TheBrownBottle

We've got no data on how vulnerable Howe is at the moment - he's the only managerial appointment the current ownership has made. Oddly enough I thought we looked poor at the start of the season and were grinding out results, now we're playing better and dropping points. I wasn't expecting us to pick up points today, which is probably a bit troubling. We're 8th after eight games, which I think is ok - and I do think that serious questions should only get asked after another ten games or so; half a season will be enough to tell if we've stalled in a bad way. The squad seems stagnant though - I'm one of those who wouldn't have been at all troubled by seeing a 'purple' or two leave in the summer, provided the FFP headroom was actually used. I'm not at all convinced that simply clinging onto your best players at the time and not adding to them is a policy likely to result in real success. All players are ultimately sellable. My biggest concerns with Howe at the moment would be whether or not he actually has a plan B (beyond 'intensity is our identity', which made us so vulnerable to the injury problems of last season) and whether or not he's cutthroat enough to become an elite manager.

We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one

Everything you’ve said I agree with 100% - including VE (the QS blight on modern cities) ‘Here’s your three pricing options’ I hear myself saying like the dodgy architect in Aug Wiedersehen, Pet Actually I don’t anymore because I’m now a civils QS - so those calls no longer matter. But the old BB - definitely

The Garden of Friendship was just outside my first flat over here in Darling Harbour Ex-Mrs BB got a job out west, so out west we went. I don’t miss living there. Honestly. Seriously.

Apologies, it is a thing of beauty

For clarity I live in Sydney these days, and the shimmering towers are stunning at night - either in Darling Harbour or the Rocks. It’s an awesome sight But it is context that counts - Newcastle will never have those shimmering towers. But it has one of the outstanding city centres in the UK (and fuck yes I’m biased - but it’s also true!). Again, NUFC should be a city centre club. But that involves an element of sacrifice to the city’s aesthetics. Other opinions exist

New Eldon Square is a long standing act of cultural vandalism for which T Dan Smith was never adequately punished. See also the destruction of the various streets and arcades the corrupt fucker destroyed. Rant owa

Excellent I’m cursed with the knowledge of how much sandstone builds cost £/m2, so I understand why they’re not built - usually because my profession will stick its tongue in its cheek and go ‘it’ll cost you’. When what I really want to say is ‘go for it you mad bastard’

Haha aye fair enough. I think architecture can be awe-inspiring and impressive - but beauty is something else altogether. Maybe I’ve been a QS too long - I’ve heard too many architects talking about their ‘vision’ and been irritated by listening to that shite

Stephen Fry once summed aesthetics up quite well for me - he said that beautiful buildings look like they’ve been pulled up from the earth instead of plonked on top of it Newcastle’s Georgian city centre looks like it’s been hewn from the earth. SJP looks like it has been plonked on top of it

Yep, totally agree. And that Northumbrian light yellow sandstone that makes up huge swathes of Newcastle city centre is just beautiful. Those views don’t need a concrete and glass behemoth looming in the background. I’m definitely not advocating a move out of the city centre (it is where the club should be), but to me its presence there is a necessary sacrifice on the city’s aesthetics rather than the ‘cathedral on the hill’ patter

I agree, and I tend to with most of the things you write on here mate - just can’t agree re the Ashley vs ESL thing

In all honestly you could stick the San Siro at Gallowgate (still my favourite ground I’ve been to with NUFC) and I’d still think it was a blight on the landscape of the city. Just personal taste

Have to disagree. Ashley was a bad owner, a super league rips up a century and a half of history and wrests clubs from their communities

The Sun isn’t the only red top with a glorious history in that dept …

I didn’t die in Flanders Fields to see a Jorman manage England

Champion - good appointment this one

He’s talking about the vaunted investment into the region, not the football club. And he’s right.

Don’t see how there’s an argument against it. It’s precisely what was threatened to be lost when the takeover was on ice. There’s been precious little so far - and it doesn’t take three years to invest in an area.

I agree mate, just saying that short term greed was behind the PL breakaway, it is the same motivations again for a ESL

It’s why we have a PL not a Division One anymore

Most people would agree I think that NUFC haven’t hit the ground running, and we look out of form at the moment. We’ve lost one game in seven in the PL, and every side we’ve played would walk the second division at a canter. I wouldn’t swap them for anyone. Love having them as rivals.

I always thought SJP was a bit of an eyesore tbh - Newcastle has one of the most beautiful city centres in the country. A pile of concrete, steel and glass shouldn’t be towering over it. An 80k SOL replica doesn’t actually leave us much better off. The point would be to increase commercial revenues, not try and sell an extra 30k cheap seats.

He never played no. 10 for any club or side in his career. He was a centre mid, just a painfully slow one - Robson ended up pushing him out wide on the left. I remember watching the U21 Euros in 2002 when he'd signed - he scored against England when they played our side off the park; but me and the two mates watching it just scratched our heads thinking that he looked like he'd have the same issues Veron had.

Can’t see him applying at all. I could see an approach, though.