TheBrownBottle

Graham Arnold's done a pretty decent job to date - I think he's entitled to not select young'uns who've not pulled up any trees to date. If Kuol is good enough, then there's plenty of years ahead in his career to win boatloads of caps.

It is cold, hard facts not the 'Ashley mindset'. The club has a smaller income than Spurs, but plenty on here think we can spend like Man City without consequence. We. Can't. Fucking. Spend. Like. Them. The quicker you get it into your skulls and stop thinking that the club isn't limited by FFP, the less pissed off you'll all be at the end of every transfer window. It is this sort of delusional attitude that sees people grumble about Dan Burn getting contract extensions, or Dummett and Ritchie still being in the squad. If we could spend what we want, do you think any of that previous sentence would be written?

BBC Archive clip re North East football featuring Brian Clough, Lawrie ‘Barbican’ McMenemy and John Gibson looking resplendent

Haha that’s fucking great

The old west being called the Milburn is more recent than my birth. A rebuilt East stand in particular would need a new name.

There’s a general lack of clarity on that tbf. Though if it is meant to be the possessive then it definitely should be pronounced ‘Sint Jameziz’, regardless of whether or not there is an ‘ or an ‘s. If only English had a genitive form …

Yep. Given, Solano, Ferguson, Dyer, Speed, Shearer, Lee etc Gullit was sacked in August - there was plenty of time left

I know where you’re coming from - but this club doesn’t exist in its modern form without KK. He was more than a manager & former player. I’ve said it before, but this is the club that Kevin built.

It’s a wee bit different. BR took over one of the world’s richest clubs, we also were by absolutely no means certain to go down. It’s hard to make that claim given he came in in September. We also qualified for Europe in 11 of 14 seasons before Ashley rocked up - it wasn’t exactly unusual.

‘Pricks’ I seem to remember them being called for their criticism of Mick Wadsworth The timing of his dismissal was much more of an issue than his dismissal. And Shepherd thinking he needed a ‘hard man’ to sort out a problematic dressing room compounded the issue. It is though hard to imagine Howe signing the players we signed during that era - so many were talented but not of the best character. And it isn’t a modern thing - Brian Clough infamously used to check if a player was a ‘boozer, birder, or liked a bet’ …

Apropos of nowt, I still do find it odd that there is a Bobby Robson statue. He was a good manager for us, no doubt there. His statue at at Ipswich makes sense. Not at SJP.

Balls to a statue - I still say rename the East Stand. Or have both.

Hopped onto 90min - looks more like the most in-form players in the world based on the start to the season, not the best. https://www.90min.com/posts/best-footballers-in-the-world-2023-24-ranked

He’ll only turn the other cheek. Easiest slap ever.

Honestly, I’m perplexed at the criticism of this lad’s contract extension. Those who still think that PIF are going to break FFP and sign a load of £80, 90, 100m players - you’re going to be waiting a long time, lads and lasses.

Maldini is the greatest LB of all time, and in the running for the greatest defender ever. The comparison isn’t a fair one I’m happy to let Howe decide when to blood a 19-year-old defender.

John Simpson’s job is safe I reckon

The notion of moving Leazes Terrace brick by brick is fucking insane. Just wouldn’t fly - and neither should it. Neither would the owners pay for it. Absolutely bonkers.

Christ, I learned that he likes saying ‘I’ a lot, he speaks to lots of people who tell him nowt, and it is somehow possible to mispronounce ‘Leazes’

In my heed, World Cups need to be held in warm countries with a strong football heritage, preferably where the stadiums have running tracks, and the TV reception is slightly fuzzy. Spain / Portugal / Morocco is a good fit for this (apart from the fuzzy TV bit). England / the British Isles - not so much.

Steve Bruce doing convincing Duke Nukem cosplay there

Haha yep, the accuracy of the pictures isn’t always the greatest

A giant cat chases a terrified Kurt Zouma

Glenn Hoddle shouts abuse at a man in a wheelchair, while Eileen Drewery watches on and applauds

Kieron Dyer smoking a cigar made of banknotes ...