Andy84

Why so many games in April then just one in May

Looks like we will be at Home NYE, Mackems are away

Bingo

Love how he talks about the NUFC foundation and how he wants the club to have a closer connection to schools and charities across the region. He also talks about more open training sessions and holding tournaments for local kids etc.. The bloke is class, he really is. It's more than just the first 11 on a match day, it's the whole club from top to bottom and how it connects to the community. He just gets it. I'm sure our support next season will be amazing home and away, we won't go unbeaten but we might go unbeaten at SJP again like last time.

Can't wait for the start of the season now. Can't wait for the players to come back for pre season and for Rafa to get cracking with them. A full pre season with some decent additions and we should really hit the start of the season with some momentum and confidence, we went 6 unbeaten at the end let's carry it forward.

There is a game New Year's Eve this season

Its bollocks, I remember the sameoutlets writing articles about how we where financially f***ed a few eeks before the end of the season as we had players on big money without any relegation clauses. Nah, I'm sure that was to do with wages. No clauses were put in Shelveys/Townsends contracts to reduce their salary in the event of relegation. Its been widely reported Townsend does have a release clause though

That would be utterly depressing

Sky will wheel him out as a guest for our matches next season

Still way above his level even if they were! They are in the Europa qualifying this coming season

Southampton now looking for a manager, some of the names they have been linked with really puts into context how massive it was for us to get Rafa. I mean, Rafa f****** Benitez, in the Championship

Will be checking their results with morbid curiosity

This is so s***

Milner

Barkley as well, been s*** for a while

He's done alreet. Would prefer someone else going forward, if he doesn't want to be number 2 then bye

More 50-50 imo. There is talk of a release clause but the player will have to agree to the move. Hopefully Rafa staying will have a massive sway in his decision

Yep haven't felt this positive in years. A proper pre season under a world class manager who can also identify his own signings, hugely exciting. Hopefully we will have an identity as a team for the first time in years, I think he will have us very tough to beat and if we can keep and add some quality we've got a huge chance of promotion.

Illustrates what a manager we have now

Aye. I'm not an advocate of Allardyce btw, just the facts are there to see with Sunderland 2nd half of the season. I agree that it probably isn't a sustainable way of playing over a season either

By the end they were pretty good defensively, only lost 4 times since the turn of the year. Kone was an excellent buy Were they, or was it just a case of more bodies back gives the impression? I think any team could "look good defensively" playing 7-2-0-1 Well, yeah. They went from dog s*** to being tough to beat and picked up points along the way.

By the end they were pretty good defensively, only lost 4 times since the turn of the year. Kone was an excellent buy

Di Matteo to Villa

Stayed over in Barnsley last time down in the champo, was a really class away day and good night out