TheBrownBottle

Tbf I don’t think they’re doing it deliberately - but we are suffering from a negative externality as a result. I also think it would be reasonable for them to prioritise the KSA league - it’s their money, after all. That doesn’t mean that they’re actively seeking to harm us - I don’t doubt that they want this to be a success.

They haven’t ploughed £350m into the first team, though. The club brings in money, too. I’m sure the numbers will be out there re cash put in, but it won’t be close to £350m.

You’re comparing market figures for those players with the inflated fees and wages being offered by clubs in KSA. No European club is going to offer anything like what is being offered for Salah, given his age

They’re prioritising because clearly those ludicrously inflated fees have a negative effect on NUFC, given they’re handing money to our rivals. It’s their money and it makes sense they’d prioritise their own teams, tbf.

I had to look it up after reading this I didn’t have a clue who we were playing either. I hate the international breaks - especially this one, always just as the season gets going.

It would be buttons. Al-Shabab aren’t owned by the PIF - they don’t have megabucks to spend.

I don’t even think it’ll be PIF insisting - it’ll be Castore and other NUFC board members wanting to lickspittle them. Like anticipating what an emperor wants for their birthday.

‘A simple game complicated by idiots’

It’s funny how that whistle posse / colosseum / new monkey wank doesn’t sound any different from when I first heard it quarter of a century ago.

I don’t think football managers always rely on teaching and tailoring the message tbf. Sometimes it is just about a cold hard bollocking - a calling out or a shaming. It isn’t the same working environment as what the rest of us face on a daily basis.

I don’t think I’d describe Bruno or Isak as having it if Gordon doesn’t. Gordon has the deceptive intelligence to buy fouls and trick opposition players.

Love how the footballing intelligence of the English players has already been assessed when three of them haven’t even started a match yet. How the fuck could you know if they ‘lack guile’ until you’ve actually watched them play a bit? edit: it’s three of them. Ffs

I’m lending our dog, Jeff, to a Sheff Wed fan I know.

Swap Gordon and Almiron, drop Almiron? This is why these aren’t my calls of course

He always looked far better LW

My view re the summer spend is that Howe would have been given assurances, given that two-thirds of the budget was spent on players for the future. If the expectation was top four, he’d have been crackers to not jump up and down and demand that it all be spent on first teamers. There will be a plan, and these are just bumps in the road.

Then we need the no1 income in the league. At the moment we’re roughly on par with West Ham. Adding £35m in shirt and sleeve sponsorship is chicken feed in PL terms.

You don’t know that though. There is zero evidence for it.

Then we’ve got ourselves some bad owners - that would be an unbelievably fucking stupid thing to do

100%. Look at our starting XI - a lot of that side need coached and drilled into being top performers. Isak, Bruno, Trippier and Tonali are the only ones who a top six side would contemplate buying for their first XI. We’re still early into a rebuild. Patience is necessary.

I think a few need to calm down a bit. We lost away to a really good side - it’s nowhere near panic stations yet. Unless of course you’re expecting us to challenge for the title, in which case panic away you delusional knacker

Agreed, looked much better at LW with Willock behind him, so that he’d just drop in when Willock pushed forward. I don’t think he looks at his best just as a MF

Eddie needs to take a leaf out of Joe Kinnear's book, who could if I remember correctly 'get on the blower' to Arsene Wenger or Alex Ferguson any day of the week. Look at how good being able to get on blowers to better managers make you.