We have 4 strikers: Gayle, Carroll, Muto and erm Joelinton. Gayle is our best striker in terms of being able to score - but once again injured and possibly for the whole season Carroll should be in his prime now and imho would be great in a typical KK 4-4-2 formation. Sadly can't last one complete game let alone starting and playing games in a row. Muto - has been touted around to other clubs - clearly we have to make a payment to Mainz if he plays that elusive 25th game for us. Joelinton - he is basically not a striker and will not score that many goals Bruce (the twat) reckons we will only sign players that are better than what we have which is why it is odd we are not buying any strikers. Anyone else concerned? Will any of the above actually score a goal in the Premier League? Is this it? Relegation? Or can ASM/Shelvey/Almiron and our centre backs score enough to scrape survival? Will Bruce still try to go through in the cups? Is there any point being "excited" with other signings if we don't sign a striker?
Although ASM had a good season for us, other teams will get wise to ASM and mark him out of the game yes he will score goals but not as many, he reminds me a bit like Zaha so that leaves the others to chip in oh and yes, I am worried about the standard of strike force we have
I think you have to be concerned in terms of us progressing. In terms of us staying up I'm not worried, we will be fine I would think. But in terms of improving the squad from last season we defo need a striker. I can see the clubs point of view with Joelinton but there is also a time for being brutally honest. I thought key elements this summer in terms of improving were: Left back - permanent one. Holding midfield - quality being the key here, a top one which is a marked step up from Hayden would be massive Ball player - less important because Shelvey had a good season, but we need more mobility. Both Matty and Sean could offer more this year, so if you are retaining them, really they should be given a chance. Striker - Carroll and Gayle are always injured. So even allowing that Joelinton is classed as a striker and an option, we are still short. We say every year sell the dead wood but the club never does. It really is key. Whether they just can't be shifted is one angle, but I can see why Ashley would be happy to see less movement. More movement more money, more signing on fees, more agents etc.
The dead wood comment is hilarious - thanks to the utter ineptitude and snails pace Charnley operates at (not helped by the fact he's the only ****ing exec at the club), we're going to lose quite a large number of players for nothing. Sure, they're not great, but we don't have any money, ever, and last time I checked players tend to cost something. As above, we currently have one LB in Dummett (who's really a left sided CB, woeful at crossing), and 100% won't be going for a midfielder of ANY description, with Hayden, Shelvey, 2 x Longstaff, Barlaser and Hendrick on the books. Our RB's are bang average. CB's are ok, if Fede keeps it up, but 4 of them will be over 30 this year (Fede, Clark, Dummett, Lejeune) and at least 2 out of contract in a year. The youth looks utter ****. We've got a decent 'keeper, Allan/Watts look ok, but there's really very little ever happening. These kids aren't even near our squad, and our squad is ****ing awful. Atsu? Muto? Ritchie? Murphy? These are Championship players, not even bottom-half PL players. The striker situation is beyond a joke. We've had something like 9 years to try and sort it out. NINE years of Charnley trying to penny pinch someone and failing time and time and time again (he's still employed, it's beyond amazing). Rondon about closest to an actual No.9 we've had. For all the churn and budget bullshit this club has put together, then spunking £40m on Joelinton, it boggles the mind why Ashley never just says "man, I am ****ing HOPELESS as an owner, I better get a couple of experts in - at least then I won't keep spending £15m a year on **** and might build a longer term plan". Ridiculously, he won't do it. Anyway, Bruce said we might be "surprised" by the budget or some other brown tongue ****ing crap. Doesn't matter what the budget is, it's Charnley at the negotiating table. To be honest, we probably should have just stuck with Mitrovic. All the **** we've had to watch before and since.
I honestly don't expect any signings this summer... We might get on 2 or 3 loans at best. Quite why nufc has so little to spend is becoming confusing to me... I just don't understand where they money goes... Its not to Ashley, so where is it?
It just seems like every year theclub makes millions, but we never seem to be able to spend any money.... Ashley seems to basically save up money in order to pay when the clubs relegated.... If other clubs had been going bust left right and centre over the last decade that'd be great, but it hasn't happened.
I think Manquillo is better than bang average now I have to say. I'd go as far to say he's actually pretty good. Given how **** he was, I think it deserves a lot of credit. Yedlin appears to have gone backwards in equal measure. Given he wasn't very good to begin with... I do have to say I think you are seriously misguided if you think our approach is in anyway down to Charnley and his negotiating skills. Try working to the parameters we set out. Then try to do so in the ultra competitive world of PL football, with clubs who run properly. There is only one man running the show. The reason he doesn't get top execs in is because they are top execs, and won't just accept a paycheck. They'll actually want to perform in the role and enhance their reputation. Same as why he doesn't tend to go shopping for the top managers, he looks for people whose reputation is on the floor. People might think he bucked that trend with Rafa, but the reality is Rafa's reputation had taken a battering at the time - I don't think he ever intended Rafa to be there past the end of the season. He bucked it somewhat by paying him 6m a year, but lets face it he spent the next two years making that role as uncomfortable as possible for him by refusing to change the shoestring approach. That was at odds with Ashley because he sees no reason to change as it isn't broken. So you think why if he is wasting 15m a year on **** players doesn't he get someone who doesn't. You are looking at the detail, Ashley is simply viewing the high level version. He has been here about 13 years and has turned a profit most of that time. Its unheard of in football outside of Spurs, which is massively skewed by the 100m they got for Bale which changed their football landscape. Furthermore his business and reason for getting into football has been massively successful off the back of it. So he couldn't give a **** about piddly little things like Newcastle not getting better or having top execs or top managers or top players. Yes it could be even better, but I think Ashley just sees unnecessary risk. Certainly the anger being directed at Bruce, and saying he's another kiss arse puppet is laughable and to be honest I think those fans need to have a look at themselves. The bloke is just trying to do a very difficult job, same as Charnley. You have two choices, fall in line or be out of a job. Bruce has simply learnt from Pardew/McClaren/Hughton - fighting with Ashley achieves precisely **** all. **** having principles like Rafa - don't take the job if you don't like the owner. He knew the score and still pissed and moaned about it non stop. What did Ashley do? Gave him the bare minimum. Pardew has been the most successful manager under Ashley, and he played the game with him. I dare say Bruce is doing likewise and simply trying to make the best of a **** situation. Manager and owner being at loggerheads is terrible for the club in terms of performance over a longer period.
Of course Ashley is the problem, but as per the other thread, it makes zero sense from ANY perspective to keep on some truly awful players year after year - they depreciate in value, so Charnley's approach of holding out for, say, £3m for Saivet has seen us spunk another £1m in wages, and he's now "worth" around £500k, plus all the time and effort spent touting him around to get an inflated price. It's ****ing abysmal management, even for a clown like Charnley - and I don't blame Bruce, this isn't his area. All he can do is say to the "board" (chuckle) that he doesn't have a place for the likes of Saivet, Muto, etc., it's Charnley's "job" to get rid. The simple maths even at a top level doesn't stack up. I mean, Muto is just embarrassing - 24 games, stuck there, yet I almost guarantee he'll still be here in Oct because Charnley will be holding out for some ludicrous price. That will then end up costing another years money, plus extra for Mainz, for a **** player who shouldn't be in the PL. It's abhorrent decision making, even with Ashley's handcuffs on. We need to cut loose so many players but Bruce knows how it works - if he gets rid of Yedlin, who's probably worth around £3m, he won't get a replacement as he'll only have £3m to spend. Pound in, pound out. That's Ashley's Newcastle. £1m from SD advertising is burned through on stadium upkeep. £3m from Fun88? Why, it costs £3m a year for Shelvey's salary. And so on. We simply don't make anywhere near enough money and there's zero outside source to improve the amount we can spend. Our gate revenues are very important - 4th most in the league - and we didn't have any for 6 months, and won't for another 6. Most clubs will borrow or get sugar daddy money to see them through so they can improve, using overdrafts against TV revenue, etc. We won't. We'll look at our spreadsheet and that's where around £30m (in total, which will include agents, transfer fees and even bus fares) to spend comes from. That's not enough in 2005. It's almost pointless in 2020. Hence why we don't sell anyone and are left with the same bollock of a squad. If we somehow survive this year, we're going to be utterly ****ed without a new owner next Summer. The sad fact is it's the right model - but we're bereft of serious competence in improving our revenue streams, thanks to Ashley's "**** you, corporate world" approach and running every one of his businesses with a handful of mates.This leaves us permanently stuck. To improve we'd need more than just Lee "Tea Boy" Charnley in a board room - but to have that ambition, we'll need a new owner. Complete catch 22.
