The Fish

When the fun stops, stop. I put £2.50 on the Euromillions £168m jackpot on Friday, but some Spaniard pocketed that. Worth it for the daydream of what we'd do with the money for a bit though. I'd pay people to follow you lot around with whatever annoys you most.

Journalists are certainly using more definite language with this rumour than they were with ours.

My hopes were never particularly high that we were going to be bought out, as Rayvin says, things that good just don't happen to Newcastle United, but that is still disappointing. If she is brokering a deal for Liverpool, I can't imagine she'll be brokering a deal for Newcastle any time soon.

I miss Bobby Shinton

Yeah that's where I'm at too. It's interesting to speculate, but honestly even if there are wealthy investors keen to pour money into resuscitating the club, Ashley will firmly press the pillow over the sleeping giant's face.

Honestly can't remember the last time I actually watched an England game throughout. It's so divorced from the game I know and love now. I'd genuinely rather watch a lower league game on tv, than the shit England offer up. Not just the tactics, or the players, but christ the Fans are awful pricks.

Aye but that's the point, without the kind of money PSG and Man City have available no team would be able to mount a long term challenge to their supremacy. No new team anyway. Chelsea and Man Utd can, because they're already that rich. But even if Everton or West Ham suddenly are flush with cash they won't dethrone all three of those English clubs. Man City's largesse has them on a par with Man Utd and Chelsea, they haven't surpassed them, not really. Spurs slower growth has them challenging, but, like I say, if they lost Kane/Pochettino to a bigger club they'd most likely regress. Potential investors won't be so naive as to think that a new club can suddenly blow the others out the water, surely? At best they'll join them at the top table. And that's something I think is possible. Spurs are definitely the most attractive at the minute. Not one of us have a Harry Kane to build a team around, not even close. They've a brand new stadium. But I can't imagine their owner would want to sell now. It'd be like cashing out when you're 3-0 up. Frankly, to mount that kind of assault, all clubs are starting from scratch. The money needed to bring the kind of squad to mount a serious title challenge may be £400m for us, or £350m for Everton, but when you're talking about that much, a £50m difference isn't enough to matter, right? And West Ham? Their squad may have 1 or two good players in it, but it's unbalanced and fractured. Of the other 3 Newcastle have, imo; the best manager, the best stadium, the owner most keen on a sale, and importantly the greatest potential for commercial growth.

Wasn't our 4-4 against Arsenal on a day of ridiculous scorelines? 5 Feb 2011 23:59 UK Aston Villa2-2FulhamFT Everton5-3BlackpoolFT Man City3-0West BromFT Newcastle4-4ArsenalFT Stoke3-2SunderlandFT Tottenham2-1BoltonFT Wigan4-3BlackburnFT Wolves2-1Man UtdFT 41 goals No game <2.5 goals

I was thinking about the level would could feasibly attain with a sudden influx of cash. Realistically I think the best we could do is not necessarily usurping a team in the "Top 6", but extending it to a "Top 7". Seven teams competing for the Champions League and Europa spots. We're seeing the decline of Arsenal from legitimate title contenders to a side that competes for the CL spots, Liverpool are a ways short of a title challenge too. The other four sides are legit title challengers at the minute but it's not inconceivable that one or two of them have a bad season, and Liverpool or Arsenal push into that group of four. Were we to be amongst that group, we could too. If we keep a top class manager, and dramatically improve our playing squad over the next few years, we could conceivably join Arsenal and Liverpool as a team that are capable of taking advantage of a team suffering from poor performances, bad luck with injuries, or losing key men to Barcelona/Real Madrid. I mean, ffs, Alan Pardew managed to steal a 5th placed finish with a decent Premier League side. What could Benitez do with a talented side? To become legitimate title challengers would surely take us as long as it took Man City, and would cost the same, adjusted for the inflated market. But in all honesty, to take us from where we are, to being able to go toe-to-toe with the weakest of that group would surely be the aim, right?

I suppose you of all people would have a keen eye to spot a hair.

Was the sexy bastard beating away the girls with a shitty falcon?

Exactly, I should know exactly how much piss to take before getting the boot. As I've taken all of the piss and never been pied off.

Don't think they'd bin you off for 2 sickies if you're otherwise doing a decent job. Especially if you make a big song and dance of it when you go back in on Monday. How you're so sorry, you're dead embarrassed, you know how this looks and you'll happily make up the hours and all that shit. Boss is likely to tell you not to worry. Mind if you're posting on here all day and showing your superiors the same kind of disrespect you show your betters on here, they're better off without you

Spurs would also be a much, much more expensive prospect. London club, legitimate title challengers, young vibrant squad, top class manager, famous club, wealthy club, brand new stadium, and so on. Plus, would whomever owns Spurs really want to sell right now? If they do I'm convinced it would be for an absolutely eyewatering amount.

Bear in mind that that context actually requires further context. The money around football at that time vs the money now Where Man City were in footballing terms then vs now Any potential suitor is eyeing; An incumbent top class manager in Rafa Benitez Large, vocal and unified fanbase Premier League status New TV deal incoming Famous club Wealthy club (c20th in the world aren't we?) Huge potential to grow commercial revenue (stagnated under Ashley) Large Stadium City Centre location (corporate and commercial facilities more attractive when they don’t have to get a bus to an industrial park 5 miles from the city centre) and so on.

You're thinking of leaving them anyway, what's the conflict?

Why would it, it's historical practise. Surely a new owner would replace Charnley et al? If anything couldn't this strengthen any prospective suitors' hand?

Zany

I'm in favour of anything that gets me out of playing fucking board games on Christmas day.

Must be because outside the top clubs, we're one of the biggest audience draws? Proven by our high viewer figures while in the Championship? Which is undoubtedly shit for the majority of fans who want to get to an away game.

Saw something in the Telegraph (I think) that staveley could in fact be part of an investment group, rather than just a broker.

You know they'd still count any victory though.

Aubameyang tapping Benzema on the shoulder "I think the training ground is haunted. I keep seeing a pale ginger figure wandering the halls wailing about having to move to Hell"