TheBrownBottle

I can’t get overly riled about this if it happens. It’s Man Utd, it’s only the DoF, and I haven’t been left impressed by his only summer transfer window. The players selected by Howe & the scouts last year look like better fits than Ashworth’s. I do think that football is capable of over inflating just how lovely and great competent administrators are. When Ashworth described his role in an interview - that he’s a facilitator and a delegator - it didn’t exactly make me think that those skills are irreplaceable.

Will a PhD in stats help as a DoF? I can see how it would be useful in data analysis.

Yeah, I agree. They can’t achieve what they said they want to by simply ‘doing it the right way’. There is a ceiling coming up - a very hard ceiling. A well-run NUFC is absolutely capable of top six / seven finishes consistently. If they’re wanting to win titles and European Cups, they’re not getting there via small steps. The club would need consistent financial doping - and as long as they toe every line which has been set for them in terms of commercials and FFP there is no way to catch up.

I said it earlier, but there is no way Radcliffe pays £2bn for a minority stake without the freedom being talked about re the day-to-day running of the club. It looks like the Glazers would be silent partners and beneficiaries of the increased revenues coming their way. An ambitious Man Utd is a bigger and more ambitious project - they’d be looking to win European Cups and titles and be the world’s biggest club. Not sure how you can be more ambitious than that.

Anyone who thinks that very well paid specialists are not held to account for decisions that cost super-wealthy clients lots of money and face - irrespective of how fair it is - has never worked for a super-wealthy client.

We won’t persuade each other on this one, of course. But the League Cup exists because of the unusual way that English football’s governing bodies were set up - the FA and the Football League are of course separate entities. And the Football League has been fucked over enough by the breakaway PL - done entirely for reasons of greed. I don’t see why the Football League should be further dicked over. I’m 100% with you on giving the FA Cup a CL place, BTW. English football of course did try to have a fourth cup competition, but it really didn’t work, no-one could be persuaded to care about the ZDS Cup

PS who gives a shite if other countries have it or not. It’s of zero consequence.

Well, no other European countries except France, Portugal …

Steve Bruce managed only three games fewer than Eddie Howe. And yes, I think it isn’t a completely fair comparison re games won due to the difference in investment and attractiveness of the club. But given had the same number of games as Howe, why were we still watching Joelinton and Almiron being shite, Longstaff being a glorified water carrier, and Fabian Schar being sat in the reserves with the manager picking Ciaran Clark ahead of him?

Spurs have won one trophy in 30 years despite multiple CL qualifications - and still having a much higher income. And that LC win 2008 came before they were qualifying for the CL - multiple qualifications has done nowt for their trophy cabinet. I do think folks are far too confident about the inevitability of trophy wins. It certainly isn’t something that we should just leave for another day.

Having fewer opportunities to actually win things so that the accountants are kept sweet doesn’t seem like a good idea at all to me - it sounds like exactly the sort of thinking which has damaged the FA Cup and League Cup and UEFA Cup, and saw the Cup Winners Cup abolished. I’ve no sympathy with those who sneer at competitions (the actual point of competitive sport) - and we’re definitely in no position to do it. I didn’t dream of Newcastle finishing 4th as a kid - which is when most find their love of the game - I dreamed of seeing us win at Wembley. No bairn fantasising about playing for Newcastle is playing for CL qualification in their head.

It’s higher than finishing 4th in terms of hierarchy. I can remember League Cup winners far easier than I remember who finished 4th

QFs / SFs is usually when the big boys start playing something like full strength teams. I’m fully expecting Chelsea to field a strong line-up - and hopefully we will too. Game could go either way of course - but I think we’ll do it. And if Liverpool are put out by West Ham - which isn’t a ridiculous notion - suddenly we’d be favourites with the bookies to win a trophy for the first time since 1996 (as far as I can recollect - don’t remember us being the favourites for owt in the intervening years).

That’s a funny way of pronouncing ‘bitch’ …

Have to take you up on that last one. No-one is winning in that photo. No-one.

Remember, they’re not racists. Just because they promote hatred and fear of anyone who doesn’t look like them or dress like them doesn’t make them a racist. Nor does sharing racist memes on the internet.

I think the flag is a Mackem one, just with the FLA logo printed on it

You can’t be racist if you say you’re ‘not being racist’. It’s like saying skinchies for bigots

Yeah, I know. Was just imagining what the daft cunts actually talk about

Must get boring after five minutes, given that you can’t say anything anymore. They must just sit and stare at each because of that.

Far right group - basically Tommy Robinson clones. Here’s a lovely picture of a meeting between NUFC and SAFC racist wankers, a beautiful moment of truce to get pissed and rant together about the real enemy - wearing appropriate clothing outdoors. I think it’s lovely that those barriers can be broken so that everyone can be happy and racist together. Starring that cunt with the NUFC tat on his belly, the one who isn’t Beefy

Excellent. Set a reminder on my phone. Can’t tell if I should’ve been more aware, or if Newcastle hasn’t done the greatest job of letting the world know. God knows I get enough junk emails from them.

I only just realised that NUFC’s official YouTube channel is streaming some of the women’s matches. Baaaals. Anyone know if they’re streaming the Halifax match? I’ll happily watch the matches when they’re on.

Lovely stuff. The price tag would be terrifying, but it’s not my money …