147 thoughts on “The Championship not the walk in the park some think it is for Newcastle

  1. Very true.

    And to add to that, how do you think other clubs will react to playing us? We’ve seen smaller clubs raise their games against big PL clubs in the cups and causing upsets, well for many Championship clubs, playing us will be like a cup game! The lads will have to be ready for every opposition to be at us 100%

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  2. Nice one Andy, I agree it won’t be a push over and every team will want to beat us. I expect Norwich to do ok under oneil and Pearson will get Derby well up for it too. God knows what will happen with Villa now the take over is blocked by the FA like. I can see Hoots Brighton doing ok too and even QPR could have a revival. Sheff Weds will fancy another shot at top 3/6 and the likes of Cardiff won’t be an easy trip. Even my hometown club Bristol City can be a hostile place to visit, Toon only managed two draws against City last time in the fizzy pop.

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  3. We will walk it. We should never have been relegated in the first place. If we lose some players, Rafa will bring in who he wants. The fatman is desperate to get back as well so if we are not clear by January I am sure he will stump up from his petty cash.

    Villa are a gigantic mess. The word is that the FA are going to block the buyout. The Chinese businessman is a bit of a Charlatan according to The Financial Times.

    The other 2 teams will probably be Norwich because of their manager and the parachute payment and Derby because of their manager and the fact their owners will put in money.

    My dream is that we swap places with Palace. Did I ever mention I don’t like their manager much?

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  4. Having said all that, with the resources and the ability as a coach that Rafa has, you would expect a return to PL football. It would be a major disappointment if we don’t.

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  5. Kimtoon: I didn’t realise they had blocked the Villa takeover, I just saw that as of yesterday they said it was on the cards. They are totally screwed then. It will be a miracle if they finish top 10 even with the parachute payment.

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  6. I did see Villa are set to announce Di Matteo tomorrow so I don’t know what is going on there if he doesn’t know who the owner will be and 2 of the Directors resigned last month, including one who they had just appointed.

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  7. Just like bloody England played a few friendlys plcks their final 23 he then goes with three players up front that have never played together in the team,Euros here we come ffs

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  8. Eric Sykes:
    Kimtoon: I didn’t realise they had blocked the Villa takeover, I just saw that as of yesterday they said it was on the cards. They are totally screwed then. It will be a miracle if they finish top 10 even with the parachute payment.

    Eric, all I know is what I read yesterday, which is the FA said the perspective new owners are not fit and proper financially to take over the club and cannot sanction it.

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  9. That reminds me, I’m going to have to swap the Premier League table on the right hand side of the site with a Championship one for next season! 🙄

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  10. Icedog:
    Just like bloody England played a few friendlys plcks their final 23 he then goes with three players up front that have never played together in the team,Euros here we come ffs

    Ice, I have given up on England nowadays, can’t stand half the players and who ever the manager is they never pick on form players but the big club players regardless of fitness or form. Hacks me off and if we fail again we deserve it with that approach . I was watching Shearer on BBC1 last night doing that Euro 96 documentary, what a team and golden chance we had back then. Most that team knocks todays team into a cocked hat imo. We should of won that tournament we really should of. I think that’s the last time I really enjoyed watching England tbh. Portugal 04 was good and Poland/Ukraine 12 was ok . As for the World Cups, France 98, Japan/S.Korea and Germany 2006 wasn’t too bad but S.Africa with them **** vuvuzela’s and Brazil were **** imo.

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  11. Andy Magpie:
    That reminds me, I’m going to have to swap the Premier League table on the right hand side of the site with a Championship one for next season!

    🙁 that’ll hit home won’t it.

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  12. Kimtoon: Ice, I have given up on England nowadays, can’t stand half the players and who ever the manager is they never pick on form players but the big club players regardless of fitness or form. Hacks me off and if we fail again we deserve it with that approach . I was watching Shearer on BBC1 last night doing that Euro 96 documentary,what a team and golden chance we had back then. Most that team knocks todays team into a cocked hat imo. We should of won that tournament we really should of. I think that’s the last time I really enjoyed watching England tbh. Portugal 04 was good and Poland/Ukraine 12 was ok . As for the World Cups, France 98, Japan/S.Korea and Germany 2006 wasn’t too bad but S.Africa with them **** vuvuzela’s and Brazil were **** imo.

    KIM once again I agree with you 100% makes me think they are trying to put us off the England team ffs

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  13. Well I think we will smash it next season. I’m not having this Derby and Wednesday nonsense. We have a far better squad, far more resources, a far more intimidating home stadium and fans and a far better manager. All this stuff about teams wanting to turn it on against us because we are a big fish – did not work out very well for them last time we visited the Championship did it? We will be fine and with the squad and manager we have – I expect nothing less and am not ashamed to expect those things given the circumstances and competition around us. Anything less than automatic promotion would be failure. Not getting promoted at all would be cataclysmic failure.

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  14. Watched the England game and now I am nervous. It is almost impossible not to get out of the group stage as 3 out of 4 qualify but what I am worried about is the usual boring, boring football we could be faced with.

    I thought this would happen. It is a function of shoehorning Rooney into the side. First, he plays as the central (slow) striker forcing Vardy and Kane wide. When he is ineffective, HE then decides to drop deep to collect the ball leaving no-one in the central striker role that he chose to vacate. Later he decides he will play deeper full time for about 10 minutes and clogs up that area and finally he switched to left wing (on instructions I think). Rooney is not a clever footballer and giving him license to roam is a recipe for disaster or boredom. Who is running this fckin team Mr. Roy or Rooney??? Putting Rooney in forces all of our other attacking players out of position, especially as Wayne doesn’t even know what he wants to be.

    I read that his pass completion rate in the first half was 57% which is Amdy Faye-esque. I think he should be dropped or let him play mid-field, but don’t let him float. He doesn’t have the smarts for that.

    And why is Kane taking corners?

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  15. Just read this from Barney Ranay in The Guardian:

    “With England’s opening Euro 2016 fixture nine days away this was the chance Roy Hodgson had waited for, an opportunity finally to put Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy on the pitch together. The VaRooKa strikeforce: prickly, prolific, hard to shift.”

    If Mr. Roy persists with playing them in the roles he did today I think this nickname might catch on.

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  16. There is a silver lining though – even Mr. Roy must have seen that this did not work and needs to be changed. Maybe have Alli and Kane play their Spurs roles and keep Vardy as an impact sub? I really hope so because I am not sure if I can take another tournament where England have potential but then look like they have never seen each other before – South Africa World Cup and Brazil World Cup are the best examples. I was watching with Yanks who were not big “soccer” fans and had to explain that the players were actually OK and played really well for their club sides.

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  17. I’ll comment on our fortunes once I’ve seen which players decide to jump ship / who we sell.
    We’ll need to be quick on recruitment as some of the championship strikers will be in demand. We could be tempted to get a few loan players in..

    Watching England last night…Boring.. we are still tinkering with a week to go! Apart from Sterling we have no natural wing play. Why isn’t Townsend in that squad. Milner doesn’t fly about any more.
    Drinkwater is much better than Dier

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  18. In a bizarre sort of way, I think we might be better off out of the feeding frenzy that seems just about to take place in the Premier League between the World’s elite managers (Pep, Mourinho, Conte, Wenger, Klopp, Poch). All of them will be spending 200 mil and also having to contend with upstarts like West Ham (due to their stadium gift). Everton have offered Koeman 100 mil plus the proceeds of a Lukaku sale. And, of course, there is Leicester with CL.

    I have no doubt Rafa would also like to compete in there but he has to fix our basket case club first. I would much rather he be planning to face Burton Albion at the moment rather than a Pep-charged Man City. Build the fundamentals at NUFC without having to plan Greizmann or Ibra every week and then take crack at it.

    I would have rather we stayed up but I think the likes of the Mackems are in for some hidings and we are in for some good times 🙂

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  19. I did sort of predict this along with quite a few others. Saying last year that we better buy then, because there would be a feeding frenzy this year with all of the extra PL cash. The problem was that Carr and Schteve probably would have squandered it.

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  20. It’s a good article, but I have to disagree – the Championship really should be a walk in the park for us.
    I’m not saying there won’t be competition & the sides won’t make it difficult for us. But over the course of the season, I would expect us to win that league comfortably.

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  21. Sharpy: me you and Sham. If we don’t win it by 15 points I will be shocked.

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  22. Eric – I’m not sure we’ll be as many points as that ahead of our nearest rival – but I do expect us to exceed 100pts.

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  23. Nicky good read , but call me deluded, but I don’t think we should be having any real problems in the championship.
    As I said before anything short of automatic promotion would be a big failure in my opinion.

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  24. I also don’t buy the line we need championship hardened players either. There’s a **** good reason they are where they are and why no PL clubs want them. Stay clear Rafa and buy for the PL!

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  25. Good. Sounds like he will cash in abroad. Now for a few more bits if dead wood to bite the dust. Obertan, Marveaux and Saylor gone. All Crocks to be replaced by non Crocks. Excellent. Was it TDS saying he should be kept because he is so important? He has been a good servant but is long last being useful to the squad.

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  26. Haven’t read that Tayls turned down a one year deal, but reading between the lines, I 100% agree that’s what happened. I figured it made sense to give him a one year deal offer, but it would have been clear to him that he’s not going to be part of the future under Rafa. Even if he’d have signed a one year extension, he’d definitely have been out at the end of the season (when we get promoted).

    Don’t blame the lad. He’ll get a two or three year contract elsewhere probably and will get to play a lot more games. Maybe even a promoted PL team will take a punt on his fitness and bring him in? I reckon the Championship is more his level though, but he may go abroad.

    I hope many fans join in with thanking Taylor for his years of service and 100% commitment to the cause. He couldn’t do anything about his failings, but he made the most of his strengths at least. Good luck Tayls!

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  27. Sham

    Yes, I did. I said he would be offered a new contract to be backup to the squad and because he’ll be important in the dressing room. I also said it would have to be at significantly reduced terms and only a 1 year deal. Looks like I was right. But he (understandably) wants to cash in and/or have a longer contract. I always thought that Mbemba and Lascelles would be the starting partnership as it stood, so I still think that.

    Surely Colo is going to leave so that makes things interesting at centre back. Does Rafa see Dummett as a left back or centre back? Either way, the other position needs a proper signing.

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  28. Big Dave:
    Stu I seen that , IMO he has been told he isn’t going to be a 1st 11 player.

    DAVE the contract was some sort of fitness based deal with insentive bonus,imo he wouldn’t make much as he’s never fit

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  29. Icedog

    That would seem sensible, but do you know that for a fact or guessing? Either way, it seems clear that whatever terms were offered would not have been favourable to him. Don’t blame him for not taking them.

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  30. Taylor better make sure he doesn’t pull his hamstring or rupture his achilles on the way to the Central Station. Or sprain his wrist signing any new contract.

    Good decision by NUFC. He could not be a backup even as he is never fit. I wouldn’t have even offered him an incentive based contract. Sicknotes Out!!!

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  31. Colo next, hopefully. I don’t know how many read my assessment of his contract the other day but I don’t think Curly will go quietly into that good night. He has NUFC over a barrel because of a daft option McClaren and Charnley gave him for the year after this. Yes, he has an option for 2017/18. So he will receive a payoff.

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  32. I have nothing to suggest he was offered a new deal. Anybody else actually got a credible source to back that up?

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  33. Eric

    Disappointing that the club decided to give him an extra year last summer. No idea why they thought that was a good idea. Unless there was something in his previous contract that meant he could have left for free if we didn’t extend it? Odd anyway…and clearly not the greatest contract from the club one way or another. I do think it made sense to keep him last season, failing getting in a proven PL centre back, but very disappointing that he was given another year before last season even started!

    Don’t blame him for getting the payoff his contract entitles him too, we would all do the same too, but can’t see the point in him sticking around this season. Need to build for the future and shouldn’t have trouble getting centre backs good enough to get us promoted.

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  34. TDS I agree we need a serious signing at CB, once Colo has made way. For me I would start Lascelles alongside the he new guy and have Mbemba as back up. He is still learning his trade and is not dominant enough IMO.

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  35. Shamrock

    Reading between the lines, that’s my opinion of what has happened. But it wouldn’t surprise me for one of these crappy writers to do the same as I have and post as article as FACT. Would be interesting to see a credible source, but we may never know.

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  36. TDS: they didn’t just give Colo a guaranteed extra year, they extended him an option for next year as well. But, I think we will be shot soon and then I won’t need to cry about it no more. Yes, I won’t need to cry no more.

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  37. Shamrock

    If Mbemba has the potential (in Rafa’s opinion), then he really needs to be given a lot of games next season. He’s got to be good enough for the Championship (after a season in the PL) if he’s going to make it as a proper player for us. Lascelles showed some excellent commitment but doesn’t have many games for us under his belt yet, still I’d love to see a player with his attitude make it as this club.

    But even if that’s our starting two (and they’re both pretty young and inexperienced), who is our 3rd choice? Dummett? He’ll be a very useful squad player in the PL but I don’t think he’ll ever be a top player. After that? Need another very good option and Dummett can be either left back or centre back backup.

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  38. Eric

    Do we know whether the option is with the club or the player for another season? Still…stupid either way. He was contracted for last season anyway and he’s hardly worth a load of money, so he should have just been made to play his last year of the contract and earn a renewal. Were the club worried that he’d sign a pre-contract with San Lorenzo in January? In which case, they could have decided whether to extend in December. Was his form really that great that it justified giving him an extension before the season started? No.

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  39. Yeah I’m easy either way. It will be refreshing to have a new looking defense without Colo or Saylor anywhere to be seen.

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  40. Shamrock

    I agree, it will be refreshing. I 100% don’t see how Colo could be part of the new Newcastle United under Rafa, but I do see how Taylor could have had a useful role. Not especially sad to see him go, as his usefulness has a price and that price obviously isn’t high enough for him, but I certainly didn’t want to see either of them starting often as I want to see the club planning for the future.

    Can’t see Colo having the appetite to get us promoted again. Best for all parties that he goes back to Argentina.

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  41. TDS: the 2017/18 incentive based extension for Colo was written into the deal when Schteve and the board extended his guaranteed contract for this year. I don’t want to bore people with a rehash of what I said earlier but can direct you there if you want.

    Hopefully, Colo will be content with the 2 million quid or so payoff he gets that will allow him to open a perm and beauty salon in San Lorenzo.

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  42. ToonDarnSarf:
    Icedog

    That would seem sensible, but do you know that for a fact or guessing? Either way, it seems clear that whatever terms were offered would not have been favourable to him. Don’t blame him for not taking them.

    It was reported in a couple of rags I read,but rags are rags somewhere in the middle is the truth

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  43. FAO everyone: I do believe we’ll win the league, I just believe it’s good to manage expectations.

    Watching the England game last night was frustrating. I don’t know what incriminating photos Rooney has of Roy but he needs to be dropped – moving Kane and Vardy out wide to accommodate him is just ludicrous.

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  44. Eric

    Sorry, I didn’t read your previous comment as I disappeared for a few days after others were saying some stupid things. Didn’t want to get involved. I did see your comment before I left though. Appreciated.

    Regardless, the contract offer was short sighted. Hopefully the pay-off isn’t too painful for the club, as I reckon Colo wants to go too.

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  45. Icedog

    The problem with rags is that they start with an opinion and run it as FACT. I have the same opinion by reading between the lines of the situation and quotes put out there, but I don’t know for a fact. Pisses me off that it’s hard for people to differentiate between facts and opinions masquerading as facts.

    SSN, BBC Sport and the official NUFC site are the only places I really believe news on our club. Everything else is just opinion for me.

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  46. Now sick note is gone I would pay what it takes to get Dunk I’ve watched him a few times and imo he will make a top c/b with Rafa to coach him who knows where it will lead

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  47. Sharpy:

    Championship table 2009/10:

    NUFC – 102
    WBA – 91

    Only won it by eleven which is why I have faith we will stroll it by 15 with Rafa 🙂

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  48. 2009/10 we had some tough nuts in the team to deal with the physicality of the Championship. Tayls, Carroll, ****, Smith, Enrique for a few. All tough. Lovenkrands had been in Scotland for years so knew what it took to be big fish in a small pond. Willo too.

    Who do we have who is that tough now? Colback perhaps? Mitrovic? If he could just control it. I’m a little concerned that our current squad will get battered physically. Really need to sign a few players up for the scrap.

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  49. Colback, Mitro, Lascelles, Dummett.

    I hope Arma gets a run too. He looks like an intelligent player with a lot of composure and is also tough for a young lad.

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  50. Shelvey can handle himself too and Janmaat/Anita/Mabau won’t be bullied at RB.

    We won’t get bullied next season.

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  51. Sham: as I said earlier, I am almost happy that we will be staying out of the “Game of Thrones” that will be taking place in the Premier League next year. We can rally our army and get ready for the fight next year and pick up some of the players that will be discarded. The top 6 are all going to be spending like 200 million apiece in an epic arms race and we can swoop in next year.

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  52. I mean:

    Pep
    Mourinho
    Wenger
    Conte
    Klopp

    All multiple league winners all going after the same prize, and then add in:

    Poch
    Ranieri
    Koeman with a 160 mil budget
    West Ham, with their stadium gift

    GAME OF THRONES, and fun.

    We can sit back and watch the Mackems get slaughtered as we stroll The Championship.

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  53. AND: ROONEY IS THE PROBLEM.

    I don’t care if he had one decent game in the FA Cup in a whole season of blah, mediocrity and more blah. He scored 8 goals FFS. Wignaldum scored 11 🙂

    I don’t care if he had one decent run and an “assist” in the FA Cup Final – he ran at Palace, yes, Pardew’s Palace, and the ball bounced off his shins as it almost went out and he did a good bit of skill to chip it over – just watch it. Messi does that 5 times a game without the good fortune.

    I don’t care – he is a thick Scouse git who is slow and totally fcked up the team last night. Would you follow a thick Scouse git into battle or wonder why Mr. Roy is still picking him?

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  54. If any of you younger people didn’t know I was chanelling Alf Garnett/Warren Mitchell there except I meant it when Johnny Speight didn’t.

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  55. Why the hell are we offering Saylor a contract to knock back in the first place???!!!!.

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  56. Sharpy:

    Championship level backup?
    Incentive/game based?

    We have both said that 13 games a season for 1 million pounds a year might be a bit extravagant. I can buy one of those glass figurines at a local crafty type shop and have it fall off a shelf and serve the same purpose as Stevie Taylor. And that costs a pound.

    Good luck with your next club. THEY are going to need it.

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  57. And the broken glass figurine would have done a better job against Shane Long than Stevie Taylor did. The worst piece of defending I think I have ever seen in my life.

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  58. Georgio: This is what I think of Stevie Taylor according to his injury record:

    15/16 Hamstring Injury Sep 12, 2015 -Jan 12, 2016 – 122 days
    14/15 Achilles tendon rupture Jan 1, 2015-Jul 20, 2015 – 200 days
    12/13 Hamstring Injury Nov 25, 2012-Jan 19, 2013- 55 days
    11/12 Achilles tendon rupture Dec 5, 2011-Jul 1, 2012- 209 days
    10/11 Shoulder injury Jun 17, 2010-Oct 20, 2010 125 days

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  59. That’s without the recovery time and the niggles and whatnot that put him out for a game or 3!

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  60. Oh, and some of Taylor’s injuries ran into the pre-season so they didn’t **** it as lost time 🙂 FFS

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  61. I read some twitter stuff on Ed’s blog and everybody is so PC – “thanks Stevie for the effort”, “tried his best”, “good luck and good cheer”.

    He was a sick note picking up wages for 13 games a season. Taking a place that 3 other players could have had for 1 million+ combined a year. He was never any good even when fully fit.

    Baaaaahhhhhhh 🙂 🙂 🙂

    It is all so PC.

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  62. So long Stevie Taylor! Good business from the club.

    I know some people rate him, but I find myself chuckling at the irony of the big part he’s played in both our relegations and yet Criminal Suspect numbers 1/2 aka Danny Simpson/Mike Williamson had not only nothing to do with either of them, but the first one’s just won a fecking premier league medal 😆

    Oh NUFC, if I didn’t appreciate the odd laugh i’d have done myself in.

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  63. So Taylor cost a total of:

    711 sick days in 5 years (that’s true).

    That is 2 years on the sick, but he also got summers off. Which really means it was 3 years.

    Therefore, in dog years, Steven Taylor really cost NUFC 21 years FFS (3×7).

    21 years, Steven Taylor. What do you think of that! Now go get a job and stop fcking around.

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  64. Having watched Pep’s FC Bayern for the last three years, believe me we are all in for a treat in this years EPL. Pity we won’t be part of it though…

    It really is starting to hit home. The media have a love affair as it is with the “big clubs”… the rest get hardly a mention….even lesser so in the Championship 🙄

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  65. Can’t blame Taylor for milking the club for all he could get. After all, this is the same club who waited 6 months for the grin reaper, and extend Collo’s contract when he was crying out to leave…

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  66. I am happy that Steven Taylor is leaving. Best news in a long time. I hope Colocini is next out the door. I really dislike Colocini. If he wanted to go back to Argentina then why did he sign a new contact ? His poor defending and lack of leadership has resulted in relegation. We were lucky last time round but I knew keeping Colocini would get the club relegated. If Colocini stays you can kiss promotion goodbye.

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  67. So that’s Marv,Oba,five younger players and hopefully Cola gone that’s cut the wage bill down a fair bit,cannot say Ime happy talk of R/Madrid defender coming in one 33 yr old out another 33 yr old in,does Rafa think he can handle the ccc mmmmm

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