Why we can’t predict the future of football right now

Posted on March 28th, 2020 | 87 Comments |

A long road ahead
It could be a long road ahead.
With news that a return to Premier League football on April 30th has now been further postponed, plans for an intense finish the season in what Toon manager, Steve Bruce, described as a ‘Festival of Football’ look more uncertain. In reality, the future of football over the next year, or even two is highly uncertain and all predictions may have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Not even eminent epidemiologists know for certain how long this current crisis will last, it may subside for a while, only to come back in waves like the so-called ‘Spanish’ Flu emergency of 1918-20. Any predictions of a return to football in the next few months may be completely wide of the mark, indeed, the effects of CoVid-19 may not just curtail the current season, it may also curtail the next one too; though if it does, by the time we are finished and counting the damage, football might not be so important in the grand scheme of things for a while any way, though it may be a little frustrating for Liverpool fans if they were denied their first league title in three decades.

As for Newcastle United, their path to potential FA Cup glory was more uncertain with a looming quarter final against favourites, Man City now postponed until further notice. Bobbing around the lower end of mid-table, they had nothing much to win, or lose in the League. With no sport on the horizon, there will be no sports betting either, though you can still find promotions codes for casino here.

There is one issue which which the current crisis might bring to a head though, the despicable, but, alas, all too predictable behaviour of owner, Mike Ashley. The treatment of his workers at Sports Direct is a whole story on its own, but more relevant to this piece, Newcastle United season ticket holders have seen their bank accounts debited in full for 2020-21 season tickets, even though there is no starting date to the season yet due to postponement, and it might be subject to the same kind of disruption as this season when / if it does eventually commence. It has often been speculated on just how far Ashley would have to go before enough of these long suffering season ticket holders withdraw their custom in sufficient amounts to make Ashley think again about the abusive way he treats them.

NUFCBlog Author: workyticket workyticket has written 1093 articles on this blog.

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87 Responses

  1. Shame really as I’m fairly sure we would have won the last 9 matches of the season, leaving us on 62 points. And they may as well just award to FA Cup to us on a statistical basis.

  2. Hugh, we had a really good run of games to finish the season, Sheffield United, Southampton, Bournemouth, West Ham, Watford, a troubled Tottenham, then Brighton, finishing off with Liverpool.

  3. Yeah, obviously I was only joking when I said we’d win them all, but I think we would have finished reasonably okay. There were signs of improvement in the weeks before the shutdown and I would have hoped to finish 9th – 12th or thereabouts.

    If they do finish the league this year it’ll be behind closed doors.

  4. Chuck, I am replying to your last comment here otherwise we’ll never get out of the comment section of that other ‘blog, which is months old now.

    So it’s pretty much the same over there as it is over here then, though my local bank is still opening until 2 in the afternoon. I listened to a really disturbing press conference with Michael Gove the other day, disturbing because he lied about the reason for the lack of testing. He said that the reason why we couldn’t test enough people in the UK was due to a shortage of chemical ‘reagents,’ however, representatives of the CIA (Chemical Industries Association) have said that this is complete and utter bollocks and even if there was a shortage, they easily had the potential to raise production to adequate levels anyway. They also confirmed that despite having previous meetings with Government ministers, the subject of any kind of shortage was not raised by either the Government nor the CIA, because there is no shortage. If ministers like Michael Gove are just making things up on the hoof like that, that is very disturbing indeed.

    What was possibly even more disturbing though was a female medical expert on the panel whose name I can’t quite remember right now. In answer to a question on why the death rate was so much lower in Germany than it was in the UK, she said something which, whilst I couldn’t say it was a lie, was certainly misleading. We know about politicians’ relationship with honesty, but when experts start becoming spin doctors for the Government in a once in a century type health crisis, that is potentially even more disturbing than Michael Gove’s lie, as we know that he is a liar and we depend upon medical professionals to be the last bastion of honesty in these troubled times.

  5. Yes of course, we should all be aware by now how politicians operate, whether by lying, cheating and other devious means to appear both important and portray the required intelligence of someone with leadership qualities.
    Apparently our dear leader, cannot stop lying and projecting false images of how well HE is running things.
    I just refuse to listen to his daily speeches, informing how well HE is managing the pandemic, which if it were true , would not have NYS as the epicenter of those infected,
    The term “A day late and a dollar short”comes to mind when thinking about the present fiasco, the shortages of everything and only reinforces the fact this guy was and remains totally unprepared for the role as president, though there are still ignoramuses who believe he is
    “Draining the Swamp”!
    You have similar problems in the UK, I mean who in his right mind would vote to elect Boris Johnson, I couldn’t believe it when he was elected Mayor of London, never mind PM.
    The truth of everything concerning both Brexit and the Pandemic will eventually be exposed, counting Boris’s claim (and Charlie’s) which enabled them to isolate (apart from the required servants) themselves and avoid any circumstances, being there is no such thing as halfway infected, or a light infection.
    And if Trump is re-elected meaning there are more morons out there than normal people, I don’t know what I will do ?
    At least our future is not dependent on signing a positive trade deal with the EU, which appears less than likely at this time.
    As for hanging onto NI, The North, the Six Counties, who it now appears will receive subsidies from both the UK & The EU, why ? as eventually the demographics indicate it will be the numbers that count as to where they will end up and there’s little doubt as to where that will be , as members of the country they were removed from by force of arms.
    It also appears likely that the Scots will also remove themselves from the UK if they have the cojones, and rejoin the EU.
    Which only leaves Wales to justify the term UK, but seeing that England has throughout history has just ignored the Welsh i suppose they will continue as usual.
    Big Changes about to take place, in such a short period of time going from an Empire with the sun never setting on it , to England and perhaps Wales, plus the possibility of trading under WTO rules, how did youse guys manage that ?

    i

  6. OK folks that’s it on politics for the present, being the blog is getting a bit unmanageable as Worky has refused to raise to the bait !
    How about some Football on the football blog.
    I hear rumors of a possible sale, now that our (dear leader) appears to be in financial difficulties, where an extra three and a half hundred million quid would become very handy, though who knows exactly where his bottom line is, but any thoughts of the club being a top ten contender, would be a joke and who needs a relegation fight year after year.
    I would be willing enough to have an oil wealthy oligarch’ willing to finance a change with the hiring of a reputable coach/manager and some decent upper level management, which the club has missed since SBR, perhaps we could re-hire Benitez who I’m sure could handle the club easier , having the financial resources available.

    I hear rumors that

  7. Chuck, I’ve supported the team since I was nine or ten, but if it gets taken over by a Saudi Royal wealth fund, I would be ashamed to be a Toon fan. As bad as Ashley is, at least he doesn’t behead, flog or crucify his employees at Sports Direct, other than that, I’m not going to rise to your obvious bait.

    They spend far more on healthcare in the US than they do anywhere else in the world so they should have it all sorted over there. As for Trump, I can understand that it’s so hard to keep up with all the drivel that you just give up.

  8. Chuck, I know they are referring to your city as the ‘epicenter’ of CoVid-19 over there, but if it’s any consolation, you’re twice as likely to get it in New Orleans. I dug out some interesting statistics. In terms of catching it, the worst place to be is small places in Europe. There’s 1) San Marino (7,347.65 cases per million), 2) Andorra (5,618.49), 3) Gibraltar (4,197.07) 4) Iceland (3,609.58), 5) Faroe Islands (3,493.19), 6) Luxembourg (3,106.48), 7) Switzerland (2,687.69). Not all little principalities are like that though. Compared with those, the US has 732.62 cases per million and the UK 519.59.

    I heard Trump ‘dissing’ your city again today; he should love it, that was made all his money when they cleansed it of all the riff-raff and he got the real estate.

  9. Worky
    I suppose most people still believe Trump to be a multi billionaire, fact is he is far from it,
    It’s true he received an amount of dosh from his old man, how much we are unaware of, which if it had all been invested well on Wall St. could amount to possibly more than his present fortune, which comes from allowing the use of his name listed on newly built apartment houses /offices etc.which is there to present a certain standard, which is gradually losing it’s cache.
    Another few afternoons of gibberish from him, taking up serious TV time and even the perceived forty percent of morons who still support him may begun to wonder about his abilities, though he did go to “Wharton” one of the best business schools in the country, along with a military School in NY State and military schools are best known as not exactly jails but certainly places to send wayward children.
    As for being a master of the deal, there a certain deal he made with the tv people around the time his contract as the big Kahoona was approaching, where he promised to demand a fortune, at the time he was earning around forty grand an episode, well he ended up getting around fifty grand, some deal maker !
    It appears we have yet to reach a high point in the number of new virus cases, possibly to a certain amount of laxness in certain countries, seemingly the counties with state run health systems and socialistic governments, may find it easier to operate and enact more radical demands from their populace, instead of the more tenuous increases employed on a day to day basis by the more right-wing governments, not unlike Trumps seeming reluctant attitude concerning the virus and projecting a return to business.
    If this was a test to find out “The Who’s Who” among the worlds leaders then it should be easy, with the west way behind both the Chinese and south Koreans in testing and reducing the numbers, to which the west appear to be ignoring,
    I believe a greater effort should be made and any possible cures tested,
    and testing procedures made easier if at all obtainable, which I don’t personally expect anytime soon, I finally found a hardware shop that sold masks and was given a bunch of gloves by my Dermatologist, weeks after the event began, talk about a lack of both awareness or an organization that could give positive direction or inform the public of how to help combat this most dangerous pandemic since the flue epidemic that occurred and killed more people than the total number of dead during ww1
    As for th Saudi takeover of NUFC, small potato’s compared with losing ones life and face it we have not had a decent side since SBR was in charge and as long as Ashley remains, fugedaboudit !

    t

    ade with the tv

  10. I came across various comments by players on whether they should take pay cuts and where those cuts would end up and rightly so.
    It would be best if they consult their agents, who on creating a contract would have such matters in black and white (no not on a United’s strip)
    I understand pandemics rarely occur and there may be a lack of consideration for your average agent, but for clubs to take advantage of such rarities smacks of greed on the part of the club owners and should be resisted by both players and the players union, to reach any agreement that doesn’t include everyone,
    Though I would resist any enforcement that was contrary to the signed contract, unless voluntary.

    i

  11. Chuck, the best estimate is that Trump Jr received a bit over $400 million from his dad but don’t forget about inflation over decades. As I mentioned earlier, he did do well out of the social cleansing of New York but somehow, he managed to lose huge sums on a giant casino, which I think you’ll agree is quite an achievement! They say that in the real world he’s worth around $2 billion, which is a bit less than Mike Ashley, who is still worth $2.5 billion despite the pummelling the Sports Direct share price has taken in recent times.

    As for the virus as a ‘test’ to find out “The Who’s Who” among the worlds leaders’, it’s too soon, there are too many variables and it’s all very complicated. We’ll know more when we have the post mortem after it’s died down a bit. As for a ‘cure’, don’t hold your breath for that. I’m not a doctor but I read papers on drug trials (Hugh will confirm that!) and even though people are gagging for it, it will be many months away before they manage to get something tested, approved and distributed.

  12. Does it surprise anyone that clubs just decide to lay people off during times of national emergencies (Epidemics/pandemics) and there are tv news outlets that are more than happy to demonize any players refusing to commit .
    As for layoffs, there must be rules and regulations that cover those un-usual circumstances (labor laws) plus a contract that describes these unusual; circumstances
    We are all aware of how cheap Ashley is, in which it’s no surprise he was among the leaders to lay off non playing staff and I’m sure there will be pressure placed on the players to reduce their wages also.

    I understand it’s not the fifties when players were sent to see the manager and told to pack their bags, being they had just been transferred, where without agents it was impossible to do anything about, except for one Newcastle forward George Eastham, who was told he wouldn’t be allowed to move back to his home area London, even though his contract with NUFC had expired.
    George got himself a lawyer ,took NUFC to court and changed the system forever and yes to many the players appear to have advantages, but it all works fairly well, being a footballers life is a short one though well paid during his career, which could also end through injuries ‘
    Certainly most owners don’t want to pay their players, but are these unusual circumstances included in contracts, time for the players association to come to the fore and straighten out these circumstances
    and refrain from forcing individual players to contribute unless the circumstances
    of what happens to these wage cuts is explained and under no circumstances donate it to the club.

  13. “being a footballers life is a short one”

    Chuck, you make it sound like footballers are taken out and shot when get into their thirties and their legs start to go! If they didn’t go into coaching, quite a lot of footballers used to either become publicans or open a newsagent when they retired, it used to be a bit of a cliche. Back in the Edwardian Days, a Scottish footballer called RS McColl who played for the Newcastle United dream team of the Edwardian era started up a newsagents when he was still playing and that became a major chain which spread all over the country. It has 1550 shops now.

    As you know, I’ve looked through the NUFC accounts several times and the wages of the non playing staff really is a mere bagatelle compared with the wages of the players. With Ashley’s cheap and cheerful managers (Benitez excepted), pretty much all the Newcastle United wage bill is players. A first team player will get £40,000 a week where a non player will get more like £40,000 a year which illustrates the scale of the difference. On the other hand, it’s always the footballers who are getting stick for getting paid too much, not the millionaires and billionaires in the boardroom though a rich footballer might have a few million, many owners now have a few thousand million. In other words, as well paid as they are, the gap between the wealth of a footballer and the wealth of someone like Mike Ashley is even bigger than the difference between a first team player and a minor manager in the ticket office.

  14. Yeah ! true but face it, most owners are tight as a drum and if they could rip the players off, wouldn’t hesitate.
    Being some of us remember when they were underpaid and treated
    abysmally, plus bought and sold without consent, only informed after the deal was done.
    In which case there are paid writers, that are willing to demonize players
    for not accepting the standard thirty per-cent cut being bandied about
    by many, with no mention of where it will end up and were I a player I would demand to know.
    Just saying, as I understand how easily it is to bad-mouth players and agents, but we are not about to revert back to the bad old days and The Owners have no way to force that change, live with it !

  15. Chuck, I hope I didn’t think that I was making light of the CoVid problem in New York above, it’s obviously pretty bad over there.

    Getting back to the football though, The spending of the Sheikhs and the Oligarchs have been more like a drunken sailor than a tight drum and that, along with the amount of TV money now has been turning the rest into drunken sailors too.

    I think there’s a huge differences between the way the ‘talent’ is treated and how the backstage drudges who keep the clubs ticking over off the pitch are treated though. Nowadays, the players have agents and legal reps who can force the club to accept the best terms for the players, meanwhile, the drudges get crappy contracts with poor rights like lots of other workers and are easier pickings when things get tight.

  16. 0h ! Is this then the beginning of the end for the planet, without such genius as Boris and Donald, how will we be able to continue, then of course theres the heir to the throne , who would be sorely missed by both the post office (who forward his endless stream of letters) and of course those awaiting his crowning.
    Actually Donald is becoming more of a burden, in his attempts to pretend he is in charge, after others, (mainly state governors) though not without reasons and has to have a medical doctor with him (as no one is sure of what he may claim in regard to medical matters) mixing the pandemic with attempts to present himself as a normal person, just mumbling and asking for questions and then insulting the questionnaire complaining it was a nasty question, insanity rules !
    I’m trying to remember how many were there Biblical threats, we are on no2#, we had fire last year, what’s next pestilence,
    but I have to say our leaders have and are brilliant !
    But some state governors have behaved well, so well in fact, one might accuse them of wanting to appear a Vice Presidential candidate.
    Only sayin !

  17. Worky
    Make light of ?
    just another of those pauses ,warning signs that we cannot continue on the same path and expect the planet to remain the same,
    Nah ! during times like this , when all but essential services are to be seen, where ignorance is widespread, where the wealthy are now in the game, cause there’s no where to go (unless you gotta bit of pull) and have a private island or an estate in Scotland r’ summit.
    when ever before or perhaps after will people have so much time on their hands, even the sounds of the cities has changed, the air is cleaner, there are no clouds,
    Great day, if this is a sign of what to expect, I got no problem with that !
    Point is whenever or if ever this emergency ends, what will come out of it beside more of the same, possibly a condemnation of China’s “Wet Markets ” so quickly mentioned on this blog by “Hugh”followed by mention of the origin being these particular markets that slaughter and sell a large amount of meat and other animals not usually seen by non Chinese.
    /a similar situation was proven to cause the outbreak of foot and mouth disease and part blame was placed on the unhealthy conditions of the slaughter houses, seems a bit of a mind bender but hey !

  18. “Chuck, you make it sound like footballers are taken out and shot when get into their thirties and their legs start to go!”

    That’s not an entirely bad idea. Can we start with Steve McManaman?

  19. “and part blame was placed on the unhealthy conditions of the slaughter houses, seems a bit of a mind bender but hey !”

    Chuck, the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001 was started by a mackem called Bobby Waugh in Pallion. His farm was filthy, he was feeding his pigs with untreated waste and he got off very lightly for it too, he was banned from keeping animals for 15 years or something like that. However, although it had some terrible conserquences for livestock, it wasn’t a worldwide pandemic which killed nearly a thousand people like SARS, or God knows how many like the current pandemic.

  20. Hugh,
    Yes footballers are for the most part from working class families and had they not been blessed with physical skills, probably earned the same as their fellow working class compatriots over their working life,
    Though no two players are rated exactly the same, they both have around ten years, to make a lifetimes earnings, which includes periods out due to injuries and moves from club to club , where the EPL probably has more non English players than not, making it more difficult
    to make it in the top leagues everywhere.
    And yes some have financial advisors, needed when faced with large tax bills and in general help those youngsters preserve and invest for a future without football
    Sounds easy right, well it could be if the players associations became more involved, but no reason to wish any youngsters earning big bucks
    ill will.
    So what is it that makes you dislike Steve McManaman ?

  21. Chuck, I dislike McManaman’s whiny commentary. Back when I had a moving satellite dish, I used to get my EPL football from places like the Middle East or the US or various Eastern European nations. McManaman used to commentate on one of them, it might have been BEIN but I forget now, and his whiny, blatantly biased commentary used to make me turn the volume off.

    Thus when I’m the despotic leader of this country, he’ll be one of the first my secret police will visit. Closely followed by Alan Titchmarsh.

  22. Hugh, there’s worse than McManaman. If the mute button hadn’t have been invented already, someone would have had to invent it for Rio Ferdinand.

  23. Hugh, on reflection, all of your points about Steve McManaman are correct, however, do you really think that Titmarsh is that bad? I have people like Richard Branson, Alan Sugar and Tony Blair on my ‘A’ list for when the glorious day finally comes. Titmarsh is way down my list.

  24. Worky, Titmarsh is one of those people who irritates me for nonspecific reasons. I cannot tell you why he irks me, but he does. Cilla Black, Meryl Streep, James McAvoy, Neil Warnock and whoever the actor was who played John-Boy Walton are also in that (long) list.

  25. Damn ! with all the heavy shit that’s presently going on to focus on a now retired player is bizarre, no ?
    Truth is, just about any scouser attempting to communicate on a national level is doomed before they even start, in which case are they hired as ex players with controversial points of view or are they victims of poor selection.
    And it’s not just scousers, in many cases it’s ex players with regional accents that can be
    misunderstood or simply not understood.
    In most cases commentators have a play by play guy and a color commentator, I prefer
    the play by play guy to just mention the player who ha the ball as we understand the game and for the color guy to interject when necessary to describe any tactical or unusual
    situation, that ex players would recognize, giving those watching a better understanding of the game, unfortunately most ex platers who find themselves with a mike , prefer to wax nostalgically about what they might have done or repeat one of their proudest moments, which is more likely than to hear an intelligent account.
    Wise up BBC and find us some decent announcers, that can announce.

    c

    truth is

  26. It just occurred to me that a typical poor commentator is the guy (a Geordie) can’t remember his name , who does the Spanish league’s color commentator, constantly looking to use 75 cent words when a simple adjective would suffice.

  27. And of course our pandemic is alive and well, with no reductions in numbers, no matter how hard our dearly beloved president attempts to present things.

    s
    Had a medical appointment (nowt serious)
    The subway car I sat in had about ten people , which was encouraging but decided to walk back (over 60 city blocks}and found very few on the streets, which is encouraging, as the laws here are less stringent here no real lockdown
    Face masks and gloves are still hard to find

    as are personal thermometers.
    I enjoyed the walk which gave me a bit more hope, a glorious day with temperatures reaching around 60. which under normal circumstances would draw a crowd of bare legged girls were empty of walkers apart from myself .
    Yeah I know it was not the most intelligent decision but I just couldn’t resist, ah well !
    This particular virus is certainly like no other, hard to describe and difficult to tell if one has the few descriptions of someone who has the actual virus.
    Ah well, all things eventually pass and we octogenarians don’t give a rats ass, being we have already had a decent innings.

  28. I see there are bigger and better attempts to force soccer players,( no not engineers or pilots or politicians ) only footballers, a likely group consisting of youngsters who being highly skilled players, tend to earn appropriate wages considering they represent and generate a big money sport .
    I don’t hear anyone suggesting those on the boards of big corporations pay a fixed amount, or those playing in any other sport .
    About time that players representatives , either unions or associations should tell those demanding they contribute , to “go pound salt” after all why footballers should
    help out the government pay their bills, is nothing but a resentment that a teenager could earn such lucre ,
    Hey ! hey ! leave those those kids alone and go after the likes of those that use the numerous former colonial islands , too poor to become independent and who’s banking laws have been written by the city of Londons best tax evaders, to avoid paying regular taxes,
    Do you know any former colonies or possessions that are NOT tax havens ?

    i

  29. Hugh
    Yep that’s the one, never shuts up and has of
    yet to learn to speak English, perhaps he should do Spanish language games, thats if by now he has learned Spanish, being he will never be able fo address the majority of those listening to him, without a “whaaaa de say”
    Though I have to say some of his seventy five cent’s words are good for a laugh, but whoever hired him as a color commentator
    obviously has little knowledge of English.
    but it’s the growing number of paired up guys who get to do the PL games that annoy me
    However it’s those who’s belief is they have been chosen because of their ability which gives them free reign to constantly criticize
    those playing their old positions, that are the most annoying they also tend to praise the clubs they like and criticize those they dislike , which even though you may not have a dog in the fight becomes annoying as the game proceeds.

    they are

  30. Not really, Chuck, it’s totally natural. My father was in the Navy in WW2 but they didn’t dwell on U-Boats, torpedoes and dead shipmates all the time, they talked shite to take their mind off things otherwise they’d go barmy.

    As for pundits, I like ‘wee’ Pat Nevin. Despite being an ex footballer he’s intelligent, articulate and insightful but sadly, the BBC don’t seem to agree with me, or maybe that’s what they don’t like about him and why they prefer to have the likes of Robbie Savage instead?

    Chuck, do you mean Ray Hudson?

    Hugh, I feel your pain when it comes to Cilla, her (air raid) siren voice and the way she’d delibarate say ‘lorra lorra’ this and ‘lorra lorra’ that all the time, though that was as nothing compared with her singing, which was completely unbearable.

  31. I’m afraid that discussing the virus is both boring and depressing, I have little interest in how people in some remote area of Europe are doing prevention “their way” or how many cases they have encountered so far.
    Though information that is of use to most people, like rules concerning say travel are seldom mentioned and a “just the facts ma-am”, would be fine a list of countries and the rules governing them during this pandemic, plus the likelihood of exiting and emtry to a number of surrounding countries.
    It also appears that there is about as much known about the virus as there was months ago, plus blaming China, who have not only checked the rise of the virus, but are preparing to go back into a normal life-style.
    Apparently there will be a blame game following the final all clear of the virus and we can expect a bit of China bashing where both saars and the present Covid 19 can be expectedly blamed on Wet Markets., a conclusion many have jumped too, before any real medical conclusions have been reached..
    Seems as if we (all of us) following the fall of the Soviet Union have somewhat destroyed a number of the weaponry capable of destroying our planet, but are bound and determined to follow through, what with half of Aussie burned and most of California, rising tides due to ice melt and weather pattens that change by the week instead of the normal seasons,
    We definitely have more on our plates than ever before, yet instead of co-operation we get only opposing politics and economic differences.
    Whichever it is I’m glad to have led an interesting life, as for you youngsters you gotta convince your politicians that all is not lost in the gradual destruction of nature, that
    with the right policies and co-operation, the planet can return to it’s natural state.
    Though I don’t have a lotta faith in it ever happening.

    it’s

    p

    though

  32. Yes, Chuck, but what is happening with Bernie Sanders? He made an announcement that he was going to stop campaigning, but then all his opponents said he was dropping out, but did he drop out? Bernie said he was stopping campaigning because of the obvious risks at the present time but he would still be looking for more delegates. What’s going on?

    Modern China is the legacy of Deng Xiaoping. He’s one of the most important leaders in history, but he is also the ultimate mixed bag. He massacred students at Tianamen Square, but his reforms raised more people out of poverty than any other leader, and China’s immense and rapid growth grew out of his post Mao reforms. It has all been so fast that there are two Chinas though, the first is the number one manufacturer that is totally plugged in to the 21st Century global economy and has tentacles all over the world, but you still have the old China of dodgy markets with old fashioned practices as well as corruption. Of course, it’s also a consequence of the 21st Century and how much everyone travels around nowadays.

  33. Worky
    And here I was, thinking perhaps you had a finger on the pulse of US politics.
    Let me explain !
    My son worked for Bernie and it’s hisi impression that Bernie’s goal was not necessarily to become President, but to introduce a new policy into a moribund political system, tn which people vote or don’t vote as each party appear to mirror each other and it’s impossible to become a presidential candidate, other than belonging to the same old two party system.
    Yeah people like George Wallace come along as a third party contender, the others before him, on a bound to lose Socialist ticket, but the two party system continues to be manageable for the present oligarchs who really run the country.
    As for Bernie, an unapologetic socialist who works well in his role as one of the two senators from Vermont, wants to not only change the present direction of the Dems.
    but to introduce a different social system, a healthcare system that eliminates all insurance companies, therefor reducing the costs of a “Medicare for all “health system” by as much as 25% quite similar to that of our neighbors to the north.
    Also to introduce third level education, almost a necessity in to-days world as an extension to the present system and of course free.
    Those are the main points of his changes among others and not really that radical.
    But I doubt if Bernie actually ever wanted to become president, being he works away as a senator and cares more about the introduction of his stated policies than becoming head of state.
    And has in a way made his stated policies less radical and somewhat acceptable to the
    electorate, other than in certain states where
    a combination of old time religion and local politics are all one is bombarded with via radio between having to listen to shit kicking music.
    As for Bernies continuing gathering of votes endorsements prior to the Dems. convention,
    He will use them to endorse his policies and force “Uncle Joe”to hopefully introduce at least one or two to the party program, which
    may in fact be exactly what he intended.
    Most Americans don’t get it in which case why should you, but on the other hand, when one realizes how much America has changed and the possibilities of the future may not be so difficult to acquire,
    We can but thank Bernie and his unselfish campaign and praise his effort.

    i

  34. Chuck, I’m not surprised that even some Americans are mystified by it too. Personally, I think that the Democrats will take any opportunity to try and shaft Bernie Sanders and any of his Socialist policy ideas which might affect their cosy relationship with lobbyists etc.

  35. Ermmm ! it may sound or look to be the case, though in fact a bit more subtle .
    .Unfortunately looking at the similarity of the stated platforms of both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie one could see that voters were torn between the two, a similar platform say !
    And during the early stages of the campaign no real conflict arose, being they were preaching from what many dems. considered the same page.
    However when two candidates are competing for the same job and preaching the same campaign policies something has to give.
    I believe that by ignoring that fact, they more or less doomed each others chances,
    Yes there were younger candidates, but it appears the Dems. are the party with the most elderly candidates and the early stages went as planned.
    The disaster occurred when the black ladies of South Carolina voted
    unanimously for Uncle Joe (possibly directed by Obama) a bog standard
    politico, too dumb to win on his own, but smart enough to take advantage, from there it all went downhill, the Dems. by not caucusing together, lost any chance of electing someone willing to make the necessary changes needed, especially health care and education.
    And the young voters also bear a certain responsibility, not showing up
    in the numbers (which could mean, many of the young women may have switched from Bernie to Elizabeth), who knows, but the damage was already done by the black women of N. Carolina.
    However my son claims that Bernie’s real intent was to normalize his objectives , which were to introduce and familiarize the electorate with such policies as education and health as achievable, which they are, certainly in regard to healthcare an elimination of all insurance companies from the system would save more than 25% of the cost .
    One has to live and listen to most citizens here, which makes this country so different from other modern nations is the steady flow of Fox News, the fact the country is in a sense isolated from those living in countries with big social programs and has been subjected to a steady flow of anti-socialist propaganda for the last hundred years, beginning with a condemnation by the coal and steel magnates of the late 1800’s
    until to-days . com giants.
    Non of which wants to part with a nickel of their fortunes.
    However I believe their days may be numbered, a simple change of the tax laws could quite easily change that, except how does one change attitudes that they will benefit from, following a hundred years of right wing propaganda.
    Which is actually inevitable and we can I hope depend on their happening, though there will be a lotta road blocks set by the wealthy, but an educated electorate is the answer.

    t

    i

    i

  36. Well of course it has it’s effect, however I doubt it played much of a role following Uncle Joe’s great results with his wipe-out win in NC.
    Thanks Ladies may you live long enough to regret it !

    And no doubt resulting from the urging of Obama.

    Then there was the unintended but inevitable positions taken by both Bernie and Warren in regards to a platform, plus it being their last opportunity, age-wise.

    I believe it was Bernies last opportunity to introduce the changes that would have appeared impossible ten or more years ago, but now seem inevitable and could become as part and parcel of the Democratic Party’s platform .

    The Dems. will eventually select Biden, but hopefully they can convince him to enact or attempt to change to a Universal health program and i can recall a time when many colleges were free and being third level education in to-days world is a must then this is an opportunity for Joe
    to earn himself a place in US history.

    No it’s my sons point of view that Bernie was more concerned in getting at least one of his desired bills pass, either health care or education, and was satisfied to continue his work within the senate as usual.

    And oh ! I see your shadow (a perfect description) PM, has been found out and is heading for the back benches where he belongs)
    Possibly the most ineffective Labour leader ever.

  37. I was going to mention Obama because I’d noticed that he’d stuck the boot in at a crucial time.

    You seem remarkably optimistic for someone who is usually so grumpy and cynical – I don’t really share your optimism.

    Do you mean Jeremy Corbyn or Keir Starmer? Although he lost two elections, Corbyn did actually manage to fight them unlike Sanders, who couldn’t even get himself nominated. Also, he actually had a remarkable record in opposing the Government as he inflicted more defeats on them than anyone else.

    As for Keir Starmer, he’s been busy with something far more important than this virus thing, trying to keep Corbyn hating Zionist groups happy with promises that will be a further catastrophe for the Labour Party if he tries to keep them. They want him to expel the 100,000s of members who supported Jeremy Corbyn, expel the ‘anti semitic’ Momentum (which is led by a Jew) and have a right to dictate policy among other things. Most of the Corbynists are out of the shadow cabinet and have been replaced by slime such as Wes Streeting. Meanwhile, Corbyn supporting Labour members are meekly surrendering and walking away in their droves since Corbyn has stepped down as leader and the new order have made their intentions clear

    Although he was a bit like a bumbling vicar, Jeremy Corbyn has a certain kind of authentic charm but Starmer’s a robot like Theresa May. Though I’ve never met Keir Starmer, I have been lucky, or unlucky enough to meet some top notch barristers like him during my 90s political phase, including the great Michael Mansfield. They were all highly eloquent and persuasive, they should be as that is their job. Starmer, however, has all the eloquence and charisma of a ‘Speak Your Weight’ machine.

  38. Nah ! not over optimistic, just don’t care anymore, but these are exceptional times, which if I’m right will produce exceptional changes.
    Whatever they are,
    So ! you gotta new Tony Blaire, young dynamic and whoever his parents were to lay a name like Kier on a future Labour Party member is a bit much.
    Not sure don’t know about the new shadow PM, though he couldn’t be any less successful than his predecessor, could he ?
    And yeah there is a certain air of expectations, changes, we herein the US are about to spend at least four more years with Biden, though he has promised to chose a woman as a running mate , hopefully a smart woman, being she could inherit the job.
    Don’t expect too much from Biden, as a matter of fact most Vice Presidents are simply the presidential insurance policy.
    and Joe is not the brightest light on the tree, so it should be hopefully a quiet uneventful four years. which following this pandemic is what we need, before events overtake us.
    Well still in the belly of the virus beast, it’s gonna be a struggle, people are depressed, though those on the frontline are courageous and deserve better, as do a public, still scrambling for protective clothing fugedaboud a test or to even be assured of what’s expected in regard to so many things.
    With a federal government that is a day late but not a dollar short, they just borrowed something like six trillion bucks four covering attached bills and two that no one is sure is going where/. Guess !

  39. Chuck, Starmer’s more like a new Ed Miliband than a new Tony Blair for the reasons I mentioned in the previous comment.

    Don’t worry, I wasn’t expecting anything from Biden, I don’t like ‘Creepy Joe’ at all. There’s something very disturbing about him, especially the way he behaves with children. To borrow the words of ‘South Park’ for a moment, it’s going to be another quadrennial choice between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.

  40. Starmer ??????
    Who the hell is He ?
    Looks like the age of selecting a PM [shadow or otherwise} has passed.
    what with creep’s like Cameron, and Boris, not to mention May who couldn’t pass anything but wind,
    Same thing here, with “uncle Joe” leading the pack.
    At least we can rely on Joe to not introduce anything controversial, he’s just not that bright, even though it’s inevitable that following the virus, there will be a good number of things that will need changing.
    As for Starmer, could be a long wait before he gets a shot and by then he would be well known and possibly no ones choice.
    There is no doubt following this pestilence, It’s cost and the Brexit negotiations on trade, that a debillitated Boris will have his work cut out.
    As for the US as long as Joe doesn’t enact anything too controversial we should be fairly safe and through their introduction by both Bernie and Eliz. Warren , there may be enough votes to enact either “Healthcare for all”or “free Third Level Education” or both which is long overdue.

    r

  41. It’s all kicking off in the Labour Party again with the leaking of a new report about how the right of the party constantly tried to sabotage Corbyn and the left, especially with the allegations of anti semitism. They also deliberately tried to lose the 2017 election. Some of the stuff is absolutely vile and there’s around 850 pages of it.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-leak-report-corbyn-election-whatsapp-antisemitism-tories-yougov-poll-a9462456.html

  42. Wow !
    just read where a young (a political page) woman claims Sen.j. Biden groped her on the basement of one of the capitals buildings,
    And yes this could eventually blow any chance of his nomination,
    The Dems will have to really be carefull during the assembly and ascertain the damage that this can create, and could end up switching contenders,
    Just shows the arrogance of certain politicians , who believe because of their exalted positions they are given free reign to do whatever they want, including groping young women .

    has charged “Uncle Joe”with a sexually groping and

  43. Chuck, I’m still wowing over that Labour report, I downloaded the whole 860 pages.

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/tm7v8flj6de6hg9/The%20Work%20of%20the%20Labour%20Party%27s%20Governance%20and%20Legal%20Unit%20in%20relation%20to%20antisemitism%202014-2019.pdf?dl=0

    All the things I’ve seen Biden doing were done right in front of the TV cameras when when he knew that he was being filmed. I don’t know about this latest allegation if it’s new but if I was a woman or a child, I certainly wouldn’t want to be behind closed doors with him.

  44. Three news items
    Relaxing lockdown?
    Newcastle takeover nearer than ever?
    Fifty million pints of beer and cider to be dumped if pubs don’t open?
    “Put them all together and that some party”!!!

  45. Nutmag, sorry to sound a bit grumpy but as much as I dislike Ashley, I certainly won’t be partying over the takeover, even if there was fifty million pints of free beer! I have joked several times in the past that knowing our luck, if we finally get rid of Ashley, it would only be for someone even worse like Kim Jong Un, Bashar al Assad or Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, and it looks like it is finally coming to pass.

  46. Yeah Worky I know how you feel. This is why I have finally given up and am leaving
    once this damned virus thing will let me. One last adventure beckons and I can’t wait!
    I know too well the problems are not just national but global, but I have no faith in this country its leader or its people that put him there. I feel I’ve done my bit Starting with a childhood in the war, serving and nearly dying in the forces, seeing my old communities destroyed by Thatcher in the miners strike and brexit.
    Just for the record have a look on line at 89 Field Survey RE High Ridge Nairobi.
    This is what Chuck termed a map reading course !!!

  47. Nutmag
    C’mon man, I didn’t call anything a map reading course, I just don’t have the wit for something like that !
    And by the way when do you intend to leave, wait a minute it actually doesn’t really matter, being as long as you have a computer you could just as well be in the NE, which means you could still contribute, perhaps telling us how things work out, a kinda guide to any others contemplating such a move, I certainly would be interested.
    Though if I survive this plague I think I will stay where I am.
    And oh ! perhaps you could become a fan of the Aussie club The Newcastle whatever, nah ! if one can get NUFC via telly then you should have no problem, especially if owned by the Saudis,
    hell you may miss a renaissance at St. James’ with the Saudi’s outspending everyone, after all that’s what makes the world go around
    init !

  48. Nutmag, I found a couple of links just putting what you typed in, then I found more when I used a few different search terms. I’ll have a good look later on.

    I’ve been busy reading that Labour report, it is really sick what they were doing, the story below about Diana Abbott is just a tiny part of it. When the incident in the story below happened, she was getting more death threats and abusive e.mails than the rest of the Labour party combined (including Jeremy Corbyn) so she’d informed the Police, was very upset and was crying in the lavatories of the HOC. When she was spotted, her fellow Labour members mocked her on ‘WhatsApp’ and informed BBC muckraker, Michael Crick, where she was so he could hound her with a microphone when she came out.

    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/h-long-250-spiteful-misogynistic-bullying-diane-abbott-and-left-wing-staff-laid-out-internal

    They also deliberately delayed anti semitism cases to make Jeremy Corbyn look bad among other things.

  49. Chuck, Oh yes you did Comment 79 on the thread posted on October 8th. Very old I maybe but the memory is still up to scratch.
    As for N.u.f.c. I’m done with them really! it was hard but like the cigars worth it.
    Now I can’t wait to get started on what will most probably be the last chapter on my life’s adventure. (If this bloody virus doesn’t gets me first) and its got me on hold at the moment.
    Worky I think we are on the same page where Corbyn and the real labour party are concerned. For the dirty tricks brigade and the media its so easy to feed the gullible
    Add brexit and the scots he stood no chance. Something else I’m quitting good luck
    the future looks very grim.

  50. Nutmag
    Actually I wasn’t sure I had made such a comment and I apologise but
    I guess I will have to re-evaluate my choice of words in future, it’s not easy to add a bit of wit, without it becoming obvious, which is what I sometimes attempt.

    And I think it’s quite brave, you setting off to live in a country you have never even visited, though some may disagree.
    But as I mentioned, as long as you have a computer you are no further away than your key-board.

    And do let us (the Blog) know how things work out, though it’s my understanding the Aussie’s have made immigrating more difficult, especially for those around our age, but what the hell we survived much more than most, which leads me to believe you can take anything the Aussie; can throw at you.

    actually

  51. Nutmag, I’ve started looking at some of that stuff about 89 Field Survey and it has been quite educational. One map related thing I did know about Kenya is that being in Central Africa, it is one of the countries which is actually the size it should be on a Mercator projection map of the world. Even though Africa is roughly the size it should be on a world map, it is still much bigger than we think because the size of North America, Europe and northern Asia is hugely exaggerated. Getting back to the point though, I read a couple of accounts but they were quite short, I’ve seen quite a few pictures of sweaty white men holding theodolites though. I will keep trying!

  52. Worky
    I suppose with the present pandemic constantly on ones mind, most other subjects (with the exception of the approaching sale of NUFC)
    having been overtaken, such as the the naming of a new shadow PM and the demotion of Jeremy back to where he emerged from, the back benches,
    I suppose he will be better off there being he was possibly the worst at what he was appointed to do, the job of leadership of a party in disarray.
    Of course the party was split between Marxists and older lefties versus the Neo-Blairites, who entrapped him with an anti-semitic falsehood, the man was no anti semite, but a anti-zionist as far as I can tell this was enough to get him canned, No doubt he will be happier back in the role as a back-bench sniper, as Bernie over here will be satisfied to continue as a Socialist Senator from Vermont.
    Neither one was an ideal candidate, for the roles as leader, but have brought about a number of changes , previously considered too liberal, like Healthcare and free third level education, well Bernie has, I can’t remember anything proposed by Jeremy, but I’m sure he had something to offer.
    As for the fact that our dearly beloved owner is about to sell NUFC to the Saudi Royal house, has upset those who are against the present uneven war against the Saudi’s Arab neighbors to the south using modern day military equipment bought from their anglo Saxon patrons the USA and UK..
    Yep ! with both countries now boasting a know nowt couple of leaders , one dumb enough to catch the virus, the other using the media (tv) to lay a lotta numbers and thoughts that mean nothing on us, it’s just insane !

    h
    .

    i

  53. Some time ago on here, I recounted the story of Barack Obama at a ‘stag do’ in Hertfordshire when he was just a humble lawyer or something like that and how, as soon as the stripper arrived, he ran off like Speedy Gonzales because even though he was only a lawyer from Chicago, he felt he was destined for the heights and he never forgot that for a second. Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders weren’t like that when they were younger men. I’m not talking about strippers any more of course, I’m talking about meeting controversial characters at demos and stuff like that.

    To be more precise, Jeremy Corbyn was a leader of a major party (ie someone who might have become Prime Minister) who wanted to recognise Palestine as a proper state and that is the ultimate sin as far as Israel is concerned, that merits the full treatment with all guns blazing.

    As for the Saudis, Yemen is just a part of it.

  54. Well, unless “Uncle Joe” doesn’t get the nod as The Candidate of the Dems.( the groping question remains to be resolved) it also appears to be the end of the line for the world’s self professed greatest ” Deal Maker” , as I’m sure there are any number of Republicans who having watched his recent act’s , now realize they voted for an uneducated idiot, full of nothing but self praise .
    Of course there are still those of the Solid south, which consist of what was once The Deep South, a group of ex slave owning states who have a few social problems with their neighbors.
    It’s strange really as the now solid south switched from Democrat to Republican as soon as the civil Rights program was introduced, in the mid 60’s, it was known as its name indicated being Lincoln was a Republican.
    However if Trump keeps on holding “self praise tv commentary” each day,

    he is bound to lose votes and of course uncle Joe will do the same by staying out of the public eye being he too has the ability to make his supporters wince .
    No I’m afraid November could be a difficult time for most voters, two candidates that are actually no ones choice, vying for a job that neither
    one is qualified for,
    As for your side of the pond, we present Boris the Uncombed vs Starmer the Unknown, that’s Kier Starmer, named after one of the founding fathers of the Labour Party.
    Of course barring any f**k ups that’s five years down the road and hopefully by then Labour could field someone with a set of cojones and a presence, because they presently don’t look like a party that could manage anything other than a good bowel movement.
    I know I sound contemptuous of most political parties, but face it the actions of those in and out of power has left a lot to desire in both countries.

  55. I think finally we are getting rid of Ashley, as this buy-out looks more likely due to Ashleys present need of some hard cash in order to hang onto some of his big box stores, (has this guy never heard of Amazon) ? he would be better off keeping NUFC business-wise.
    Of course the fans will be looking forward to winning some silverware thinking unrestricted fees for top players is only a season away.
    Also rumored is the return of Benitez, or someone with a big rep.
    Not really sorry to lose our present manager, he will be better off managing a lower division side, being he is not good enough for the EPL.
    I also think giving Beitez free rein to run the club would be a good idea and perhaps buying Gateshead, which could be a feeder club for NUFC
    A completely revamped club, who could be competitive but built slowly being we don’t need to win the European championship next year, perhaps the year after would be ok though ?
    Nah ! joking, yes I’m sure the club will do well, but doubt it will become a second Man. City, but as long as it’s a competitive side and remains as a PL contender, that’s good enough for me, though I feel a bit uneasy having three owners, as Stavely and the Bro’s. might not be on the same page as the Saudi’s.

    i

  56. Chuck, There you go again ” jumping to confusions” I have been to Aus on more than one occasion. I even turned down a job there way back in the 60s because it was in Sydney and I’m really not a city dweller. I have lots of family and friends out there already so its not really a giant leap into the unknown.
    Typical if Ashley does get his wallet around the Saudi money and shuffles off its at a time when there can be no street parties and the pubs are closed!
    Worky Yes there isn’t much on line about the work we did at 89 Field, but the pictures give a clue to it being a real job that we were doing and not just playing soldiers as Chuck suggested.

  57. Chuck, I know all about Trump but even so, if I was an American, I still wouldn’t be able to vote for someone like Joe Biden. As I’ve said before, he gives me the creeps. He has this move where he puts both of his big hands on a little girl’s shoulders, then pulls her against him, seemingly rubbing himself against her. He’s loves stroking their hair as well. Surely it’s highly inappropriate to treat the children of strangers like that over there, just as it is over here?

    As for Trump, so many people have said he should be locked up by now and no one could ever vote for after this or that but of course, he’s still there and the shit kickers still love him.

    Boris Johnson deliberately messes his hair up, and his person in general before he goes in front of cameras, that’s his showbiz image like Charlie Chaplain with his little Tramp.

    If a lot of people who voted for Starmer knew what they know now, they probably wouldn’t have voted for him and the leadership election would have been much closer, though to be honest, his biggest rival, Rebecca Long-Bailey, wasn’t really up to snuff. She was supposed to be the ‘Carry on Corbyn’ candidate but a lot of Corbyn fans strayed to Starmer. When he was elected though, his Shadow Cabinet appointments were mostly a ‘fuck you’ to the left wing of the party. They were mugged. As to what he’s stepped into, it’s like when George W. Bush declared ‘Mission Accomplished’ in the Iraq War and he thought it was all sorted, then the insurgency broke out and the real war started.

  58. Nutmag
    had I known you were so sensitive I wouldn’t have ribbed you, I don’t recall you ever stating you were a world traveler and had visited Sydney in the 60’s, though I believe Australia and most other places have changed quite a lot during the fifty-odd tears between then and now.
    Ah well ! best of luck anyway !

    Worky
    When it’s a case of getting rid of this idiot the shit-kickers backed, I would rather vote for Attila the Hun, or at this stage even Hillary Clinton.

    .And yeah, I know about Boris and his hair, who is about to lead the UK to the promised Land of Brexit, just where do these ex Eton boys get their idea’s from ?
    “To much telly” I suppose, was the usual answer, but I would say a distinctive lack of any competition, as it appears when watching parliamentary question time there seems to be a distinctive lack of common sense, though I do understand it’s also meant to have a certain comedic effect, and to make points one has to employ both if one has the wit, actually I found Blair was particularly good at, scoring points constantly, which everyone got immediately.
    I will give you my opinion of Starmer once I hear him speak, hopefully he will resound more than Jeremy, who given all of the opportunities to constantly make points against both Tory opposition leaders (and they do count) blew it !

    It appears to me Labour is it’s own worst enemy, the success of New Labour has created a division between the Socialist and old time Marxist vs the Neo- Blairite’s, a party divided.
    Of course it’s only to be expected that political parties change direction, according to the times, but it appears Labour since the de-industrial era
    has changed radically, even though there is still a Durham Miners Gala with bands and banners, it will be forgotten in another twenty years or so and what will be the Labour Party platform , and who will Labour consist of, being most skilled jobs are better performed by machines .
    though I’m sure there will be immense changes, which could see a continual break-away from labour much like those who joined The Liberal’s over the decades, unless Labour enters the twenty first century
    as a Party United, otherwise they will be “The Party of The Loyal Opposition” forever.

    liberal
    ,

    t

  59. Chuck, Starmer sounds like his sinuses are playing up a bit and he’s a boring speaker for a barrister. He never says much that’s interesting. Then again I never heard anything interesting from Tony Blair either, his speeches were highly formulaic, shallow and riddled with cliches. Starmer always seems to have the look of a worried man too, like he thinks he’s left the oven on at home, or he’s forgotten to leave some food out for the cat. It’s the right wing and their sense of entitlement that has always been the bane of the Labour Party. Even back in 1945 when a fairly left wing Clement Attlee was still basking in the afterglow of a huge election victory over Churchill, Peter Mandleson’s grandfather, Herbert Morrison, tried to stage a coup to overthrow him and claim the party for the right. They never give up if they’re not in control, they are despicable.

    You can’t just generalise like that, about public schools or whatever. Sometimes they can be very tough. I used to find that a Public School education came in very handy dealing with coppers when I used to have to worry about them in the 80s and 90s. Turn on the old upper middle class charm and they become far more malleble.

  60. worky
    Yes, I agree on Biden, however with reservations, yeah he could be a diddler and the accusation of actually groping a Washington Page { a female in case any one is interested } which is yet to be explained or investigated, however I don’t see much action in that regard.
    At this stage in the election process (where Elizabeth Warren has indicated she would accept a VP role) and Uncle Joe has stated the VP would be a female, that indicates the Dems. have a decent shot at winning.
    As for Bernie ? I believe he will be more than satisfied of he can get a bill to create a national health system passed. {medicare for all}( and a Free third level education, one would be good two excellent, this is why both former competitors are retaining their votes so far, so they can put pressure on the Democratic Party at the convention, gedit !
    I can live with Joe, hoping he will become involved in the two bills that need to be passed, which won’t come easy considering the damage that {Covid19} is going to cost economically .
    So what I’m saying is this, better to have Joe with both Bernie a Liz pushing hard for the described bills, which will take some arm twisting , something not exactly unknown to Joe and let them be the appropriate
    senators for Vermomy and Mass..
    That’s why I may sound a bit relaxed about how things are working out.

    t

    [

  61. /So Worky, are you saying you are upper middle class or that the
    School you attended gave you the ability to imitate an upper class accent, ?
    When I lived on London during the late seventies, I used to talk to a guy who came to my local and for some reason found his accent somehow
    familiar
    Then I figured out it wasn’t actually his accent but the cadence of his accent that was familiar, being it came from the North East.
    when I enquired as to what part of the North East he was from, he denied he was from there, which amused me to no end and I never saw the guy again, I often think about that, the UK and other countries who although they speak basically the same language vary in pronunciation and cadence .
    I guess that’s a result of people remaining close to where they were born, and which applies to most countries, something to remember when learning a new language if you want to speak it properly or with a pleasant .accent

    something to remember for

    s

  62. Chuck, my mother grew up in a bus and hardly ever went to school, so she wanted to send my siblings and I to fancy schools to have what she never had. I don’t sound like a Geordie but I can if I want to, which is very hard for people to do properly if they weren’t brought up with it. My Brother went to Durham School but he sounded like he was from Benwell or Elswick when he was older.

  63. Well still hard to find personal thermometers, masks and very little of the
    personal hand washes, tests for the virus that our dauntless (but ignorant) leader stated were available , fugdaboudit !!!
    Lies and bullshit is all that’s offered add a lot of ignorance and a new tack, a possible enforced halt of the isolation process, in favor of business as usual, though no explanation as to how we can get rid of the virus without either a plan or keeping this isolation policy going.
    And here I am right in the center of the worlds most infected city.
    The only ones to get tests are of course vips but as long as the virus is still a pandemic, those who tested negative are still subject to becoming
    infected
    I believe our dear leader, has completely lost it, he no longer looks healthy and instead of walking, tends to lumber and still has him muttering god knows what, taking time away from any serious attempt to inform the public, so ignorance reigns, especially via the Fox Network.
    Ah well we will survive with or without Trump and if he does attempt to open NYC for business, it would be considered ironic for him to be among those who catch it,

    t
    And we will soon be entering May , four or more months where little has been accomplished, other than portraying The Donald and the Republican Party, as a set of

  64. Cont.
    fools who only defend both their actions or lack of action, mostly the latter,
    Having isolated myself and amused myself via tv, on line and doing a bit of reading, to then listen to Trump’s muttering and VP Spence defending him it’s a madhouse .
    And I’m not exaggerating, if either one of these guys catches their tv moments, neither one would make another broadcast, as they are almost as toxic as the Pandemic itself.
    Unfortunately this is not gonna happen, with Trump, {who it’s claimed has never read the US Constitution}, yet asserts the claim he is the last word when challenged about any issued of authority such as opening the country to trade.
    Only to be challenged by a number of East Coast State Governors, who have openly stated they will open their particular states for business whenever the virus has come under control.
    i certainly condemn the current government for their lack of preparation
    and poor handling of matters and then openly claiming successes, mostly lies however, and if you haven’t figured by now that Trump is a consumate liar and has little knowledge of his responsibilities, bit like Boris actually.
    Neither one aware of how or even what to do, a disgrace and another
    repetition of boom and bust capitalism, next being the fact who will pay for the costs of all this, you can bet your ass tt’s gonna be the guy you see in the mirror every day.
    Ah well, when will the electorate wise up and vote for the party that will act on their behalf ?

  65. Trump no longer looks healthy? Well he didn’t exactly look like an Olympic athlete before all this fuss and bother started, and it’s not as if he’s only just become a ridiculous megalomaniac who is constantly going into absurd and offensive rambles. He ‘completely lost it’ well before he was elected.

    Masks have disadvantages as well as advantages. When you wear a mask you can’t stop fiddling around with it so you are touching your face with your hands far more, which is bad. Best thing is not to go out but if you do, keep two metres away from people, keep your mouth shut, don’t touch your face and always wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds as soon as you get back home.

  66. Well making any choice is a gamble at best, but it appears the Dems.,
    are open to change while the Republicans are hard core conservative, expressing a need for small government and less spending.
    And repeatedly call the Dems as tax and spend liberals.
    Fact is sometimes it’s the other way around, being both parties are a reflection of the other, consisting of the same mixture of liberals and conservatives,
    Purposely designed to confuse the electorate.
    I have noticed a similarity within your political system, where the lines drawn are confusing.
    I recall a time in the UK, when people knew instinctively which party best represented their interests, however the lines are becoming confused.
    As in the day there was no confusing the electorate, that is until New Labour appeared, presenting itself as a more modern and up to date version, which allowed those who voted for Labour to proclaim they voted as middle class (being the term Working class was past, after all Maggie did her best to eliminate industry, it being replaced by a service industry,
    But fact is the Torys represent everyone from the Royals to the middle class and ;reasonably wealthy, whereas there is confusion within the Labour Party, being the old lines between the working class and middle class has become confused.
    Brexit is an example, though we cannot exclude, a certain amount of racism.
    But the Fact a candidate on the Democratic ticket , in fact a socialist (in the US read Commie) almost won the nod in 2016 and was leading the race until the African American ladies of N. Carolina saved Joe’s ass.
    However the groping charges against Uncle Joe have to be got to be investigated and it could change the whole situation at the democratic convention.
    However its understandable that those outside the US may be confused as to which party represent whoever.
    Actually the election has been and again will be decided by a small number of states , that may swing vote between the red and the blue, but the ignorance of the electorate remains the same .

  67. Chuck, it’s called ‘guided democracy‘ and whomever you elect, Capital wins. Read Walter Lippman and Ed Bernays.

    When I was around 5 years old in 1969, the big newspaper was the Labour backing Daily Mirror, it was a very good newspaper as well with some exceptional journalists, not writing for the elite like the Times but for the ordinary man or woman. It was coming to the end of the ‘swinging sixties’ and our first modern Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, was still in power. The Daily Mirror also had another newspaper it didn’t really know what to do with called ‘the Sun,’ so they sold it to an Australian fellow called Rupert Murdoch. In hindsight, it proved to be a bit of a disaster, both for them and for the standard of political discourse in the UK. Under Murdoch, they also did a lot to ‘blur the lines’ as you put it. I beleive he does a lot of it over there nowadays with a TV channel called ‘Fox News’.

    More recently, after a slow start, the right wing finally discovered how to use the Internet, helped along by a few hostile governments trying to stir up the pot, ie Israel, Russia, China etc, whose main goals are to spread confusion and division. It is easier to lie to people who are confused and don’t know what is real any more.

    Forgetting about individuals for a moment, there are material considerations and there are social considerations. I won’t speak for the US, you’re the one who lives there after all but in the UK, whilst many of the old Labour voters would go for the material considerations such as nationalisation of some industries, increased funding of the NHS etc, the social considerations are a different matter though. The old Labour voters in the towns (not the cities) up north, what you would probably call ‘blue collar’, are from a different age when it comes to things like Transexual inclusiveness, immigration, multiculturalism and that sort of thing. On those issues there is a fracture between younger and also more ‘ethnic’ Labour voters in the cities and the older labour voters in godforsaken towns. Labour are torn between two voter bases.

    Getting back to individuals, you can compare Clement Attlee with Jeremy Corbyn and find a similar fracture. On issues such as nationalisation of the means of production, the NHS etc, they are very similar; however on issues such as defence they can be very different. Attlee was ex Army, he started the development of the British bomb and spent a fortune on defence relative to GDP. The old Labour voters like that sort of thing but the newer ones don’t.

  68. Worky i
    Very interesting, yes I have to admit I no longer have a handle on UK polititics , certainly I was very surprised with the results of both Brexit’s a form of (pure democracy) which I sometimes just don’t get, and believe should be only used in a case of extremis.
    And sure I remember the “Daily Mirror” of the late forties, a somewhat decent paper for a Labour/ liberal Tabloid . ‘
    I was unaware that Attlee was ex Army, going to find a decent biography as anyone who created or attempted to create an economy based on state owned production and controll, from what was a broke Empire who’s fortunes were in decline and retained not a “bicycle monarchy “, but one that frequently interfered with state decisions, not exactly the case to-day, but don’t dismiss the power they can still wield.
    Yes there’s no way a guy like Attlee could get elected nowadays, being he looked like a timid soul and had to deal with possibly the strongest
    cabinet of the twentieth century.
    I recall a documentary concerning the creation of The National Health Service where when questioned as to how they managed to win over the then

    “Doctors association, the BMA, his reply was, “we stuffed their mouths with gold” which I believe was stated by Bevan.

    And if you are in any way comparing that particular PM and cabinet to the most recent one, there is no comparison.

    Of course different times and following The Soviets attempt to covert everyone to communism as they called it, giving a bad name to socialism ever since.

    though both stem from all power to the people and a rejection of Capitalism as a failed system.
    Who knows where we will be politically in another fifty years, but the way things are going economically, combined with my age only makes it a couldn’t care less situation,
    I just don’t understand the logic of to-days electorate, if ignorance were music, to-days electorate would be a Brass Band.
    Of course those who managed to avoid paying death taxes during the early post war years, by tucking their fortunes in various banking systems generated by city of Londons best finaglers, in those ex colonies, which are still in heavy use to=day, avoiding the taxes for the wealthy.
    Ah Well. !

    how

    I recall a documentary where

    I

    uI

  69. Soh !
    Looks like the deal is almost done, something I find a bit difficult to digest and although many are disgusted that we, the fans of NUFC have appeared to embrace the change in ownership, my advice is don’t be too sure this is in the best interest’s of both fans and club.

    Sure it’s interesting to hear we NUFC are the wealthiest club in the world, yes that’s what is being stated by many, better to live within the stated Bank Balance of our owner and although the monies concerned are large, the prince himself, is worth a mere seven billion and change, More than enough to operate any football club, meaning fans of other clubs couldn’t constantly state following any success, with a continual”yeah but you are the richest club in the world ” aincha !
    Fact is all that was needed was an owner who enjoyed football (including winning) and could be competitive in the top division and in a chase for silverware, being the club has had little in the way of success
    over the last few decades other than managing to avoid relegation .

  70. Came across a statement from Arturo Vidal a 32 year old . presently playing in Spain. who stated he would be wiling to sign for
    NUFC if it includes a job for his present manager Max Allegri.
    Just where the hell does an over the hill Chilian get the cojones to offer such a deal, just tell the guy to F**k off, that he’s not really wanted, this is the shit we are going to see on line and in the press from now on, yes sir, we are gonna hear from clubs that purposely ignored us until the windfall Saudi bid, now they are all over us , like a badly fitting overcoat, even before the deal has past muster.
    .

    ju

    just where does a

  71. Certainly this deal is long overdue , it must be a form of torture dealing with our present owner, that plus the fact we have heard it all before and as I speak, the deal is still not done.
    Of course Ashley has made money I would say from most seasons, attempting differing strategies, I certainly thought the season they signed Sissoko along with some decent French and Dutch players, all destined for sell on once relegation was avoided.
    Unfortunately he needs to cover certain real estate deals, does the guy ever read a newspaper, apparently not, where The old “Big Box” stores like Sears are and have been losing money for years. but could do little about it being they were still tied to an older catalogue type combined with big box stores type of business, whereas Amazon can display the merchandise on line and have it at your door, in a matter of hours, well perhaps it doesn’t matter when you are selling junk.
    As for the negatives The Saudi’s don’t exactly appeal to many, though in polls those pleased to have money to spend are in the majority,
    Sure it would be nice to have the purchasing power from an owner with a personal fortune of over seven billion, gizuni’s which would put NUFC in the “cat bird seat “and have bragging rights. which in a way indicates the club are one of the last of the old top clubs remaining, that’s available.
    Who knows perhaps Newcastle and Jedda could become twin cities and it certainly will be of interest to South Shields long established Muslim community, oh sorry! they may be Huti’s and getting strafed on a daily basis by the Saudis,
    Ah well !
    Let me know when the club is among the worlds richest.

    O f course we (the club) will give Steve a shot at the job ! Yeah sure, he will be gone come the start of next years league and who cares we are considered pretty safe as of now and does the fact he’s a Geordie makes any difference, Nah !, the want only winners, probably becoming as popular as Man. U.

    I believe rumors of Dabizas returning to possibly the link between the owners and the manager, whatever Apparently having done a good job for a premier greek side.

    I suppose there will be massive changes and not before time, poor top management has always been a problem, being Ashley wanted no interference, he being a control freak.

    Soh ! who will go and who will stay, actually I don’t give a rats ass, none of them in fact are that good, unless you count the Slovene goalie.

    So lets hear who everyone wants (nobody over twenty seven), unless its
    Messie of course and sure it’s actually a good idea to have a mixture of different aged players,
    Just have a bit of patience as one sees the transition between a constant relegation bound club, to a championship side eventually.

    so

    y

  72. Chuck, you may say that dealing with Ashley is ‘torture’ but, I think you’ll find that it’s our potential new owners who do actually torture people in the literal sense of the word. It’s going to be like a dark stain. Amnesty International are involved now.

    I only ever used Sports Direct once many years ago and I’ve never used them again so I’m no expert but I think they get a lot of complaints about the website, then again, I think the shops get lots of complaints too but people still shop there because they think they’re getting bargains.

  73. I recall Sports Direct better known as Ashleys cheap-ass store filled with
    inexpensive crap, that has barely remembered, but top name brand tags sewn inside.
    I was shopping for a pair of jeans recently (and refuse to pay more than
    $14:00

    Yeah ! I was shopping recently for some Blue Jeans and know which brand and where I can find them, (in K-Mart) a cheapo store.
    And while browsing came across some really crap shirts and t-shirts, which all displayed that old English brand name Slazenger , which immediately rang a bell, apparently Ashley has not been wasting his time during his visits here, not buying up leftover box stores, but selling directly to those still in business..
    Not that I give a damn, but the US markets are a tough nut to crack.
    I guess he changed his mind about buying up a cheap chain of stores nation-wide, which had been mentioned.
    As I believe him (Ashley) to be pretty ruthless as far as business is concerned, but I hope this may be the last time I ever mention him.
    Is it really over ten years since he suddenly appeared on the scene and is there anything in the contract that allows him to use the club in any way that he could profit from, I wonder.
    I suppose this is the last of the old first division regular clubs to finally
    find ownership where money is no problem, though I don’t really care for all the rule changes and introduction of Continental and South American values, give me a bit of good old physicality and rules like the offside rule, which has been changed so many times and still remains
    subjective to whoever makes the call.
    There was a time where the ethos of the game , refused to accept diving shirt tugging, and a host of other obvious fouling, whereas to-day it’s perfectly acceptable as long as you get away with it, instead of accepting the attitudes of incomers to a game that was introduced to the world by the UK., a question arises , was it primarily Scottish or English, as the Scot’s apparently dominated the game for the first decade.

    Another question arises, is there enough room available for expansion, if not where are all the extra fans gonna go ?
    Probably Ashley has sold everything he can that’s not nailed down, and can leave following over a decade of ownership, if he is as smart as he thinks he is , he had better accept the offer and get to f**k outta town
    before the Saudi’s change their minds.

    Should be a better time for NUFC fans and blogs as the differing opinions are many, plus I understand everyone can do a better job as manager than whoever get’s anointed and it’s about time these loyal fans were given something they will certainly relish at the beginning of a season, other than the usual struggle to avoid relegation while playing ten men defending, in ugly style.
    Hell we want a bit of the spectacular and a high scoring center forward
    and apparently there are people who also want a spectacular side and are willing to venture a few quid to get one,
    “Hoooweaah Newcasile” the chant that was received from the fans as the side burst out of the tunnel and started to kick practice balls around, during the fifties and the fans believed the side was capable of beating whoever was scheduled for that weekend.

    And listen, I have tons of Amnesty Int. t-shirts but I just don’t associate UK and other continental and South Americans with any bombings of Yemen, it’s a crime but not one that NUFC and it’s fans bear any guilt about.
    Simply Sportswahing !

    .

    there

    i

  74. Seems interminable, awaiting the official word that the takeover has been completed, though by now it should be simply a matter of making THE statement.
    There appears to be a number of both clubs and pundits out there that feel threatened by this takeover, other clubs some continental , some in the EPL can only feel threatened by having to compete against the richest football club in history and it’s natural they should worry.
    Of course it will take time for the club to rebuild into a top side, possibly give the fans some big names prior to their retirement, which is o’k,
    I mean Rome wan’t built in a day, so enjoy the differences in choices of players and don’t forget we have been starved of any decent players, being they were all sold on for profit during the Ashley reign

    I see where one of our worst managers , Souness has questioned whether top players would be satisfied by having to live in the North-east, he knows better, that as long as they are well paid they will play in hell if necessary.
    Plus I see where Mr Keys has complained the club should be sold to another bidder most of us have never heard of, and I wonder what became of the early top management crowd that were hired and fired over the last decade, a group of kna- nowt con-men looking for a quick buck , with most fans happy if Ashley spent a few bob on players that no-body else wanted, so don’t start with the whining about the Saudis
    and sports washing as they don’t play in the Middle East, they play at St. James’ Park in the EPL.

    O’h we haven’t heard the last of the criticism yet, jealousy and fear drives most, no reason to enquire about Souness, other than to say yes a great midfielder but a sorry-ass manager, who is lucky to survive on his opinions about the game.
    I’m personally happy enough to have this windfall of billions to spend but would be just as happy with a moderately rich owner as long as we
    have a fairly competitive side and can compete.

    However we seem to be destined for bigger and better things and as fans of NUFC, have no fear that no other club can compete with us in regard to Dosh !

  75. It’s weird with Slazenger and Dunlop under Ashley, they used to be good names, I remember John McEnroe with his little Dunlop racket. US Everlast and UK Lonsdale were undoubtedly the top names in boxing gear but they’re both owned by Ashley now and knocking off cheap stuff with the name on.

  76. Yeah ! a wooden racket yet ! not to be confused with Jimmy Connors small headed metal racket , which I tried once, it was tough to even hit the oncoming ball, but if you made good contact drove the ball with more force than any other.
    Which made for a great game, the two opposing styles McEnroe with the soft hands and Jimmy with power, of course that’s when you didn’t
    have to be well over 6ft. tall and have the ability (with new racket technology) to hit the ball with additional force that eliminated one of the most interesting and entertaining parts of play, the rally’s.

    As for football, I believe following the takeover, you guys will be busy, as every Geordie fan will no doubt name his choice’s of both managers and players and considering the dosh behind our prospective owners, no consideration given to. ” how much” !
    From the ridicules to the sublime.
    Ah well ! bout time.

    a

  77. Aye, Jimmy Connors had a ‘Wilson’. I remember a Wimbledon final when McEnroe absolutely crucified Connors in straight sets, as good as he was, it must have been McEnroe’s greatest ever match, he was totally unbeatable on that day. Eventually, Tennis became more of a serve – volley power game and the old wooden rackets became extinct.

  78. Been scanning for news with the same result, no one is talking and face it, there are enough concerned voices from various clubs , who for some reason are adamantly opposed to the Newcastle deal, why? I really can’t explain.
    One would imagine any increase in the number of good sides presently playing in the EPL, would be a plus, but there are also those that have become used to Looking at NUFC as an easy game due to a lack of investment,
    The quality of the EPL, it’s possibly the worlds toughest and only increases the distance between themselves and the other European clubs, each season, That even the BIGgest of European sides are not expected to spend a great deal , the EPL offering bigger pay days in general, supported by enormous TV rights, which in turn increase the number of clubs that can win silverware.
    As recent as a few years ago most EPL clubs were owned by UK citizens, most who were Millionaires, however nowadays many are billionaires, if Ashley with a projected two billion plus quid, considered himself too poor to spend and own an EPL side , then what about the rest,
    I would assume that by now that many or most Championship sides are foreign owned and looking at the results of some of those former Championship League sides recently promoted , have done their homework, buying at a a lower price and spending for good players
    and managers,( with Bielsa himself, thought by many as the worlds most knowledgable Coach) currently running that one time great club,
    Leeds United.
    With most desperate to ensure themselves in a permanent spot in the EPL,
    Yeah it’s still about The Money take for instance Leicester, Wolves and more recently Sheffield Utd., showing the way.
    Of course we the fans have now to listen to what we can do and can’t do, like we are idiot’s, that’s ok and to our critics a hearty f**k off, we intend to work within the structures of the league and if that involves beating their side, so be it, Why ! cause we can.

    i

    i

    ppl would be welcome

  79. Been scanning for news with the same result, no one is talking and face it, there are enough concerned voices from various clubs , who for some reason are adamantly opposed to the Newcastle deal, why? I really can’t explain.
    One would imagine any increase in the number of good sides presently playing in the EPL, would be a plus, but there are also those that have become used to Looking at NUFC as an easy game due to a lack of investment,
    The quality of the EPL, it’s possibly the worlds toughest and only increases the distance between themselves and the other European clubs, each season, That even the BIGgest of European sides are not expected to spend a great deal , the EPL offering bigger pay days in general, supported by enormous TV rights, which in turn increase the number of clubs that can win silverware.
    As recent as a few years ago most EPL clubs were owned by UK citizens, most who were Millionaires, however nowadays many are billionaires, if Ashley with a projected two billion plus quid, considered himself too poor to spend and own an EPL side , then what about the rest,
    I would assume that by now that many or most Championship sides are foreign owned and looking at the results of some of those former Championship League sides recently promoted , have done their homework, buying at a a lower price and spending for good players
    and managers,( with Bielsa himself, thought by many as the worlds most knowledgable Coach) currently running that one time great club,
    Leeds United.
    With most desperate to ensure themselves in a permanent spot in the EPL,
    Yeah it’s still about The Money take for instance Leicester, Wolves and more recently Sheffield Utd., showing the way.
    Of course we the fans have now to listen to what we can do and can’t do, like we are idiot’s, that’s ok and to our critics a hearty f**k off, we intend to work within the structures of the league and if that involves
    beating their side, so be it, why ? because we now have the money to do it, like it or lump it !

    beating their side, so be it, Why ! cause we can.

    i

    i

    ppl would be welcome

  80. Of course if the EPL continues to grow in revenues it could involve those old established top continental clubs, who in turn appear to suffer from smaller crowds and may have to be subsidized by ownership of various kinds.

    Of course that may not be a willing solution, a better way out of this dilemma is that old idea once referred to as the group of 14# or 18#
    meaning a New European league sponsored by the present major clubs of Europe including possibly a majority from England.
    Which could be a better choice for them , like playing in a champions league annually, which if your club were a member would be a no brainer .
    Actually it could involve a split or two separate divisions The old championship top sides vs the best of the rest, which would undoubtedly even out over time . .

    p

  81. I appears there is a certain amount of opposition to the recent attempt by the Saudi’s to buy NUFC, with certain bloggers calling for the government tp step in and ban the sale.
    Are those same people aware that the UK government are possibly the
    main supplier of arms, in the form of missiles, bombs, military aircraft and god knows whatever else kills people in Yemen, a country barely out of the Stone Age, who for whatever reason has allied itself with the Iranians, probably the old reason dating back to seventh century, as to who should succeed Mohammed,
    A struggle that has divided , much like the reformation and counter reformations , that took place within Christianity
    At this day and age it’s amazing the fact these silly notions still exist, never mind fighting wars over such nonsense.
    I suppose the UK is by now pretty much rid itself of christians, other than classifying everyone who has no stated religion at the time of birth as C of E, which is the state religion. though those churches are for the most part empty
    Well before I ramble on, why would the British Government interfere with
    their arms sales to the Saudi’s by banning the sale of a British football club to Saudi ownership, ain’t gonna happen folks. !

    As for everyone attempting to inform us (the NUFC fans) as to what we can or cannot do, acceding to the Fair-Play rulings, yes we get it and truth be known we didn’t necessarily want someone quite as wealthy, Hell any old owner with enough dosh, ro match the top ten sides in the EPL, would have done.

    r islam for thirteen centuries