Newcastle v Preston

[Nixonator]

Its the biggest miracle world football has seen, since Saint Eddie of Boscombe got Bournemouth up on a veritable shoestring, three seasons back.

Now that's some some rhetoric I can get on board with.

It was a wonderful story, one that betfair and others should have capitalised on. 'Gamble irresponsibly... It CAN pay off.. disclaimer: sometimes'

 

[Mellotron]

Chelsea and Spurs manage it. How do you explain that?

I'm just saying it's probably harder with bigger egos, think that's a fair comment?

 

[Nixonator]

Err? It matters because that is the entire POINT of the last three pages of discussion! If our promotion-winning squad is 'worth' a great deal more than it cost to put together, that is the very over-achievement that we are rightly celebrating. We have done it on a fraction of the budget - that's why it is so laudible.

Putting together a squad with £106 million and then picking a side to win Championship matches, really isn't a footballing fairytale, however much [MENTION=35039]The Fish[/MENTION] and his mates are desperate for us to say it is.

It's no fairytale, that much is obvious to all other than the wax lyrical SKY like to bang out.

I simply disagree the money they spent means we have to congratulate them with a 'but we did it more fairly'. I'd like to think that they are fully aware of how ****ed up the financial divide is between the PL.

 

[bhanutz]

It's no fairytale, that much is obvious to all other than the wax lyrical SKY like to bang out.

I simply disagree the money they spent means we have to congratulate them with a 'but we did it more fairly'. I'd like to think that they are fully aware of how ****ed up the financial divide is between the PL.

Are you a secret Toon fan by any chance?

 

[Nixonator]

Are you a secret Toon fan by any chance?

Yes, they are my second team.

A very balanced question.

 

[The Fish]

If think you are being rather unkind to the can of Tuna. You should have walked the league, with the budget and players at your disposale, you didnt though.

Give over, our squad isn't that good.

When we played Newcastle, Mitrovic was an unused sub. He cost more than our entire starting eleven put together. The fact we're likely finishing above Toon is frankly hilarious, and the muted celebrations at SJP would attest to this pretty strongly.

Oh come on...If your squad is nowhere good enough to Guarantee promotion, the rest may swell give up! You have signed Premier league players on premier league wages...

You what? You actually believe that? Do all Newcastle fans think the same way? If so what a deluded bunch.

We're in danger of being bogged down by semantics here but think about what is meant by "guarantee". We definitely don't have the best GK/RB/CB's/LB/DM/RW/AM/LW/ and it's debatable whether we have the best CM or CF.

I think you're overestimating our squad and underestimating your achievement.

You're also applying the rules of inflated Premier League wages to the broader world. Compare the players, not the pay-packets. Stops you valuing Moussa Sissoko above Sigurdsson (or a cup of cold vomit).

Think about what kind of squad you'd need to guarantee the title. Not put you in a good position, not improve your chances, but guarantee promotion. Benitez built a squad that gave us a good chance, and he did that with a big budget for this league, but it would have cost double that to guarantee the title.

 

[Stat Brother]

I'm beginning to think BG has taken a turn for the aquatic.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

We've had it all season long. Failed to beat Fulham? But look what you spent! Fail to beat Huddersfield "But parachute payments?!" Smash Reading "Well, of course you did, you spent a fortune".

So when we clinch automatic promotion with games to spare, and the very first thing people say after "Congratulations" is "I mean, obviously a can of tuna could have guided a team that cost that much up, but well done anyway", it rankles. If you (indefinite you) want to congratulate us, feel free. If you (indefinite you) can't do it without caveating your (indefinite your) little tuches off, I wouldn't bother. .

I think you've done pretty well Mr Fish, both in getting promoted and in defending yourself on here. Yes, you are always going to get the ' but you spent £55m on players' argument, and you just have to suck it up at this point. I mean, what could have happened? You could have turned up here in our Championship with your Benitez, and your Shelvey and your Mitrovic and Ashley's millions going here there and everywhere on players and wages, and your 50,000 crowds in St James Park, and media focus on your every move - and f**ked it up. THEN we'd have been laughing!

But you didn't, so all we have left is some grudging respect. He did well Benitez - is the stat only 2 relegated teams in the last 18 to go straight back up? Putting an entirely new squad together and expecting them to gel instantly is hard - we've tried it in the past, many have tried it, it rarely if ever works, so the fact you've done it is impressive, regardless of the cost. You escaped the fate of Leeds or Wednesday, getting eternally stuck down here. From here on your next target is set a lot higher than ours - you've got one of the best managers in the world and a sizeable transfer kitty - keep Benitez for another couple of seasons and you'll be challenging up there at the top end. But right now we're ahead of you and hopefully the final table will show that, which is very nice indeed for those of a southern ilk

 

[The Fish]

This sums it up quite nicely, and shows what an unbelievable job Hughton has done compared to Rafa. I guess it is harder to foster team spirit when players are on insane wages.

See, why are you referencing Benitez at all?

Everyone think Hughton has done brilliantly, everyone think he's deserved this, everyone think he's a bloody nice bloke.

 

[Weststander]

I'm just saying it's probably harder with bigger egos, think that's a fair comment?

If there's a player who considers himself far better than his teammates, yes. The sort that overtly shrug their shoulders at the 'mistakes' of others or stands there fed up. Dmitri Payet at West Ham this season.

 

[Weststander]

I think you've done pretty well Mr Fish, both in getting promoted and in defending yourself on here. Yes, you are always going to get the ' but you spent

 

[The Fish]

I think you've done pretty well Mr Fish, both in getting promoted and in defending yourself on here. Yes, you are always going to get the ' but you spent £55m on players' argument, and you just have to suck it up at this point. I mean, what could have happened? You could have turned up here in our Championship with your Benitez, and your Shelvey and your Mitrovic and Ashley's millions going here there and everywhere on players and wages, and your 50,000 crowds in St James Park, and media focus on your every move - and f**ked it up. THEN we'd have been laughing!

But you didn't, so all we have left is some grudging respect. He did well Benitez - is the stat only 2 relegated teams in the last 18 to go straight back up? Putting an entirely new squad together and expecting them to gel instantly is hard - we've tried it in the past, many have tried it, it rarely if ever works, so the fact you've done it is impressive, regardless of the cost. You escaped the fate of Leeds or Wednesday, getting eternally stuck down here. From here on your next target is set a lot higher than ours - you've got one of the best managers in the world and a sizeable transfer kitty - keep Benitez for another couple of seasons and you'll be challenging up there at the top end. But right now we're ahead of you and hopefully the final table will show that, which is very nice indeed for those of a southern ilk

Cheers.

It is a promising time, hopefully Benitez will have his ambition matched by the owner as it's certainly matched by the fans. I doubt we'll be challenging at the top end of the Premier League any time soon though. We've fallen too far too quickly, our best players on their best days wouldn't get into the squads of Man City or Chelsea. Unless we spend a fairly staggering amount it'll take years to usurp the likes of Stoke, and Southampton, let alone one of the top 6. Or of course we could randomly see a "Class of 92" come through our youth ranks, but I've more chance of winning the lottery.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season this has been like Rocky II. Slugging it out for ages and now it looks like we're all punched out.

 

[Weststander]

Could be worse.

How do Leeds, Norwich and Villa fans feel right now?

Jealous, angry, bitter?

 

[Weststander]

Cheers.

It is a promising time, hopefully Benitez will have his ambition matched by the owner as it's certainly matched by the fans. I doubt we'll be challenging at the top end of the Premier League any time soon though. We've fallen too far too quickly, our best players on their best days wouldn't get into the squads of Man City or Chelsea. Unless we spend a fairly staggering amount it'll take years to usurp the likes of Stoke, and Southampton, let alone one of the top 6. Or of course we could randomly see a "Class of 92" come through our youth ranks, but I've more chance of winning the lottery.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season this has been like Rocky II. Slugging it out for ages and now it looks like we're all punched out.

With tw*ts like Monk and Wagner jumping into the ring to steal the limelight, but being KO'd into touch.

 

[The Fish]

Err? It matters because that is the entire POINT of the last three pages of discussion! If our promotion-winning squad is 'worth' a great deal more than it cost to put together, that is the very over-achievement that we are rightly celebrating. We have done it on a fraction of the budget - that's why it is so laudible.

Putting together a squad with £106 million and then picking a side to win Championship matches, really isn't a footballing fairytale, however much [MENTION=35039]The Fish[/MENTION] and his mates are desperate for us to say it is.

It's not a football fairytale, but neither was it a foregone conclusion and as such it should be lauded as a good achievement. An achievement that doesn't in any way, detract from Hguhton's at Brighton.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

It's not a football fairytale, but neither was it a foregone conclusion and as such it should be lauded as a good achievement. An achievement that doesn't in any way, detract from Hguhton's at Brighton.

You're too defensive.

Nobody has claimed it isn't an achievement. We've just put that achievement in context, nothing more.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Cheers.

It is a promising time, hopefully Benitez will have his ambition matched by the owner as it's certainly matched by the fans. I doubt we'll be challenging at the top end of the Premier League any time soon though. We've fallen too far too quickly, our best players on their best days wouldn't get into the squads of Man City or Chelsea. Unless we spend a fairly staggering amount it'll take years to usurp the likes of Stoke, and Southampton, let alone one of the top 6. Or of course we could randomly see a "Class of 92" come through our youth ranks, but I've more chance of winning the lottery.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season this has been like Rocky II. Slugging it out for ages and now it looks like we're all punched out.

Benitez won't hang around if the ambition is to usurp Stoke and Southampton. I think you'll spend a staggering amount - I also think he'll buy very shrewdly from overseas. This is a Champions-League winning manager

 

[lawros left foot]

Don't be precious, I was just choosing two teams off the top of my head that would definitely spent less than you.


Right, but we're celebrating promotion, not anything else, so I don't get your point?



No idea, but it wouldn't be drastically different. Certainly not enough to make the difference between 2nd and 10th.


All of it. We made £80m on transfers, so we could spend £55 and still afford a 2nd season in the 2nd tier, because our owner is rich and would, if needs be, footba the bill to get us back up there.

I'm not having a pop at all, I'm glad the Geordies have been promoted, I've had some very memorable weekends in Newcastle back in the day, and made some good mates up there, but, how much did your club lose on the Premier League players, that you sold, to fund your Championship squad?
A club our size, could never match your spending, and nor could all but about 7 or 8 teams in the country, but good luck to you, out of the three relegated clubs, you got it right, Villa are a basket case, and Norwich didn't invest enough.

 

[Dick Head]

Yeah I know, but I'm fairly certain that the layout of our stadium presents unique problems to that. To have the fans pitchside, we'd need to either build temporary walls on the concourses to separate home & away fans, or build new entrances/exits.

I'll see if I can find the article.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/away-fans-set-stay-leazes-12763258

If you do get an exemption I hope it's only temporary.

It's not right that you stick us up in the skies to be honest.

Other clubs should also have an exemption when the Toon come to town in that case and stick them up in the nosebleed seats. It's only fair.

 

[lawros left foot]

Other clubs should also have an exemption when the Toon come to town in that case and stick them up in the nosebleed seats. It's only fair.

When the extra tier is added to the Amex, they can go up there.