jonny1403

20 minutes ago, STM said:

If Dan Ashworth can't out manoeuvre a skint Everton, something is seriously amiss.

 

Yes Lampard might know Broja but if we lay down our plan on the table, in comparison to Evertons and he decides to join Everton, well perhaps he's not a player we should be persuing.

 

 

 

True, but it would be stupid not to acknowledge that Lampard might have an advantage here with his previous Chelsea relationships.

1 minute ago, HTT II said:

There is 2 months left of the transfer window, if most are still here come the end of the window, I’ll call them out as parasites and I’m fine with differing opinions, it’s all good, you’ve made lots of valid points and if I was that way inclined I’d say fuck the club, you gave me the contract, I want my money. But I’d rather play and I hope those not wanted by our club feel the same, and I do realise it’s not so simple and we may have to pay some or all of their wages or pay their contracts up in full. The real story is that we have a surplus of players who should never have been awarded new deals or got the contracts they did or should have been sold years ago. That’s down to one man only… I hope any who do leave get to go to a decent club and have a good end to their careers.

100%. Regardless of what happens this is a direct result of relying on Championship players for far too long.

9 minutes ago, HTT II said:

I couldn’t give a shit about how much we spend or not, it’s about us paying people to do fuck all and them willing to take money over their career. I will say this again, if any club offered parity of pay for anyone of our unwanted players, they’d soon fuck off. You seem in denial and very naive. Players retire due to injury or because they’ve had their time and WANT to retire. It’s two totally different scenarios and as a family man I’m all for wanting to spend time with my family and not have to uproot them if I can, but life isn’t like a box of chocolates. I’m sure if I had to uproot my family even if it meant less pay, we are all mentally and functionally suited to deal with such stuff. If I’m a pro footballer, whether 21 or 33 of I’m fit, I wanna play. If it’s at NUFC for 50k a week or Luton on 10k a week. But that’s just me! Personal pride, personal satisfaction!

It's incredibly ironic that you're calling me naive when all of these unwanted players are still here and we're struggling to shift them. Luton mustn't have got round to offering their 10k a week contracts yet. 

Most of the people in this thread are disagreeing with you, might be good to have some self awareness  

This has massively derailed the thread so will leave it there.

4 minutes ago, HTT II said:

Noble obviously wanted to retire, let’s see if Clark wants to, or Gayle or Ritchie… 

Why is retiring to spend more time with your family different to seeing out your contract at NUFC because you want to spend more time with your family instead of moving away to Stoke?

Let's face it, this all comes down to people wanting more money for NUFC to spend on players without acknowledging that the players themselves have their own concerns. Nobody really gives a shit about Clark "making the most of his career" by playing a couple more seasons in the Championship.

1 minute ago, HTT II said:

Again, your are talking about players retiring, those who are not wanted here are nowhere nearing retirement man! 

But it's the same point. You've said multiple times players should play as much as possible in their career and that should be the only consideration. Mark Noble could easily have got a Championship contract but retired to spend more time with his kids. Therefore I assume you lack respect for him as well?

How is Ciaran Clark, 33 in September, nowhere near retirement?

Just now, HTT II said:

Where have I said I lack respect for footballers who put their family first? And let’s be real here, again if Gayle was offered parity with what he gets here at say a Luton or anywhere else, he’d up root his family lock stock and barrel so let’s not pretend this is about family. It’s a variable of circumstance of course, but any player here right now not wanted that refuses to move it’s because of money and I get that but like fuck will I sympathise with their situation. We will have to subsidise their wages, pay them up or they will have to take a pay cut. Again we will soon see the pros from the cons…

You've said it multiple times:

Quote

If any of our redundant players had anything about them, they’d move to get game time, even if it comes at a cost to their pay packet. You need a sense of purpose in your life and if you’ve trained all your life to become good enough to play football at a high level or standard, to just give all that up? 

It's incredibly odd that you refuse to acknowledge that a footballer might be settled in a particular area of the country and not want to move his kids/be away from his kids to play in fucking Luton. 

1 minute ago, HTT II said:

He retired through injury, he would have kept on playing had he not and I guarantee if he come to the end of his NUFC contract and was fit to play still, he’d have dropped down a level on less pay ala a Rooney and thousands of other players who have done so just to play. 

I mean you can't guarantee that at all can you? You have no idea if Shearer would have wanted to play in the Championship. What are your thoughts on Mark Noble retiring to spend more time with his family instead of playing in the lower leagues?

1 minute ago, HTT II said:

You’re talking about players retiring man. We are talking about current players who have a few years left to play. Not that I’m bothered, it’s not me paying the feckless fuckers to sit on a bench or train and go home without ever playing!

But you said the main aim for any footballer is to play as many games as possible. So why would a player like Shearer retire when he could have played another two seasons in the Championship? After all, you've already said you lack respect for footballers who put family life first.

2 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

No he couldn’t his knee injury and one’s previous ended any chance he wound have had to play longer, he turned down contract offers to continue playing for us.

Eh? Shearer announced his retirement before the season started. He got his knee injury in April the following year.

1 minute ago, HTT II said:

I guarantee wherever he ends up, he’ll play for whatever money, just like Ronaldinho still plays for nothing for the love of playing even though he’s not a pro anymore!

This is a mental argument. Ronaldinho isn't a professional footballer any more. And why are you ignoring the 100s of professional footballers who choose to retire at 34/35 instead of playing in the lower leagues? Do you lack respect for Alan Shearer as a result? He could have played for a few years in the Championship if he loved the game so much.

1 minute ago, HTT II said:

We are not talking about 38 year olds here. And to use a 37 year old, Ronaldo. He is the wealthiest footballer on the planet and wants to play every game, every minute and trains so hard because he’s dedicated to the job of being a footballer which he’s decimated all his life too. It’s about mentality and I refuse to respect any footballer whatever the circumstances happy to just pick up his salary and not play. A waste of a squad number, a shirt and money.

So when Ronaldo eventually leaves Man U or Chelsea or whereever he ends up at the age of 40, you would expect him to want to play in the Championship for Stoke if they offer him a 1 year deal at £30k a week? Because he's dedicated his life to the game and wants to play it as long as possible?

Just now, Hanshithispantz said:

Imagine the conversation with your lass when you're trying to explain why you're taking a 30 grand a week pay cut and moving the family to Rotherham.

Exactly  "But it's my love of the beautiful game pet"

4 minutes ago, HTT II said:

They rarely see their kids anyway due to their football career. Again, I know there are lots of variables and many valid ones, but ask yourself this, if you had dedicated 20 years or so to your profession, were already a multi millionaire, would you not want to play the sport you gave so much up for as a kid and teenager to continue even if you had to take a pay cut? 

 

 

 

Also, I imagine footballers see more of their kids then most workers. They finish at 2pm most days ffs 

1 minute ago, HTT II said:

They rarely see their kids anyway due to their football career. Again, I know there are lots of variables and many valid ones, but ask yourself this, if you had dedicated 20 years or so to your profession, were already a multi millionaire, would you not want to play the sport you gave so much up for as a kid and teenager to continue even if you had to take a pay cut? 

 

 

 

My point is that there are a range of factors to consider. You're completely right that playing as much football as you can is a big factor, but it doesn't automatically override others such as finances, family life, injury concerns etc.

If playing football was the be all and end all why does every PL footballer not end up playing in League Two at the age of 38? A couple do but most retire at a PL/champ team because playing away at Northampton Town with cloggers smashing you every week probably isn't as appealing as you seem to think it is.

2 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

It’s an absolutely ridiculous argument to compare any part of football with a normal job. Of course I wouldn’t take a 50% pay cut but I’m not a multi millionaire, and nor would I still be paid a fortune if I took the pay cut.

So your argument is that rich people shouldn't care which job they take because even if they lose half their salary they'll still be rich and won't care? That's insane  Obviously people want to earn as much as they can in the short career they have. People don't stop caring about their finances when they become rich. Football players should care more in fact when they turn 30 because it's one of the only professions where you know you will be taking the biggest pay cut of your life in a few years anyway. 

4 minutes ago, SteV said:

I think there’s a lot more to it than being about whether players will ‘take a pay cut’.

 

I seem to remember Hayden speaking about it in that (good) lengthy interview he did with some podcast people I’d never heard of before or since.

 

To paraphrase him he said people think it’s just like playing Championship Manager and you can just ship a player out whenever you want, but they don’t realise that players often have young families, so any move (regardless of finances) has to be right for them too. Are they happy to move away from any family/support network? Are they happy to move their kids school etc.

 

Everyone was going mad at Clark not taking a loan move in January. But maybe he didn’t want to spend 5/6 days a week away from his kids (assuming he has some) just to play for a team for 5 months when there was a reasonable chance he might not sign for them anyway.

Exactly this. But HTT seems to be saying he should be happy not to see his kids grow up 90% of the time to spend a year at Stoke in the Championship because he "can't think of anything worse than not playing".

Just now, HTT II said:

If I’m a professional footballer, I couldn’t think of nothing worse than not playing, I think money has corrupted a lot of players today where they are just happy to sit on the bench for a comfy well paid life. If any of our redundant players had anything about them, they’d move to get game time, even if it comes at a cost to their pay packet. You need a sense of purpose in your life and if you’ve trained all your life to become good enough to play football at a high level or standard, to just give all that up? 

Such a simplistic argument. It's like any job consideration. What if his wife loves the area or his kids are happy at school/about to take exams and he doesn't fancy moving them halfway across the country? What if he's worried about an injury and only being offered a 1 year deal at Stoke or Wigan? What if he just fancies an easy 1 year training and seeing out his contract, before then considering options next year. 

None of us have any ideas into his mindset and it is clearly not the case that the preferred option should always be "play as much football as possible all the time" 

25 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

Guess it says more about the type person/player they are if they would rather not kick a ball for a couple of years or go and play football.

 

We are talking pay cuts but he will still be getting a load of money each week 

It says nothing about the type of person they are other than that they are sensible and financially responsible. I'd imagine he'd take a 50% pay cut in the Championship. It's such a simplistic argument to say "oh he's rich anyway, he can easily take a cut". Would you take a 50% pay cut in your job?

Just now, SUPERTOON said:

So they just stay and sponge of the club with no desire to actually play football ?

How on earth is it sponging off the club? He was given a contract extension by the club in Jan 2021, that's the club's decision. It's not his fault he was left out of the squad. If he was picked to play, he would play.

He's had a decade and a half of playing football, I find it funny that everyone assumes all footballers must be desperate to play football above all else, even if it means taking a pay cut and moving him and his family to some shithole in the Championship 

17 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

It's gone very quiet on outgoings. I think we're going to have a real challenge shifting players on.

 

The players we need to shift are all on PL wages but in many cases are of Championship quality. You're not going to get fees for players like that. Particularly when every potential buyer knows you want rid.

 

So therefore in many cases it's going to be a case of subsidising wages to loan them out or subsidise their wages for sales. However in a lot cases the likes of Gayle, Clark, Darlow, Fernandez etc have been here years and are settled in the NE. In their early 30s now they have young families with kids starting school. You have to convince them to go and play elsewhere or move away permanently. It requires motivation to want to go and play every week and uprooting their routines or families to do so.

 

For no financial benefit will they do so? If you have a permanent contract here why move on? Instead come in and train near your settled home and get paid. There's also an outside chance you make the final 25 if you hang around right until the last day so there's reduced motivation to push for a move Asap.

 

The ones that will move on are those still wanting to progress in their careers (e.g. Woodman) or who have long expressed an interest in moving back further south (e.g. Hayden). 

 

Our isolated location works against us here too. There isn't any other PL clubs nearby - and only Boro have the financial potential to take on some of the deadwood. If you're a PL club in London there's a whole host of clubs you could dump players on without uprooting those players lives.

 

 

 

Great post. It annoys me when our fans have a go at players who aren't willing to move on like Clark in January. Why should they take a pay cut and uproot their family if they don't want to? He's 32, had a long career and won't get anything like he is on at NUFC again. Perfectly entitled to stay put.

4 minutes ago, Milanista said:

 

We are more concerned with Maldini extending with our new ownership or not. Botman was not seen as a priority among most Milan fans--the Tomori-Kalulu CB partnership was a frankly frightening combination.

 

Botman needs time, I hope you give it to him. I also hope you buy Paqueta. Mostly for the sell-on clause, but also because he'd actually suit what Howe wants and I think he's a good kid, he deserves to be in a place that gets the most out of him.

 

 

 

Why do you think it didn’t work out at Milan for him out of interest?

Just now, Froggy said:

 

I'm not going to argue. Like you said, no point, and I know the player infinitely better than anyone else on here. 

 

Unless I've had a rake of pints I'm fairly sure I've never come on here and criticised a Newcastle player. 

 

Except when you cunts were saying £50m for Sean Longstaff who is just a diet McTominay. 

You won't get me arguing against the Longstaff comparison. But he's our 4th/5th choice CM. Bruno and Joelinton offer much more than McTominay so I doubt anyone sees the logic in paying the £40m+ it would take to get McTominay (as you say, not that you would sell or he would have any interest in coming).

1 minute ago, Wilson said:

1000 does seem unnecessarily low to me as well. 

 

Hopefully the club come up with a suitable plan to address the incoming demand over the next couple of years.  I'm hoping they come up with some magical plan to increase capacity if I'm honest  

 

As happy as I am that I managed to get sorted today, I've just had to explain to my 10 year old daughter that I couldn't get her one and it wasn't fun.  Tried to sugar coat it by telling her it's a foot in the door and that I should now be able to get her to more games by grabbing tickets for her and the missus before general sale.

 

A lot of disappointment going around today, they need to come up with something. 

 

 

I mean in your situation they really don't. Get a membership tomorrow and your 10 year old can go to as many games as she wants. 

1 minute ago, Froggy said:

 

Statistically one of the best managers in our history you mean. 

 

You're turning your nose up a player that was brought into the team by Jose Mourinho, and was part of a side that finished in second place just over 12 months ago. He would massively improve you. 

 

I don't want to argue but you'll get absolutely nowhere on here (and most other venues I'd imagine) trying to argue that Mourinho and especially fucking Ole are highly thought of managers whose opinion should be valued.

10 minutes ago, Froggy said:

 

Incredible how many people just don't watch or don't know about football. 

 

Not a chance he's sold unless he's shat in ETH's cornflakes. 

 

Arguably our best player under Mourinho and integral under Ole. He'll have a big role to play at us. 

Integral in a team that won fuck all under one of the worst managers in Man United's history 

27 minutes ago, KaKa said:

 

But why ... you guys act as though no other players exist out there. Best case scenario we get a couple of seasons out of him, before we then need to go and get a younger player anyway. He's hardly a world class player either, so there's just no need for it man.

 

I think it's an awful idea. Let Gini stay where he is on the bench. Couldn't believe he turned down Barcelona to join them last year. We shouldn't be the one's to go pulling him out of that mess.

Kaka dropping truth bombs left right and centre with this and the Wood comments