Rayvin

Sigh. If this doesn't happen, we'll never be rid of him.

And that is the first post anyone has made that has given me pause in just accepting this. Back to hand wringing and internal conflict for me.

Yep. We can't stop this happening and aren't endorsing Saudi Arabia if we continue to go - they're the world's problem, this is just football. And I want to enjoy watching us again.

I admire you sticking to your guns on this tbh (even if in the end you're pulled along anyway). You really think you'll give it all up if it goes through? I'm not that principled I guess, but then everything I believed in politically is crashing and burning around me so nihilism is an easy out.

Fair statement if true.. but surely they have been? Have those strikes not been going on for weeks now?

What is his complaint? That Shrewsbury didn't just let them win?

Just to make sure that I'm not just missing this because I'm uninitiated into the sport - the BBC have used footage of a different black basketball player instead of footage of Bryant? dear me.. Cummings' reforms can't come soon enough

Oh I see, snakes means supporters who couldn't handle paying Ashley to punch them in the face. Not everyone is into S&M.

Snakes? Like who? Ashley brought in a decent number of snakes himself, I would have thought we'd be net zero on snakes at least.

Yes, we get suckered into it every single time. Although tbf to Ashley, he does seem to be able to sort of raise the stakes a bit each time. Not sure where we go from here though. North Korea next time out perhaps.

What is more unnerving, Gloom? A state that believes, culturally, based on religious teachings, in the oppression of women and other minority groups - and which believes that it is doing the right thing, as dismal as that view is? Or is it a state which professes to care about these considerations, but which uses the moral legitimacy it gains by notionally standing for such things in order to justify tearing around the middle east with reckless abandon, instigating wars, blowing up children, and funding any group at all (ISIS and indeed Saudi Arabia) as long as it fulfills a strategic objective to win power, resources, or financial gain? The Saudis, as wrong as they may be, have a cultural reason for being total asshats. The American government does not - it simply does not care on any level. Therefore, I suggest that the US is more psychotic than Saudi Arabia. EDIT - I really tried to resist making this post, I swear

I've given up on the world anyway - as Alex said earlier, if the world is going to burn either way, we may as well win something while it does.

Let's not do this here

If they're paying the full extent of the state sanctioned taxes on top of the charity work, then I could come around to agreeing with you. No Cayman Isles, no fucking around with tax returns, just directly what they owe. If they aren't, then their charity work is just PR. But let's not make this a politics thread - happy to have that discussion in the appropriate place but you're not going to change my rather extensive views on this with one off the cuff post I was broadly inferring that they've benefitted from a broken system rather than any personal implications anyway.

Was referring to Stavely and the Reubens tbf

Did he not steal Apple's GUI? Admits himself he should have paid more tax than he has, etc.

Also, as a general point about Ashley here - a year (or was it two?) ago, he turned down £250m from Staveley, holding out for £300m. Now he's managing to sell for £340m to broadly the same people. He's played a long game here, presumably aware that their interest was serious, and has potentially made himself £90m for two years of patience. I think he'll take it.

This. As far as I know, anyone who has managed to become a billionaire has done so through exploitation of a failing system and by standing on a great many others. That being said, Saudi Arabia is a broadly deplorable country and almost on par with the USA in terms of general psychotic behaviour. But whatever the situation here, this is football and not politics - they're gonna buy someone, it may as well be us.

If the government won't, and these guys will, it's hardly the worst outcome surely? Decent statement in favour of globalism too.

That's a reasonable view in most clubs maybe, but there's a solid contingent of non-plastic and non-fair weather fans who refuse to buy season tickets for NUFC these days. Well into the thousands. I would also suggest that you haven't perhaps factored in the economics of some people's situations, and that your research might be skewed a bit in favour of better off fans (who can afford to up-front a season ticket/have the job stability to commit to ongoing payments - and who may indeed be plastics despite this). At least it's worth noting down as a consideration. Either way, I suggest that with our club, you'll struggle to find anyone outside of Sunderland who doesn't think the owner is a cunt. Good luck though.

If we don't, I think it points to the Joelinton deal not being dodgy. Instead, it suggests that it was sheer incompetence, that no one involved is prepared to accept the hit to their ego on.

You're gonna be busy with that, I reckon. Good subject to have taken.

What is the MSc in? Congrats!

It's on everything I think. I played it on PC - not sure how well it fares on switch, look up some reviews on that first. I like the Switch but I would have thought the Witcher 3 might be pushing its capabilities. And only go for it if you're prepared to legitimately drop about 60-80 hours finishing it (which should assist in justifying the cost). It took me two attempts if I'm honest, and I'm not quite as bowled over by it as many seem to be, but it is undeniably well executed. Suffers from weird video game nudity and sex though. Never works, don't know why anyone ever bothers with it - but the Witcher has it in spades.

6 cases of Wuhan Coronavirus in the UK now. And one in France as a result of a Chinese woman being aware that she had it, lowering her symptoms before pre-flight screening through use of medications, and flying anyway - before promptly boasting about it on social media. I personally think that's heading on for terrorism.