OTF

Well this is honestly a very strange feeling. The enthusiasm and excitement is real even though we have the exact same players and manager as the last time I watched us play.

Well said, the problem is that elements of the media and other supporters in general will twist it such that supporting the club is tantamount to supporting the regime. So even when it doesn't apply it's easier just to say it so that things can progress. The separation between club and owner has already been in effect here for more than 10 years, the difference now becomes that we're likely to see advancement in footballing and facilities and general professionalism under the new owners as it will be run as a business on a completely different level.

We've got to get out the requisite "I'm conflicted and don't endorse the Saudi regime" stuff before we can get back to the football.

I thought Shia was pretty good in the transformers movies despite some of his co-stars being a bit robotic.

Looks like a heavier Joelinton, which is to be fair what we've all been crying out for.

That football lost its soul is a tired as fuck notion that if you're only catching up to now you're a bit special. It's not just football, it's the price of capitalism. "Most other clubs" good one. How foolish can we be to think that it wasn't football supporters all along who are responsible for atrocities throughout the world. Nevermind the cartoonist who makes a living from putting pretty pictures to the smug feeling of trying to make yourself and others feel good and righteous whilst simultaneously trying to remove the good feelings of others after the end of a terrible reign of ownership where the football club became nothing more than an economically viable husk. Mental gymnastics indeed. I'm at the point now where this sort of petty petulant impotent posturing utterly delights me. I've enjoyed some of his strips before, but probably none so much as this.

It's clear that they're going to sack him at half time, in the middle of the stadium, leaving him stranded on 999.5 games. Then Jones rouses a stunning comeback win in the dying minutes and whips a Jonas Gutierrez mask out of his sock donning it for a victory lap.

Before any additional sponsorship deals. Considering how far we have slid backwards in that respect under Ashley there should be a massive increase in that revenue stream.

I'm interested to hear the tack the media take in the main after the takeover since the normal tripe they trot out ad nauseam will no longer fit what will be happening on the pitch (eventually).

Hopefully we no longer have to wonder the reason for absurd logic defying decisions like this.

Forget about the stain above the crest:

Dancing around a burning effigy of Mike.

I'd say Rafa will be committed to what he's doing at Everton and as much as he would love the long term project here abandoning Everton would not sit well with him.

What did she say explicitly in this regard? I would have though Wilson would be in the reckoning as well. Almiron brings the threat of pure pace and in a future side where we have more possession his tireless movement becomes a big asset. Plus when he's part of a big team he'll suddenly mysteriously start winning more free kicks. I rate Fernandez but of course at his age he's at the end of his career. Dubravka is good enough to stay for the time being and I don't even mind Darlow as backup, mostly because the money spent there would be better spent elsewhere. Also would hang onto Willock for a while longer yet.

Seems like he's the perfect professional as well, for someone without any particularly outstanding ability he's a heck of a player.

I actually didn’t mind it, even after Richardsom left - though it was infinitely better with him there - to me it's hilarious how rattled by Newcastle they were before any of this. They basically intentionally neglect to talk about Newcastle and try to pass it off as some sort of running joke. It's going to be so much harder for them to even attempt it in the future.

This years FIFA is good.

The truth is this takeover is great news for Sunderland given the investment in the area. They just have to give up any scintilla of hope that they'll ever be anywhere near our level ever again.

If you come after the big dog you better make sure you don't miss, wait, I think there's supposed to be something about a king in there.

Glad you didn't post the full length photo where you can see he's pulling his strides down taking a nervous shit.

There was some Spurs numpty that hung around for a fair while as well - Danny? Something like that.

I'd love there to be a behind the scenes show where Bruce and Carver manage a football team. It'd only need a couple of episodes but it could easily become a genre defining tragicomedy.

The concept of sportswashing is fallacious. Noone with a shred of intelligence changes their opinion on unrelated matters based on the ownership of a sporting team or the hosting of a sporting event. There's multiple teams with owners who face more scrutinty and derision due to sport bringing them more into the public view. It's a bit like when a prick offers to buy you a drink, you happily accept the drink but don't change your opinion of them as a result.

You're not. The Premier League sanctioned the deal, so if Newcastle supporters are expected to abandon support of the club then anyone that supports a premier league team should be expected to do the same. But the reality is there's no legitimate culpability on the fans, anyone suggesting there is is just a bitter Barry.

One of the upgrades to our training facility needs to be a Cautionary Tale / Reality Check room where players and staff are sent to gain perspective on where they are and where we've been if they step out of line. This picture should be on the door.