Hovagod

It was such a bland question, and instead of a glib platitude, he went into a moving monologue. Have to appreciate that.

The main thing is how not nervy the whole thing was. The last time I felt so unconcerned about a game was when Bruce was manager and I didn’t care.

Zero.

This is profoundly sad.

Yeah. I mentioned the other day that one of me overriding memories of being a young football fan is being unable to get into games. It’s such a unnatural way to follow a team- it really is a shit state of affairs. It’s stayed with me- for years and years I bought season tickets purely because of the hovering threat of not being able to get in again if we got good. My sister has two kids who are just about to age to start going and it would be tragic if the same thing happened to them.

If it’s not needed in a year or so something has went drastically wrong.

To be honest, I’m going to be nervous watching Eriksen. I’m sure this is me being an idiot and he’s had all the medical tests and whatnot, but even so, it’s a visceral response that I bet is shared by pretty much anybody that saw the incident live. It will be a really strange one for our players- interested to see how they play it.

Nice to get assurances about relegation not turning off the tap.

To be honest, the prospect of actually getting relegated is barely more sickening than the prospect of the Burnley game being a relegation playoff. Can you imagine that week?

Three.

Newcastle won the lottery. The troubling aspects of it are real and something we need to- and will continue to- discuss amongst ourselves. The contribution of Sunderland fans is welcome of course

A round of fixtures down though.

‘I’m walking home back from the match, it’s finished M.K Dons 2 Sunderland 1, Sunderland 2 M.K. Dons 1.’ - And then he just gave up! He was getting so close. Maybe his Chinese was getting cold.

Thought yesterday was his worst game so far. Offered nowt.

Has there been any suggestion from the club that they’re even thinking about the stadium? Not being rude, just wondering where all this discussion is coming from

Yep, Brentford becomes winnable again

Does anywhere in Newcastle show non-televised matches? Remember it being all the rage about a decade ago

Had I not bought mine back this summer, I honestly think I would be in the same place I was as a kid during the 97/98 season- if not quite hoping for relegation, then at least being acutely aware that it could get me into the season ticket holding boat. I also, genuinely, think I would have enjoyed the takeover a lot less. Think most of us that grew up during the nineties attach a certain desirability, mysticism even, to season tickets, a cache to owning one- hence, possibly, that not very good book and film on the subject.

Aw, let's just keep both of them.

Part of me feels bad for them, I suppose, but then you see one of the posters commenting earnestly on their plight had the username ‘Ashley in!’ and it becomes a bit too easy to imagine the roles reversed.

Remember getting off a train in Milan and seeing that Rafa had left. It was strange, there was an initial sting and then I just sort of told my brain to not be bothered by it. A bit later and we were playing Arsenal with Bruce in charge- my first game in twenty years without a season ticket- and I watched in sheer apathy- like they weren’t even worth boycotting. They beat Man Utd a few months later with a local lad scoring the winner and I was pretty much unmoved. I was watching that game with a bunch of non-Newcastle fans and actually pretended to be chuffed so as to not let them down. On Sunday, I bored myself with how much I cared and had to apologise to the people I was with for being such shocking company. I had to leave the pub and stand outside for a bit when the seven minutes came up at the end

Ah, see, I know what you mean. But as with everything Ashley, Ben Arfa represented a tiny glimmer of hope which, when crushed, was calamitous. With Triprpier, it's a true shame but you can't help but feel like we will be alright whatever happens. We have lost a brilliant player for a while. But we're going to sign fucking loads of them- it's great.

Surely clauses like this are not allowed to exist when you buy the player?

What is his injury record like in general?

Worth noting that in Russia they show the flags. No other premier league club gets that treatment.