Everton have no plan do they,

The guys that wrote the soccernomics book looked at that. New !anger comes in, buys a bunch of players, fails to produce, gets canned , next manager comes in buys a bunch, lather, rinse, repeat. It’s why wage bill correlates with success and transfer market spend correlates with nothing, except spending a lot of money.
Everton did the things you should never do – they brought in some guys who had had one-off success, like the scout from Leicester, have them a lot of money and off they went. Didn’t work, appoint new people, give them no money, didn’t work, appoint new people. Although to be fair the last guy did well but shot off to Real at the first opportunity, I don’t know if they were aware when they hired him that was the plan or if he pulled the rug out.
Getting Rafa is a good start. He’s done well with player selection so far, give him the time he needs. Essentially City gave Pep control and as much time as he wanted. Everton under Rafa won’t play the attractive game the fans like but it’ll be effective.

United are the grandmasters of the headless chicken attitude to transfers (Sanchez?), focussing mainly on replica shirt sales rather than how a player might actually fit in to any team

Hence having two 36 year old number 7’s

As for plans? Give it to Bruno is about as far as we got on that score for the last year or so. Maybe Pogba might even turn up this week

How many times do we have to prove that occasionally throwing money at the problem isn’t an answer

Last weekend it would have been nice to have a defence that wasn’t ball-watching in the other half when we got hit on the counter

What exactly were you all doing up there lads? Nor creating any goalscorering opportunities, that’s for sure

Anyone else dislike international breaks?

As a Newcastle United fan and former season ticket holder I’ve wrestled with this since Thursday. I’ve written and deleted a reply to @binners and others but I think the always excellent nufc.com website puts it far eloquently than I can:

In terms of the support, many are in the Anybody but Mike club currently; those promised riches from Saudi Arabia almost a side issue to bidding good riddance of the sandshoe salesman and his cronies.

That will recede though as the incomers begin to flex their muscles – and the new era brings challenges for the support. Changing the stadium name for instance and seeing just what the new lot deem to be a practical level of fan consultation and communication.

Others are more than uncomfortable with the track record of those promising to invest in the club and the region in terms of abhorrent human rights abuses and domestic criminal legislation.

To that – and sports washing accusations – we don’t pretend to have the answers, but share those misgivings, regardless of the fact that the occupants of Buckingham Palace and Downing Street seem not to.

In a perfect world we’d not be owned by Sports Direct or PIF and not be called upon as football fans to make moral judgements, but this seems to be the reality of the Premier League in 2021.

A change of ownership has come too late for some of those fans who have walked away because of the path that football has taken, not just on Barrack Road.

And while calls for Premier League transparency have receded markedly in NE postcodes, the fan-led review that Nadine Dorres and the DCMS are tasked with remains important – unless we’re happy to pull up the drawbridge now apparently sitting at the top table.

Have a ponder about where you’ll stand if and when European Super League returns and the NUFC badge appears on the proposals. There will be a cost for what we stand to gain.

Separation may have been proven to the satisfaction of the football authorities at least in terms of the new owners, but achieving that among the fanbase will be a more elongated process.

If nothing else though, the reset button has been pressed, something that we privately never thought would happen.

It remains to be seen what lies ahead for this club, but bidding farewell to the days of ticking over is a genuine cause for celebration.

Of course this isn’t just everyone’s favourite basket-case Premier league club. Perhaps Man U fans should Google ‘Saudi Telecom’ and their 12 year relationship with their club before scrambling to the moral high ground?

Fans be fans using anything and everything at their disposal to put shit on rivals. This is ‘tradition’ and has little real impact.

FFP, ESL, fit and proper, oligarchs and petro-ball are the born from and the responsibility of clubs and game authorities and it is them that are wholly culpable. And when they whine it’s only because they’re not the ones cashing in in that particular transaction.

Perhaps Man U fans should Google ‘Saudi Telecom’ and their 12 year relationship with their club before scrambling to the moral high ground?

I know we’ve all been taking the piss, but I doubt you’ll find any Man Yoo fans seriously claiming any moral high ground. Not with the morality-free parasites we have as owners. They’d take the money of genocidal mass-murderers in a heartbeat

If anything we’re just jealous that you’ll now have owners who want to pour money into a club rather than treat it as a personal cash machine

Anyone else dislike international breaks?

England v Andorra, what a pointless match. It can’t even be a good experience for Andorra to be thrashed all the time.

But not to worry Wenger is getting his revenge on club football sorting out the international calendar.

Anyone else dislike international breaks?

I’ve been enjoying the CONCACAF stuff. Mexico was not doing well in their game the other day, really off the pace and disorganized. Their fans have figured out that if they break out in homophobic chants, the refs will stop the game. Which gives Mexico the chance to regroup and rethink their strategy. Then they came out and played much better got back into it. Sure, they end up with empty stadium games, but since the just got a two match order dropped to one, why not risk it?

I get it @binners. I live in the north-west now so get plenty ear-ache off Man U supporting mates. Feels very much like the Glazers’ cash cow. The share sale being the latest cunning rouse. Selling when shares peaked following the Ronaldo hype. If they’d spent their budget on a decent manager rather than some vanity signing, you might have stood a chance this season.

Breaks: I love the world cup etc but just as the season is only a month old it all stops.

Anyone else dislike international breaks?

I’d be quite happy if there was never another game of international football ever played again

Interrupting the ‘proper’ football just so that your star striker can sustain an injury that’ll put him out for the rest of the season while playing some pointless friendly against Macadonia

I liked Fergies attitude where all United players developed phantom injuries in the days leading up to the international break only to miraculously recover for the following week

phantom injuries

Yea Roy Keane being a prime example. 62 caps in 15 years. Not sure it would have worked with Ronaldo though.

That wasn’t Engerland though. I think the attitude of most United players and fans was that after the way Becks and Phil Neville were treated by the knuckle-dragging racist thugs that constitute the Engerland support, they can **** right off!

I certainly wouldn’t waste 90 minutes of my life watching Engerland v whoever tonight

I watched the ROI take apart the mighty Azerbaijan. The Green Giant has woken at last. Jeez this beer is strong.

As a Scotland and Aberdeen fan I love an international break. The game tonight was a proper rollercoaster of a match. Must be boring as hell watching England, I’d rather have the highs and lows of watching Scotland than the flat line that is watching England.

the attitude of most United players and fans was that after the way Becks and Phil Neville were treated by the knuckle-dragging racist thugs that constitute the Engerland support, they can **** right off!

How many of Beckham’s 115 caps came after the effigies?

90 odd % at least I should think. He broke into United’s first team after Euro 96.

It’s worth watching the Class of 92 to see the huge effect that the FA throwing Becks and Neville to the wolves had on both of them personally, and how Fergie and the staff at OT were left to pick up the pieces that the Engerland set up didn’t give a toss about

It was an absolute disgrace, and marked something of a deterioration in relations, to say the least.

Club before country, every ****ing time I’m afraid. As it should be.

It’s worth watching the Class of 92

I’ll take your word for it. I’d rather watch Real Kashmir with Davie Robertson.

Real Kashmir

Cheers fella. I’ll give that a viewing.

Best football doc by miles is ‘Sunderland Til I Die’. An absolute car crash!

Class of 92 is actually a good watch just to see the difference between then and now. When they were breaking into the first team the only one who owned a car was Nicky Butt. He had a Ford Orion which he had a massive steering wheel lock on because he still lived at his mums in Gorton

If you played for the first team for over 30 times you got the loan of a Honda Prelude, who were a club sponsor. Becks got the piss taken out of him for being a flash git because he’d splashed out and payed the extra to have a leather interior.

Compare that to now when some bench-warmer at a mid-table club is on a hundred grand a week

Sunderland Til I Die

One of my best mates is Sunderland born and bred, former season ticket holder (before he moved to Manchester) and couldn’t watch more than the first 20 minutes as he was absolutely apoplectic at the comedic mismanagement on display

Sunderland born, Sunderland bred, strong in the arm, thick in the head.

Odd that, as I’ve heard a Berkshire version of that piece of prose.
Berkshire born… You get the picture.

I can’t imagine the good people of Berkshire will warrant too much inclusion on a thread about football 😃

I can’t imagine the good people of Berkshire will warrant too much inclusion on a thread about football 😃

If the current theme is mismanagement by foreign owners with dubious backstories, I think we’ve every right to be included.

Club before country, every ****ing time I’m afraid. As it should be.

Been thinking about this. I think most of the fans who follow their country are supporters of the smaller teams that rarely win anything, so watching your country is a change, almost a relief. As a Man Utd fan I’d have thought you could relate to that?

Fair point 😂

As a United fan, the main problem with internationals is watching the other Paul Pogba turn up and be absolutely brilliant for France, then we have to watch his lazy, surly twin go through the motions at Old Trafford the following week

Best football doc by miles is ‘Sunderland Til I Die’

Here’s me thinking it was Netflix’s best sitcom. That Metfen character was brilliantly depicted.

I have to admit. It would be quite amusing if Newcastle got relegated this season.

Might be possible. They’ve got a few good players (Wilson, Dubravka, Saint-Maximim) so a couple of injuries could see them in bother. That, and the rest of squad downing tools as they know they’ll be shipped out when the big signings arrive. Depends if they can sign anyone in January I guess – and if they’re in a relegation fight it may be less attractive.

Salah’s goal against Watford was ridiculously good but what about that pass for Mane’s goal? 😍

Incredible skills – he’s on fire at the moment.

I have a feeling that Newcastle would let Bruce reach the 1000 games and then…but 8 million pay off might ease the pain.

You were right Caher. I’d quite like to see Newcastle go down TBH, would be quite hilarious.

I liked Bruce as a bloke, seems just a decent human being and he got too much abuse but I’m glad he’s gone as a manager.
Just need to find a battler who can polish a turd and buy the ‘right’ players in January for a relegation battle. Not sure Mbappe and Couhtinio are the best fit at the moment 🙂

When are you expecting him back then?

I wonder how big Bruce’s pay off was?

Was already a tough position for Bruce with the fans, the owners and the finances at the time. I’m not convinced he did a bad job.

That said, like most British mangers, he was a bit lacking in terms of style, creative football, flair. All the British guys seem to go more for a Sam Allardyce style of play than a Pep Guardiola style. I don’t know why that maybe. Maybe to do with the players they have available to them or a long term inbuilt system in their heads. But there’s no real shock that foreign managers seem to do better imo

Newcastle fans have treated Bruce like absolute shit, he’s done a decent job for them. Horrible way to see out your 1000th game – glad he’s getting a hefty payout.

I know this is a biking website but come on? Bruce has a career as a Championship/lower prem manager and was appointed by an absent landlord of an owner on handsome terms, primarily tasked with keeping the club in the league with the minimum of investment. Whilst he did this (and last season ended with a good run, largely thanks to a loanee’s goal spree to elevate us to a false position of 12th – amongst very poor competition) the football itself was the worst I can recall in 35 years of watching Newcastle United. Inheriting one of the tightest defences in the league under Rafa, in less than 2 seasons we have the worst goals conceded record and it’s not as is we have scored many. He was well out of his depth, 20 years behind the curve tactically, and frankly he has 8 million reasons to put up with the grief he has had. Slagging off fans and repeating the mantra of ‘just ticking along’ hasn’t helped his cause. Bruce was the figurehead and embodiment of the purgatory of the Ashley years. He was a stooge for the fat shopkeeper and for that reason alone, Tyneside will celebrate his departure. Onwards and upwards.