TheBrownBottle

Gordon is better than Murphy, who is the one likely to be displaced from the squad in his favour. Gordon might start or might not, but Howe and Ashworth appear to want him, and that really should be enough. I think too many have assumed a bit too much about the players we’re likely to bring in and how much we’re likely to spend, and it’s leading to unnecessary disappointment. The model has been made pretty clear as far as I’m concerned; Chelsea has shown that FFP is meaningless, and PIF aren’t chucking silly money about like them - they could have spent vast sums and not been hit by it to date. The club is going to be built sustainably, with young players with potential brought in to develop with the club and the manager. Over the coming years, the commercial revenues will increase year on year with more and more favourable sponsorship deals - I’m willing to bet on companies from KSA with no ‘direct’ link to PIF to avoid being hit with the rule book (but let’s face it, any company in KSA will want the govt onside). It’s not a vanity project nor is it ‘sportswashing’ in the same way as Abu Dhabi or Qatar. It’s an combination of genuine investment and a pursuit of soft power. They spent so much last Jan to protect their investment. They won’t want do it again; hopefully they will never have to. Funnily enough, it’s the model Ashley once proposed, only on steroids and well-run. Sounds good to me.

Look, I’m sure we’re all agreed that his going on strike shows his character not to be up to scratch. I mean, what sort of man would go on strike at Everton - his boyhood club - to sign for Newcastle? Disgrace. Shows he wouldn’t be a good fit. https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-speed-goes-on-strike-to-press-claim-for-transfer-1141775.html?amp Oh. Forgot about that.

Rednecks in Deliverance more like

Loving the ship hitting the iceberg out of the window. It’s like a badly drawn Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker still - something different on every viewing

They did, we didn’t. And those two votes were the first declared; Newcastle first, Mackems second. Sunderland is pretty much seen as the ‘Brexit town’, being first to declare.

Newcastle didn’t vote Brexit, whatever the rest of the region did.

They absolutely are - and while a Wembley defeat for NUFC would of course amuse them briefly, the depression would quickly sink back in when they remember we’re well ahead of schedule and they’ll need to get used to this on a regular basis. It is therefore probably best we win it this year, for their sake. Why defer the stress and pain?

I think what both of you had written is true; I absolutely think you’re right that Howe’s style is to be loyal to a side which hasn’t lost, but also I think it’s likely that Nine’s point re impact sub is true also

He looked good after he came on. Nowt would make me happier than seeing him find a place in the side - the lad has talent. Fitness, rather than attitude, is more of a worry to me. The lad breaks down more than a ‘70s Lada

I’m one of those defending the Gordon signing. Perfectly happy for him to sign. It was a joke, though I find the transfer guru types irritating

I was only taking the piss. But the detail they go in to is complete bollocks - they’re being fed by agents, not the money men.

I know, but I just find him and the other Twitter twats tiresome. Like any of them have a clue

‘Hi, Bill - it’s Farhad. Listen, I know we wanted £55m, but could you make sure you let Jacque Talbot from the Twitter know I’m actually prepared to accept less. Yeah, I know it would probably best not to reveal our negotiating strategy to a desperate twat on Twitter who lies for likes and retweets, but I feel it’s important that we feed him info. You work in theatre, you’ll understand. Probably’.

I’ll do them in chronological order - I’ll only include the ones where I was there: 1) Kelly’s volley vs Portsmouth in ‘92 2) The entire pre-match and first half vs Leicester in ‘93 3) Cole’s 40th vs Villa in ‘94 4) Peter Beardsley. Just generally; pick a goal. From 93-97 5) Shearer signing 6) The 5-0 vs Man Utd 7) Asprilla’s goal in the second 4-3 vs Liverpool. Convinced this is the one of the best goals I’ve ever seen in the flesh, no idea why others don’t see it the same way; Ginola’s ball and Asprilla’s stretching volley were pure sex 8) Forest 5-0 last day; Newcastle qualify for Champions League, Mackems and smoggies relegated 9) Ketsbaia’s last gasp equaliser (winner) vs Croatia Zagreb 10) Barcelona 3-2 11) Sheff Utd semi - Shearer’s goal 12) Rob Lee’s goal at Wembley 13) Robert’s glorious debut vs the smoggies in ‘01, and my continuing quest to fall in love too easily with silky-skilled left wingers from France playing in B&W. Thauvin didn’t give me enough time, the tease 14) Robert’s goal at Highbury to put us top - ‘01 15) Nobby’s winner in the 4-3 at Leeds a week later 16) Bellamy’s winner in De Kuip - genuine blackout moment, woke up in a massive pile-on in the away end 17) Shearer’s goals in the San Siro - same as 15) 18) Robert’s thunderbastards vs Spurs 19) Shearer’s final touch in football; the pen vs the mackems 20) Ritchie’s winner vs Burton; the only time I broke my self-imposed exile from Ashley’s SJP as it was just before I was due to emigrate and wanted to go to SJP one last time. After eight years away, it’s easy to forget just how exciting a live match is. Plenty since my Ashley-driven self-imposed exile and later actual exile from emigrating - but all on TV, no less sweet but they somehow always lack the visceral quality of being there

We all claim to have been at the Gillingham game in ‘87 according to every Mackem I’ve met

Could be worse - 16-year-old me ended up on the as a big picture on the back page of the Journal on the Monday after the Arsenal final, face burnt luminous pink from the drenching sunshine. Never expected anything but a defeat that day, but it still hurt like buggery - but there is no part of me that wishes we weren’t there. I’d encourage everyone to just enjoy it if we make it to the final - they’re the days you dream of as a kid; league titles are won on wet dark nights in Watford, cups are won at Wembley. Nothing else like it.

That’s not a moon, it’s a computer generated image to make you think that there is a moon, which was created so that the Americans could pretend to land on it, in order to put the willies up the Russians and the Chinese

It’s unfortunately completely normal for supporters to question ‘one of their own’ more than others whether doing well or doing shite. NUFC’s support has done it for as long as I can remember - holding our own to higher standards.

I’d take that, but it’s beyond unlikely I reckon

Yeah, I agree - and the ‘offered by NUFC on loan’ thing is clearly bollocks, and is the biggest red flag imaginable that this is completely made up. There’s no way Howe agrees to let ASM go in this window

Trust me, if the poster saw us lose to Bedford in the FA Cup, they’ve been watching long enough to not want to jinx it

I could see it happening in the summer, but we’d be bastard mad to let ASM go at the moment

I know where you’re coming from, but I’m not sure. Historically, they’re a lower league side on average - that they had the brief period of unimaginable success is down to the genius of Clough and Taylor.

Paying in instalments has no bearing on FFP

Sod that there’s no guarantee against either side, but we’ve got a much better chance of beating Forest at Wembley