Happy Face

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9333340.stm

I'm constantly raging at players for not running to acres of space when it's there, so I was glad to see a positive burst like that.

Another excellent run. If only his feet weren't 50p pieces.

To be generous, it was a very good run.

Great minds

Taylor's been a liability like.

I've whacked £20 on us to win. Probably thrown away given the players we're missing, but 15/8 enticed me with them just outside the bottom 3.

SUNDAY 2ND JANUARY CHANNEL 4 IRON MAN 5.40pm - Network premier of one of the better super-hero films. MONDAY 3RD JANUARY FILM4 HARD EIGHT 12.15am - Paul Thomas Anderson's (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, ) first film. It only came out on DVD over here a couple of years back. Follows a down on his luck gambler (John C Reilly) as he gets his life back on track with the help of an elderly father figure. Unfortunately iit goes wrong again when he falls for a whore (Gwyneth Paltrow) and gets on the wrong side of Samuel L Jackson. Underrated classic. TUESDAY 4TH JANUARY CHANNEL 4 THE LONGEST DAY 12.30pm - Great war film.

Kick-Ass - Best action film I've seen in years. Excellent. Shrek forever After - Fucking abysmal. Barely a chuckle raised. Born Yesterday - Perfect viewing during the wikileaks story. How an idiot (but informed) proletariat can keep the powerful honest. Rather rose tinted tbh (congress only has the odd bad egg).

Had Bolton. Was happy till pp jinxed it with that thread. You owe me 120 big man

Where's far?

It would be just like us (Ashley) though to say we want to bring in talented youth and avoid expensive over the hill players.....then accept an over the hill expensive flop as the makeweight in selling the best young striker in the country. I'm sure we can have faith in big Mike though.

Sign him twice

But Man City have fought Tevez and his agents to keep to keep him at the club....succesfully, so far. Man U fought succesfully to keep Ronaldo that extra season when Madrid were dying to buy. Arsenal fought to hold onto Fabregas when Barcelona were circling. Who has Ashley ever fought for like that? Did they fight or just pushing up the price? I doubt you will know who Ashley has fought for in the past. I guess the proof of the pudding is that we havent sold the likes of Enrique or Jonas or Colochini etc when relegated. And I think its fair to say that the club have been very quick to tell everyone Carrol is going nowhere once gossip started about Man city and Totenham sniffing around. Rednapp has already said he understands that Newcastle wont be selling Carrol. As I linked to earlier...when we were relegated the entire squad was put up for sale. That's your proof he fought to keep these players? There hasn't been an open window since Carroll has shown his ability in the top flight. Whatever the club say means nothing whatsoever until the next window is closed. Strange you see NUFC's claims as honest endeavour, but that of MUFC, AFC and MCFC as driving the price up....the evidence suggests you have that arse about tit. We've had 3 windows since relegation. Surely the big bad ashley would have cashed in on someone by now? Not really. I've not seen any speculation of anyone showing interest...who would pay more than the £6.5m we shelled out for Enrique....or the £10m on Colo? We tried our best to get someone to make an offer for Taylor...transfer listed him a second time cos we thought no-one heard the first time. When we (and he) realised no fucker would have him, the contract signed was the lesser of two evils for all parties concerned. Carroll is the first instance of Ashley's resolve being tested. it'll be interesting.

But Man City have fought Tevez and his agents to keep to keep him at the club....succesfully, so far. Man U fought succesfully to keep Ronaldo that extra season when Madrid were dying to buy. Arsenal fought to hold onto Fabregas when Barcelona were circling. Who has Ashley ever fought for like that? Did they fight or just pushing up the price? I doubt you will know who Ashley has fought for in the past. I guess the proof of the pudding is that we havent sold the likes of Enrique or Jonas or Colochini etc when relegated. And I think its fair to say that the club have been very quick to tell everyone Carrol is going nowhere once gossip started about Man city and Totenham sniffing around. Rednapp has already said he understands that Newcastle wont be selling Carrol. As I linked to earlier...when we were relegated the entire squad was put up for sale. That's your proof he fought to keep these players? There hasn't been an open window since Carroll has shown his ability in the top flight. Whatever the club say means nothing whatsoever until the next window is closed. Strange you see NUFC's claims as honest endeavour, but that of MUFC, AFC and MCFC as driving the price up....the evidence suggests you have that arse about tit.

Never happen.

But Man City have fought Tevez and his agents to keep to keep him at the club....succesfully, so far. Man U fought succesfully to keep Ronaldo that extra season when Madrid were dying to buy. Arsenal fought to hold onto Fabregas when Barcelona were circling. Who has Ashley ever fought for like that?

I think your optimistic view at the moment is welcome from a balancing pov even if I don't agree with it but trusting Ashley after all that's gone on isn't optimism - it's stupidity. Its based on the fact he hasnt sold anyone who didnt want to be away. He didnt cash in on Enrique, Jonas etc etc as most predicted when we were relegated. Wanting to balance the books before all else , yes.... a history of getting rid of our best players, no. Quite the opposite in fact over the last 18 months. Currently securing good talent on long term deals, signing Tiote, Ben Arfa and whatever comes in January. When we actually sell players that dont want to go I'll buy into your Ashley theory. I find your pro Ashley stance tiresome, honestly you're getting right on my tits. I read your threads and think this cunt is on the wind up, and fine if you are but you're a mug. Signing Tiote what £3m? Not sellin Enrique, pah that was good of him, and who's to say any offers were on the table. The fact is another relegation will cost TTFCMA more than 8 or 9m he'd get in from selling Enrique, he realises this. We won't be selling Carroll though. You big fucking Jesse. If you cant hack differing opinions on football I suggest you nip along to the newsagents and buy a copy of Shoot or play on your PS3 instead. As long as people keep blabbering on about where going to sell ths one or that one and we dont, I'll keep putting the true facts across. So far I think im right on the last 3 or 4 windows. There are one or two clubs that can afford to splash the cash. We are getting the finances under control, giving decent players long contracts and finding good young players and bringing good young players through. Honestly, a big fucking jesse. People can have differing opinions, and you can have yours, but when their stance is as pathetic as yours, I'm allowed to shake my head, particularly when you're so blinkered to the situation Ashley has created, you either have no clue about the game or are deliberately being offensive. Your immediate support of him and his decision to replace Hughton with Pardew sums you up tbh. He could sell Carroll for £1m and you'd find the positive, it's tiresome pal. And your and others blindness to what has actually gone on over the past 18 months with regard to players coming in and going out is pathetic in my eyes. How many players have been sold against their will? I don't think it comes down to that. It comes down to the fact that we, as a group of supporters, shouldn't trust anything that Ashley does with our club - this isn't out of spite, it's born through all the other errors he's made since buying the club. If you for one second believe he wouldn't sell a player who wanted to stay if the money was right you're living in cookoo land, mate. You're right that you should re-evaluate your opinions on things constantly but I don't think he's made one decision since 2008 which has made him trustworthy in any way, shape or form. Aye? First point. All players have a price at all clubs whether its Teves, Ronaldo or whoever. Since 2008.... He didnt sell of our good players in a fire sale when relegated as widely touted on here (appreciate you wernt here then). He appointed Hughton He backed Hughton in the January window He brought us Tiote and Ben Arfa He has helped develop a policy for having / aquiring good youngsters He has signed up Carrol on a long deal Ditto for Taylor He ia resisting the sale of Carrol He has taken a bold decision to replace Hughton We are fast becoming one of the most financially astute clubs in the league. So in a nutshell I do think he is dragging us screaming and kicking into a viable club that can progress in this league. This ofcourse will never please the likes of leazes who cant see the period of the entertainers for what it was. A marvellous ride when everything fell into place be that personell, tv money , sponsorship etc. A perfect storm that I was thrilled to live through but know I wont be revisiting. A bit like the eighties. What a fucking dolt.

I'm not saying Carroll will go btw. Just so CT doesn't get the impression Carroll being here in Feb would prove him right. Just that Ashley has never turned his back on a profit in the past. I hope he's learned from the disasters of this short termism in the past. To have complete faith in it is just wummery though. No-one knows.

It's easy to say that when the situation hasn't arisen. I'll bet since the batch of "deserters" left the summer before last that no decent bids for any players have been made. The change now is that people will have noticed how good Enrique and Carroll are. So they hadnt been noticed by the January 2009 window or the summer 2010 window.... What will you be saying come 1st Feb? He's waiting til the summer! The good thing is though if that you and others like you say it enough at every window then Im sure at one of them you will be right. Enrique leaves aged 30 I can just imagine the response....."See, i fucking told yas" The whole squad was up for sale in June 2009.... http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?...=entire%20squad No-one was interested in matching the wages Ashley had given any of the players that got us relegated, apart from those we gladly took the money for.

I think your optimistic view at the moment is welcome from a balancing pov even if I don't agree with it but trusting Ashley after all that's gone on isn't optimism - it's stupidity. Its based on the fact he hasnt sold anyone who didnt want to be away. He didnt cash in on Enrique, Jonas etc etc as most predicted when we were relegated. Wanting to balance the books before all else , yes.... a history of getting rid of our best players, no. Quite the opposite in fact over the last 18 months. Currently securing good talent on long term deals, signing Tiote, Ben Arfa and whatever comes in January. When we actually sell players that dont want to go I'll buy into your Ashley theory. I find your pro Ashley stance tiresome, honestly you're getting right on my tits. I read your threads and think this cunt is on the wind up, and fine if you are but you're a mug. Signing Tiote what £3m? Not sellin Enrique, pah that was good of him, and who's to say any offers were on the table. The fact is another relegation will cost TTFCMA more than 8 or 9m he'd get in from selling Enrique, he realises this. We won't be selling Carroll though. You big fucking Jesse. If you cant hack differing opinions on football I suggest you nip along to the newsagents and buy a copy of Shoot or play on your PS3 instead. As long as people keep blabbering on about where going to sell ths one or that one and we dont, I'll keep putting the true facts across. So far I think im right on the last 3 or 4 windows. There are one or two clubs that can afford to splash the cash. We are getting the finances under control, giving decent players long contracts and finding good young players and bringing good young players through. Honestly, a big fucking jesse. People can have differing opinions, and you can have yours, but when their stance is as pathetic as yours, I'm allowed to shake my head, particularly when you're so blinkered to the situation Ashley has created, you either have no clue about the game or are deliberately being offensive. Your immediate support of him and his decision to replace Hughton with Pardew sums you up tbh. He could sell Carroll for £1m and you'd find the positive, it's tiresome pal. And your and others blindness to what has actually gone on over the past 18 months with regard to players coming in and going out is pathetic in my eyes. How many players have been sold against their will? That makes everything else alright. You ignore the fact when we went down we got rid of almost everyone we could at a decent price. If we had got rid of anyone else in that summer of 2009, we'd have had a smaller squad than we have now. The answer your mumbling about for is no one Who did he receive bids for like CT?

I don't know where this straw man argument came from that Ashley only sells players who want to go....that's the case with ANY sale. Name me one player that has EVER joined a new club and said they didn't want to be there. The prerogative lies with the club refusing any approaches in the first place....which Ashley has NEVER done.

Tell me who'll score them and I'll pop to the bookies.

This thread was started the month he arrived.... http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?...05&hl=jonas

Played a blinder against Aldershot