The Mighty Hog

Watford have peddled Gracia

Ritchie sounds like he's definitely out of Saturdays game, needed three lots of stitches in his ankle after the tackle. Edit: suspected ligament damage too.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7391233/Newcastle-news-Steve-Bruce-needs-house-order-demand-end-criticism.html Decent read.

In a way it seems quite apt the best known player Bruce could have a war of words with is Chopra.

It's not a policy, just being floated by Tory think-tanks. No doubt testing the waters for a reaction, but not currently on the cards. They'd be mental to even suggest it now with the potential GE looming.

Must have been a fucking good x-ray to find that out!

Early reports seem to be saying that Joelinton will be fit for the Spurs game, keep up Troops.

Needs an x-ray according to the post-match.

There's plenty of blame to go round for the goal, mind. It wasn't a particularly accurate pass, Willems wasn't switched on and Lascelles could have done better.

The bench was dire as well. He was saying Dummett and Lascelle's weren't 100% so loaded it with defenders leaving us with no room for central midfield changes. Just shite decisions like that will cost you in the Premier League.

It's a lovely touch but could they have not at least cleaned the poor sod up before they started taking photos? You get to meet the star player of the club and your memento features you with blood running down your nose.

Oh God

Rutger Hauer

Is anyone on "pay as you play"? See it all the time a perma-crock is available but never heard of anyone actually signing that deal. Especially in PL football that's flush with cash and desperation to not fall off the gravy train.

Local journo's on Twitter were saying that the package (transfer fee, wages and agents fees) had scared off the interested Premier League teams. When the likes of West Ham won't take a punt on him, maybe there's something to it.

Steve Nickson, by what little has been mentioned in the press he and Rafa worked well together. When Rafa was wanting a new keeper after Selz didn't pan out Nickson pitched Dubravka and Rafa agreed. The current story is that Nickson and Charnley were far more keen on Joelinton, even at this price, than Rafa was. Local press this morning were hinting that Rondon's demands/agents fee were putting off Premier League clubs from taking a punt on him too.

James Coppinger made a decent fist of things at Doncaster. Paul Huntingdon had a spell at Leeds.

What's the current requirements for a work permit? Because I wouldn't put it past our lot to fall at that final hurdle.

Can see this Joelinton thing coming off. They've been withholding big money from Rafa, on the whole, and Nickson was pushing for him as far back as January. It'll be a "look at what Rafa could have had to spend" narrative.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fan-unrest-no-signings-no-16582341 Another good one on the futility of the club under Ashley. Even if Bruce could do a good job he'd get no further help from those above. He'd not be able to alter their thinking in any way.

I wonder if it'll ever click with him that he's the one doing football ownership wrong, not everyone else.

The return of the "incentive based" contract. Paying a manager a million to stay in the PL when it's worth hundreds of millions to the club. https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/17769337.steve-bruce-involved-5m-wrangle-newcastle/

Probably the best Chronicle article of the week. Bonus of Ryder being huffy in the thread too.

Anyone for mangled cliches?

I see The Trinity Mirror Regional Sports Journalist of the Year 2014 has seen off the young pretender to his throne, Waughy is going to be covering NUFC for someone else.