Dr Gloom

proper paul mitchell signing, this one. we're probably going to see a lot more of this type of recruitment and less of the established players arriving for big fees/wages

begs the question why we don't find ways to bend the rules when others have clearly set a precedent. we seem determined to play nice, so far. will that last forever? makes it all the more satisfying i suppose if or when we do finally win something if we managed to do so while remaining squeaky clean. it would make howe's coaching and the recruitment all the more impressive.

they'd find some dodgy way to swerve any breaches anyway: Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said the club reluctantly let youngsters Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh join Nottingham Forest and Brighton respectively in order to remain compliant. Howe referenced the club's summer transfer dealings in his news conference on Tuesday morning, when asked if the club was in danger of breaching PSR. "No, I don't believe we are [on that list]," he said. "The breaching of financial fair play for us was something that we fought really hard against in the summer to not be in that position - and that's why the departures of the ones we didn't want to happen had to happen." Chelsea, who spent £747m in the 2022-23 season alone, sold their women's team to the club's parent company on June 28 2024 - two days before the end of their financial year - in order to boost their finances. The Blues' sale of two hotels next to Stamford Bridge to a sister company for a fee of £76.5m was cleared by the Premier League in September. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cx2y7l0dk02o

where's our "which RW should newcastle sign?" news piece? goes without saying that saka and salah should be on the list.

these bird puns are too much to swallow

must have spilt his bovril.

agreed. he's one of the best finishers at the club but now we have seen him week in week out, he feels like a luxury player. a useful bloke to bring off the bench when you're chasing a goal but doesn't put the work in that howe demands to justify starting ahead of gordon. he has the technical ability to usurp murphy at RW. but he needs to embrace the eddie howe way and he hasn't so far shown that he will do the off the ball work required. his main threat also seems to be cutting in from the left and shooting on his right. he has looked toothless when he has played on the right and he doesn't graft as hard as murphy so it's hard to make the case for him starting on either flank. he'll also be on a big wage. i can see him being sold in the summer if he doesn't force his way into the team before then.

the beeb ran a "news" story yesterday: which striker should arsenal buy? Isak, unsurprisingly, was on the list. 🙄

What a cock

Barnes is a funny one. Great goal stats but when he isn’t scoring he can look like a passenger. I won’t be surprised if he’s the one we cash in on, as long as we get at least the money back that we paid for him. He’s more than good enough to start for a PL outfit. I’m not sure he’s an Eddie Howe player. You don’t see him doing the work off the ball that Gordon gets through. A useful weapon off the bench but increasingly looks a strange signing, particularly as he seemingly has no desire to player out wide on the right.

he looked so at home at number six, albeit against lower league opposition. this bodes really well. DM is one of the most difficult positions to play in the modern game. It’s no longer good enough to be a ball winner. You have to be able to receive the ball in tight spaces under pressure and play it forwards. If Miley can provide cover at number six and number eight, and the early signs are that he can, he could become a really important player for us. I agree with Alex’s remarks about his technical ceiling. I wouldn’t be surprised if he soon overtakes Sean and Willock in the pecking order.

This PSR nonsense is a bag of shit. At least we’ve only got a few months of it. Though I don’t know if the new UEFA-aligned rules will stiff us more or less

CL qualification hinges on keeping the key players fit. We have a top four starting eleven but it will only take a couple of injuries in key areas for us to drop off. So it’s a punt either way. Do you bet on them staying fit for the remainder of the campaign or invest now to boost our chances of weathering injuries? The stakes are high. Securing top four again this season will increase our future spending and allow us to retain Isak, Bruno and Gordon. It probably depends on whether we’re able to get any money in for outgoing players. The one area where the club hasn’t been brilliant since the takeover.

I’m the ice man bitch. Cold as fuck

If Chelsea can get away with selling themselves a hotel to balance the books they can absolutely get to fuck with that

I’d be surprised if we’re in trouble given how little we have spent on players the last year or so combined with money coming in from the extra commercial deals. Plus the year that we made the big loss should no longer be on the books as it fell before the current three year period, I think. Though perhaps one of the board’s so-called accounts can correct me if I’m wrong

about as woke as a misogynist can be. he’s funny as fuck, despite some of his politically incorrect views. I enjoy watching his standup but it always leaves me feeling uneasy, a bit like Jim Jeffries. My Mrs can’t stand either of them so I tend to watch their specials when she’s not around

if we do contrive to blow our lead I will naturally assume responsibility and never darken this forum again.

my match-going record this season. Defeat at Chelsea and a drab draw at Palace

every whole is a goal

i'm going to the arsenal game. i'll get us our usual table down the wonder bar, yeah?