asteroidblitz

The way he prepares reminds me of another Spaniard. Man Utd look out of ideas already.

Anyone else think that Emery would be a good fit for us? Excellent in Spain, hounded out of London. Tactical genius.

Not voting until Lee Dixon is an option. I know it was the League Cup, but piss is still boiling....

Front page of the KSA's English language newspaper this morning. Another big financial backer of the £300 million ($390 million) bid for Newcastle United football club has come out in favor of a takeover led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The Reuben brothers, multibillionaire businessmen who want to buy 10 per cent of the club, said on Monday they were “very disappointed” when the bid was withdrawn late last week after months of stalling by the Premier League in England. “We would welcome any resurrection of talks and progress with the Premier League and are aware that the Reuben brothers remain totally supportive of the deal should there be a way forward,” said a statement from their company, Arena Racing. The brothers’ renewed support for the deal will raise the pressure on Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, who has remained silent since the takeover offer was withdrawn last week. PIF made no secret of its disappointment and frustration that the Premier League — which has the duty to approve or reject a takeover of a member club — has reached no decision since contracts were exchanged on the deal in April that would give the Saudi sovereign wealth fund 80 per cent of the 128-year-old club Amanda Staveley, the British financier who has been at the heart of the deal and would have bought the remaining 10 per cent, also wants to see the deal revived. The Reuben brothers, who already run two horseracing courses in the northeast of England, said: “We were planning on creating one of the premier sporting hubs in the UK, undertaking development work that is vital for the region and enjoying valuable synergies with the football club. “We continue to hope that those exciting plans are not in vain.”

Bein have said absolutely nothing about this in the prematch waffle before Chelsea v Norwich, and chose to focus on Man City's ban being lifted & Mourinho's reaction to it. It's on!

Don't forget that Qatar also spunk loads of money in the UK: IAG, Harrods, the Shard and a majority shareholding in Veet to keep gorilla hands presentable on Bein Sports.

Are you sure it's only 40m? Bein have the second biggest deal after Sky/BT. Also, it's the PL that have breached the contract as they haven't put on the games as per their obligations.

Long time lurker here, based in Middle East. I am not a dentist. A couple of theories of mine regarding the delay or possible cancellation of the takeover: 1. As Kieron McGuire mentioned on a recent Price of Football podcast, Bein Sports, which is owned by the government of Qatar, pays in monthly instalments for its EPL broadcasting rights. Sky and BT pay yearly, and have shown flexibility with finding a solution. To get one over the Saudis, I wouldn't be surprised if Bein is trying to use their missed/pending payments for March, April and May as leverage to scupper the deal. 2. The economy in KSA is getting a battering right now. Oil prices are rock bottom, and the kingdom has just increased VAT from 5% to 15%. While I understand that the sovereign wealth fund can of course afford the takeover, splashing the cash on overseas whims right now might not have the right PR impact locally. I hope I'm completely wrong on both of these.

Straw Dogs

Guardiola and Pogba to join Man City in the summer, according to BeIn Sports

Their 52 week high is about 30% greater than their 52 week low, and they are somewhere in the middle of that range at the moment. I wouldn't call the publishing/education industry a safe bet... ITK alert

Don't you mean Lee Dixon, or have I got the wrong game?