The Premier League - 2021-2022

If I got enjoyment from winning endless cups and league titles I’d just go and support City. I’ve no interest in that as a form of entertainment. Of course I want our club to be as well run and as successful as possible, but in the realms of normal possibility and I’d never actually want us to be like Chelsea or City, I just don’t get the fun in it? If we were in Newcastle’s shoes I’d honestly just give up watching football at this level.

 

Yes, if the playing field becomes ever more imbalanced, then what will be the point. They'll rename the planned European Super League the "Only Available To Clubs Owned By Multi-Billionaires Or Proxies For Rich Nation States" League.
It'll get a bit like seeing players lining up against you in a Sunday League match who you know play semi-pro on Saturdays, and then hear them crowing about winning the league...again. What's the point? A real hollow 'triumph'.

 

100%. Great set of fans and a lovely city.

 

I’d be over the moon. Being honest I’m pretty sure I’d get comfortable with wherever the money came from pretty quickly.

 

What!!?? Imagine pummelling Arsenal and Spurs year after year. Payback for those decades of scorn. How would that not be brilliant as opposed to watching Cathcart having a winger run at him and looking like a baby dinosaur that just hatched from an egg?

 

It's a scenario I've played through in my head already. In the (thankfully!) unlikely situation that a regime even a fraction as odious as the Saudis bought Watford, that'd be me done in a heartbeat. It'd be incredibly painful, but by continuing my matchgoing I'd be effectively facilitating sportswashing and I couldn't just compartmentalise my support like that. One of my local non-league teams would become my regular Saturday fix.

 

I’m not actually from Watford, supporting them was handed down from my Mum’s side of the family who are from there. I went to school in Surrey and was naturally the only Watford fan. It was full of Spurs or Utd fans. The ones who supported Spurs were making a lame attempt to hide their glory hunting, because they’d argue they were from near to London. The ones who supported Utd were just unadulterated glory hunters. I took great pride in supporting a small team who got the very occasional opportunity to celebrate something. I’ve absolutely no interest in following a team who just dominates and wins everything.

 

https://twitter.com/m1cvv/status/1446026337215557632

 

I think there’s some lines you have to draw as a Watford fan. Although the war that would break out on here about it as the podcasters and suddenly-former-COGs scrambled to get themselves in position for the Watford game of the century would be something else.

 

Take a look at the early appearances of Lineker on MotD and you will find he was exactly like that, perhaps even more 'rabbit in the headlights'. The BBC didn't hire him to be the new smooth Des Lynham, but were starstruck at getting such a big name (as he was at the time). I agree Alex Scott has more natural talent but, as a viewer, I would always prefer a professional broadcaster. Few sports people genuinely make the transition. The way Crouch has positioned himself in recent years, he is far too 'blokey' even compared to the Lineker/Shearer banter. Imagine Crouch and Ian Wright on the same show!

 

Fairplay - I wasn't old enough to really be aware of Lineker at the start. I'm not actually campaigning for Alex Scott to be given the job, but I will just point out that she does have a degree in Sports Journalism and Broadcasting, so she essentially is a professional broadcaster - something she's been doing for about 5 years now in various forms.

That's interesting about Crouch - his ease on camera and ability to carry a show make me think that he'd be an almost effortless successor, with less of even Lineker's early apparent awkwardness. Similarly to you, though, I do think the best presenter ever was Mark Chapman when he did/does MOTD 2.

 

Give it to Gifton

 

"100 per cent".

 

You sound like a Luton fan talking about the Pozzos.

 

I think Luton have won more than us in my lifetime.

 

That's nice?

 

Well no, but I don’t think what I was saying about big clubs and what Newcastle will probably become is remotely comparable to how a Luton fan would, or indeed should see us. We’ve never won anything, and were in the same league as them last season, and they even beat us. The gap between us and them was quite big immediately after the Pozzo’s took over, but it’s much smaller again now, but ultimately we’re not talking about winning domestic league and European cups, we’re talking about just getting into a different league to them as our main differentiator over the past decade or so.

 

The phrases you've used are exactly what Luton fans were saying when we were taken over, and they still claim they'd not want to be owned by the Pozzos. That was my point. Regardless of who has won what, they've said they'd rather be in League One/League Two than have owners who exploit the loan system/sack managers (and any other tired cliche), and if they did they'd stop going.

It's easy to say, but in reality very few follow it through. Just look at FC United of Manchester, their attendances are down to about 1500 now.

 

There is absolutely nothing immoral or remotely questionable about the Pozzos, though.

 

You... You have heard the pundits this week, right? Plenty questioning them.
You do remember they closed the loan loophole we exploited, right? Plenty questioning them.
You do remember the bank letter scandal, right? Both immoral and questionable.

Sure, absolutely not on the scale of the Saudi's human rights issues, but there's been questionable things. And in any case, that's entirely not my point - I'm not sure if you're intentionally going off track, or you just don't get it. In either case, I'll leave you to it.

 

They’re Italian toolmakers who didn’t exploit anything, they used a rule open to everyone, Luton included.

There is also absolutely nothing immoral about firing a manager and paying up his contract in full, far from it. The chance would be a fine thing for most normal people.

How you can even compare them is totally beyond me, we’re taking about a country responsible for human rights atrocities!

 

Newcastle takeover confirmed by the Premier League. A shame to see a Mike Ashley gone.

 

They’ll miss him when the Saudis have moved the club to London

 

It will come right eventually for Newcastle now obviously - money talks.

But it won’t be overnight and they could still struggle this season. Chelsea’s turnaround was quick but that was in age of football managers and not Directors of Football etc.

City took years to adapt still and blew money endlessly until they got a decent structure in place with former Barca hierarchy.

Newcastle will get a new manager who is undoubtedly better than Bruce - and will also get some half decent January signings. They will do just enough to make sure they are safe. And then I suspect they won’t be near the bottom spots again. But they are still in play for 11th-19th for sure.

 

One more voice for the Super League once it re-emerges.

 

Marco Silva interested in the job according to my sources.

 

I don’t see him walking away from football. I wonder where he’ll pop up next. Derby County? Sunderland would be funny. Maybe even Watford as a minority share holder.

 

Well it is done.

I think this makes Newcastle more prone to relegation in the short-term as they now have huge pressures and expectations.

I'm sure they intended on bringing back Rafa Benitez the first takeover attempt and he's gone elsewhere.

I know it was against us but that Newcastle team had enough about it under Steve Bruce to stay up. They dominated us.

 

“We’ve got our club back!” shout the toothless masses gathered outside St James’ Park.

As ownership passes from a self-made English bloke to a super rich Saudi Arabian dictator.

Don’t let anyone tell you football fans aren’t smart.

 

That was more a reflection on us rather than them, see also Leeds.

If they struggle to get a manager in they could struggle, but they’ll be able to throw cash at the problem in January.

 

The day we get battered by Newcastle by 6 or 7 goals will probably be the day I give up on football tbh.

 

It’s a now just a question of when, not if.

 

I'd like to think if a Saudi group were looking to buy Watford then a large majority of us would protest it.

It's just a really weird reaction from Newcastle fans. It's not like they were going bust and PIF have saved them, they just didn't like the owner because he lives down South and didn't spend money (he did).