strawb

Sorry mate, you are talking huge piles of absolute shite. Nobody is debating that is Ashley is the ultimate problem, that is a given. I am not going into the reasons why Pardew was a forced abortion of a manager, its been done. I can however go into reasons why a new manager with a new outlook can improve our upcoming season as Newcastle United supporters (although I doubt this in your case) more enjoyable, despite Mike Ashley, if you like?

All my Boro supporting mates are sure that Downing will be going back there. Great signing for them if true. Is he 31 now? A season getting them up and a season in the prem then retire at his home town club. Better than Woodgate's last few seasons at Boro "allegedly" getting wrecked and doing "substances" at a bar that rhymes with "the chickens" near Teesside Uni.* * Definitely haven't seen this personally, and it is all conjecture.

Hang on. Nah, still nonsense.

...Anita. He just isnt suited to the PL unfortunately. Seems like a nice guy but he needs a move... Based on what?

This post gave me aids. The fact 14.5 million is our third highest fee ever, in 2015 and the current climate is an indictment of the current board rather than a reason to think a corner has been turned.

I am a 30 year old, single (not married) man. Im confused, I will be £80 a month better off according to the calculator (ignoring my student loans) but if my landlord ups the rent (likely given tax restrictions) how is this bettering me personally? (It is all about No1 obviously). My GF is self employed working for multinationals but under an umbrella corporation, how will this effect her tax situation? I am also looking to buy a house here in Manchester but on the new build site 2 minutes walk from my place, the houses are all sold to and I quote "Buy to let, investors" how does this improve my personal position (No1 is No1) again? There is no rebalance, its simply the rich looking after their own.

You were driving drunk, refer to my previous comment

Confirmed arsehole.

Its pretty simple, like as an example, landlord owns a house which pays for itself and makes £200 profit a month. Once these restrictions are in place it will make them £50. How are they going to make that £150 quid up? If only I could afford to buy a house a £999k house in the home counties

Using that calculator I will be £80 better off. But I live in a property rented from a private landlord, so the my rent is probably going to go up because of the restriction of tax on the landlord. Maybe the rent on parliament members rented properties in London will go up and I can pay for that too?

All I know is she chucked all my figures out with my micro machines and he-man stuff. I remember there being a M.A.S.K cartoon as well.

Remembered another, quite young playing with my M.A.S.K figures, obviously put one of the figures in my mouth because why wouldn't you. Part of it come off and I started choking, me mother picked me up and ran across the road to a neighbour who was a nurse. She was carrying me upside down and battering me on the back, the part came out in the middle of the road, but I couldn't tell her cos she was hitting me so hard.

Fell out of a tree as a kid and bounced on my face. Split eyebrow and a couple of lost teeth, but kids are indestructible. And testicular cancer at the start of this year but caught it dead early, so I was proper lucky.

The first bold bit is just wrong mate sorry. The second bold bit. The reason football in this country is different is because of the kick and rush nonsense of previous generations, the lack of investment in kids football, lack of quality coaches/opportunities for coaches and a culture that demands instant success. Not because in England football is inherently a game played by big strong people. Lets put it this way. I think Anita is a better footballer than Colback, yet Colback plays every week because he "grafts". Anita plays a good game, two average games then is benched for 8 weeks or whatever. I think playing Colback over Anita is a false economy and it would bare out if both played a full season.

But the bigger players you mentioned are also world class.. Its pretty obvious to most that Anita isn't in the bracket but its nowt to do with his physicality. Just smacks of the old school "run, try, strength, height, power" nonsense that has ruined creativity, flair and actual footballing ability in the english game.

Sorry mate I can't get on board with this at all. Did Scholes have physicality (not sure what this means really), Gascoigne, Makelele? Putting Anita up against Toure and Pogba is a mismatch physically obviously, but is also a mismatch is footballing ability (probably because Anita is 7 Million signing and Pogba is being touted at 10x that). Putting them against Xavi and Iniesta is also a mismatch physically, but footballing wise which of the pairs would you have had in their prime?

Because it isn't true? You mentioned Osman who plays in almost the exact same position as Anita. He is tiny. Is he exceptional?

I think I agree with you. Central midfield shouldn't really be a priority for us at the moment, but with how football is played at the moment and a premium on retaining the ball I can see why a ball playing midfielder might be brought in. Especially as I expect us to play with a central 3 next year.

McCarthy isn't average, and Gibson is Irish. Think the actual answer is somewhere between the two of you. We should expect our midfield to be better now with better staff but its still not great. Also hate the idea that there is positions where you apparently have to be massive, strong and fast to be a good footballer. Its simply not true Cannavaro was 5'9" was he "too lightweight"

Haha my hobbies haven't changed since I was kid though! Life is too short to be working in a job you aren't enjoying though. Our lass is a fashion writer, quit a decent paying safe job and went freelance. She earns more per day but less overall but can work from home and is miles happier.

I have changed career 3 times but am only 30. I left school and worked in construction (ground works which was hard graft), I was 20 when I had had enough and got a job in a bar and went to uni. Got an IT degree and worked in IT for a few years, but I couldn't be arsed keeping up with the changing technologies and I lost interest, I got offered a job working for a H&S training company working for BG in Tunisia doing their IT support. When I was there I did my NEBOSH H&S quals home study/l-earning cos I was living on camp with now to do. Now work in H&S and love it.

Played against Cattermole as a kid when he played for Stockton West End and Boro youths. He played a couple of years above his age group. At that age he was a very good player. It looked like he could have done anything in the game, obviously the higher you go then issues you have get highlighted more. He is an average defensive midfielder in the lower end of the prem, lacks pace and I think he gets caught up in the 'hard man' image.

I reckon we will sign 4/5 players. We also need to lose a few due to the size of the squad (although we should be cutting ties with the awful filler rather than our top scorer or other "better" players). The ultimate frustration for me is there is no proof of any bids actually being made for anyone, at all. It is all monitoring/interest. Aye and I am interested in Monica Bellucci. They need to put their money where their mouths are and quickly, otherwise McLaren best be the best coach in history cos he is going to have to make Williamson into a centre back and Obertan into a footballer.

I worked in Tunisia for a while when I was younger, most of the people are spot on. Speaking to some of the people who worked there after I left the general unrest has being ongoing for a while. Bad times.

Didn't you say Tim Krul probably reads these forums or was that some other knacker?