Altamullan

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

Nice

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.

Reassuring.

Late window new signings, pah! Ungrateful ill-bred vandals, to the man. Best off without!

Unfortunate hair can turn a good man bad...

Left back...

What is the point of NUFC? At one level like TV or other distracting/engaging leisure activities it gives people something to do. Something to invest in emotionally. Something, along with family, other relationships and career pursuits etc. on which to hang a sense of meaning and purpose which we all need in our lives. The extent to which 'competing/winning' or even being in the fight/race matters probably differs depending upon how important such things are to each individual. For me NUFC is a part of my identity. I stopped being an active supporter when the regime acted in the way they did with Keegan; a personal hero who epitomised everything good about the club to me. He had that meaning to me because of my own values and the faith he embodied that we could be on the world stage. Unbelievable at the time (player and even more so first time as a manager). I never stopped being a fan. NUFC always mattered. I consider myself a supporter again as in the last few years I have attended games (even if not as religiously as I once did) and bought products. The point for me is that it is part of my identity, as is being a Geordie. It is also a link with my known ancestors, parents and grandparents. It mattered to (most of) them and was part of our shared sense of who we are/were. That won't change. Perhaps that is the most important 'point'.

The 25...

Anyone who thought things would be different in the slightest is demented imo. Well I held out some hope of benefitting from a flurry of late movement. Not demented, just very disappointed.