TheBrownBottle

Because NUFC is an investment, not a sportswashing vehicle a la Man City or PSG. It’s not a vanity purchase. The funniest part about watching the Delaneys of the world in the press losing their minds is that they clearly haven’t a fucking clue about what they’re looking at. NUFC isn’t a vehicle to promote KSA, and wouldn’t be unless they become a super club. And even if NUFC became KSA’s favourite club, it’s a tiny market audience. I always thought we’d end up with someone like Qatar Airways or similar on the shirt. They’ll use their political and economic connections to get sponsorship from other ME states for realpolitik purposes. It makes perfect sense - why would you throw your own money at this? Besides, other than Aramco (which is PIF-linked and would immediately cause issues while the club is being grown) how many genuinely international firms are KSA-owned? Abu Dhabi and Qatar’s wealth is like a personal bank account for their leadership. While KSA is a dictatorship, it’s still a country of tens of millions and the sovereign wealth fund is for investments which one day pay off, not as a slush fund to hoy at vanity projects. Though of course the House of Saud aren’t exactly without personal cash.

It very much was … but we can’t do what Man City did (I’m not convinced we would have even if it was. KSA isn’t a city state personal fiefdom like Abu Dhabi - anyone expecting a Man City / PSG style approach was always going to be disappointed) https://amp.theguardian.com/football/2008/dec/10/manchester-city-sponsorship

Yeah, this is what I’ve been expecting - a series of short term deals which keep jumping up in value by significant amounts. The next one in 2025 will no doubt be in the Spurs / Arsenal / Chelsea category; the one after that in Man City territory. This is why this will take 5-10 years, as the owners said from the off. Howe and the players have hit the accelerator on the plans with what they’ve achieved - I reckon we’ve shaved a year or so off what we thought we’d need. The PIF money will likely be used for infrastructure and loss absorption. Their contacts will be used for getting big sponsorship bucks - which is why I was always puzzled by the assumptions that the sponsors would be Aramco etc at this point. Why draw down more criticism and more eyes when you can easily get the same money elsewhere during the building process? Once we get where we’re going though, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Saudi sponsorship all over the shop - like Man City, whose deals are similar to but just a bit bigger than Man Utd and Liverpool.

Another bump and you mean to tell me that this cunt is still not dead?

Yeah, I loved it when he would get genuinely excited by what he’d seen. He rarely exclaimed loudly in less what he’d seen was absolutely top drawer sensational. Obligatory NUFC example: https://twitter.com/tfNUFC/status/1082227403458531329/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1082227403458531329&currentTweetUser=tfNUFC

Roger Tames is still the voice of NUFC commentaries from that era, unfortunately, with unconvincing dub-over of recorded highlights.

Yeah Mick Lowes for most of the 90s. Before he went crackers on Twitter.

Barry Davies remains my all time favourite - shame he sacked it off to just commentate on tennis, I seem to remember due to Motson being given prime billing despite being incredibly irritating. Can’t say I notice many today - I try to ignore it mostly, given that (unlike Davies) they won’t shut up for a nanosecond. Raisbeck is good mind.

Just me in the ‘never convinced by Pedro’ camp then?

If any young’uns are wondering what the differences between being a NUFC fan in the mid-‘90s and now are - looking at Southampton and thinking ‘shit, zero points again off this lot’ is one of them. 4-0 I reckon.

It’s 8:15am here in Sydney and I’m meant to be starting work - instead I’ve got about six pages open on internet explorer talking about NUFC and switching between them. NUFC being class again is having a massive impact on my professional standing

Jeffrey Dahmer being berated by Mickey Rooney’s racist Japanese impression - happy days

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kljDGdnhqo8

Isak is a genius.

Marriner is one of those refs who gives you absolutely nowt then from nothing gives a soft pen

Same commentator over here in Oz. It’ll be the PL international commentary. Made me smile too - the main commentator was talking about taking a bit of time with a throw in as ‘the dark arts’. Glad he was called out on that shite

Being the owner of a micro penis would be my guess

Targett man this ref will give you NOWT

Pickford arguing with his defenders. Beautiful. Just beautiful

Joelinton causes chaos when he does those runs

Yes! Tek that yer cunts

You’re getting nowt Longstaff lad - play to the whistle with this cunt

It’s nice being one of the big boys again mind. You can feel it from the way other teams now approach games with us - they’re fucking right up for it. (I know Everton are fighting for their lives - but they didn’t exactly match this intensity vs Fulham last week)

The constant underhitting of passes is fucking frustrating mind

A bit more control from us and these lot will effectively punch themselves out