Armchair Pundit

I don't know, potential evolution of fan participation via new or existing avenues could keep it alive, would just be different from the past. Admittedly it's not something I'd particularly want to see and all sporting events benefit from live crowds I think, but maybe if there's no other option people would have to move with it.

That's what I was thinking, I mean, he's not going to want to make a show of the club failing so it's doubtful he'd damage his own asset. Also, his ability to influence how much is spent or anything else around the club is going to be tempered by the rules already in place for all clubs. At most, he could treat the club as his own version of Football Manager, but that goes back to damaging the asset, unless anyone can think of anything else.

Hopefully then it will be like most companies who, while initially try it on, end up settling out of court because they know a challenge would be costly and most likely end in their loss. Would be the best outcome, no mess and all parties could move on without drawing attention to blame anywhere or revealing any of the details that happened behind the scenes.

I reckon Ashley would do a good Ted DiBiase if he grew his hair out and got a bit of a goatee going on, if I was him I'd do it for s***s n giggles At least wear the suit to court. If I had Ashley's money I'd be eccentric as fuck, I would deffo turn up with the suit at the very least! Lol!!!

I reckon Ashley would do a good Ted DiBiase if he grew his hair out and got a bit of a goatee going on, if I was him I'd do it for shits n giggles

The pessimist in me thinks that the most likely outcome here will be a potential compo payout for Ashley, I'm feeling like taking this as closure on the PIF takeover... ... but... if... iF... Ashley pulled this off with PIF... I think I'd actually forgive him for the misery he's caused during his reign

I don't know, since the takeover fell through I've just lost pretty much all interest in the club. I can't do yet another season of pointless, unambitious rubbish under Ashley. I mean, I keep an eye out on the occasional bit of news perhaps and pop on to here every now and again but it just feels like supporting the team is a complete and utter waste of time. I hold out some vague hope that there might be something still in the pipeline and that's why it's all gone quiet but I'm not holding my breath, gone is my ridiculous optimism.

What's the relevance? Nothing with this, it's related to payments being withheld. The relevance is they have cancelled a 564 million pound deal. So you’d think EPL might be receptive to new money from elsewhere. Not if it upsets their Qatari buddies

Looks like he managed to make the £255,000 that he staked from initial deposits of just £1,200 though. Probably a lot easier to win on sports betting when you can sway the outcome or know someone else who can... allegedly

Masters is still trying to make a decision on what time it should start. He's neither started it or finished it, he's just going to let the attendees sit in the room until they decide to go away.

I've just read the Sky article on this and it says: So, if I've read it right and this meeting is only half an hour long, I don't see that the reps for NUFC will get much time at all to ask their questions or get reasonable answers, especially not if they have to compete with the other 19 clubs in getting time to grill Masters! Sounds like a sham to me, same as everything else the Premier League have done.

I was with you right up until that last sentence. It's not optimism or delusion, it's quite reasonable that if the right circumstances came together, that the deal could still happen. The fact of the matter is at this time the whole club and it's fans are in limbo so anything is possible, the only thing that would draw a line under this whole thing would be another bidder coming in a buying the club, until that point anything could still happen, however unlikely. That's the harsh truth of the matter, it's why nobody can move on at this point however much they might want to convince themselves.

I guess we'll see what the NUST meeting produces later, any formal answer to what PIF need to do to make the takeover happen and I'd assume that the Prem will be opening the door further to potential legal proceedings against them. If the Prem confirm that the documents already produced by the Saudi government aren't enough in their eyes then there's a case to be had imo. There's no reason for the Prem not to hold those documents as legally binding, regardless of whether there's a perceived threat of the ruler's actual power over his own government. That said, I still don't see why PIF don't just restructure the deal if that's also an option to get it passed. Either by upping the percentages for AS or the Reubens, or by setting up an autonomous fan's percentage, donated to the NUST which could then be floated to the fanbase as shares.

This, all day, every day! In future it should be what players come out to at St James.

Whether Shearer came in as manager under a new regime or not, I'm curious as to why so many people don't rate his abilities on here? I mean, if it's solely because we were relegated after he got brought in are people remembering that it was for less games than Rafa had when we got relegated last time, eight to Rafa's ten? If I recall correctly, prior to his very brief stint, Shearer had been touted as having a great deal of potential and had passed his managerial exams at the top of his class. I'm not saying I'd prefer Shearer as manager over Rafa, or even as manager necessarily at all, I just wonder how people are coming to their opinions and what it's based on. Incidentally, as an aside, how old are people that are writing Shearer off, just wondered if it's the younger fans compared to the older fans or something.

"First you say yes then you say no. You tell me to stop and then you say go. What kind of fool are you looking for"

Settle down you gret fannies, there's still stuff to play out yet no doubt. It ain't Casanova til it's over

The guff on here man, too much knee jerk to everything put out there, emotion overload!

Fair enough question, it'll force the Prem's hand and they'll need to provide an answer otherwise it's back to looking like they're being deceitful, especially with the letter from Masters.

Erm, it appears to me, for everyone that's suddenly melting over Richard Masters' letter, why are you suddenly taking everything he says in it as gospel? I mean, it doesn't actually say a great deal in the grand scheme of things anyway and is potentially just as much smoke and mirrors as anything anyone else has said previously. Apparently it doesn't take very much to destroy all hope, belief or commitment some have, perhaps they give up too easily. Clearly it's easier than expected to derail the backing of the fans for PIF, the Premier League must be kicking themselves that they didn't put something out sooner and avoid all the social media abuse and letters from MPs.

Martin Samuel = Fat pig

So many negative Nellies on here...

Agreed. Any public sympathy is going to disappear the second the media get a shot of some moron shouting abuse at Masters and his family. What public sympathy? The vast majority of football fans will be on the PL's side if only out of self interest. Agreed, I think most fans of other clubs are missing the distinction between wanting answers from the PL, and wanting the takeover to go through no matter what. The petition is for an explanation and answers. I think the vast majority of us want the takeover to go through no matter what, and I couldn’t give a flying f*** if someone launches a firework at Masters while he’s sat on the bog.

i don't see how that's anyone's problem but his own, besides which, I'm not sure how that excuses him of anything. Though to be fair the organisation as a whole is equally at fault, he's just unlucky enough to be a public focal point. Do I or should I feel any sympathy for him? No, I don't think so.