This is complete bullshit talking about Newcastle competing for European places. The best players will still go to United, City, Liverpool, Chelsea and the top continental sides long before they consider "The Toon." Over time they might reach the Spurs level.
Newcastle might well reach CL levels in a few years, presuming they stay up. They might also get relegated this season...even with an orgy of January spending, it's just not easy to build a club overnight.
Where it gets interesting is in the increased competition for the top places, and in turn for the revenues to be had with the top places. It's already quite a bit more variable now than it once was, and adding another team into the mix creates a credible possibility of one of the bigger sides getting squeezed out. Arsenal would seem like the most likely victim there; they haven't made CL since 2015-16 and don't exactly look like they're heading there this season. Their commercial revenues haven't suffered to date (and in fact have continued to grow), but one wonders how long they can go without European competition before that starts to change.
It's entirely possible that there's just so much commercial revenue sloshing around that it can be parceled out between 7-8 PL teams without really abating. Clubs won't lose their overseas audiences (which are the biggest drivers of commercial income) overnight. But a lot of that support, particularly with younger fans, isn't necessarily rock-solid either, and a period of sustained mediocrity could easily see of the traditional big clubs turn into, I dunno, current-day West Ham or something.
The relegation issue may be a problem but the ambition, transfer budget and wages will be an incentive.There are some good points here. I think that the interesting scenario in the Premier League is those teams like Leicester who have been hugely successful without being particularly fashionable. You would have thought that they would have picked up a large , foreign following but it is interesting that we have seen so called " Big Four" clubs diminish in potential. Man Utd keep threatening to come good but it does not seem to be happening. I think Arsenal are actually in a worse position and I cannot see how they can ever catch up with teams like Man CIty, Liverpool and Chelsea. Arsenal are nowhere as good a team as Leicester. What always intrigued me was how popular Arsene Wenger's Arsenal was in France - not so much because they were full of French stars and managed by a Frenchman, but because there were many there who actually preferred them to French teams.
As for Newcastle, I think they may threaten top 6 or top 7 yet their potential is really no better than either Villa or Everton who have both under-acheived. in my opinion, their identity is too parochial to muster much support outside of the North-East. I see this morning that the newpapers are mooting sometop names to take control at St James yet I doubt if an English team in relegation trouble will be immediately popular.
There's a bit of chatter in the papers this morning about Newcastle going for Zaha and Ward-Prowse in the January window.
Now obviously it's just chatter (though it was in The Times, so possibly not 'loose' chatter, but would suspect informed guessing).
Question is, if Newcastle came in with a nuts bid, let's call it £70m. Are you happy to thank James for his service and let him go?
100% - I don't think Newcastle will be spending quite that much but if, for some strange reason, they valued JWP at £70m then we would be fools not to sell him!There's a bit of chatter in the papers this morning about Newcastle going for Zaha and Ward-Prowse in the January window.
Now obviously it's just chatter (though it was in The Times, so possibly not 'loose' chatter, but would suspect informed guessing).
Question is, if Newcastle came in with a nuts bid, let's call it £70m. Are you happy to thank James for his service and let him go?
There's a bit of chatter in the papers this morning about Newcastle going for Zaha and Ward-Prowse in the January window.
Now obviously it's just chatter (though it was in The Times, so possibly not 'loose' chatter, but would suspect informed guessing).
Question is, if Newcastle came in with a nuts bid, let's call it £70m. Are you happy to thank James for his service and let him go?
There's a bit of chatter in the papers this morning about Newcastle going for Zaha and Ward-Prowse in the January window.
Now obviously it's just chatter (though it was in The Times, so possibly not 'loose' chatter, but would suspect informed guessing).
Question is, if Newcastle came in with a nuts bid, let's call it £70m. Are you happy to thank James for his service and let him go?
Looks like Eddie Howe is close to the Newcastle job. Great opportunity for him but not without risk - they are pretty crap and there is no guarantee they will buy their way out of trouble with just 1 transfer window.
Mike Dean has become oddly yellow card shy.
Tick 10 agree 100%. It was a savage scythe deserving a straight red.Can anyone explain why Dean only gave a yellow card for a McArthur tackle that was ten times worse than JWP's mistimed effort? Why did VAR not intervene in what was an obvious error?
Mikel Arteta says On James McArthur's foul on Bukayo Saka: "It's a clear red card. No intention to play the ball. I don't know how with VAR he hasn't been sent off."
Will he get a charge for that remark?