West Ham may be busting a gut to bring Rafa Benitez to the London Stadium, but I’d like to bet that the Spaniard is only entertaining their interest for one reason and one reason only – to make Ashley believe he’s serious about leaving and force him into action.
Us NUFC fans woke up to some pretty horrible news today, with Sky and various others stating that West Ham are planning a big move to activate his £6m clause and give him whatever he wants this summer.
I have absolutely no doubt that they’re interested, but I have serious doubts as to whether he’d genuinely be interested in taking that job.
They may have a few quality players he’d like to work with and could throw a bit of money his way, but when you see how he talks about NUFC, the community, the fans, the potential and what he’s spent two years trying to build, why would he swap us for a club in such a similar position?! I’d be shocked – especially given their owners aren’t much less unpredictable and erratic than Mike Ashley himself!
His future is a real concern and talk of him leaving makes me feel physically sick given his importance to this club and everything he stands for at NUFC (hope), but I’m hoping (and am quite confident) that it’s all a big ploy on Benitez’s part – make it look like you’re about to leave and Ashley will probably panic, realise what he could be about to lose and pull his finger out.
The worry is that Ashley is a massive risk taker, but he’d face a backlash like never before if Benitez left and he’d also see the value of his asset (NUFC) fall incredibly. Why would he want to oversee the mess he’d create in allowing Rafa to walk away?
Rafa is a clever man. Talks over a new deal clearly haven’t progressed quickly enough so he’s taking action. He’s not got any intention to join West Ham in my opinion, he’s just going to make it look that way in a bid to force Ashley into action.
The key for me will be how Ashley now responds to this. If he doesn’t then he’s an even bigger fool than I could have ever possibly imagined, and then, who knows that will happen with Rafa Benitez..
Pelligrini to WHU.
If Ashley gives Rafa £50m plus sales of £30-40M that’s not too bad is it?
georgio(Quote)
georgio: 50 million would actually be consistent (a rare thing for Ashley) with Rafa being able to spend what the club generates. I’ll do the back of napkin maths again:
Revenue: 170-180 million
Current Payroll: 80 million
Estimated payroll with some better players/increases: 100 million
Running costs: 25-30 million
Balance: 50 ish million.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
As far as the academy goes, you commit a few million this year and put a bandaid on it with a commitment to do more next year. We have to concentrate almost all of our resources on the PL at the moment. There is still a European place up for grabs because Burnley made it this year.
All of this assumes that Fatty is been sufficiently shaken to actually stick to his word.
It gets to be something when human rights violating sheikhs and robbing Russian oligarchs are the “good” guys.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Read in The Chronic that you are getting a Taco Bell. I have lived in the States for 28 years and have been precisely once. Hope you like salsa on your dog food.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Georgio – I think so mate. The reality is that we aren’t going to address every issue with the squad in one window. I think 5-6 players in this summer would be about right and £80-90m would get us that I reckon.
Sharpy17(Quote)
So the 2 most entitled and overrated footballers take to social media to bemoan the fact they are not in the England squad. Hart was **** at Torino and West Ham and blames Moyes. Wilshere says he is fit, but he is also slow. Neither has a club at the moment although I am sure some stupid Director of Football will take a chance on them just like Steve Walsh did on Rooney. I wonder what happened with Steve Walsh (sacked if you don’t know).
Eric Sykes(Quote)
The transfer window is open. Get Rafa’s contract sorted out Fatman.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
The thing that still doesn’t sit right with me is Mitrovic.
I watched the Fulham v Derby game the other night, and I’ve watched him a few times for Fulham this season, and he’s been excellent. He showed a real maturity against Derby the other night. He was up against 2 very physical CBS and was getting roughed up a bit, but didn’t react at all and got on with the job his team needed him to do.
Personally I wouldn’t sell him at all, but I think Rafa will, which would be disappointing – but if he does, it shouldn’t be for any less that £20m imo.
Sharpy17(Quote)
It has sort of gone under the radar a bit that the transfer window has been brought forward but is still 12 weeks. It means there are about 3 weeks to do business before the WC but not long before training camps. It also means there will be no transfers after the season starts so that precludes any desperate moves if a team has a bad start.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Add 5 million for each goal at the WC.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Sharpy: even a manager you trust makes some moves you don’t understand. Joselu ahead of Mitro never made any sense to 99% of NUFC fans.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
To be fair mate, I think Rafas first choice was loaning Abraham ahead of getting Joselu. But still, he didn’t give Mitrovic a chance when we could buy a goal, then let him on loan to bring Slimani in.
He’s done an unbelievable job over the last 2 seasons for sure. But there have been some pretty suspect buys along the way, and maybe that’s why there is a reluctance in agreeing to give Rafa free reign.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I think he has done OK if you believe that he had to accept his 2nd or even 3rd choices because of the dilly dallying of Charnley/Ashley. We should get our money back on the likes of Gayle, Clark and even Joselu. Also some very solid buys like Ritchie, LeJuene, Yedlin, Dubravka, Moreno. Atsu is solid and Diame is a changed player. Murphy shows glimpses.
You have to give him a B+ given he was recruiting in the Championship and even persuaded Gayle and Ritchie to step down a league. Then he wasn’t given a budget in the PL.
Of course there will always be failures like Gamez, Lazar and maybe Manquillo but they didn’t cost much.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Maybe we shouldn’t let Rafa buy fullbacks.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Hahaha that’s what it is mate. No I’m not roasting him, I think overall a B+ is a fair score. But I do think it would be wrong to forget the likes of Sels, Gamez, Lazaar, Joselu, Slimani and there’s been £20m spent on Atsu and Murphy which I’m not convinced about personally.
Those players tally around £35m – that when we are talking about no money having been spent.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Olly: you should watch Keys on BEin sports. It is a mutual **** kissing contest between him, Gray and the 2nd and 3rd tier guests. They pay reverence to the likes of Allardyce and Pardew and their feature guest each week is John Cross – the worst sports journalist who doesn’t work for The Chronic. It is embarrassing, they give him a 12 minute segment and 10 minutes of that is gossip and propaganda on Arsenal. Plus he is on his laptop skyping with the camera pointing straight up his nose. We don’t need to see that 🙂 It is a 40 minute show and we don’t all want to hear just about bloody Arsenal and how hard done by English loser ex-managers are.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Atsu and Murphy are not busts but probably won’t push us to the next level. The prices are relative when you consider Slimani cost Leicester 29 million. It’s a strange world when every game Jose has 200 million of talent on his bench.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
And… Andy Gray has put on about 2 stone since he has been in the Middle East. He won’t admit it though and refuses to buy a new suit so is continually tugging at it to cover his ever-expanding girth.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
ICEDOG: next time you watch Keys and Gray have a look for Andy continually tugging at his jacket to try to hide his belly. Just buy a new suit, I am sure you can afford it.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I don’t hate all journalists I just have my pet hates among them. I even think that Chris Waugh at The Chronic is quite good and could name many more that I like but wont bore you with too many names.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/938459046?-11058:809
Interesting reading on the figures from relegation. Shines a bit of factual light on the true cost of going down, and interestingly Ashley put a further £15m interest free in – despite not backing Rafa.
Sharpy17(Quote)
The 110 million wage bill was the most interesting part of the accounts. I thi8nk they have shirted a bit of that but obviously need more to leave like Colback, Saivet and Sels.
I wonder if Ashley is still paying straight up cash for players and receiving installments for sales. That would partly explain why the accounting loss is so big.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Bizarre. Transfer window opens and we release our accounts for last year… Harold Bishop has been busy.
Stuart79(Quote)
Big loss of money to announce at the precise time they’re negotiating with Rafa isn’t it? I heard Ashley’s away on holiday again too. The club’s attempts at subterfuge are just so transparent.
georgio(Quote)
aye ive saw the fat pig doing that also his face is starting to blow out badly as is Keys
icedog(Quote)
Is anybody on here an accountant? I know a little bit but I am not an expert.
There is a discrepancy between the operating HEADLINE loss of aprox 90 million and after tax loss of 40 million. I think this is because we pay transfer fees up front and receive installments for sales. That means we still have money to get back to offset the operating loss.
I think it has to do with the accrual accounting method but somebody can correct me if I am wrong.
The real/true loss is the 40 million number because we expect money in the future from player sales. Charnley alluded to this but as I said I am not an accountant.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
* we expect money in the future from players already sold on instalments like Gini and Sissoko.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Swansea manager gone,Stoke manager gone,whos next ?
icedog(Quote)
They already got rid of Pards so that is all the relegated teams.
Puel? Hughes will last 10 games at Southampton.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Warnock will last 12 games at Cardiff.
Merry go round.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Another school shooting in Texas. This idea of arming teachers makes not sense. These shooters are either mentally ill or sick bastards so I don’t know how to reduce it except to restrict gun access.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Warnock will probably be replaced by Paul Lambert or David Moyes. Merry go round indeed.
Stuart79(Quote)
Just read an article by Luke Edwards and although he doesn’t know much about finance he does point out that Ashley paid for new players in cash and received money for sale in installments. It means that the headline loss of 90 million is very misleading as we will get the money for the sales down the line.
So, NUFC lost about 40 million (the tax number) in 2017 which is a hell of a lot better than 90 million (the cash number) and about the price of Jordan Pickford or Gidfli Siggaurson if you want some perspective. The sky was not falling as Edwards was saying although that wage bill for some **** players needs to be reined in.
As I suspected there is some cash and accrual accounting stuff going on but the journos love the sky is falling number.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric, at least 8 kids dead in that Texas shooting. Terrible, no doubt Trump will find a way to excuse the use of a gun again.
kimtoon(Quote)
So very sad
This in the country which votes in an arsehole who feels horrific events like the bataclan could be avoided if gun controls were relaxed.
I recall Florida was the 89th confirmed mass shooting in the US this year.
I wonder what tally they’re up to now?
GlosMag(Quote)
Well there’s a surprise .. after all the hand wringing and teeth gnashing worry over Benitez going to west ham were all apparently to be relieved that west ham will appoint Pellegrino..
. I was neither worried yesterday nor am I relieved today as the only consistent fact with both stories is there are no actual facts presented
Seems to me it was simply a bunch of overpaid hacks assuming , speculating or making it up
Looking forward to renewed wailing about Leicester if/when puel is hooked
GlosMag(Quote)
Has he sold us yet ?
kimtoon(Quote)
Sir Les Ferdinand is DoF at QPR. NO Sir Les, what are you doing?!?!!
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I will be waiting for the hacks to explain the difference between cash and accrual accounting in the next few days after their sky has fallen headlines. Maybe they can ask the finance professors who said NUFC were worth 200 million 6 months ago? Do these people (and I include the finance professors) know anything about money, accounting and finance?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
These accounts look to be including wages for players who aren’t going to play for the club again but they’ve calculated their wages for x number of years which makes the wage bill look huge but when them players leave the next set of accounts after that will get that money back as income.
Regardless I think there’s some pretty impressive accounting going on to make it look pretty poor.
Stuart79(Quote)
I see Plantni has admitted fiddling the World Cup draws in favour of France,won’t be the only thing he fiddled the swine
Icedog(Quote)
Stu – to be fair if they have to file accounts for a financial year, they have to put all the details in there. If a players contract expires the 1st day of the new financial year they can’t really miss him off that year knowing he’s gonna leave.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I would be more surprised if there wasn’t some impressive accountancy going on tbh Stu 😉 😉
Has he sold us yet ?
kimtoon(Quote)
Someone needs to let Mandy and PCP out the cupboard and tell them we are safe and it’s safe to bid now.
Oh and they can give those ‘ other interested parties ‘ a nudge too.
kimtoon(Quote)
Kim – it was probably all bollocks. We never got anywhere near a sale. This stuff about Rafa and his future is the same. It’ll go on and on until there’s a picture of Rafa and Ashley saying everything is rosy again. For the sake of player purchases though the buggers need to get a move on!
georgio(Quote)
Agree m ate, he has never intended to sale and when someone actually made a bid he shat himself and set about discrediting her/them.
I suspect if someone offered £400m he would find a way of ruining that too.
kimtoon(Quote)
Nobody watching the Royal wedding. I didn’t even know she was an actress until yesterday so it shows how much notice I took. I think they are excited over here as I flicked on the TV and it is on like 6 channels with coverage from 3am to 9am. Now there is a Yank Royal I suspect it will be wall to wall coverage from now on.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Now I am getting bloody newspaper alerts about the Royal Wedding. But…
If everybody thinks Richard Keys is a tw@t how does he still have a job?
Has Rafa even considered West Ham? You know Rafa has a history of being prickly with Owners so how would he deal with Sullivan and the self-publicizing Brady? Sullivan says he will stop his meddling, but he wont. I know this, you know this, so I am sure Rafa does too. It would be like Wise/Keegan times 100. I think I am comfortable that Rafa will not leave for West Ham.
Will Rafa be allowed to sign players without signing a new contract?
Who do we shift to get the wage bill down? Some of these fringe players must be on a canny whack (Manquillo, Clark, Gamez). The wage bill in the Championship was 110 million but 10 of that was a promotion bonus. 100 million in wages sounds about right for us NOW so we have to shift a few to free up some wages – Colback, Saivet, Sels, Darlow.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Will we have a misery-off at the cup final? Will Conte or Jose be more miserable in the pre-match interviews? Is anybody going to watch? I am. It is pissing down in Chicago and after the excitement of the Royal Wedding I just can’t contain myself.
I predict a draw just so they can have extra time and make everybody even more miserable. The only interest I have seen shown by the British papers is that they are saying nobody is interested and what happened to the glamour and meaning of the FA Cup. That’s the main storyline.
I think the prize money for winning it is like 2 million. They should make it more meaningful to get the teams more interested in the early rounds even though it still ends up being the same (**** 7 times under Wenger) teams that win it.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I’ve been watching it mate, with the wife & boy ??♂️
Sharpy17(Quote)
well Hoots isnt hanging about due to sign a C/F today
icedog(Quote)
Deportivo striker Florin Andone the guy for Hoots
icedog(Quote)
I took the tour of Windsor castle once. I can’t remember why but it was a bit boring, and Windsor itself is full of tea rooms with little old ladies.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Ice – they’re welcome to him mate. Didn’t Deportivo get relegated. This guy and Lucas Perez (who we were supposedly after last summer) were their forwards.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I took the boy to Legoland in 2016 which is in Windsor and we stayed in Windsor while we were there. We visited the castle and had a good look round the place and walked along the river. I enjoyed it to be honest and it holds its place in British history. Buckingham Palace is the HQ of the royal family, but they see Windsor as home.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Right or wrong mate point is Hoots isn’t hanging about
Icedog(Quote)
All this Rafa speculation means that we have taken our eye off the ball – that we are no further forward in identifying, never mind getting, new players. Then we have the accounts which give a headline number for the Journos of a massive loss when the true loss was 41 million – you know, an Alex Olxlaid Chamberlain in the last year of his contract or 90% of a Sigurrdson. I know I have said this before but it really does have to be put into context before these idiots say we were nearly Sunderland.
As I also said, but it bears repeating, is that the accounts show how much expensive dead wood we have on the books. I don’t really blame the Fat Man for wanting Rafa to get rid of it.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Sharpy: didn’t mind Windsor. I am probably just a bit jaded as my ex-wife owns a European Travel company so I have been to millions of castles, palaces and cathedrals. I like history so it was always interesting. Preferred Blenheim.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Ice – only if it’s the right player mate. I think we are on the verge of making Dubravka a permanent signing. I’d be far happier with that signing personally.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Nobody interested in the Scottish Cup final? Can anyone name a Motherwell player? Could anybody point to Motherwell on a map? I had to look it up and it is near Glasgow with a population of 34,000. So Rodgers is playing against another pub team. Any records he sets has to be put into this context. Blyth has a population of 37,000 so get your **** out of Scotland Brendan and to Leicester.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Do we think Rafa was just being respectful & tactful when asked about the possibility of signing Fernando-Torres on a free this summer, or do we think he really would be a target if he thought he could sign him?.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I just want all of the English alternative jobs to be filled so that Rafa and the Fatman have to come to a compromise. I have heard St Petersberg is great but would Rafa really go to Zenit at his age with really no prospect of a European trophy.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric – I don’t see Rafa leaving England as he’s said on many occasions that he wants to stay close to his family. In addition to that, I personally don’t see him leaving NUFC.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I actually read something interesting on Ed’s (I know). Someone said that the increase in the wages was partly bringing forwards some writeoff of contracts of players we did not want. That it was an accounting maneuver to avoid taxes when money came in from the PL (you can carry forward losses). It makes sense if they could pull it off. I was struggling to figure out how they had managed to increase the wage bill when they had got rid of the 5 high earners – Gini, Sissoko, Janmaat, Timmy and Townsend.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
NUFC are pleading that they are skint (Charnley) and saying Fatty is the benevolent benefactor, but there is more to this that the headline numbers. We did not lose 90 million, we lost 41 million. And I am sure that wages did not go up 35 million. No way. If I was a journalist I would be asking an accountant to decipher these numbers. They won’t though, they will just take them on face value and write some click bait saying NUFC lost 90 million, would have been the next Sunderland and paid out the GDP of an African country in wages.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Here Lee (Ryder, not Charnley), I will start you off:
Behind the Numbers – what the NUFC Accounts really mean.
We contacted Deloitte, who compile the annual football financial fitness survey to ask them what is behind the NUFC accounts. Without being too technical, this is what they told us…
Eric Sykes(Quote)
The Chronic had a video where Chris Waugh was said to EXPLAIN the NUFC accounts. I foolishly clicked on it. He said: “the operating loss was 90 million and the wages were 110million. Err…. That’s it”. Lee, you fancy a pint? What am I saying, of course you do, you are certainly not writing any stories on NUFC so have all of the time in the world. You can tweet from the pub an’aal, sorted.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Hang on a minute Chris, I have to finish my 94 word story using Alan Oliver’s template from 1985. There, finished. First rounds on me since the tickets just came through for me all expenses paid trip to Dublin. I might take in a NUFC football game in between me 8 pints at Temple Bar and Grafton Street. Nah, this twitters great man, I don’t even have to leave me bar stool.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
5 things to Learn at Lee Ryders Skool of Journalism:
1. Always use Alan Oliver’s writing template from 1985.
2. Never write more than 250 words.
3. Five Things I “Learned” (sic) will fill a few column inches /get some clicks, even though I lose track after 3.
4. Never get any quotes or direct information from the club or players.
5. Pre-season is a free holiday, man. Why go to the match and spoil it?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Well, that was quite a nice wedding wasn’t it.
Thought she looked very elegant and he looked a bag of nerves.
Anyone notice the spare seat next to William ? there was a spare seat at Williams wedding too. Apparently in memory of Diana, nice touch.
Anyway, has he sold us yet ?
How about a signing or two, chop chop.
kimtoon(Quote)
May the 19th 1536 was the day Anne Boleyn lost her head by the way, another famous wife of Windsor.
kimtoon(Quote)
It is my brother’s birthday. I think he is 50. Is 50 the new 40? I hope so, otherwise I am fcked.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Bloody Jose. You would have thought on this right Royal Wedding day he would have the politeness not to chew gum through the National Anthem and to learn the words. He has been here long enough and we pay his wages through taxes and BBC license fees. Who does he think he is, Sam Allardyce.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Are they actually allowed to the middle 3rd of the pitch? I know it is early but this is cagey, cagey, cagey.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I have some paint drying that I have to have a look at. Let me know if anything happens.
Eric Sykes(Quote)