Abacus

First we're complaining about getting points we shouldn't have. Now we're complaining about not getting points we should have. Come on NO, make your minds up.

Amorin may or may not be good, but he's at a high pressure PL job now and is used to working with a sporting director, presumably, so probably needs that support. Whether Ashworth was the man to do that is a different matter, but it's quite a destabilising thing for them to cut him loose so rapidly. Interesting if we really were after Zirkzee. He's hard to judge as a player right now, but the main thing you'd take from that would be that Man U would obviously have access to our targets and financial situation with him there, which was the main thing I was worried about with him leaving. Well, that and destabilising us for a while by needing to find a successor. Hope he does go to Arsenal next, writes a lovely open letter about how excited he is to be there and then just annoys the hell out of Arteta with his awful wheel banter.

He's 90% coat

And reader, that mate was Christiano Ronaldo. (Just thought that would be a better ending)

Dan has certainly done a good job in messing up two clubs' planning, whilst coming across as a bit of a fool at best with the e-mails. Time for a job at Halfords so he can waffle on about wheels and spokes to his heart's content instead of prancing around football clubs like a clown. On a different note, I'm still not convinced many DOFs do anything much except blame managers and plead for time due to it all being a long term project. As cushy a job as a fourth choice goalkeeper.

The daft thing here is that you should have been able to strengthen your squad more in summer given that you are competing in Europe. That would have benefitted all of the PL by improving coefficients across Europe - the current rules don't just stifle yourselves, but the whole league at the same time.

I'm not sure how much he'll have actually done. Was it not reported that he spent the first 6 months here conducting an audit of where the problems were? Pure speculation, but perhaps the role wasn't what he thought. Or some clash over roles and influence. There was chatter that he didn't like the amount of influence he had here, with either Amanda or Howe etc being more involved than he thought. No idea if that was true, but if so maybe something similar there.

"sold"

Absolutely superb tonight. Going a year without competitive games is quite some thing to work through but he was really ticking today. Between him and Isak for our man of the match.

More repercussions from our summer transfer window I see. Howe and Mitchell had better sort all this out.

If we score more goals than them, I reckon we'll win.

I feel we played ok without being great until the second goal went in. Both goals weren't great defensively but the second really sucked the life out of us. A few flat performances didn't help and I'm not sure what the answer to that is. The subs didn't really work and by the end we could have played all night and still not scored. The last couple of transfer windows have really hurt us - I understand the financial reasons for that, but we're juggling an unbalanced squad around trying to make things fit. A wee bit deflated after that game to be honest, and also with this stop start season with all the international breaks. Tonali not starting or seemingly having a clear role is a bit of a mystery, Barnes being in and out, reliance on Burn since Kelly is a back up really, Gordon not being quite on it, Isak still isolated, not having the benefit of a fit and on form Trippier ... a few things for Howe to look at for sure. But I'm going to have a cup of tea and a biscuit, we're still in the cup and not too far adrift, so there's that.

To leave aside his injury record for a moment, whilst he's an excellent striker when fit I'm just not sure that he fits our style of play now, quite apart from his decline with age. He should have gone a year ago, but we obviously didn't have the money or options to replace him. I do like Osula though, for all the limited minutes he has played. I think he'll be increasingly important as the season goes on whilst Wilson's contract ticks down. If he comes back and chips in with a few goals, great. But sell in January if possible, as well as Miggy and Trippier. And that's no slight on any of those players or what they have brought to the club as I like all of them - they just need to move and we can't use them except as bit part players.

I like the way this debate has been handled by everyone here. SJP means a huge amount to me, it's one of the reasons I came back to Newcastle. Love the place, but if it's time to go, then it's time to go.

There is a mild softening of the rules around benchmarking ATP sponsorships. So, there's a slight positive to this. That's if these rules even stand in any shape or form once inevitably challenged by City. It's a long battle, just frustrating. Think it's best to crack on with the things we can control, like the stadium and being smart in the transfer market.

Confused. I thought a previous regime reckoned that players don't sign based on the state of the training ground.

Absolute monster of a player. Always think of when he was on 5 a-side games in training that everyone wanted him on their side as he was just so competitive, and he just goes all game. Not sure I've seen a player like him before. He won us that today all over the park and it was a deserved goal to put us in the lead.

He's looking straight at it as well. Very poor

Shame for Tonali after the Chelsea game, but I don't see how you could drop anyone after Arsenal. Hopefully he gets some good minutes as a sub later if they're tiring, so happy with that lineup. Expecting a tough one today, but hopefully our confidence is up.

I want to see him with a traffic cone on his head, being pushed down a hill in a rickety shopping trolley.

Oh right, that's why I'm the wrong person to ask then

OK. I'm no longer a long-standing season ticket holder, I gave it up after many years during Benitez's last season. So, to be clear, I'm not who you're asking. I gave mine up because I thought our loyalty was being abused and I also no longer enjoyed going. I do know some longer standing season ticket holders, who still stayed during that period because of their seats etc. We fell out a bit over that Anyway, I think the question, and please correct me if I'm wrong on what you're asking, is that if we moved stadium for the good of the team would you be happy to lose your seat and take pot luck on getting a ticket in the future. And the answer to that would probably be no. Unless I have I gotten the question wrong.

I would, yes

Well I think the question was more about a small relocation rather than a complete move to somewhere else. Which I'm ok with. Thing is, I remember before even going to games and feeling the excitement of that in town, wandering around the city and hearing the roar when we scored. Knowing if we'd won or not, but asking the score anyway. I don't think you can replicate that anywhere else - it made me a lifelong fan and so my first steps into SJP felt like I was stepping into the shoes of people that had lived their whole lives that way. It's sort of what you buy into, come grim times or joy. But then, for the city it is the heartbeat of a whole week. Edit, it's what makes SJP special, it's why it has to keep being bang in the city centre, it's why we go. And I have probably misunderstood the question now

It's not a daft question, and I'm not the person to answer it, since a move a bit back into Leazes park would be ok with me. A complete rebuild at least keeps it at the top of the hill, but I understand that may not be possible with the limited capacity it could likely bring, so if moving a bit is the better option, then fine. I don't support any move out of the city centre, nor to the Arena site. I suppose there is an identity crisis really about what any club really means. Your owners won't usually be local, nor will most of your players. So what are you actually supporting? Just the name of the club, wherever it plays? Bobby Robson answered this all much more eloquently. It's why people are attached to the pitch, the years of walking the same streets to get there, seeing familiar faces on the way, the memories you had watching that piece of grass. If you strip everything else away, and there really is nothing more as players, managers and owners come and go, then that is what you're left with. I guess that's the argument. But yeah, Leazes would work for me.