Dr Jinx

Didn’t even notice! I’d say everyone including the VAR people were just appreciating the strike

What a goal by Southampton just now!!

That’s just Staveleys company NCUK Investment Limited was another important one too as that has Yasir Alrumayyan listed as a director. Also the Reuben Brothers have RB Sports & Media. There’ll be nothing happening in those until there’s a breakthrough with the PL

I’d call what’s going on as a game of chess at the moment by the legal team. They might have expected to lose today’s verdict, the victory might be that the information is now in the public domain. Things inevitably leak out. If the PL have been dishonest in how they’ve conducted themselves there might be more to come out where they will eventually decide it’s not worth playing all of this out, as even if the proceedings are not going to be public, the ruling will be.

I don’t believe the PL have accused the buyers or the sellers or violating the rules of the o&d’s test. Also at this point I don’t even believe they rejected it out of hand. The sticking point was getting KSA (or MBS) listed as a director. It never moved on from that point. Any NUFC fan trying to reason that PIF is not under control by KSA is clutching at straws and to be honest, Mike Ashley probably was too by hiring that legal team, they are basically arguing semantics. If they win it’ll be on the technicality of wording. Or, and again tin foil hat time, the other two on the arbitration panel, both have political ties, NUFC’s nominee Lord Neuberger was brought in by Conservative Ken Clarke whereas the PL’s choice was brought in by Jack Straw. Some lobbying by KSA/PIF could be useful, corrupt yes but that’s the game they’re playing.

I don't personally interpret it in that way; strictly speaking, the O&D Test which was applied to our takeover ceased to continue when the Saudis withdrew. So, at present, there's nothing that the establishment can 'conspire to block'. What I still don't fully understand about arbitration is with regards to what it's actually seeking to achieve. Are NUFC trying to prove that the EPL were influenced by external pressures and/or used delay tactics, and therefore acted unlawfully? Or are NUFC trying to prove that the EPL has no good reason to dispute the arguments regarding separation of PIF and KSA? Or both? If the latter of those two contentions was determined in NUFC's/PIF's favour, then the takeover would presumably be wrapped up, regardless of which way the first one went. Having read the email exchanges between Beloff, Bird & Bird and the other arbitrator put forward by the PL, it’s clear that the advice given by Beloff in 2017 contains something they do not want revelead at any cost. In fact, the information that comes to light in this case cannot be made public at all. It does appear that there is more at play for the PL in this than just the takeover. It’s an odd thing for the PL to argue so strongly for unless there has been some sort of collusion. If it’s as open and shut as they claim it to be, what on earth could come out that would be so damaging to them? And based on today’s learning, the arbitration is about the conclusion of naming KSA as a director. NUFC want this resolved so that the rest of the test is carried out. Basically if KSA is named, the takeover will not go ahead as it opens the test up to all sorts of other issues. If they can prove that PIF are a separate entity, everything becomes very straight forward. In fact, the only thing blocking it would be relegation and even that’s up for debate.

I think today this has cleared up a few things, I think the need for two threads is pointless at this point. Can they be merged, or the other deleted? If you read the full rulings, there’s 50 times more info to digest than all of the Twitter itk bollocks on the other thread. It’s good news that PIF are still at the table, De Marco couldn’t be arguing on their behalf if they hadn’t given some input. So there is optimism. The bad news is that the establishment are conspiring to block this still. That’s the reality. I think both can live on the same thread?

If course it isn't. He hasn't lost cases, but he'll have lost judgments as part of cases he ended up winning. What do you think he is like Mr Perfect? Could also be argued this is simply a manoeuvre, which is backed up by the fact its been made public. The chairman now has the question of bias hanging over him, not just in proceedings but publically. The HUGE problem people seem to be ignoring is the fact that it's pretty obvious that PIF are controlled by MBS and piracy is still an outstanding issue. People who claim "as if he'll be ringing the manager telling him to drop the left back" are completely missing the point. Until piracy is resolved this is going nowhere. I agree. And to be honest, it’s hard to argue against the reasoning for the PL to include KSA as a director (or person with controlling influence) What they should have done all along was to set up a separate entity that PIF invested in that had its own board. They were a bit naive to think given everything going on that this would be waved through.

The most interesting thing there was the Premier League being highly motivated to keep his advice private in relation to the 2017 amendments of the o&d’s test. There could potentially be a whole septic tank of corruption in those documents, designed to keep the status quo intact.

This has been happening before Jones ever came in, take the ASM story from last year as a point. The leak about Darlow is interesting because the only people who would have discussed dropping players and team selection were the 3 Steve’s, maybe Lascelles might be included but I doubt it. I reckon the players know he’s been leaking stuff to his preferred reporters and in turn they have no issue letting the likes of Hope know about outrageous training ground incidents. It looks like a situation that is beyond repair.

What an absolute silage heap.

Was confused for a second cos I read Bruce as a verb and couldn't work out what it meant. Like they all went up like "Right, if things don't change around here we're all gonna Bruce". It's like voguing but with more shoulder & bacon. “Can’t find the rosemary?”

Lascelles only said a few months ago that he talks everything through with Ritchie, that he’s involved in all the things a captain should be. It came across that he had as much or even more influence in the squad as the captain. The thought of Bruce and all of his 26+ stone trying to shoulder barge one of the smallest players in the squad just shows what a pathetic bully he is. Constantly scheming away in his head about who he’s going to lay the blame on next. It wouldn’t surprise me if Charnley has tried to sack him and Bruce just kept interrupting him. “ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT, LEE?”

Why would he get a cut when it was Carr who did all the hard work on getting those frenchies in.

Unless Rafa has indicated he would come back, and even in that unlikely scenario, it’s possibly too late now. Relegation is probably 70% nailed on at this point. Even if both us and Fulham don’t score another point before the last game of the season, I think they’d beat us in the last game and stay up on goal difference.

He wouldn't even have got sacked had it not been for Benítez making contact IIRC. No, it’s not how that went down. It was by pure chance, the club had been speaking with his agent about forming a list of managerial options (should they pull the trigger on McClaren) and the agent brought up Rafa as one of those options. Lee Charnley wouldn’t have dreamed of landing someone like that given the clubs reputation. Rafa wouldn’t actively put himself in the picture to get someone else sacked.

I can’t say this whole debacle has been in any way good for my mental health, being fixated on this good news that never happens, it takes it's toll. The only people who have done well off this are the journalists. It’s given them a licence to stay relevant without having to do any actual journalism. I include Caulkin in this too.

If this takeover were in any way close what sort of pieces of shit would these potential owners be to not intervene in some way and try and influence Mike Ashley to protect the club from his own decisions. “Please sack Steve Bruce.. here is a voluntary contribution to pay the wages of an actual decent manager between now and when we take over” A few million, peanuts to them but would have made the world of difference to supporters in having to put up with this shit for so long.

Domestically though, they have to be up there with the best we’ve seen? 100 & 98 point title winning seasons, first team to ever win the domestic treble, even in their ‘dip’ year they finished 2nd by a mile, and look like at least the domestic treble and an easy title win is on the cards again. I think Liverpool were going to be their only real test and once they were crippled the league wasn’t too much of a competition. The rest of the euro places this year are the closest in years. Will be interesting to see how deep the pockets of Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool are if they don’t make top 4 this season.

Wolves were good in that second half, City just soaked it all up, didn’t lose their nerve and put them to the sword in the end. As good as they have been though, this season will only be a success if they can do it in the CL

? that’s cheered me up

Everything to do with this “takeover” is absolutely cringey right now. I hope that Keith Lemon chap can afford whatever he’s spunked on that legal nonsense because he’ll be getting nout from Mandy now her Barclays meal ticket has sailed. We all made a lot of assumptions about what the Saudis plans were for the club, like they would throw money at the situation to succeed, we never considered that they might not do that which could have been equally as likely. Just a punt like they made with Uber and other investments that they dipped in and out of just as quick. Let’s face it, aside from Mike Ashley looking for compensation from the PL we’ve had absolutely no proof that the consortium are negotiating with him again. Zero. Again all assumptions from jaded supporters who are akin to the pilgrims going to Lourdes each year hoping their cancer might be cured. It’s as grim as that. The takeover as it is or was only exists now in the ramblings of a bunch of male Karen’s on Twitter. We should want nothing to do with it. Stop giving them the attention and the bullshit will stop. Maybe one day we’ll wake up to a story that it’s all done but right now all we have is a club that’s in limbo, with (mostly) detestable people from top to bottom (the owner, boardroom, manager, coaches and playing staff) It needs burning to the ground with a wicker man in the middle of the pitch for said detestables.

I think this morning it’s actually dawning on people now that we’re going down. A few have been in denial for the last few weeks but there’s no way to shine any positivity on it now. ASM out, and even when he’s back it’ll take him a few games to get into his stride. Has Almiron been injured yet since he’s been here? He’s been kicked about yes but we don’t have a gauge on how he’ll return. Same with Wilson, he’s going to lack sharpness. Where are the goals coming from? We had a better chance with the squad we had in 2016

The inactivity in trying to protect PL status is significant I think. Two ways of looking at it, the legal stuff is going ahead but going to take another year to sort out. Mike Ashley doesn’t care about relegation as he thinks anyone with a pulse could bring this club back up. (Showing his lack of regard for both Rafa and Hughton) Or.. and get your tin foil hat on. The legal stuff is going nowhere so the club are deliberately moving down a division to take the decision away from the PL and for a much easier test.

By the time they and Wilson are back it might be too late by then. I’ve thought for weeks now that the goal difference between us and Fulham will come into play by last day of season. We could be 3 points down needing a 6-0 win.