Jonas

That's great. Imagine where they were a few years back too, couldn't have imagined this. Second club in the city they've made professional in 2years, good going. Some growth spurt all this.

Totally agree. A lot will be because we haven't been a normal football club for 14years, even when things are going well players still leave. Can add Gavin Peacock and Barry Vension. May not sound as saucy but Peacock had been our best player for the majority of the two years before he was sold and Barry Venison was our player of the year. Was bit bitter-sweet but because we trusted where we were going is didn't ruffle any feathers. Only Cole did that because it was the first player that traded up and the PTSD of Waddle/Beardsley/Gascoigne came to the fore.

Nearly went to the lookalike thread with that too

Demitrio Albertini ish

They'd been watching the best players in the world for generations and dominating European competition. They kinda got used to that and then when it started to fade it wasn't as satisfying. You knew it wasn't as good as before. However they've managed it, ironically Chelsea, Man CIty and ourselves shaking it up has helped, and the new markets, the PL keeps growing and hasn't peaked nor has a rival league emerged.

So kinda like Serie A was until the mid 90s. Where a yo-yo club like Bari could buy the best player in the English league and a small club like Parma could sign World Cup top scorers from Barcelona, seasoned internationals and one of the hottest prospects in Europe. Wouldn't worry about Longstaff etc. missing games. Its a squad game now not just over a season but over a game. Players on the bench know they'll be interchanging with the players out there to keep the momentum and pressure up and the spirits seem great besides that.

Some of us getting chewed out on here for saying were a more attractive prospect than Spurs now just a few days ago and here we are finalising a deal for one of Milan's main men. Think Milan are established too and Ashley's gone.

That's it for me. Used to be English players going to Italy for a bumper pay day in their prime. Its no big deal that he'd move or move back. Probably the ideal career/life management and not just in football.

probably not even joking given this appraisal of Tonali there. "He's slow and doesn't excel at anything except for set pieces. Just a workman-like player. They've been had on the price and they'll be wanking themselves silly over it but a lot of clubs have paid similar and got absolute dross for it."

AC a little silhouetto of Milan Scaramouch, Scaramouch, can we have your man Sandro

Not what was said. Getting booed off every other week because the club has peaked and now finising 5th or 6th which is arguably the best they can hope for for the forseeable wont please the fans as opposed to potentially having a blast in the championship. Spurs, including Leicester and Leeds, even Everton looked the most miserable place to be last season.

History is filled with players that left or turned down more established clubs (in recent times) to go to one that not only looked to have a brighter future but with a brighter season behind them. Its absurd, arrogant even to say its stupid when its at the very least as reasonable as the counter arguement. When money was more even it was probably the defining factor in a players decision. Its pretty much how we got everybody we got during the Keegan era - the promise of what was to come built on what had already been laid down. Little would change otherwise.

He's not likely going to experience anything at Spurs he didn't experience at Leicester. They'll try and qualify for the Champions League, might get in it, more likely they'll not and might win cups, might not. Just a bigger stadium filled with the most moany hard to please fans in the country. Would be more fun to just stick with Leicester than go there. I'd have him but he's not worth jumping through hoops for and already not worth the conjecture there's been.

Think that post almost sums up what we've been talking about. For many of them its anti-Newcastle first and foremost. Yet its the celebrating of our identity that is considered to hold the region back not having an identity predominantly based on being anti something which is not only healthy for the region but a healthy mindset.

Since we were formed they haven't got anything. Two of their titles were before then and a third before we kicked a ball in the top division. I don't mind giving them it because its one parameter versus however many you like but you know what they'd be like. "big" has to mean something different to "most league titles" otherwise there'd be no conjecture and why not just say that.

There's always got to be someone for some folk. Its part of a football fans existence to be miserable and when things are going well some cant let it go entirely.

In three words - Financial Fair Play

Theoretically its probably only because someone else couldn't afford it that fans like Holly have been able to get to games in the first place. If it was easily affordable nobody outside of season tickets holders in 1993 would get to a game in the 90s and nobody not on the waiting list would have gotten to one by now, excluding those Ashley forced away.

Casiraghi possibly. Broke his leg and was finished a couple games later. Discounting Balotelli on account of him not being close to top class

Sacrilege. That's Daveeds theme.

Was mates at school with a guy with that surname. Played football and Magic Pockets together. If that's not a sign then I don't know what is

Deserves it (baring in mind its only based on the PL, re Pep). Sure he'd just as soon fly under the radar as I've found suits the way were doing things. Hope he's recharging somewhere too, he's earned that as well.

How many people got to those Platinum club beambacks does anybody know? Was standing room only whenever I was there. Was a surprisingly good experience, raw, basic - basically a massive pub with a live Toon match. Fanzones not so much by the looks of them and from experiencing that Euro'96 round the corner from SJP, which at least smelt like beer due to the breweries.

The simplistic story went that Quinn sold Short a bill of goods and Short would pump money in provided they got 40k+ gates. Think Quinn's eagerness to ferry them to the ground and shut down pubs showing the matches stemmed from this. Whether he himself knew how heavily papered and cheapened those early years gates at the Stadium of Light were when he played who knows. But they were exceptional rather than a rule to base things on in any case. Thats where the notion of the lack of support comes in. Basically the opposite of the Keegan/Hall era. The fans kept coming, kept paying nd the club kept growing so the club kept spending.

Thank god for FFP protecting the non-elite clubs.