manc-mag

Aye, pleased with it, ta.

He honestly could have a field day in that position for us provided he's relieved of ALL defensive responsibilities. I think that has to be a key transfer priority for us in the summer with the full back positions.

The only counterpoint to that I think worth mentioning is this: Daft as it might sound, we have a very narrow pitch at SJP. If you're carrying the ball on the wing and you're cutting inside (as typically happens when you're on your 'wrong' foot), you're literally in the penalty area within a couple of strides. Defenders can't afford to make a tackle by that stage. It's potentially an absolutely golden position for the kid at home.

The nutmegs were just insane. I actually felt embarrassed for them, he made them look like right dickheads.

Nice one Tom. I believe you are right in FSG's flexibility, they do like to win, unlike the previous owners who were quite happy if we got 4th every season. I don't think FSG are there to make a quick profit, but I do think they want to build the club up and win trophies with a view to sell 6 or 7 years down the line at a big profit. Much the same way David Moores did. I suppose it's the way it's always been, owners put money in with a view to long term gain while enjoying the fruits of the club they've supported all of their lives. One thing I can say about David Moores and his predecessors, which might go some way to explain Liverpool's success, Chairmen and directors never took a dividend nor wage, everything went back in to the club. Their personal motto was 'we exist to win trophies' , unfortunately, we all have a different breed of owner now, and it's pot luck at how they'll turn out. Surely it's to Ashleys interest that he builds the club up if he hopes to sell at some point. Look at how much debt Man U have, but the club is worth over a billion purely because they've built on their success. If you've bought a club for hundreds of millions of quid, it's a relatively fair assumption you're going to want something back out of it financially. That's the essential difference between owners then and now. You used to be able to pick up clubs like Liverpool or NUFC for relative buttons and you were at zero risk of bankrupting yourself personally in the process, so there was no reason for them to be taking money out, it was one for the local millionaire hobbyists. Shepherd and Hall bought us for a million quid, Ashley by contrast spent hundreds of millions. As much as he's been a complete twat it's hard to argue with a straight face that he should run us as a hobbyist. He could afford to if he wanted to but he doesnt want to and its as simple as that. There are one or two such as Chelsea and City that do, but that's why football has changed so much for the traditional 'big' clubs like you, never mind us. If your owners are going to pit themselves against the dickheads in charge of City and Chelsea or the naturally bigger clubs like Man U they'll deserve to take money out because it'll basically be at their risk.

I don't think a few good things in the short term balance out the longer term setup and ambitions at all. You will see. And on that note i just want to re-iterate that i have always said that you may be proven correct. There is a bit of a difference in perspective here. For me, all the current signs suggest an increasingly engaged owner who (without going too much into the psychology) may be increasingly willing to invest a greater amount into the club. For you, this is just an impression given by a few short term positives but that trend will reverse. Ashley adopted a new business and investment strategy for the club during the relegation season, he took the club off the market and things were then done differently. The overall picture is not clear because of Carroll but once you get past that, the signs point in one direction. I'm circumspect enough to accept that the future may bring the sales of key players again, its inevitable really. However, the club are currently pushing to get into Europe, they invested 10m into that effort about 5 or 6 weeks ago, its got us 4 points already. The view of their ambition to get to Europe is further cemented by the new deals for Krul and Colo as that is further investment. What part of that is not moving in the right direction? The only sane way to view it really. We all want it quicker and we all want certain players out of the first team quicker, to be replaced with better, but Ashley clearly doesn't see the rush. I think he equates rushing it with telephone number wage bills and unacceptable wastage, for pretty obvious reasons. So far we've been pushing in the right direction, anyone who doesn't acknowledge that has to be prosecuting an agenda. It's not the same as saying it will last forever but then nothing ever does. It's second season back up and it's finding out how to operate most effectively outside of the artificial money league.

Aye. I'm willing to bet there wouldnt be a massive difference between what Enrique is on now and what he might have got if he'd stayed like, in terms of a weekly wage. I reckon it'd have been around 60k based on what we're seeing and I don't think he's on massively more than that at Liverpool. The transfer fee is another matter of course and you only get a slice of that if you actually transfer, so again very little we could do about that iyam.

I always thought Enrique would be a good player, this point was made to me yesterday by my mate after the game that Santon has looked quite good fairly quickly and I accept that, but I think Enrique is the better player. Anyway, it doesn't excuse the point that a sell and replace policy was adopted, rather than add Santon to the team thus also improving the overall squad too as a result ie building and improving. Enrique is the better player now - but I think Santon will be the better player in a couple of years, he's on a long deal as well so I could fancy him to do something here. Jose was a similar age when he came here and sometimes he was so bad we put Bassong at left back, he was universally berated by the fans and that only really improved when he found form in the championship. His form in 10/11 was great in the first half of the season but tailed off after Carroll left, ''If Andy can get totally ridiculous money, why can't I?' He stalled on his contract despite decent offers & he fucked off but there's a lot of glossing over regards his NUFC career. Given the deals we're seeing at the moment I think it's fair to say we would have paid Enrique the going rate for his services. He certainly wouldn't have been swindled for a full back with what would have been on the table as you say. He wanted away because he wanted to join Liverpool for me, simple as. He's won something already so fair do's. Liverpool do that not simply because of the massive fees they've paid of late (Carroll has done nothing for them, ditto Downing and Henderson is Joe average), but because they're Liverpool and thats what they do. Win things. They still won things back in the day that Leazes harks back to ie when we were the 'top' team in the Prem in terms of the spending he craves and when they were 'shit'. Our players probably wouldnt have gone there back then (during that brief few year window), you can't argue with that, but of course they'd have won something if they did. Enrique was a kick in the teeth because he'd become a rock in terms of both defending and attacking play and it instantly becomes a headache to find someone as good as him to replace him, but what the fuck can you do? He wanted away so you've got to get on with it. You're right about his initial problems in adapting too. That's another reason why it was hard to lose Enrique because we essentially paid for his learning curve. He was always quality but not a Prem product instantly. I think that will probably be the same with Santon too to a degree, but it would be wrong to therefore say we were in for a worse calibre of player than we were when we initially picked up Enrique. I will hold my hands up and say the new deals for Collo and Krul prove me wrong on what I previously believed about the cap. I thought anyone wanting over 50k would be flogged, absolutely irrespective of their importance but that seems not to be the case, provided the player meets the right criteria. Part of me wonders if it's still a broad rule (all the top lads renewals have come in at around 55k (Tiote/Krul/Jonas) and Collo is an exception due to his prior deal, but I spose time will tell on that one. They've been rewarded for their efforts though so thats a good sign for me, in terms of what it says to the other players, rather than paying 60k up front for the likes of Smith so there's absolutely zero incentive. We absolutely cant pay the very top money for obvious reasons so respectable entry level stuff with the genuine prospect of advancement after you've proved your worth is fine by me given who we've seen come in recently.

Fell in with a bad lot tbh. A basically decent bloke who sadly became entangled with one of the Prem's more delusional and unpleasant football clubs.

Seating is steeper generally and SJP is steeper than most specifically. It'd have to be paddocks with a revised gradient. ie not an entire end.

The Mackems spent 19 weeks in the top 7 last season. Bolton did too. No red at all in the first 11 games and 50% red in the last 14 is the worry. Fingers crossed. If the last 14 read like the first 11 we'd be challenging for the title. We always knew that wasn't going to be the case and we always knew we'd start to lose. This is a recently promoted team trying to perform in every game-it can't do that because the quality isnt there over the squad, but it has more of a go than is standard for NUFC teams.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ I didn't think we were that interesting. Second most popular story on the world's biggest newsagencies website. Ewerk "what about Reuters" pipe down. Think that's on the 'England' site, mate as couldn't see it when I clicked straight through. We'll always be newsworthy though either way; it's mainly to do with people from outside the area finding the level of support and the link between club and regional identity incomprehensible, because theirs is a pale imitation. I say that as an OOT based in the most successful football region of the UK btw.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ I didn't think we were that interesting. Second most popular story on the world's biggest newsagencies website. Ewerk "what about Reuters" pipe down. Think that's on the 'England' site, mate as couldn't see it when I clicked straight through. We'll always be newsworthy though either way; it's mainly to do with people from outside the area finding the level of support and the link between club and regional identity incomprehensible, because theirs is a pale imitation.

That sign thing is universally twatful like, almost beyond daft. As Stevie says, evidence to suggest he does get some sort of kick out of antagonising the fans. I wont be buying one personally, but if more of them get sold to OOT's than Geordies Stevie's case will be pretty water tight.

I was just messing like. I don't know what Leazes' opinion has got to do with the price of fish mind.

Stevie encouraging non-Geordie hate crime here iyam. OOT's likely to experience a huge spate of hair ruffling as a result of this rhetoric.

Gemmill still not able to get rid of the 'accountant' label, years after quitting the game.

Jesus O'Reilly

Alright Catwoman, this thread is getting fucking bizarre now.

It was a joke man, it was years ago too. From what I remember Li3nz said something about black people and I said I was black, it was a pisstake so I'm not sure why you're building it up to be something it wasn't. The fact that it doesn't bother me when alex takes the piss every now and again shows that it means nothing to me. Well that's about the third different explanation I've heard you give for it now, which just adds to the already massively odd aura that surrounds you to be totally honest.

Mate look there's no need to patronise me that's number one. Two the fact me fatha's been critically ill is irrelevant here. This kid, this fat bald mug, I won't forget this face, has taken something private I mentioned SEVEN years ago, something personal and upcasted it as a form of abuse, and you focus on the fact I wasn't happy about it. To be fair I should've had the same dignity Alex showed when he was abused about something personal by the same poster and done it in PM, but he bottled Alex too. It's not like random abuse, surely if you're prepared to say something like that in an open forum you'd be prepared to do it to someones face? Anyway I'll keep it to PM now. Absolutely disgusting though to be honest. If this is the type of person you want on your message board then it's a new low for this forum. Fat. I'm 14.4 and 6'4, there's not much fat on me I'm afraid. As for alex, I've looked through my PM's and I've not received any messages from him so you're talking shite on that one too. Lastly I will be at the Wolves game, so as I've said come and approach me and see if you can make me tremble. No need to keep it in PM as I've got nothing to hide and I couldn't care who you're bitching with in PM about me either, unlike yourself I just don't care who says what on a forum. That's a fair point like re: other posters and I agree with you on that but you should care a bit more about what you say iyam. I've genuinely never seen a more moronic statement on here than the one you came out with that time about you being black, and I've been reading Leazes' stuff for years.

Mate look there's no need to patronise me that's number one. Two the fact me fatha's been critically ill is irrelevant here. This kid, this fat bald mug, I won't forget this face, has taken something private I mentioned SEVEN years ago, something personal and upcasted it as a form of abuse, and you focus on the fact I wasn't happy about it. To be fair I should've had the same dignity Alex showed when he was abused about something personal by the same poster and done it in PM, but he bottled Alex too. It's not like random abuse, surely if you're prepared to say something like that in an open forum you'd be prepared to do it to someones face? Anyway I'll keep it to PM now. Absolutely disgusting though to be honest. If this is the type of person you want on your message board then it's a new low for this forum. That to me shows you're being over sensitive cos that was the furthest thing from my mind tbf, it was just picking up on stuff you'd written in another thread which looked like it would scramble anyone's head. Think you're overreacting and genuinely thought if you had a lot on your plate it might have something to do with it as that'd be understandable in my book. Fair enough then if it's nowt to do with it I'll STFU, wrong end of the stick. If it's just about offering people out over verbals that's your call but in that case I think it's fucking daft and I don't mind saying that. I'd say the same thing to you or anyone. I get he's said summat personal but just tell him to get to fuck; he once claimed on here in complete and utter earnest to be black. I don't know how I could possibly take an insult from anyone like that seriously if one was aimed at me in all honesty. I don't know what's going on in someone like that's head, it's not right.

Stevie mate, I know you've got a lot going on at the moment in your family life but theres no need for offering people out on a message board tbh. Genuinely have sympathy for what you've been going through of late, but I don't reckon this is helping. Take it easy anyway, old son. Hope things are looking up soon.

Just ask them averages at the end of the day. I always ask them why focus on a particular year unless it suits their agenda massively? Averages over 50 years-given we've not won a domestic trophy in that time we're pretty respectable.