LeazesMag

yes I do. You ought to read it.

and you know all the answers

that is true, but football clubs just don't go bust and disappear. They never have. Its the nature of the beast and the industry, we can debate it till the cows come home, but they don't. There is a good section in this book which explains the reality

football is a loss making industry.

has anybody read this, I think Tom has ?

very funny. So when are Rangers disappearing then ?

I've been informed (reliably, although im not saying who told me,) that both Barton and Nolan were considered good members of the squad morale-wise WHEN it suited them, when they were having an "off day", everybody else absolutely knew about it. Nolan especially wore a smacked-arse-face on quite a few days. I've also mentioned before on here that I was also told that the day Pardew "won over," the vast majority of the squad was Arsenal at home last season, 4-0 down at half time he absolutely tore strips off Barton & Nolan etc, along the lines of "you walk around the club all week like you own it, and you go and put that SHIT out on the pitch... sort your f'in selves out" Given that he was still trying to get the squad behind him at the time, it's a pretty brave move to single out the more influential players within the squad for a roasting. COULD have went the other way for him, but he had the balls to do it. Apparently the rest of the squad were boosted by the fact the "certain" players didnt hold all the power any longer. As I say, reliably told thats what happened. who are you ? John Gibson

say goodbye to challenging the likes of Spurs and Liverpool then, who most certainly will do that.

I was up in arms at the Nolan sale, but from a less frenzied position now, I think it was the right thing to do. He's slow and immobile now so what's he going to be like in 5 years time. I don't agree with letting him run down his 2 year deal neither, £5m for a man as unathletic as Nolan was tremendous business, particularly when we got a French international worth treble that for the same price more or less. If we'd have let him while down his 2 year deal and knocking back the money we'd be basically paying £5m for a slow midfielder for just two seasons. That said I agree with everything else you've put. I made a post about a year or so ago [where are they, can we get them ?] saying that I thought Pardew would put together a more mobile and pacy team and Nolan could be a casualty of that, and also that people would be taken in by it because it would be pleasing on the eye. Results have gone better than we all expected, but that doesn't change the fact that we would still have been better for having Nolan in the dressing room and as part of the squad, he would certainly have played some games bearing in mind the amount of injuries etc we have had, but this is what having a squad is all about. He had 2 years left on his contract, I can accept the offer was a good one, and they wanted to take it while it was there, but I take the view that as CAbaye would have been a target anyway, for footballing reasons to add to and improve the team, then Nolan has not been replaced in the squad. We are touching here on the difference between selling and replacing, rather than building and improving. Its not even really a subtle difference, it's obvious but people just won't accept it even if they can see it. I've just said in my previous post what I hope the club does this summer, irrespective of if we qualify for the Europa Cup, which changes nothing at all. It is what the club should do.

Nolan may be correct, but Barton ? I don't think so. Just opinion, but however....... If these decisions are made for footballing reasons, not financial and aimed at cheapness, then fair enough. NUFC are not a small 2nd rate club. If they want to fulfill their potential, they have to attempt to live in the same league as the other big boys. Obertan so far looks to be a poor signing, fair enough again, everybody makes a poor signing, nobody gets it right every time, but its a fact that if you buy proven quality and pay the money sometimes these poor signings are decreased, as in any walk of life you get what you pay for. To answer some of the replies last night etc, again, if Newcastle United buy 2 or 3 players that are bought for playing reasons and in the managers opinion will go straight into the first team [taking into account another may flop, which happens, as I've said], and don't get the money together by selling Krul, Colo, Ba, Steven Taylor, Jonas, Cabaye or Tiote ie they are building on their best players and spending the rest of the Carroll money to attempt to do just that then I will come on here and applaud Mike Ashley and say that I hope this means he has finally understood how to build a successful football team. This is how it should be done, and THIS is how the likes of Spurs etc have behaved for the last 5-6 years, not the bollocks put out by others who claim otherwise. This is how to run a big football club. I have no other agenda, I never have. I want the club run like an ambitious football club befitting a club our size. Stevie said a few weeks ago that we used to spend every transfer window wondering which of the best players we would sign from other premiership clubs that are inferior to us, now we are wondering which of our best players are going to be sold. I really couldn't put it better, and its still amazing that people do not see this. We will see. I don't think he will do what he should, but I hope that I am wrong and he does.

in keeping with the thread subject, rather than derail it by talking about idealistic financial nonsense, if NUFC qualify for the Europa Cup this season, they will NOT attempt to build on it and go higher. Expect sales and cheap replacements instead, and more money witheld from the manager like the Carroll money, this is what 2nd rate selling clubs do, not big clubs with big support who should be aiming for the real european competition slots.

Players of that quality Yes - but football isn't as simple as that. I bought into the team spirit thing about Nolan and Barton which made me think it was poor selling them but that's been proved to be a load of shite. You keep saying that finances are meaningless (or suggest that) but if you really think it's a good idea to give a 30 year old a 5 year 55k pw contract then I think you're daft. Similarly tolerating a shit-stirrer just because hie's a good player is something no club should put up with - See Man Utd and up to now Man City (Tevez) as good examples of that. In Enrique's case these things happen - players decide the grass is greener but if they don't want to play for you then I say they can fuck off and die. Of course you'll say that no player should fancy liverpool more than us which I agree with in principle but in reality they always have and always will have more appeal to foreigners - the history is just too much. I'd also argue on the "backing the manager" point that Pardew now has his number one striking target at the club - it's shit that it took a year but suggesting he's had no backing is daft. you are unbelievably naive, like most of the skunkers posters too, as shown by this post. Every single manager, and player, in the game, will tell you that team spirit and leadership is essential to success in football. Alex Ferguson said it recently on TV, I think it was after the Chelsea game where they came back to draw after being 3-0 down. Ironically, Alex Ferguson also has only achieved what he has at ManU because he was backed by his directors, along with every other successful club in the history of the game. They were backed by their directors, and on the odd occasion that their best players leave the club they have been continued to be backed to improve the team in entirety, without money disappearing down a big black hole. You won't find a post from me anywhere saying its a good idea to give a 30 year old a 5 year contract at 55k a week, so stop making things up, and I thought Fish was perusing the forum to clamp down on these sort of false accusations You will find a post or two saying there was no need to take such a decision when Nolan had 2 years of his contract left, and I stand by that, so where is the money, bearing in mind a big club like NUFC ought to be able to buy players like Cabaye within its normal operating budget or at least like all the other ambitious clubs who don't tell their supporters they need to sell to buy ? There was also no reason to give Barton away for free, we would be better off if Barton was also still at the club. I really don't want to go down this road, but it never ceases to amaze me, the amount of people who have such an irrational hatred of the directors who have gave us the best period by a million miles in over 50 years, have their methods mocked by so many so called supporters, who are clinging to the belief that they will still be proved right in their assertions that "anybody would do better than this". I won't expand further on the meaning of "this", its been done hundreds of times, here, on skunkers, and on Newcastle Online, but despite theirs and yours "opinions" the current owner has got nowhere near and the reason for that is quite simply that his strategy and ambitions are inferior. Your point about Enrique is an absolute no brainer, and shows that anybody who don't understand why he left, is a joke. He left Newcastle because he knows the club does not have the ambitions to make it worthwhile for him to stay, the same reason that players such as Shay Given, James Milner, Sebastian Bassong, Andy Carroll and Charles N'Zogbia left, and players in the past such as Gazza, Waddle and Beardsley. And the sad thing is, more will follow, yet fools will continue to make excuses for it, just like they did when Gazza, Waddle and Beardsley were sold too. The club has gone backwards in the last 4 years, in ambitions and on the financial front as explained in other threads, and will continue to do so unless the owner does a dramatic u-turn. I'm not explaining this to you again.

the point is where is the Carroll cash ? Or do you think we have such a soopa doopa team and are winning every game, we can't do any better ? And in case you didn't realise, stuck in your armchair, its a squad game. You need more than 11 players. Have a word with yourself, I agree we could do with a couple of squad players but for you to use that to support your argument for selling Carroll,Barton,Nolan and Enrique is frankly stupid selling Carroll [or witholding the money from the manager for what is accepted as a big fee, to improve the entire team and squad as much as possible with it - do you really not understand this], Nolan and Enrique and giving away Barton for nothing, were all stupid decisions. A couple of squad players ? What glue are you sniffing ? Would we not be better if Nolan, Barton and Enrique [and others sold in the last 3 years or so] were all still here ? You really don't understand the build and improve process do you ? Rather than a revolving door sell and replace [cheaply] policy ? How naive are you to think that you can go on selling your best players and continue to replace like this ? Why do you think all the successful clubs there has ever been have not applied this policy ? Sigh. I give up.

BT. There must be some right horror stories out there, when I moved house 18 months ago, they were absolutely atrocious. Everybody else - water company, gas, electric, banks, council, everybody - even NUFC, handled everything perfectly, but BT need a bomb dropped on them.

the point is where is the Carroll cash ? Or do you think we have such a soopa doopa team and are winning every game, we can't do any better ? And in case you didn't realise, stuck in your armchair, its a squad game. You need more than 11 players.

so far, this is now one of the best football books I've ever read

what you say is fairly obvious, but seems to escape most people. The bit in bold is something I have been thinking of posting for the last day or two, but wondered who would be first to say it. The fact is, football and profits simply very rarely go hand in hand. For the vast majority of clubs, its a loss making "industry", yet we still see pages and pages of posts [and not only on here] where people seem to think they are financial geniuses and have the answers. Toonspac posted a huge list of clubs who have gone bust over the last few decades, yet none of them are now supermarkets and are still actually football clubs. This is what makes me laugh more than anything, especially some posters who post nothing about football and every post they make is on the pretence of being a financial guru. I agree with most of that. For all but a couple of the very top clubs, it's unlikely that you will win anything without making losses. Going forward, what we lack is an owner prepared to finance the club to get us competing with the top four. the only, in fact the huge, area I disagree with this, is I just do not accept that because 2 clubs are bankrolled, and ManU have a unique global appeal, it means that NUFC have to sell their best players and withold the money from their manager and not support him to build the best team possible, like the 2nd rate small selling clubs behave. The day people are brainwashed into thinking we have no chance of qualifying for the Champions League and buying quality players of the calibre that the likes of Liverpool and Spurs, is the day they should give up to be honest. This is the ONLY way that any qualification for europe, will be built on and hopefully maintained and bettered ie keeping your best players and building on them, rather than selling them and looking for cheaper replacements. It is not sustainable, and will not last when the luck runs out, or the manager goes, probably to a club that backs him, which is what will happen if he keeps up the good results.

because people like you, don't appear to realise what "pocketing the cash" means, "withholding the cash and not backing the manager to attempt to build the best team possible" may impact more on your little brain Yeah, I get it. Like spending ten million on Cisse and not selling anyone. Never mind soon be the end of the season and you can start hoping he flogs our best players absolutely no point in trying to explain anything to you. Where is the Carroll cash ? Are you going to buy a season ticket next season, and join me in going to games hoping for a celebratory pint after a win ?

I'd take that but I don't think us coming 4th would be the most unbelievable thing in history neither. As for t'Leeds United, it would be a bad thing for yous coming up this year via the play offs. You haven't got the quality of Swansea or Norwich, you're better off building a side next season and kicking on. Think you'll come 7th again. Just as well, we won't go up this season, not with this defence anyway. get into the play offs and anything can happen

what you say is fairly obvious, but seems to escape most people. The bit in bold is something I have been thinking of posting for the last day or two, but wondered who would be first to say it. The fact is, football and profits simply very rarely go hand in hand. For the vast majority of clubs, its a loss making "industry", yet we still see pages and pages of posts [and not only on here] where people seem to think they are financial geniuses and have the answers. Toonspac posted a huge list of clubs who have gone bust over the last few decades, yet none of them are now supermarkets and are still actually football clubs. This is what makes me laugh more than anything, especially some posters who post nothing about football and every post they make is on the pretence of being a financial guru.

because people like you, don't appear to realise what "pocketing the cash" means, "withholding the cash and not backing the manager to attempt to build the best team possible" may impact more on your little brain

Hopefully, it will depend who wins the cups etc at to this years qualification I think. you don't say. What about "and attempt to sustain it and reach higher than that" Hopefully, this thread will not be derailed any further by the likes of Toonspac etc

so, are we going to qualify for the Europa Cup, and attempt to sustain it and reach higher than that ?

Happy birthday to both of you splendid chaps

Are revenue and turnover not subtly different? Not in the UK: In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenue do you ever post anything about football ?