Armchair Pundit

Walkin the league, marra

Ha! They've been doing it for years

I've got a feeling it's all just going to get progressively worse until the owners sack Eddie, blame everything on him, then bring in Mourinho

The feeling of hopelessness in being a Toon fan is creeping back, but due to a different cause - once upon a time it was because we had an owner who blocked our progress and competition, now we've got a league and cartel doing their best to stop us by any means necessary. It feels like it could only happen to us, like I've got a victim complex nearly as big as one of those scouse cunts. How we can go from the scenes of winning a cup and getting into the champions league to being some sort of transfer pariah, what a bastard...

Heh heh heh... https://www.tottenhamhotspurnews.com/exclusives/exclusive-pgmol-told-to-keep-eye-on-joelinton-after-newcastle-controversy-v-tottenham/ They be scared of our Joe

Always liked Thomas Frank when he's been doing commentary on the tele, seems like a really good bloke, hope Spurs doesn't change him.

Which is fine, as long as it doesn't affect his performances. If he does stay, with a clause to be sold next summer as rumoured, I'd hope he has the good graces to go abroad, not stay in the Prem, that would still be a kick in the bollocks to the fans.

So, we somehow keep Isak with an improved contract, has he already tarnished his legacy at the club? Will he have the right mentality next season? Will the fans treat him differently? Part of me thinks he's not actually done much wrong, with the majority of 'issues' and rumours coming from paper talk, sketchy journos and probably engineered by Liverpool and their loving media. His silence on the matter hasn't helped, neither has the training outside the main squad, but it's 'possible' his agents played along with the whole thing to up his hand in getting an improved contract after the Mitchell debacle I guess. So many unanswered/assumed points with very little coming from reliable sources - if we keep him now, get Sesko in, along with a decent defender, maybe a centre mid and the Ramsdale loan, is that a good window after all? Side note, I do think the chairman coming over in the last few days has had an effect, perhaps he should have done that earlier in the transfer window though.

This guy linked: https://www.3addedminutes.com/sport/football/newcastle-united/newcastle-united-benjamin-sesko-rb-leipzig-man-utd-samu-aghehowa-fc-porto-5252099 He'll do

Been looking through the leagues the old Transfer Markt webby for possible forward alternatives, any of these a possibility? Ermedin Demirovic - Stuttgart (22m euros) Patrik Schick - Leverkusen (27m euros) Moise Kean - Fiorentina (50m euros) Samu Aghehowa - Porto (50m euros) Tolu Arokodare - Genk (18m euros) Victor Osimhen - Napoli (70m euros) Youssef En-Nesyri - Fenerbahce (24m euros) I mean, they're in their top tier for goals in the their leagues over the past season, but I'm guessing they either don't fit with our setup, would require massive wage increases or just at clubs who probably wouldn't sell. ... if Mason Greenwood wasn't a tad 'rapey', we could have tried to snap him off Marseille, he's been banging the goals in there

Did he though? I'm not sure about that

I'm dead set against any player who pulls this shit. If a player is under contract, unless he's been really badly mistreated, he needs to honour his contract, otherwise there's no point in having contracts in the first place.

The biggest frustration with the owners must be their glacial pace in doing anything after such a whirlwind start to their reign. They brought us up to speed in terms of being competitive enough to challenge for a European spot instead of annual relegation battles, but then seem to have tailed off in their enthusiasm. Whether that's down to external influences like PSR, it's no doubt a factor, but since the beginning of last year we've appeared to have seriously stalled and I'm sure the players must notice it as much as the fans. If things were seen to be progressing with the stadium, if the squad was topped up to replace players that'd left, if there just seemed to be a plan and it was relayed via a better link between owners and fans, it'd all go a massive way to helping with the apparent disappointment around missed transfer targets and not pushing on on the pitch as much as we could. (and yes, I know winning a cup and getting to the champions league is an argument against stalling - but that success is based on where we were with players still here, players being a year younger, a year less being seen of the project, etc) On a side note, it's also disheartening that the club don't seem to have any appetite at this point to legally fight PSR and the general anti-competitiveness of what's clearly been put in place to protect the interests of some clubs over others.

We needed depth in the squad, to assist with a push on all fronts next season. As it stands, our squad is weaker than last season, when it needs to be stronger. Therefore, minimum, we currently need a replacement for Wilson and potentially Longstaff to break even (Elanga has replaced Miggy), anything else 'should' be additions to the squad to add depth in quality. If we hit up next season without the additional bolstering of quality to squad depth, we're going to struggle and over-stretch the team, likely ultimately affecting the league position at the end of next season and how far we get in all competitions. We've added what seem to be a handful of low-key players, like Park Seung-Soo and Antonio Cordero, though it's unclear on whether they're to be loaned out for future use. So, it looks like, a back-up quality striker and a back-up CM for current depth (unless we're planning on using Miley more), along with a quality CB, with BDB and Schar getting older. Do we need a new GK? Pope does seem a bit inconsistent, sometimes making great saves, other times howlers ala the Celtic game. Anything else would be to add the much needed depth, perhaps another attacking CM and a utility defender - that's five players. And all that, assuming Isak stays, if he goes we'd need a marquee signing striker to replace him, all with three weeks before the season starts and most widely known decent strikers having already been sold to new clubs.

Still think this would be the best option

No, that'll be Liverpool, they must have at least £300m of the Coutinho money left

Allegedly, Liverpool, Barcelona and Al-Hilal ... at this point I'd take a Saudi offer of £180m, then tell the other two to match it or fuck off. If we sell to Liverpool our owners lose serious face all round. There can't be any issue from the league over fair market value due to the obvious interest and examples from other sales and even if there was complaint about PIF selling to another team they're involved in, there's already legal precedence of much more obvious rigging from Chelsea selling themselves hotels and women's teams - if they want to go legal, then so be it, use this as the blue touch paper to string the PSR cheating fucks up.

I don't get it, prior to the end of the season the implications from the media was that we would be in a good position with PSR/FFP after 30th June... but now I'm reading that we'll be close to failing it this season, so have to be ultra careful again

Benjamin Sesko being mentioned as a potential alternative target with Liverpool coming in for Ekitike... how long before Liverpool try and sign him instead

Twice

And that is exactly the purpose of PSR/FFP, as we all know - until it gets challenged legally, there's not much to be done about it. It does make me wonder though if that's why the Man City stuff is taking so inordinately long, because the league are scared the final result will open the floodgates if it goes against them.

So, we've made an offer for Ekitike, Liverpool haven't. The rest is just noise from the various media outlets until something changes. Our past record of keeping our transfer business close to our chest, although sometimes frustrating, means we could suddenly spring something completely unexpected at any point... and I've decided to cling to that.

Selling Isak to Liverpool would be worse than when we sold Andy Cole to Man Utd for me. To see them skanky, bin-dipping, perpetual victim fucks take him from us would be sickening beyond belief. I don't see that selling him, even for a half decent profit would benefit us in the long-run, because the whole PSR bollocks is a complete stitch-up. A temporary, minor boost in funds for the current PSR window, while strengthening Liverpool, who in the meantime can spend much more than us, like the other top end clubs, due to established revenue which we'll struggle to get even a fraction closer to. Fuck right off.