Hughesy Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Spot on. Love the Europa league, for all its flaws. Really hope we qualify for it again this year, however unlikely that is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdckelly Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I can't take the Europa League seriously personally the main reason being is letting the Champions League failures in. It just discredits it since its the consolation prize for them and really gives it the feeling of "champions league for those too shit to get into it or stay in it" and doesn't feel like its own unique competition and as much shit as I'll give the ridiculous overhype of the "magic" of the fa cup it does feel like its own tournament. UEFA need to stop letting in any champions league side who go out be it in early stage or in particular group stage, you lost you don't get to stay in Europe for losing. They need to revamp the format completely instead of it being CL lite get rid of all group stages and make it a simple 2 legged knockout competition the whole way through. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmojorisin75 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 agree with wullie again, don't give a fuck about the format of the EL as a club we should be chasing it as a minimum every season and proud to be in it when we get there, not crying about it a year after we were knocked out Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 So, for the older members on here, how does Ashleys era compare with direction and ownership in the 70's, 80's etc? In the 70s we reached 2 Cup Finals, one where we froze on the day and, had we played anything like we were capable of, would have had a good chance of winning the FAC. The LCF in 76 was unfortunate because we had many players suffering from a flu virus which was a national epidemic at the time and I am convinced that if we had been at full strength we would have beaten City....we had a board that at least paid lip-service to winning things and did sign some good - occasionally great - players...think Tony Green, Supermac, Terry Mac etc. We played some great football at times but the board never came up with enough money to finish off the side. The board were never going to make NUFC a really top club but we always had excitement. Ashley is better in only ONE way...he has kept the club debt-free by lending it money..in every other way he is worse. He has ZERO ambition for the club, NEVER signs really top players because he refuses to compete at the wage and fee level(even for players the top clubs miss)and sells our best players without replacing them adequately. He is even more proprietorial about the club as HIS possession than the Seymour, McKeag, Westwood etc families were. We always had SOME hope that we would win something in the 70s but we have NO hope of winning anything under the Ashley regime and also, despite Ashley's lip-service payment to developing our own talent, the players coming from the reserves/Junior at present are poor.In the 70s we had Alan Kennedy and Irving Nattrass come through the ranks to be top players and Gazza emerged in the 80s. The 80s were a moderate decade for us despite KK signing in 82 and getting promoted in 84. The board refused to back Cox in the transfer market after promotion and he left. Jack Charlton took over but it was never going to work as he distrusted Beardsley as a player and played long ball football, finally leaving after some pre-season game fan abuse. McFaul was weak and despite keeping us up until 88/89 when the Magpie Group campaign started, we were relegated at the end of that season. We knew after Beardsley went that the board were never going to give us a top club but we know that even more so now under Ashley. Both deserve FAIL but Ashley is creating this via malevolence. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interpolic Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Love merlin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmojorisin75 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 But after all that it still felt like a football club, it still felt like it could be turned around. The dream of ambition and wanting to improve was always there , the previous boards did try but didn't have any money. But I dont think they were as sinister as Ashley's vision for NUFC. For me now, the club feels empty, devoid of anything, sterile, its just an advertising space for its parent company. Its not going to change anytime soon. Yeah, we are hovering around, lurking about he premiership...but to what end??? Its totally emotionless. good post imo and sums up my feelings, there's a cold cynicism about the way the club is run that was never present in the past or at least certainly wasn't as noticeable, as badly as the club was ran at times i felt that the people running it would have chased success if they had the money/weren't bad at it...i honestly can't think of another example of a top tier football team being ran the way we are anywhere in the world, would like to hear if there is one football is the richest it's ever been and we're in the richest division in the world, yet we're being ran the way we are through nothing other than cold, (external) business-driven factors and probably a fair degree of hatred from ashley towards the fans Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Love merlin. Thank you kind sir....just a pity I can't say something else... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmk Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Some good posts on this page, cutting through the bullshit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Love merlin. Thank you kind sir....just a pity I can't say something else... You're going to have to say it now, what can't you say? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crumpy Gunt Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 The only redeeming feature of the Europa League is the fans European away days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowen Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 having a real plan in place for some (any) form of progression But progression to what? Champions League contention is essentially only for a self-perpetuating cohort of rich clubs. Europa League? A discredited farce of a tournament. Nothing more than a scrap thrown to second tier clubs. Even if you do progress through (at great expense and little reward) to the knock-out stages, stronger Champions League failures await to in all probability knock you out. Dave's covered the cup point but this is absolute bullshit as well. Even a cursory glance at the last 16 draw of the Europa League shows that it contains some of Europe's biggest clubs. The only ones who treat that competition as a "discredited farce" are Premier League clubs run like ours, who care only for how much money an extra league place can get them. You sound like you've been completely conned by the Premier League/Champions League hype machine, as if that's all that matters. Even if all that you say were true, those experiences are what being a football supporter is all about. So we ran into a Champions League dropout and got knocked out. Oh well you're right, what a waste of time. Never mind that there were young Newcastle fans in Lisbon, in Moscow, in Brugge, seeing their club play in an environment that most football fans never get to experience. I went and watched Newcastle in a game we had no chance of winning in the Nou Camp ten years ago and it's still one of the best footballing experiences of my life, and always will be barring a miracle. Absolutely rank attitude, and one that far too many of our supporters have (somehow) acquired. No wonder the club think they've got free licence to bin off every competition whilst some of our fans are applauding them for it. Christ knows what fans of perennial Championship clubs must think of us when they see our fans giving it "ugh Europe again, what a farce". It's embarrassing. Great post this. Being in the Europa is fucking mint as well, despite UEFA's repeated shitting on it from a great height. It was the only enjoyable part of last season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bimpy474 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Portsmouth/Leeds, Europa tiredness, cant compete financially with Southampton/Swansea, only as big as Wigan. Only fucking thick as fuck mugs fall for it, shamefully loads do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Geordie Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Merln If one thing has happened since the great side of the 50's, that only once since that time have Newcastle United been ran as it should (under Sir John Hall) and funnily enough, we managed to challenge for the PL. The man had his faults, but you can't argue with what he and KK did for those 5 years. It's times that we will never see again. Mike Ashley is intent on milking the club and for how long, is anyone's guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Bailey Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Some good posts on this page, cutting through the bullshit. Agree, really good, considered posts and respectful to all who have different view points as well. Thanks Merlin, Wullie et al.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bimpy474 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Some good posts on this page, cutting through the bullshit. Agree, really good, considered posts and respectful to all who have different view points as well. Thanks Merlin, Wullie et al.. http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view4/1373407/alan-partridge-shrug-o.gif Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Portsmouth/Leeds, Europa tiredness, cant compete financially with Southampton/Swansea, only as big as Wigan. Only f***ing thick as f*** mugs fall for it, shamefully loads do. Who? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Bailey Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Some good posts on this page, cutting through the bullshit. Agree, really good, considered posts and respectful to all who have different view points as well. Thanks Merlin, Wullie et al.. http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view4/1373407/alan-partridge-shrug-o.gif Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Love merlin. Thank you kind sir....just a pity I can't say something else... You're going to have to say it now, what can't you say? What I meant, Mick, is that what I said was the situation as I saw/see it and I wish it was different because Ashley looks as if he is going to be around for a fair while and there is no hope for us whilst he remains. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 What I meant, Mick, is that what I said was the situation as I saw/see it and I wish it was different because Ashley looks as if he is going to be around for a fair while and there is no hope for us whilst he remains. OK, I thought you had something you were keeping quiet about, my mistake. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Yes merlin, well said. And Wullie too. The difference between the 70s, 80's era and now is the hope that we had then isn't there now. And with justification. When the club are telling us 8th is the target and cups aren't any kind of priority, why would there be? If we'd backed Arthur Cox im sure we'd have been alright. If we'd employed a different type manager after Arthur Cox and not a dour long ball merchant, I think we'd have done alright too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Geordie Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Apparently Cox wanted to sign Mark Wright and Kevin Sheedy, but the board wouldn't allow it and that's why he walked. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bimpy474 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Some good posts on this page, cutting through the bullshit. Agree, really good, considered posts and respectful to all who have different view points as well. Thanks Merlin, Wullie et al.. http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view4/1373407/alan-partridge-shrug-o.gif Not aimed at you GB, it's at people who have a different view point. I know this will sound arrogant but i've got to the point where, if people try to say Ashley hasn't been all bad for the club i go mental. I think i've lost all sympathy and understanding after watching what the bloke has done and is doing to our club. The man is evil where this club is concerned and as horrid as this sounds, i hope he drops dead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interpolic Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 He hasn't been all bad for the club mind - if we combined this scouting system with moderate investment (i.e. spending what we bring in) and had none of this shite about only hiring your mates as manager, and not being so deceitful/secretive with the fans... Actually that list might take a while. Might as well just say the one positive is Graham Carr. I'd certainly hope a new owner would keep Carr on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Bailey Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Never thought it was Bimpy. I get what you mean, have to say I just find it refreshing for us not all to be having a pop at each other following every post though. Broadly speaking we all know where people sit with regard to Ashley, Pardew etc, and we can all air those views/opinions on here without it turning into the often cited .."Your a dick...prat...twat" insult slanging that sometimes occurrs. Some of the stick Ian W takes seems unjustified imo for instance, dont agree with much of what he says, but the lad seems genuinley a great lad and so passionate about the club..just disagree with most of what he says .. I have really enjoyed reading Merlin, Incognito and Wullies posts. Thsts why I and maybe others, come back to the forum, not for the slanging matches.. oh and your wit and banter obviously.... and Ronaldos patience and tolerance of all others viewpoints obvs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bimpy474 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 He hasn't been all bad for the club mind - if we combined this scouting system with moderate investment (i.e. spending what we bring in) and had none of this shite about only hiring your mates as manager, and not being so deceitful/secretive with the fans... Actually that list might take a while. Might as well just say the one positive is Graham Carr. I'd certainly hope a new owner would keep Carr on. Aye but i've just reached a point where whatever good has been achieved, has been far outweighed by the bad to the point of making them irrelevent. Take Carr for instance, what's the point of a scout that good and not signing the players he recommends, in fact why employ him at all seeing as we've signed no permanent player for coming up to 18 months (end of the season). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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