying the ride now, imagine how much we (and our kids) will be enjoying the entire football scene 6 to 10 years down the road. We're splashing the cash, but in the best way possible, IMHO.

#neverforget this quote from the fraud last year… ”Some of it needs to be more measured. I give respect. When I see polls, the next manager and the fella from Bournemouth (Howe), I find it disrespectful, I have to tell you.” Aiming a tirade at the journalist in question, Bruce raged: “Your paper was gunning for a manager that got a team relegated last year." He’’s not a “nice guy”, he’s a horrid, unprofessional piece of shit. And that fella from Bournemouth has us sitting in fifth while you’re gonna relegate Albion, you piece of shit.

He looks like fucking Jack Reacher when he's standing in the opposition box for our corners. Bound to get his first goal for us soon.

We win 5-1, Sunderland lost, and Steve Bruce's Albion drawing with Luton Town. I'll take it all day.

I feel that the bar is low enough for Newcastle such that someone like Mudryk could be considered "extraordinary".

Statement that boils my piss part 2: Prior to Bruce taking over, WBA had never finished lower than 5th in the Championship since the 2000/2001 season. Twenty seasons yo-yoing between bottom Premier League and top of the Championship. There was an impressive consistency to their results. After Steve Bruce took over, WBA finished 10th in the Championship. They are currently in the relegation zone of the Championship. Bruce isn't the "one who can arrest this slide, which began with relegation in 2021" - he is clearly, demonstrably, and single-handedly responsible for this slide, which began as soon as he took the job.

This statement utterly boils my piss. "The man who started and perpetuated a shitshow, maintains he is the one who can arrest this shitshow.". Defies all logic.

Surely Ruben Amorim would be top of their Portuguese manager shortlist. He and Conceicao are so hot right now.

When was the last time two players scored hat-tricks in a single match in the PL?

Wonder if Hassenhutl will insist that players who were injured this weekend shouldn't be allowed to play in a rescheduled fixture

Wow that 2018 CL final, man , the very example of a "my nan would've played better" scenario. That third goal, what the fuck was going on?

Potter would be mad to go there, it'll take the gloss off the reputation he so painstakingly built at Brighton. Plus, Brighton is seemingly very well-run, a polar opposite to the short-termism that has infected all these Big Money clubs. Sign a quarter billion worth of players, no success, sack manager, rinse and repeat. Fuck that.

Ten years of this sort of "evolution" and we'd be playing like American football, like - stoppages for every single foul, mic-ed up referees announcing the fouls and penalties, 11 subs per match, four quarters per match with ten-minute breaks. A match will take three hours to complete. Any more of what we experienced this weekend and fans will be up in arms, the idea of VAR being "fair" and "only to validate referee decisions" has totally been chucked out the window.

Maddison's body language is....worrying. Take Macallister over him all day now.

If the Ndidi tackle had been on ASM, it'd be ruled out by VAR as being "outside of the field of play" or some such. Nailed on.

Wished we'd had pushed the boat out for Trossard, what a firecracker. A turbocharged Fraser who can finish.

Fucking VAR killing the enjoyment of almost every single game now. Just get rid until they figure out the boundaries of what should and should not be looked at, FFS.

Fucking hell, I have indeed! Love the BDB and it further emphasises the point about character.

Our perspective has been coloured by a) heightened expectations that we'd go nuts now that we're minted; b) heightened expectations that we'd make a concerted push to break the Top 6/European qualifying positions this year (not really borne out by statements and interviews by the club - the runway seems to be five years); c) concerns that our real superstars will lose faith in the project if not immediately surrounded by fellow superstars (more emotive speculation than anything - we have brought in Botman and Isak to prove to Guimares that we are on a serious trajectory); and d) the sudden injury crisis that has just coincided with the transfer window resulting in expectations of panic buys. What the club's dealings has actually shown is that: a) they have a plan, and certain targets in mind that fit a certain style of play, and character to build a "good" club; b) they won't panic buy to just plug a gap, and thereby deviate from their list of long-term targets (apart from Wood, who was a "panic buy" in the context of where we were in January, but has paid off for us regardless of what anyone says); c) they won't be held over a barrel over fees, either by clubs, or by agents. Bottom line? We have brought in Kieran Trippier; Sven Botman; Nick Pope; Bruno Guimares; Matt Targett; and Alexander Isak in the past eight months. This is great business if you apply it to any other club. This is insane business if you apply it to Newcastle United, who one year ago, could not afford Hamza Choudhury on loan. These players have not just resulted in a massive improvement on the pitch, but a sea change in the character and likeability of the club off the pitch. I'd like to think they were scouted precisely for their leadership and character, in addition to their playing skills. Injuries are injuries - if ASM, Bruno and Wilson had taken their knocks outside of the transfer window, we'd just have gone with the flow. What it did help was to emphasise that we lack depth, and I am confident that over the next few years, contract attrition and more astute buys will rectify that. Quality, young, hungry players to replace the likes of Ritchie, Murphy, Manquillo (and later, Shelvey and Wilson). It's easy to lose sight of the big picture in all the hubbub and excitement of last-day-of-the-window business, and get disappointed that we didn't sign anyone yesterday. But if we appreciate how the people now in charge of the club are doing things, and have a finger on the pulse of how they intend to build an amazing, sustainably-run club, it becomes apparent that we have conducted ourselves perfectly in the market, and that our executive team are conducting themselves professionally and with the interests of the club foremost in their mind. Nottingham Forest signing 3244 players may be exciting, but I'd take a solid, methodical approach any day. Our future is in excellent hands. But we need to take the long view and be patient and United.

Has that flight from Dusseldorf landed yet?

This is basically @Ando7's source