Percy Street

Good post. Compared to the fortunes we've wasted in recent years (Owen , Luque, etc) Beckford represnts little risk. Every chance he will bag goals in the Championship while the premiership would be a gamble. But if it works great, if it doesn't his scoring record would mean we could offload fairly easily providing we don't give him a "stupid" contract - unlikely in the current circumstances. Tell you what kids rate him or don't rate him but the venom in some posts on here is pathetic. Give yourselves a slap. "He's a cunt, hes shit hes........a player who has scored a lot of goals at a lower level and so clubs including Newcastle are wondering whether he is worth a gamble. Same scenario has played out many, many times down the decades and always will be. If he signs, get behind the lad and give him a chance, if he doesn't, life goes on. I'm crazy I know............

We should absolutely try our hardest to win the FA cup (no matter how unlikely it may be) in this and any other season. To be blunt we probably have f... all chance of winning the premiership in a Turtle's liftetime. So what is the height of our ambition - to clamber into the premiership and merely survive? Cups can be and are just occasionally won by unfancied sides. Failure to even try for a club our size is not pragmatism, its cowardice. And we've virtually been given a free path to the fourth round given the chasm between us and Plymouth this season. Assuming a third round win that would leave us with five games to win to get the hated trophy monkey off our back and who is to say we may not be helped on more than one of them by another kind draw (Home Park is an awful draw for travelling fans but not the team).

While the no nonsense title of this thread probably says it all about Pompey it posibly shines a light on our own failure to sell. Aside from the truly loaded (Chelsea and Citeh) there just isn't the money out there to buy football clubs. (Moat was apparently way short of buying NUFC even at the knockdown figure) Many past takeovers (think Liverpool and Man U) were based upon borrowed money and that is difficult to do right now. Liverpool, Everton and West Ham can't get new owners or investment. And for the use their owners are (whoever it is this week) you can add Portsmouth to that list. Its always tempting to rip it out of sides in trouble (I do (!) and plenty laughed when we went down) but there is a bigger picture where we will see a lot more football clubs in trouble possibly including some big names. If Liverpool don't qulaify for the CL their finances will take a massive hit. If Portsmouth and West Ham are in danger of going threppenies up in the premiership then what would relegation do to them? They'll probably be sooooo fucked as Toontastic's business reporter said at the start. The thing that really pisses me off is that football should not be skint at all - never been more popular, never had more money coming into it - never had more crazy sums sucked out of it by greedy player wages and parasitic agents - and there is the real problem.

Marlon Harewood has a good record at Championship level if something of an also ran a rung higher up. He was awful in his first few games but on Saturday grabbed a couple of goals and overall looked a bit better. We extend his loan period and delay any long term decision - which I think is what Hughton has already hinted at. If he doesn't do it we don't sign him and personally I'd probably rather go for someone younger anyway. However, keep an open mind - its only wages at risk and given the current financial black holes of Barton and Geremi its relative loose change. And no matter how badly he played fans booing one of our own off (not on Saturday I know) is brainless and only helps the opposition but this point has been made many, many times................

We had a lucky escape, if there was really any chance of Moat buying the club. IMO it was never going to happen, Moat is a sorry excuse for a Toon fan. The more that is revealed the more I do not like. Did this guy really bid for the club? Anyone else heard this? Was it £38mill plus rest over 4 seasons, if it's been said before on any posts, sorry? Heard precisely the same last week from a good source - no idea if thats been posted elewhere on here - haven't been around for a while.

Fair comment Fish, I was just making a broadcast on behalf of the tolerant party......until someone upsets me of course! But the point I was making was kind of an appeal to "talk your own rubbish" don't be scared to go against the flow.

Agreed Howman this "correct" spelling of Howay / Haway is a fairly recent thing. Phonetically I've always said "Haway" and my family background is brought up just to north of Newcastle with family in the West End so I'm not sure at all about elewhere in the thread saying its the mackem pronounciation. Its nothing like as clear cut as mak and tak for example. And another thing. I'm much more of a lurker than a poster on this forum but I find the loathing of Acca from some a bit tedious and disturbing. Sometimes on this and other message boards there is a queue to ensure some opinions are repeated more often than Star Trek. People are allowed to go against the flow. I don't agree with Acca (I fear the thin shape of our squad is waiting to pounce on our dreams) but so what? He's optimistic - its allowed. Having your bottom lip stapled to your shoes and calling Ashley a cunt every three lines doesn't make you big or clever. Just the sort of posts I scroll straight through actually.

If football's finances weren't so skewed in 2009 (the riches of the premiership) would that affect your answer or others on here I wonder? I understand what you say and given the finances logic is undoubtedly on your side. But football supporting is an emotion and for me the thrill of winning the FA cup say would last for a lifetime. The novelty of promotion would quickly wear off when (in all probability) we struggle to break into the top 8 and resume our routine humpings off the top teams.

Voted for a cup. And would vote for a cup whether Ashley, Arabs or Americans owned the club. Its a cup for me whether, Shearer, Houghton or Mr Ed the talking horse are in the dug out. I was still just 7 years old when we won the fairs cup. Promotions are great fun as are high league placings but even finishing runners up doesn't come close the rush at the final whistle of winning a Wembley final........er I've always imagined! Cup, Cup Cup! (Just turned 48 and I'm still throwing tantrums)

I think Portsmouth and Hull are very likely to tumble. After that..............who knows, a few contenders. Possibly Burnley or Birmingham.

Shearer's too big for Ashley. He was burnt by Keegan's popularity. He's not interested in getting in a manager who the fans would side with in opposition to him. Agree. It crossed my mind that this is what may have happened post relegation. Ashley keen until he relises he once again has a manager bigger than him (and a totally unproven one at that) and thinks even if it goes threppennies up he can't be sacked. Not saying this was definitely it - just a thought. But with an owner who seems to act on gambles and whims it can't be ruled out.

For me Duff pays the price constantly (in terms of public opinion) for his first two (very poor and injury plagued) seasons at SJP. Last season I thought he played well, ok not a world beater but nowhere near our weakest link. And frankly if we need to sell then peddle Jonas who after looking so promising when he first arrived has been a huge letdown. Duff works his nuts off and can and does make and score goals and certainly will do that some more at Championship level. On the evidence to date, despite perplexingly being in one of the best international squads in the world, Jonas .......er won't. Totally opposed to Duff's sale.

I'm just so pleased he made it to his big night last Sunday and so pleased I was there. It felt, and in hindsight more than ever, like a wrong being put right. Quite possibly the best manager we've ever had and definitely the best ambassador we've ever had was shown the door in a shabby way. He finally left SJP as he should being cheered to the rafters. Top, top bloke. RIP.

Interesting replies chaps, not a lot to cheer in there but I wasn't expecting that! After posting my original mesage I'm still suspecting another caretaker but I was probably kidding myself over Venables or Curbishley. I see another poster talking about "rising stars" but like AC and TV they probably have other choices and why would anyone (bar the desperate in the JFK mould) choose here right now? We could end up with an O'Leary. And as many others have said, precisely how is any of this drift, this death rattle of a broken club in the interests of Ashley? - he is reducing the worth of his own assets but God knows I think we've given up trying to work his headset. Off to Bobby's game.............cheers Percy

We all think we know what is wrong, we all think we know what is needed. But what will actually happen next? I like the straw clutching theory that the apparrent transfer embargo (when sales are desperately needed to stop the ship from sinking) suggests at least the possibility of the keys being handed over. Also what has epitomised this regime is the absence of communication - they may well leave as they arrived (under radar) and this (please God) could happen at any time. But with the light at the end of the tunnel worryingly looking like it could be the League One Express what is actually going to happen.....? Save for my straw clutching above players simply have to be sold ....and will be. Half a dozen or so will be moved out before end of August. We hope its the "deadwood" of Xisco, Geremi, Smith Barton but its as likely to be the Beyes and Bassongs which I suspect none of us want. Even Ashley (stick with me here) will see a need for some action but it won't be Shearer. Even Ashley (sorry again) won't be stupid enough to turn to JFK so in comes Venables or Curbishley (if they are stupid enough / down to their last million). Not "inside" gossip of any knd - just what i see as entirely possible. Thoughts?

Thing is that squad should not have been relegated from the premiership and yes it would / should be too good for most Championship sides. Thing is we need to sell a fair few of them to avoid financial meltdown. So while I take Acca's point that team / squad would do more than ok, it simply won't get the chance unless some rich Arab gets all tearful over his Grandad being born in Blaydon. Or something. The club as it is can't / can't afford to bring players in and there isn't really anyone to do it. Financial imperative dictates it must sell and I'm sure we will. Without a takeover we look screwed and I normally live on the sunny side of the street, honest (renewed me ticket, stupid or whaat). First time on here, howdy to one and all. Percy