The Mighty Hog

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.

It begins....

Redfearn was a midfielder for Barnsley for most of the 1990's. They had a season in the Premier League but were relegated and he had another season when he moved to Charlton. He's done some managing, notably at the mad house that is Leeds. He helped out with reserves earlier this season when Beardsley was suspended.

Neil Redfearn & Ben Dawson. Youth Team/Academy guys. Simon Smith is GK coach and is still there as he wasn't one of Rafa's core group of coaches he takes from club to club.

Only reason he's knocked it back is in the hope he can get a job where he'd be dealing with agents of his own choice.

As the tone slowly shifts from the local journo's this will probably ring true

It was as baffling then as it is today.

To be fair it looked like they would pay Derby for McClaren, but he knocked us back. Then he got sacked and we signed him up in the summer

Puce faced twat. Been too long since that insult was used on here.

Aye, that's the other thing with this lot the "pay in installments" shite they go in for.

Northern Echo saying £20 million. In this inflated market that's fuck all.

Interview with Caulkin:

Was a fucking disaster by the end of Carr's reign too. Cabella and Thauvin wanting to be anywhere else but here. Mbemba not looking like he could cut it in English football, Yanga-Mbiwa was peddled sharpish too.

Early reports seem to point at them wanting a head coach that makes do with whatever the scouting team can find. Naturally the criteria is young and potential to flog them on, not what the team actually needs.

Hell has frozen over, Liam Fox is the one making sense.