TheBrownBottle

We ended up in some magic show one night as the place said they would serve beer. They were asking for €40 a pint, I shit you not. We made our excuses and left …

I always wait until we’ve played these sort of sides twice before asking these questions

Beer from McDonalds in Duomo square - nowt like it …

Geordies know something about it too - I was there in 2003. Groups of Inter hooligans looking for individual or smaller groups of Newcastle supporters to gang up on. Shit their pants when the numbers were close to even.

While I think it’s apparent that Ekitike is likely a bad egg, it doesn’t seem particularly fair to blame the lad for not wanting to move to Frankfurt. PSG signed a contract with him at the end of the day

Southgate’s selections are those of a manager who has been in the job far too long - he’s got favourites at this point

I don’t agree with that in the forum?

I know what you mean, but I’m like a kid at Xmas with this stuff. I bastard love European nights. It’s been far too long.

We can worry about progression in future years as far as I’m concerned. For now, just the excitement of meeting Europe’s elite clubs again is enough. And for those disappointed by the ‘tough’ group - trust me, those of us who went to all our games in the previous seasons we qualified for the CL, the games against the real heavyweights (Barca, Inter, Juve) really were absolute dream games to attend. It makes years of suffering turgid shite worthwhile. While all European games are exciting, you wouldn’t want a European Cup group that could easily feel like a UEFA Cup group

Even if he’s free, it’s still not a tempting offer like. Maybe if he came with a six pack of Carling and twenty bensons they’d get some takers.

Get in! Just saw the group. Fucking corker of a group that. Perfect, just perfect. Every game a beaut

Blackburn in 95/96 should float over these thoughts like Marley’s ghost

Fucking hell man, we’ve played Barcelona four times already in the ECL. (We’ve also played PSV, of course). I wouldn’t complain, but it’s hardly the dream ‘big team’ in the group. Let’s have some new blood to play against

I think you dropped this:

*Fird wownd

Didn’t realise so many would be down about this one. Your best chance of beating Man City is now, not in the later stages when they take it seriously. That’s not to say that they’ll roll over or owt, but it is a home draw. If we get last them then at least Man City & Spurs are already gone.

It’s an open question and he hasn’t had time to prove it - then he isn’t. Yet. Qualifying for the European Cup isn’t elite level. Winning the European Cup is.

While I’m sort of wishing I hadn’t read through some of this, as it is truly depressing, just a point on the Howe ‘elite or non-elite manager’ thing. IMO, Howe is not at the moment an ‘elite’ manager. To be that you win trophies - big ones. But Howe is also the first English manager in decades who I’d be willing to back to become one. The bloke is clearly a top level manager in-waiting. Give him time, lads and lasses - and there will be worse runs than losing back-to-back to Man City & Liverpool down the line.

They’re not comparable. For a start, Robson should have gone - only much earlier than he eventually did. Howe deserves nothing but time at the moment.

Yep. I think the ‘richest club in the world’ bubble just hasn’t popped yet in the minds of some.

We’re three games in ffs. We don’t know what the XI for the season will look like - it may be very different come May

They can not accept it if they want - our turnover will be roughly on par with West Ham for last season. If our ability to spend was on the same footing as the Sky Six, then they’d have a point. Until it is, expectations should be in line with wage bills.

That’s not our call - but I think it would be a poor one by the owners if it occurs.

Probably need more commercial deals to secure that - FFP effectively capped our spend at around £100m. They can talk it up as much as they want - money is what really talks in football

No one is saying ‘aim for 8th’. 8th at a minimum. Anything less than that is a bad season.