Newcastle United: Takeover close, Pochettino lined-up, Kane may follow.

62 Responses

1. NO and NO! Dear me with the funds available why on earth look to a manager with no titles or silverware. Harry can stay in London, we can do better.

2. Pochettino for 19M and Benitez for 20M, who do you want ?
   Obviously Benitez still has certain feelings about NOT Newcastle, but Liverpool, on the other hand he has articulated about a rebuilding of NUFC, including training facilities and the youth system, which I consider important noting how many ex Man U.and present players came through their system.
   Face it Benitez was offered a contract he had to refuse, (aint getting any younger )
   Also has never attempted to make the move to Newcastle from his (Liverpool days on the Wirral)
   Anyway Pochetinno is obviously interested in the money, but IMO, has bigger fish to fry elsewhere, sez he will bring Arrry Kane with him, hey keep him ! I dot care for him either and as much as I don’t like Cavani I would prefer him to Kane.
   Plus an in your face claim that he will still live in London, while managing the Toon is a bit arrogant, you may well indicate that Benitez still has his home outside Liverpool, but when coaching on Tyneside remained here.
   Obviously from the drift od my piece it’s natural to assume I prefer Rafa and you would be right, but there are plenty of decent managers outta work and if one showed up, who knows

   Hell I would rather have Bielsa from Leeds than either one and probably for a fraction of what the other two would cost, individually .
   And oh ! just got two confirmations I am clear of any Covid 19, having finally been able to take both a blood test and the nasal swab, so be prepared for more of my rants, which will no doubt be more consistent with watching a winning side than one constantly dodging the drop, and become the new WBA an elevator side extra-ordinary.

3. Chuck, I have moved your comment.

   I asked this earlier but you and Nutmag are both old enough to remember Len White and I was thinking of writing a ‘blog about him. Do either of you have any experiences that you would like to share about him?

4. Worky
   Thanks for the Don Fardon clips I referred to him being a ‘one hit wonder’ as most of his stuff was covers. Still he was a good landlord. I may have said this before but he used to serve a monster mixed grill that if you ate it all you didn’t have to pay for it.
   Can’t say much about Len White as at that time I was ending my apprenticeship and starting my military service. The little I did see of him he appeared to be good but as he was replacing Wor Jackie and didn’t have any star qualities that Toon supporters demand. Speed, strength, the ability to head the ball from great heights, and a cannonball shot. Any one or more of these is what made our number 9s stand out. Len was really good but just lacked that bit of star quality we love. Sorry if that makes him sound like a failure which he wasn’t and at about the same time we had Vic Keeble who was a bit of a clown

5. Aye Nutmag, Don Fardon wasn’t the first to do ‘I’m alive’ either. From the musical side of the music business, the ability to write popular songs is the most important thing, that’s what brings in the royalty cheques every year. Before the days when everything went online, musicians I’ve known who were writers used to get reams full of old fashioned dot matrix prints every year listing every time their song was played on the radio, TV etc around the world along with a small credit for each like a few pennies or cents for each one. I think it was called an MCPS statement. From the other side, my ex girlfriend and I once had the UK PRS (the Performing Rights Society who police such matters in the UK) after us once for non-compliance, but I’m starting to digress now.

   Thanks for your recollections about Len White, I really appreciate it. From what I’ve read, he was often kept out of the centre forward position by players like Jackie Milburn and Vic Keeble, but when he did establish himself there, his scoring rate was phenomenal. His career was ruined by a nasty tackle from a Spurs player and Newcastle were relegated without him. He went on to play for Huddersfield but he was never quite the same as he had been.

6. Worky, White was before my time of course but my father always spoke highly of him. My dad always said that coming out of the shadow of Milburn was always going to be tough and White probably suffered a bit in that respect. He thought Robledo was a little underrated for the same reason.

7. Len White’s Newcastle United goal record in all competitions from getting the no9 shirt until he was badly injured (according to ’11v11′).

   1957-58: 32 games / 25 goals, 1958-59: 32 games / 28 goals, 1960-61: 38 games / 29 goals.

8. Yeah I recall both Len White and VicKeeble, both sizable standard center forwards
   of the time, I would call them decent, but no way a Milburn or Robledo I believe White was good in the air, but I preferred George Robledo, who had accompanied Wor Jackie, in an unusual combination, with Milburn who was not particularly good in the air, doing a fetch and carry role usually subscribed to the inside forwards combined with a poaching role, or could when needed carry the ball like Sissoko, a coast to coast run.
   ,While George being good win the air was usually there for set pieces in the goalmouth .
   Actually I didn’t see a lot of White or Keeble as we left the UK around that time, but I believe white was an effective goal scorer, but no real stories about him.
   There were some good players in the side , with Alf McMichael at left back a solid defender, but in those days full backs seldom crossed the midfield line.
   At insude forward another NI team-mate of McMichael, was George
   Hanna, a twinkle toed provider , but never a goal-scorer, of course Frank Brennan was a rock as the center half, with Jimmy Scoular alongside him at right half, a fire plug of a defensive midfielder who terrorized all and any number of opposition wingers,

   and had been playing for Portsmouth with the Froggart brothers, but so impressed during the cup run the year before, he replaced the then captain Joe Harvey who eventually became manager and brought home the only piece of silverware from the continent. Actually I only saw Harvey not long before his retirement as a player, by then too old and not particularly good.
   My point is we the fans went to St. James’ with the feeling we can beat there guys regardless of who we were about to play

   And that’s what I would like to see to-day with the new money and a willingness to spend some of it, bringing us a top six spot, not another Man. Citeh or another anything other than a decent top six side, is that too much to as for ?

   Oh I could go on, but my favorite player that great left winger Bobby /Mitchell, who served the side well over his eleven years at the club, an entertainer who not only passed defenders with ease but could and would go back and beat him again , just to entertain and who scored a lotta goals and set up more.
   Look they were an afternoons entertainment and regardless of the opposition, were capable of beating any side on any given day with the big earners making around twenty quid a week, which took a lot of one and sixes going through the turnstiles
   Yes sir them was the days.!

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9. Something tells me that White or Keeble, one of the two was originally a right winger, when it came time for Walker to retire, however ones mind intends to contradict the reality of what actually occurred, it being such a long me ago..

10. Chuck, I’ve seen odd bits of Jimmy Scoular’s handiwork on film. He looked very tough, you just had to look at his face to know he was the ‘hatchet man.’ Whatever size he was, I wouldn’t want to meet him down a dark alley. Watching old films of the 1950s cup finals, I noticed that the old law of not being allowed a substitute was a stroke of luck for Newcastle in the ’52 and ’55 finals as Arsenal lost a man in the 52 final and so did Man City in 1955, leaving them with only 10 men for some of the game.

11. Worky
    Scoular looked as hard in his ‘civvies’ as he did in his strip. The team used to have lunch at the ‘County’ where I did my apprenticeship. Scoular always wore a trench coat and old crepe soled shoes. I had an old strip that I managed to get most of them to sign. It is now framed and takes pride of place in my sons place in France. If any Toon player was fouled Scoular always found a way to get even, if we in the crowd knew it I’m sure the other players and ref must have.
    Great times but I left at about that time for foreign shores and didn’t really get back till the early sixties. Before I left I did see us beat Man City for the f.a cup on that new invention ‘Television’ and Milburn scoring a great goal with his ‘head’. The end of an era everything had changed by the time I returned.

12. Aye Nutmag, it was a Len White corner straight on to Milburn’s head in under a minute. I watched it, not the original broadcast though as I hadn’t been born yet. The commentator sounded like ‘Mr. Cholmondley-Warner’ from the Harry Enfield show.

    I heard that the 50s was a big time for television buying for many reasons, I suppose that was one of the biggest nails in the coffin of the fancy picture houses we were discussing earlier.

    Thanks Chuck.

13. Certain clubs present a certain image to fans
    and, of course it’s not always a realistic
    image we see, but one conjured up over years.
    Association Football, great game with a massive audience, the worlds game, a game that only needs a ball, the rest can be set depending on the number of players, two goals for a crowd one for those practicing certain techniques, with children playing constantly until dark. 1950’s England
    Then Tee-vee, ghetto blasters, punks, Goths, and Apples machines, the end of politics and politicians , Boris n’ Donald. Injah n’China.
    ”THE RONA” as it has been renamed by south central LA, with the US out in front again, deaths now topping 100,000. the latest epicenter of the world and if we don’t open business soon there will be ……………………?
    , what to do !
    I can’t get that outta my head, Jackie Milburn as the designated header from a guy, who was renown for his nuttin the ball, though I do remember wor Jackie actually score a diving header, while making one of his few appearances in the England shirt.

14. Chuck, from what I can recall Milburn once said of that goal that a Man City defender was close to him, then ran off saying something like ‘oh bloody hell I’m supposed to be marking Vic Keeble!’ As you correctly say, Keeble was the more recognised of the two for headed goals. Then Milburn added that he was then left standing on his own ‘like Grey’s Monument’ so he headed it in the back of the net. Something like that but i’m not infallible. It was a bloody good corner by Len White though and well spotted.

    The US is a huge country of well over 300 million now so it isn’t a shock that the total deaths are so high, however, in terms of deaths per thousand or whatever, it isn’t the highest, the UK is higher for one. New York is different though, the figures there really are bad so I hope you are still keeping yourself safe over there?

    When Bobby Robson did his version of the ‘They don’t know they’re born nowadays’ speech which is almost obligatory for the wartime generation over here, he said he said that they only had a blown up pig’s bladder from the butcher to play football with when he was a bairn, so you don’t even need a football. More recently, a lot of African lads who hope to made good in the football world have honed their skills with improvised alternatives. You write about things like “ghetto blasters, punks, Goths…” coming along, but they had youth cults back in fifties too, that’s when it started really, ‘Teddy’ boys and that sort of thing, though having some expertees in electronics, I don’t think that 50s valve ghetto blasters would have been a very practical proposition!

15. Worky
    Ah ! just a drunken rant about the times and yes ghetto blasters didn’t arrive on the scene until the sixties, to-day its your ride that has the sound systems, blasting through the neighborhoods at speed.

    And as usual the so called Chronic writers, are when we need them nowhere to be found or spouting the same OLD crap.
    Even Louise at the Guardian refuses to venture a guess as to whats going on with the deal, it aint Khashoggi, it’s all about religious bullshit, Sunnis vs Shia, or Saudi
    vs Quatari one of the gulf states who sponsor opposing religious nonsense, with a bit of competition in regard to showing football games, one legall the other illegall.
    Who have made it difficult for the Saudi’s to complete their deal by claiming those involved (the Saudis) are using piracy (illegal broadcasting without a license)
    or streaming, which is used universally and very few are ever brought to justice concerning the situation, being it is so prevalent.
    What matters here is the fact this is part and parcel of the Saudi Princes , (yeah the one that now runs the country) and is also the most important of the
    present day rulers, who is, as of his taking over about to make Saudi-Arabia into a modern state and has the dosh to do it.
    While the UK, keeps a low profile on it’s arms deals with the Saudis , to then anger this guy who presently is about to spend enormous amounts on making this happen, appears to be stupid and I doubt that fact has escaped the parliament
    And to threaten the future deals between the two Kingdoms
    Is really not the way to go and therefor it’s in the best interests of the British Parliament to not be seen as opposing the sale of a football club, surely a petty affair, to jeopardize
    future interests, gedit !
    Which in my opinion should have happened weeks ago.
    What I am saying is, the UK, which is currently without an EU trade deal and needs as many trading partners as they can get, come Brexit, if in fact they can’t settle on one before the years end,
    No ! I don’t believe that any government can fail to see what is, making a mountain over a molehill, by blocking the simple purchase of a football club and which would be laughable to most realists,
    So don’t worry, being your brilliant Parliamentarians will simply not allow it to happen, for the sane reasons that your fellow Durhamite, the PM”s advisor Cummings , who has admitted to crimes and misdemeanors, is about to go free,
    being Boris has excused him.
    Look as I stated earlier the Parliament is attempting to either pass the buck elsewhere or reach the conclusion that enough time has beed dedicated, without finding any serious crime involved , which the public will then endorse without a whimper.

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16. It’s another ‘only at Newcastle’ situation. Maybe the United Nations will have to be brought in? although they’re usually shite at sorting things out so maybe that isn’t such a good suggestion after all. The Premier League are not an arm of the UK Government, this isn’t the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Queen or Boris Johnson can’t have the Chairman of the Premier League tortured and decapitated. The Premier League, along with rest of football’s governing bodies have been trying to take legal action against beoutQ for a while now and they have been totally snubbed by the Saudi legal system. BeoutQ is at least partly owned by the Saudi government. Basically, they couldn’t have done a better job of aggravating the body they are now depending on for permission to take over, and if the Premier do let the Saudis off the hook, that could kick off an internecine squabble with FIFA, UEFA and a lot of clubs who make between 30 and 80% of their revenue from bradcasting rights. It’s like going to a job interview and expecting a man you punched in the face the night before to give you a job. I’m not saying that the deal definitely won’t go through, but a lot of people are in denial and saying that there isn’t a problem, that it’s all a cockney conspiracy from the southern media in that London. There IS a problem and if the Saudis splash the cash to sort it out, it’s going to cost a hell of a lot more than the £300 odd million they would be paying for Newcastle United, it will be billions. As I said, only at Newcastle United.

17. Worky
    believe me I have a better understanding of the situation than you give me credit for, what makes you believe and what was it I stated, that gave you the idea I believed that the EPL was a part of the UK government ?
    C’mon man !
    I explained my attitude and why the result will be the same, above . It’s a situation that as you say would best be put in the hands of the UN,
    As it has f**k all to do with football, it’s a joint disagreement where Bei-in are accusing Be-out of piracy, in other words Qatar vs Saudi Arabia which are the two opponents, Newcastle it seems has been designated as the bone of contention, in other words , it has been the only opportunity for the Qataris to bring the situation to prominence on an International stage. which includes other well known

    organizations, like Amnesty int. and the murder of a Saudi citizen in Turkey, this is the money side of things.
    The real reason being a squabble from the seventh century concerning who was the legitimate inheritor of the islamic faith, of which both sides differ.
    The Qataris also disagree on a number of different points, concerning both radio and tv broadcasts Be-in apparently are more liberal, they used to broadcast some decent political programs and their news broadcasts were much more liberal, than the Saudis, on the other hand the Saudi’s are known to be a super nationalistic country, that is now attempting to become a modern nation, before oil becomes worthless, well less important.
    My main point is the deciding body has to be The British government, who already have an eye on what else The Saudi’s may need in the way of helping (themselves) the Saudis with whatever future needs they may want from a more advanced technologic nation, that they have close ties too, in becoming that modern society.
    Also it’s important to note who in Saudi is overall in charge of the country, yes the same Prince that runs the country and has given the green light to the purchase of NUFC and also apply for a broadcasting license to show EPL and possibly other
    sporting events.
    Soh ! in that case it puts the UK government in an awkward position, but national interests always overcome any petty crimes regardless of any immediate
    unpleasantness, which has been made obvious in the case of Mr. Cummings, who
    being an advisor to Boris, will certainly become more of a divisive though petty incident .
    And I certainly hope for your sakes Boris doesn’t believe like Trump, that he has unlimited power, he having never read he US constitution, and was wondering where the Parliament and PM who when disagreeing go, being you have no constitution, other than references to the Magna Charta, written centuries ago ?

    I mean Puhleez

18. The sale,
    Whats the story ? and who is the final arbitrator in the deal, being there are numerous bodies that can make that claim and like UK law,( roughly based on a centuries old agreement between the Lords and the Monarch,) and lacking any written constitution only makes things so much more complicated.
    But money still talks and if the Saudi ruler decides he wants to own NUFC and the majority of fans agree, it will happen, being as I just stated, money talks and bullshit walks, seven days a week.
    So lighten up and relax, the club will be owned by deep pockets and become a top six side, for the foreseeable future.

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19. Worky: “cockney conspiracy from the southern media in that London” … London’s a bit limiting – I thought cockneys were any people born below Scotch Corner.

20. Well here we are, how many weeks later?, keeping over a hundred thousand fans
    awaiting an answer, to what should have been a simple sale.
    So ! then who are the main protagonists, I can round up the usual suspects, but there’s more at stake here than the general public are aware of and being a realist can only come up with one answer, money ?
    Which could account for any number of sources, certainly around 50% of the present EPL clubs have proven to be against the sale, which only indicates the fact self interest is involved, I mean which EPL side wants to play against a club funded by the Saudi’s, which seems unfair, though there was little sympathy for the Toon when they relied on the pittances that were being offered by Ashley over the last decade,
    ,In fact the opposite was encountered, with any number of opposition fans and so called writers making fun of the Newcastle fans and the fact they were owned by possibly the cheapest owner of any EPL side, and was only using the club as both an advertising vehicle and a money earner..
    With the statement “Newcastle fans tend to overestimate the quality and importance of the club.
    There’s an old expression , every dog has it’s day and the present appears to be , this is NUFC’s day, so screw those clubs who oppose the sale, the results will of course see the new money invested in a gradually improving league, where there will be no question of which league provides the most entertaining style of football.
    The rest of those opposed are straw men, those who have a political and in other cases a competitive money generated reason and use such great organizations like Amnesty Int. ( how could they refuse) and who doesn’t feel sympathy for the fiancee of Khashoggi, etc, etc.
    However I’m sticking by my belief that the deal will finally be signed and the club will then be able to constructively begin the rebuild;ding process,
    The real opposition IMO are the Qataris, the only ones with enough money, but why pick on NUFC, who they certainly have no squabble with, the club and the many supporters of the club are those that could suffer, and if you think waiting months to find out whether a long awaited sale has taken place is easy, think again.
    I just hope the Saudi’s are taking down numbers and names that they can use as a form of retaliation, and why not , as we and everyone else are entitled to either do business or ignore those who prove to be part of that “conspiracy”who by backing the Qatari’s now, may regret later.

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    uidi’s, seems unfair, though we heard little in the way of any sympathy for toon fans when trying to operate an EPL side on the pittances offered by Ashley. .

    which

21. Hugh, That London is the capital of Cockneyland, obviously!

    Chuck, the final arbiter would usually be the League’s appeal panel. There is also a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which recently refused Man City’s appeal against being banned by UEFA from european competition for two years.

22. All to gather now ! (to the tune of the hymn “Adeste Fideles”
    “Why are we waiting , oh! why are we waiting, oh why are we waiting……………..
    It’s enough already with”The Rona” as it has been tabled among the primarily Mexican hipsters in LA, do we really need this imposed and long drawn out bunch of bull***t that is only a cover for the government and will not jeopardize any future
    trade agreements, with the Saudis.
    Yeah I know it’s gonna turn out OK, but enough already !
    Is it about the Khasoggi murder, I mean what has buying a football club have to do with that, being they regularly cut thieves hands off and execute people all the time, ?
    Nah ! I guess it’s about the Broadcasting Piracy claim, not really it concerns the disagreement between The Saudis and Qatari’s , which in turn has to do with the general disagreement between Shia and Sunni moslems , dating back to the seventh century, really ? yes really !
    Well get it organized and soon as there are many thousands of fans awaiting the word, think next election, being had it not been for so many former Labour voters , joining with those voting “leave” in the Brexit referendum, my advice is enough already people are sick and tired of this seemingly interminable wait .
    Plus it will be nice to see the club splash the cash on some highly rated players, I would say we could be in for an interesting two or three years ahead and screw the EPL sides that are obviously jealous of the deal. OK 1

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23. Chuck, it’s about the broadcasting piracy and it isn’t a ‘claim.’ It will also be about whether false information about beoutQ and their links to the government of KSA were submitted by the consortium to the Premier League.

24. Worky
    Look are we going to argue over semantics, yes the Qataris have complained to the WTO concerning the Saudi’s broadcasting/pirating of their tv footballing broadcasts, being they are both super wealthy states and leaves the WTO with a major problem leaving the Qataris claim still unanswered,
    Personally I much prefer the Qatari state to the Saudis, having visited Saudi a number of times and in fact was a big fan of Al- Jazeera news and certain documentaries they made, certainly a much more democratic state.
    Also one that owns huge chunks of London, “The Shard” and other immediately recognizable structures, putting the UK government whatever their views on the matter, find themselves in a much similar situation as the WTO, to favor one as

    against the other is all part of the divisive nature of the gulf region, which you the UK are attempting to solve, which takes time, but the UK government, which whatever anyone may claim, will be the final arbitrators of the situation, not wanting to jeopardize
    the future contracts, when the Saudis continue with their rebuilding and modernization of the country.
    In other words “might proves right”

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25. Apparently The Premiership, which has been described as the last barrier between a deal,
    However it cannot act as a moral arbitrator on owners and unless there has been a decision made by the WTO,
    Thats it !

26. So Trump has made ‘Antifa’ a terrorist organisation. I don’t see how he can do that as it isn’t really an organisation, it’s an abbreviation of Anti fascists, or does it mean that he is saying opposition to fascism is terrorism now?

27. Worky

    Don’t know , don’t care, the man’s a clown and it reflects through his actions and
    language, and I can’t wait until Jan.2021 to see the end of him.
    I mean which normal person attempts to run the worlds most powerful country through Twitter and a continuously changing group of advisors and cabinet members.
    On the other hand you got Boris for the next five years with the possibility of not reaching a trade deal with the EU, prior to a total disengagement . though I hear that the Japanese car maker has no intention of closing it’s massive plant in Sunderland, even though Sunderland voted almost unanimously in favor of Brexit,
    it’s a strange old world we live in, innit !

28. Chuck, so you’re sure that creepy Joe’s going to win then? they said that Hitler was a clown too but he was in power for 12 years. Biden’s ahead in the polls by around the same amount as Hillary Clinton was four years ago, it was going to be what you Americans call a ‘slam dunk’ for Hillary back then but we all know what happened.

    Sunderland didn’t vote ‘almost unanimously’ in favour of Brexit, it was around 60/40, and they didn’t vote for Boris Johnson to ‘get Brexit done’ neither.

29. Strange system Democracy, which would be good if only there were an informed electorate, The last election unfortunately was rigged at the Democratic convention, obviously in favor of Hillary, as the thought of having a socialist (in the USA pronounced communist) a Bernie Sanders presidency appalled most voters, having been bombarded with anti- socialist propaganda for over a century, from the money people.
    Even though we are in a downward spiral (the result of a combination of Covid19
    and the fact we were just awaiting such a bust, which is the standard case under capitalism, boom then bust.
    And yes I’m aware that Biden isn’t the brightest light on the tree, however he has pledged to appoint a female Vice President and to introduce a bill that would
    make our present health system similar to the UK’s NHS, for everyone and save money by eliminating the Insurance Business entirely and replace a vast profit making insurance business with a small federal bureaucracy, similar to Canada’s.
    Unfortunately Joe should be kept in the basement until election time , being he usually steps in shit, if left without a guide, face it you pick a guy like Joe as your vp as an insurance policy, same with most VP’s..
    If he can straighten out the Health system, I would be satisfied, but the presidency will be no walk in the park, as there are plenty of fences to be mended
    with the rest of the world and certainly the effects of the present Pandemic will be felt by everyone throughout the world, for how long, probably too long !
    And following the last few days the unrest and attacks on the police throughout the continental US have had it’s effects, perhaps those who have been kettled by Uk cops as activists, when most are just trying to return home and if they could retaliate in kind, instead of acting sheeplike or even question the right of any police department to contain people for any reason, and certainly to end the marshaling of citizens expressing their anger by being a bit more aggressive.
    Certainly the cops in many cities here have got the message and hopefully those aggressive bullies we see on national tv, abusing and harassing people in poor neighbor- hoods, get the message and clean up their acts.

    Don’t forget Brexit is not yet a done deal and things could turn brown at any time
    better to have a deal one can live with than go looking for trade partners around the world, however an agreement has to be reached with the UK, in regard to trad, as dealing within the WTO parameters, could be tuff .

    As a football blog should, we will have to mention that, relax it will happen and there’s a good possibility that it will be this week , talking bout the deal.
    And hopefully we can get an apology from whoever is bound and determined to prevent that from happening, being they have annoyed a multitude of people.

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30. Chuck, getting the takeover out of the way first, the WTO report on Saudi piracy will be made public in the middle of this month, (they didn’t mention a specfic date), which could bring on the final denouement of the affair.

    I have been watching the riots over there and I must say that I observed a very sloppy attitude to social distancing throughout. I hope it doesn’t start off a second wave like the big one 100 years ago.

    I also noted some time ago that Noam Chomsky said he was going to vote for creepy Joe as the lesser of two evils. I usually agree with him but I remember what he said about Obama being worse than than the second Bush, and he also threw in Tony Blair for good measure! Of course, that sounds crazy to bland, middle of the road Liberals who think that the sun shines out of Obama’s arse, but, as counterintuitive as it sounded, he actually had a point. But of course, Obama’s Vice President was Joe Biden.

31. Worky
    Lets wait and see, I can’t believe the present Government will allow any footballing body to reject the bid, as it would be a direct claim that the Saudis are a criminal organization, who pirate the sports media.
    Especially when purchasing NUFC and applying for a license to broadcast .
    As for the WTO and many similar bodies, set up for the personal use of those that want certain results and are willing to pay to get them, something similar to what occurred when FIFA went through it’s re-organization a few years back.
    As for Obama, anyone following George Bush, would appear saintly, and I believed no one that dumb could ever be elected to the Presidency again, and have I ever had to eat those words, though I have an understanding that the President doesn’t agree with many of the bills past by the congress, bit has to sign them.
    And yeah I believe he did a reasonable job in the two terms he completed, contrary to our friend Chomsky, who although brilliant in his defining much of what takes place in the political field , is also wrong sometimes.
    You know of course who ruined the Labour Party, the other character you mentioned who because he became Bush’s poodle and involved the UK, in a senseless war in Iraq plus continue the ridicules involvement with Afganistan.

    Of course it’s been obvious that following the last General Election, that Labour is now a party divided between old style Marxist and the Neo-liberal Blaireit’s
    Obviously not a contender to such daunting opposition as those idiots put forth by the Torys,

    May and Boris, and Kier unlike his inherited first name is not really a candidate to lead the Party,
    Soh ! unless Labour gets it’s act TO_GETHER, they may be the party in opposition as long as the general public feel is necessary, I mean if you cannot beat a Party led by a jack-ass, what more can I say.

    Now Joe is a different story, someone who was ready to throw in the towel, until rescued by the black women of N. Carolina, on the other hand I don’t believe Bernie was that keen on becoming the candidate, preparing like your ex Shadow PM to leads from the back benches

    , And as long as Joe promised to introduce and get passed a bill that would give each and every citizen, the health-care system named “health care for all”, that is only received by retirees, or those post 65 yrs.
    Biden ? as I said earlier, usually elected presidents appoint a VP as an insurance, the dumber the better, but managed to keep Joe on a tight rein, the guy has so far managed to re-define himself in denying a sexual attack on a female employee a number of years back and enraged a black voter, the first accusation denied, the second apologies to the accused, keep this guy away from Cameras and mikes as he is bound to screw up., however he is smart enough to do as advised. hopefully and unless any major decisions are needed should in conjunction with his fellow dems, hopefully keep a lid on things before a brighter replacement arrives.

    i

32. Worky
    I’m still laughing about your claim of social distancing concerning the recent anti-cop riots throughout the US and hope it was meant as a joke, I have never seen so many Uncle toms, on TV, though depending on whoever owns the particular news station,
    With WNBC the most liberal and of course Fox, owned by Murdoch, which I’m sure everyone is familiar with.
    It appears the standard answer to those involved with the riots is,” Because no one listens ” which I believe is right and by watching some of the tv clips I find that NYC cops are probably worse than most, which came as a surprise, but on thinking back it was the Construction workers and Cops who beat up those demonstrated against the War in Viet Nam, I guess they believe they are above the law, not those protecting the peoples right to demonstrate and how else can people of color effect change by a peaceable march, they would only be beaten whether they burned police cars or not.
    It’s about the racial policies of Trump, with his openly condemning of those he considers inferiors, Mexicans and Central Americans , etc.
    Building walls across the nation, deportation and changes in the immigration system annoying just about every country he visits and in general governing through Twitter, of course he still has his backers who see him as cleaning the swamp, (Washington DC) mostly racists and we only have to see the map portraying both red and blue states to find out where it comes from.

    Of course there is like inmost countries a fair amount of gerrymandering which though the majority vote went to Hillary, the fact of gerrymandered electoral votes
    were sufficient to elect Trump, who was I’m sure as surprised as anyone.

    i

33. In regard to the recent news that it appears Pochetinno has a half assed interest especially considering the wages being proffered by NUFC, for him to manage the club.
    I could be wrong but I believe the nineteen million being on offer has given him reason to consider making the move, with someone suggesting Harry might be interesting in accompanying him.
    Personally they both have described moves that only consider those regular entries to the champions league and I don’t see Arry playing on Tyneside, yeah they don’t see a mediocre side as far away as Tyneside and insist in living in London, bit arrogant IMO.

    As, as opposed to RM, Barca, Chelsea, Byern M., PSG , etc as suitors

    Well screw them, it may surprise them that not a lotta folks give a rats ass and there are better managers and players available elsewhere, so stick around both of you and see who is willing to pay the big bucks you want, as I for one prefer Rafa as a manager and center forwards are numerous and more affordable.

    y

    I could be wrong but

34. Chuck, it doesn’t work like that. If the Saudis get knocked back, it will go to the appeals panel. We have a ‘separation of powers’ between the legislature and the judiciary just like the US. As I said earlier, the circumstances of this takeover is the kind of thing which can be filed under ‘only at Newcastle.’

    I was joking about the social distancing, though it was a serious point, and it certainly won’t be funny if it kicks off another wave of infections around the country.

    As for Chomsky, to be fair, I might have slightly misrepresented him, he said that Obama was worse than Bush junior in many cases. I should have mentioned the three words at the end to be absolutely clear. You knew where you were with Bush jnr and Trump, but Obama came in disguise.

    Aye Chuck, I’ve seen maps of American voting districts which were so ridiculously shaped that they were obviously gerrymandered. The cops have gone way too far over there, especially bearing in mind how all this started. There have a few videos of TV news reporters and camera crews from around the world getting beaten up by the police, that isn’t great PR on top of everything else.

    If Keir Starmer stood next to a cardboard cutout of himself, it would be very hard to tell the difference.

35. Worky
    Nah ! I thought Obama did a decent job, without much in the way of major problems, sometimes it’s tough having bills you are forced to sign and it’s more difficult when an elected President doesn’t control both houses.
    Unfortunately for him, that was the case for the majority of his Presidency.
    On the other hand his support of globalization didn’t really help his cause.

    As for Chomsky’s remark concerning Bush and Obama, it’s obvious that Obama was much smarter than any of the Bush family ergo you couldn’t read him so easily, when Bush finally completed his term I thought, there goes the dumbest Republican we will have for the next fifty years, again with the arrival of Trump I had to eat that statement.
    Well if one looks at most countries voting areas, you will no doubt see some form of Gerrymandering, Hey , it’s politics !
    As for the so called riot’s , are you aware that rioting is the favorite pastime for most US cops, in general they invest themselves in poor neighborhoods, where they have a free hand as they know they are likely to find small amounts of dope, grass or meth, which gives them the threat of jail time for those involved ergo they can verbally threaten them, something they enjoy .
    Otherwise why are Afro-Americans a majority in the prison system ?
    I was stunned the other night when one of a group nearby drinking beer asked the question, of the rioters when groups of thugs were observed elsewhere robbing stores , “what do they want” !
    I replied , it’s not a case of what they want, it’s simply a case of “stop blatantly killing us” and stalling the course of justice until everyone forgets ,
    It’s only a few weeks ago that the perp (a NY cop) using a forbidden stranglehold
    choked the original “I can’t breathe victim”, well he was fired from the NYPD, but had been on full
    wages since the choking.
    And no criminal charges were ever filed against him.
    And I suppose will also be collecting a full NYPD pension.
    But for Trump to threaten to use the military against people who are entitled to protest under the constitution, to in effect threaten death to those opposed to any
    curfew, is Crazy and opposed by many Governors and Mayors.

    Starmer ? great first name but that’s about it as far as I can see, a less than adequate leader of a party in the process of once again dividing , because of the two opposing groups Old Labour vs The Blairites
    How did this ever happen, while the conservatives with people like Theresa May and Boris were leading the public and creating a future for the country that no one in their right mind would consider, the pundits have projected a reduction of over
    eight percent of the present budget, following Brexit.
    I don’t get it, why would a party like the Torys who dominated the last election
    following one of the most ridiculess debates with the representatives of the EU
    be rewarded with a clear majority, kinda like saying thanks to the bus driver that’s taking you to hell.
    Ah well, good luck trading according to WTO rules, yes you may have fewer immigrants but you will be poorer too.

    While we await Joe Biden, not the brightest, however neither is Boris and he will eventually be forced out by an electorate that realizes, the mans unfit for purpose.

    h

    i

    hey !

36. I have not wished to get involved in the endless deluge of drivel being put out about the takeover or not of Newcastle United but I will just this once.
    I don’t believe its the Premier League’s place to announce their accepting the deal or not . I believe that will be left to the present owner and prospective owner to announce.
    This will only be possible when it is assured what league Newcastle will be playing in next season. At this time we don’t know if the league will be played out, decided on points per game, or whatever. The price of a Championship club would be a lot less than a Premiership one for any buyer. Things always return to Mr Ashley and the way he has run things on a shoestring. So lets wait and see how the league ends up whenever that may be.

37. I like ‘deluge of drivel’, Nutmag. I was thinking that they would think that 35 points would be enough, of course though, there’s always the ‘only at Newcastle’ factor where anything could happen. The more I study it, the more complicated it gets. My brain starts to hurt after a while.

38. Wow !. kinda caught me by surprise to not only hear the latest, comes as a surprise too me, but apparently has sent shock-waves throughout Tyneside. a case of so near, then back to reality.
    I mean it’s been a boost for many, but do I imagine the new NUFC as a reality
    coached by Bielsa , stocked like a top-notch club should be and coached by the best, with the worlds best group of scouts w/wide, nah !
    too grandiose, doesn’t fit , how you gonna really root for a Citeh , sure they spend a lot more but it’s all relative, things were always friendlier and banter between fans was both humorous and non threatening., wow ! got carried away there ‘.
    Newcastle doesn’t have to have a dynasty, just a decent side (preferably entertaining) in the top six or seven, with a chance to win something, that’s my vision for NUFC, as I mentioned ,
    However all things considered, it won’t last forever and to have a certain side for a while, like the Chelsea fans indulged in when they were bought by their Russian oligarch and won all kinds of things, eras go bye quickly like
    Keegans entertainers,
    Anyhow it “The Sale” is not officially closed , but neither is hope it appears , if so how about the other interested buyer who wanted it for 350M, or was that the usual hurry up clause.
    If this doesn’t work, it will take away a lotta dreams, but the same old resilient NUFC unchanged in attitude will emerge as usual.

    russian

    ho

    doesn’t fit !

39. Chuckles, whatever news you’ve heard, ‘good’ or ‘bad’, it’s probably bollocks anyway. Are you referring to the Richard Masters – Hatice Cengiz ‘leaked’ letter?

    Have you ever read Dante’s Divine Comedy? “Abandon all hope all ye who enter here”. That’s the best way to be when you’re a Newcastle United fan because as John Cleese said in the film, ‘Clockwise’, “It’s not the despair, I can take the despair. It’s the hope I can’t stand!”

40. Worky
    No I was just browsing some NUFC article that was so positive that there was so much opposition to the sale (possibly Qatari money) who were determined to prevent the sale from taking place, I won’t go into any detail, same stuff I have been saying for a while.
    Time for a decision though, whichever it’s pro or con.
    And my ramble about whether NUFC would fit the Image that goes with it, that I don’t see an image of NUFC as a wealthy club, being it has never been considered anything but perhaps a dangerous place to visit, football-wise of course.
    And my image is a top six or Senen spot, perhaps even higher, but a side that because of who they are, unafraid of the wealthier sides and competitive, I just don’t want to be another Man. Citeh boring !
    Strangely enough The EPL is once again beginning to lo look a lot like the clubs that played in the early fifties in the first division, with Sheffield and Wolves, Leicester, et al., back among us, even Leeds with Bielsa at the helm are almost guaranteed a spot, interesting.!
    Look I don’t have anything against the club having a bit of money as it’s certainly needed these days, but the Saudi billions is not exactly what I had in mind, then who the hell am I to set the standards, just looking for a fix following Ashleys exit.

41. Chuck, you just don’t seem to get it. It isn’t just Qatar that is at war with the Saudis, football is at war with the Saudis too. Pretty much every major footballing body including the Premier League itself have been trying and to get satisfaction from the Saudi legal system but they have been treated like fools, and now the boot is on the other foot.

    I’ve noticed that you keep dropping in little bits of Saudi propaganda in some of your recent comments. Do you really think the reason people like Hatice Cengiz, Amnesty International, Garry Kasparov, the WTO, the major football bodies (and clubs) etc are raising issues is because of ‘Qatari money’? You are being sportswashed! Do you also think that George Soros is behind all the riots in the US?

42. Worky

    Sportswahed moi ?
    It’s obvious that anything I said was in favor of the deal going through, as for Amnesty Int., an organization I have a lot of respect for, even though they take a lot of credit from donors and those who want to contribute on a more personal level, The WTO is perhaps a necessary organization, not particularly liked by many, it’s possible you The UK may be dealing a lot with, post Brexit.
    As for Qatar, what can I say the most liberal of the Gulf states, Al Jazeera being a decent broadcaster until someone put them outta business, I wonder who ?though in the line up of Arab nations appears to belong to the Iranian led Shia group.
    “Khashoggi”? just used by whoever is fronting the anti-deal people.
    As for the Saudi’s, oil is quickly going the way of all fossil fuels and there’s presently a glut and our possible future owner “The Prince may his tribe increase”
    is involved in a massive spending spree, which may see Saudi, converting to a modern day state by attracting customers for their products, through tv advertising, it may surprise many people to realize how massive Amazon has become and is puzzling to read about Ashley buying up semi abandoned big box stores ?
    With the purchase of NUFC, there is also an application to purchase a license to show football, which can be shown World Wide, having a location that serves both east and west and enough money to make it both cheaper and better quality than those already in that market.
    And being they can depend on the US to protect themselves, who took over the British role in the sixties when Britain had a fleet of warships there, but couldn’t afford the upkeep.
    To-day they “The UK” just sell aircraft and both rockets and bombs and use British personnel for the more technical jobs as targeting and other roles.
    Look because I may write something about something, don’t assume I don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s just you may tend to take things too literally.
    The fact that the Middle East is in a state of turmoil, doesn’t help things, except arms sales, and I certainly wouldn’t want to be the person or organization that refuse the Saudi his request for NUFC, being revenge is better savored cold.
    My main reasoning is Qatar is the Home of the US military, but Saudi is the country with the most wealth and a plan dedicating three hundred billion in future development is not one to sniff at

    ‘

43. Well hopefully this prolonged wait will end soon. it is as thought by many based on business practices, with the two rivals be-in & b-out, basically Qatar and Saudi, who are not only political rivals but business rivals also.
    Apparently a deal between the two is about to be solved, by what else but money.
    It ain’t about Khashoggi, or Amnesty Int., but about cash, which is obvious, though some still believe it may be about something else, the answer is for the most part found in the sentence, “look for the money” !
    Soh ! the Saudi’s pay Qatar a certain amount of money and Viola !
    Too bad it came down to this now, as the whole shebang could happened weeks ago.
    So pay the price and lets get on with a bit of football.
    Being this season’s transfer fees are about as low as could be expected, due to a lack of earnings by most teams, regardless of leagues.
    One could put a decent side to-gether just from contract ending players and it’s doubtful that so many star players will be offered new contracts, the future for most clubs right now is youth, with many clubs rebuilding, which indicates there will be a lot of youthful players bought then immediately loaned out, No ?
    Actually a good time to fill the club with youthful talent which can serve the club well in the future. No!

    ‘

44. Chuck, be honest, you couldn’t care less about Amnesty International, nor human rights. You also seem to have a knack for getting things wrong, Al Jazeera haven’t gone out out of business, where did you get that one from? If the Saudis were to make good financially to beIN etc just to buy Newcastle United, that would be at least four times what the club costs. It would put the cost of buying Newcastle United into the billions.

45. Workey
    Well there was a time when I was fairly active on behalf of Amnesty and I don’t make a habit of groundless accusations, yes you could very well say Al Jazeera are out of business, being when was the last time you viewed any recent videos from that source, and probably won’t as they have been banned in a number of countries and are effectively a shadow of the original world wide programing.
    The problem with the NUFC club and the Saudi’s is based on broadcasting Be- in
    claiming the saudis Be-out is pirating their licensed broadcast, a form of
    illegal Piracy being claimed.
    And there is the problem, which I now believe can be solved, but whether that would clear up other political problems between the two is unlikely.

    I stated above that all one has to do is “Follow the Money” there is also a religious
    and political involvement , and this is not the first time the Qatari’s have raised the matter,
    And c’mon man, where did you come up with the figure 1.2 billion, obviously by multiplying 300m x 4, which is another guess nowhere near the mark, unless you are directly involved with the Qatari intervention, which is extremely unlikely we can assume then that, little do you know , you know as little as we know
    Being the matter is being discussed behind close doors.

    i

46. I suppose it will continue,This seemingly interminable waiting brought to us by The Government and yes I’m not that surprised .
    The government ?
    Yeah !
    It’s a case of who Nufc are selling too, nothing to do with Ashley, but the government has to be seen as overseeing any sale to the Saudi’s, considering the fact that they are already recipients of an enormous amounts of both Aircraft and
    both bobs and rockets, busily shifting truck loads of sand from one bomb crater to another in Yemen.
    The UK, a former colonial master of the area surrounding the port of Aden and who are long gone from there, having been forced to evacuate
    Of course Aden a former duty free and fueling stop for British flagged and military vessels are seriously engaged with others dividing the country, into three or four sizeable groups
    However that has little to do with the deal, which concerns only Qatar, who appear to be linked to the Iranians and those feeling the heat of both rockets and bombs, why ?
    Because it’s good business for the Brits and the fact that the present Prince now politically and military in charge of Saudi , has a grand plan to turn the country into a modern day nation, Good luck with that, being some may actually end up with jobs instead of appointments
    And of course historically Saudi’s have seldom held jobs but were appointed anywhere usually as security personnel, …………………..
    To make a long story short, I’m sure the Brits have a number of both military sales and would like to earn a hell of a lot more according to the amount of wealth involved with this transformation due to take place, therefor the Brits have to appear to do all that’s necessary to make it appear they are giving a thorough
    examination to the deal, before they sign of and if things go wrong can always blame it on the Saudi’s, which aint gonna happen.

47. Chuck, Amanda Staveley is going to be in a huge court case against Barclay’s Bank for the next few months now, adding even more dimensions and confusion. That case involves Qatar too, and the UAE.

48. Worky
    yeah, I get the picture two gulf states (and very rich ones to boot) are fighting their cases in a European venue, apparently the Qatari’s have seized the opportunity to catch the Saudis in a position where there’s the possibility they may settle the
    case of Be-in vs. Be-out.
    Of course from the start, the Saudis have brought their big guns to bare on the Qataris ie. money plus the fact the UK is an enormous trading partner, which helps.
    But I can only assume that more people are involved, meaning this could be a big decision, in fact for any number of countries could be watching to see what standards are about to be set, meanwhile the Geordie fans with a golden opportunity are on tenterhooks, even though there is a contender standing by.
    Yes an American money man In fact, who claims to have offered 350m sterling .
    Whether this is a legitimate offer remains to be seen, whereas we know the Saudis have the cash.
    Personally I don’t give a damn as to who ends up owning the club, as long as it’s not another Mike Ashley, but this long drawn out investigation is becoming a drag, obviously filled by advocates from either side, of which

    no one wants to become the final arbitrator, fearful that they may suffer in the hands of a very wealthy loser .
    Soh ! looks like the government of the UK may be that arbitrator being it would be in their best interests , both now and in the future , as SA has a three hundred billion amount ready to be spent in bringing the country into the twenty first century.
    And we are all aware of the effect of throwing a few bucks around.

    of course the Saudi’s

49. Worky
    yeah, I get the picture two gulf states (and very rich ones to boot) are fighting their cases in a European venue, apparently the Qatari’s have seized the opportunity to catch the Saudis in a position where there’s the possibility they may settle the
    case of Be-in vs. Be-out.
    Of course from the start, the Saudis have brought their big guns to bare on the Qataris ie. money plus the fact the UK is an enormous trading partner, which helps.
    But I can only assume that more people are involved, meaning this could be a big decision, in fact for any number of countries could be watching to see what standards are about to be set, meanwhile the Geordie fans with a golden opportunity are on tenterhooks, even though there is a contender standing by.
    Yes an American money man In fact, who claims to have offered 350m sterling .
    Whether this is a legitimate offer remains to be seen, whereas we know the Saudis have the cash.
    Personally I don’t give a damn as to who ends up owning the club, as long as it’s not another Mike Ashley, but this long drawn out investigation is becoming a drag, obviously filled by advocates from either side, of which

    no one wants to become the final arbitrator, fearful that they may suffer in the hands of a very wealthy loser .
    Soh ! looks like the government of the UK may be that arbitrator being it would be in their best interests , both now and in the future , as SA has a three hundred billion amount ready to be spent in bringing the country into the twenty first century.
    And we are all aware of the effect of throwing a few bucks around.

50. As I keep saying, it’s Newcastle United so anything could happen. There could be space aliens putting in a bid next week and I wouldn’t be shocked, it all just washes over me nowadays.

51. Guess by now most football fans are more occupied with health concerns , than
    football, although the price now being paid by fans, following the almost thirteen years of attempting to avoid relegation, under cheap-ass Ashley, would have been enough punishment.
    Obviously from the above statement by Worky , he has become immune to the trials and tribulations of the club, which would be shared by most fans, were it not for the fact that the new owners could be the wealthiest and most generous, and indicating the Ashley years ( tight-ass policies ) could be exchanged for one of the most liberal of policies and hey, NUFC had they continued under Ashley may have ended up as a permanent second tier sides, after all though he attempted different policies , but reverted to being a cheap-ass owner who demanded a profit and it took it’s toll on the sides we ended up with.
    In fact many of the fans were disgusted not only by Ashley and his policies, of which was the fact, not only were the club going no-where, the football was abysmal, ten men defending continuously apart from a few random breakaways,
    awful !
    Then what appeared out of the blue, one of the worlds wealthiest countries decides to modernize and part of that policy was something named Sports-washing, which was to use the media as a means of improving the Image of the country involved in broadcasting, the events, could be boxing, horse Racing, or any sporting event with an international following.
    Well here we are sitting on tenterhooks awaiting some kind of official decision by god knows who about a dispute over streaming, which has been available to your average fan and is rarely challenged by the producers of the event, just another
    f**k up , an opportunity by Qatar to respond to Saudi aggression and theft of their property (and by the way, the Saudis have also applied for a license to broadcast games)
    This may all be a set up to ( put in the fix) or settle the dispute and get back to business, unfortunately no one wants to touch the case and take the blame, which once the government arm twisting is done by the Parliament, some one will take the fall, but I figure will be well rewarded eventually.
    Soh ! Enough already lets get this sh*t over with and buy a new side that can entertain those fans who have been loyal and kept Ashley in the EPL and actually earned him money.
    And get it to-gether Now !

    i

52. Well, nowt to report except he usual nonsense, it’s gonna be another few weeks, With those in the know adding a note, that although there may be some big money signings closely following the Saudi takeover, however from then on funds may be limited .
    Im sorry but I just don’t get it, I mean why are the Saudis buying a club, stocking it with some big name footballers, then putting the club on a reduced budget.
    There has to be some hidden agenda there, we are all missing.
    Could it have something to do with the application to receive a broadcasting license, which when looking at the present system used by the EPL which generates the present wealth of those clubs within the top English League, one cannot ignore the fact they are the present top money league in Europe , which reflects the fact that certain sides now being promoted and even winning the EPL league immediately in their first season, Who ? Leicester !
    It also appears that spending a few bucks while a member of the second tier, is also a less expensive way to becoming a regular EPL side, with the riches it implies.
    However nothing to do with the Saudis, I mean why is it at this late stage they now want to become the owner of a side that’s regularly ignored because it’s not located anywhere near to London, that’s overpriced too far away and hasn’t won anything in years.
    Gotta be a good reason, yeah I know everyone mentions sports-washing, but that can easily be done with a good advertising company, there’s more to the story, possibly a combination of reasons,
    Eventually the real deal will be obvious, but that may be too late.
    But the Saudi’s with their billions are facing reductions (look at the price of oil)
    in earnings and once fossil fuels become banned throughout the globe.
    Though in the meantime their funds are sufficient to re-invent the country, they still need enormous amounts in order to spend as lavishly (the Royals) as they do.
    Yep ! I suspect a hidden agenda,
    Could this be that once an owner of a top EPL side they have a voice in any future
    dealings such as the formation of a new European super league, or have a vision
    concerning a future where they dominate the broadcasting world of mainly sporting events, who knows.
    What then becomes the future of NUFC.

    0

    g

53. Chuck, howay, a lot of that is just guff made up by the newspapers, I prefer to go on real things that have actually happened, and one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is the fact that all of big football, including the Premier League, have been trying to take legal action against 80% of the consortium who now needs the Premier League’s permission to take over Newcastle United. They cracked down on Man City as well. If this goes all the way I would think it would end up in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. If it goes through, there will still be UEFA to deal with if the new Newcastle had european ambitions, they were the ones who banned Man City from Europe for two years.

    ps, Once again, KSA is not one of the world’s richest countries. It has around the same wealth as Poland but it’s very unequal so a small group have most of it and they flaunt it in a vulgar, conspicuous way.

54. Worky
    Thats funny but probably wasn’t mean’t as a joke, I just looked up a list of the worlds richest countries (using GDP as a measure) and strangely enough Qatar comes out on top with a $132,000 gdp.
    whereas Saudi Arabia rates Fourteenth @ $55,000, with Poland a no show on this particular pole, which is from THE IMF.
    However the most surprising measure was that of the ROI, who read $83,000 and are listed as the country in fourth place.
    And. yes I understand there are a number of differing statistics that measure the wealth of nations, though I believe GDP to be the best overall measure and wondered where on earth you got the statistic that Poland and The Saudi’s, were around the same measure in GDP ?
    As for which law body will or won’t decide on the future of NUFC, look it’s like any other matter, that reaches any arbitration body, usually those with the most money come out on top, simply the way the world has always worked, apart from the usual rare exceptions.
    Actually this is a case of politics between a conservative country vs. a more liberal state, KSA vs. Qatar, being fought out in a neutral
    base, I suppose if the EPL fail to come to a decision favoring the Qataris, they may then utilize some other body like FIFA or EUEFA,
    which puzzles me as obvious this has more to do with the WTO, which usually settles this type of case,
    However I can only conclude they have already asked the WTO to intervene,
    Fact is most organizations in this world from the UN, to personal contracts are for the most part, un-enforceable due to corruption from within.

    of course

55. I was wondering how the death of another black man in the hands of the police, in a state renown for white folks, Scandinavians yet !
    Could resound throughout the globe, it appears the symbolism, “I can’t breathe” but in conjunction with “The Rona” has hit a nerve around the world in regard to whats wrong in their particular countries,
    Certainly for the descendants of slavery, the main victims, however
    for some reason it united those dissatisfied with whatever was wrong with their own society.
    It has become almost a pre-stated result, the fact that things will never be the same,
    The pace of technology is increasing, when was it that basic calculators became available, compare that with a smartphone, that usually have the entire life story of it’s owner and cannot be left alone, the loss of a smart phone, is a serious matter.
    Hopefully we can eventually get rid of “The Rona”then there’s the re-education, a loss of jobs, closed office buildings and big box stores.
    Don’t forget Boris is going “full speed” to Brexit”. ready or not
    Actually there’s unrest everywhere, with the only open battle’s taking place in Syria, if there’s anyone left.
    There’s anxiety as the markets reach a certain position with the present boom well over a decade to be paid for.
    Will this the twentieth year of the millennium be one of activism, have the poor had enough and demand a fair share, I believe it will be a summer of activism. lets see ?

    h

56. Oh the irony! A load of racists came down to London today to “protect the statues”, but being as thick as mince, they came down after the BLM protest was cancelled and there was nobody to fight with, so they started fighting with the police instead. One of them decided to show his respect for London’s memorials by urinating right next to a memorial to Keith Palmer, a policeman was was killed in the line of duty during a terrorist attack on the Palace of Westminster.

57. Chuck,

    24) Poland, 25) Saudi Arabia.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_wealth

    GDP isn’t really a very good measure.

    https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/gdp-frog-matchbox-david-pilling-growth-delusion/

    My sister lived in Qatar, she taught them English for a while. It has a liberal frontage, but it’s still a conservative gulf state and saying it is more liberal than KSA isn’t really saying much. I also knew someone, an American lady as it goes, who used to know how the Sheikhs really live in KSA. Many of them of hypocrites who live lives of debauchery.

58. CoVid-19 has been making a bit of a comeback in China, in Beijing though. It should take around 10-14 days to see whether all the protests will start asecond wave in the US or UK. I notice that things have been diverted once again over the George Floyd murder. It started with cops murdering another black man and all of a sudden everyone thinks they’re a history don and we’re arguing about the views held by 200 year old celebrities. And people wonder why nothing ever gets done!

59. It’s a kinda international spring cleaning going on right now.
    We here in the USA are questioning not only the police services and the way they conduct business, but the very laws they supposedly enforce.
    Not only that, the fact Slavery and racism still exist and all of a sudden there’s a joint condemnation of everything attached to the
    three hundred or so years of slavery and the enormous profits made by both those engaged in the trade of transporting and selling cargo’s of human beings across the Middle Passage and those in the West Indies and other places, mainly the USA, who profited from their labor.
    So a cleansing is going on, with statues of Slavers being dumped into rivers, and graffiti painted etc.
    Why now ?
    Possibly being slavery was never mentioned, it was ignored as long as the profits from it were pouring in for hundreds of years, until
    it became unpopular with certain christians, who lobbied to end it,
    Of course no one lost money, those same slave owners were adequately compensated by the Government and many are still in business to-day.
    Will 2020, be come known as the year associated with the worlds first Pandemic and will this usher in a new threat, while we are still unable to cure the ever occurring Influenza .
    Or are the masses fed up with the way most countries are being governed and discovering that demonstrations cannot be ignored, look at the people in Hong Kong,
    Hopefully the examination of police departments and the enforced use by police of body cameras, A bit more civility to and from the police couldn’t hurt.
    Or is it all a reaction from isolation , most are somewhat bemused by the whole thing, Riots, marches, Demonstrations, there was a much weakened “cheering section” every evening @7pm, with only one person banging on a tin-pot last night, I suppose in anticipation of the second stage of relaxing control over how we behave.
    resulting from having to agree to operate in an annoying way, a new way, that Asians have been using for years , using masks.
    Of course the unrest that will be the result of the Coronavirus end, if that actually happens, will effect many, through job losses, etc.
    which could very well bring people into the streets once more, with god knows what demands.
    Expect a long hot summer !

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60. Worky
    By using Wikipedia you came up with the wealthiest countries
    meaning the countrys assets minus whats owed, not a good indication of the wealth of it’s population or how it’s divided.

    Whereas GDP, the system used by The IMF considerate the best way to compare the economic output of any country, is to divide it’s economic output by it’s population, gives a better view of the
    distribution and earning power of the individual.
    And yes of course the Saudi Royals are known for their wealth and it’s uses and abuses, being most kingdoms contain a certain number of royals including the UK.

61. Chuck, they will do what they always do, the same as the gun issue over there or the Grenfell Tower issue over here, which was three years ago today incidentally. They say that things must be done, lessons must be learned etc, all the usual cliches to stall for time until the momentum dies down. Once it does they’ll slowly forget about it. Three years today since the Grenfell fire and they still havent taken all the flammable cladding off the outside of similar buildings. My MP hasn’t stopped banging on about it though, bless him.

    As for Hong Kong, it’s a shame that Hong Kong’s most famous man, Bruce Lee, isn’t still around, he would have sorted it all out with is bare hands, and feet of course, and maybe a few sticks, nunchucks etc. The Hong Kong issue will probably become a UK immigration issue in the fullness of time. The dispute will be whether the UK takes potentially 3 million Hong Kong immigrants, or just cream off the wealthy wheeler dealers.

62. “Typically, economists use GDP per capita as a proxy for a country’s standard of living, but as International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde, Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and MIT professor Erik Brynjolfsson noted at the recently concluded World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, “GDP is a poor way of assessing the health of our economies and we urgently need to find a new measure.”

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-gdp-fails-as-a-measure-of-well-being/

    I rest my case, M’Lud, except to say that we were discussing real wealth, not GDP.

    ps, Chuck, after this, could we please move on to the latest blog for our comments?