Chop chop! Lets all gawp at Newcastle (again)

[BOF]

6 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

Rafa Benitez on about Newcastle winning the premier league.

I've read the quotes, and as much as I like to give him and the club stick, they are a little more nuanced in fairness

The salient part from the interview that I read was :

Quote

‘When I start something I put all my passion into it,’ he adds. ‘I will try to do my best and hopefully everything will be fine. The things will be done in the right way and we can build what we want to build, a strong team and a strong club that can compete in the Premier League for everything.

‘When I say everything, I don’t say the title, but why not? Everything means we have to be consistent. If you have the FA Cup, you can be there.

‘It is not Rafa saying he wants to win the league, no. I want to be competitive and after we can win a trophy or you can win the league. You never know. It will be more difficult with every year, but for sure, you have to try.’

 

[rodders0223]

Newcastle and winning trophies just don't go together.

Even when they were relatively safe in mid-table under Pardew they were putting out absolute joke show teams to ensure Mike Ashley's £200m Sports Direct advertising tool stayed in the PL. it won't be long until Magic Mike is twisting Rafa's arm behind his back to make sure they finish 17th and do not get bogged down with a cup run.

[VillaChris]

Big underachievement he never won the league at Liverpool.

Stable defence and they had Mascherano-Gerrard-Alonso as their midfield. Torres was in brilliant form for 18 months aswell.

[BOF]

6 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Newcastle and winning trophies just don't go together.

Even when they were relatively safe in mid-table under Pardew they were putting out absolute joke show teams to ensure Mike Ashley's £200m Sports Direct advertising tool stayed in the PL. it won't be long until Magic Mike is twisting Rafa's arm behind his back to make sure they finish 17th and do not get bogged down with a cup run.

Rafa would never allow his arm to be twisted in that manner.  Whatever we think of him, he thinks highly of himself and would walk away from that scenario out of professional integrity.  They're lucky to have him as it is.  I don't think they'd test him.

[Stevo985]

Always happy to point out that since Newcastle last won a major trophy, Villa have won one FA cup, five league cups, a top flight league title, a European cup and a European super cup. 

 

When you consider Villa's trophy haul has been anything but impressive in the last 30 odd years it goes to show how shite Newcastle's is.

Edited June 11, 2017 by Stevo985

[Rugeley Villa]

On 11/06/2017 at 09:18, Stevo985 said:

Always happy to point out that since Newcastle last won a major trophy, Villa have won one FA cup, five league cups, a top flight league title, a European cup and a European super cup. 

 

When you consider Villa's trophy haul has been anything but impressive in the last 30 odd years it goes to show how shite Newcastle's is.

But as my mate always points out ' we get 50k at our games'  

[Genie]

1 hour ago, Rugeley Villa said:

But as my mate always points out ' we get 50k at our games'  

...because they are a 1 club city.

[blandy]

On 6/16/2017 at 08:52, Rugeley Villa said:

But as my mate always points out ' we get 50k at our games'  

They've got a huge population and catchment area all to themselves - there's 2.6 + million people in the North East, and ignoring the Sunderland and Boro and Darlo and Hartlepool areas then 

County Durham 513,200, Northumberland 316,000, Newcastle upon Tyne 280,200, North Tyneside 200,800, Gateshead 200,200, South Tyneside 148,100

That's 1.66 million people with no other team in their area. Their support is excellent, and they're great fans, too (apart from the odd bell, but we all have them) but they do have a huge area all to themselves.

[Rugeley Villa]

17 hours ago, blandy said:

They've got a huge population and catchment area all to themselves - there's 2.6 + million people in the North East, and ignoring the Sunderland and Boro and Darlo and Hartlepool areas then 

County Durham 513,200, Northumberland 316,000, Newcastle upon Tyne 280,200, North Tyneside 200,800, Gateshead 200,200, South Tyneside 148,100

That's 1.66 million people with no other team in their area. Their support is excellent, and they're tenet fans, too (apart from the odd bell, but we all have them) but they do have a huge area all to themselves.

Plus low immigration levels compared to the West Midlands which will have an impact. Christ, every thread these days gets political 

[ender4]

Are they being taken over by some Chinese investors?

i vaguely heard some rumour about it.

[Xela]

40 minutes ago, ender4 said:

Are they being taken over by some Chinese investors?

i vaguely heard some rumour about it.

Chinese whispers?

[bobzy]

On 6/16/2017 at 17:22, blandy said:

They've got a huge population and catchment area all to themselves - there's 2.6 + million people in the North East, and ignoring the Sunderland and Boro and Darlo and Hartlepool areas then 

County Durham 513,200, Northumberland 316,000, Newcastle upon Tyne 280,200, North Tyneside 200,800, Gateshead 200,200, South Tyneside 148,100

That's 1.66 million people with no other team in their area. Their support is excellent, and they're great fans, too (apart from the odd bell, but we all have them) but they do have a huge area all to themselves.

This is oft repeated, but I don't think it necessarily stands true.

Even on those figures, County Durham pretty much lies between Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.  South Tyneside is fully considered to be Sunderland territory.

We've got massively populated areas around our club.  Villa, Blues, West Brom, Wolves, Walsall and Coventry are the comparable clubs around the area.  Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Solihull, Coventry, Tamworth, Lichfield, Redditch, Bromsgrove, Kidderminster - even probably out to Worcester, Nuneaton, Cannock, Leamington Spa, Warwick.  It's a vast area of potential support.  Yet, the clubs get nowhere near the turnout that the North East ones do.

[S-Platt]

Yes but there is so much more to do on a Saturday afternoon around these parts.   However I do admire their support.  They take big numbers away  too which must be a huge round trip to some games.  

I always think we Villa fans have a tad more intelligence and don't just turn up because it's the done thing.  We have a huge amount of fans that pick and choose mainly depending on if we are actually any good or not.  Some call that fickle I would say common sense. 

Edited June 22, 2017 by S-Platt

[Zatman]

How is this man a millionaire 

Quote

Mike Ashley 'vomited into fireplace at pub meeting'

Sportswear tycoon Mike Ashley once hosted a management meeting in a pub where he drank 12 pints and vomited into a fireplace, a court has heard.

The Newcastle United owner is being sued by finance expert Jeffrey Blue at London's High Court.

He claims Mr Ashley often held meetings in pubs, and at one time promised to pay him £15m if he managed to increase Sports Direct's share price to £8.

He said the billionaire only paid him £1m. Mr Ashley disputes the claim.

Mr Justice Leggatt was told the dispute between Mr Blue and Mr Ashley related to an alleged conversation in a London pub called the Horse & Groom in 2013.

Jeffrey Chapman QC, who is leading Mr Blue's legal team, told the judge Mr Ashley's business practices flew in the face of "business orthodoxy".

'Pub lock-in'

Mr Blue said he had attended several senior management meetings at another pub, the Green Dragon in Alfreton, Derbyshire.

He said: "These meetings were like no other senior management meeting I had ever attended in all my years of investment banking experience."

Image copyrightPA Image captionFinance expert Jeffrey Blue said Mr Ashley "was like no other client"

Describing it as a "pub lock-in" where fish and chips and kebabs would be brought in after closing time, he said: "On one such evening, in front of his senior management team, Mr Ashley challenged a young Polish analyst in my team, Pawel Pawlowski, to a drinking competition.

"Mr Ashley and Pawel would drink pints of lager, with vodka 'chasers' between each pint, and the first to leave the bar area for whatever reason was declared the loser.

"After approximately 12 pints and chasers Pawel apologised profusely and had to excuse himself.

"Mr Ashley then vomited into the fireplace located in the centre of the bar, to huge applause from his senior management team."

Mr Blue said he first met Mr Ashley while working for Merrill Lynch in 2006.

"Mr Ashley was like no other client that anyone at Merrill Lynch had ever come across," he said.

"By way of example, his ability to express boredom and frustration during client meetings knew no limits, including various episodes where he would lie underneath meeting room tables to 'have a nap'."

David Cavender QC, who leads Mr Ashley's legal team, told the judge Mr Blue's claim was an "opportunistic try on".

The hearing continues.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-40484091 

[LondonLax]

He's a billionaire

[Demitri_C]

The biggest laughing stock billionaire

[rodders0223]

Stop buying French players. You are no good at it.

 

Quote

Newcastle United have signed defender Florian Lejeune from Eibar on a five-year deal for a reported £8.7m.

The 26-year-old, who joined Manchester City in 2015 but did not play a game, is the Magpies' second summer signing after winger Christian Atsu.

Former France youth international Lejeune has also had spells at Girona and Villarreal.

"When you have a manager like Rafa Benitez who wants you, you are very happy to come," he said.

Benitez added: "If he settles well into English football then I am sure he will be a success and will give us a lot of competition in this area."

 

[Xela]

I won't have a bad word said about Ashley... he bought me drinks one night.. well i'm 99% sure it was him! 

[Xela]

5 hours ago, rodders0223 said:

Stop buying French players. You are no good at it.

Is Graham Carr still there? He's a fraud. Couple of lucky buys and the rest have been abysmal. 

[VillaChris]

He left a few weeks back.