José Enrique

[plausibledenial 0]

The summer is the key, if (big if, I accept) we spend the Carrol cash and even then Enrique won't sign a new deal, with one year left, he has to be sold, sad but true.

 

just like the good old days. Still, its all "business".

 

 

The good old days didn't have Bosman, it's called common sense

 

same rules for everybody. Run the club like Netto, and your best players want to go because they see it for what it is.

Just like your good old days.

 

There's a fact of life that you need to get your head around. When and if certain clubs come calling you just are not going to be able to hold onto your players.

 

The summer will be the test, if he gets sold to someone like Villa or Everton THEN you can rightly whinge.

 

I think selling our top goalscorer to Liverpool for a record fee is a basis to "rightly whinge. Obviously you don't - but tell me when this last happened rather than the other way round when we ourselves bought the best players from other premiership clubs, something which the vast majority of people came to expect and something which someone your age should understand better - assuming you really did support the club in the 70's and 80's as you claim.

 

First bold bit -then if you think £35m for Carrol should not be taken then you are a fool, not to mention the fact that Liverpool are still seen as a "monster" club, wrongly IMO but that's life. Not having a plan B was whinge-able but the sell decision, at that price, was a no brainer.

 

When did that happen, when we bought the top 4-6th placed (you know the teams I mean) best players ???

 

you're a fool if you think you should sell your best players. You're also a fool if you think that Liverpool should be buying our best players. Liverpool were the most successful club for a lot of years, but selling them [no to mention the likes of Spurs and Villa] our best players for career and monetary reasons ? The last owners bridged that particular gap, and you're an even bigger fool if you can't accept that.

 

You're also a fool - again - if you think we will see anywhere near that money invested in quality footballers as happened with the sale of Andy Cole as the managers decision

 

I see you are completely avoiding the topic - every time - of supporting the club prior to 1992 ? They attracted you didn't they, now you criticise for not winning the title ? What "sheer" hypocrisy.....which answers your last point perfectly.

 

Don't be stupid, you can't compare the club then (70/80's) to now, or the way players are handled, bosman changed everything. Oh and stick your attracted by 92 crap, I watched Alan Foggon and Micky Burns and Graham Oates and Glen Keeley and George Riley etc etc etc

 

The only period when I didn't consistently go was when Keegan was a player here strangely enough, due to other priorities.

 

I don't think you should sell your best players BUT I accept it as a fact of life in the modern game when those considered the established "big-boys" come knocking and turn a players head, or someone offers you a stupid amount of money, you're screwed. Everyone has their price and there is a pecking order and we ain't in that top tier (and sadly never really have been established there).

 

Do you think for a minute the former owners would have turned down £35m for Carrol, really ??

 

As for the reinvestment (or not) we won't know until the summer will we (I accept FFS would likely have spent it - well what Barclays would have allowed him to)

 

What you really need to accept is that the Keegan "glory years" were our blip, we had our Shankly moment and we screwed it up, we won nowt, and let it all slip away and it's a LONG road back.

 

Fact: the previous owners did not ie DID NOT - sell our best players for monetary reasons or create a club whereby our best players wanted to leave to further their careers or for monetary reasons. You can dispute this all you like and make up anything you like or spin it any way you like, but this is the facts.

 

We will NOT re-invest the 35m quid in quality footballers, read that carefully, we will not reinvest that 35m quid in quality footballers with the intention to improve the team overall from the one that Carroll played in . Understand ?

 

I'm afraid the statement "we won nowt", true as it may be, only highlights your complete fickleness and lack of appreciation of the fact that at least we had a go, a good go, and came within 90 minutes of landing the league or the FA Cup on 4 occasions, and played in europe more than any club bar 4 in the 15 years they owned it. You show me any other owners of NUFC who have did this, which makes the Halls and Shepherd the best owners we have had at this club by a million miles and Mike Ashley is positive proof that it may take a long long time to find someone else who understands the club like they did and matches it . What a shame that people failed to appreciate and can still only look back now and criticise.

 

That is all my point is, and what is always has been. Appreciate what happened, and accept they were good, because you might never, never see it again in your lifetime. What I really don't get my head around is people who say they were around before 1992 and failed to appreciate it and took it for granted in the end. Fools, all of them, especially when they can't admit they got it massively wrong.

 

Spot on, under the Halls and Shepherds we were one of the big boys, we were a buying club, we didnt sell our best players and most of all we had ambition.

 

Ashley has thrown that legacy away

 

Clubs like Villa and Wolves are now showing far more ambition than us - we will be overtaken and left behind by clubs much smaller than us but with far more ambition

 

The novelty of year on year survival in the premier league will soon wear off - thats the most we ever achieve under Ashley - its shameful for a club with the potential of Newcastle and yet unbelievably some people still try and defend him and compare him favourably with the previous owners

 

 

Oh I'm sorry, I forgot we were in the champions league when SJH sold up, I take it all back and here's our world beating, last first eleven, of the FFS reign

 

Given

Solano

Ramage

Taylor

Carr

Milner

Butt

Dyer

Pattison

Owen

Ameobi

 

Remind us when Sir John Hall sold Freddie Shepherd his shares giving him complete control ?

 

Also remind us who it was that appointed Kevin Keegan as manager and told Sir John Hall when it was all but done and dusted ?

 

Or continue to change the facts to suit yourself........

 

 

This ..plus the fact that Ashleys skid mark is a cunt ...Leazes keep on keepin on kidda ...youve got that cunts number : )

[Guest]

The summer is the key, if (big if, I accept) we spend the Carrol cash and even then Enrique won't sign a new deal, with one year left, he has to be sold, sad but true.

 

just like the good old days. Still, its all "business".

 

 

The good old days didn't have Bosman, it's called common sense

 

same rules for everybody. Run the club like Netto, and your best players want to go because they see it for what it is.

Just like your good old days.

 

There's a fact of life that you need to get your head around. When and if certain clubs come calling you just are not going to be able to hold onto your players.

 

The summer will be the test, if he gets sold to someone like Villa or Everton THEN you can rightly whinge.

 

I think selling our top goalscorer to Liverpool for a record fee is a basis to "rightly whinge. Obviously you don't - but tell me when this last happened rather than the other way round when we ourselves bought the best players from other premiership clubs, something which the vast majority of people came to expect and something which someone your age should understand better - assuming you really did support the club in the 70's and 80's as you claim.

 

First bold bit -then if you think £35m for Carrol should not be taken then you are a fool, not to mention the fact that Liverpool are still seen as a "monster" club, wrongly IMO but that's life. Not having a plan B was whinge-able but the sell decision, at that price, was a no brainer.

 

When did that happen, when we bought the top 4-6th placed (you know the teams I mean) best players ???

 

you're a fool if you think you should sell your best players. You're also a fool if you think that Liverpool should be buying our best players. Liverpool were the most successful club for a lot of years, but selling them [no to mention the likes of Spurs and Villa] our best players for career and monetary reasons ? The last owners bridged that particular gap, and you're an even bigger fool if you can't accept that.

 

You're also a fool - again - if you think we will see anywhere near that money invested in quality footballers as happened with the sale of Andy Cole as the managers decision

 

I see you are completely avoiding the topic - every time - of supporting the club prior to 1992 ? They attracted you didn't they, now you criticise for not winning the title ? What "sheer" hypocrisy.....which answers your last point perfectly.

 

Don't be stupid, you can't compare the club then (70/80's) to now, or the way players are handled, bosman changed everything. Oh and stick your attracted by 92 crap, I watched Alan Foggon and Micky Burns and Graham Oates and Glen Keeley and George Riley etc etc etc

 

The only period when I didn't consistently go was when Keegan was a player here strangely enough, due to other priorities.

 

I don't think you should sell your best players BUT I accept it as a fact of life in the modern game when those considered the established "big-boys" come knocking and turn a players head, or someone offers you a stupid amount of money, you're screwed. Everyone has their price and there is a pecking order and we ain't in that top tier (and sadly never really have been established there).

 

Do you think for a minute the former owners would have turned down £35m for Carrol, really ??

 

As for the reinvestment (or not) we won't know until the summer will we (I accept FFS would likely have spent it - well what Barclays would have allowed him to)

 

What you really need to accept is that the Keegan "glory years" were our blip, we had our Shankly moment and we screwed it up, we won nowt, and let it all slip away and it's a LONG road back.

 

Fact: the previous owners did not ie DID NOT - sell our best players for monetary reasons or create a club whereby our best players wanted to leave to further their careers or for monetary reasons. You can dispute this all you like and make up anything you like or spin it any way you like, but this is the facts.

 

We will NOT re-invest the 35m quid in quality footballers, read that carefully, we will not reinvest that 35m quid in quality footballers with the intention to improve the team overall from the one that Carroll played in . Understand ?

 

I'm afraid the statement "we won nowt", true as it may be, only highlights your complete fickleness and lack of appreciation of the fact that at least we had a go, a good go, and came within 90 minutes of landing the league or the FA Cup on 4 occasions, and played in europe more than any club bar 4 in the 15 years they owned it. You show me any other owners of NUFC who have did this, which makes the Halls and Shepherd the best owners we have had at this club by a million miles and Mike Ashley is positive proof that it may take a long long time to find someone else who understands the club like they did and matches it . What a shame that people failed to appreciate and can still only look back now and criticise.

 

That is all my point is, and what is always has been. Appreciate what happened, and accept they were good, because you might never, never see it again in your lifetime. What I really don't get my head around is people who say they were around before 1992 and failed to appreciate it and took it for granted in the end. Fools, all of them, especially when they can't admit they got it massively wrong.

 

Spot on, under the Halls and Shepherds we were one of the big boys, we were a buying club, we didnt sell our best players and most of all we had ambition.

 

Ashley has thrown that legacy away

 

Clubs like Villa and Wolves are now showing far more ambition than us - we will be overtaken and left behind by clubs much smaller than us but with far more ambition

 

The novelty of year on year survival in the premier league will soon wear off - thats the most we ever achieve under Ashley - its shameful for a club with the potential of Newcastle and yet unbelievably some people still try and defend him and compare him favourably with the previous owners

 

 

Oh I'm sorry, I forgot we were in the champions league when SJH sold up, I take it all back and here's our world beating, last first eleven, of the FFS reign

 

Given

Solano

Ramage

Taylor

Carr

Milner

Butt

Dyer

Pattison

Owen

Ameobi

 

Remind us when Sir John Hall sold Freddie Shepherd his shares giving him complete control ?

 

Also remind us who it was that appointed Kevin Keegan as manager and told Sir John Hall when it was all but done and dusted ?

 

Or continue to change the facts to suit yourself........

 

 

This ..plus the fact that Ashleys skid mark is a cunt ...Leazes keep on keepin on kidda ...youve got that cunts number : )

 

Where did this nobody pop up from

[toonotl 3116]

Enrique (taken from post above)

 

They've promised me that all the money from the sale of Carroll will go to signing new players. I hope that's the case.

 

Hopefully written on toilet paper so it's worth is not lost on anyone.

 

Newcastle [the club] also haven't acted rightly, they've made promises that they haven't kept and I have ambitions.

It's true that they've promised me things and not followed through.

 

Judging from this statement and Joey Barton's statements yesterday, the players are losing patience.

 

I could see alot of the players wanting to leave in the summer once those around them start to be sold and the realisation that any momentum gained from last season and this season has been given the signature Ashley treatment.

 

This is the key reason why Enrique and any other quality player currently at the club will leave sooner rather than later.

Edited February 18, 2011 by toonotl

[OTF 7496]

The other effect that these statements have (apart from confirming the inevitable that Enrique will be leaving) is that they will deride our chances of signing any replacement players of decent quality. From the perspective of the Club though they can't have any complaints. They undoubtedly have treated our players poorly, have mislead them on numerous occasions and been full of empty promises. As noted elsewhere if you're full of shit and talk out of your arse it will eventually catch up with you.

 

Pretty soon (if not already) no-one of decent quality will want to deal with us because of Ashley and the way that he conducts his business. It's up to you if you want to be a rogue and do things your own way, but you can have no complaints when doing so alienates others who are happy to conform to standards. To some extent he's got away with doing things on the bodge up until now because we have some salable assets. Most notably the now departed Andy Carroll with Enrique and Tiote being the next two. Barton doesn't have a big value on the market, though he's a good player. Hatem Ben Arfa's value at the moment isn't high, but if he returns from injury well then midway through next season it could have risen substantially. After that bunch there's no-one of note, and we'll be an even less attractive prospect to incoming players. With no signings on note the crowds will begin to dwindle.

 

Basically it all looks up the shitter. I'd love nothing more than to be proved wrong, but the writing is pretty much on the wall, written in the smeared shit of the charlatan fuckwits running the place.

[Toonpack 9978]

The summer is the key, if (big if, I accept) we spend the Carrol cash and even then Enrique won't sign a new deal, with one year left, he has to be sold, sad but true.

 

just like the good old days. Still, its all "business".

 

 

The good old days didn't have Bosman, it's called common sense

 

same rules for everybody. Run the club like Netto, and your best players want to go because they see it for what it is.

Just like your good old days.

 

There's a fact of life that you need to get your head around. When and if certain clubs come calling you just are not going to be able to hold onto your players.

 

The summer will be the test, if he gets sold to someone like Villa or Everton THEN you can rightly whinge.

 

I think selling our top goalscorer to Liverpool for a record fee is a basis to "rightly whinge. Obviously you don't - but tell me when this last happened rather than the other way round when we ourselves bought the best players from other premiership clubs, something which the vast majority of people came to expect and something which someone your age should understand better - assuming you really did support the club in the 70's and 80's as you claim.

 

First bold bit -then if you think £35m for Carrol should not be taken then you are a fool, not to mention the fact that Liverpool are still seen as a "monster" club, wrongly IMO but that's life. Not having a plan B was whinge-able but the sell decision, at that price, was a no brainer.

 

When did that happen, when we bought the top 4-6th placed (you know the teams I mean) best players ???

 

you're a fool if you think you should sell your best players. You're also a fool if you think that Liverpool should be buying our best players. Liverpool were the most successful club for a lot of years, but selling them [no to mention the likes of Spurs and Villa] our best players for career and monetary reasons ? The last owners bridged that particular gap, and you're an even bigger fool if you can't accept that.

 

You're also a fool - again - if you think we will see anywhere near that money invested in quality footballers as happened with the sale of Andy Cole as the managers decision

 

I see you are completely avoiding the topic - every time - of supporting the club prior to 1992 ? They attracted you didn't they, now you criticise for not winning the title ? What "sheer" hypocrisy.....which answers your last point perfectly.

 

Don't be stupid, you can't compare the club then (70/80's) to now, or the way players are handled, bosman changed everything. Oh and stick your attracted by 92 crap, I watched Alan Foggon and Micky Burns and Graham Oates and Glen Keeley and George Riley etc etc etc

 

The only period when I didn't consistently go was when Keegan was a player here strangely enough, due to other priorities.

 

I don't think you should sell your best players BUT I accept it as a fact of life in the modern game when those considered the established "big-boys" come knocking and turn a players head, or someone offers you a stupid amount of money, you're screwed. Everyone has their price and there is a pecking order and we ain't in that top tier (and sadly never really have been established there).

 

Do you think for a minute the former owners would have turned down £35m for Carrol, really ??

 

As for the reinvestment (or not) we won't know until the summer will we (I accept FFS would likely have spent it - well what Barclays would have allowed him to)

 

What you really need to accept is that the Keegan "glory years" were our blip, we had our Shankly moment and we screwed it up, we won nowt, and let it all slip away and it's a LONG road back.

 

Fact: the previous owners did not ie DID NOT - sell our best players for monetary reasons or create a club whereby our best players wanted to leave to further their careers or for monetary reasons. You can dispute this all you like and make up anything you like or spin it any way you like, but this is the facts.

 

We will NOT re-invest the 35m quid in quality footballers, read that carefully, we will not reinvest that 35m quid in quality footballers with the intention to improve the team overall from the one that Carroll played in . Understand ?

 

I'm afraid the statement "we won nowt", true as it may be, only highlights your complete fickleness and lack of appreciation of the fact that at least we had a go, a good go, and came within 90 minutes of landing the league or the FA Cup on 4 occasions, and played in europe more than any club bar 4 in the 15 years they owned it. You show me any other owners of NUFC who have did this, which makes the Halls and Shepherd the best owners we have had at this club by a million miles and Mike Ashley is positive proof that it may take a long long time to find someone else who understands the club like they did and matches it . What a shame that people failed to appreciate and can still only look back now and criticise.

 

That is all my point is, and what is always has been. Appreciate what happened, and accept they were good, because you might never, never see it again in your lifetime. What I really don't get my head around is people who say they were around before 1992 and failed to appreciate it and took it for granted in the end. Fools, all of them, especially when they can't admit they got it massively wrong.

 

Spot on, under the Halls and Shepherds we were one of the big boys, we were a buying club, we didnt sell our best players and most of all we had ambition.

 

Ashley has thrown that legacy away

 

Clubs like Villa and Wolves are now showing far more ambition than us - we will be overtaken and left behind by clubs much smaller than us but with far more ambition

 

The novelty of year on year survival in the premier league will soon wear off - thats the most we ever achieve under Ashley - its shameful for a club with the potential of Newcastle and yet unbelievably some people still try and defend him and compare him favourably with the previous owners

 

 

Oh I'm sorry, I forgot we were in the champions league when SJH sold up, I take it all back and here's our world beating, last first eleven, of the FFS reign

 

Given

Solano

Ramage

Taylor

Carr

Milner

Butt

Dyer

Pattison

Owen

Ameobi

 

Remind us when Sir John Hall sold Freddie Shepherd his shares giving him complete control ?

 

Also remind us who it was that appointed Kevin Keegan as manager and told Sir John Hall when it was all but done and dusted ?

 

Or continue to change the facts to suit yourself........

 

 

This ..plus the fact that Ashleys skid mark is a cunt ...Leazes keep on keepin on kidda ...youve got that cunts number : )

 

You can't even quote/abuse the right poster, diimwit.

 

Erm, no he hasn't.

 

I never intimated that SJH ever sold FFS his shares as usual Leazesmug twists and avoids harsh truth's, you know and I know that FFS was all but solely in charge (irrespective of shareholding) for a considerable period after SJH took a back seat - which is about when our decline started.

 

I've already said SJH/FFS were our best owners (for a period) BUT they fucked it up, we had our chance(s), failed and continued in an unsustainable manner to try and get back - it wasn't working.

 

Now I do not in any shape or form "love/like or would piss on Ashley if he was on fire". But I can see "we are where we are" and be realistic about how we can progress, but I absolutely don't pin our plight squarely on Ashley alone, the root cause is way back when we lost to Partizan.

I would fucking love to be in the "money is like confetti" stage again, but I really can't see where the cash could come from, well I couldn't until we got that obscene fee for Carroll. Waiting to see if it's spent, that's all.

 

Reality is:

 

We are not at the top of the pecking order for players and if a Champs League club (or another of perceived succesfull standard) comes in we're fucked, as is anyone else below that watermark (and if someone offers an unrealistic fee, you snap their hands off - if it gets reinvested).

 

Player/Agent power will always win out striving for the extra few thousand quid a week.

 

The modern game is fucked, look at Man City, hundreds of millions spent and they still might not win owt, and surely winning something is what it's all about.

 

How hard is that to understand

Edited February 18, 2011 by Toonpack

[toonotl 3116]

The other effect that these statements have (apart from confirming the inevitable that Enrique will be leaving) is that they will deride our chances of signing any replacement players of decent quality... Pretty soon (if not already) no-one of decent quality will want to deal with us because of Ashley and the way that he conducts his business...

 

I'd love nothing more than to be proved wrong, but the writing is pretty much on the wall, written in the smeared shit of the charlatan fuckwits running the place.

 

Yep. Me too. Sadly I think the opportunity for the fans to be proven wrong by Ashley is gone. The only reason we are where we are is through good luck cancelling out Ashley's terrible decisions.

 

He was lucky in that we kept the core of our squad when we got relegated.

 

He was lucky we bounced straight back up, thereby avoiding having to sell off said core of the side.

 

He is lucky we (probably) won't be relegated after selling Carroll without replacing him.

 

 

I hate to sound so negative. Especially at a time when the team is playing so so well. But I see it as a false dawn since the team playing well at the moment will be the team that we sell off in the summer.

 

 

Probably.

[Rob W 0]

"He was lucky in that we kept the core of our squad when we got relegated"

 

if you look back through this board you'll see the informed opinion at the time was that the whole lot should be tied in bag and thrown off the Tyne Bridge

[ChezGiven 0]

There is the possibility that Pardew has told the players to act this way as he sees how ineffectual he was influencing the owner to keep Carroll. Maybe Pardew thinks he needs the players threatening to leave to pressure Ashley into acting. Its what i'd do.

[Guest alex]

"He was lucky in that we kept the core of our squad when we got relegated"

 

if you look back through this board you'll see the informed opinion at the time was that the whole lot should be tied in bag and thrown off the Tyne Bridge

I reckon you just made that made that up like. I think most people wanted the majority of the squad to stay together in order to get us straight back up. Feel free to provide the quotes that prove otherwise though.

[LeazesMag 0]

Oh I'm sorry, I forgot we were in the champions league when SJH sold up, I take it all back and here's our world beating, last first eleven, of the FFS reign

 

Given

Solano

Ramage

Taylor

Carr

Milner

Butt

Dyer

Pattison

Owen

Ameobi

The problem with this is your confusing the fallout from appointing Souness (which I’m sure LM would agree was a bad decision) with an overall long term strategy.

 

LM isn’t saying the last regime were perfect. He‘s saying their overall strategy was sound. Not faultless but right up until they handed Souness £50m it reaped huge rewards without compromising the club’s financial stability. Now letting Souness piss £50m on a load of crap players was a big mistake but pointing at what happened after that and writing off a strategy that clearly worked for NUFC is plain ignorant.

 

One mistake didn’t undo all the progress we made under SJH/FF. It was a set back that required a short term rethink of the club’s finances. We just needed to steady the ship for a season or two and then get back to being a club that had ambition. Ashley has ripped up a blueprint that worked and replaced it with one that looks increasing like delivering nothing but a steady decline in the club’s status. Brilliant.

 

Apologies to LM if I’ve misrepresented his views.

 

no, you are spot on. Amazing the thick people on here and other sites too that have their heads up their arse.

[LeazesMag 0]

Btw his reason for wanting out is wanting CL football. Who was responsible for us dropping out of the champions league? Do you think there was a quick fix to that with the players we had on our books?

 

Whose reason? Enrique's? You believe that quote was real?

 

 

I'm sceptical personally, but taking it at face value in order to respond the the nonsensical gibberish being spouted.

 

Skidders. You and Toonpack bookmark this thread for 6 months and again in 12 months.

 

You've already said you would leave the board........no need for that mind, but sadly for all of us, both of you are going to look right mugs. Again. Toonpack would do better to read this site than the rubbish he reads on skunkers by other "anyone but Fred" types [that is when somebody actually posts about football]

Edited February 18, 2011 by LeazesMag

[LeazesMag 0]

Btw his reason for wanting out is wanting CL football. Who was responsible for us dropping out of the champions league? Do you think there was a quick fix to that with the players we had on our books?

 

Whose reason? Enrique's? You believe that quote was real?

 

http://www.marca.com/2011/02/17/futbol/fut...1297928544.html

 

 

ah. Someone else who can't admit they were wrong...............oh forget it.

[LeazesMag 0]

The summer is the key, if (big if, I accept) we spend the Carrol cash and even then Enrique won't sign a new deal, with one year left, he has to be sold, sad but true.

 

just like the good old days. Still, its all "business".

 

 

The good old days didn't have Bosman, it's called common sense

 

same rules for everybody. Run the club like Netto, and your best players want to go because they see it for what it is.

Just like your good old days.

 

There's a fact of life that you need to get your head around. When and if certain clubs come calling you just are not going to be able to hold onto your players.

 

The summer will be the test, if he gets sold to someone like Villa or Everton THEN you can rightly whinge.

 

I think selling our top goalscorer to Liverpool for a record fee is a basis to "rightly whinge. Obviously you don't - but tell me when this last happened rather than the other way round when we ourselves bought the best players from other premiership clubs, something which the vast majority of people came to expect and something which someone your age should understand better - assuming you really did support the club in the 70's and 80's as you claim.

 

First bold bit -then if you think £35m for Carrol should not be taken then you are a fool, not to mention the fact that Liverpool are still seen as a "monster" club, wrongly IMO but that's life. Not having a plan B was whinge-able but the sell decision, at that price, was a no brainer.

 

When did that happen, when we bought the top 4-6th placed (you know the teams I mean) best players ???

 

you're a fool if you think you should sell your best players. You're also a fool if you think that Liverpool should be buying our best players. Liverpool were the most successful club for a lot of years, but selling them [no to mention the likes of Spurs and Villa] our best players for career and monetary reasons ? The last owners bridged that particular gap, and you're an even bigger fool if you can't accept that.

 

You're also a fool - again - if you think we will see anywhere near that money invested in quality footballers as happened with the sale of Andy Cole as the managers decision

 

I see you are completely avoiding the topic - every time - of supporting the club prior to 1992 ? They attracted you didn't they, now you criticise for not winning the title ? What "sheer" hypocrisy.....which answers your last point perfectly.

 

Don't be stupid, you can't compare the club then (70/80's) to now, or the way players are handled, bosman changed everything. Oh and stick your attracted by 92 crap, I watched Alan Foggon and Micky Burns and Graham Oates and Glen Keeley and George Riley etc etc etc

 

The only period when I didn't consistently go was when Keegan was a player here strangely enough, due to other priorities.

 

I don't think you should sell your best players BUT I accept it as a fact of life in the modern game when those considered the established "big-boys" come knocking and turn a players head, or someone offers you a stupid amount of money, you're screwed. Everyone has their price and there is a pecking order and we ain't in that top tier (and sadly never really have been established there).

 

Do you think for a minute the former owners would have turned down £35m for Carrol, really ??

 

As for the reinvestment (or not) we won't know until the summer will we (I accept FFS would likely have spent it - well what Barclays would have allowed him to)

 

What you really need to accept is that the Keegan "glory years" were our blip, we had our Shankly moment and we screwed it up, we won nowt, and let it all slip away and it's a LONG road back.

 

Fact: the previous owners did not ie DID NOT - sell our best players for monetary reasons or create a club whereby our best players wanted to leave to further their careers or for monetary reasons. You can dispute this all you like and make up anything you like or spin it any way you like, but this is the facts.

 

We will NOT re-invest the 35m quid in quality footballers, read that carefully, we will not reinvest that 35m quid in quality footballers with the intention to improve the team overall from the one that Carroll played in . Understand ?

 

I'm afraid the statement "we won nowt", true as it may be, only highlights your complete fickleness and lack of appreciation of the fact that at least we had a go, a good go, and came within 90 minutes of landing the league or the FA Cup on 4 occasions, and played in europe more than any club bar 4 in the 15 years they owned it. You show me any other owners of NUFC who have did this, which makes the Halls and Shepherd the best owners we have had at this club by a million miles and Mike Ashley is positive proof that it may take a long long time to find someone else who understands the club like they did and matches it . What a shame that people failed to appreciate and can still only look back now and criticise.

 

That is all my point is, and what is always has been. Appreciate what happened, and accept they were good, because you might never, never see it again in your lifetime. What I really don't get my head around is people who say they were around before 1992 and failed to appreciate it and took it for granted in the end. Fools, all of them, especially when they can't admit they got it massively wrong.

 

Spot on, under the Halls and Shepherds we were one of the big boys, we were a buying club, we didnt sell our best players and most of all we had ambition.

 

Ashley has thrown that legacy away

 

Clubs like Villa and Wolves are now showing far more ambition than us - we will be overtaken and left behind by clubs much smaller than us but with far more ambition

 

The novelty of year on year survival in the premier league will soon wear off - thats the most we ever achieve under Ashley - its shameful for a club with the potential of Newcastle and yet unbelievably some people still try and defend him and compare him favourably with the previous owners

 

 

Oh I'm sorry, I forgot we were in the champions league when SJH sold up, I take it all back and here's our world beating, last first eleven, of the FFS reign

 

Given

Solano

Ramage

Taylor

Carr

Milner

Butt

Dyer

Pattison

Owen

Ameobi

 

Remind us when Sir John Hall sold Freddie Shepherd his shares giving him complete control ?

 

Also remind us who it was that appointed Kevin Keegan as manager and told Sir John Hall when it was all but done and dusted ?

 

Or continue to change the facts to suit yourself........

 

 

This ..plus the fact that Ashleys skid mark is a cunt ...Leazes keep on keepin on kidda ...youve got that cunts number : )

 

basic facts which kill any "fat fred completely to blame" debate stone dead. I'm not particularly siding with anybody here ie the Halls or Shepherd, but such ignorance is fucking mind boggling.

[LeazesMag 0]

Enrique (taken from post above)

 

They've promised me that all the money from the sale of Carroll will go to signing new players. I hope that's the case.

 

Hopefully written on toilet paper so it's worth is not lost on anyone.

 

Newcastle [the club] also haven't acted rightly, they've made promises that they haven't kept and I have ambitions.

It's true that they've promised me things and not followed through.

 

Judging from this statement and Joey Barton's statements yesterday, the players are losing patience.

 

I could see alot of the players wanting to leave in the summer once those around them start to be sold and the realisation that any momentum gained from last season and this season has been given the signature Ashley treatment.

 

This is the key reason why Enrique and any other quality player currently at the club will leave sooner rather than later.

 

as obvious as night becomes day, and has been so since early in his ownership it would all end like this.

[Guest alex]

The basic premise that you need to look at the overall reign of Shepherd / the Halls to judge it properly is one I agree with. I'm not sure you can argue their strategy would have continued to work though. They didn't have the personal wealth available and the banks aren't making credit available in the same way as before so it's highly debatable as to whether or not they'd have been able to get us near the top of the league again in the near future employing the methods they had in the past. That's not to say they couldn't have done it in the current climate (especially with all but about 3 sides in the league seriously tightening their belts too).

That's not in anyway a defence of Ashley btw.

[LeazesMag 0]

The summer is the key, if (big if, I accept) we spend the Carrol cash and even then Enrique won't sign a new deal, with one year left, he has to be sold, sad but true.

 

just like the good old days. Still, its all "business".

 

 

The good old days didn't have Bosman, it's called common sense

 

same rules for everybody. Run the club like Netto, and your best players want to go because they see it for what it is.

Just like your good old days.

 

There's a fact of life that you need to get your head around. When and if certain clubs come calling you just are not going to be able to hold onto your players.

 

The summer will be the test, if he gets sold to someone like Villa or Everton THEN you can rightly whinge.

 

I think selling our top goalscorer to Liverpool for a record fee is a basis to "rightly whinge. Obviously you don't - but tell me when this last happened rather than the other way round when we ourselves bought the best players from other premiership clubs, something which the vast majority of people came to expect and something which someone your age should understand better - assuming you really did support the club in the 70's and 80's as you claim.

 

First bold bit -then if you think £35m for Carrol should not be taken then you are a fool, not to mention the fact that Liverpool are still seen as a "monster" club, wrongly IMO but that's life. Not having a plan B was whinge-able but the sell decision, at that price, was a no brainer.

 

When did that happen, when we bought the top 4-6th placed (you know the teams I mean) best players ???

 

you're a fool if you think you should sell your best players. You're also a fool if you think that Liverpool should be buying our best players. Liverpool were the most successful club for a lot of years, but selling them [no to mention the likes of Spurs and Villa] our best players for career and monetary reasons ? The last owners bridged that particular gap, and you're an even bigger fool if you can't accept that.

 

You're also a fool - again - if you think we will see anywhere near that money invested in quality footballers as happened with the sale of Andy Cole as the managers decision

 

I see you are completely avoiding the topic - every time - of supporting the club prior to 1992 ? They attracted you didn't they, now you criticise for not winning the title ? What "sheer" hypocrisy.....which answers your last point perfectly.

 

Don't be stupid, you can't compare the club then (70/80's) to now, or the way players are handled, bosman changed everything. Oh and stick your attracted by 92 crap, I watched Alan Foggon and Micky Burns and Graham Oates and Glen Keeley and George Riley etc etc etc

 

The only period when I didn't consistently go was when Keegan was a player here strangely enough, due to other priorities.

 

I don't think you should sell your best players BUT I accept it as a fact of life in the modern game when those considered the established "big-boys" come knocking and turn a players head, or someone offers you a stupid amount of money, you're screwed. Everyone has their price and there is a pecking order and we ain't in that top tier (and sadly never really have been established there).

 

Do you think for a minute the former owners would have turned down £35m for Carrol, really ??

 

As for the reinvestment (or not) we won't know until the summer will we (I accept FFS would likely have spent it - well what Barclays would have allowed him to)

 

What you really need to accept is that the Keegan "glory years" were our blip, we had our Shankly moment and we screwed it up, we won nowt, and let it all slip away and it's a LONG road back.

 

Fact: the previous owners did not ie DID NOT - sell our best players for monetary reasons or create a club whereby our best players wanted to leave to further their careers or for monetary reasons. You can dispute this all you like and make up anything you like or spin it any way you like, but this is the facts.

 

We will NOT re-invest the 35m quid in quality footballers, read that carefully, we will not reinvest that 35m quid in quality footballers with the intention to improve the team overall from the one that Carroll played in . Understand ?

 

I'm afraid the statement "we won nowt", true as it may be, only highlights your complete fickleness and lack of appreciation of the fact that at least we had a go, a good go, and came within 90 minutes of landing the league or the FA Cup on 4 occasions, and played in europe more than any club bar 4 in the 15 years they owned it. You show me any other owners of NUFC who have did this, which makes the Halls and Shepherd the best owners we have had at this club by a million miles and Mike Ashley is positive proof that it may take a long long time to find someone else who understands the club like they did and matches it . What a shame that people failed to appreciate and can still only look back now and criticise.

 

That is all my point is, and what is always has been. Appreciate what happened, and accept they were good, because you might never, never see it again in your lifetime. What I really don't get my head around is people who say they were around before 1992 and failed to appreciate it and took it for granted in the end. Fools, all of them, especially when they can't admit they got it massively wrong.

 

Spot on, under the Halls and Shepherds we were one of the big boys, we were a buying club, we didnt sell our best players and most of all we had ambition.

 

Ashley has thrown that legacy away

 

Clubs like Villa and Wolves are now showing far more ambition than us - we will be overtaken and left behind by clubs much smaller than us but with far more ambition

 

The novelty of year on year survival in the premier league will soon wear off - thats the most we ever achieve under Ashley - its shameful for a club with the potential of Newcastle and yet unbelievably some people still try and defend him and compare him favourably with the previous owners

 

 

Oh I'm sorry, I forgot we were in the champions league when SJH sold up, I take it all back and here's our world beating, last first eleven, of the FFS reign

 

Given

Solano

Ramage

Taylor

Carr

Milner

Butt

Dyer

Pattison

Owen

Ameobi

 

Remind us when Sir John Hall sold Freddie Shepherd his shares giving him complete control ?

 

Also remind us who it was that appointed Kevin Keegan as manager and told Sir John Hall when it was all but done and dusted ?

 

Or continue to change the facts to suit yourself........

 

 

This ..plus the fact that Ashleys skid mark is a cunt ...Leazes keep on keepin on kidda ...youve got that cunts number : )

 

You can't even quote/abuse the right poster, diimwit.

 

Erm, no he hasn't.

 

I never intimated that SJH ever sold FFS his shares as usual Leazesmug twists and avoids harsh truth's, you know and I know that FFS was all but solely in charge (irrespective of shareholding) for a considerable period after SJH took a back seat - which is about when our decline started.

 

I've already said SJH/FFS were our best owners (for a period) BUT they fucked it up, we had our chance(s), failed and continued in an unsustainable manner to try and get back - it wasn't working.

 

Now I do not in any shape or form "love/like or would piss on Ashley if he was on fire". But I can see "we are where we are" and be realistic about how we can progress, but I absolutely don't pin our plight squarely on Ashley alone, the root cause is way back when we lost to Partizan.

I would fucking love to be in the "money is like confetti" stage again, but I really can't see where the cash could come from, well I couldn't until we got that obscene fee for Carroll. Waiting to see if it's spent, that's all.

 

Reality is:

 

We are not at the top of the pecking order for players and if a Champs League club (or another of perceived succesfull standard) comes in we're fucked, as is anyone else below that watermark (and if someone offers an unrealistic fee, you snap their hands off - if it gets reinvested).

 

Player/Agent power will always win out striving for the extra few thousand quid a week.

 

The modern game is fucked, look at Man City, hundreds of millions spent and they still might not win owt, and surely winning something is what it's all about.

 

How hard is that to understand

 

sorry to people for the multiple quotes, but

 

How old are you did you say ? Leazesmug ?

 

I'll repeat a post I made a while back to some other idiot who insinuated what you do, regarding Sir John Hall and Fat Fred.

 

Fred: Hey John, I've just sacked Bobby

SJH; Ok Fred, why ?

Fred: Well, I thought he was losing the plot

SJH: have you told Douglas

Fred: aye, he says he'll make a statement and pretend he agreed with me.

SJH: Ok Fred who do you have in mind to replace

Fred: I rather fancied that Souness bloke, you know, he'll show one or two of them who's boss around here

SJH: Ok Fred, just appoint who you like but make sure my 80m quid is OK mate

Fred: alreet mate, I'll let you know when he takes over.

 

I've also posted the facts ie facts from Keegans book, where he says he was appointed by Douglas Hall, Freddie Shepherd and Freddie Fletcher, and Sir John Hall knew nothing about it and they forced him to go along with it and sack Ardiles.

 

Not "twisting" anything. The Halls and Shepherd owned this club from 1992 until 2007. Nobody could do anything without the consent and agreement of the others. Sir John is many things, but he isn't a fool enough to hand over complete control of the vast value of the football club, that THEY built up from nothing, to exclusive control of either his son or Freddie Shepherd and have NO input. You're fucking mad if you think this, and so is anybody else.

 

Like I said, you've been reading too much of that tragic rubbish on skunkers mate. Give it a miss, apart when you want to banter with mackems, because tbh that's all its good for.

[toonotl 3116]

"He was lucky in that we kept the core of our squad when we got relegated"

 

if you look back through this board you'll see the informed opinion at the time was that the whole lot should be tied in bag and thrown off the Tyne Bridge

 

I find it hard to believe that sweeping generalisations are ever based upon informed anything.

[Toonpack 9978]

sorry to people for the multiple quotes, but

 

How old are you did you say ? Leazesmug ?

 

I'll repeat a post I made a while back to some other idiot who insinuated what you do, regarding Sir John Hall and Fat Fred.

 

Fred: Hey John, I've just sacked Bobby

SJH; Ok Fred, why ?

Fred: Well, I thought he was losing the plot

SJH: have you told Douglas

Fred: aye, he says he'll make a statement and pretend he agreed with me.

SJH: Ok Fred who do you have in mind to replace

Fred: I rather fancied that Souness bloke, you know, he'll show one or two of them who's boss around here

SJH: Ok Fred, just appoint who you like but make sure my 80m quid is OK mate

Fred: alreet mate, I'll let you know when he takes over.

 

I've also posted the facts ie facts from Keegans book, where he says he was appointed by Douglas Hall, Freddie Shepherd and Freddie Fletcher, and Sir John Hall knew nothing about it and they forced him to go along with it and sack Ardiles.

 

Not "twisting" anything. The Halls and Shepherd owned this club from 1992 until 2007. Nobody could do anything without the consent and agreement of the others. Sir John is many things, but he isn't a fool enough to hand over complete control of the vast value of the football club, that THEY built up from nothing, to exclusive control of either his son or Freddie Shepherd and have NO input. You're fucking mad if you think this, and so is anybody else.

 

Like I said, you've been reading too much of that tragic rubbish on skunkers mate. Give it a miss, apart when you want to banter with mackems, because tbh that's all its good for.

 

Fuck off with the Skunkers references, they're not even relevant, except that you're a figure of ridicule over there and a lone voice in the wilderness and still wrong.

 

Just read this (you wont), and absorb what it says, it's 100% independent from any shading by black and white coloured glasses:

 

http://swissramble.blogspot.com/2010/12/ne...ource=BP_recent

[LeazesMag 0]

sorry to people for the multiple quotes, but

 

How old are you did you say ? Leazesmug ?

 

I'll repeat a post I made a while back to some other idiot who insinuated what you do, regarding Sir John Hall and Fat Fred.

 

Fred: Hey John, I've just sacked Bobby

SJH; Ok Fred, why ?

Fred: Well, I thought he was losing the plot

SJH: have you told Douglas

Fred: aye, he says he'll make a statement and pretend he agreed with me.

SJH: Ok Fred who do you have in mind to replace

Fred: I rather fancied that Souness bloke, you know, he'll show one or two of them who's boss around here

SJH: Ok Fred, just appoint who you like but make sure my 80m quid is OK mate

Fred: alreet mate, I'll let you know when he takes over.

 

I've also posted the facts ie facts from Keegans book, where he says he was appointed by Douglas Hall, Freddie Shepherd and Freddie Fletcher, and Sir John Hall knew nothing about it and they forced him to go along with it and sack Ardiles.

 

Not "twisting" anything. The Halls and Shepherd owned this club from 1992 until 2007. Nobody could do anything without the consent and agreement of the others. Sir John is many things, but he isn't a fool enough to hand over complete control of the vast value of the football club, that THEY built up from nothing, to exclusive control of either his son or Freddie Shepherd and have NO input. You're fucking mad if you think this, and so is anybody else.

 

Like I said, you've been reading too much of that tragic rubbish on skunkers mate. Give it a miss, apart when you want to banter with mackems, because tbh that's all its good for.

 

Fuck off with the Skunkers references, they're not even relevant, except that you're a figure of ridicule over there and a lone voice in the wilderness and still wrong.

 

Just read this (you wont), and absorb what it says, it's 100% independent from any shading by black and white coloured glasses:

 

http://swissramble.blogspot.com/2010/12/ne...ource=BP_recent

 

whatever. Only myself and MWNN called Ashley correctly early on in his ownership, I saw posts over there saying how wonderful Ashley was because he bought pints in the Bigg Market, and behaved like an immature wanker with zero class for doing the conga in the boardroom when we beat the mackems. Who's stupid ???????? Fuckin laughable.

I almost pissed myself laughing at their stupidity and ignorance.

 

What colour glasses do you wear ?

 

FACT: The Halls and Shepherd gave you by far the best 15 years of your lifetime, plenty of posters on skunkers and other message boards proclaimed "anyone would be better" such was their complete ignorance. Older posters like you should know better. It's just a shame you condemn it so much. It's an even bigger shame, that despite the last few years, and the gradual erosion of the fanbase and revenues that Ashley inherited, that you still don't see it. This club is going down and down, so far a decent first season back in the top flight on the back of the spirit fostered through winning a lot last season in the lower league has fooled some people [stupid people?] but unless he sells a fall is coming and you haven't seen anything yet - well you have, or you say you have.

[peasepud 59]

The basic premise that you need to look at the overall reign of Shepherd / the Halls to judge it properly is one I agree with. I'm not sure you can argue their strategy would have continued to work though. They didn't have the personal wealth available and the banks aren't making credit available in the same way as before so it's highly debatable as to whether or not they'd have been able to get us near the top of the league again in the near future employing the methods they had in the past. That's not to say they couldn't have done it in the current climate (especially with all but about 3 sides in the league seriously tightening their belts too).

That's not in anyway a defence of Ashley btw.

 

I would argue that the basic strategy of "speculate to accumulate" will always be the way to go. In the same way as buying yourself a Porsche 911 will give you the thrill of the speed but its never going to win you the F1 championships.

 

How you go about getting the money to do it is where the problems come in. In the past we had easy credit and the means to pay it back therefore it wasnt a problem. Now, as you say we dont have that luxury via the banks, we should however have had some leeway under a seriously rich owner who allegedly wanted to "have some fun". Im not saying he should be splashing £100m here and doing a Man City but we should have been able to accept a logic of "topping up" what we bring in with some of his own cash to move us forward.

[Christmas Tree 4851]

From the Chronny

 

 

ose Enrique has been nothing short of a revelation in the left-back slot for the last two years for Newcastle United but if he doesn't like life as a Toon hero then he hasn't got much of a choice but to head for the airport.

 

No player has ever been bigger than the club at Newcastle United so why should it be any different for the Spaniard?

 

I can understand exactly why he's unhappy.

 

Newcastle did not invest enough in the January transfer window, they haven't got too many quality back-up players and the void left by Andy Carroll will seem bigger in any game that United don't find the net or finish off a game.

 

But by the same token, the balance has to be exactly right when it comes to the type of players that come in.

 

The January transfer window is hyped out of all control and watching Jim White getting whipped into a frenzy on Sky Sports News over James Beattie heading to Blackpool or suchlike, is a problem in the game.

 

Newcastle may well have needed a couple of new faces at the club in January, especially after Carroll's shock departure but if holding back meant that we avoided signing players like the days of old such as Babayaro, Boumsong and Amdy Faye, then I'm not going to lose too much sleep over it.

 

From what I can gather money will be re-invested into the squad in the summer and we will be seeing new faces, but without the aid of a crystal ball, nobody could honestly tell you how much.

 

One thing is for sure, Enrique whining about going to Liverpool, AC Milan, Man United or anywhere else will do nothing but cheese off the majority of fans.

 

And what use to Newcastle United is an unhappy player who has only really performed at his potential in just over 20 Premier League games?

 

We waited a long, long time to see the best of Enrique at Newcastle and he didn't come here cheap at £6million.

 

It took him a long time to settle at Newcastle and it was only the drop down a division that helped turnaround the player's career.

 

He was excellent last season and in my opinion one of the best players in our title winning team.

 

He's continued that this season in the Premier League and the world have suddenly realised we've got a left-back on our hands.

 

And while Enrique has got a point that Newcastle need a few new players, moping around and crying about life isn't going to help the Magpies make this season a memorable one.

 

If anything, Enrique owes the fans of Newcastle for sticking by him not insulting them with talk of joining a rival club.

 

With 11 games left and handily placed in ninth, we've got a great chance to push on in the final straight.

 

The division is crazy enough without making rash predictions.

 

But with 33 points to play for, we need everybody going for it to secure survival and then hopefully push on for a respectable Premier League finish.

 

If, and it's that special word again, IF, Newcastle did end up scraping into the Europa League this season then it might just bring Enrique to his senses a bit and hopefully he can realise after Newcastle United there aren't too many better clubs to make yourself a hero.

[LeazesMag 0]

From the Chronny

 

 

ose Enrique has been nothing short of a revelation in the left-back slot for the last two years for Newcastle United but if he doesn't like life as a Toon hero then he hasn't got much of a choice but to head for the airport.

 

No player has ever been bigger than the club at Newcastle United so why should it be any different for the Spaniard?

 

I can understand exactly why he's unhappy.

 

Newcastle did not invest enough in the January transfer window, they haven't got too many quality back-up players and the void left by Andy Carroll will seem bigger in any game that United don't find the net or finish off a game.

 

But by the same token, the balance has to be exactly right when it comes to the type of players that come in.

 

The January transfer window is hyped out of all control and watching Jim White getting whipped into a frenzy on Sky Sports News over James Beattie heading to Blackpool or suchlike, is a problem in the game.

 

Newcastle may well have needed a couple of new faces at the club in January, especially after Carroll's shock departure but if holding back meant that we avoided signing players like the days of old such as Babayaro, Boumsong and Amdy Faye, then I'm not going to lose too much sleep over it.

 

From what I can gather money will be re-invested into the squad in the summer and we will be seeing new faces, but without the aid of a crystal ball, nobody could honestly tell you how much.

 

One thing is for sure, Enrique whining about going to Liverpool, AC Milan, Man United or anywhere else will do nothing but cheese off the majority of fans.

 

And what use to Newcastle United is an unhappy player who has only really performed at his potential in just over 20 Premier League games?

 

We waited a long, long time to see the best of Enrique at Newcastle and he didn't come here cheap at £6million.

 

It took him a long time to settle at Newcastle and it was only the drop down a division that helped turnaround the player's career.

 

He was excellent last season and in my opinion one of the best players in our title winning team.

 

He's continued that this season in the Premier League and the world have suddenly realised we've got a left-back on our hands.

 

And while Enrique has got a point that Newcastle need a few new players, moping around and crying about life isn't going to help the Magpies make this season a memorable one.

 

If anything, Enrique owes the fans of Newcastle for sticking by him not insulting them with talk of joining a rival club.

 

With 11 games left and handily placed in ninth, we've got a great chance to push on in the final straight.

 

The division is crazy enough without making rash predictions.

 

But with 33 points to play for, we need everybody going for it to secure survival and then hopefully push on for a respectable Premier League finish.

 

If, and it's that special word again, IF, Newcastle did end up scraping into the Europa League this season then it might just bring Enrique to his senses a bit and hopefully he can realise after Newcastle United there aren't too many better clubs to make yourself a hero.

 

sigh.

 

He [the reporter] is just doing his job writing this crap.

 

I wouldn't condemn him for it.

[Christmas Tree 4851]

Jonas Gutierrez: I'm happy to stay at NUFC

 

Hey Ho

 

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-u.../#ixzz1EJeQXSsk

[Guest alex]

Is that Lee 'wide of the mark' Ryder? It's pretty crap when a hack from a national paper trots out the myth of Jose being shit mostly before last season but you can probably understand them falling for that cliche. I find it unacceptable when it's someone who watched him loads though. Nice to see him sidling up to the owner again as well.

Edited February 18, 2011 by alex

[LeazesMag 0]

Is that Lee 'wide of the mark' Ryder? It's pretty crap when a hack from a national paper trots out the myth of Jose being shit mostly before last season but you can probably understand them falling for that cliche. I find it unacceptable when it's someone who watched him loads though. Nice to see him sidling up to the owner again as well.

 

I sympathise with him rather than condemn him, its not easy writing things and having deadlines. The Chronicle has to write positively about the club too.

 

The real sympathy goes to those who take it in.