TheBrownBottle

As a general principle, it being a bad thing seems difficult to dispute to me. We also wouldn’t need it if others had not been funded in a similar way.

I’m still going to take the piss tbh. But I’ve no time at all for any aggressive crack. Teddy seems ok to me - I wouldn’t want to see anyone chased away. Maybe a separate pisstake thread is necessary so that semi-sensible SAFC discussions can take place

Fair enough, all. Genuinely I’m not trying to be an arse about it. I normally like owners to set out their vision for the club, but understand that this isn’t an everyday ownership

No, I don’t think that of course. No worries from me at all. I just don’t think we sit as high in the priority list as some assumed, and now some are realising that with KSA clubs funded by PIF actively enriching and bailing rival clubs out of the shit.

Does anybody else find PIF’s general lack of visibility at NUFC curious? They appear to have no involvement in day-to-day running of the club at all. If this was a super important vehicle for them, then it seems a reasonable bet that they would want their own people more involved. Personally, I think that tells its own story. But that’s probably just me.

Yes, that’s how I read it too. It doesn’t at all mean he’s contradicting Caulkin.

I’m not seeing that tbh. What PIF is doing re the KSA league has nowt to do with us, nor is there any obvious net benefit to us - and ultimately money talks with agents. They’re spending money to improve their own league ahead of a WC bid. There is actually the potential for this to be a negative for us, given that there are no FFP restrictions on the KSA league and therefore they can chuck as much as they want at it. Who needs to worry about a far away European league when you could just spend the cash at home? Particularly given the headaches so far from the PL.

I’m struggling to give a shite about online polls being skewed tbh. And I’m also struggling to see the humour in skewing them.

No, they’re bona fide middle class Tories. Hurst happily blathered on about being a Tory to the FT.

I completely agree that racism towards black players or people generally is not a ‘black people problem’, but it is a problem if white people are the ones who determine what is and is not racism. Just take a look at the reaction in Spain re what happened to Vini Jr and you have to ask what the reaction of those journalists would be if they weren’t white

Veron and Di Maria were ill-suited to English football. They were slower than Hugo Viana’s granny. Veron proved that by moving to London and still being not great. That’s not to say they weren’t good footballers - of course they were. But just like Hugo Viana’s granny’s grandson, the pace of the game in England isn’t suited to all players at all times.

I remember the same arguments about Milner. Doesn’t offer much, runs around a bit, no end product, etc etc etc. The constant sniping at the lad is ludicrous. Loads just didn’t want him in the first place - fair enough - but this all looks like a desire for him to flop so that they don’t feel daft.

Ravanelli swapped European champions Juventus and Turin for Middlesbrough once upon a time. Money talks - always has.

Just felt a weird pang of nostalgic pain there. Christ, the Ashley era was depressing.

It’s clearly been leaked at the NUFC end. It’s NE journalists breaking the story, not Italian journalists or London ones. It just makes the club look unprofessional when it’s so clearly an internal leak

He’s an oddball. He posts like a teenager on Facebook. Trolling and then talking about downtime from posting. You’re an adult ffs, you glakey get

I’ve always been a fan of getting the toughest games out of the way first. Do well and it’s a hell of a platform to kick on.

You’re right, the subeditor does the ‘clickbait’ headlines. Doesn’t stop people having a pop at the hack, but if I was one I’d be kicking the subeditor under the bus constantly. Edwards clearly has someone who talks at the club. And whoever that person is, I wish they’d shut the fuck up. Transfers like this one are far less likely to succeed if they’re leaked to the press too early.

Law always sits above a contract

And Pickford's mam used to sit next to me in the Leazes.

Jordan’s a secret mag. Pass it on.

Agreed. There is an odd assumption from many that we’ve now broken into the big boys’ club. We’re still a fair distance from the Sky Six revenue-wise, never mind competing for the top honours. Spurs are still a bigger club in that regard - it is worth remembering that they finished 8th but could easily have finished higher and that is considered a bad season. I still think our target should be 8th or higher next season.

I wish Jesus would stop telling cranks to be cunts. It’s bad crack

Durham is ancient and beautiful and was hopelessly situated to be an industrial centre following the industrial revolution. Which is why it is still ancient and beautiful with the population to match. Sunderland, being where it was, was well placed as a coal port and of course as a place where ships could be built. It still has a town rather than a city feel (as does Newcastle in many ways). The big difference for me is that Newcastle clearly has heritage which pre-dates the industrial revolution. And also isn’t a shithole populated by bitter, orc-like bastards

Yeah, agreed. He’d be the big summer signing I’d think. I’ve got the feeling that we’ve moved on from Maddison after the bid last summer.