Rayvin

I agree on that tbf, but I am curious as to what it is they think they can do. I remain more concerned about a deal happening than anything else. Was always the real danger.

He's clearly got some kind of gambit. Sounds a little like it could be to try to override the legitimacy of Parliament with the legitimacy of the referendum. And it's great that the DUP have rejected it but once Johnson gets hold of them I'm less sure they'll resist.

In fact it could potentially get through. The Tory rebels would be back onside. Along with the Labour rebels.. I think we might be fucked if they offer this.

In which case its actually the first irritating thing the EU have done. It legitimizes Johnson's approach by making it look like he's achieved something with his No Deal threat, and pushes the "blame" onto a remainer parliament.

I'm not saying it would be more fun. I'm saying that it's only marginally less fun. If fun is indeed the right word. I'm saying that the risk is very slender for me because the margins of enjoyment are so fine. Look, if all you need is your weekly kick of excitement to get the blood going and you could care less about the wider direction the club is taking then fair enough. But for me, the former isn't enough. So I don't care if we're beating Man Utd on occasion, with the slim exception that a young local lad scored and that this is always nice to see, because the overall lack of direction makes it impossible for me to emotionally commit to any of this. I can't take it anymore, I'd rather see us go down and hope that if we languish long enough, it'll force him out. I didn't care that we beat Spurs. I didn't really care that we beat Man Utd. I mean a few years ago I would have been jumping up and down around my living room even with the club owned by Ashley, but now it's gone. So it's not that I want us relegated because we'll win more, it's not that I think it's good for the club in general, it's that I think it's literally the only way that Ashley will ever go, and that I can't enjoy this football club properly until he has. And really, for me, it's because this club isn't on a journey to anywhere. It's at its endpoint under Ashley. This is the destination. This is all there is.

That is shameful. I'm absolutely embarrassed for this country. Yet again.

So it looks like "the Don" has kept Ross on board for the past few weeks as a fallback if the takeover fell through. Basically, he was kept around so that he could be sacked the moment the shit hit the fan in the notion that it might go some way to placating the fanbase. Fucking ouch Basket case of a club.

I wonder if they'd take Bruce off our hands. He's about their level atm in all seriousness.

Hmm. I suppose that is the other way to look at it. I could actually kind of get behind him coming out and saying his plan is to pay off that fucking debt and thus lower the asking price the the club. It means any bid in the £300m range immediately becomes a much bigger win for him since he isn't also using that to pay off £100m of debt. If that was the plan, and he was clear about it, then fine. I could handle plodding along pointlessly in the PL for a few more years. But he's not made it clear at any point that this is something he really wants to happen.

More quickly than what? Cos it looks like he's here forever at this rate. I think 3 years in the Championship mid-table would do it. Parachute payments run out, level of investment required to push us back is extreme. So the question in my mind is would I prefer to spend the next 3 years 14th to 17th in the PL with no hope of progress, the whole concept of supporting the club reduced to simply the enjoyment you can get out of a single match at a time rather than any bigger picture - or would I prefer to spend the next 3 years in the championship with an elevated chance that Ashley might fuck off at the end of it. It's easy for me. Even with the risk that he doesn't sell after 3 years, so what? You still get the enjoyment from a single match at a time and an otherwise non-existent bigger picture in the championship. We've lost basically nothing more than the occasional, inexplicable victory over "big clubs". Also, even if he does stay after the 3 years, it'll be fucking painful for him. Which is a plus.

I think we might well be near the bottom depending on how things go from here. If the remain wing are playing this right then we end up at a second referendum and I genuinely think this whole fiasco gets knocked on the head, Britain does a bit of diplomatic courtship, and we move on. The EU isn't exactly unaware of why this has happened, or indeed blind to the fact that it's actually very much a "there but for the grace of god" situation. The EU has reacted firmly, I believe, because it no longer suits their interests to pull punches on Johnson. But if we get to the point where another UK government is formed then I think the situation can be salvaged. No one wants a feud, and this has largely been a British fiasco that occasionally spills onto the EU's doorstep so far. Granted it won't remain that way if it goes through, but for now I don't think there is too much reason for us to believe that lasting damage has been done (in terms of relationships - in terms of global standing it's been a lasting damage from the word go).

It's also only really a risk because there's a chance Johnson could do something illegal. But Parliament still have a last minute revoke in their arsenal should they choose to use it.

Legally he has to get that extension though. And we're talking about No Deal now or later at this point. Removing him from power doesn't guarantee that we don't end up right back here with a hard right wing government off the back of "the people" feeling like their "will" has been frustrated. Letting the Benn act play out means Johnson loses credibility with the electorate and potentially ends up strangled by the Brexit Party in any subsequent election. Taking him out now and replacing him with a GNU looks like a coup, and IMO is actually what he wants.

I still think the best outcome is for him not to be removed and for the Benn gambit to work out. It's a risk but is the ideal outcome.

The EU are not reactionary, I think they can see Johnson for what he is.

Exactly this.

An educated guess though. He clearly prizes PL advertising revenues and income and is prepared to spend extensively to get us promoted at first time of asking. It seems clear that the only real reason he keeps us is to promote sports direct and going down and staying down would absolutely harm that goal. It's also the only position under Ashley that we haven't really occupied which makes his reaction unknown rather than set.

Not if we stay down.

I mean, it's so insane that I can't actually believe he said it. I want to believe his account was hacked or something.

He actually tweeted this, apparently:

I don't think we're heading that way anyway. Feels to me more like we're going to run the gauntlet to October 31st.

Rebel Tories now working against the opposition to seize control of daily business. Small win for Boris.

As much as I still think we need to get relegated, it's hard to be a cynic on this one. Great for Matty, really happy for him.

If anyone wants cheering up, RTG is in full on crisis mode after their loss to Lincoln City, and subsequent goading by the Lincoln fans. Apparently Lincoln were non league a couple of years back and this represents the ultimate nadir for Sunderland. Until the next one.