Odear

Liverpool and City will stand still in terms of squad. How much closer can the rest get this season? Chelsea and Man Utd are set for bad seasons. Spurs could lose players. Arsenal still need time. Who can realistically upset the top 4? It seems up for grabs this year more so than any recent season in memory.

Money means nothing if you have a goon spending it. I don’t think Pellegrini is a goon but he’s in that echelon below the best managers. They should be aiming for 6th yet will probably hover around 8-10th all season. How can that not be looked as a failure?

You are already kissing the guys arse on WhatsApp man I wouldn’t call it kissing his arse but I was courteous to him and likewise back to me. Apart from a few interviews on YouTube and his LinkedIn posts, we don’t know anything about him. Am happy to give them a chance but after Ashley, everyone will have to earn my trust as far as this club is concerned. Their actions will speak louder than words so let’s just see what they do with their chance.

They seem like decent forward thinking guys but it wouldn’t be too wise to welcome them with open arms like we did with Ashley. I’d like to see them earn any admiration or plaudits they get from us. Simply having the money to buy the club means nothing.

I’m not ITK, just lucky that I’ve placed a few with PM over the last few years. I know a little more than I’ve said but would be impossible for me to say with any confidence that it wouldn’t make it onto Twitter and get someone in trouble. I’d prefer to keep a decent gig going ? I also know a few at the club as am sure some of you also do and they literally know nothing about it, have been told quite bluntly from the top to just get on with their jobs. Lots of uncertainty for them in there about job security etc..

So is anyone feeling better about the takeover now? I still have my reservations that it will be done by end of month but it will be done and that’s the main thing as far as I’m concerned.

Oh if he was being cut loose, he’d have let the world know by now.

Really ? Surely that would instantly get every fan hating you. Would it? If you knew an instant classic of a stadium wound be built, 80,000 capacity. You’d seen the plans etc. Would you not put up with ground sharing with the smoggies for a year? It obviously wouldn’t happen straight away. Takes a year or two to get planning permission at least. I believe it would, yes. A club loses so much of it's identity when it moves to a new stadium and i'd rather we tried to achieve success in the current SJP. Of course I'd never balk at any success but it would be ever so slightly tainted for me if it didn't happen inside the current SJP. I accept I am old fashioned and am a bit traditional. No I see where you’re coming from. And hypothetically, if someone came in with enough money for a new stadium, I’m fairly sure the team would have enough investment to win something before any new ground would be built. And I agree about moving to a new ground, this would still be SJP, it would have to be on the same site as the existing one. Moving the stadium anywhere else would kill the city in terms of business lost.

Well you’ve only gotta spend any amount of time in the platinum club before a game to see the soul has been ripped out of the club. Literally only the corner at SJP makes any noise all through the game, sometimes the rest join in, mostly they don’t. The fans have gone soft but it’s not irreversible. How long is it since you went? The Wor Hyem mob at the back of the Gallowgate towards the Milburn Stand sing pretty much all game, every game, and have improved the atmosphere as a result. I didn’t go this year. Was last season. My last match at SJP was the Southampton 3-0.

Really ? Surely that would instantly get every fan hating you. Would it? If you knew an instant classic of a stadium wound be built, 80,000 capacity. You’d seen the plans etc. Would you not put up with ground sharing with the smoggies for a year? It obviously wouldn’t happen straight away. Takes a year or two to get planning permission at least.

Well you’ve only gotta spend any amount of time in the platinum club before a game to see the soul has been ripped out of the club. Literally only the corner at SJP makes any noise all through the game, sometimes the rest join in, mostly they don’t. The fans have gone soft but it’s not irreversible.

If I was a multi billionaire coming in, I’d arrange a ground share for a season or two. And demolish the stadium and start again. The site is perfect. St James’ can be loud when it gets going but it’s far too tame now, most of the PL is. I’d try and get away from that.. set a trend going a different direction. Imagine having an atmosphere like this at home games... and this is only 35,000 https://youtu.be/oiLk1V9ivVY

I agree, we were never in danger of becoming a Leeds. If that was the case, Ashley wound have snapped us up for a £1 and taken on the debt like he does with all his other vulturesque manoeuvres. Even that whole bullshit about not realising how much was owed is nonsense. It was plain as day and info easily accessible as we were a plc at that time. Everything since then has been a PR war game to deflect the real reason he bought the club. Well, since it turned on him. Think at the start he was genuinely loving the attention. Only so long a cunt can keep a facade going for though until everyone sees the reality.

The problem is we need to get players in/out. The further along the deal is, things can start to happen at that point. Legal commitments to pay transfer fees etc. The deal isn’t at that stage yet obviously. First they need to sort out Rafas contract. I know their legal team have spoken with his so there’s a contract all lined up to sign once they have the authority to do so.

BZG are far bigger than Ashley or Sports Direct. Keep that in mind when it comes to doubting their credentials. If they insist it’s happening I’m happy to wait. We’ve waited 12 years. We can wait a few weeks. Chill the fuck out.

Such a classy player. Him and Schär. Make a massive difference to the team being able to pass out from the back like that. His first op worked out well and he didn’t lose much if any pace at all so fingers crossed this is it for him now. Two slightly prone knees both done and dusted. He gets a good pre season and is a mainstay of the back line. Everyone else including Lascelles play better with him in the team.

The papers are full of shit. There’s no new news about this yet they run headlines like “Manchester United closing in on Longstaff” How could they be if nothing is happening. Charnley is off with his head in a sand box somewhere, Mike is preoccupied with legal proceedings against Debenhams and Rafa has been historically quiet.

If Mike Ashley was still going to be the owner I wouldn’t blame the lad if he left. It would be the sensible thing.

If Rafa leaves, what does it matter? Highly doubtful this will happen though. More like Man Utd supporting journalists trying to unsettle the lad. Or it’s coming from the club itself which is disappointing. 25 million would be cheap for what his potential could be anyway. Another season and he would be worth double. If the club had any sense they would offer him a new contract with more money and an in incentivised scale of increase. Give him something to work towards.

No. BZG are buying the whole damn pie. Apart from the prestige of owning a club for their partners, it’s a way to advertise their international services on one of the biggest platforms in the world. Which is also the reason when they buy the club l, they will invest so it can compete. I like what your selling. The sweet promise of tomorrow.

No. BZG are buying the whole damn pie. Apart from the prestige of owning a club for their partners, it’s a way to advertise their international services on one of the biggest platforms in the world. Which is also the reason when they buy the club l, they will invest so it can compete.

So the Sheikh and pals are over to acquire bikinis to flog on at a profit..

It’s on. As ah said before, it’s Rafa I’m more concerned about. Even with a takeover, we’re fucked without him

Chelsea are going to go through a bit of a blip, the transfer ban is a big part of it if it stands but also Abramovich hasn’t been in the country in a year. Had his visa revoked after that whole Russian poisoning thing, how interested can he be when he’s watching a thousand miles away on a yacht? They might just write off the 2 years and give Lampard a chance to cut his teeth at this level. Also with Man Utd looking shaky, the top 4 is very much up for grabs this year for a number of teams. He's been in the UK, he's allowed in via his Israeli citizenship. Are you sure? He’s not been at a Chelsea game in some time.

Chelsea are going to go through a bit of a blip, the transfer ban is a big part of it if it stands but also Abramovich hasn’t been in the country in a year. Had his visa revoked after that whole Russian poisoning thing, how interested can he be when he’s watching a thousand miles away on a yacht? They might just write off the 2 years and give Lampard a chance to cut his teeth at this level. Also with Man Utd looking shaky, the top 4 is very much up for grabs this year for a number of teams.