Are the vultures circling St James’ Park?

Perez - A potential transfer target?
Perez – A potential transfer target?
In a season so far that has produced only a few highlights in terms of victories there has been some positive signs.

While a lot of the players have, quite rightly at times, attracted criticism there are also those who have enhanced their reputations.

And by now we are all aware of just how our “business model” works which combined with the forthcoming January transfer window and the performances of some of players could lead to an interesting and frustrating month or so as speculation starts to trickle into newsfeeds.

My heart, and our league position to be fair, says that we can’t afford to sell anyone and need to actually strengthen the side. My head however looks at previous transfer windows and wonders if we may have already had a glimpse of what may happen.

Now I’m fully aware that in the summer we spent a decent amount and I still think we added some good players. But that’s so far been a one off and was at least partly brought about because of failures to invest previously.

The thing is some of those platers have caught the eye, as have players who here already here, so who is most at risk when January comes around and given that I’ve already said we shouldn’t sell any of our first team, what figures would you think ‘fair enough’ about if someone did come calling for one our lads?

The first name is going to be Ayoze Perez who is already attracting interest and has already responded to that interest. The 22-year-old has been somewhat of a revelation since joining from Tenerife for a fee of roughly £1.5 million last summer.

This season he has four goals and has laid on a further two for his team, but it’s his willingness to work, his availability to receive the ball and what he can do with the ball when he does receive it that makes him a good player. Good enough not to sell.

So then the question comes of just how much would you hold your hands up and say that the club couldn’t refuse that amount of money? For me we’re talking Andy Carroll figures for a player who has shown he can compete in this league and still has potential to get even better.

Georginio Wijnaldum is another player who will be being looked at by other clubs. The Dutch midfielder has scored seven goals so far this term and without them we’d still be in the relegation places instead of just above it. Like Perez, Wijnaldum has also laid on two goals for his team.

He has attracted criticism from some fans which I think is harsh given that he’s played more centrally throughout his career and we are playing him on the left, but despite this he is our top scorer, has one of the highest pass completion rates in the side and has ran more miles putting in more interceptions than any other player in the side. We paid £14.5 million for him. If he was to move on so soon I’d be looking for double that.

One player who will no doubt again be linked with a move away will be Moussa Sissoko. Indeed I feel it is only a matter of time before he leaves St James’ Park which means that there is going to be speculation.

Sissoko is a frustrating one as he has so much pace and power but so often poses little threat going forward. Again I do feel slightly sorry for him as he’s being played on the right and not in the centre but I still feel he should be contributing more.

We’ve seen what he can do but getting him to do it regularly is the issue. We hear quite often that he thinks he should be playing in the Champions League but he difference between players like Sissoko and those who do play in the Champions League is consistency. Sissoko can rip teams apart but not often enough to be relied upon. I’d sell for £15 million.

Just to reiterate I don’t think we should be selling anybody, but if we did I think it’s those three who will have the most eyes watching them, and it’s those fees that I’d begrudgingly accept seeing them move on.

What do you think?

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

230 thoughts on “Are the vultures circling St James’ Park?

  1. It’s the same with our lot, they haven’t really helped the manager until last couple of games.

    Question , would you rather have Jose or steve manage Toon ?

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  2. TERRY aye dead right but we have no fear as jabba will never pay his wages or any decent wage for a top manager

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  3. Which way will Chelsea’s season go with Mourinho gone? I would have to say they will get a huge lift from an incoming manager and will be 10th or so come mid January. Easy prediction to make though isn’t it? 😀

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  4. Jose is obviously a top manager, but as well as bringing success to every club he’s been at he has also brought a lot of controversy. He’s a man who believes he’s bigger than the club. He’s one of the worse losers in the game and if we accuse Pardew of having an ego!!.

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  5. Surely many of the top players had given up playing for him. I suspect the dressing room was a very nasty place near the end and probably long before. The number of huge egos involved is completely unstable. From Abramovich to Mourinho to many of the players. Too much success often breeds its own demise.

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  6. G2, on the news they were chatting to Chelsea fans about his sacking and most fans felt the players were at fault.

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  7. A lot of problems in that Chelsea squad. Time for a clearout I would think. We would never pay enough to get any of them of course. Still I like the looks of our Perez, and Mitro looks better with a little weight off. Move Cisse on in January and bring in a decent replacement along with at least 1 good CB. Get quality in, not young kids from France or another continental country. If we do, we should rise towards mid table.

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  8. I would think it has to be Kimtoon mate. He has become even more arrogant lately if that’s possible and probably a hard man to deal with when he’s unhappy which is probably most of the time lately. Best he starts fresh again and the players get someone else to work under.

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  9. However I’m not saying I have changed my mind about our owner. Fong him I say. Without mercy, until he sells up. 👿

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  10. I would start with Mitro and De Jong in the Villa game, with Perez from the bench. I think we will have more possession and Siem will be of more use in this game than he has previously. I would even be tempted to go 4-3-3 but the two banks of four seem to be working at the moment.

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  11. Terry: which Mourinho are you talking about? Jose didn’t take over squads that had already won things. Inter hadn’t and Chelsea hadn’t (not even last year). If you look at Mourinho’s time in Portugal you will see he was doing the gegen-press back in 2002.

    Here is something from Wikipedia and his early career where he got the Champions Fucking League at Porto. Porto… Of course he was helped a bit by a genius called Bobby Robson.

    “In 1992, an opportunity arose to work as a translator for a top foreign coach: Bobby Robson had been appointed as the new manager of Lisbon club Sporting CP and needed a local coach to work as his interpreter
    Mourinho began discussing tactics and coaching with Robson in his interpreting role.Robson was sacked by the team in December 1993. When FC Porto appointed him as their head coach, Mourinho moved with him, continuing to coach and interpret for players at the new club. The Porto team, consisting of players like Ljubinko Drulović, Domingos Paciência, Rui Barros, Jorge Costa and Vítor Baía, went on to dominate Portuguese football the following years. With Robson as head coach and Mourinho as his assistant, Porto reached the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, and won the 1993–94 Taça de Portugal, the 1994–95 and 1995–96 Portuguese championship, and the 1994, 1995 and 1996 Portuguese Super Cup. The latter with a 5–0 victory over arch-rivals Benfica, in what proved to be Robson’s last game at Porto before moving to Barcelona, earning Robson the nickname “Bobby Five-O” in Portugal. Such was the impact of Robson and Mourinho on making Porto a lasting team, that the club managed to claim three more consecutive championships after they had left.
    After their years at Porto the duo moved again, switching to FC Barcelona in 1996. Robson and Mourinho’s styles complemented each other: the Englishman favoured an attacking style, while Mourinho covered defensive options, and the Portuguese’s love of planning and training combined with Robson’s direct man-management. The partnership was fruitful and Barcelona finished the season by winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Robson moved club the following season but this time Mourinho did not follow as Barcelona were keen to retain him as assistant manager. The two remained good friends and Mourinho later reflected on the effect Robson had had upon him: One of the most important things I learnt from Bobby Robson is that when you win, you shouldn’t assume you are the team, and when you lose, you shouldn’t think you are rubbish.
    He began working with Robson’s successor, Louis van Gaal, and he learned much from the Dutchman’s conscientious style. Both assistant and head coach combined their studious approach to the game and Barcelona won La Liga twice in Van Gaal’s first two years as coach. Van Gaal saw that his number two had the promise to be more than a skilled assistant. He let Mourinho develop his own independent coaching style and entrusted him with the coaching duties of FC Barcelona B.[18] Van Gaal also let Mourinho take charge of the first team (acting as Mourinho’s assistant himself) for certain trophies, like the Copa Catalunya, which Mourinho won in 2000.

    Managerial career

    Benfica

    The chance to become a top-tier manager arrived in September 2000 when Mourinho moved up from his role as assistant manager at Lisbon side Benfica to replace manager Jupp Heynckes after the fourth week of the Primeira Liga.The Benfica hierarchy wanted to appoint Jesualdo Ferreira as the new assistant coach, but Mourinho refused and picked Carlos Mozer, a retired Benfica defender, as his right-hand man instead.

    When I spoke with van Gaal about going back to Portugal to be an assistant at Benfica, he said: “No, don’t go. Tell Benfica if they want a first-team coach you will go; if they want an assistant you will stay.” Only weeks after being given the job at Benfica, Mourinho’s mentor, Sir Bobby Robson, offered him the assistant manager’s role at Newcastle United. Such was Robson’s desperation for Mourinho to join him he offered to step down after two years in charge and hand over the reins to Mourinho. Mourinho turned the offer down and said he knew Robson would never step down at the club he loved.

    Mourinho and Mozer proved a popular combination, enjoying a 3–0 win against fierce rivals Sporting in December.Their reign, however, appeared to be at risk after Benfica’s election turned against club president João Vale e Azevedo, and the newly elected Manuel Vilarinho said that he would instate ex-Benfica player Toni as his new coach. Although Vilarinho had no intention of firing him immediately, Mourinho used the victory over Sporting to test the president’s loyalty and he asked for a contract extension.[24] Vilarinho refused the demand and Mourinho resigned from his position immediately. He left the club on 5 December 2000 after just nine league games in charge. Upon later reflection, Vilarinho rued his poor judgement and expressed his frustration at losing Mourinho:
    [Put me] back then [and] I would do exactly the opposite: I would extend his contract. Only later I realised that one’s personality and pride cannot be put before the interest of the institution we serve.
    União de Leiria

    Mourinho found a new managerial post in July 2001 with União de Leiria. During his time at União de Leiria, the team was on a run contesting places as high as third and fourth by January. After a 2–1 win against Paços de Ferreira on 27 January, the team was in third place, one point ahead of both Porto and Benfica and three points behind the top of the league table. Mourinho’s successes at Leiria did not go unrecognised and he caught the attention of larger Portuguese clubs.
    Porto
    He was then hand-picked in late January 2002 by Porto to replace Octávio Machado. At this time, Porto was in fifth place in the Liga (behind Sporting, Boavista, Leiria and Benfica), had been eliminated from the Portuguese Cup and was in last place in their UEFA Champions League second group stage. Mourinho guided the team to third place that year after a strong 15-game run (W–D–L: 11–2–2) and gave the promise of “making Porto champions next year.”

    2002–03
    During the pre-season, Mourinho put detailed reports of the team training on the club website. The reports were filled with formal vocabulary, as, for instance, he referred to a 20 km jog as an extended aerobic exercise. While they attracted some scorn for the pretentiousness, others praised the innovation and the application of a more scientific approach to the training methods practised in Portugal. One of the key aspects in Mourinho-era Porto was his quick wit and the pressuring play, which started at the offensive line, dubbed pressão alta (“high pressure”). The physical and combative abilities of the teams’ defenders and midfielders allowed Porto to apply pressure from the offensive lines and forced opponents either to concede the ball or try longer, uncertain passes.
    In 2003, Mourinho won his first Primeira Liga with a 27–5–2 record, 11 points clear of Benfica, the team he quit two years earlier. The total of 86 points out of the possible maximum of 102 was a Portuguese record since the rule of three points per win was introduced. Mourinho also won the Taça de Portugal, beating former club Leiria in the final, and the UEFA Cup final against Celtic, both in May 2003.

    2003–04

    The following season witnessed further successes: he led Porto to victory in the one-match Portuguese Super Cup, beating Leiria 1–0. They lost, however, the UEFA Super Cup 1–0 to A.C. Milan, with Andriy Shevchenko scoring the solitary goal. The team was dominant in the Primeira Liga and finished the season with a perfect home record, an eight-point advantage, and an unbeaten run that only ended against Gil Vicente; they secured the title five weeks before the end of the season. Porto lost the 2004 Taça de Portugal Final to Benfica in May 2004, but two weeks later, Mourinho won a greater prize: the UEFA Champions League, with a 3–0 win over AS Monaco in Germany. The club had eliminated Manchester United, Olympique Lyonnais, and Deportivo La Coruña and their sole defeat of the competition came against Real Madrid in the group round.”

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  12. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< wonders when that ed dudes ganna stop banging on about austin which part of we aint signing him dos the doughnut not understand 😯

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  13. Here are Mourinho’s WIN %, that’s win %:

    Porto 72
    Chelsea 67
    Inter 62
    Real 72
    Chelsea 59

    Even though they are great teams you don’t do that by luck or by being handed a great squad. He has won the Champions League twice and won La Liga when Messi was in his prime. All you had to do was watch Barcelona take apart Man U at Wembley to understand what accomplishments these were.

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  14. DJG: how about playing the 3 together Perez, Mitro, de Jong?

    Midfield Sissoko, Colback, Wijnaldum.

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  15. Oh, if anybody says that Jose didn’t manage Barca they are missing my point. He won La Liga when opposing a great Barca side.

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  16. ERIC SYKES
    hes an experiened manager thats got him self sacked on purpose,he knew exactly what he was doing when he throw his players to the wolves,why work when ya can get yaself sacked and jog off back home,and put ya feet up with 36 million tooked in ya back pocket

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  17. KIMTOON 161
    bunch of mugs they are if they cant see he wanted to be sacked, 🙄 most of them cant see the wood cause of the trees in the way 😆

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  18. I think NOT getting relegated means too much to ashley this season, so I don’t see us selling any of our current first team players.
    A clearout of deadwood is still needed though, but this may also not happen until the summer.
    The fat mans reaction to the win at spurs said it all. There is just too much money at stake to risk getting relegated again. He might like a gamble, but not this one.
    This weekend is a massive one for us. Just because we have had 2 completely unexpected victories, doesn’t mean we can throw it all away against villa. For me it is still a must win game. The players need to put their bodies on the line, it wont be easy.
    Howay the Lads

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  19. Would swap Mourinho for Schteve in a heartbeat, it is funny how fickle the media/fans are based on someone’s most recent job performance. How poor were Dortmund last year? Doesn’t mean Klopp is useless. Similarly Pards is now amazing according to the common man. The truth is rarely so simple.

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  20. Beardo – defo a must win game, Villa have been poor for years and we’ve generally got the better of them, they’re even worse this year. We owe them, we need to finally relegate them!

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  21. Newkie – I personally think tomorrow’s game could be the toughest of the last 3 games. We really aren’t comfortable against teams sitting back against us.

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  22. Stuart @176: I edited it down from Wikipedia. I thought the stuff with Robson might interest some on here. Anyway, I put Mourinho’s win %s @169 for those of us with a short attention span 😉

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  23. Thanks Eric.

    Yes it’s quite an impressive CV and win ratio but he did always have the best players apart from Porto.

    Still take him here of course. You reckon Jabba would be happy working with him?

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  24. Well the bookies don’t think its a easy game for toon giving odds of only evens there manager has gone down the wrong path naming certain players by name to the media saying they are lazy should have been done in house as Jose has found out

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  25. Stuart @183: best players compared to who? Not at Inter. Not at Chelsea this time round, when City had Silva and Aguero. Just coz he got sacked doesn’t mean we should revise history!!! He was up against Barca when at Madrid and won the league with a great squad but not as good as them.

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  26. Come on Eric! Costa, Hazard, Fabregas and Matic are as good as anything City have. Only Aguerro is debatable.

    At Inter he had the best players by a mile in that League. They had won the league a few times under Mancini before that.

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  27. At Real Madrid that was his best achievement only because Barca were a good side, albeit they had a bit of a merry go round with the management so they weren’t at their strongest.

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  28. Stuart: so the fact that Juventus have dominated Italian football since Mourinho left doesn’t mean anything 🙂 And a fckin monkey could have managed Messi, Iniesta and Xavi to a Championship.

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  29. Well a monkey couldn’t have managed them because they struggled with a couple of managers didn’t they?

    Benitez took over from Jose I believe at Inter and had a bit of a mare. But it is also worth pointing out that Juve did spend an awful lot more money than Inter after the Jose era and Inter also sold some of their better players.

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  30. Stuart@ 187: actually they are not. Silva and Aguero are better than Costa and Fabregas. Definitely better than Hazard and Matic. I know Hazard won the player of the year last year but I didn’t vote for him 🙂

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  31. Hazard was better than Silva last year. People were throwing accolades around like they were going out of fashion.

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  32. Alright then, it is all coincidence. That someone who has won the league in 4 countries (England, Portugal, Italy, Spain) and the Champion’s league twice all comes down to happenstance 🙂 He won the Champions League with Porto FFS.

    He also won The Champions League with Inter so the fact Juventus were demoted means nothing.

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  33. Eric – I have already said that Porto was the only team he managed where he didn’t have the best players or big budgets.

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  34. Eric – Look at where Inter finished the two years before he took over. They had won the league the two previous years, so he inherited a good team

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  35. Stuart man, if a manager can win a title when Barcelona have Messi, Iniesta and Xavi in their team I think he is pretty good. They were the 3 best players in the world at that time. Jose had Ranaldo.

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  36. He won La Liga once in 3 years! He had players like Kaka, Ronaldo, Khedeira, Ozil, Benzema and Ramos. Not bad I reckon.

    I am not saying he is a bad coach. I am saying that in all the clubs he’s been at except Porto he has had the resources to do well and that is a big reason why he has so many trophies.

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  37. So he has done well at Chelsea when he had unlimited resources, Same at Real Madrid and he had the best squad in the country while at Inter Milan.

    Now, it could be argued that his success at Porto earned him the right to have all the clubs with good resources.

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  38. No Stuart: Mourihno won the Spanish league when faced with the best Barca lineup in generations. He won the Champions League when faced with Barca again. He won the Premier League when faced with even more millions and 2 better players than he had: Silva is better than Hazard, Aguero is better than Costa. You need stars to win leagues and City had better stars.

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  39. I suppose that means Carlo Ancellotti was a genius too because he won the league while City had all these good players too. Or what about Roberto Martinez? Is he a genius because Wigan won the FA Cup while there were teams with much more money about.

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  40. I also assume you think Guardiola is a bag of ***** because he’s only won things at Barca and Munich? After all a monkey could do that.

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  41. Stuart said @205 about Mourinho:

    “He won La Liga once in 3 years! He had players like Kaka, Ronaldo, Khedeira, Ozil, Benzema and Ramos. Not bad I reckon.”

    I would take Messi, Xavi and Iniesta over them in a minute. Ronaldo is special but not as special as Messi.

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  42. Perhaps, Eric if you were arguing that he had these achievements while managing Levante, Stoke City or Verona it would hold a little more water. As it happens he has achieved everything while managing some of the richest and biggest teams in Europe. A great achievement non the less, just not as great as you make out in the cold light of day.

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  43. He won the Champions League with Porto FFS.

    That is like Clough at Forest.

    However, I think Villa also won it 🙂

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  44. I suppose Paisley wasn’t a great manager because he inherited a great team from Shanley? That he went on to build his own teams and win 3 Champions Leagues doesn’t matter 🙂

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  45. Eric – you’re right. Mourinho is a good a manager. He always wins at SJP!

    The league this year just gets stranger and stranger. Villa will get relegated but they’ll also win a few games. 3 in a row? We’ll see.

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  46. What are you talking about Stuart? I am saying Mourinho is a great manager and does great whether he has great players or not. You are saying I am like an antipodean serial moaner 🙂

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  47. Georgio: I know I am right about Jose. If Man U don’t drive down the M6 with a rocket up their **** they are mad. Van Gaal has lost it, but Jose still has it.

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  48. Regarding priority for this window, I don’t agree that it’s an attacking central midfielder. We do already have Gini and Sissoko who can do that role very well. Hopefully Thauvin and/or Aarons can come into the side more often and one of those players will be able to move into the centre when it suits. Then again, when we played a number 10 with Mitrovic up front, it wasn’t amazing…

    So…I’d like to think we’re considering:
    1 – a centre half with PL experience (going to be tough this one)
    2 – potential replacement for Cisse
    3 – a signing to allow Gini/Sissoko to be played in the centre sometimes. Happy if Thauvin/Aarons prove that it’s “like a new signing” 🙂
    4 – left back
    5 – any player with PL experience who still has fuel left in the tank

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  49. Van Gaal is a disaster for Manu. They’re awful this season plus he talks like a Dalek. Can’t stand him ever since his behaviour when Alkmaar knocked us out of the Uefa Cup.

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  50. Football fans always compare their situation with the best situation that their club has ever been in. Arsenal fans frustrated that they haven’t won the title for so long, NUFC fans frustrated that things aren’t as good as under SBR or KK, Man Utd fans will always compare things to under Fergie, surely no manager will ever match Mourinho at Chelsea?

    Whose fans do you reckon are happy this season? Leicester for sure, Spurs perhaps too? Palace, Watford, Stoke maybe? The rest are probably pretty unhappy…

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  51. GEORGIO aye and i remember him refusing to shake hands with the toon manager when they beat his team at SJP,mans a big headed arsehole

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