TheBrownBottle

Agreed. It isn’t so much a one-off purple patch so much as a rich vein of form. He’s a solid PL player playing with now in-form top rank players and he’s looking all the better for it. His form and the team’s form are linked insomuch as he’s been a part of that but he’s not the driving force behind it. The lad needs some slack cut. He’s one of us, and I bastard love it when one of us gets to live our childhood fantasies and smash one in when wearing the B&W.

Effectively Cumbria and N Yorks gets added to that catchment area as well as the borders - unless Berwick, Carlisle, the Smoggies or Mackems suddenly become successful. I don’t think our catchment area is limited to Nland and Durham.

I’d build as big as the site allows. You simply close off upper tiers for early cup games against lower league opposition. A successful (as in winning things) NUFC sells out 80k for me - provided pricing is reasonable. With a massive ground, you can milk the corporate but also hold say 15k tickets in the upper tiers for low income supporters. 60-65k keeps it as it is - it locks out huge swathes of low income supporters. It’s meant to be the people’s game.

Re loan or staying - I’m happy to let Howe make the call, it will likely be right. I was one of those scratching my head re Hall last season, and Howe made me look a right twat on that one (I’m happy he did!). In terms of developing players he’s the best I’ve seen at SJP. I’m confident he’ll know what’s best for the lad.

He’s better than Longstaff and Anderson were at that age, but he isn’t better than either of them at present. He wouldn’t start ahead of them.

Smith was an excellent young forward at Leeds, where he won most of his caps - he was well worth all of them. He didn’t win any being a shit midfielder for us.

I’d rather have 5,000 empty seats vs Fulham than 15,000 locked out vs Man Utd

He’s raw as buggery. The lad might well develop into a top player but he wasn’t close to it last season - not meant to be a criticism, as he was 16/17 in all fairness. Hope he does develop, but the last thing he needs is ludicrous expectations from the support - most of these kids do not end up going on to be the second coming.

Henry played CF with Bergkamp behind him from the moment he joined Arsenal - he was Anelka’s replacement. Juventus previously pushed him onto the wing because they had Del Piero, Inzaghi and Fonseca available to play central.

Is there such a thing as ‘assist of the season’?

I’m going to go contrary to: i) NUFC away form last 12 months or so; ii) NUFC history in these types of matches and iii) NUFC Xmas form generally. I’m going for a breezy 4-1 to us. Isak brace.

Great sentiment until they unsettle their clients. No excuses for not paying the bills. We agreed to pay; we should pay

Excluding Champions League and LC semis (as they’re both home and away so redundant), and including Bromley in the FAC, since the takeover we’ve had nine home ties and nine away ties in the cups. So we aren’t ’always drawn at home’. You’d think they’d know this, seeing as we actually pulled them out of the cup away only last season. But I would understand if they’re desperate to forget that - I haven’t, though

Arsenal will (correctly) be favourites, but we’ve every chance of going through, especially with the second leg at home. Can’t wait tbh.

You think that Spurs having an income fully one third higher than Arsenal isn’t incredible financial performances? What in the last 15 years leads you to conclude that this would be completely expected? edit: in fact, ignore me. This will go round in circles I suspect.

No, it is still incredible. It isn’t hyperbole. Spurs are outperforming their own status in the capital, so of course it is incredible how far ahead they are of us. Arsenal are about £180m ahead on revenue, Spurs are around £360m ahead. About fifteen years ago we were roughly level pegging. It is incredible performance whatever the comparator.

Historically, Arsenal are London’s biggest and most successful club - but I absolutely take your point. It would be a hard argument to make that Spurs are bigger than either of them.

Jesus, not sure how many ways I have to explain this. Yes, being in London gives an economic advantage to clubs there. Yes, Spurs have always been a big club. Yes, Spurs being a big club from London means they’re likely to have a high turnover. But it does not explain how Spurs find themselves to be - by a comfortable margin - the richest club in London. Arsenal are bigger and more successful. Chelsea are the most successful English club of the 21st Century and have a much bigger worldwide fanbase. You argued that my use of the adjective ‘incredible’ when talking about Spurs’ financial performance was nonsense because it could be easily explained by them being in London. I point out that if this was the case then why are two more successful and arguably bigger clubs in London so far behind them financially.

I’m not moving the goalposts. You said that Spurs are in that financial position because they’re a big club in London. I pointed out that a bigger, more successful club in London which has similar crowds has a turnover closer to ours than Spurs. I was pointing out that ‘Spurs are in London and are big so that is the answer’ is flawed.

Their income is £200m more than Arsenal’s - who last I checked: - play in London - are probably the biggest club in the city - have won fucktons more than Spurs - also have a relatively new stadium That’s why.

Tbf I don’t like people being accused of being ‘happy clappers’ - I don’t like ‘personalising’ these sort of discussions. They’re only a fan’s view of a player - no-one’s view is any more valid than anyone else’s . Nowt wrong with disagreeing over an assessment of a player (nor of singing the lad’s praises). Almiron’s grafted his bollocks off on pretty much every occasion I’ve seen him play. I think he’s a good pro and clearly enjoys playing football (and for us). I sort of wish he’d just been sold in 2023 and left on a real high - it was one of the real success stories of the beginning of Howe’s tenure.

Given the choice, no-one would be selling any of our best players, and we’d be talking about adding a GK, RCB, RW and kicking on. PSR is causing the discussion, nothing else.

They were - 15 years is a long time. And again, Spurs were in the ‘big five’ of the PL breakaway, but by the mid-00s they absolutely were not financial heavyweights. It took Ashley for them to get past us in that regard - even when they had started finishing above us. That their revenue is now more than double ours is incredible, really.

I think selling in January would be shite timing especially with a LC SF waiting - unless Man City put an insane (£90m+) bid on the table, in which case we’d be daft not to. Seems unlikely to me. If we’re selling it should be in the summer (unless of course there is a couple of top players earmarked for Jan with the money).

Ok - yeah I wouldn’t be selling him for that tbf