TheBrownBottle

Players like ASM are very useful for lower half table sides, as a team set up to counter loves having an ASM. Watching him run at a panicking, back-pedalling defence was always great fun. He can ‘dance’, and those players are always fun to watch. But he isn’t a top level player, and now we are a very good side and as teams sit off us, his usefulness diminishes. And then frustration kicks in, as he sets off on runs from the middle of the pitch into a bank of eight defenders. The player he reminds me most of when he does that is Ketsbaia - ASM is a more talented dribbler, but the outcome was usually the same. I do think that sometimes the idea of ASM outweighs the actuality.

Got you Compilation videos of player seems an odd one for N-O to want to take down, but it isn’t my rulebook I suppose

No, you should take it down immediately (I’m joking!)

Yeah, I just watched that earlier. Cleary is the best of the NUFC YouTube pundits for me

Honestly, I’m ok with that. I’m just not keen on it being seen as some sort of cosmic injustice. Nowt wrong with not wanting to see ASM leave because you enjoy watching him play.

There is liking a player, there is not wanting him to leave, and then there is suggesting that there is an injustice to him not fulfilling his destiny of playing CL football for NUFC. First two make perfect sense to me - the latter, not a bit of it. He’s not being dragged from the club kicking and screaming after having the thing he’d worked so hard to achieve snatched away from him. He’s off to earn stupendous money in a league where his output won’t be criticised. Sounds like a dream ticket to me.

And you don’t have to reply to me if my comments irritate you either. For someone who complained about gatekeeping this looks an awful lot like gatekeeping. ‘Don’t comment if I don’t agree’.

God, I hate logic

It’s not a dig only at the poster - it’s the volume of this guff. Do you see the man in my avatar? He is the best player I’ve ever seen in a B&W shirt, and most of my vintage would likely say the same. But I’ve never heard anyone get sad about the fact that Peter Beardsley left the same season we qualified for the CL the first time. ASM had little role in us qualifying for the CL. Some heed-shaking needs to take place. It’s not quite the same as rocking up to a random funeral and saying ‘who’s the cunt in the coffin, then?’

I’m not gatekeeping - I’m also expressing an opinion. And that opinion is that some of the stuff I’ve seen around ASM’s departure is just odd to me. This isn’t a player who scored in every round of the cup being dropped for the final - it’s a player who scored one goal last season having his apparent destiny snatched away. Fucking hell man, ASM isn’t even close to the best NUFC players I’ve seen who didn’t play CL football.

I have to say I’m not seeing the sadness like. He played intermittently well for us - and was hardly a key part in NUFC qualifying last season. He had two years under Bruce where he was a relief to the mediocrity and boredom - he’s hardly a long term servant of the club. This isn’t Rob Lee leaving after nearly a decade with us on the cusp of being good again.

I know I’m getting old because I all of these transfer fees just seem utterly mental to me. And all modern music sounds the same. Cracking player though - every time I’ve seen him he looked excellent. I’d assumed he’d join a Sky six side when I’ve seen him - but we’re in that group now

Cracking win for NZ that

NZ don’t seem familiar with the concept of time-wasting …

Scott Sellars was a superb left winger who was unfortunately blighted by injury who was an effective player in an excellent side. ASM sits below Sellars in the LW pecking order every time for me. Fox was a very good player who blew hot & cold. He was one of my favourites when he was here, though.

I agree, though on ASM I actually think he had his least effective games vs deep defences. I don’t think the lad could do much when they stood off. He’s an excellent counter attacking player to have

I think you’ve nailed it in the last sentence

I’ve plenty of criticisms of the KSA state ownership, but I have to say preferring to invest in their own football clubs rather than someone else’s is pretty much bottom of the list (quite apart from the fact that KSA clubs are not curtailed by FFP)

Love goalscoring wingers, me

Neves and Diaby aren’t deadwood tbf

We’ll get £50m+ for players worth £50m+ ASM is clearly available. So we can look forward to all that bidding for the lad. And if there isn’t a bidding war, then there’s your actual value.

FFP doesn’t work like that. ASM wouldn’t be funding Barnes.

AKA Steve Wraith with a journalism diploma

No we can’t. We literally cannot. Fuck me no wonder some on here are going to be foaming in September.

Honestly, I wish some would spend a few minutes not whining on Internet forums and actually read up on FF fucking P. And that doesn’t even account for the fact that ASM isn’t a top-rank footballer, and clearly Howe doesn’t fancy him. And I’m far more inclined to go with the manager’s judgement than some bloke on the internet who enjoys ASM mad skillz vids on YouTube to 200bpm radgetastic new monkey dance gash.