3 Transfer Targets for Toon Ahead of the 2020-21 Premier League Season

52 Responses

1. That was a shocking defensive performance against Man City but then again, Liverpool got hammered like that by Man City a few days ago as well.

2. Worky
   When will you understand that this present side is one of the most hapless of “The EPL” clubs and the manager is not and never will be anything other than a re-tread, possibly the last one we will see.
   One has only to look at sides like Sheffield , Wolves recent arrivals and possibly Leeds and whoever arrive with them, more competition and a stronger EPL ,
   Without an owner who can compete in the player market, it will be another year of ten men behind the ball, eventual relegation and end up on par with Boro. and S’land.
   We as a club are fortunate to have the Saudi money to build a PL side, being without it NUFC are on their way to becoming either an
   elevator side or possibly another Leeds, it’s a reality that no one wants to face, but it’s money that decides, that and good top management, which we haven’t had since SBR, is also essential and Bruce will never fill that role, ffs he’s there because no one else wanted the job and if the club sale does finally go through, he’s gone !
   If you haven’t realized this by now you may never, so enough with the anti- Saudi nonsense as it is not at all helpful .
   I mean did you not watch the Citeh game, that should have told you all you want to know about both players and management.

3. Chuck, I’m wasn’t bothered about Man City, Bruce was resting the good players to beat Watford, and the plan was going well enough in the first half and we were a goal ahead but that second half perfomance wasn’t good at all. They threw it away there. The back line seem to be taking it in turns to make a big mistake in each game and today it was Manquillo’s turn, though I suppose Lascelles compensated for his the other day with an excellent clearence off the line today.

   The Premier League are are probably digesting the events of the Khashoggi trial in Turkey, have you been following it? You’re more wound up than a clockwork monkey over this takeover deal so I would have thought so?

4. Worky
   Look I watched the game , it wasn’t easy, as they played as if it would be an impossibility to even think about winning, reminded me of any one of the eight games managed by Shearer, that had predetermined relegation, where the same mindset was used.
   Why would I have any interest in watching a trial presently taking place in Turkey, which NUFC will not even be mentioned, being the so called assassination took place long before the actual bid by the Saudi’s.
   This particular anti- Saudi grouping has absolutely nothing to do with NUFC and it’s fans, who are as far as one can see, the only ones suffering and if this deal doesn’t go through, then the results could do harm to the trade agreements currently active and with
   $300B. at stake for further development, at a time when trade of this nature is badly needed, due to the idiocy shown by Cameron and his two recent replacements, I’m talking about Brexit . which IMO is as bad if not worse than the general policies of Thatcher.
   And because I believe the actual sale to be essential to the future of NUFC, “I have been more wound up than a clockwork monkey” !
   Never having seen a clockwork monkey I suppose I should take that as a personal insult.

5. Chuck, the first half wasn’t bad and we were leading, but it all went ‘Pete Tong’ in the second half, which wasn’t good at all. As I said, Newcastle defenders seem to be taking it in turns to make stupid mistakes that give games away. We’ve had Lascelles, Schar and Manquillo so far.

   This is what a clockwork monkey looks like, it’s how I imagine you waiting for this takeover to go through, if it goes through. You said you weren’t interested in the Khashoggi trial, but the recent CAS decision on Man City’s European ban might give you hope. They got away with it due to UEFA’s incompetence. In the words of your local newspaper: “Those rules set a five-year time limit on the infractions eligible for punishment and, in effect, barred investigators from ruling on some of the most serious accusations against City.”

   I’ve been reading a few of the NYT’s football stories recently, they seem to be bit better than what the so called ‘quality’ newspapers offer over here.

6. Qorky

   though I have to admit, to having been an avid reader of the NYT, it appears with the advent of instant news broadcast over hundreds of different broadcasting stations, plus the addition of even more reception methods, I-phones, watches, computers,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,etc.
   There are few quality papers printed in the US, Consisting of “The Times,” “The Washington Post”, “The Wall St Journal “(if you got a bit of dosh) however I recall the days when one had a choice of papers, for instance in the UK The “Daily Mirror,” A tabloid , which was a decent paper printed and directed to-wards a working class audience,
   However I just don’t understand why anyone would read “The Daily Mail”, which appears to be the publics favorite, at least in sales.
   Plus the Guardian stands alone in many cases, which is owned I believe by a trust, ergo one hasn’t to go through the process of pleasing the ownership’s political bent.
   However few of to-days newspaper will be around in the years to come , being readership or those concerned with an up to date system, have already given up reading a morning edition or even an evening issue, because they have a machine that will give them instant news.
   What I’m saying is Newspapers are about to either change drastically or go out of business.

7. Supposedly this is the week when the declaration of the Saudi take-over happens, yeah I know myself and others have been saying this for months now, but as I stated in my early assessment
   the reasons appear not too have changed.
   I had stated that due to the present and it’s historic beginning , immediately following WW 1, the UK being a great power and the only international Empire, saw the future of oil in the Middle East, and of course immediately got itself involved throughout the Middle East creating border changes and generally going about controlling
   most of the emirates and such countries as Iraq, Iran. The Emirates
   which they had created, naturally Palestine and secured certain ports such as key locations.
   Aden for instance which controlled entry and exit too and fro from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, to fit into a neat pattern.
   Gibralter. Malta , the Suez , Aden and Bombay, then Singapore , Hong Hong, also claiming a few dots on the map for future consideration,
   Even having a fleet of naval vessels posted to the Persian Gulf, hey one has to protect it’s associated wealth.
   Fact is even though the US eventually became Saudi’s main partner (ARAMCO) and protector when the UK finally had to bring to an end both it’s Mediterranean and Persian gulf fleets, in the early sixties.
   Of course the relationship between The Saudi’s and UK was an older and possibly stronger being they continue to trade in large numbers, mostly arms for oil, so to speak !
   And to -day there are thousands of Brits working for not only the Saudis but the area in general, the Emirates, I would say mostly in
   technological fields.
   Which was my original reason for believing that this deal will go through, the present relationship with the Saudi’s, being both an old one and a politically necessity for both,
   Even though there is no longer an Empire , the UK can still provide
   essential military equipment and technicians to keep those aircraft flying and electronic data for pilots to find their targets, which doesn’t appear to be working that well, considering whats the use of moving one sand pile to another while killing a lot of poor people.
   Anyway there’s another $300 B. awaiting spending by The Saudi’s,
   which a rejection of any deal in regards to buying a football club, is small potatoes and would be considered foolish to hold up the deal any longer, simply by confusing the issues involved then finally allowing it to happen.
   I explained this before but apparently most people just didn’t get it.

8. Soh ! once we get our sticky fingers on all that Saudi money to be spent things may look a bit clearer.
   Will we keep many of the present side , or will we dump most and get a Manager with some nous ?
   I’m not particular about who we dump as I don’t believe there’s anyone unsellable and we definitely need some Top Management, plus there’s The Scouts , trainers etc etc.
   I have heard next to nothing concerning who will be the central figure within this newly created club, only that there’s a lotta dosh involved.
   Unfortunately for our present manager, who it appears believes he is capable of continuing, please someone let him know he is here only because no one else wanted the job.
   As soon as the ink is dry on the deal we may very well announce either Pochetinno or someone like the German manager with an amazing record in the Bundesliga, it’s not that I dislike Bruce, my point is can you see him picking up either a EPL championship or an European championship, no ! Thought not !
   Soh ! the Saudis are happy but have they done due diligence on what the plan is, being all I here is buy a bunch of the most expensive players available and therefore fund their retirement schemes, screw that, I would rather see a group of younger players recruited at the club and watch them develop preferably under the leadership of a younger manager, which appears to be Pochetinno at present. but somehow Poch and Newcastle don’t appear to be a fit, being he has stated so, not wanting to leave London, though it’s amazing what a few extra quid can make.
   Anyhow with this predetermination of the future of NUFC, would you rather keep Bruce and have Ashley doling out a few quid for another striker who’s grand total amounts to 2 goals ?

9. Well here we are a few lucky wins and draws and safe in the EPL.
   Yeah ! everyone happy ?
   Thats it for me as far as watching an Ashley team is concerned.
   I’ve had enough, a crap team and manager, combined with the worst owner in EPL history, how much more can Newcastle fans take?
   Could care less if they sold the entire team it’s manager and coaches, as so far all they have produced are poorly defined tactics . which goes from ten men in defense for nine tenths of the game, then a few minutes of attempting to either tie or beat the opposition in the dying moments of the game.
   A season of which would get you residency at Cox Lodge were it still open, I’m looking forward to a complete shake-out, getting rid of at least a dozen players, certainly a new manager, one which won’t buy the likes of Coutinho, or any thirty plus veterans looking to service their retirement with massive earnings , no not because of how they might play, simply because I would prefer to watch a group of young prospect’s, in combination with a manager who knows how to combine them into a well drilled side, someone similar to Bielsa at Leeds.
   We cannot have someone who knows nothing about football in charge and to be honest don’t trust Pochettino to stay if we sign him, plus what has HE won ?
   Ashley has run the club since he first took over, with deals that some were good most were bad,, but he always made money from the club, by using losers such as Pardew and the rest, of those out of work re-treads.
   What the club needs is primarily a decent manager, however there are any number of jobs from Scouts to coaches, hell get rid of any vestiges of the old regime and bring on the new, depending of course what kind of total management is desired,

   The New owners will I presume , understand what’s needed, hope-fully and have been working on it , the desired business plan, the who’s gonna do what system, preferably a plan that works well within the league.
   And there doesn’t have to be any rush about it, hell take a few years, being most fans have been suffering for the last decade and can wait a few more for success, which will be all the sweeter.
   But to end up going through the same torture as we the fans have had to, with Ashley and those bottom of the barrel managers, sorry that’s a step too far, these fans who have shown up in all weathers and subsidized the club, for decade simply deserve more.

10. Chuck, I think I’ve probably read as many NYT and Washington Post stories via the critiques of Noam Chomsky and others as reading the actual newspapers directly.

    A few decades back, I think that the Daily Mail used to be a Tory wives’ paper. The husband would take the Torygraph and/or the Times, and the missus would take the Mail. Actually, the biggest circulation newspaper in the UK is the one I used to write for about Newcastle United, the ‘Metro’ but that’s a free paper. I daresay that quite a few of them are used as bedding for the homeless etc, which is probably the best use for them! They are owned by the Mail group though. The Sun is still the highest of the paid for papers with the Mail just behind it. I think I’ve already said on here that the Sun used to be owned by the Mirror but they didn’t know what to do with it, so they sold it to a little known Australian newspaper proprietor called Rupert Murdoch.

    Most local papers like the Evening Chronic on Tyneside are now ultimately owned by a giant corporation called ‘Reach PLC’ which is a new name for the Mirror newspaper group who now just produce ‘Churnalism’ rather than Journalism. Thankfully, my local paper, the Islington Tribune along with the Camden New Journal just down the road are still beacons of independent journalism.

    Chuck, the Saudis have warned that if they are successful with the takeover, it will not be like Manchester City or PSG so don’t get yourself too excited. We’ve had the CAS Manchester City decision and the first Turkish Khashoggi hearing. That won’t be back until November and as long as the fit and proper person test has taken already, I don’t think that the Premier League will drag things out until then so yes, that would make sense about the big decision.

11. Yeah ! its unfortunate that papers here in the US are almost extinct, where one seldom experiences anyone under thirty reading
    a paper, for one thing few have the ability to write anything entertaining, which suggests a lack of much reading experience, or an inability to be in any way entertaining the strangest part is , many never realize it.
    Especially those awful papers like the Chronicle and whatever the name of the morning paper was, so I end up paying two fifty Euros a day for the Guardian, the only English language paper worth reading.
    But it’s not about people’s ability to write, it’s actually about the technology available, where plastic has for the most part replaced bills and coins, so has the availability to get instant information instead of an 8-12 hour old print news.
    You seem to indicate the Saudi takeover as something to be concerned about, lets see how things go, being I for one am glad to see the end of our present owner and had seriously considered quitting, or just not watching a side play awful football for three quarters outta four.
    I mean how many times does one go from a tight-ass owner to one that wants a winning side and is willing to spring for it, I suppose the fans will have their varying positions on the who’s and why’s of where the money goes , but that’s what it’s all about, the difference being we will have enough to have a top six side, instead of Ashley
    putting any profit into his real business.
    I don’t really expect nor actually want the club to be anther Man .Citeh, but it would be nice to have a club that competes in the upper echelons of the EPL, not a lot to ask !

12. I don’t think that the Evening Chronic could even be described as a ‘newspaper’ nowadays. There are a few awful newspapers who have do have one or two very good journalists and writers, for instance Peter Oborne. He used to be the chief political editor of the Telegraph until he left in disgust at the owners and its falling standards, but then he joined the Mail! I’ll never figure that one out but he’s a good journalist and they are very much a dying breed. I read him in the Middle East Eye, which still does proper journalism on Middle Eastern matters. Jamal Khashoggi also used to write for them until he was rudely interrupted by your new best friend. He was a proper journalist too.

    If this still ongoing takeover were just about football I would agree with you, but of course, it isn’t, the football is just a vehicle for something far more sinister. I’ve seen it already, Saudi astroturfers on social media coaching the thicker end of the Geordie masses on how to defend tyranny and medieval butchery.

13. Chuck, it looks like your sweetheart has got Leeds promoted this time.

14. Worky, zat right ? being I didn’t check the tables recently, good I would like to see him reach a certain status within the EPL, one that could change the most boring of styles currently being played, one which most praise, especially that of the Citeh side .
    I recall someone who constantly criticized Shay Givens kick outs, (which incidentally were on the mark for the most part) upfield.
    Unfortunately possession has become such a major part of the game and between the two wing backs and central defenders and goalie it now takes all of five minutes to work the ball halfway across the mid field line, boooooooooring !
    Yes I understand the reasoning behind these tactics, but doesn’t
    t mean I have to like them.
    You can take
    Pep’s tika-taka crap and leave it where the Italians left catanaccio, a style of whoever scored first meant in translation, the scoring team will now lock the door and play a defensive game, well I have seen enough defensive crap from this present Newcastle side
    than was necessary, it’s indescribably awful.
    And so is a lot of the tactical game plans, and the old first division with high balls , kick and run, stuff, though nowhere near as tactically astute , was a more exiting game to watch,
    I’m afraid the introduction of so many of the worlds best players and managers have been attracted to the most financial of leagues (The EPL) and brought their cultural differences with them.
    Football has for the most part has always been a somewhat physical game, however there are twenty two players with each side
    looking for someone to just touch them and then claim a foul.
    Hopefully the new system of reviewing the actual foul claim, can with time improve, it’s technology at work, however the technology is only as good as those overseeing it, and we have all I’m sure seen decisions that we consider rubbish.
    Well the hope of having some decent dosh to spend over the next few years will or could make the club worthy of a top six finish, which would certainly please the likes of myself , I don’t necessarily
    want a European championship side or even an Epl title, but wouldn’t refuse one, if it happens, all I want is a decent owner who is willing to spend enough to keep the club as a respected top six side in the most competitive league there is.

    yo

15. Yeah Bielsa, i was somewhat put off by his not leading Leeds out of the wilderness of the second tier, last season, but looks like he’s nailed it this year.
    The Premiership will be much better because of it, just look at what the second tier has given us lately, Leicester, Shef. UTD. Wolves
    and others , all competitive sides.
    Actually I would have liked to see Bielsa as manager of NUFC, but doubt if that’s possible as of now.
    I also noticed a definite change of game plans with the former tiki-taka style manager Brendan while at Swansea adapting a very different tactical approach, for both Celtic and Leicester as time has passed and I dare say for a number of reasons it will eventually disappear, with the rest of those boring approaches we see on a regular basis, which is why we have to sell a large part of the present squad
    and find a manager with a bit of nous and the players who can make it work.
    This present Pandemic has had a major effect on a game that though as far as tv rights and making money is concerned, looked good, I’m sure there are those that agree the game has deteriorated
    due to the addition of players from cultures very different to those of the UK, therefor changing the game enormously, combine that with the present tactical styles and you end up with” BORING ”
    football.
    I really don’t want to hear how great “PEP” is I would rather see him elsewhere , and his influence ignored, because Citeh often look good when using a fast break and their passing is so good (also their players) but most other sides just fail for whatever reasons to emulate them.
    Which is why I’m happy to have a manager of Bielsa’s stature competing with him in the worlds best league, hoping this present playing and tactical style copied by many sides and forcing others (nufc) to defend for eighty minutes a game, ugh !

16. Soh !
    it’s been around four months now and still ongoing, the opposition to NUFC’s sale and more appropriate the opposition, which although they try to hide the fact is clearly led by the other competing clubs in the EPL, who have gone to the extent of employing there MP’s, to prevent the sale and of course there are those within the Labour Government who have their own political reasons and are mainly just “anti Saudi”
    Hell I agree that none of those countries in the Fertile Crescent are
    worthy of a vote of confidence, in regards to owning a football club
    but then the same can be said about any group of countries.
    But what does that have to do with the EPL or any professional
    football club and to attempt to use a case of murder (the case still ongoing in both Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and by no means resolved) to the sale of a football club in the UK, that involves the Saudi’s is the same as accusing NUFC of a crime, which is ridicules and if this is allowed, (the sale refused) will or should the Saudi’s in turn accuse those directly involved of having a personal agenda and using political pressure to prevent it taking place, I would be careful, being I would assume any anti-deal agreement will be remembered and could effect other bigger and better deals which
    may reach the table in regard to the modernization and it’s eventual cost.

    And to repeat, it would be a decision by a moronic Party led by an idiot and a decision reminiscent of Camerons referendum, which the UK has yet to feel, but don’t worry, the cost of the corona-virus
    plus the fact the UK could very well be outside the worlds trading blocks, could and will put a serious de-crease in trade and some heavy bills, which to now engage in an anti Saudi vote by the Tory
    Government, Who with a 300B agenda to modernize and bring the country into the Twenty first century. will be the equivalent of pauperizing the country, well the poor will be poorer but the wealthy have all of those offshore former colonies, who’s only income is either tourists or those using the banking system to prevent paying taxes like the poor and working classes. in whichever country they reside in.
    Ah well ! we have both observed political moves by the Tory’s that made little sense and with an idiot PM, will no doubt continue, whereas we are about to get rid of our moronic President, you got Johnson for the next five years and possibly longer as I don’t see any opportunity of Labour with it’s divisions ever being elected again.
    And does the NE not have elected representatives that could weigh in on the side of the sale, the same as those who are presently using their representatives to oppose the sale, and don’t forget it’s a sale and operates as a private entity, within the rules of the organization.
    Soh ! can anyone be more precise and let us know why this purge has been allowed to stumble on for four months without anyone caring, with absolutely nothing concerning the deal to be made public, it’s a mess , same as it’s political parties. ah well I should care , “Suffer”

    he English

    !

17. Well that was a disappointment. With nothing to lose I thought we’d have a really good go at Brighton but that was as dull as the 0-0 scoreline suggests. We let them have far too much of the ball in the first half and though throwing on two big target men is often a valid tactic late in a game when you need a goal, it isn’t when the two big target men are two of the biggest goal free zones in the league and you’re taking off your biggest goal provider (St Maximin).

18. Chuck, the reason why the fertile crescent was called ‘the fertile crescent’ was because it wasn’t a giant sandpit like the Arabian peninsula. The water flowed, agriculture developed, the crops flourished, civilisation was born and now, after 10-15,000 years of development, I can’t help asking myself ‘Was it all worth it?’

    As for the local politics angle of the takeover, you can read this story in the Northumberland Gazette. It looks like the Conservative Councillor was playing politics by trying to push Newcastle Central MP, Chi Onwurah, off the fence she is currently sitting on. Having written that, to her credit, she was the one who convened the ‘digital town hall meeting’ according to the story.

19. Yeah I know the why’s and wherefors of the Fertile Crescent, though naming it’s varying cultures and races is a different story, an area bitterly fought over, even to this day.
    As for The Saudis, a desert tribe whom through luck inhabited an entire desert area and as luck has it, contained a sizable amount of
    what lubricates the world and enriches the Royal Family, known by certain Chinese as heavenly grease, a liquid that opens all doors.
    Saudi the home of Islam, the third religion to recognize and establish monotheism, each adding and changing the original Judaism, to suit both Christianity and Islam, over the centuries and fighting for converts to those new but similar religious concepts.
    The Saudis being the largest and wealthiest country in the area, which is surrounded by what were known as the “Trucial States” which eventually became “The Emirates”.
    Of course this was accomplished during the post WW1 settlements, where Gt. Britain and France carved out chunks of certain countries and added them to others, giving the French a certain control over those countries that exist to the north of Israel,
    or Palestine as it was known as at that time, and the rest of the Arabian penninsul

    a was made into protectorates, or was gifted with a king, which occurred in Iraq.

    ialso chosen by the WW1 conquerors, which lasted until 1958, when the British installed king was removed from the throne via a military coup.
    Things of course have changed enormously since then, with the UK’s influence and might, enormously reduced to a point where we need those Saudi army and air-force sales planes and delivery systems , in order to bomb the right sand dunes from one place to another in the meantime killing large numbers of Yemeni’s.
    As for the present hope of a sale approaching seems further away than the day before, now both sides need this deal and whatever it is that is holding it up had better think again, being The Saudi’s can have long memories of who they can depend on.

20. It was one of my distant uncles who carved up the Middle East. We got the oil and the French got Lebanon and Syria. He only lasted another two years though as he picked up a nasty dose of the Spanish Flu in 1918 which killed him. We have already been through KSA’s wealth, Chuck. It’s only a very small group who have all the money but because they attract attention with their high spending vulgarity, people think that KSA is far richer than it actually is and that everyone there has gold plated Rolls Royces and a harem.

21. What on earth is a distant uncle, and what kinda knife did he use to carve up the Middle East , following ww1’s settlement, when Britain along with and to a lesser degree France, divvied up the Middle East between them, the UK got the areas with well known oil reserves and the French got problems by inheriting both Lebanon and Syria.
    Having used local tribes against the German ally Turkey, the Brits. installed a king in Iraq, also created a country naming it Trans Jordan and installed another King to run it , reorganizing the map of the Middle East and installed two kingdoms, monarchies that lasted until 1958, when Iraq was overthrown by a military coup and with it the UK lost it’s control over the country.
    And though thy lost Iraq, they had Iran as a willing client , having along with the US an insatiable appetite for oil, had managed to install a leader Shah Pavli, who’s history was not exactly one to be
    envied, being he was the puppet of the two powerful allies.the UK & US , well we know what happened to the Shah and why.
    Having been in southern Iran and Eastern Iraq @ the time I was a witness to how things were.

    Well enough about that, there’s an interesting story from the BBC News,
    concerning a mixed race guy from Liverpool, who traced his history back to the former colony of British Guyana, the story itself is something one would have difficulty finding as the British Empire kept or printed little of it’s history, it would have no doubt have caused embarrassment to the nation and are trying hard to save such vestiges of it such as statues of racist colonials, now inhabiting the country.
    Of course there was billions in to-days money, earned and spent when slavery was banned by Britain, but by that time three hundred years of taking profit from the Middle latitudes UK to W/Africa to either the West Indies or USA.
    With the ultimate insult of rewarding the slave owners for their loss of free labor and not a cent to the actual slaves who generated such wealth in the UK.
    No wonder the average Brit. has no idea of the real history, being it was never printed to begin with.
    There’s also a note on the fact de-colonization was never an easy task, and mentions the concentration camps (concentration camps were invented by the British during the Boer War), which only proves that they were not racist (Chuckle) being those they were dispossessing and killed were Dutch Settlers who were there long before them and just didn’t agree with the British Empires plans for
    them and theirs.
    The article mentioned the fact that along with thousands of
    Kenyans that were both interned and many thousands killed by those unfortunate to be doing national service at that time, and the fact it was called “The Kenya Emergency or some other stupid name.
    It appears that a news ban by British broadcasters and those who’s job it was to inform the world were pretty good at what they did, which was to demonize those who were tortured and killed as some kind of demonic killers, named “the mau mau”which even to-day are an example of preventing the fact that the UK were the actual perpetrators of a country attempting to get rid of it’s occupiers, however it was only a few years ago that those survivors from that War of Independence, sued the British government and won damages from incidents that occurred at that time and the worlds wealthiest farmers the Brits of happy valley were given the land taken over by those now possibly the wealthiest farmers in
    Africa,.
    Just another small item in the history of the British Empire, that is difficult to find and certainly don’t attempt to find it in it’s official history , why is that, for gods sake most citizens know nothing about such matters.
    As information like this might sully the image of the Empire .

    i

22. Cant believe it ? the rumors are beginning once again, that the sale
    may very well take place within a couple of days and of course every fan once again has visions of competing for silverware and spending money on star players.

    Which raises a question, are NUFC fans over-expectant, a question or declaration often used by those so called sports writers, (one becomes a sports-writer usually because of a lack of writing talent)

    And oh ! I forgot to mention it’s from that pillar of the community the renown Shields Gazette .

    Well were it not for the fact so many fans showed up at St. James’
    (during the Ashley years) we Nufc could very well have been another Sunderland or Boro., in the lower reaches of football, which is why this deal, or something similar is desperately needed, being the EPL now appears to be a major investment as are most EPL sides and the fact we may be about to loose a suitor and a BIG deal that would result in the club becoming one of the worlds wealthiest, in terms of purchasing power , not bad for an ex industrial area, that once lived here.

23. Hmmm !
    just read to-days article in reference to how Kenya was absorbed into the British Empire, which followed certain clips from other areas and in different eras, mostly a condemnation of Britain and it’s unlawful acquirements of countries and islands, throughout the world.
    Unfortunately very little of how Britain became an Empire has been
    officially recorded so shameful was the ways in which it was accomplished, but keep on reading the news section and hopefully we can all hear the official way (by force) meaning anyone opposing the takeover would be killed, simple !
    Oh ! you don’t believe it and feel the countries on a 1946 map still
    colored pink which designated the then British Empire, consisted of people who loved the royals and thought the British Empire was the best thing since sliced bread, which also made it’s appearance shortly after ww2.

    it was amazing how quickly the Empire then simply disappeared and the UK had to introduce a form of national service and a group known as the “Z-reservists, in order to fill the ranks of the army attempting to forcibly suppress any kind of attempted freedom movement.
    Which was cleverly done , by suppressing any attempts to allow a vote on such matters and by rounding up those seeking independence and holding them for years in certain cases.
    Like the Kenyan kikuyu tribe who wanted to recover their land, taken by force and ceded to wealthy British settlers (named happy valley) and reduced the native Kenyans to laborers on land they had previously owned,
    Following around a decade of attempted freedom the UK, had to give in to the demands of the freedom fighters who by this time and without the aid of the UK media, which were in co-operation with the government and had kept the so called Kenya Emergency as if it had never happened and from the fact they had created concentration camps, where many died of torture and the true figures of deaths were purposely forgotten, there are many differing opinions but all the GB government had to do was destroy records and deny everything.
    At the same time Jomo Kenyatta was kept in a private jail, the British kept him as their ace in the hole if they lost the struggle, but got a tremendous deal when finally signed to end the emergency and Kenya was introduced as an independent member of the UN
    Though the kikuyu were never to get back their land and the tea planters and coffee growing British upper class farmers were granted possession of their land, just one case of independence, among many, I mean who do you think still own banana plantations
    think of the major rum producers, sugar suppliers who still own and live comfortably on the backs of former colonials.
    Of course it was the ending of colonialism that caused this to happen and no one wants to be governed by people from a place half way around the globe.
    A further attempt was tried in inventing The Commonwealth, as a replacement for the Empire, which faded into obscurity as no one was interested other than the Brits and the trade involved.
    Apart from the royals, where the Queen insisted on the commonwealths head be Prince Charles, (god help the commonwealth) though I suspect there was no one that was particularly interested, in which case it was by default.
    Soh ! the UK , I mean there are so many different names GB, UK, British Empire (which no longer exists, yet still gives certain types
    of ornamentation for service to the nation) Order of the British Empire ?
    And now you are venturing into a world , volunteering to leave the worlds largest trading block and no doubt will become all the poorer for it, so one thinks the Atlee government in the late forties started out so well, introducing the worlds best FREE medical program , the continued as a failing experiment with such problems as racism and a house full of idiots pretending to be politicians.
    Ah well, not my problem.

    n

    kenya

    hmmm

24. Oh FFS Chuck, not another one of your history lectures on the Mau Mau again! You don’t have to explain the Sykes-Picot Agreement to me neither, my granny was a Sykes, it didn’t do her much good though as her father ran away to become a trapeze artist at the circus. My Mother’s family had quite an interesting history. On the final matter, the British Empire did keep records of what it did as it was all seen as perfectly legal and above board at the time, as it was in your country too to a huge extent. The British were very good at bureaucracy. Of course, the Indians had a lot to be angry about when it came to Imperialist domination, but they did take a shine to our complex Victorian bureaucracy with everything in its place.

    The Boers really were incorrigible racists, their racism was so strong they’d even make the KKK blush. Their whole life was built around racial superiority and black servitude, though they showed no signs of any superior characteristics. I’m not defending the British Imperialist adventurers at all but if there was anyone who could make them look like a ‘lesser evil’ it was the Boers.

25. Hmm ! it appears you have no problem calling people racist and what exactly makes those Boers so nasty, ever spent much time in Africa ?
    Well I have , the first time during 1960 at the time of the
    Sharpeville massacre, and among the dutch and Brits there is always ill feelings, why ?
    Capetown was a safe port for or station for dutch vessels on their way to whats now Indonesia and other colonial holdings until the British Empire decided to use and take over as the official colonial country owning the area.
    The Dutch or Boers were for the most part farmers and many left the cape area area to travel north in a search for better farmlands
    and independence .
    But the Brits had other plans, they being interested in gold and precious stones, mostly diamonds, and the vision of a railway from
    The Cape to The Sudan and Egypt with lands colored British Pink encompassing the journey.
    And who knows perhaps a totally pink colored map of Africa.
    I managed to get on as easy with the Boers as the English speaking cape area residents, mostly from the UK or older stock.
    Perhaps you have been listening to the wrong sources, being you appear to have no time for them , in fact describing them as a group one should avoid any stupid references made by others.
    And the UK was lucky during the so called Boer war, when they had to round up resources from as far away as Argentina and the US and soldiers from everywhere, being the Boers were short on numbers they fought a guerrilla type war until the Brits invented
    concentration camps and forced the Boers to change their tactics
    by forcing all the Boer families into those camps.

    Strangely enough they had major discoveries at the time of stones and diamonds and gold and South Africa was the land of opportunity for many immigrants, looking to make a fortune, many of which joined the Boers in their fight for freedom and be able to govern themselves, but the policy of the Empire was to expand and build that r/r to the Med.
    Though the so called yarpies volunteered to fight against the German desert corp.
    and did a pretty good job of it.
    As for Sykes/ Picot, it appears from looking at the deal Picot must have become furious, on seeing who had the better of the deal, but it did give the French access to med. ports.
    If as you say the Empire kept strict records of all that happened, why then did they not make them readily available to those being educated and too the general public, why is it we are now hearing about statues being torn down and riots in the streets, it’s about things that were forbidden and never discussed, why, because any former Empire has things in their closet that doesn’t bear revealing.

    For instance were you aware that more than three million Indians were left to starve in eastern India , who applied for food aid and were turned down by Churchill, well this happened immediately after the Japanese reached the Indian borders during ww2.
    Then during the middle 1840’s the so called Irish Famine took place
    a situation that was called “The Famine”but how does one call it a famine when a country exports food to another, yes the present Irish republic has always fed Britain, grain, beef, and whatever else.
    and continues to day, while the natives make do with potato’s, I personally look at it as not a famine but an attempted form of genocide that cannot be defended
    Soh, just between two countries there is a total of over five million people who died directly the fault of a British government, and how many more do we know nothing about, I mean how many countries
    have you guys took over and abused, no wonder there’s no one other than specks on a globe who retained a relationship with the UK, as for The Commonwealth, an excuse to keep a semblance of empire and perhaps some form of control, which no one wanted the job of being the head of and Queen Lizzie forced Charles to take up the role, the commonwealth is a joke no different from the royals
    who nowadays don’t even want to get involved, I’m afraid the country has slipped from an Empire to a joke, all in my lifetime.
    sad but true and it’s politicians are doing a great job in making it happen .

    the

    for

    picot

    i

    /

26. Soh ! It’s the end of the season of one of the worst times in history,
    with none of those highly touted and expensive stars appearing at Newcastle airport, in fact there hasn’t been any agreement made, apart from that between the seller and buyer the whole plan has seemingly gone off the tracks.
    We are all aware it’s a political football, with no one wanting to take the blame, as far as we have been told the latest victim is the EPL, which should welcome financial interests in a league now thought of as both the best and wealthiest and would only strengthen it by investing ,
    I thought something similar would happen, but that those responsible for ok’ing the deal have now let it go too far, apparently there are movers and shakers involved, who are looking for the door and have had more than enough of this charade.
    Soh ! presently it’s in the EPL’s court and we will see if this Government has the cojones to anger the Saudis or will just state a thorough vetting has taken place and we find nothing to prevent the actual sale of NUFC to Saudi ownership,
    I mean ffs it’s a football club , not a nuclear weapon, though being the UK has been rumored to have given Israel, the ability to create it’s own nuclear devices. who knows.
    Desperate times bring desperate measures.
    And don’t forget to not vote for any local politicians unless they come to the aid of the sale.
    Though I believe it will do little to enhance the position of the EPL other than expose it as an organization that favors certain clubs, certainly nothing like this has ever happened before and some questionable deals have taken place without a word until announced officially.
    If I were the EPL I would tread lightly around this one and leave it to some other organization to take the heat !

27. Well whadda ya know, looks like we are gonna have to look elsewhere for those big bucks , so important in this the wealthiest league, certainly in Europe and unless we find another wealthy owner in the near future could see NUFC crumble like Sunderland and Boro.
    While clubs like Brentford, who have no facility unless you mean the 17.000 seater stadium, could become members of the most elite league in Europe. think about it ?
    And thanks a lot for your support of this happening, by the very NUFC so called fan, who for political reasons was against the sale from day one.
    In case you are confused, its the guy who does most of the writing here “Worky ticket”, who for purely political reasons not unlike our ex shadow PM, a supporter of Palestinian rights and whoever else are funded and supported by by the ancient order of left wing partie
    who continue to believe that Marxism is alive and well.
    Not that I personally believe Capitalism is in any way a better system.
    But make a comparison between say between Brentford and Aston Villa, Brentford,s not having a stadium with more than a 17. 000 seats doesn’t deserve to belong as a member, it not being capable of catering to all of the traveling fans without preventing a large number of locals from becoming seatless and disregard any
    talk of changing it, without building a new stadium.
    Im sure there are a number of rules for clubs approaching promotion to the EPL, and one would imagine that one of the rules would be to have a certain capacity in regard to having a stadium which could hold a minimum of at least thirty thousand.
    When looking at to-days clubs one finds that due to de- industrialization those older clubs north of Potters Bar have suffered from that south sea disease “lack’a moolah” and sides like Brentford are a possibility as replacements.
    Now it’s nice to see the Leicester, Sheffield, Wolves and Leeds clubs make it back following years in the wilderness, but Brentford.
    Puhleez !
    Nice area of London, good fans, but FFS 17. 000 seats ?,
    there aught be a law………
    Though following their recent debacle where they encourage this kind of treatment from clubs that just don’t have the capability
    to provide the facilities required in to days game.
    Look the EPL, recognized as the wealthiest league in Europe with the wealthiest clubs competing for players costing enormous amounts in transfer fees, should not have a club the size of Brentford a member, though before the seasons end they no doubt will be heading back to where they belong.
    Of course there is no reason or reasons given as to who is responsible, but they will become known to the Saudi’s and I hope they get what they deserve, as I certainly wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.
    Will this now become just another incident left unexplained to the fans of NUFC and hope it will disappear from sight before one realizes it, dumping it in the do not disturb bin.
    Well there are others obviously interested and I certainly have no objection to one of my countrymen (US) from becoming one of those others, though I am seriously annoyed by whoever is responsible for the cancelation and I would be surprised if the Saudis are not totally pissed and in return receive their pound of flesh.
    All I want is a club that can go into any game believing they can win, say a top six side, which such loyal fans as NUFC have, can go to St. James’, believing they can beat anyone , too much to ask. I think not.

    There’s also the matter of so called writers who supposedly “Work” for the local rags, which is all that they are, rags.
    Who are at present as silent as can be , no one risking his job or guessing what the hell just happened, they should all be fired anyway being they have no inside info or any clue, but once the reasons become well known, will write their asses of on the matter.
    Ah well !

28. Soh !
    Now we are aware of who the main culprits are that managed (with the possible addition of those who have yet to be named) to prevent the sale of NUFC.
    They being Liverpool and Spurs, though the head of the EPL should be added, there being no legal reason to prevent the actual transaction and he will be rewarded in due time, though it may not be what he actually want’s.
    It was my impression that the league had no authority in this regard, other than to give it a thumbs up or down in regard to the actual sale, as long as the new owner is not “Attila the Hun”, or “Mao Tse Tung” something we all understand.
    But the distasteful way in which this saga took place can only reflect on the way the EPL is run, that and the disgraceful attitudes of many of the clubs involved, one of a covert jealousy, that anyone should acquire an owner who was richer and therefor more able to
    pay the present outrageous asking prices of not only star players, but also for average players, yeah folks “it’s about greed”.
    Thats ok, the Saudi’s will be back and better prepared than before and will buy an EPL club, which makes all of the plans of those involved with the ending the present sale having to play against a club with tons a dosh and possibly a Newcastle side that has been sold to someone almost as wealthy, the sale is inevitable being Ashley has had enough and is heavily involved in saving his present business, not many people shopping in SD these days ? or in any of his big box stores, has the guy never heard of the simplicity of on -line shopping and “Amazon”
    And what kind of pleasure does Worky get from the cancellation, being he lives off NUFC (does a blog that is ignored by all, except me-self) and whats the point of having a blog with two contributors.
    Perhaps he should stick to politics , though his support of the last
    Shadow PM, was a joke, who is back, “back benching” again, the place he belongs being his attempt at leadership ended due to his causing a division in the Labour ranks, and because of his anti Israeli attitudes and the belief that a marxist government is imminent, or at least will arrive within the next (place a number) of years.
    Yeah it’s a sad story, but one that can change over time, but if NUFC find themselves once more relegated, it will not be an immediate return,
    What with a manager that belongs anywhere but as manager of nufc and the present cheap-ass players, hell we could become another Sunderland or Boro., whatcha gonna do then ?
    write a blog on a North London club, like Spurs.

    i

    they are

29. Yeah folks, looks looks like another hit on the Northeast, not only as far as jobs are concerned, but a promise of a future that without a football side looks pretty grim.
    The organized resistance to the actual takeover is unknown, (apart from Spurs & Liverpool)
    However we know these two clubs alone are not enough and the real reason is simply fear of the fact the balance may be changing and to have the best side in that division, or competing for that role,
    from an area devastated by unemployment, caused by the de- industrialization of the Northeast and Thatcher, doesn’t send a message anyone else wants to hear.
    Any well run tribunal could without much trouble find out who and why clubs presently in the EPL, or about to be admitted are against the sale and who goes to jail or loses his job.
    It’s my opinion a group of non footballing people conduct an investigation into the matter, being any one associated with the game could be suspect, the real culprits in my humble opinion are the League itself and the number of brown envelopes received.
    This on becoming public knowledge could open a bag of worms
    that reflects poorly on the way they operate and like the FIFA & EUAFA, inquest of a few years ago , clean up this disorganized league and thrive, not close it to anyone with the threat of opposition without any real cause.
    And yes I’m saying at present the EPL is the best and strongest of leagues in Europe, but as crooked as any other and by their attitude obviously hiding matters that should be made public and in turn had they added the Saudis, would have strengthened the league itself.
    Yes I’m sure there would be no real cause to prevent the Saudis from acquiring the club, (other than the jealousy of other clubs) but to simply not give any reason for preventing the sale and in doing so, have pissed the Saudis who have pulled out of the deal rather than being jerked around by a few EPL sides, you can bet your ass on the fact the Saudis won’t forget .

30. Chuck, firstly, I’m very sorry that I took so long to reply. Every few years I will write a really long reply to you straight into the text entry box on here, then the browser will crash or something like that and it goes missing so I get really pissed off and don’t make any comments for a few days.

    Well Brentford didn’t quite make it after all, Fulham did so you can rest easy. It was close though. I thought you Yanks were supposed to like plucky underdogs who rise up and make it against all the odds like ‘Rocky’? I thought that was the so called ‘American dream?’

    So, the Premier League didn’t like the set up of the Saudi investment fund and wanted a more transparent ownership strucure. Well that’s what Amanda Staveley was saying anyway. It all just so Newcastle.

    I can’t believe you’re defending Boers and Afrikaners now! Well, actually, I can because you’ll try to argue anything just for the sake of it but that’s a new one. It makes a change from the Mau Mau at least. As for that Mauriss chap from your side of the pond, I think he might be another Barry Moat. Do you remember Barry Moat?

31. Worky

    Nah ! just thought you were in the bunker on this one !
    And again nah ! I actually got on well with the “Yarpies” and having read a history of the event (“The Boer War”) written by a participant
    known to have taken part in most of the action.
    Mainly hit and run events, using mounted patrols which gave them the ability to hit the slow moving Army of The Empire, and make their escape.
    Thus the Empire, invented The concentration Camp, where they held and incarcerated the families of the Boers, leaving them little support to rely on. Treating those incarcerated horribly, with a number of families dying of starvation.
    This war was an embarrassment to the Empire , having to go to Argentina for horses and the US for mules, and a mixture of Indians Welsh, Scots and Irish doing the fighting and god knows who else, hundreds of thousands to defeat a small bunch of farmers, who incidentally used German rifles, proven to be better weapons.
    Ah well it was inevitable that “The Empire” win, but it betrayed the fact that it’s army’s were clearly not up to scratch when it came to tactics and not that well trained.
    Reading a book right now titled “Inglorious Empire” by “Shashi Tharoor “Which is a history of British occupied India” and not exactly a love story.
    It seems strange that at this present time , there appears to be a number of books written about The Empire, from those who had been garnered up into colonies of Gt. Britain none of which showed much support for the Motherland as many within the foreign service
    referred to the Empire.
    Not leaving it to apologists’s for empire, like Scotland’s “Nial Ferguson” who remains as one of the few non- apologist’s of the present time
    He appears to be a writer who’s main task appears to be to re-write history

    That and what appears to be a general attitude of the public, who have come to understand that such people as the former president of the US Confederacy (a statue) is still portrayed in the halls of the
    US Congress, along with other slave owning individuals.
    Like the people of Bristol. time to get rid of statues of slavers of every kind, hell I don’t understand why the Empire recompensed all slave owners for their loss of free labor, doncha think that the former slaves should have been the ones to receive compensation?
    No it certainly is not a good idea to write a true history from the sixteenth century on, for British schools, few would want to read such a race for wealth took place, that and the fact they may be horrified to find out the reality of what took place.
    Ah well ! it will eventually be disclosed, may as well be now.
    And yes I may have gone on about the Mau Mau, but when a former national service man who actually spent time in the army in Kenya disagrees about what actually took place, I wonder how many other incidents were covered up and it’s difficult to keep that stuff hidden, the only politician who was outraged was the Labor
    MP Betsy Braddock, it appears those self serving wealthy immigrants, given rich farmlands through government ties and re-named happy valley are still in possession today farming tea and coffee.
    Nice to have the former owners of the land one owns, work for a pittance on what was given to the new bosses, the wealthy immigrants.
    And where did the money to build the massive Downton

    Abbey and other stately homes come from, surely not from growing crops or raising cattle.
    It comes from the looting of those conquered and in turn forced to support the Empire.

    t

32. and yes I know Downton Abbey is a fictitious name, but it doesn’t
    change the fact that hundreds of these massive country homes were built one outdoing it’s neighbor in the number of servants and
    displays of wealth.

33. Well, Chuck, I suppose you’re right about Niall Ferguson, though I suspect you don’t fully know the meaning of the word ‘apologist’ as Ferguson is most certainly one of those when it comes to Imperialism. As I’ve mentioned before, the best book on the subject was written by J.A.Hobson in 1902 and is called ‘Imperialism: A Study.’ My copy has a forward by my MP, which is nice.

    Going back to one of your older comments (I find it hard to keep up with all the drivel), Poor old Brentford just missed out on promotion due to a late goal from Fulham so you can rest easy. I thought you Yanks were supposed to like plucky underdogs who rise up and make it against all the odds like ‘Rocky’? I thought that was the so called ‘American dream?’

    So, the Premier League didn’t like the set up of the Saudi investment fund and wanted a more transparent ownership structure. Well that’s what Amanda Staveley was saying anyway. It all so Newcastle. I used to joke about it on here. I said that if we someone ever wanted to take the club off Ashley’s hands, it would propbably end up being someone like Kim Jong Un, Bashar al-Assad, Mohammed bin Salman or someone like that. There’s just something about Newcastle United that attracts the wrong kind of people.

    The real name of ‘Downton Abbey’ is Highclere Castle and it’s near Newbury. It still belongs to the Carnarvons, but many of the old stately homes that are still standing are in the hands of the National Trust nowadays. Many were demolished after the war because of taxes, death duties and such too.

34. Worky
    Yeah !, I only used Brentford to emphasize the difference between their possible entry to the richest league in Europe, nothing wrong with Brentford, but I believe the English leagues could do with a good looking into, there’s obvious collusion between clubs and those who run those leagues, especially the Premiership league, where it’s claimed both Tottenham and Liverpool had objected to the (nufc ) sale.
    I have no doubt there are others, all looking after their own clubs interest, though I see the sale as something that would only improve the Premiership, both financially and professionally
    There’s obviously a cabal of clubs who are satisfied with the status quo and don’t want to compete price wise for players, well good luck with that, being it’s gonna happen whether they want it or not.
    The victims are Newcastle fans and there has to be a full investigation as to exactly why things were stalled for months, with-out a word spoken as to why and dumped in the lap of the head of the premier league who has got his orders from whoever, hoping the whole deal will just go away before a certain number of those behind the plot end up by loosing their jobs, or being jailed and you can bet your ass the Saudi’s will not quickly forget, they hopefully will get their pound of flesh .

    As for Downton Abbey, Englands a look at the age of doffing ones fore lock to those obviously from a different social level., a world of service where British Butlers were the norm, and grand mansions were built on Englands green and pleasant land.
    I have to mention, many Americans loved that romantic notion of living and I guess it was something of a soap opera as opposed to
    the earlier efforts which portrayed being a part of a great house was something like being part of an extended family.
    Personally missed most of the big house rubbish, which I consider
    to be a modern day look at those times that had little to do with any reality.

    When one either see’s or reads about those grand stacks of bricks ,
    stuck right in the middle of some of the most delightful country in the UK, impossible to heat or staff and who’s farms could never support the building, how in fact do to-days owners afford such places, I was under the impression that most owners had abandoned such to be taken care of by the National Trust.
    Or turned into tourist attractions, but then whadda I know ?
    One geezer I know of who owns just about every farm, village and a great deal of The City of Newcastle, the Duke of Northumberland. yes he can afford to run his castle, yet charges tourists to take a look, cheap you say ? well…………
    Though I do recall shortly following the end of ww2 a great deal of stately homes were given over to the government due to fact the
    owners could not afford the death taxes, the systems way of controlling certain social levels .
    Of course with the reinstalling of the Tory’s in parliament, the practice was immediately suspended.
    Ah well !

    it’s my opinion

    sale. simply because of the wealth it would bring to the club,(nufc) in acquiring players and yes no doubt there are other clubs keeping a low profile who feel likewise.

35. Aye Chuck, we make an industry out of it, Buttling, Afternoon Tea and such, and you Yanks lap it up among others. As I’ve mentioned before, my sister had an olde English Tea Shoppe in Florida where she served finger sandwiches and little dainties. We’re not the only ones who make a living out of our national stereotypes though, like the French with their haute cuisine, perfectionist chefs and so on. Funnily enough I was just watching the author of Downton, Julian Fellowes, on the TV, he was looking smug in the Ritz.

    When you write about ‘stacks of bricks stuck right in the middle of some of the most delightful country in the UK,’ a lot of that beautiful countryside was built by human hands too, just like the house, supervised by great landscape gardeners like Humphrey Repton and ‘Capability’ Brown.

    Not the grand anti-Geordie conspiracy theory again! It just makes us look ridiculous, like Trump supporters.

36. Worky

    Actually I don’t believe there is an organized conspiracy against NUFC, though two clubs have been mentioned who objected, for what reasons you may ask, yes ! both Spurs and Liverpool have been accused of being against the sale and I suspect a number of others, all for the same reasons, that it would effect them having a
    wealthier club to compete with.
    However it’s the sleazy way this has been accomplished, with all investigations finding no crimes or misdemeanors involved, nor have they given a valid reason for blocking the sale and I know the Saudis are livid, but have backed out of the deal and no one can blame them.
    Ashley is probably furious and the damage both he and the Saudis can if they choose to take the matter to court, could severely damage the EPL and loose a lotta jobs, but trace things back to the root causes and the Premier League will be weakened, instead of adding the equivalent of an other Man City and a stronger and more competitive league.
    Stupid is as stupid does !

    And yes I’m familiar with Capability Brown and his designs and landscapes, hell who but the Empire had so much wealth to spend much of it either through the three hundred years of “The Middle Passage” when the empire reached it’s zenith in the slave trade and enforced trade with it’s colonies, which only added to the pot.
    And yes I understand what afternoon tea is and the fact one doesn’t stir their afternoon tea in a circular fashion instead of the recommended back and forth fashion as described by god knows who and cares less.
    Look if you are looking for rituals, check out the Japanese tea ceremony, now there’s a ritual that kills an enormous amount of wastefull time.
    As for cuisine do you really think the brits could compete with ‘La belle France,’ with
    stuff like “fish and chips”, “toad in the hole” and such savories as
    “Lob scouse” , peas pudding and ham, and sausage and mash, with a fried mars bar as dessert, oh! sorry that’s a Scotch invention
    I’m reading the UK is in for a big drop in trade as much as 20%
    has been bandied around, quite a hit I would say and dealing with WTO rules unless they reach an agreement with the ROI/EU, which looks more unlikely by the day.

37. Soh ! from what I make out the latest news is Rich Masters, the EPL’s honcho has been forced out of the EPL bunker and has replied to local politico, Onwurah, in a basic method of question and answer, in which Masters replies to Onwurah’s questions.
    which, if in fact had he answered would have made certain points clearer, instead of quoting the opinion of each particular EPL

    ruling and what that could possibly mean, a case of confusion.
    What I’m saying is, this being an official document is written in legalese, which is used to both raise the question, and many times to cause more confusion as to what the hell does this mean ?
    Yes folks just another smoke screen and refusal to divulge anything .that may clarify, and continued with the legalese and a demand more information from the buying consortium, which following the months already spent has been an entire waste of many thousands of people’s time, not to mention how pissed the Saudis and Ashley are and if they don’t take this to court, I’m sure they will regret it.
    Yep ! we are all aware of that political differences of The KSA
    and a certain other oil rich neighbor, which by no fault of our own
    has become a weapon to use by both and it looks like this particular sale has gone to the top of the list of bad intentions.
    Now so far it appears that those opposing the sale , in order to
    punish and get certain agreements from the KSA are doing the better of the two.
    However the UK could earn some of those three hundred billion $
    awaiting spending, in the KSA’s bringing itself up to parr with most modern countries, being oil along with most carbon fuels has to
    become a small part of any energy usage, or risk a further increase in global warming.
    What I do know is Ashley is pissed and so are the Saudis and hopefully we will see the whole situation in court soon.
    However the one sided approach by the EPL, should be noted by all and it’s about time the EPL was checked out being this should never again happen and the punters I’m sure have the right to know why NUFC are not now owned lock stock and barrel, by the consortium and spending like drunken sailors.

    w

38. Chuck, I understand, you’re like a child whose had his toy taken away by the nasty man. I just roll my eyes and let you cry yourself out, same as I would with a two year old. I must admit that ‘Rich Masters’ is a perfect name for a pantomime villain though.

    My mother used to say ‘pease pudding, penny a lump, makes you fart, makes you trump!’ which is very true. I don’t encounter it much outside of the Tyneside area, here in cosmpolitan Islington it’s all Chickpea dips, Hummous, Tahini and that sort of thing. I must say that I prefer British cuisine to spray on cheese but there is an American beverage I do rather like which you don’t see enough of over here, ‘Root Beer.’ It’s better than Dandelion and Burdock, which I suppose is the closest British equivalent so well done USA for that one. They say that nowadays the British national dish is Chicken Tikka Masala, but I think that’s bollocks. It isn’t fish and chips neither, it is, and always has been the mighty pie! Just don’t ask what’s in it!

    The Empire did not “reach its zenith” in the days of slavery, it reached its zenith in the age of the machines.

    Did you see Bayern Munich against Barcelona? It’s definitely worth watching if you didn’t.

39. Yes ! I’m upset over the non sale as would be expected of any self respecting fan of NUFC and will no doubt continue until we have a decent owner/s.
    And yes again, what a surprise, the result of the European quarter final game that has defined Barca as a side that held onto it’s stars too long, as a much younger and speedier Leon, who refused to
    let Citeh remain in possession, holding a high front line for most of the game, but all great sides usually go through this and it’s sweet revenge for some and a sorry moment for the club itself.
    And I don’t doubt they will buy and sell their way back to greatness,
    Although football is not the sport of millionaires any longer, it’s now
    become the sport of kings and billionaires, when one realizes that
    our fifteen million record payment for Shearer, might now find you a journeyman player if you’r lucky.
    That’s why I wanted the Saudi money and prestige and star players
    following a decade of watching mediocrities attempt to keep the club from becoming relegated.

    As for the Empire it reached it’s zenith around the famous nineteenth century celebration was it Victorias “Diamond jubilee” ?
    It was from photos and reports a splendid occasion, celebrating the
    life and success of Queen Victorias reign and that was the beginning of the end of Empire only took two world wars and a new contender the USA to take over a role that required both wealth and power.
    There was a failed attempt to hold Empire to-gether trough inventing a new organization, “The British Commonwealth of nations” which failed then and hardly gains anyones attention, nowa-days .
    uAnd people have since both joined with their European allies in forming both the EU & Nato, until recently. Now the UK, no not the Empire,, the UK as it is commonly referred too is about to venture out into a world competing in trade, that unless they comply with the EU’s, directives and manage to reach agreements on fishing and a ROi backstop, may see them failing to reach those agreed upon rulings, which would then result in the UK, trading under
    WTO rules, which is not a good idea folks.

    ‘s

40. There’s something really weird about this new alleged takeover group from Singapore, ‘Bellagraph Nova Group’. They claim to have a headquarters at 10, Place Vendome, one of the world most prestigious addresses, but it isn’t real, it’s a virtual office address for people who want to seem like they’re bigger more prestigious than they are. It’s like someone hiring a mailbox on Fifth Avenue and making out that they have a big HQ there. You check out their social media and they have far less followers than than this blog. It takes me back to the days of the Mackem ‘fakeover’, Barry Moat and the mysterious ‘Capital Group.’ Only at Newcastle United!

    On the old takeover, it was the Saudi’s who refused arbitration on the ownership issue.

41. Worky
    Erm ! What ?
    And what other than arbitration has been discussed over the last what appears to be an interminable amount of time.
    Yet still ended undetermined, being the EPL has obviously found to date , no valid reason to refuse this sale , other than accusations that proved to have no basis in fact,
    The squabble between the Saudis and Qatar, which has nothing to do with NUFC and the EPL, is being used as an excuse and there is more to this squabble than meets the eye, being there are too many un-answered questions from the EPL, and obviously the Saudis are sick and tired of being stalled for months , which appears to have been the plan, but
    the Who’s and wherefores are still unknown.
    And had the negotiations continued, would still be going on, as there was only one message the EPL proposed, no sale !

    Soh ! the real question arises, what is really going on.

    And to find out what and why, can only be found by taking the whole deal to the courts, not some well known arbitrator that no one trusts.
    Now Worky if
    Mr. Masters were to inform you that they had selected an Arbitrator, would you go for it hoping a judgement would come your way, I certainly wouldn’t and there is plenty of time to sue the EPL yet.
    The whole scenario stinks to high heaven , yes sir there’s a hell of a lot we are still un-aware of .

42. Yes Chuck, I’ve got it now. ‘Rich Masters’ is a very, very nasty man!

43. WORKY
    DONF BE A SMUCK, YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL MASTERS IS JUST ANOTHER EMPLOYEE WHO’S JOB IT IS TO UNDERMINE THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT FROM OWNING A EPL CLUB, THE REAL REASON AND CULPRIT/S AS YET UNKNOWN.
    THOUGH THROUGH A PROCESS OF ELIMINATION IT WILL BECOME REVEALED EVENTUALLY.
    Though I believe a threat of court action say a joint case against the sale refusal, a combination between those included in the sale
    would flush out those behind the cancelation, though I’m sure it has more to do than simply “who has the final say, as far as who controls the actions of the club”?
    Had the Saudi’s not called off the deal, it may have developed (and still could) into an international incident effecting trade between the UK and Saudi Arabia, but I feel that the Torys have been encouraged by those who’s interest’s are contrary to the sale
    Much like yourself (obvious to anyone who understands your polotics) which are the policies of a political party, so badly organized they couldn’t win an election due to being totally disorganized, Being part old time Marxists, the other a mixture of Union Members, Jjews and those with Socialist tendencies and of course the working stiff, who always votes Labour, plus the Blairist’s
    An unorganized rabble who have no clue about anything, never mind about the also totally disorganized Tories and their act since the Brexit fiasco, the UK, is at present disorganized and cannot
    get it’s act to-gether, before the required time limits, leaving them
    out (totally) of the EU and facing trade under the WTO rules, yeah good luck with that one.
    Soh don’t be such a shmuck and good luck, as you’r gonna need it.big time !

    t

    w

44. You’re going the full Alex Jones now, Chuck. We’ve moved on to a new blog anyway.

45. I’m afraid I have no clue as to who Alex Jones might be and to be going the full whatever about him, (I assume it’s a male) nor do I give a rats- ass .
    And who is the “WE”you and who else ?

46. The Alex Jones I meant is the US’s no1 screaming loony and conspiracy theorist, not to be confused with the British Alex Jones, a woman who presents ‘The One Show’ on BBC1.

    When I wrote ‘WE’, I meant Hugh and myself (who left comments) and anyone who might be happening to read it.

47. Yeah we got so many whacko’s on tv I lose count, but both talk radio and the news programs are still one of the biggest attractions
    for many Americans, even in the event of the smart phone.
    And draw an unusual number of volunteer callers .
    It appears sometimes that Fox News is shown on every other channel and I gotta laugh sometimes at the claims of truth which are carelessly chucked at people.
    I find it difficult to believe some (any) of the Fox (read Murdoch) news channels, but how they get others (mostly recently unemployed white’s who relate to themselves as middle class)
    There are no working class or at least no-one who will admit it other than well paid Union Workers.
    But I suppose like everywhere else things change over time, the only exception to this rule is the NHS, may it last forever !
    As for the November elections, we got “tweedle dumb” and “Joe in the bunker”neither any-body’s real choice, With The Donald a consummate liar and Joe, who can barely remember his own name
    Yes a definite sign of old-timers disease and who on the left can possibly accept the tough cop and ex-prosecuter as his VP.
    I had thought that it would never happen, the fact we would elect someone dumber than George Bush, but we are about to do it again, either way.
    But I forget you got your own problems, both Brexit and Boris, hey that sounds like a good title “Brexit with Boris”!, and if possible on the Fox Network.

    t

48. Yep ! Donald Trump
    these present times, with Trump (actually an acquired spelling of Trumpf the original name, obviously German) a combination of a German father and a Scottish mother from The Hebrides , described by many as a sociopath, so called by both his his sister and aunt one (his sister) who has recently wrote a semi biographical book on the subject, the other an ex judge.
    Brexit a total f***up with Boris in charge, that has no positive value, to either the UK or anyone I can think of, except the racist majority of the UK.
    Covid 19, a pandemic which came out of China and has like it’s name reached proportions on every island and continent and which though very little is known, though promises of inventing a form of medication are heard even day, but the truth of the matter is we are as far from that happening as the UK’s returning as a full member of the EU.
    The f***ing temperature is in the mid nineties, with high humidity rates to make it even more mind blowing and one has to find out before one heads for a “North Cape Cruise” each country and even
    within countries have restrictions of all kinds, that and a certain amount of fear, of course there are lockdowns restrictions such as mandatory isolation,
    As for flight schedules, who knows ? that and sudden cancellations
    could leave one with any number of problems, well it’s a wasted summer where I usually take time to travel to European shores being there are fewer places as humid as NYC in the summer.
    The restaurants are all closed, though one can eat meals outside on the avenues by setting up tables and chairs which has shown the creative owners to adapt and earn a living, but what about us bar flies, who are used to stopping for either a meal or a few pints,
    Of course our President (who claims to be the worlds best deal-maker) has done nothing of any importance other than claiming the country under his leadership has done extraordinary work in retarding any kind of ( for instance when learning that ordinary kitchen cleaners are a preventative) suggested that people should try and inject it, not even Boris could come up with something that insane.
    I have been listening and wondering about Trump, he appears to have the “IQ” of a ten year old and uses repetition in place of a term to use while emphasizing a matter.
    And apparently it’s been suggested he used

    people (bribed) to take both the SATS and entry exam to get into the University of Pennsylvania.
    Is he any better than Boris, don’t know much other than his policies
    but with around four hundred million people between them the UK and US, surely has any number of could be leaders, than this sorry pair.
    And it’s a F***ed up world we are about to try and straighten out. which I don’t see as there are just more complications arriving by he day.

    We have had both party’s convention, with the main vocals consisting of personal attacks on both leaders by both leaders and no one but fools are satisfied by the clowns who we are going to end up with.
    Joe who can barely remember his own name and Donald who lies consistently, lets hope it’s a fast four years and should any of the two die during the next few years we will either have Spence the yes man, or the nasty cop and former state prosecutor, that no one likes.
    Life is supposed to become better not worse by the day with the few drawbacks I mentioned and following the defeat of the pandemic, which in fact may not happen ,who knows where we may end up, certainly things will be different, yet we have no idea what or where and there’s no guarantee that life will be any better, because there’s always those who want or demand more than the rest.

    /and any number of flight cancellations

49. ah ! gonna go to my dive and have a few cold ones I can set a hot dog in front of me in case the Thugs (NYPD) come around and shut the place down, then it’s really isolation, though I was around town yesterday with only a few customers per carriage even during the rush hour and yet the city appears to have taking a licking but kept on ticking, Ah ! what the hell.

50. Guess this will give me time to do some reading, got an interesting book by “Shari Tharoor” titled “Inglorious Empire” with the claim directly under the title of “What the British did to India”which doesn’t exactly praise the Empire, and though there appears to be few British writers other than Empire loyalist or is it apologist or is he the man the only source who praises The Empire, Nial Ferguson
    Tell me that as late as the sixties when certain Caribbean islands were still a part of Empire and the BIWI dollar was the currency used, backed by the BOE and few were interested in The remnants of Empire, why until the present a decent history of empire is still awaited,
    Actually if told correctly it would be an embarrassment that no one would want to read, but it’s a tale to tell that many could enjoy, both
    the good and bad .

    t

51. Chuck man! we’ve moved! We can’t stay on this thread forever.

52. Who is this guy Chuck-man ?

    You know the early times of this blog, made it very interesting, with the number of people commenting, some being humorous others
    knowledgable, and some actually commenting on the why’s and wherefore of it’s reason for being I assume.
    So what happened ?
    Was it a result of it (the Blog) being a new toy that fascinated those early commenter’s, which immediately had competition from people with the same intention and possibly the desire to make a few bucks, most now extinct or lacking any audience or have deteriorated into an open fourum for personal insults to be traded and little in the way of any discussion in regard to NUFC .
    Ah well !

    The future of the Blog is at stake, why ?
    One would expect to have had an avalanche of fans voicing their concerns over the recent SALE that was looked upon by many as the Salvation of NUFC and would present the club with enough dosh to buy a competitive side and following the cheap-ass record of twelve years in the wilderness, watching a cheaply built side attempting to avoid relegation.
    With the usual number of those apposed to it, but nothing !
    And to complain about the likes of myself, with insistence that I change the direction of my comments being it may bore you.
    In which case you can relax, far be it from me to continue boring anyone.
    bye !

    y

    t