Kid Icarus

The torturous patter that has to be endured whenever you're waiting around for a Newcastle announcement on here and Twitter.

There's a Success at what cost thread that went over this when it looked like it was going ahead last year. It would probably be talked about more if it didn't mean going over old ground and pissing on everyone's cornflakes when we're all at least unified in being delighted that Ashley's going.

and she's just bought a pair of massive knockers. Whatever happens after this, Ashley finally going is going to be so weird but hopefully as incredible as we always thought it would be.

Kind of the point, the other CL teams in Ligue 1 aren't competing at the same standard as those clubs. All have won the CL or got to the CL final very recently.

Man City have Man United, Chelsea, and Liverpool bringing in the same level of players and playing at the same level year after year. Both clubs are cut from the same cloth, but they're not competing in anywhere near the same context.

They're both grotesque, but I do think there are some differences in competitiveness and the level of quality and spending power of the clubs around them. The only thing that really matters to me though is that being English, I obviously care more about the Premier League and watching Messi playing over here would have been incredible. He'd have single handedly got me watching 2 more Newcastle matches than I would have.

Not really adding much, but in the conversations I've had over the years about Messi hypothetically leaving Barca, it was always agreed that him going to PSG was the most pointless worst case scenario. No idea why Man City aren't moving heaven and earth to try and get him. Wouldn't even care how extremely top-sided it would make the league, seeing him play in the Premier League would be a dream come true.

Totally get why Spinazolla is in there, but that feels extremely harsh on Shaw. I'd probably have him up there in contention for player of the tournament not just in the team of the tournament. Lukaku being in there is very odd.

Can only imagine that it's because they know how well they're admired amongst the general public and in their communities without all of the media noise. Knowing that people like Darren Grimes are on the right wing grift in a way that's familiar to them through their experiences with shit like TalkSport probably helps as well. In some very specific ways, we really do live in a different era now for the better - as scummy, hypocritical, and pandering as the sun is for doing it, they're more or less forced to put out a 'we've got your back' headline because that's the nations mood now and we're all paying attention over the next few days.

Mad to think what Messi could have won with Argentina with a moment going the other way here or there or with Higuain finishing properly. It could have been 3 Copa Americas and a World Cup I think. Great to see him finally get one with Argentina which is probably a weird way to look at it when it's a team sport, but he's had so much 'hasn't done it with Argentina' noncesense for years that its good to see that one ticked off the list. It seems fitting that it was probably the worst performance I've seen him have in a final that ended up being the one where they won. Am I right in thinking that the World Cup is now the only trophy he's been in contention for that he hasn't won?

All of it's haunting me like. It feels like a match that had about 10x more 'ifs' than usual.

Donnarumma Walker Bonucci Maguire Shaw Veratti Pedri Forsberg Sterling Schick Chiesa

As time goes on this feels more and more devastating and a massive opportunity missed. Italy were the better team overall, but I look back on our first 45 minutes and Italy's chances created with all the possession they did have overall and wonder exactly what the hell happened and try to wrap my head around most of the decisions Southgate made. What changed where there was a need for England to change their approach from the first half? It felt like, aside from being a little too direct when on the ball, we were in control and limiting Italy to pointless possession, wayward passes/crosses, and pot-shots from distance. So the approach to our play seemed to change and Italy dominated possession and started looking more threatening - but even then, did they really have to turn it up to 11? It didn't feel like it and aside from the equaliser I can't think of any really huge chances or sustained pressure. It felt like we decided to hold out for 1-0 and then when it went to 1-1 it felt like we were holding out for 1-1, really disappointing to see after the first half and we were worse for it. Mason Mount, who I really like, has played 180 minutes in the last two matches and done more or less nothing. Sterling was completely out on his feet at the end and was kept on only to not take a pen, Rashford and Sancho not getting a chance to get a feel for the game before pens and who probably should have been on earlier anyway. Just the raft of unused or completely underused talent on the bench - Grealish and Sancho in particular. The pen choices and giving 5th pen to a 19 year old in a European Cup Final felt like Southgate was acting out some sort of abused to abuser PTSD fantasy. It's very hard to be critical, Southgate's record speaks for itself and for all we know we'd continue to be nowhere without him having nurtured the unbelievable team spirit and togetherness these players have, but similar to Chris Hughton and the 'group of lads' we had in the Championship it's hard to know how much of that success is down to him or the group. That aside though, his philosophy with player selections and team cohesion are his and are really good and welcomed, so you do maybe have to take the rough with the smooth, especially considering it got England to a final, but it's hard not to ignore his decisions which have baffled even through the victories tbh. It really does feel like he fucked it yesterday tbh and that takes absolutely nothing away from him having got us there in the first place or the great work he's done, it just feels like such a missed opportunity and really disappointing.

Pretty relieved tbh. Opinions differ and all that, but I really didn't want someone like that anywhere near the club and the city, whatever the temptations were. Absolutely shit, dragged out bollocks without fans being told a single thing as usual though, which is typical of how all fans are treated across football. Disgraceful.

I think I said this last time, but David Squires has always been political like. Just off the top of my head, the Dead Flag Blues and Poppygate ones came right at the start of his time at the Guardian. I've no idea why he's viewed as having become more political, but it could be because he's (imo) been a bit more inconsistent with how funny his comics are because he nearly always leans on the same sort of jokes and cultural references every time.

This reminds me, have the media and the papers in particular stayed away from Sterling? I might have just missed it, but it seems that that's been the case since he told them to fuck off and most people agreed. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Rashford did the same, he seems like he's got his head screwed on.

That's not the point, it's about some (particularly on Twitter) maybe needing to take a step back and think about what the way they're going on. Yes, his name is Miguel. Wey don't say no one inside the bubble never said anything.

It would be if the 'defensive' part wasn't completely over the top and the 'comes after' bit wasn't at the most WUMery.

Aye, Delaney has been objective and professional in his coverage throughout.. It's just this goddamn NUFC bubble, distorting our perceptions. But thankfully, not yours kisearch - you remain the real winner in this quest for superiority. That's exactly what it is though. You're telling me that he's said something worthy of the way people are going on? Or that the same Newcastle fans who have been going around trying to get him sacked, looking for ideological inconsistency in his work, and who just generally want him to shut up and go away are all otherwise supporters of cancel culture? This entire deal is NUFC exceptionalism to a lot of people, never mind spats with journos, so I can't see how anyone can imply being in the NUFC bubble hasn't distorted perceptions.

NUFC fans hanging around a court case which has nothing to do with the club is one thing, but a sports journalist who's doing the same just to bait fans is fucking pathetic. But he's not obsessed and he needs defending from the nasty toon fans. I don't think he needs defending, I'm just saying that it's not him that's seen as being this, that, and the other outside of our NUFC bubble. Well you've come in attacking the fans which is very much a roundabout way of defending him. He's a cunt playing a cunts trick and has been throughout. He's had a lot of stick and tbh, its now fully deserved. He baits, gets personal, doesn't answer valid questions and blocks those who wind him up in return. He stalks anything NUFC (such as court cases of a prospective owner and antagonises with childish comments) and regurgitates it moulded in to what fits his agenda against the fans and club. It used to be about the takeover, that ship has sailed, its now personal, but it was him who forced it down that route. Who outside the NUFC bubble thinks him baiting the fans is fair play? Either fans of other clubs or journo's with the same shite patter than him are excluded as to their biased. I've seen the likes of Caulkin take him to town on his comments, was quite funny as he couldn't just brush him off or block him like he does with others. I dunno, I think calling what I said attacking is kind of what I'm getting at in terms of the over-the-top siege mentality that's taking over with this deal. The amount of energy being wasted on trying to invalidate and in some cases cancel a journalist must be emotionally exhausting.

That's not the point, it's about some (particularly on Twitter) maybe needing to take a step back and think about what the way they're going on.

NUFC fans hanging around a court case which has nothing to do with the club is one thing, but a sports journalist who's doing the same just to bait fans is fucking pathetic. But he's not obsessed and he needs defending from the nasty toon fans. I don't think he needs defending, I'm just saying that it's not him that's seen as being this, that, and the other outside of our NUFC bubble.

I'm not sure whether people realise that outside of the NUFC bubble it's not him that looks deranged either like.