It's all about the money!

In my last article I bleated on about how I love my figures. I really do. It’s geeky but I’ve spent years compiling them for one thing or another and my love for them stems from that.

So with that in mind I’ve managed to dig out some more for us all to ponder as I continue analysing a transfer window which could have been so much better.

In that last article I plucked out random stats associated by numbers to the transfer window just gone. I said that I’d probably miss something that somebody really wanted to know and that if I had all they had to do was ask and I’d see if I could sort something out for them.

Well one of the questions that was asked was about our spending on transfers and how it stacks up to other clubs and what they have done over the summer and so on. Don’t say I never do anything for you Charlie Prince and Craig Chisholm because here, as requested, are the nuts of what each club has done, what they’ve spent, what they’ve made followed by what they’ve really spent – the net spend if you take the value of what they’ve sold off of the value of the players that they have brought in.

In alphabetical order, here goes.


Team Bought (£) Sold (£) Balance (£) +/-
Arsenal 56,000,000 79,000,000 -23,000,000
Aston Villa 17,000,000 40,000,000 -23,000,000
Blackburn 13,000,000 18,000,000 -5,000,000
Bolton 7,000,000 7,000,000 0
Chelsea 77,500,000 19,500,000 58,000,000
Everton 0 12,500,000 -12,500,000
Fulham 17,000,000 1,270,000 15,630,000
Liverpool 63,000,000 24,000,000 39,000,000
Manchester City 78,000,000 25,300,000 54,700,000
Manchester United 51,300,000 9,800,000 41,500,000
Newcastle 13,200,000 12,600,000 600,000
Norwich 10,400,000 500,000 9,900,000
QPR 12,000,000 1,000,000 11,000,000
Stoke City 22,000,000 1,000,000 21,000,000
Sunderland 27,450,000 27,000,000 450,000
Swansea 9,250,000 80,000 9,170,000
Tottenham 6,000,000 30,500,000 -24,500,000
West Brom 4,500,000 7,000,000 -2,500,000
Wigan 7,000,000 11,500,000 -4,500,000
Wolves 11,400,000 1,000,000 10,400,000

These figures are compiled using the values given by Sky Sports. Where a fee is undisclosed I’ve had to do some digging to find out what the rumoured fee is. Generally speaking you can find out what the perceived fee is so I’ve used that as the benchmark. As an example, Yohan Cabaye’s fee was undisclosed although it’s reported that he cost around £4.5 million which is what I’ve used. I’ve also discounted the pennies and have only (only!) gone to the nearest £10,000 when calculating transfers. There have been some “SuperMac” type transfers for odd fees although in fairness it’s only been the little known players who have moved onto lower league teams that I’ve had that problem with.

So what can we see from this? Well first off I guess we should start with our own team. The phrase “no capital outlay” is pretty much being demonstrated by us. There is absolutely no need for this to have been the case but nonetheless it’s what Hinge & Bracket upstairs have decided to do. I just wish they’d have told Alan Pardew what they were planning to do as, once again, the decisions of the board have left him in a tricky position as he picks himself up from the floor after having the rug pulled from underneath him.

The total spend for us is £600,000 which is measly in fairness. A shame really when you consider that a cool £20 million outlay combined with the hard nosed approach of the board would have been enough to get us into top ten, maybe even Europa League, contention.

It’s not the worst though. Seven teams made a profit this window, one spent nothing and another one spent less than us in total. That makes us 11th in the net spending tables by my reckoning.

Teams in that top bracket have just done what they always do and spent a fortune, but it’s the teams at our level that I’m interested in. Wolves have spent a bit on two players but it’s Fulham and Stoke who are the biggest spenders in our bracket. Of course it’s worth bearing in mind that their figures are distorted by the signings of £10 million plus players but at the end of the day they have spent the money.

I’ll be perfectly honest. When I was putting this table together I felt that we’d be somewhere near the bottom. I’d be willing to bet that if you were asked the question posed in the title that you’d assume pretty much the same, correct? It surprises me that we aren’t in fairness.

So there you go. Something to digest perhaps? I know it doesn’t justify our blatant lack of ambition, but in a strange way it makes me feel better knowing that other teams have spent less than us. I didn’t think it was possible but apparently it is.

Apologies for the rather crude table. Those who have a background in scripting and coding html will probably tell me it’s shyte, but I don’t have a background in scripting or coding so I’ve just kept it simple enough for me to deal with.

Make what you want of these stats, but before people pipe up with comments like “what a load of crap” or some other really valuable contribution to the discussion, just remember I was asked to do this so if you have any issues with it direct it to Charlie Prince and Craig Chilsholm :razz:

Comments welcome :)

Tags

« The transfer window – In numbers  |  Is our striking situation that bad? »  
 

186 Comments

  1. 1
    john says:

    so simmo is unhappy at the club…………..mite as well go before tavernier and raylor knock you off your perch danny boy!(QPR mite take you on)……

  2. 2
    blip says:

    Hadn’t realised Chelsea have spent almost as much as City this window! Blimey!

    I’d take City’s recent signings over Chelski’s, any day…

  3. 3
    Charlie Prince says:

    As I’m sure many will point out (and I think rightly so), the picture is a lot different if you tack £35m on to our outgoings. If you factor that in, we’re dead last in money spent. And realistically, fans would have been happy with spending half that, which would still have allowed Ashley to pay back some of the debt.

  4. 4
    Jack says:

    If we had completed the two signings on dealine day it would have seen our net spending probably around 14-15m ( presuming we got ridgewell for 3-4m) so really hinged on those two deals. if those had come off we would have all said successful transfer window, shame really.

  5. 5
    stevep says:

    whats the scoop on simpson – did he put in a transfer request ?

  6. 6
    toonsy says:

    McNallyMirror Brian McNally
    @
    @NUFCblogcouk Fascinating reading and well worth a peek for #nufc fans and all those who like a good Stat Attack. bit.ly/o4oyRb
    1 hour ago

    Read by the stars ;)

  7. 7
    NorthernPaul says:

    Yeah thats surprising, but it shows that the teams at our ‘level’ realise that they can easily push on into the next ‘level’. Just a tiny bit of ambition, thats all it needs.

  8. 8
    Halftimebovril says:

    You might be getting the call from the Fleet street big boys offering you a job soon Toonsy, fancy being a football journalist??

  9. 9
    The Insider says:

    at a quick glance, it seems you’ve included the January sales of clubs like Sunderland but not Newcastle.
    If you had been consistent in your figures, it would paint a FAR bleaker picture of our net spend…

  10. 10
    craig chisholm says:

    niced one toonsy and very interesting. it must have taken some time so i thank you so much for this table. what can i digest from this table?? well.. looking at the ones who have made money in the window.. arse and spurs were and still are stronger than us so. Villa same sort of level along with everton, balckburn, wigan and west brom to me look odds on for bottom three. i think we will be between 9th and 14th this season. All this will change of course when we sell a big name in january to give ashley his belated xmas present. Thanks again toonsy.

  11. 11
    john says:

    stevep ,reports that simpson doesnt want to be at club wants a better contract blah blah blah ,the truth is he is not preforming and tavernier is going to be his understudy(tav will shine this season and he knows it!!!!)ashley wants young players lower contracts. hense all the upset from various scources and blogs….well i wish simmo all the best cos at times he has done well for, us not bothered if he goes.

  12. 12
    Toonie says:

    Interesting data. It clearly shows that investment is the name of the game.
    The top investors will most likely occupy the top spots in the prem at the end of the season. They will also enjoy further revenue from European football.

  13. 13
    Lacedaemonian says:

    Both really great articles, Toonsy.

  14. 14
    Michael Laudrup says:

    It’s pretty pointless doing this for one transfer window. It only tells half a story, and a skewed one at that.

  15. 15
    craig chisholm says:

    Hahsahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! ffs, here come the first of the bull sh1t one liners…

    Mike Ashley and Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias have promised Alan Pardew that he will be given funds in the January transfer window to buy the striker the club failed to get this time around, according to the Northern Echo.

  16. 16
    toonsy says:

    The Insider – Nope. These are all deals from the summer window only.

    If I had included winter ones then Sunderland would be well in the red due to the sale of Darren Bent.

    Sales: Sunderland – Jordan Henderson (Liverpool, £20m), Steed Malbranque (St Etienne, undisclosed- – rumours of a £2.5m fee), Nathan Luscombe (Hartlepool, free), Michael Kay (Tranmere, free). Anton Ferdinand (QPR, £4.5m).

    I believe that makes 27 million?

    Perhaps you should take more than a quick glance?

    Never doubt my figures :razz:

  17. 17
    richietoon says:

    Craig….do they mean the one that signed for someone else or one of the other 350 we were after :roll:

  18. 18
    hydeous says:

    Wow, that is a bloody lot of money.
    Haven’t followed the transfer of the other teams. Have any of the mid-table clubs bought any great names / potentially great players? Also, who the heck did Chelsea spend that much money on?

  19. 19
    GeordieTwo says:

    The net income for the year is probably going to be more telling. It looks to me like there will be a considerable net profit for Ashley. In addition to taking in far more than he has spent on players this year ie. including the Carroll money, he has again greatly reduced the wage bill also making the club much more attractive for a sale. If we stay up (which I think is almost a certainty barring horrific numbers of injuries) hopefully Ashley could put the club up for sale again as early as next year.

  20. 20
    Lacedaemonian says:

    I think we had exhausted all options long before yesterday. Some of the names getting bandied about were laughable. 90% of those players are far worse than what we have got already. Only Ruiz had me excited but i doubted the credibility of that rumour instantly tbh.

  21. 21
    craig chisholm says:

    Laudrup@14… strange comment mate…baring in mind that it paints a very clear picture of the last window and is not at all confussing. if its a pointless thread then it means you have made an even more pointless comment does it not?

  22. 22
    Max-T-million says:

    Its not about the money,
    Lets hope our team can pull us all the way till newyears and then re-build to push further….

  23. 23
    jam says:

    proves nobody wants to play 4 a puppet like pardew not to mention get better money elsewhere, ashley is gambling on us going down again . well if we do i dont think it will be as easy getting up again, our squad will be alot weaker to start with. how long before HBA wants out??? i dont think him or cabaye will be around much longer the way things are going, instead of adding good quality he is selling it or lieing to fans again . 8 months to get a number 9 and still we wait. jokers !!!

  24. 24
    jam says:

    do u really think will rebuild and kick on if we do ok til jan???? no way pedro!! did that last season and he sold in jan without replacing STILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  25. 25
    Shearers Receeding Hairline says:

    I’d like to see the impact on cashflow of the wages. Net increase/decrease in wage bill against annual turnover.

    GO TOONSY GO!!!

  26. 26
    toonsy says:

    SRH – Haha. In fairness it would be hard to do that without an awful lot if guess work considering last years account aren’t even out yet.

  27. 27
    Lacedaemonian says:

    I also think people forget about the signing of Ben Arfa. Had we signed him in the last minute of the transfer window people would have been removing their tongues from bus windows with excitement. We also signed Ba who was one of the top strikers in the Premier League from January. How many goals did he score compared to others in the league in the same period?

  28. 28
    GeordieTwo says:

    Hydeous I guess it depends on who you consider to be a mid-table club. Stoke brought in Crouch, Jerome and Palacios, Sunderland got Bendtner on loan as well as all the earlier signings, Everton lost Arteta, Yakubu, and Beckford but brought in a couple of foreign players on loan (look to be in trouble to me), Aston Villa brought in Jenas, Hutton and Zog of course, QPR got Wright-Phillips and Barton and Ferdinand from S’land (don’t think they are mid-table quite yet), Bolton brought in N’gog and Kakuta, and Fulham got Ruiz of course. To me Stoke look stronger than they were, Everton weaker, Aston Villa stronger, and Bolton and Fulham slightly stronger unless Ruiz settles in very quickly. Not a complete list by any means but it looks like some teams really improved. To me the bottom five would be Swansea, Norwich, Blackburn, Wigan, and 1 from Wolves, Wigan, West Brom and possible Everton!

  29. 29
    james says:

    We are by far the worst because you didnt take into account the -£35 MILLION from the last window that had no time to be spent?

  30. 30
    Lacedaemonian says:

    Who are these mythical number nines people keep bleating on aboot?

  31. 31
    Louis Tiplady says:

    Tottenham were in a worse state than us a few years ago, they brought in Redknapp, owner showed faith toward him, a bit of ambition, then champions league, anything can be done in football if you put your mind to it.

  32. 32
    boater says:

    How many of the other clubs had pledged to pump back in a massive unforeseen win fall over the course of the summer?

    I know everyone’s said that already, but it’s pretty fundamental to the bigger picture.

  33. 33
    Lacedaemonian says:

    Spurs have had one good season. They were never going to qualify for the Champions League regularly (or perhaps anytime soon).

  34. 34
    Premandup says:

    Big money spenders are at the top or bottom of the table. Only Fulham spent any money in the mid table, and tbh will be watching Ruiz to see if I’m jealous or not.

    also shows how many teams are reducing their playing budget eg spurs & villa. Still think we will be near the top of the group of clubs just below the top 6.

    comment yesterday that premiership were swapping mediocrity around yesterday. My favourite one liner was that Villa thought they had bought a world class full back only to discover that it was Hutton dressed as Lahm

  35. 35
    GeordieTwo says:

    Louis @31 in all fairness Tottenham have spent a huge amount of money under Redknapp to get into the top 6. Our owner will not do that under any circumstances. He is either going to run the club as a profit making business or he is going to sell to get his money back. He has already demonstrated that over and over again in the last few years. I’m going to try to enjoy the football instead of being so frustrated about the owner from now on. The team has definitely improved and actually is very good to watch now. Should be even more so with Santon in and Ben Arfa fit again. All the best.

  36. 36
    jam says:

    could wear a number 2 for my liking but a good striker has not been signed , 1 thing atracted ashley and pardew to ba, he cost nowt or next to nowt, and he is not a good striker anyway , if thats all we get after promises of a decent striker well keep hoping ba is gona get 15 or more goals because i very much doubt hel see double figures

  37. 37
    Mykinda Toon says:

    They are clearly operating from a set of financial rules, presumably set-up internally and which will be included in the documentation for any future potential buyers of the club. They seemed to be attempting to do striker deals one at a time from a list, only moving down to the next one when the one above fell through. Presumably, the logic in that is to avoid ending-up with two new strikers when they only wanted one. The alternative would be to back out of a deal at the last minute which would detract from the club’s reputation in the transfer market.

    These financial rules are all well and good but it is not what other clubs do. In particular other clubs pay over the odds for players when they are able to. We would never have got £35m for Carroll if Liverpool had not received £50m for Torres. Both figures were way over the top of sensible values. Liverpool treated the Torres money as an easily earned bonus which they could afford to blow on the player they wanted.

    Our £35m for Carroll should have been treated, at least in part, as a bonus. This should have been added to the market valuation for a player we wanted to make sure we got him.

    We might be operating to sound business principles but that is not going to buy us a higher league position.

  38. 38
    toonsy says:

    James – That was from last window. This is purely this summers deals

  39. 39
    Michael Laudrup says:

    Craig Chisholm @ 21

    No, it doesn’t. In order for me to point out that it’s pointless, I have to make a post. Unless this place is full of mindreaders.

    It’s like taking a random portion of the season out, making a table out of it and classing it as a meaningful league table. It doesn’t tell the full story.

    What if teams have made say a MASSIVE surplus in the previous transfer window or a massive deficit? This is after all a thread about transfer finances, and finances run through accounting years, not just the summer. I could be even more pedantic and say it should be split over clubs financial years, as that as the basis upon which decisions are (allegedly) made.

  40. 40
    Lacedaemonian says:

    I reckon Ba will score double figures this season
    and will outscore Carroll (not that Carroll was just about the goals). Yesterday was embarrassing with people devastated that we hadn’t signed a list of garbage players.

  41. 41
    GeordieTwo says:

    That’s right Mykinda Toon @37. The limited spending will prevent us from rising rapidly up the table so we won’t be matching Tottenham over the last few seasons. Only if we get great performances out of everyone including Ba and Best will we be able to squeak into the Europa league. Again in fairness we will have to give Ba and Best at least half a season to see what they can do. If each has 6-8 goals by Christmas we might be in the top 10. If not we might be anywhere down to about 14th or 15th. Also Ben Arfa may give us quite a lift when he returns as well. I think Ashley and Llambias are in fact counting on that.

  42. 42
    Lacedaemonian says:

    Where would you draw the line, Michael?

  43. 43
    craig chisholm says:

    toonsy… if we cast our minds back about a year there was that mega quote from ashley that caused many a heated debate on the blog… he said ‘ there will be no more cash outlay and all money for player purchases will be generated from the club itself’ of some shit like that. do you recall? many of us , myself included said that meant sell one to buy one and he would not spend another penny on the club or players ever again… many argued the other way and tried to say it meant some other waffle.
    These figures clearly show, along with last summer, that he is indeed not going to spend a single penny ever ever and if we want a striker in january without a doubt we will sell a big name first..this is a given, i am sure everyone can now see that he meant exactly what he said… what he said and how my brain took it on board was ‘ you lot can fuk off as i have had enough of nufc, i will not give your fukers one red cent ever again and i will also recoup my initial outlay’. that is what he said and that is exactly what he is doing.

  44. 44
    Michael Laudrup says:

    Lacedaemonian@ 42

    Technically I suppose it should be 1st August to 31st July, as that is the clubs financial accounting year.

    If not that, then adding the January and summer windows together each year instead of just taking one window in isolation would be better.

  45. 45
    Lacedaemonian says:

    I get bored of all the Ashley debates. Do we have a better team than last season? Surely that should be a central debate. I sense that people are not backing our new players because they are somehow tainted by Ashley.

  46. 46
    craig chisholm says:

    @39… this particular thread is about the transfer window JUST GONE and it says it in black and white ..so i think that what is said is very relevant to the window just gone isnt it? i get your point dude but there is no point in us harping on about ancient history too much. we all know what ashley is doing.. he is making money every year now on player sales whilst also reducing the wage bill at every possible chance. that is a given. Its just nice to get a comparison of what we are doing currently compared with the 19 other teams. Or i find it interesting anyway as i too like stats, i think they tell us much.

  47. 47
    craig chisholm says:

    @45…. i think we have a weaker team at the minute.. why …..they are all untested in the prem, many have dodgy medical issues and our spine has been ripped out and thrown away. Really it has… Harper, Jose, Barton, Nolan and Carroll… all were the back bone and vocal point along with being heroes in our eyes.. Not to mention all were the player committee funny enough….

  48. 48
    GeordieTwo says:

    CC @ 43 Ashley has completely altered the club’s approach to finances. Each year there will be a net positive income from now on. Last year was the break even year. With the wage bill slashed drastically from about 78M per year in 2008 to less than 45M now (would love to see a new estimate), and the staff greatly reduced and a net gain on player transfers, the owner within 4 years has completely altered the financial outlook of the club. The statement that Ashley, Llambias and the board would very rarely comment on club matters was in anticipation of what was to come from the supporters. From now on the club will be a net income earner for Ashley until he sells unless we go down which is very unlikely. Getting into the Europa competition would be icing on the cake for Ashley but clearly he isn’t worried if we don’t, otherwise we would have made a much greater attempt to get a good striker. Much of what was said by Pardew clearly had no basis in fact. He was just saying what the supporters wanted to hear, that we were going to bring a striker in. Sad but true. Now lets get back to supporting the team that we have.

  49. 49
    Big Dave says:

    Craig I dont think anyone can really say that we have a stronger team because no one really knows what the new players will be like, yeah they all have potential but no experience in the prem.
    So imo it will be a month or so before we can really say one way or the other

  50. 50
    craig chisholm says:

    @48… i agreee 100% but just need to point out that supporting the team and bending over and taking it up the ass without so much of a whimper is two very different things m8. support the team i do…i will however continue to be equally anti all things ashley until something changes to alter the dynamics.

  51. 51
    GeordieTwo says:

    Big Dave @49 but would you agree that what we have seen so far is promising? And that is with Santon and Ben Arfa still to throw into the mix. My worry is that we have no depth at the back at all with Williamson injured and Kadar not looking promising. That leaves Raylor if Santon takes his place or a re-call of Tavernier and a few in the youth team like Dummett. Is there anyone I have missed? If not what happens if Colo or Saylor get injured?

  52. 52
    GeordieTwo says:

    Fair enough CC @50, can’t argue with that!

  53. 53
    craig chisholm says:

    big dave.. i agree again.. christ, whats wrong , i agree with everyone other than asim and toon chicken these days.

  54. 54
    Lacedaemonian says:

    I was probably the most vocal person on here regards the signing of crocked players. I guess I have since buried those worries somewhat. The so called spine of last season were not that impressive in 2011.

  55. 55
    Big Dave says:

    GeordieTwo yeah mate imo the 1st team looks promising but there is as you say weaknesses Re cover for the defence etc.
    Trying to get my head around not getting the striker we have been promised from the start of the year, I think the club are happy enough to go with Best and or Ba as the main ones, and like me I think they are relying on Benny to help out, but I just hope we dont put to much pressure on him

  56. 56
    Big Dave says:

    Lacedaemonian > The so called spine of last season were not that impressive in 2011.
    No harm too ye but if the spine remained intact we would have finished easily in the top 10 so if thats not impressive for a team just back into the prem I dont know what is

  57. 57
    Lacedaemonian says:

    Dave – the club/Pardew should not have talked about any transfer dealings.

  58. 58
    GeordieTwo says:

    Does anyone know what young players who are not named in the 25 man squad earn on average? I am thinking about players like Dummett, Airey, Richardson, Adjei, Inman … I am going to try to put together an estimate of the wage bill just to see where we stand now for that expense. In fact do we still have a full 25 man squad? I count only 22 including Elliot. Or are players such as Gosling (20) and Santon (20) included?

  59. 59
    Adam says:

    Who cares!!

    Purty pleased on the whole with the window. Just hope Ben Arfa gets fit, and I think we could be quite formidable.

  60. 60
    funkyjesus says:

    Just read that Rangers have released James Beattie.

    You know what we’re going to do, don’t you….

  61. 61
    toonsy says:

    Michael Laudrup @ 14 – I was only asked to do it for this transfer window as a comparison against what other clubs have been doing in this transfer window.

    I would have thought this excerpt from the article would have given that away.

    “Well one of the questions that was asked was about our spending on transfers and how it stacks up to other clubs and what they have done over the summer and so on.”

    Apparently not :???:

  62. 62
    Big Dave says:

    Adam @ 59 who cares ?? probably most Toon Fans

  63. 63
    Big Dave says:

    Toonsy @ 61 why do you even bother answering to comments like that mate

  64. 64
    hydeous says:

    I like the risk the club has taken with Tavernier. Send him out for a loan for a month, get 6 games worth of gametime under his belt and then bring him back for cover. Risky, but it could well work out.

  65. 65
    toonsy says:

    Dave – Just because I like to answer critical questions, especially when they try and misrepresent what was four hours work for me.

    It;s like picking up a bike magazine and complaining that it’s not about toasters :???:

  66. 66
    GeordieTwo says:

    Big Dave @55 I’m just hoping Ben Arfa gets a good long run without injuries now. He will need that for his confidence. I think he will be worked back into the starting lineup quite slowly, maybe only 10 or 15 minutes for a few games once back, but I think he should love working with Jonas, Marveaux, Cabaye and Obertan in particular in the midfield. A good creative nucleus there I would think. Getting excited just thinking about it.

  67. 67
    Big Dave says:

    Toonsy @ 65 but if thats the comments they make in the 1st place, there isn’t really that much point replying to them because its obvious they dont really grasp or want to know what its all about, dont waste your time mate. go make a cuppa coffee milk no sugar ;)

  68. 68
    Thad says:

    Good post Toonsy, 600,000 net spending, who would have thunk it?

    One thing I was thinking about over the last few days is regarding the games we’ve already played. I rkn we’re pretty lucky to have played Arsenal and Fulham once already this season. They’ve strengthened big time since we took those points away from them, and chances are we wouldn’t have those points on the board if we played them say after the window.

    QPR next should be interesting, a lot of players coming in for them but will that gel straightaway? Hope that Ba will be well fed by then and ready to snag a goal or two.

  69. 69
    Big Dave says:

    GeordieTwo yeah mate the future could be bright

    Toonsy anymore word on the signage ??

  70. 70
    witters says:

    Disappointed your analysis only covers this summer…despite you stating this quite clearly in the article itself.

    Toonsy, I was expecting net/gross spend trends for every club for the last 10 years for the period & by each individual year. You could have also used this data to create a model to predict future spend by league or by team but I guess this was too much trouble ;-)

  71. 71
    icedog says:

    DAVE toonsy should put half doz sugars in his cuppa,might sweeten him up :)

  72. 72
    CT says:

    Toonsy, wheres my little icons gone? I`ve got a computer in my office at work, 2xlaptops–1@home, 1@ my holiday lodge and my I phone–all gone.
    Have you done an Ash and peddled them? Miss them very much, tear streaming!–

  73. 73
    GeordieTwo says:

    Hydeous @64, agree with you, risky but necessary. By all accounts he is playing very well. When the month is over I would bring him back though. Let him play in cup games and fill in when injuries come up or give him time at the end of games probably at RB? Not sure of his preferred position. If Simpson leaves in january window would think Raylor will get his position that is if Santon is fully bedded in at LB? Tavernier’s contract runs out next June. Are we leaving it too late again?

  74. 74
    CT says:

    You and Icedog still got yours–selfish, that`s what it is!!

  75. 75
    Thad says:

    @Michael Laudrup

    “It’s pretty pointless doing this for one transfer window. It only tells half a story, and a skewed one at that.”

    Doesn’t fit into your world view and therefore you don’t like it would be a better description. So we didn’t sign another striker, well maybe we need one and maybe we don’t. Consider our signing of Shearer for 15m all those years ago, when we could have just brought him up from our youth system. Well what if by not signing a striker there’s an opportunity for Sameobi to come up and establish himself as a first team player? Or would you rather he leave, and come back a few seasons later for 20m?

    At the end of the day, it’s not about the money spent, it’s about the quality we have in the squad. And honestly I’d be more excited if Sammy or another one of our young’uns come up and make that place their own.

  76. 76
    Big Dave says:

    Ice @ 71 the coffee was for me mate ;) :)
    CT whats up with ye mate :) ;)

  77. 77
    Hoddo says:

    We’ve been let down again, been waiting since January for a top quality striker.

    Keep finding the net Leon, it’s your chance to become a legend my son.

  78. 78
    Thad says:

    That’s a good one Witters.

    I myself am disappointed with yesterday’s crude Chatango attempt. I expected Toonsy to be on live streaming giving us a transfer play by play on his “toon pad”, and Jobey to have taken more initiative in investigating the helicopter and then ringing the Twente chairman up to see if we’d really made a bid.

  79. 79
    funkyjesus says:

    Hoddo speaks the truth.

    I have all the faith in the world for The Legend of Best to do the job for us.

    If Andy Carroll was worth £35m for his start to last season, what would Leon Best be worth currently for his 9 odd goals in 15 games?

  80. 80
    toonsy says:

    CT – They’ve gone in clickable form as they were really (strangely) heavy in terms of page loading size. You can still get them but you have to do it the back way :mrgreen:

    http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Smilies

  81. 81
    Troy Stavers says:

    @Thad

    Can you tell me who that is in your profile pic?

  82. 82
    Groucho says:

    See on Ed’s blog kids making a fool of themselves again with anti Ashley nonsense. The last thing we want with this new team is all that nonsense again upsetting players. Best start for years. What do they want? Idiots!

  83. 83
    Groucho says:

    Should have said fools of themselves.

  84. 84
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Evening peeps.
    Well I’m glad the effing t/ window has finally closed.
    We now gotta just get on with it.
    Wish we had a match this weekend so we could get to talking about Football and not finances -(appreciate your efforts tho Toonsy :lol: )
    I hope that undersoil heating at the trg ground helps to keep the lads fit, or we are gonna be down to the kids before we know it.
    Any news on HBA returning to training? Or is it yet another month?

  85. 85
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    3 weeks til the next home game :(
    I wonder what the ressies are up to?
    After a long summer break, dont need this n all :evil:

  86. 86
    CT says:

    Big Dave/ Toonsy, watta you mean clickable form? say it in English please, I`m a novice at this keyboard dhit, sorry meant shut, shit!!

  87. 87
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Booby/Troy – you were nearly right with your predictions ;)

    I said NEARLY.

  88. 88
    AlanPardewProject says:

    Beardsleys Boots – Would love it if they did the international games during the off season in the summer and only then. Hate these international breaks during the season, someone is gonna get injured at a bad time and it takes away our weekly dose of premier league football.

  89. 89
    toonsy says:

    CT – You know you used to be able to click on the face you wanted and it would pop into your post? That is what I mean by clickable.

  90. 90
    Troy Stavers says:

    I’m starting to think something is going on behind the scenes due to the silence from the regime and Patsy.

    Maybe Patsy is starting to realise he is looking like a Patsy and he’s had enough.

    His first interview will be an important one, in order to decide whether the penny has dropped with him or he knows exactly what is happening and is still going to play the party line and continue to be a Patsy.

    Can’t wait.

  91. 91
  92. 92
  93. 93
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    yeah a couple intl injuries would really do for us.

  94. 94
    Big Dave says:

    Troy @ 90 what do you want to happen with Pards :?:

  95. 95
    Troy Stavers says:

    @BB

    Nearly right? Absolutely spot on mate.

    They didn’t sell anyone only because no bids came in for players.

  96. 96
    CT says:

    Big Dave, nobody likes a smartarse:-(

  97. 97
    Axel says:

    Well now that it has all sunk in and i look at where the club now is after the closing of the transfer window , i have to say we are really not that far off being a good side . Yeah i would of liked another striker , but that said we do have 5 at the club plus Airey out on loan ,so did we really need another one , Ba and Best have proved last season they can score in the premiership and not signing another gives Sammy Ameobi a good chance of getting minutes on the pitch and that has to be a good thing does it not ? The lad does have something about him , the midfield has more natural width and with Cabaye and tiote aggresion and skill in it . Where i worry for is lack of depth at the back , 2 injuries and we are down to the bare bones . I now think a middle of the table finish is easily acheivable and who know’s how much higher , my prediction 8th . Lets just now enjoy the football .

  98. 98
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Troy- would you like Pardew to quit then ?

  99. 99
    CT says:

    Wot happened? Toonsy put the buggers back!

  100. 100
    AlanPardewProject says:

    Troy – Do you reckon that the board would be desparate enough to bring in a striker on free like with kuqi????

  101. 101

    Just stumbled on this story:

    http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/newcastle-special-striker-negotiations-broke-down-

    Newcastle United’s chase of Papiss Demba Cisse broke down late on deadline day, Freiburg have confirmed.

    Last season’s second highest-scorer in the Bundesliga was the subject of interest from a handful of Barclays Premier League clubs, with North East rivals Sunderland also thought to be keen.

    However, the Magpies appear to have come closest to bringing the player to England, before the St. James Park switch stalled whilst in negotiations with the German side.

    “The issue has been dealt with … negotiations with Newcastle United broke down,” said Freiburg director of sport Dirk Dufner.

    “He is a very special lad and we are fortunate that he is with us. We want to enjoy this fortune for a little while longer.”

    It was reported earlier on August 30th that Newcastle United had made a £10 million offer for Cisse, a figure that was thought to be £3 million short of the club’s valuation.

  102. 102

    Cue the accusations of deliberate underbid to make it look like we tried…

    but I think it’s less a case of that than penny-wise, pound-foolishness that had Jabba’s Penny Pincher in chief, uh, pinching pennies to the detriment of our season.

  103. 103
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Troy – I had the winning euro millions tkt on tuesday €85M.
    Woo Hoo.

    Only my numbers didn’t get drawn. Apart from that I was absolutely spot on mate
    :mrgreen:

  104. 104
    batty says:

    cant wait for the jan transfer window jonas colo simpson and tiote will all be up for sale .

  105. 105
    Troy Stavers says:

    @BB

    Do I want him sacked? I’ve had this discussion before.

    No. It needs a Patsy to be our coach and you don’t get a better Patsy than Pards.

    If we had a man of strength and self worth he would have walked out ages ago.

    He’s doing a great job running the team and Patsying fantastically .

    Can’t think of a better Patsy for the job.

    I’m just wondering now, by his silence , that his family have actually told him that he is embarrassing them by his weak morals of lying to the fans and doing everything fat Mike tells him.

    Can’t wait to hear him. ;-)

  106. 106
    batty says:

    troy at 90 kna he wont be off hes exactly what your calling him ;)

  107. 107
    witters says:

    All players are up for sale…: – )

  108. 108
    batty says:

    if best scores a few goals he will be off too

  109. 109
    batty says:

    witters aye ya right :)

  110. 110
    witters says:

    Then Krul…

  111. 111
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    FSOTC – maybe Lardy thought Freiburg would need the money (€10M is not a small ammount after all) more desperatly than they did.
    Plus we seem to have this first and final offer thing going on.
    We dont do negotiating.
    Hard nosed bargaining, take it or leave it approach, seems to be the order of the day :twisted:

  112. 112
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Troy – I never asked you if you wanted him sacked. Lets face it thats not going to happen.
    I asked you if you wanted him to quit :?:

    I hear what you are saying, calling him a patsy, but what would you have him do?
    come on fella answer a simple question

  113. 113

    The bid for Ruiz was 10m too, supposedly, right? I guess that was the outer limit for us then. Considering Erdinc and Maiga were supposed to be 7-8m bids… was there anyone we went higher for? Gameiro & Gervinho were supposed to be around 10m?

  114. 114
    Big Dave says:

    CT @ 96 Big Dave, nobody likes a smartarse :-(
    you need to put a space in after the smartarse for it to work ;)

  115. 115
    Troy Stavers says:

    @APProject

    I don’t even think they are that desperate for Kuqi.

    I’ve just heard they tried to sign Defoe but he wasn’t interested.

    It’s all bullshit bids with no intention of meeting personal terms.

    Howay Toonsy. Get the Emoticoms back !

  116. 116
    CT says:

    Big Dave, like this :-)

  117. 117
    CT says:

    Genius Dave, utter Genius :-)

  118. 118

    Low balling? Yes.

    False bids? Doubt it.

  119. 119
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    I reckon he has took a few days off during the intl break, to get his head straight.
    If he had any balls he would quit, but that wouldn’t do us or him any favours whatsoever.
    I dont think he wants to be seen as a quitter either, afterall he is trying to make a name for himself as being sucessful with what he has got to work with.
    If he was to get us into the top 10 despite the clowns above him then perhaps he would earn some respect from other clubs.
    But whether he can or not is a moot point :???:

  120. 120
    Troy Stavers says:

    @BB

    No. I dont want him to walk out or be sacked as he is doing a good job on the field.
    He’s a Patsy and that’s what this club needs with this regime or it would makes things 20 times worse if he had morals and a backbone.

  121. 121
    Big Dave says:

    CT that it mate

  122. 122
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Good we agree on that. If he was to quit and walk we would end up with a different patsy thats all. (Joe effing Kinear)

  123. 123

    Wrote this on other threads, but if he’s got the club playing reasonably well till new year, I wouldnt be surprised if another club gives their manager the heave-ho and snatches him up. He’d be all to happy to get away from the tomfoolery he’s about to be blamed for.

  124. 124
    Liam southern toon says:

    Troy are you a mackem? I’ve never heard one comment positive from you or marvelling at your own predictions

  125. 125
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    He just needs to learn what he can and cant say.
    Or how to phrase things better so that it doesn’t sound like him making all the dud promises etc and that it is the board making all the decisions, NOT him.
    If he starts by calling himself the head coach or something instead of the manager it might help. We all know thats what he is anyway.
    I kinda like what he is trying to do with the football side of things. He just needs to let everyone know he has nothing to do with players coming and going.

  126. 126
    Army69 says:

    KRUL

    RAYLOR TAYLOR COLLO SANTON

    GUTIEREZ TIOTE CABAYE MARVEAUX

    BEN ARFA

    BA

    whens benny back??

  127. 127
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    FSOTC – if he gets us playing good football, I think you could be right.

  128. 128

    Big if, BB, but I will not be surprised at all if it happens.

  129. 129

    HBA scheduled for October 1st. Not sure if that’s training or playing though.

  130. 130
    Stuart79 says:

    Wonder what effect the debacle will have on morale?How does Simpson feel when he was told he can leave for Villa then he’s told he’s not going!

  131. 131
    Army69 says:

    1 more month then :S!! im not looking 4ward to no more transfer deadline days under mke ashley!! he hasssssssssssssssnt got a clue

  132. 132
  133. 133

    BB, do you know if that’s “return to training” or playing?

  134. 134
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Must admit I was a tad worried when Tiote came out and said he didn’t want to leave. I mean why would he feel the need to come out with that?
    Perhaps the screw was being tightened by the ss in prep of an acceptable bid coming in from, anywhere.

  135. 135
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Hopefully playing ?
    As it has Sameobi injured til 12th sept.
    In previous seasons that has been return to playing, so hope to see the lad back in Toon by mid sept.
    Or not :???:

  136. 136
    toonsy says:

    Mid September for training apparently.

    On a sidenote, new servers all round. I’m rich :D
    ——————————————————-
    Dear friend,

    I presumed that all is well with you and your family. Please let this

    not be a surprised message to you because i got your contact

    information from the international directory few weeks ago before i

    decided to contact you on this magnitude and lucrative transaction for

    our present and future survival in life. Moreover, I have laid all the

    solemn trust in you before i decided to disclose this successful and

    confidential transaction to you.

    I am the auditor in charge of foreign remittance unit of our

    bank and i decided to contact you for this financial transaction worth

    eight million three hundred thousand us dollars (8.3m) for our

    present and future success. This is an abandoned fund that belongs to

    one of our bank foreign customers who died along with his entire

    family through plane crash few years ago.

    Meanwhile, I was very fortunate to come across the deceased file when

    i was arranging the old and abandoned customers file in other to sign

    and submit to the entire bank management for an official re

    documentation and audit of the year against 2010.

    Be informed clearly that it was stated in our foreign banking rules and

    regulations which was signed lawfully that if such fund remains

    unclaimed till the period of ten years started from the date the

    beneficiary died, the money will be transferred into the bank treasury as

    unclaimed fund. However, it is not authorizes by the rules guiding our

    bank for a citizen of Burkina Faso to make the claim of the fund

    unless you are a foreigner no matter the country.

    So the request of you as a foreigner is necessary to apply for the

    claim and transfer of the fund smoothly into your reliable bank

    account as the next of kin to the deceased. when the fund is

    transferred into your account 40% will be for you in respect of all

    your assistance for the transfer of the fund into your account and

    provision of the bank account where the bank will remit the fund, 55%

    will be for me being the pioneer of the business while the rest 5%

    will be shared to respectable organizations such as charity and the

    destitute homes around us in the world.

    If you are really sure of your trustworthiness, accountability and

    confidentiality on this transaction contact me and accept not to

    change your mind to cheat or disappoint me when the funds are

    transferred into your account. I guarantee that this transaction will be executed under a legitimate banking arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. So, reply for the assurance with your telephone and fax numbers to facilitate easy communication. As soon as you reply, i will let you know the next step and procedure to follow in order to finalize this transaction

    successfully.

    I expect your urgent communication.

  137. 137
    toonsy says:

    I feel honoured :shock:

  138. 138
    Toonale says:

    Dave @69
    Its a big no 9.

  139. 139
    Big Dave says:

    Toonsy your in the money mate yeha could you lend me a few quid seeing how we have always been friends, dont worry I wont tell anyone else as I dont want others asking you for money.
    From your Buddie Big Dave

  140. 140
    Zoë Vicarage says:

    I feel like writing a positive article to stop all the gloom at the moment

  141. 141
    Thad says:

    Rkn DL got caught up in one of those scams… All the Carroll money got drained from the club, now we’re skint :D

  142. 142
    Thad says:

    Zoe please do. Actually make that two, that should do it.

  143. 143
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Dont think there is much gloom Zoe.
    A touch of reality maybe, but generally I think we just want to get on with supporting the Lads we have.
    Bring on the football for a change.

  144. 144
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    So does anyone think Ashley will make a return to the directors box ?
    Or is he away for good now?

  145. 145
    batty says:

    BB away for good

  146. 146
    AndrewT says:

    Zoe, please write about what a good job Pardew has done with the squad he has and how we can see the team gelling together. I think Pards needs all the support he can get right now!

  147. 147
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    yeah Batty I rkn you’re right mate. Think he has washed his hands of us for now at least.
    Probably make an appearance at the cup final tho ;)

  148. 148
    Big Dave says:

    BB He will be back before long

  149. 149
    Zoë Vicarage says:

    AndrewT: That’s what I’ve been thinking. We are in a very good position and I think this group of players will really gel in the next few matches

  150. 150
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Ha Ha Andrew.
    If its BS ya want you’re on the wrong blog.
    Try Dr Ed’s famous blog
    :lol:

  151. 151
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    ya think so Dave?

  152. 152
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    A good cup run would do us all a world of good imho.

  153. 153
    Big Dave says:

    BB @ 151 to not return would be to him like admitting that he is running scared or that he couldn’t take the shit threw at him anymore, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him at the next home game

  154. 154

    Congrats, Toonsy! Is it too late to add that money in to the Cisse bid?

  155. 155
    Lualua17 says:

    People who are saying do we have a stronger team than last year it is too early to judge but on what I have seen the answer is no. Were we not stuffing teams like Aston Villa 6-0 and Sunderland 5-1? Can anyone see goals in this team because at the minute I can’t we had to rely on Ryan Taylor free kicks first two games granted Leon Best scored two against Fulham but at the moment we don’t look dangerous going forward. The points we have picked up are off teams in a poor run of form at the moment and blunt in attack, Sunderland 2 points in 3, Arsenal 1 point in 3 (and stuffed 8-2 off Man Utd) and Fulham 1 point in 3 so we can’t really say our defence has been properly tested yet. I believe the defence also lacks decent cover and could struggle with a couple of injuries. People also say our passing is better but all I have seen in the majority of games so far this season is hoofball. Hopefully this will change and the players will be amazing but at this moment in time I would say we had a stronger team last season.

  156. 156
    CT says:

    Zoe,write something positive about Pards.we need him imo

  157. 157
    toonsy says:

    Zoe – Don’t write something positive Pards. Jobey has dine something along them lines ;-)

  158. 158
    Beardsleys Boots says:

    Have to disagree with ya lualua.
    Its not just been hoof ball.
    We actually did try and do some passing v fulham, but we just aren’t very good at it yet.
    Rooney has scored many goals with the ball hoofed over the top, its a good tactic to use sometimes.Otherwise you become predictable and one dimensional, a bit like arsenal. They are great at passing the ball around but it doesn’t get them the results they want.
    We really need a creative mf that can mix things up, and I do think we are working towards that. We just need to keep our players fit and injury freee as much as possible

  159. 159

    I feel like there’s a little (little) evidence that the team is starting to gel and maybe some of the passing stuff we hoped for is waiting in the wings.

    I also think the extra time win against Scunthorpe did this set of players a world of good–confidence building & cohesion come from that kind of game where we start badly, gut it out and go on to win.

    By the way, didn’t Sammy boy score for the ressies? It’s not all bitterness and dark!

  160. 160
    Zoë Vicarage says:

    Toonsy: it’s probs going to be about the transfer window perhaps shutting earlier

  161. 161

    Also, we seemed to grow into the game against Fulham too. Now if Mr. Pardew can get us playing like that from the opening whistle…

    Of course, that comes with familiarity. Let’s see… two weeks of practices without traveling all over the fucking place could make a big difference.

  162. 162
    Toonie says:

    El Hadji Diouf has just become a free agent after getting sacked by Blackburn today. Could be worth a punt :)

  163. 163
    Big Dave says:

    Toonie I wouldn’t want the dirt bag about the place

  164. 164
    Toonie says:

    @ big dave

    If Best or Ba get injured he could be very useful. Short term contract, any crap ditch him.

  165. 165

    Toonie, I think the club were asked about him yesterday but flatly said they weren’t interested. Not sure if it was Lee Ryder or Mark Douglas or someone else that tweeted that.

  166. 166
    Liam southern toon says:

    Toonsy will have a blog for you too.. Make that a treble!

  167. 167
    Lualua17 says:

    Thad @ 75 I agree with your comment in a way because your right it does not matter how much we spend if we have the quality in the right areas but I personally don’t think we have at the moment a bit of money spent could have given us stability and helped us progress in this league, is Sammy Ameobi a winger or striker because all the games I have seen him so far have been from the wing but he has been scoring goals. I think your comment to Michael Laudrup was a little unfair because he makes a valid point the table makes it look that we are investing in the team but in reality we made a massive profit in the transfer window before. A more balanced look at how we compare to other clubs within the Ashley era would be to take figures for every year Ashley has been in charge but I don’t think Toonsy would like that task I know I wouldn’t lol.

  168. 168
    One Foot Wonder says:

    Free transfers Are NOT FREE!!! You can quite easily add another 5-8million. I wish people would start adding that in to the cost because 3 players certainly didn’t just turn up for free. That to me takes it upto to £20 mil spent, plus we know there is £10 million (+agent and signing on fees) available for the right striker. Personally I’m pleased we have kept that as opposed to buying our 9th choice.

    Add in Tiotes new contract, upgrades to SjP and the new £35 million sports direct sign and it seems the numbers actually add up.

    All I want to see at SJP is progression and I can see the team evolving into a young, quick and skillfull team while also paying off that lovely 52000 stadium extension (yup that’s where the rest of our money is going to peeps, and with an interest free loan it’s getting paid off £10 million a year quicker!)

  169. 169
    Toonie says:

    @ Fans Should Own The Club

    That might have been before we drew a blank in the striker market. Yes, he has got history, but so had Barton, Carroll etc.

  170. 170

    yeah, LuaLua, I was wondering that too. Is Sammy a winger or striker?

  171. 171
    Lualua17 says:

    That’s a fair comment Beardsley’s Boots but do you think we have a Rooney type striker at the club? All of our strikers are quite slow accept for Lovenkrands so they are not going to break an offside trap and the big guys we do have are not great at winning the ball in the air imho. Strikers like Ameobi, Ba and Best are better with the ball at their feet which is why we need the passing game if we had different types of strikers at the club then we could play a mixed passing game of long ball and short passing. The players like you said at the moment don’t seem capable of playing the type of game that is going to get the best out of our striker’s. That is why I think investment in a quick striker who can score goals should have been our priority.

  172. 172
    Brisvegas says:

    8-)

  173. 173
    Lualua17 says:

    Just wanted to say Beardsley Boots I commend you on the fact that although you differ with me in opinion you are civil in your response to me that is the way I think we should communicate with each other there is too much animosity between people the one thing that we all have in common is we love NUFC.

  174. 174
    Troy Stavers says:

    @Liam

    No I’m not a Mackem.

    I just hate this regime and I can see where we are going and I’m desperately trying to make you realise it.

    Doesn’t seem to work though. Ignorance is bliss some say. Is it? ;-)

  175. 175
    Troy Stavers says:

    The blog is nowhere near as effective without the emoticoms. Howay Toonsy.

  176. 176
    Troy Stavers says:

    @brisvegas

    You opened your mouth but said nowt.

    I like you better like that. ;-)

  177. 177
    Troy Stavers says:

    I see Steve Wraith was right after all about Newcastle United being taken down from the East Stand.
    Can’t believe Greggs have bought the space for £1m over 3 seasons!

    Man city get £400m for a name change. God he really has lowered the quality of our club.

  178. 178
    Liam southern toon says:

    Troy your hate is clouding getting behind the team at whatever cost despite the idiot owner

  179. 179
    Newkie says:

    Villa are basically level with the Bent transfer, and we should be about 35mil in pocket. Just shows really, perhaps the only good thing is sunderland seem to have done just as bad..

  180. 180
    CT says:

    I can`t let this go before i go to sleep.
    Pardew has got an impossible job, but for me he is doing it better under the circumstances than KK/ Hoots/ Shearer etc. would have done.!
    Get behind him and the team, be`cos it isn`t full of highly paid tossers we had under Sheps regime!!
    I still maintain we have a better squad than last year, until Nov then we will know for sure!:-) thats for B. Dave

  181. 181
    CT says:

    Shit, sorry B. Dave :-)

  182. 182

    Better than Hoots? Hmm… Dunno on that one. Didn’t somebody on this blog do a big analysis of their records and find them comparable? Don’t remember, really. I liked Hughton better personally, but I’m not to sure managerially.

  183. 183
    AndrewT says:

    Fsotc, hoots may have been a more likeavle guy, but Pardew is easily the better manager. Hoots has as much tactical nouse as Steve Bruce!

  184. 184
    Paul in Hollywood says:

    Proves the saying that “There are lies, lies (from the NUFC board) and statistics (from Toonsy)”…

  185. 185
    neeraj says:

    Hoots has as much tactical nouse as Steve Bruce!

    Same manager that beat Bruce’s Sunderland 5-1

  186. 186
    Troy Stavers says:

    @Liam

    I take it you are relatively young.?

    I’m in my 40′s and have seen things, and lived thru era’s with NUFC that you likely haven’t.

    I can see signs of returning to those periods staring me in the face.

    You clearly can’t but believe me they are there.

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