TheBrownBottle

They aren’t, like. They’re just another PL club which happens to be vastly more successful - on what terms are they our ‘rivals’?

Liverpool aren’t our rivals, nor are they likely to be any time soon

We’d be comfortably within the limits of PSR - the issue would be how many other players we want to sign (and for what price). Buying Šeško and keeping Isak would be well within PSR.

Yep, Howe’s played this one beautifully

It’s a proper weirdo action. Daft cunts.

Man Utd, Arsenal and Newcastle have chased him this summer - that’s hardly proof that the lad isn’t good enough

We don’t have any proof re the last point - Isak is the one being chased and tapped up. Who would’ve said this about Isak a month or so ago? They’re all ‘mercenaries’, ultimately.

It’s patently obvious at this point that we weren’t after the likes of Pedro as a back up nor is Howe changing our style of play (that always seemed unlikely). We must’ve known this was coming - it just makes Liverpool’s move for Ekitike all the more bizarre - had they left him to us, Isak would likely be at Anfield today.

What else could he say? ‘Nah, I’m fucking off in the summer’?

He’s gone - not sure why there’s even a debate on the matter. I’d be perfectly understanding of the lad’s position - he’ll earn more money and actually win the big pots by moving to a bigger club. I can’t begrudge him that. But I am struggling with the way he’s went about it - he’s soured his time with us by doing it. He likely doesn’t give two shites of course - but as Gilbert Gottfried once said about Pacino and De Niro appearing in shite films ‘their legacy doesn’t mean much to them; but it means something to me’

I’m happy if we sign him if he’s who Howe wants - the bloke hardly has a shite track record. I’ll plumb for that over any of the views on here including my own.

None of them stand a chance vs Tripps’ charms

More than happy to credit them with the Howe appointment More than happy to highlight the failure to progress off the pitch

No, plenty have noticed that there is a real problem at the club, and Howe and the team’s performance has been papering over it.

Overpaying for players who’ve scored goals in Portugal is exactly the route I’d avoid

I never thought that the current team would stay together, regardless of how competently we were run. If the ownership are serious about where we’re going to, then this was always version 1.4. Version 2.0 was never likely to have many of the same players - we’ve bought with an eye to extracting maximum value from the squad’s eventual sale.

👍 all good mate

It started before Mitchell made those comments, when the players were in a training camp in Germany and Howe was being linked with the England job. It strikes me as the mildest of criticisms to suggest that Howe - being head of the transfer committee - might just have some responsibility for who is targeted and signing those players. If we'd signed them, would everyone be saying 'great, we've signed Pedro, Ekitike and Trafford - but Howe should be given zero credit for that, that's down to others'? If they signed my first choices they'd have a shot at the title, that doesn't mean signing those players would be realistic or viable.

He wasn’t exactly welcoming https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/sep/13/howe-hits-back-at-claims-newcastles-transfer-strategy-not-fit-for-purpose I think Howe‘s record on transfers is first class - easily the best I’ve seen at NUFC. But I don’t think that he can get credit for that and remain completely blameless when things don’t work out. That hardly means that he should have vitriol poured on him, only that he is accountable for some of what is happening. And if the window ends and we have several new signings and hit the ground running, he should be given full credit - but the current shitshow isn’t happening to him, he’s part of it.

He was - the manager shouldn’t have a say in who is appointed DoF. But there was a power play last summer before Mitchell had his name on his office door

Howe was publicly critical before Mitchell had his arse on his seat Mitchell is a wanker, and it’s important that Howe has a say in transfers. But Howe isn’t squeaky clean on what’s happening at the moment - he’s got the power he wanted, and at the moment we’re making a mess of it

Isak felt like a big gamble to me

What the fuck does ‘pursuing’ mean. It’s not a hunt - you like a player, you make a bid. That part isn’t rocket science.

I don’t think anyone is - he is a tit. And so is Ashworth. But the point is that Howe chased the men who were appointed to sort this shit out for him; and now it’s on him and his nephew to negotiate. So far they’re not exactly doing a bang-up job.

We’re taking so long with this that I can guarantee they’ll move to have stadium repayments included - once the cartel have built / redeveloped theirs