Newcastle seem to be giving away top 4 spot ... I guess they're continuing as if they finished where they expected ie top half. The club isn't ready to push on yet basically.
Don't think we "aren't ready to push on" but we are ahead of schedule and that will have changed the thinking over this summer - certainly wouldn't have paid £55m for Tonali if we finished 5th for example. Think we'll get one or two more in, a lot of people including our own fans didn't expect to do as well as we did last season and everyone was surprised we held out for CL football in the end so there will have been a major change in dynamic over the last 3 months - though I'm sure they planned for every eventuality, not sure they would have been banking on CL. Also waiting for late in the window to do business may save a few £m here and there as teams get desperate to finalise a squad for the season and sell cheaper than they would have. Still 4.5 weeks left to get what we need and more importantly - get rid of what we don't need. Our squad is improved from the beginning of last year so it's progress albeit slow progress. Looking at Man U's new kit deal with Adidas - £900m over 10 years - £90m a season - that is the kind of commercial deal we are still well short on to be competing on the financial front - what is Castore £6-7m a year? Less than 10% of Man U's new deal.
I'll make an assessment when the window closes and the season is underway... Seems a little underwhelming as it's been a quiet couple of weeks, but those in charge are better positioned than us to know what the final picture is expected to look like. They've not let us down to date. They're too smart to think we can continue to punch 50% above our weight, and i don't believe that they'll settle for giving up on top 4, that has not been the message at all.
I think ours is just £5m per season and still has 4 years to run. Pathetic in comparison. No wonder we are so far behind other clubs in FFP terms.
This is the thing Newcastle finished 4th but the club hasn't been grown enough to push on and take full advantage of it. The club has to behave like it is rather than where it finished. Essentially 4th is a false position.
It's true the club hasn't been developed enough ie it needs to improve it's revenue. If they finished top 4 once that's done it would be very different. It's not rocket science.
We finished tip 4 and increased our shirt sponsorship 5 fold. Patience buddy. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It was built by winning hearts and minds first then by an army stomping over anything that moved and could be improved.
I'm not complaining I'm saying it like it is. Newcastle will go backwards to go forwards at times and right now the club is growing. It's a wise move to not get over excited because the side over achieved and important for the club to stay in it's lane until it's time to kick on. The club isn't generating enough to keep splashing the cash mate and qualifying for the Champions league is just an early bonus on a long journey.
What's the matter with you ? I'm just saying it like it is mate I'm not complaining just pointing out that Newcastle obviously don't generate enough yet to really go after it.
I think this'll be the 3rd contract he's signed since he joined us (presuming he signs it). Can't see any reason to need to / want to cash in on him now.
I wonder what he's haggling over ? I think it's inevitable they'll sell him, but too soon right now I guess. If Real Madrid are sniffing around I'm afraid Newcastle will be forced to sell him.
Newcastle must have looked like a miserable ****hole to the squad returning from America, so hopefully it will stop raining for the 1st time in a month and it'll help persuade him to sign.
I would agree with this. Commercially we are in the lower echelons of the league which doesn't match where we finished and want to remain. We can't keep spending otherwise we'd be screwed. Being ahead of schedule meant that we were going to have a drop off this season. I'll reserve judgement until September but I can't see us spending much more
Castore need to go and sharp even if it means paying them off the 4 years contract at £20m and then signing with Adidas for £20m per season would make sense and be in line with FFP calculations etc. Once the commercials are up and running smoothly we will be a a different beast but I still maintain we are way ahead of where we should be after 18 months of the takeover and while we could do with another one or two incomings, from the club/management POV they must be thinking we are looking pretty sound in terms of squad depth: GK: Pope, Dubravka, Karius, Gillespie RB: Trippier, Krafth, Manquillo RCB: Schar, Lascelles LCB: Botman, Burn LB: Targett, Dummy*, DM: Bruno, Tonali RCM: Longstaff*, Anderson*, LCM: Willock, Joelinton, RW: Miggy, Murphy LW: Gordon, Barnes, CF: Isak, Wilson, That's a 25 man squad with two first team players for each position minimum plus a lot of cover across the board with players playing multiple positions. We need to {shift}, Hendrick, Hayden and Fraser also before we start making room in the squad for "upgrading" players while waiting on the youth to come through - Ashby, Murphy, Miley, Minteh, Kuol etc etc). Plus in addition to that we'd still need to lose an extra player on top of the above to comply with the CL registration - 4 homegrown* and we only have 3 - so can only have a 24 man squad this season unless we bring in/register a homegrown player like Miley. Need another Goalie (Dubravka) to leave and a RB (Manquillo) then we can bring in an extra defender (CB/LB) but I think the club may think let's keep the powder dry until January and see how we are coming along.
