The Football News Thread 2022/23

[WolfMan]

That’s classic sportswash whataboutery. Classic. Because they have a stake in say BP as a shareholder then this is the same. It isn’t. Not even close.

Accusing someone of whataboutery isn't really a valid criticism of someone's argument in my opinion, just a way to try and shut it down if it's refers to uncomfortable truths.

The only reason Saudi Arabia have the money to buy Newcastle is because we gave it to them so they could give it us back in exchange for weapons to enforce their regime. Knowing what we do about Saudi Arabia, how's that not even worse than what they do? We're meant to the the liberal enlightened ones over here but we knowingly facilitate it. Alot of the shit they are doing to them isn't wrong, just a very fanatical interpretation of Islam. My post wasn't directed at you personally, more the blanket media coverage of what a moral outrage it is and it just makes me sick, the hypocrisy of this country that we actually think we're the good guys.

 

[YoungWolf]

Of course it’s hypocritical of pretty much all football fans (particularly ones with the richest owners including us) as anyone rich enough to buy a big football club there is going to be something unpleasant about where the money is coming from. This probably takes it to a new level though. Doesn’t make the opinions of those, hypocritical or not, wrong. And from Paddy’s perspective in particular, even more so understandable.

 

[The Bear]

There has to be an ethical line drawn somewhere in the sand when it comes to where your money comes from.

If Gary Glitter got out of jail and headed a billion pound consortium to buy a football club, would their fans be celebrating in the street?

Yet his crimes pale into insignificance to the Saudi regime.

 

[WolfMan]

There has to be an ethical line drawn somewhere in the sand when it comes to where your money comes from.

If Gary Glitter got out of jail and headed a billion pound consortium to buy a football club, would their fans be celebrating in the street?

Yet his crimes pale into insignificance to the Saudi regime.

And if Jimmy Saville led the calls against it, you wouldn't be allowed to call him out apparently, because whataboutery.

Also, where has the money actually come from? It's us and other western countries who've given them the money and then propped them up, and continue to do so. I just can't see why that factor isn't discussed. The UK and countries like ours have literally caused this situation. Don't get me wrong, Saudia Arabia is a truly vile regime, no amount of 'sports washing' will ever convince me otherwise. But what do we actually expect them to do with all the money we gave them? Is it better they just stick to buying military hardware instead? They've been dropping British bombs on Yemen for years, 10's of thousands of innocent people dead and I've heard more outrage over a fucking football club in the last 24 hours than I've ever heard about that. What a weird world we live in.

 

[Derby Wolf]

0

And if Jimmy Saville led the calls against it, you wouldn't be allowed to call him out apparently, because whataboutery.

Also, where has the money actually come from? It's us and other western countries who've given them the money and then propped them up, and continue to do so. I just can't see why that factor isn't discussed. The UK and countries like ours have literally caused this situation. Don't get me wrong, Saudia Arabia is a truly vile regime, no amount of 'sports washing' will ever convince me otherwise. But what do we actually expect them to do with all the money we gave them? Is it better they just stick to buying military hardware instead? They've been dropping British bombs on Yemen for years, 10's of thousands of innocent people dead and I've heard more outrage over a fucking football club in the last 24 hours than I've ever heard about that. What a weird world we live in.

Media complicity; they always tiptoe around Yemen and its always 'coalition' or Saudi led coalition the language the media use is critical in limiting Saudi criticism. There's also a considerable disconnect between Yemeni famine/death and the why, of why they're in such dire straits. Note how its always Muslim extremists/radicals/terrorists and rarely Saudi Arabian when describing 15 of the 19 9/11 lot too. You're absolutely correct though, the average Joe couldn't give a shite about geopolitics.

I first posted on here about Britain selling banned weapons (per the UN's Covenant on Cluster Munitions) to Saudi Arabia in 2017. By being State Party to the treaty the UK promises not to produce, use or transfer ownership of said weapons, we produce and sell them (and our drone operators probably use them as part of the 'coalition' so are in ongoing breach of Human Rights treaties.

My sister in law is Trans so have many similar feelings as Paddy regarding those attitudes but I have an equal sense of contempt for Britain, we enable it and by and large we are utterly indifferent to the suffering and devastation we perpetuate in the persuit of profit.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Newspaper reports that the January transfer budget for the now most hated club in the country could be £190m. And that Kane and Mbappe are “within reach”.

Absolute horseshit. That is three years worth of FFP budget.

 

[Donegal Wolf]

Newspaper reports that the January transfer budget for the now most hated club in the country could be £190m. And that Kane and Mbappe are “within reach”.

Absolute horseshit. That is three years worth of FFP budget.

Because of Ashley spending fuck all over the last couple of years they have plenty of room with regards FFP, heard a figure of £150m mentioned.
Depends who they are getting in as manager, when these sort of takeover happens normally there is generally a manager mentioned, nothing in this case.

 

[Tony Towner]

No top star is 'within reach' until the Summer at the earliest. They still have 2 significant headwinds firstly the current team is shite and will probably be bottom 6 come January, secondly nobody wants to live in Newcastle. When they were good under Keagan they struggled to get top none British players to sign for them because of where they are based. They will be competing against the North West and London sides and unless the money is obscene they'll lose out to them now, just as they did then at least until they make the CL.

I can see them making a headline signing in Jan, but it'll be a name who is over the hill - someone like Busquets as an example

 

[darlowolf64]

They MAY have money to buy players but absolutely no way that Kane or M'Bappe are rocking up there in Jan or next summer or any in the near future

 

[Derby Wolf]

They're making out this investment is like a silver bullet to all their woes, but if you make a direct and obvious comparison to Man City in their first year when they signed Robinho they were already in the UEFA Cup and had that carrot to dangle on top of the higher wages etc.

Newcastle are at a much lower starting point and aren't in a position to kick start their rise by focusing on a cup this year when two thirds of the league would be favourites to win if they got there.

It'll be interesting to see the famous Toon support if the rise isn't as quickly as they now expect, or indeed when they're invariably told their season ticket prices are vital in signing Harry fucking Kane.

 

[Donegal Wolf]

No top star is 'within reach' until the Summer at the earliest. They still have 2 significant headwinds firstly the current team is shite and will probably be bottom 6 come January, secondly nobody wants to live in Newcastle. When they were good under Keagan they struggled to get top none British players to sign for them because of where they are based. They will be competing against the North West and London sides and unless the money is obscene they'll lose out to them now, just as they did then at least until they make the CL.

I can see them making a headline signing in Jan, but it'll be a name who is over the hill - someone like Busquets as an example

Coutinho seems to be the name in the frame at the moment.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Coutinho makes sense. Barcelona are desperate to get him off the wage bill and if he plays eight more games they owe a huge chunk of money to the debt agency that bought the liability from Liverpool.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Plus with City didn’t Robinho rock up in the mistaken belief that he had signed for United or is that just folklore?

 

[Tony Towner]

Coutinho would fit. Big name, but not one any other top club would want, nor pay the salary they will.

 

[The Bear]

Aaron Ramsey is who I read. Juventus want rid of him and its just his huge wages that will be the biggest expense.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

There's an angle I hadn't thought about before. The current players are nearly all shit but we know as well as anyone that if you're organised and put loads of effort in then that can be enough to stay up. However, now...why are any of these players going to give a fuck, you know that (ASM aside) you have no realistic future at the club. They absolutely do need a decent number of points on the board come January or it limits even further the scope of who you can sign.

 

[Mel Evo]

Maybe because if it took you a while to think about that it might take the players a few months?

 

[sycophantia]

A few big ifs but, if they get a decent coach, if they can sign sign a couple in Jan like Coutinho and Ramsey, if they can get Wilson and ASM to play enough games, you'd expect them to stay up quite comfortably and then kick on next season

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

This is the same sort of reasoning applied to our decade of underachievement in the 90's/early 2000's. Our Championship squad were on good money and most realised that they would be surplus to requirement should we go up. They subsequently became experts in failure!

 

[AndyWolves]

I don't think relegation would be a massive issue for them anyway.