TheBrownBottle

Yep. I’m not advocating violence but fuck me what a bunch of complete fannies. They don’t need to hit him, just step across him and make it clear that he needs to calm down and fuck off. Instead they’re grinning and gurning while hearing exactly what’s being said.

A coked-up baby by the looks of it. Times have changed in the Bigg Market mind - I’m sort of surprised that knacker was able to keep going and going without anyone stepping in.

Yep, get Mick the DJ on at SJP. Jack the rippers and curry hell for pre-match entertainment is better than anything offered by NUFC

Champ man used to go 2-11 from right to left, back to front, as the default numbering. Always used to make sure I moved the players around until the correct numbering you’ve got there was in place. It’s all a bit daft of course, as the numbering is based upon the old standard 2-3-5 formation which was already being replaced with W-M by the time numbers were becoming a thing. So from almost day one the numbers weren’t logical. Despite that, a ‘number 6’ is the left-sided centre half. Don’t ever dare call a DM a ‘number 6’ in my presence or I’ll … probably frown a bit. Mebbes correct you if I know you.

It isn’t, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it emerged that big retailers like SD make better margin on Castore products. I know SD shops have Nike and adidas stuff in to get people into the shops, sometimes making very little margin, then make their big bucks on other stuff (in Ashley’s case, particularly the dead brands he bought out for himself - Lonsdale and the like)

Yep, I suspect this will be the case. It’s why patience is being requested - a lot of the shite Ashley deals need to be run down

I’m not in the string ‘em up brigade. But the lack of prosecution does not mean that a person should expect to retain a high-profile, high-paid job.

Yep. You don’t need to have committed a crime for that.

Being ‘innocent’ means that the club cannot sack him - which would mean he walks away with nowt. They’d have to pay him off (assuming he doesn’t agree to walk)

I’m not saying you’re wrong re additional income from bonuses etc - but that might be difficult to argue if the club never intend to play him again. His personal sponsors dropped him like a bad smell, so he’d find it difficult to argue he’d be in line for additional payment. I’m sure a razor sharp shithouse lawyer could give it a go mind

Greenwood is likely outside of the protected period in his contract; even if he isn’t, the financial damages stretch only to the party suffering the loss i.e. the player. And if you’re paying up his contract in its entirety - as in paying for every week of the remainder - that is covering damages. If he’s outside the protected period there are no further sporting sanctions; if he is within, there can be - but are the FA really going to come down on Man Utd? Seems unlikely. edit: just to be clear, mutual consent is not required. It’s only required if the parties want to arrange a negotiated settlement. Greenwood is a little scrote so I can’t imagine that would appeal. Newcastle can also buy their way out of the Castore contract - but there are likely to be damages. A contract isn’t a shackle; it’s just that the injured party needs to be compensated for potential losses. I’ve seen people talk about just giving Castore their £5m a year back, but that’s not what Castore’s losses are - they expect to make a profit on that investment. Given what’s happening, that could be a lot of profit. So any break - assuming there is no clause in the contract for damages if the club breaks the deal - is likely to lead to an award of additional damages if it goes to arbitration.

The Castore deal was finalised when they were still trying to sort out the takeover. Why the fuck did Ashley sign a long term deal? And why the fuck did the prospective buyers not say it might be reasonably important not to do that? Also, while I haven’t bought a top in 24 years and therefore it has no direct impact me, I’m a bit puzzled by the clamour for adidas. Other than that first season, my memory is that most of the kit designs were shite tbh. I know money talks, but I’d be far happier if Umbro came calling again. Or Nike for the first time.

Roy Keane was also invited to leave, from memory - and he’s arguably the best all-round midfielder in English football of the last thirty years. I hope your club do exactly that, tbf. I suspect they will

Yeah, always useful. Fucking ‘Wembo’ though. Jesus.

Those daft twats still boasting about the Third Division playoffs and the Pizza Trophy for the bottom two tiers and PL youth teams, then? Why the fuck would a proper club even want to highlight it? It makes my teeth itch with embarrassment. MLFs: going to the fucking Checkatrade Final is a CONFESSION, not a BOAST

They can pay up his contract, which would cost no more than sending him on gardening leave. That, of course, depends on whether or not they intend to play him. I have some sympathy for the clubs when things like this happen - they can’t control the fact that an individual is a scumbag; that could happen to anyone. But you’d hope a club like Man Utd would hold its prestige in greater value than the value of an individual player. If he was NUFC’s books I’d want the cunt gone.

Greenwood is obviously scum, as is that lasses father, and the likes of Gary Neville can just fuck off tbh. But I’m sick to bastard death of smart-arsed law grads thinking they’re pointing out something profound with their ‘innocent until proven guilty’ patter. Yes, we fucking know that - but you’re not the last bulwark against the pitchfork-wielding mob. You’re just being utterly crass and doing nothing to change the image of your profession. Get off Twitter with that shite. The case has clearly been dropped because of money - and I’m not talking about a back-hand lumper; I’m talking the promise of future money. That statement from her old man was horrific - I wouldn’t be surprised if her family has put pressure on her to get back with him. Especially as they’re not married and she’s entitled to fuck all in terms of cash payments at present. Mrs BB and one of her cousins suffered similar pressure to return to violent husbands from their family; to normal-thinking folk this is unimaginable, but it does occur. People should try not to blame the lass, as we’ve no idea what is behind her thinking - though I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that this hasn’t exactly helped other victims, given its high-profile nature. Greenwood should never play professional football again, ‘innocent’ or not. I can’t see it happening in England, at least - you’d hope that managers and players would want nowt to do with him, regardless of how good he is.

This is all just fucking horrendous. Every part of it.

The notion of Botman and Pope not making that joint XI is insane like. Absolutely crackers in the case of Botman - he’s comfortably superior to Martinez. I can’t imagine a neutral swapping Martinez for Botman

I plan to gan radge. Details tbc

I have to admit that since the Bournemouth LC game I’ve pretty much convinced myself that this is the year we win something - and now we’ve reached the final I’m suddenly jittery! I’m ok with the result, either way. The most important thing to me is that we’re actually fucking trying to win things again - win or lose, that counts more than anything. The decade and a half of lost Ashley time will always be a blight, and for many of us it stripped away from us experiences we should have had in the prime of life. That fat fuck took hope away. I’ll be watching that final with hope more than anything - and no doubt like many, I’ll be thinking of a couple of people who were close to me who died during the Ashley era, having gone home and away for years and had their last remaining years of their greatest passion being undermined by that cunt. I bloody hope we win it though, and excise those demons that have followed us for years. I’ve always believed that once we break our duck, other trophies will follow - not necessarily all the time, but the tension, anxiety and stress will be gone. Three games until the final, and unlike Howe, I’ll be wishing them all away tbh. Roll on the 26th

The alignment is so shite that if you put glittery silver around the crests they would look like Premier League 95 Panini album

Or the old ‘aim for the floor’ technique the professionals have

Milk and Coca Cola are still nicer to drink than Carling. And probably contain more alcohol

I don’t think it’s tin pot either, but all three original European competitions are older than the League Cup