Sean

Do people here shop at Sports Direct? Genuine question. I haven't since Keegangate, and I know it has no effect in reality but I just couldn't give money to this cunt if it could be avoided.

Or he has actually realised that low budget shops only have so much milage in them then they trail off eventually. Especially with his online business, there is far more choice for on-line shoppers. Where the high street is a bit more limited to SD or JD. That, but don't you think it's funny that he didn't stick to expressing the company's 'new' direction strictly from a retail perspective. The bloke imho is taking the piss & trolling the supporter/fan base (of NUFC). Clearly taking the piss, but then again he has been for years and still a sizeable proportion of our support base doesn't accept this to be the case. Full on Stockholm syndrome.

When Ashley dies the devil can shut the gates and say hell is now full. And we will rightfully party.

Thats what Im thinking, I'm done. Hopefully something such as a fans group might have other ideas though.

Yep. Everyone needs to either walk away or actually fight back when Rafa leaves no matter how hard it may be. The club will be completely dead.

Exactly his tricks and tactics are costing us millions and fucking the clubs potential big time, the facilities are falling further and further behind as is the playing squad. Theres literally no point in talking about the clubs accounts when they have been manipulated to such an extent.

You're giving Charnley way too much credit. Incoming transfer deals were efficiently completed (in comparison to the last four windows) during the window following relegation. Ashley installs his headkicker & lieutenant, a foreman on the ground (of sorts), in December during the Champo season. Ever since Rafa has been bashing his head against a wall, and fighting this bunch. It all comes down to 'one' guy, who Barnes answers to. I fail to see why people keep spouting this shit...we signed something like 12 players and released/sold/loaned out 20 that summer. Its all on fucking Ashley. He has literally employed someone to stop us signing players ffs. On a separate note, nobody but Ashley (and his accountant/advisors) knows exactly what he is up to (and that includes Matt too).

He's found the perfect set of fans to trample all over to be fair to him, we've pretty much taken everything he's given us without even a fight. Look at Liverpool, Rangers, even in a way West Ham fans surrounding the owners or Coventry fans entering the pitch and stopping games. None of that up here despite the extreme provocation we face.

Huddersfield have consistently outspent us since we both came up and they're not even spending beyond their means. We've got the fat cunt setting arbitrary parameters in order to not spend, again. Even if Rafa gets to spend a little bit of money, you can guarantee the players signed will be way down his list of targets. Probably not even on his initial lists at all. Mikes arbitrary rules (including age, price, wages, agents fees, if Mike thinks we need that position strengthening etc) will have seen to that already. Just imagine what we could achieve without that bastard here.

Wonder what Justin Barnes and Keith Bishop have been up to over the last few weeks, probably been busy as fuck blocking deals and planting false rumours in the papers respectively. I mean, thats literally their jobs.

He might have scored 11 goals but we probably conceded 11 extra goals that season as he was missing in action for the majority of it. No away goals. Didn't he have something ridiculous like 10 touches of the ball in a game for us or something? I'd be pretty shocked if Rafa is interested in bringing him back.

Its clearly a financial thing, pretty sure you can have a player but not register him (or send him to the under 23s). Also we could always try buying before we sell for once.

We'll be forcing his agent to forfeit every last penny he is due before we go ahead with the deal. It's the way we roll.

Plus it needs to be slightly believable...so no point being a superstar we've all heard of

Im pretty sure its a case of not settling here more than not playing...there were rumours he wanted to go back to Spain in January when he hadnt been sitting on the bench much.

I think if stoke offered us £15m for atsu we’d sell him. Why would they though? Not saying they are interested, but surely some club would take him for 7 or 8 million. I’d rather put that towards any move for another player rather than lose such a reliable player like Ritchie. Murphy on the other hand was starting to show signs of things clicking, he could well go on to have a good season. I see him playing as a forward though. The lad can finish, has the pace to play off the shoulder of defenders. Rafa will figure out what to do with him hopefully. I think he has more potential than all of our current or linked with wingers with the exception of Kenedy. Having a decent striker if we ever get one will take the pressure off our existing players. I’m hoping Rafa is trying to do things on the cheap now so that we can bid big for one proper striker. This is the essence of squad building (something we haven't had experience of in the last 10 years so no wonder it seems alien); replacing the weakest/fringe members of a squad with replacements who ideally are better than the first choice option in that position. Pretty sure Rafa has pointed this out to those above him (Ashley) but its still not happening so we have to sell first teamers for a slight upgrade

Be sad to see him go more for his attitude and commitment as his ability. As others have said Rafa knows what both he and Townsend have to offer so if Rafa wants Townsend then I'm happy to go along with it. Does stick in the throat a little when you compare Ritchie's clear desire to play here under Rafa to Townsend wanting to play in the Prem even under Pardew. On the other hand, Rafa has probably kept in contact with Townsend so will know more than us in terms of his desire to come back - it was supposed to be lined up 6 months after he left so I do believe Rafa has a better picture of Townsends character than us. I feel we NEED to sign Kenedy no matter what else we do. Will wish Ritchie all the best if he does leave. Interestingly I don't think he ever missed a penalty for us (unless you count THAT Burton one)

Is this actually a done deal now then?

Still remember how shocking that was when it happened, will definitely give that a watch too.

Decent signing for a free, always looked pretty decent when Ive seen him (not often mind). I'm sure with the right players around him and with Rafa guiding him we can see the best from him. Sad that it probably means Merino is off, although it does seem like he never really settled if reports of him asking to leave in Jan are true. He's going to be some player in the next few years, sad that we're probably not gonna get to see his progression though.

Yep, every year he's here we fall further behind, meaning more time and money would be needed just to bring the club facilities up to date, let alone create something groundbreaking or market-leading. But we're still worth £400 million or whatever according to some.

Anyone saying theres nothing to worry about has they're head stuck in the sand ffs

Sounds all too familiar to us. We're his critics and he's been sticking 2 fingers up to us for 10 years now. He ran rings around most, including Rafa and Staveley that he was open to selling the club when all along it was a joke to him. He's not leaving of his own free will anytime at all. Don't know whether its the world cup or not but I'm really struggling to care about the club at the minute, theres no hope under this clown of an owner. Definitely the World Cup for me. Going to be depressing as shit when the WC sub-forum disappears and all we have is this section again. Im hoping its not the reason but it probably is. On a side note I didn't even know there was a world cup subsection, off to have a little gander

Sounds all too familiar to us. We're his critics and he's been sticking 2 fingers up to us for 10 years now. He ran rings around most, including Rafa and Staveley that he was open to selling the club when all along it was a joke to him. He's not leaving of his own free will anytime at all. Don't know whether its the world cup or not but I'm really struggling to care about the club at the minute, theres no hope under this clown of an owner.

Spot on. Surely nobody sane can think Ashleys interview/promotion piece with Sky was done for any other reason than to fuck off both the fans and Rafa. The 'sale' was him stringing everyone along for the laugh too. And now this is just business as usual as far as he's concerned. The list of clubs Ashley 'cannot and will not compete with' is growing year on year.