Winnipeg Toon

Really enjoyed the North American Championship (Gold Cup) final: Mexico 5-0 United States.

Hard to watch with all that's happened but really great video compilation. Thanks alot for posting it.

Does anyone know whether the official site will be broadcasting (likely at a fee) Newcastle's matches in the Championship? Or are they wrapped up in a TV deal and they can only show edited highlights after? Just asking because we get no coverage of the Championship here in Canada, except for the one game a week chosen by Setanta Sports, whose Canadian/American branch is still alive and controls most Premier League matches as well.

Thank you for pointing out my awkward phrasing. All I meant was I tried to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but you are quite correct. It was a mistake to give him such in any case.

How what I wrote can be taken as sympathy is amazing to me, but whatever. Simply put: Sunderland have a lot of work to do to and money to spend to look like a proper Premier League outfit. Until then, a Championship side on vacation, like Hull City, Stoke City and Wigan for that matter.

Just trying to be fair-minded. Having a wealthy investor is not enough to stabilize the club and build the squad necessary to survive and contest for honors.

Perhaps it is just being naive, but I never thought Ashley would let it get this far. The degree to which he has let his own personal interests trump those of the club he claimed to love is almost unbelievable. At least have an interim manager and the signings necessary to contest the Championship in place. Sales can be made at any time, but the core of the squad should be in place for pre-season training.

It is barely worth slagging Sunderland, it is just too easy. Their greatest escape from mediocrity was when Derby County stole their record two seasons ago of having the lowest points total in Premier League history. Congratulations! They signed a manager whose prime skill is avoiding relegation and are actively chasing Peter Crouch, which says enough in itself. A glorified Championship side if you ask me. At least they found an owner willing to invest money in the club, but as Mike Ashley has shown at Newcastle, that in itself will not get you far. They will have to spend a lot of money and work very hard to look like a side which deserves to be in the Premiership, rather than just one that survived a relegation battle.

I can't see Hughes getting fired any time soon. Man City were god-awful much of last season, spend the Holiday fixtures in the relegation zone and yet they still kept him on board. If City are not in Europe at the end of this season, then I could see the Arab consortium letting him go, but no sooner. Not a bad manager, though, to my way of looking at things. City could do a lot worse.

Hello, everyone. Until now, I was willing to have some sympathy for Mike Ashley. I mean, he invested millions in the club, seemed to care for the club at least at some gut emotional level and at worst could be considered an idiot for his decision making around the club. That is not to say I agree with all (or even many) of his decisions, from the constant managerial changes to ridiculous wages offered to players worth less or beyond their peak. This past few weeks crossed the line. After relegation, the first priority had to be to get the club ready for life in the Championship. This is not an easy league to escape and on the records it has been as likely for Premier League clubs to fight a second relegation as to get promoted again. Instead, we are managerless, with a dangerously unbalanced squad built to linger in the mid-regions of the Premier League, and no transfer activity until Ashley gets his buyout. In this state, who would buy Newcastle United? Ashley has just proven what most Toon fans have known all along: Ashley hardly had Newcastle's interests at heart and his continued association with the club is a recipe for disaster. Keep chugging, Mike. With how you've steered the ship, I hate to think how long it will take you to find a buyer.