Tiresias

He's done some good but it's unreliable which is why rafa dropped him, and rather than try and develop now makes a few sly comments about rafa dropping him. I like him on the pitch at times but he should never be given defensive responsibilities and as such can't play in a 2 man midfield that we use when 3 at the back

Also if Mike Ashley was ruler of a country he'd totally go full kim jong un

So much this. I have no idea why so many seem to think that it is wrong to not suddenly be in love with saudi arabia and assume we're thick enough not to know there's horrendous immorality everywhere. It is a side effect of the desperate cash grab that is modern sport that folk like Saudi Arabia get involved, and that it is so financially expensive noone but billionaire twats can. This does not mean a) I'm any more of a hypocrite than anyone b) I am not looking forward to having a club with ambition again. Having misgivings and concerns about how things are going and also having hope is not just not unusual it is quite frankly way more normal than people desperate to give Mohammed Bin Salman teh nobel peace prize right now.

I can't believe Newcastle fans of all people can't understand that you can be a fan of a club and think the owner is a reprehensible scumbag at the same time

To be in the know you have to physically have a brain

Next time you walk down the street, stab someone to death. When you are attested see how 'that prick down the street punches people in the street a lot as well' works as a defense. The existence of twats elsewhere doesn't make twattery ok.

There are going to be 3 camps those that are going and feel no reason to feel bad about it those that go but have qualms over the owners those that refuse to go Quite frankly I don't have a problem with any of these groups and will sit in the second group. I am totally aware I am a hypocrite considering i am boycotting currently and obviously the saudis are morally worse. (slight qualification being as much as i hate sports directs practises my boycott is more about his treatment of the club) However I also feel powerless in face of these massive forces and football has been morally going to the dogs in general anyway so want to at least have some dog in the game. It's complicated and I may revise this. However I would like to avoid these three groups all turning on each other and getting in 'NOT A TRUE FAN'. People ahve good reason to boycott, people have good reason to feel the draw to much and not to take the moral burden on themselves too. The only thing that I will find forever embarassing is people sucking up to the regime, a regime that would publicly beat me, chemically castrate me etc for being gay. But yeah wear an outfit and put their flag about... Cunts are running the club, football and the world, I want to get what enjoyment I have but I do also want to see it changed. If I had the option of fan ownership and meagre investment and the club struggling to avoid relegation but run well, I woudl take that over this. But until football is as a whole governed in a sane manner and this stuff is banned this stuff will keep happening. And I also won't lie and pretend i'm not excited to see us having a proper go again.

I mean it is a miracle they're still there, it's a miracle any local paper survives largely driven by scrabbling pennies together by clickbait headlines. They get paid per click so the content of the thing is completely unimportant merely the headline. It is a shame though, good local reporting is so important and it will be gone in a few years completely, the joke being it's last incarnation is so bad everyone will be glad to see it go. In truth the valuable bit went years ago.

I can see the cold logic of that but to be frank I am way too emotionally invested and want to see Rafa return and have a swing at Europe with us. I don't think his knowledge of the club and attachment to fans counts for nothing either

Well this is complicated To be perfectly honest, Saudi Arabia, a malignant regime should not be allowed to try and boost their reputation positively by buying one of the countrys biggest sporting brands. Football clubs are not there to launder the reputations of the world's despots. Anyone who things, setting aside all other considerations that being owned by the Saudis is a perfectly moral thing, I think is kidding themselves. One is allowed to point out that plenty of other sports have also been involved with the Saudis (but yes there is criticism there too) and other football clubs are also owned by evil despots. This does not unfortunately mean that the Saudis owning Newcastle is still just fine. Football long abandoned morals at the foot of the massive pile of money the premier league offered. This was always where this was heading as long as the fans kept tuning in for the soap opera and ridiculous over the top scale of the enterprise. Create the biggest circus in town all the biggest clowns want to get involved. Does this make everyone evil for enjoying Newcastle's potential new riches? No I don't think. I do think it'll make some of us look briefly foolish, anyone lining up to say that Saudi Arabia are just misunderstood and all are shills for a regime not worthy of it. But everyone has to make compromises unless you are the most bloviating pompous hippy withdrawn from society in the west you are likely buying unethically souced clothes, using Saudi oil etc etc. I don't think it is reasonable to expect everyone to feel bad for taking advantage of what entertainment and sport is put in front of you and I certainly wouldn't expect people to sacrifice the pull of seeing tehir team going to do well. All I think is that people should be aware the Saudi's are cunts. Try not to play too much into their publicity by publically banging on about how Mohammed Bin Salman is a lovely bloke, public executions are just a lark etc etc and all wish for the day when sanity prevails and Football clubs are forced into some level of fan ownership again. I will be enjoying the ride, I will never be sad Ashley is gone I will just be sad that it had to be these cunts who rescued us but to not enjoy the sport of it as well would just be too cruel. I may be a hypocrite but I think it's frankly impossible not to be. Maybe I would be better off watching some fan owned semi professional team in the distant leagues, but sorry I want to walk up to St James Park again and go in and watch us win again.

Come on I need me keeping my Rafa sig on to look like genius level of prediction

He stuck with us when we went down and he didn't have to, deserves the reward to build a team with a blank cheque

If this goes through can we delete this thread then totally ignore them for the rest of time?

I say this for the millionth time and HOPEFULLY the last time. Mike. Ashley. Does. Not. Act. Rationally. And. Is. Not. Above. Bad. Decisions. Purely. Out. Of. Spite.

The funniest thing if it goes through and we are a horrible spend millions on silly players team is when before we have had time to build a proper training complex when all the incredibly rich pampered players are having to deal with our shit hole facilities

Not to party poop or anything, but if anyone can find a way to still shaft this it's Ashley

Amount of bribes we can afford nothing stopping us

Goddamn it you guys got me believing it may happen again, this will be crushing yet again when Ashley pulls out

Its never going to happen guys We will be miserable forever

Very good keeper, has the odd mistake but mostly very reliable and must be well into the positive for unbelievable saves. Can't believe how cheap he was compared to the £75m chelsea played for that shit Kepa

probably the money that they were going to spend on us

What if he buys Sunderland? They do deserve each other

It's never really been serious suggested the interest in buyers hasn't been genuine. it's just ashley will never sell

Absolutely will never accept that this will happen. I suspect years after it has happened I will be like some Japanese soldier in 1950 still on an island refusing to believe it is not some Ashley trick