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What could possibly go wrong!

Relegation beckons for the Toon Army I fear.

So nice of Steve Bruce to give Sheffield Wednesday a few weeks of his time, I hope they appreciate it.

Didn’t realise both Rondon & Perez have departed.

And now it seems the legality’s of Bruce’s appointment not quite sorted, Sheff Wed taking legal action.

What a mess.

ZENITH R wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 9:18 am

What could possibly go wrong!

Relegation beckons for the Toon Army I fear.

They certainly looked third best in their match against Wolves in the Asia cup today.
A Spuds supporting friend of mine who now lives in Sunderland posted this today on FB
The Following is a product of my education, and as such a work of “Speculative Fiction” as it is known. Any reference to any person living or dead is entirely intentional, but almost certainly factually inaccurate

"This is how a Spurs fan became the hated owner of Newcastle United, and the reasons why.

Once upon a time, in the Horse and Groom, a pub not far from Oxford Circus, a young entrepreneur called Mike Ashley, who had grown up in leafy Burnham, Bucks, was in a business meeting about expanding his empire with the addition of some well known brands like Slazenger and Lonsdale. The young Ashley had been a Newcastle United fan, and on that fateful day was wearing a Newcastle shirt, as was his wont, as opposed to wearing formal business attire. He wanted to be seen as one of the lads, a man of the people, which, in the main, he was. However, a lot of his friends supported Tottenham Hotspur, had begun to take him to games at Tottenham, and Ashley was enamoured of the playing style, and also about being courted by the Board, who could see he had a possible investment potential.

On that day, in the Horse and Groom, a band of disgruntled Newcastle supporters, annoyed with the mishandling of their club by a succession of lacklustre chairmen after Sir John Hall, and ironically in London for a match against Arsenal, were selling, or even giving away, copies of their fanzine, The Mag. Seeing Ashley’s shirt, they gave him a free copy, which he put in his pocket for the train home.

That journey caused the greatest seismic shift in the fortunes of Newcastle United in a generation. For, within, was an editorial piece which was scathing of not only Newcastle United, but also Spurs. Bordering on racism, it decried how so many of Newcastle’s stars had been sold to the mighty London club which Ashley now had an affinity for. David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Chris Waddle, Paul Gascoigne, even such luminaries as Kevin Watson, Jermaine Jenas, and Ruel Fox! On and on went this editorial piece, to the extent that a bemused, and slightly drunk, Ashley decided to play the greatest practical joke in history upon the authors of the article
Sir John Hall , the incumbent owner was in ill health, and wanted a buyer . Ashley met the price, buoyed by the profits from his burgeoning empire in retail., and so it began

For Mike Ashley though, his investment remains small change. He has repeatedly said he will sell if and when his price his met, but it is a hobby for him, not a business. And the hobby is not Premier League football, far from it. His hobby is winding up Newcastle fans. Any small amount of encouragement that the fans get, such as Rafael Benitez being elevated to the deity, is immediately snatched away. Yes, he will spend money. But only just enough to make them pay for more, and then snatches it back again with a laugh at the Sports Direct stores selling shirts from players who won’t stay beyond the time it takes to get them a more lucrative move.

To compound this, the various Select Committees investigating his employment practices have made his dealings in business even more under scrutiny, so now his amusement is entirely turned to tormenting the so-called Toon Army.

Now Steve Bruce looks to have inherited the hot seat as manager. I won’t be holding my breath while he tries to overcome the Ashley philosophy."

Personally i find the whole Toon army thing a bit cringey anyway, 52,000 every week my arse, i saw them in the championship plenty of spare seats there then.

Just because they take their shirts off in January and wave them around their heads doesn't make them the passionate fans in the country.