Matt1892

Originally I thought we would finish just outside of the Champions League places which would help with our title push next season. I think we have an outside chance of winning it this year, hold our own against those others at the top and steamrolling those at the bottom end of the table.

I like that we are beating the teams you would expect us to beat, rather than picking up a point despite dominating.

It is the constant complaining that gets them decisions like that.

Gordon to get us a penalty today.

Howe would be able to judge his frame of mind from training this week but I would be tempted to have him on the bench and bring him on late in the game if we are winning so the crowd can get behind him.

Why won’t we be paying Tonali?

I don’t see any way that he gets the same or less than Fagioli unless there is information that hasn’t come out yet.

If this has opened up a huge can of worms in Italian football, it might be that they look to reduce them as to not impact the Euros if they get there.

No, you seem to be taking my opinions on it to heart too much though. Maybe take a break for a while.

21 month ban, final 6 months suspended.

• Newcastle have conceded 17 goals in home matches since the start of last season in the Premier League, the joint-fewest of any non-promoted team, along with Manchester United. • No team has kept more clean sheets in the Premier League this season than Crystal Palace (4). The Eagles have kept a shutout in their last three league games, last recording four in a row from February-June 2020 – a run which included a 1-0 win over Newcastle. • Newcastle are eighth in the Premier League table with 13 points, but based on Opta’s expected points model, their expected points total based on game-by-game expected goals is 16.4; this is the second-highest expected points total in the competition this season, after Manchester City (16.6). • Crystal Palace have made 16 substitutions in the Premier League this season, eight fewer than any other side, while never using more than three in a single game. The last teams to make fewer substitutions at this stage of a Premier League campaign were Burnley (14) and Aston Villa (15) in 2020-21. • Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier has created 89 chances from set plays in the Premier League since the start of last season, 28 more than any other player in Europe’s big-five leagues. Eight of those chances have resulted in assists, the joint-most of any player from those aforementioned leagues, along with Monaco’s Caoi Henrique.

Damning of Tonali’s attitude towards breaking gambling laws if true, which will no doubt be taken in to consideration when deciding the length of ban.

The whole thread is ifs and buts, in the same way it is daft to defend him without knowing the extent of the ban or what he has done.

A few interesting bits from the BBC article. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67144491

I know we are trying to piece bits together with the information that has been leaked but that lad who has been banned for 7 months, apparently he turned himself in to the authorities due to the financial mess he had got himself in to and hadn’t been betting on football. Tonali on the other hand didn’t turn himself in, instead the police went to the national team hotel and confiscated his phone and tablet, then it is alleged he bet on games he was playing in. This might not be exact but this is the information that has been leaking out, if it is true then no way is he going to get the same ban as the other lad.

I don’t think for a moment we would sack him unless we were confident of being able to either sue him or Milan for the loss of transfer fee, which is what Chelsea did with Mutu. If we were in a position where we could sue him which would see the transfer fee adjusted on the outgoings sheet then it should be something we should be exploring, this Will obviously depend on the length of the ban but he could be looking at an 18 month ban here.

There is, as people get reduced sentences if they acknowledge they have an addiction.

I don’t see it as being pro punishment, I see it as wanting what is best for the success of this football club and us trying to manoeuvre against an already difficult situation that is designed to stop us being able to compete. If the best thing for our short term success is him being sacked and pursued in court then that is what we should do.

If we were to sack him and successfully launch a claim to sue him for losses, in the same way Chelsea did with Mutu, then it potentially would be added back in.

You are not taking close to £10 million a year out of your employer though.

Did Fagiolis turn himself in though? Which played a part in the reduced ban? Tonali didn’t do that.

That depends on the legal advice around where we would stand in terms of launching a legal claim against him and how that would translate as FFP. If he is banned for a number of years which is possible then we should be exploring all options that leave the club in the best possible position.

You would think Tonali would tell the club if Milan had been informed, they will definitely be asking.

There are very few calling for him to be sacked, most seem to be buying in to the addiction sob story like we should feel sorry for him.