Altamullan

Errrr ok.

I'm not a worrier but... providence now well and truly tempted

Elliot Manquillo Lejeune Clark Mbemba Merino Ritchie Shelvey Hayden Atsu Joselu Can we play Merino, Shelvey and Hayden?

If he is that's one of the worst attempts at being discreet about it or could be nothing too it not really any ones business If he was and disclosed it, it would present a wonderful opportunity to be the set of fans who helped someone feel accepted.

Game for Grenfell is good craic. Waiting for Sir Les to grace the pitch.

Nice one Respect if you give the hokey-cokey chant an airing.

Nice

Was funny to see though. The two goals I saw were assisted by strikers but not in usual way. Vardy tackles back and lays off the ball to Kane. Who floats in a lovely teasing ball from quite deep for Welbeck. Similar happened a minute earlier with Rashford deep in own half playing out to Kane in the right wing position who knocked a lovely ball to the far post where Vardy and Welbeck both just missed it. The last goal was a ball from Rashford (near the centre circle) forwards towards the penalty spot. Kane controls and nets a half-volley. Perhaps we should give the four striker thing a whirl. Oh wait, we don't have four available...

How many flipping strikers did England have on at the end? 4?

http://img59.laughinggif.com/pic/HTTPS9pLm1ha2VhZ2lmLmNvbS9tZWRpYS83LTE1LTIwMTUvUGN2ekFoLmdpZgloglog.gif Raymond stay at N.U.F.C., N.U.F.C.. I'm an excellent driver!

Andrew Musgrove's effort isn't Pulitzer Prize winning material either. He at least manages more than one sentence per paragraph though True. Does "some really quality" writing.

What price him picking-up our next ban? Kung fu kick on Sanches.

Andrew Musgrove's effort isn't Pulitzer Prize winning material either.

Megs! What a beauty.

Yeah but you said "a high performing team". Which we were not. Also there is the fact he wouldn't be able to do that for ten years, he would have to keep paying, and the fact he stated when he bought it, it was to market SD overseas. I dunno I don't really see how it's debatable if it's straight from the pig's mouth. Winning the League (even though unpredicted) isn't exactly failing to thrive, but anyhow read the article in the Telegraph in the (link in Ashley thread) or the old one I posted the link for, above. It isn't from the pig's mouth. As desirable as it is to have a simple a=b motive, someone once said things should be made as simple as possible, no simpler than that.

Spain u21?

It is disturbingly memorable. Maybe it is a cunning disguise? Goes for attention-grabbing 'alll you remember is the hair' look for press pics, then slinks around under the radar (which now, may well be advisable) rocking a side parting. Would at least be a rational explanation for the fuckwit-fringe

Can't be arsed to track back to who was sponsoring who during our Ashley era, but maybe if brand visibility was the only aim SD may have been as palatable as one of the 8 or 9 gambling sponsors, our recently departed loan shark smear of shame, or the duty free retailers whose team won the Premier League?

Yeah right. Take a look at the current crop of sponsors. Teams are obviously very choosy.

Don't see it the way you do Sean. As explained.

True enough, £140m paid is no doubt less than what he would get now. Just don't see it as being 'the reason' either for buying or clinging on through the shit storms he has largely brought upon himself. All the initial bravado and laddishness of rocking up for matches in a toon shirt, just smacked of working class lad made good. Look what I can buy, and look what I can make a success (whoops! He missed that objective) which still seemed a feature of the I won't sell until we win something speech. The following flashback gives an interesting take on the why did he buy a football club question. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/10144080/Why-did-Newcastle-United-owner-Mike-Ashley-buy-the-north-east-club-six-years-ago.html

I think that's a fair point re the overseas market. Which given the increasing exposure of the Premier League and growth of football in China (for example) doesn't date the rationale. I don't know enough about import/export and relative cost to comment but as I said I doubt that then or now advertising SD is the key purpose for him. If so, why not just sponsor a team (a high performing one)? Doubt it would have been as much hassle and with tax write-off would no doubt have been significantly cheaper than propping us up financially with loans etc.

Although 'on message' in here, that seems a bleak take on it. Doubt Sports Direct needs the visibility and I doubt that is a key purpose for Mike Ashley. It is I suspect more about his ego. And NUFC obviously has objectives, again influenced by his ego. He believes in his business model and I can see why he would. Self-made men like him are used to believing in themselves, to being the person in the room with the right ideas. And on one level why wouldn't he/they believe in themselves? If they have been successful against the odds and made obscene amounts of money in the process. Try buying sports gear you want at a reasonable price without using SD or some other company that is a cover for SD. I have, it isn't easy. To me it is more that his objectives: a financially secure business which swallows its own smoke/is economically efficient aren't your primary objectives or mine. And I suspect we both abhor aspects of how he goes about achieving his objectives. All football clubs to some extent have a captive 'customer base' we aren't going to shop elsewhere with our football allegiance. Not sure that is too loyal, it is just the way it is. Football isn't a consumer choice for football fans (any). We are the soul of our respective clubs. Unfortunately the moral conscience of ours is somewhat suspect, and doesn't appear to have really learned anything despite what he comes out with, on occasion.

Maybe, but FC United of Manchester haven't exactly damaged the progress of, or support for, Manchester United FC.