TheBrownBottle

I think it’s the opposite - we need players in those positions who can finish more than anything; the midfield and two of our defenders create a hell of a lot of chances - and not one of our wingers is a particularly convincing finisher (Miggy purple patch aside). A good finisher on the wing in this side bags 15+ goals if they stay fit, easily. Wilson and Isak don’t need a tricky winger whipping crosses onto the foreheads constantly.

Loved it in 2003 - I didn’t get the ‘shit hole’ vibe at all. Same with Milan - though obviously the mass piss-up in Duomo square was were most spent their time. Getting ‘Peter Andre’ to dance, etc.

Yeah, that looks about right to me

We’ve got very little FFP wiggle room this year - and wages vs turnover are also high. I reckon the club will try and offload at least a couple of players towards the end of the window - once we’ve brought in our targets.

The criticism of signing Barnes - if he does - is bizarre for me. The lad is a good player, and potentially better than what we have. If ASM stays, great. If he’s sold, then that’s the choice of the manager and DoF - both of whom have my full trust. I’ve never been particularly clingy to individual players - it is all down to what’s best for the club.

Joelinton played all his best football LW last season.

Just on the Shearer / Chiesa injury comparison, it’s worth remembering that when Shearer came back after half a season in 97/98 he looked miles off the pace for the rest of that campaign. He scored only two league goals - against teams that would end up relegated. He started scoring regularly again the following year though - and did more or less until he retired (despite more surgery in 2001). Chiesa being less sharp than previous might not mean that he can’t still do the business

? Yeah, sorry mate He was up there with the Ronaldos, Batitstutas and Weahs of the world prior to that injury. Sadly not afterwards. He was still international class, mind. Also, I know I was pissed at the San Siro that night - but I must have been sozzled to have missed Shearer’s third

Yeah, I know what you mean - both him and Maddison could be just that. But we’ll soon find out - I think it’s a good signing tbh

Yeah, goals are a good thing

You might be right. But I won’t be watching the Saudi league to find out.

It’s a good player for a good price if true. ASM sale looks likely if true

No, I’m with you on that. I’ve seen lots of comments re Joelinton-Bruno-Tonali, but Joelinton looks a lot better LW for me

No, he really wasn’t. The Shearer we signed and had in 96/97 never returned after that injury. It is testament to his ability and his strength of character that he changed his game and remained an excellent PL striker. But he wasn’t one of the world’s great centre forwards after 97.

Not after his ‘92 injury, but his cruciate injury in ‘97 completely changed him as a player. He was never world class again after that

Used to play with Chiesa’s dad, of course

Round my way it was a verb which meant 'to strike / to hit' tbh: 'that cunt twokked me kets, so ah ploated the fucka'.

I've never met anyone who doesn't say 'Leeziz'. What part of deepest darkest Durham is the bloke from? Or is it one of those Northumbrian pit yakker villages where the vowels are all fucked. Like Ershingtin.

Embarrassing what 'journalists' do these days. 'Here's an article on what some cunts said on twitter'. How much to these fuckers get paid these days? It has to be buttons. No-one is paying a proper wage for this shite.

People say that, but I use cunt on a daily basis, and sometimes I even use it affectionately. Though not Pardew et al - they’re cunts There are other words to describe people perjoratively which I’d never use though. QED George Carlin was wrong re seven words

You’re right, it is - but this year is the first when the Ashley era penny-pinching doesn’t help us. 21/22 saw us spend a lot in January and run up losses; we spent a lot last season too, and revenues would be up via finishing 4th but not enough to make up for the shite commercials left by Ashley. So having two relatively high-spending years vs income in the last two seasons means we’re a bit stuffed by FFP this year; but happily next season (24/25) that big spend to save us in Jan 22 will drop off the books, and the increases in commercials will really come into play. But it’s why it will take time - I reckon we won’t see full ‘gloves off’ spending competing with the big boys until the last years of this decade.

Future revenue won’t help, as the three-year FFP window is the problem. This is the third ‘takeover season’ - so you’ve got 21/22, 22/23 and 23/24 - we spent large sums in the previous two seasons and racked up losses. So this season our spending is limited by this. There’s no chance that we spend £200m net without being smashed on FFP

Yep, and it is the lack of sales which also screws us on FFP. The profit would be: ASM sale price - remaining FFP amortisation = profit. So the sale of any player late into their amortised contract would be a hefty boost.

Because Disney isn’t majority owned by PIF and isn’t being used as a political vehicle? F1, golf and boxing are closer to what KSA have with NUFC - and they all receive criticism and negative press attention.

I'm not sure what I make of this one. The FA is losing money, so the demand that they pay more hardly seems reasonable - regardless of the players feeling 'aggrieved' (and there is also the issue for me of whether or not a player should be paid large sums for representative matches generally - I'm not particularly sympathetic when similar stories emerge re the mens' WC, either). Demanding more than the FA actually receives is hardly a cogent argument for being underpaid. Also, if players are to receive payment, FIFA's model of all players receiving the same amount irrespective of nationality seems pretty egalitarian to me. Though this is tempered by the fact that the women's game is underfunded by the TV companies, based upon viewing figures vs payments for rights. Increased TV revenues = more money paid to FIFA for the WC = more money in bonuses. And of course the fact that the FA effectively rendered women's football illegal for decades, and so they have serious ground to make back up (though I'd suggest that this relates more to investment in women and girls' football at grassroots rather than bonuses to professionals).