TheBrownBottle

I'm firmly in the 'love Rafa, wouldn't want him back as manager though' camp - we've moved on. That doesn't mean I don't hold him in the highest regard - his coming to the club felt like a reminder to both us and the world outside that NUFC is actually a sizeable football club, and not one which 'can't compete with Palace and Southampton' (see another Ashley manager).

Plenty of us have experienced that music before at SJP, you know ...

Yeah, it always seemed an odd one. It's hard to imagine Clarkie making this:

It didn't last too long from memory - both Cole and Clark (who were mates) were linked with moves away in the week after that Southampton game - both missed a cup tie vs Wimbledon midweek - but they both returned the week after vs Wimbledon (with Clark setting Cole up) in the league

Speaking of Clough, he infamously subbed Martin O’Neill in the Charity Shield just after he scored his second goal and was on a hat trick. A pissed off O’Neill asked why he’d been subbed, to which Clough apparently replied ‘because if I had left you on, we’d have needed two balls - one for you, one for everyone else’. That was in 1978 - like I said earlier, players being pissed off with tactical subs is as old as tactical subs!

Hope it comes across that I was joking when I said he should be kicked out It’s all daft tbh. Yes, Gordon’s tantrum was a bit daft and a bit OTT - but he’s a young lad who was just subbed having came on as one, pumped up from playing during a really tense moment in the game, not anticipating the substitution. Ideally, he doesn’t react - but plenty would (I probably would, and then would feel daft afterwards). It is no black mark against his character, and I’ve no doubt that Howe will have had words. It isn’t worth a second’s thought, really.

I’ve said it before on here, but my first preference would be to approach the council re building on the bit of Leazes Park right next to SJP, with a guarantee that once the work is completed the current SJP will be demolished and a new park built on the spot - replete with boating lake etc. Plus a significant investment in other renovations as required.

Sorry, you’re right. Gordon is a cunt and should be kicked out of the club unless he makes a grovelling apology In all seriousness, I never felt KK handled either particularly well. The point I was making was more that these incidents are not the result of modern players being spoilt, but have always occurred, and it is up to the manager how they handle it. People are making massive leaps about Gordon’s character, but they didn’t with Beresford or Clark.

The East Stand used to have them, of course. This to me is why a demolition of the East Stand and Gallowgate would be the way forward if we have to stay at SJP - the best use of the narrow footprint of the East would be to redo it with some seating plus a shitload of corporate. Then have some corporate in the Gallowgate but expand it to ensure you get the extra capacity. It likely wouldn’t increase the ground to 60k, but it would maximise income. The better solution to me is a rebuild elsewhere so that you don’t have to compromise on revenues or income. But I understand why that isn’t popular.

There was only two games left. Beresford started the Charity Shield two months later and remained a regular under Keegan after that. Footballers like a tall tale, Bez in particular is a story teller.

Expanding the Gallowgate isn’t likely to result in significant increases in income - and the problem we’re going to have is always going to be match day revenues. Even with 60k in the ground, we’d be taking a fraction that which Arsenal, Spurs etc do. 8k extra seats in the Gallowgate will only bring in c.£3-4m per season (barring cup games). The relatively small population size combined with low average incomes stops the club from earning what others do. Higher corporate seating revenues is where the money could be made from international money - corporate boxes etc. Spending large sums on the executive areas once we’re reestablished at the top end of the table is where those match day revenues will come into play.

No, his reaction was as outlined by KI. But that doesn’t mean that it was the right reaction, nor the one which would work in 2023.

He was still picking Beresford after that Villa game. He’d have been hard pushed to do that and ignore him at the same time. Different times, of course.

Lee Clark kicked a bucket and John Beresford called the manager a cunt (lip read easily by the viewing public) when Keegan subbed them. Players reacting badly to being subbed tactically is almost as old as tactical substitutions. Gordon overreacted but the readings into his character - or Howe’s thinking - are stretching it.

But that relates to the three years to 21-22. 21-22 was a £70m loss - so by 23-24 we’d only be able to make a £17m loss in each of the seasons 22-23 and 23-24.

That’s quite a leap, ‘The Leap’

100%. It is in the same category as people who get paid to write in national newspapers whining about being a victim of 'cancel culture'.

'BTEC Almiron'? FFS. The lad has barely been here four months - remind me again of Almiron's contribution for the first four seasons of his NUFC career?

Sorry, isn't it even more snowflake-y to worry about perceived slights to 'fans expectations'? Nowt screams privilege more than getting upset because a footballer was mildly irritated about being subbed. Even if the person has been to war.

Yep. He's clearly a student of the game, rather than a clubbable type whose contacts within football and the media have lofted him into a position where he's paid millions to tell other millionaires to 'get stuck in' and make up increasingly nonsensical excuses for his and his team's failures. 'PFM' is not a synonym for English / British manager

I reckon that dogshit pass which cost them knocked £5m off the asking price

They could all retire if it wasn’t for the family dog repeatedly making shit investment decisions

Yeah, it’s still as tight as a ducks arse down there. But Leicester look like they’re in free fall atm.

They’re a yo-yo club returning to the mean. Only Birmingham City have been relegated from the top flight more times - and Leicester will go level if they go down this year. The five years from 2016 were an aberration

Agreed, it’s difficult not to have handball given - though the picture is from the FA’s guidance on Law 12. There is an angle that shows Wilson’s arm does move slightly towards the ball. I feel less aggrieved about the disallowed goal than the pen