Jonas

There was Chelsea away game I completely forgot about over a busy 22team PL season Christmas. Wish that was this. Had made peace with losing this and winning the cup tie rather than writing it off but kinda feeling that way now. Expected a long hard average season but easier said than to experience some of the things that go into it.

Ollie Holt as well. Disingeuously coordinated much? You'd have to imagine that PSR doesn't exist for the premiss to even get off the ground. Unfortunately it does and its quite pervasive, though not as much as the thing he has for us.

On the trajectory we were on he was a perfecly fine signing. Improving on the hated Murphy and Almiron is what people want and exactly what the club should be doing to build a squad which we widely regarded as weak beyond the first team. Only because we've had our wings clipped by new legislation can it be argued he's not a good signing.

They're pretty much following in our footsteps just a year behind. We were right up there this time last season too, 1point difference.

Sums it up well. The chances they ended up having were as a result of our chasing the game. At parity all things being equal they weren't in it. Changed everything.

I expected 8th or thereabouts, everything so far has been 8th or thereabouts, its easy to predict but a lot harder to stomach the details of what that means - a lot of frustrating games and poor performances. Season's dragging like f*ck.

That's not on Howe. Were not allowed to buy replacements for them even if we could find takers.

The truly disheartening thing is I don't think we can even blame anybody for the window. We weren't allowed to spend the money we have and in fact had to sell under the current rules

Tricky thing is what can we do now? We've already been far better than a good team. Just hope it pans out for us like it worked out for them I guess.

Always expect a slog against these, even though a couple times its not been that way. Started off with two absolute breezes too. Think those Pardew cup ties is what done it for me

Whenever I see old Eldon pics I always think they could easily have made earth scenes on the original Total Recall there.

Was taught the valuable lesson of staying until the end that day after wanting to leave like others in a bit of a strop. Only relented for that Man United 6-2 game (and missed our second goal, which just goes to show again)

Tonalli wins a pen. 1-0.

The super league pops up like a prodding reminder anytime there are changes in the game that may not benefit the elite.

At times at 2-0 with confidence and security we looked really good. Nice bits of play in defence and attack. Nipped out at that point and caught the last few minutes of stoppage time so not sure it contined.

Aye, you'd never catch mackems celebrating beating us by going on like its the biggest thing in their lives or make something out of previously uncounted sequence of wins in a row and go on about it to the point it becomes a mantra to cry to sleep over or having an owner go full kit wanker in the opponents boardroom after beating us for the first time in 10years or the crowd trouble after beating us at home for the first time in generations or owt like that It'd just be 'job done, on to the next game' cos they're massive and classy

Opportunities opening up with every attack now. Quite imposing generally when its already 2-0.

Due

Cure is worse than the disease. Literally the worst thing that could have happened is ourselves on Villa would be perennial CL contenders and future title contenders. Its like 8 teams challenging for 4 places and more teams challenging for the title is the last thing they want. It would be anything but bad for the league but they'll sacrifice even there own benefit to keep the usual suspects happy.

Just a more massive version of what we have with a built up East Stand and Gallowgate equivalent and something slightly different about each stand and ideally a curved 'Gallowgate' roof reflecting the Tyne Bridge behind it (can even light it green and trigger all the right people) cos I'm soft - would do me very nicely please.

If you cant invest, you cant achieve much less maintain a degree of success and thus profile neeeded that the club would then grow (overseas shirt sales etc.) live within that higher level. That's how every club has 'organically' grown and they'd be preventing other clubs from doing the same. Furthermore it also prevents those clubs from falling backwards and organically living within lesser means themselves as a result.

That's a factor only inasfar as we weren't even allowed to continue doing the smart business we had been up until a year ago because of these rules and even without it I'd be steadfastly against a brave new world that ensures forever the dominance of the already dominant and would mean the trohpies won in the last 40years by Blackburn, Chelsea, Man City, Oxford, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Leicester and others due to wealthy benefactors will never happen again, so no more dreaming and more trophies for the cartel. It would be the opposite of anarchy but stagnancy is as unappealing.

Aye, it wasn't enough to hold City back and stifle us and others with say a blanket rule on spending because they had to have the very advantages over everyone else that they're hysterical and crying foul about anybody else having over them - having more money to spend - so they baked up PSR. A pecking order of spending is too ridiculous for words. As its ultimately as sport thats like letting the fasters sprinters have a head start at the Olympics, it would be a procession which is precisely how they want it as it happens.

So only the two clubs that did most to stop our takeover and the two most simpering also-rans that have monstrous hard ons for us

This massive shit-show just to limit two clubs from challenging, the very concept of which is itself outrageous really, before you recall its at the behest and probably duress of the orthodoxy de jour and same clubs that would gladly have shafted the PL and formed a super league.