Eddy Chibas

If not then I still consider him up for grabs (and he's doing a superb job of putting himself in the shop window), and Klopp should be tapping this lad up in the meantime. Would be a big upgrade on Emre Can - whose positional awareness is a massive liability (ball watches quite often, doesn't track runs from deep) for a kamikaze attacking team. They really do require a savvy defensive anchor in midfield, not necessarily a destroyer though. Merino ticks all the boxes imho. He's signed on a permanent you radgy Lol..... I was texting that post while somebody threw up the twitter update. I don't lurk here pressing page refresh all day

Let Ashley/SportsDirect United's "Merino Auction" begin.

When comparing the two instances, and what goes against us, could be argued that we have arguably been more obstructive (than Spurs). Spurs owned up to what they did, Charnley and Co chose to mislead the FA (deleted emails, Penfold's dishonest actions have been noted). If guilty i don't the expect the club to receive any leniency, re: the precedent you have highlighted, because Charnley and Co have obstructed (even the failed appeal doesn't look good) & led the authorities on a wild goose chase from the get go. What a load of bollocks. As usual What factual evidence has come to light or is in the public domain, to date, which could in any way substantiate those statements you have made ? As alleged by the HRMC in court, entered into the public domain, quoted from The Mirror article the other day. https://www.google.com.au/amp/www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/newcastle-united-facing-major-tax-11305023.amp Quite happy to lean towards the HMRC's case, or what they allege, given the club's previous form and how it's operated for a decade plus which has seen club officials effectively been labelled as liars and misleaders in court before (ie. Keegangate). It's how Ashley's SportsDirect United rolls. Enjoy the view from the sandpit, as well as the club's protestations along the lines "we woz treated unfairly by dem, it's like dey were a SWAT team or sumthun".

When comparing the two instances, and what goes against us, could be argued that we have arguably been more obstructive (than Spurs). Spurs owned up to what they did, Charnley and Co chose to mislead the FA (deleted emails, Penfold's dishonest actions have been noted). If guilty i don't the expect the club to receive any leniency, re: the precedent you have highlighted, because Charnley and Co have obstructed (even the failed appeal doesn't look good) & led the authorities on a wild goose chase from the get go.

This - Gallowgate Banners, as suggested by another poster. Borrows heavily from the original "Gallowgate" theme, or concept, and it's a mere cosmetic alteration which still manages to p*ss all over the pettyness (?) over wanting to retire the name. Tyneside Flags is perhaps another alternative.

Re: the piece about Rangers. Wow, what an agent saboteur he was. Not surprising because he has form. For example he was a menace, to Dave Whelan and his/DW's effort to keep JJB afloat & competing with SD, as a sitting member on JJB's board (before eventually absorbing JJB brand, as part of the SD umbrella) Shows how dangerous & manipulative Ashley can be, even as a minor shareholder of the club, in the event of a partial buy-out. Has to be a 100% takeover at the very least, that's before a potential buyer has to pay a premium price (to shed the attachment to SD, and the price Ashley values this association at).

Achieved so much more too in terms of impact, from a position of anonymity (even more respect to them.... no ego stroking), than the bloviating Michael Martin Show ever has.

was just reading about this tax thing again, what are the possible implications for the club as it doesn't sound good at all... wonder if the bent c*** wants out before the s*** hits the fan over it If the FA decided to make an example of the club, and threw down a say a ten point penalty, that would probably weaken his negotiating position with buyers. As you hint at, he might escape before any shit hits the fan, rather than cop two relegations in three or four years.

This is my worry. Plus the nerve of the f***ing man. If he'd only run us like a proper business and club, he would stand to make a lot more. Instead he's constantly focused on fleecing whomever he does business with to maximize his own pennies without spending any. I'm concerned he won't let go of the SD branding opportunity that easily, he may have a provision that all that tat stays up, regardless of majority stakeholder. Yup. The listed asking price of £380m probably includes having the monkey, that is Sports Direct, on their back. I reckon it will take £500m plus to completely eradicate any link to the parasitic connection between the club & SD. Then there's the other scenario. Fat Boy addresses the fan base, courtesy of another puff piece on Sky, reiterating that he tried to seal a deal while repeating "they're (the fans/the city) stuck with me for a while yet".

Theoretically 28 billion. But. Thinks of her as your financial adviser or pension guy if you have one. Her job is to make your money grow. Her investors won't give a flying f*** about NUFC and probably haven't even heard of us. The one certainty is that if she invests money from the fund she manages into a football club, she is duty bound to take more money out of it than she put in. Would you want your pension fund manager sanctioning 60 million of funds to buy Kyle Walker or 35 million to buy Jordan Pickford ? Unlikely. Pretty much the "#preferthecurrentstatusquobetterthedevilyouknow" defense of Mike Ashley. I'd rather take the chance, given the business contacts she has built. Don't really give a stuff whether she (and her 'foreign' investors) doesn't have an emotional connection with the city, the club and it's fanbase when you consider the current owner deliberately shits on the club's commercial potential for his own gain, and as a bonus gets a thrill out of trolling it's fanbase.

It's a legitimate concern, and we're talking about a c*** who is unpredictable, and is notorious when it comes to suddenly shifting goalposts. A full buy-out, to me, includes removing the spectre that is Sports Direct (and the advertising exclusivity it enjoys at SJP), hereby maximizing the club's potentisl to pull in commercial revenue, to become a powerhouse in this area. The worry is that the reported £380 figure comes attached with a dead weight caveat, in the form of say a 10 year plus stadium deal (of free advertising) for his golden child, Sports Direct. If a potential buyer (Staveley), who recognizes NUFC is punching well below it's weight commercially, wants to sever the mouth which is sucking from the nipple (for free) then Ashley will jack up the price. Losing brand visibility, in the PL, will come at a cost for SD, and he'll factor that in & shift the goalposts accordingly (if a buyer remove the SD shackles). IMO, that's the potential deal breaker.

From The Independent article Nightmare to deal with though. Despised as the majority & controlling shareholder in such business arrangements (ie. Shit Direct). 51-49% split in favor of Ashley, or 50/50, would end in tears imho. Contractual redtape would be a shitfest too (selling shares back to him at a budget price, or to buy him out would cost a fortune) for a business partner, if they were not able to co-exist with Ashley. He'll find a way to fuck over anothet investor.

It would be one of the single greatest things anyone has ever done for the club imo. I can barely comprehend how f***ing amazing it would be. Agreed, not just this club. For any club imo. Always thought though, as a parting shot at the fanbase (and dropping a gigantic turd on the city also), that Ashley would sell to a hedge fund consortium. If two groups met his asking price, one an investor with deep pockets & ambition, the other a hedge fund, I could see Ashley (this troll) dishing out one last kick to the bollocks.

lol...... Somebody in the club's media department dropped the ball.

Interesting to read that Staveley's group have already attempted to & failed to buy into Liverpool. Maybe she's having another crack at the Yanks. Something about this bleating, by Michael Martin (re: the SOS flag, with Staveley on it), still irks me. He may as well have added a bunch of exclaimation marks at the end of his BIG statement. Coming from him, surprised he didn't.

What's also shameless is a club owner who actively doesn't want to compete, settles for treading water & riding the gravy train, yet expects an equal sized chunk of the international tv revenue. I'd rather see a 50% split divided among the top 8. Clubs who are on the fringes of the Euro spots aren't left out in the cold. Zombie clubs don't deserve business class seats aboard the TV rights gravy train.

Relating to money due to be received from the Sissoko & Wijnaldum sales. A three to four year wait (for staggered instalment payments) is a dead weight caveat for any manager (Rafa) looking to make a splash in the transfer market. Given that we only spend what's in the bank our policy of paying upfront in full (for players), and receiving fees in installments, pretty much restricts our ability to compete in the transfer market by design (or deliberately). It's why the surplus generated during the relegation Summer should be discounted, when evaluating Rafa's spending power in the short-term, and why calls along the lines of "but we have the Sissoko Money" should be thrown in the bin as fantasy talk.

Well that vetoes a January purchase, ahead of selling him for a mega-profit in the Summer.

£20m discount in exchange for 10 or 20 years of exclusive stadium advertising rights, for his baby (ShitDirect).

If he plays as well as he has been in the next 2 games, especially Liverpool, then he won't be under the radar anymore. Yeah, couple of performances against the big boys and he'll be getting sold like a prize pig http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/09/06/article-1052956-01E7C01A00000578-44_468x418.jpg Crunching the numbers, and a projected profit margin already.

Nah. 30 million would pay for five (or six?) 30 second ad slots during the 2018 Super Bowl telecast. Now there's another potential & creative way for Mike to put the Sports Direct brand on a global stage, at the club's expense. It's what I'd do if I was an absolute cunt, like Ashley. Green light a major player sale (or pocket the surplus Rafa has generated, perhaps a hefty chunk of the monthy instalments from the tv deal too) and snap up some prime advertising real estate for SD at The Super Bowl

He's looking and wondering how he can scupper it. He doesn't want the pressure of being expected to invest. Did f*** all when we finished fifth with his main man pardle. Must have been deflating when he poured over the fine print which restricts 3rd party advertising at grounds (for UEFA club fixtures). Probably thought to himself "There's no benefit for my baby (ShitDirect) here. Why have a crack at it? No point in investing to stay in contention for those qualification slots"

Is Ashley, through his web of companies, still the lone wolf & maverick (in the sports apparel industry) to not sign up to the Atlanta Agreement ie. the treaty aimed at combating child labour in Asian sweatshops?

Given that an undermined manager was a huge influence which swayed him into joining (on loan) I'd rather he refuse to sign (on a permanent deal) in the wake of a resignation. It will be sickening to watch Ashley, this regime, shuffle themselves into a massive pay day position (further sale) on the back of Rafa's astute recruitment, after a Summer transfer window where they deliberately stifled the manager's 'project' building effort. Can easily see Rafa having a word with this lad with a view to signing him, from Dortmund with a larger fee attached, at his next managerial post. This club deserves nothing less - to be royally f***ed over somehow as described.

20 starts (taking into account the purchase clause) is beginning to look like an impressive CV building opportunity, in the shop window, for Ashley. *under the proviso that Rafa hangs around for those 20 games, and then some.