TheBrownBottle

The Gallowgate troughs are burned into my memory bank. Never did quite get my sense of smell fully back

I think it’s more the building up of an administrator into someone who is irreplaceable. Just because what Ashley did was shite, doesn’t mean we need to fawn over what follows. The ‘let’s do what Ashley did then’ stuff is daft.

The govt can enact any legislation they like, ultimately. Including amendments or new legislation providing opt-outs and protections for some sectors - including sports. Post-Brexit, they are in a position to do this without external considerations.

‘That was some canny faggots and peas, mutha’

It definitely is. Plenty of us just aren’t rude enough to point this out every 5 bloody minutes.

I think it was the recently deceased Henry Kissinger who said that student politics were so vicious precisely because the stakes were so small. The derby has had plenty of games where the same applies - they are a shitload more important when there’s little else going on. This being an FA Cup games ups the stakes again for me.

Man Utd offer him a deal and he’ll be off. Can hardly be too upset about it - there isn’t a future that exists where we’re bigger than Man Utd. Given FFP restrictions, it’s going to be hard enough becoming bigger than Spurs.

I have to watch Only Fools and Horses with the subtitles on, me.

The head physio - who’s just left - was an Ashworth appointment. Not exactly a confidence builder.

The govt has already came out talking about changing UK commercial legislation following the UEFA case. There is a chance that this gap gets plugged soon.

I don’t think you even need to be NDM to see that it’s uncompetitive practice. It was always an obvious potential breach of commercial law. The ‘retain and transfer’ system was an obvious restraint of trade for the best part of a century until Eastham took NUFC to court. As was the holding of player’s registration until Jean-Marc Bosman took the Belgian FA to court. It doesn’t require NDM to point this stuff out. The issue for me is that this isn’t being done with the good of the game in mind - just as the ‘Super League’ wankers weren’t with UEFA. The outcome to that was obvious too - but I fail to see how a lot of this helps. Reform and control, not Thatcherite ‘let the markets run rampant’, is what football needs.

No, you’re absolutely right. Interest payable to debt is calculated as part of FFP - so it does have an impact. But this is where having ‘sugar daddy’ owners is an advantage - the cost of building a stadium and new training facility isn’t an FFP concern, provided you haven’t taken out a bank loan to do it. I’m working on the assumption that PIF would avoid these by paying from their own funds - which is one way that having a rich owner allows you to get around elements of FFP.

FMV being decided by other clubs is the dodgiest part of all of it for me.

Yep. It’s interesting that there is a view out there that Ashley ‘helped’ with our FFP due to being a tight fisted cunt. The opposite is true; we had to spend a fortune to avoid relegation, he neglected the youth set-up, and were still lumbered with average players for wages well above their market value on contracts which were ludicrously long-term.

Football rules re transfer fees would have a good chance of running aground vs employment law. There’s lots of elements which run contrary to likely adjudication, but are left in place because to remove them would likely cause chaos. I don’t want unfettered capitalism to ruin the game. I also don’t think most NUFC fans are arguing for this other than their own self-interest. Chelsea and Man City escalated fees and wages with their OTT spending sprees. FFP is a good thing - but it needs reform and needs to be independent of the PL. Out of control spending damages the game all the way down - it pulls up drawbridges and causes clubs to go ‘pop’ if they dare to try and compete - which is the entire purpose of a sport.

Howe isn’t there yet on the tactics attributes etc either. That doesn’t mean he won’t get there, but I don’t think it’s arguable that his tactical shortcomings have been exposed somewhat - he’s ploughed on with the same playing styles irrespective of injuries, fixture congestion, and opponents. If past experience is owt to go by, I’m sure he’ll be back to the drawing board when the season ends.

No, because it’s not about money in the bank. FFP is entirely about turnover vs ‘front of house’ football costs. So wages for players, transfer fees, agent fees, signing on fees etc - these are what are counted in terms of outgoings. Stadium costs, training ground costs, admin costs - these are deducted. A club could run up huge losses, covered by the owners, and not be hit by FFP - provided that the losses are not direct football costs, but indirect.

It won’t in terms of cash flow - though it will have an impact within the three year rolling period. But the important thing is that from next season, 21/22 drops off the books, and next year our income should be a lot higher than it was for 21/22. It is absolutely worth using up whatever remains in the FFP for this season - that £70m loss from the final Ashley season drop off at the end of June.

Their one-way rivalry used to get them animated - still would if we were in the same division. It never quite worked for me, though Middlesbrough away always felt more dangerous.

He’s likely finally worked out that this also impacts his beloved West ‘Aaaaaam. They can never compete, even if a crazy multibillionaire takes over

We used to lose away to the smoggies constantly, too. I can remember that the 3-0 loss there in the early ‘90s meant it had been nearly 30 years since we’d won in MBoro. For point of comparison, I was 26 when we lost away to Sunderland for the first time in my lifetime.

Being in Europe does attract players - as well as helping in keeping good ones at the club. I’m not sure that assuming that Bruno, Isak, Botman etc are happy to simply write off a season - and Europe next season - is the right course of action. The FA Cup means that, at the moment, there is everything to play for - we weren’t going to win the PL, and we’re unlikely to any time soon. The FA Cup should be taken deadly seriously.

It is a beautiful part of the world. Can’t forget the image of that moment when you first see that shimmering town on the banks of the Tees:

I thought it was classic dubravka tbh. He made a lot of good saves - and quite a few he should have made in any case. He was my MOTM, though it could be argued he could do better with the first. Classic Dubravka is also doing this inconsistently. He always was - he’d have a good game and a couple of mediocre / bad games. It’s showing up more now because we’re not a shite team aiming to be a mediocre one.

Those whistle-stop tours of Cleveland were great fun … especially having to put the cans away due to the escort. They were delusional in any case if they thought anyone would be wandering around the Riverside looking for a local pub. Rough as guts that place.