Kid Icarus

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.

Does a state and a private organisation being different things still need to be explained. How many times is that now?

Greg's one of the soundest people you'd ever wish to meet and individually has done more organising in terms of trying to get the fan-base steered in the right direction and to get Ashley out than most of this forum combined. This deal is getting people in a right state like.

Think Rafa said he was a character to have around didn't he? When he played he wasn't bad either iirc, just obviously lacking pace.

Obviously Owen and Duff are objectively better footballers than say Xisco and Cabella, but Owen and Duff were enough of a combined disgrace to earn their places.

All played in the Ashley era Jak Alnwick Geremi Sol Campbell David Rozenhal Gabriel Obertan Alan Smith Jack Colback Damien Duff Emmanuel Riviere Michael Owen Luuk De Jong

Disgusting lack of Michael Owen tbh.

The number of countries who have murdered journalists is quite short - and the list of those who have dismembered journalists shorter still. Let's not p*ss on our legs and say it's raining. I’d argue that the 2007 video that Wikileaks put out of the Americans killing several journalists and civilians and laughing about it was equally as chilling. The USA and the UK for that matter have far more blood on their hands than Saudi do overall. So let’s not sit up on some moral high horse. I’m not saying we should condone any of it by the way, we shouldn’t, but if you’re going to criticise one nation right now you should also be able to turn that magnifying glass on others too. None of the other nations are buying us. If they were you'd see exactly the same objection to it from exactly the same people. You might be right, but technically we aren't being bought by a nation, it's an investment fund which is co-buying NUFC alongside the Ruebens and Staveley's firm. You could quite rightly argue that this is just technical waffle, but then you could question Man City's and Chelsea's ownerships as well. By all means we can have protests, but this has been going on for so long now, it is barely worth bothering about for most of us. Man City and Chelsea's ownership has been questioned plenty of times. I agree on the very last part though, I don't think anyone's intending to stage a protest where they're representing about 2% of the fan base though. I was just replying to make the point that whichever other comparatively bad regime you want to choose, the same objections would still be there if they were in to buy us.

The number of countries who have murdered journalists is quite short - and the list of those who have dismembered journalists shorter still. Let's not p*ss on our legs and say it's raining. I’d argue that the 2007 video that Wikileaks put out of the Americans killing several journalists and civilians and laughing about it was equally as chilling. The USA and the UK for that matter have far more blood on their hands than Saudi do overall. So let’s not sit up on some moral high horse. I’m not saying we should condone any of it by the way, we shouldn’t, but if you’re going to criticise one nation right now you should also be able to turn that magnifying glass on others too. None of the other nations are buying us. If they were you'd see exactly the same objection to it from exactly the same people.

Has the bit in bold been suggested btw? I didn't see it if it has. There'll never ever be protests like, even those against it know it would be a complete waste of time and energy. Si mentioned protesting in an earlier message, was responding to that. Must have missed it.

Has the bit in bold been suggested btw? I didn't see it if it has. There'll never ever be protests like, even those against it know it would be a complete waste of time and energy.

Is Si not allowed to have principles without having to roll out his alternative manifesto like?

I doubt you’d get the result you’re hoping for. Depends on what you think I'm hoping for. I think most people on this thread Would know what result you’d hope for. I honestly don't think you do like, but never mind.

Maybe in your own world, wouldn’t take a genius to know what the result to be. I agree. Tell that to those who reckon the appetite for this takeover is more about getting rid of Ashley than it is about being owned by the Saudi state.