Featured: That was the Week that Was (Feb 27 - Mar 3 2023)

[tlw content]

 

Monday Feb 27:

 

I have a confession to make. I’m fucking made up Newcastle lost yesterday even though it meant the Mancs getting their hands on a trophy. I wasn’t even the remotest bit conflicted about it either, I was 100% all in on Newcastle losing.

 

There are several reasons but the main one is that in the grand scheme of things this win doesn’t really mean a great deal to manc fans. It’s a day out and another trinket to put in an already bulging trophy cabinet. For Newcastle it meant everything and if there is one fanbase in this country that really deserves a trophy…. well it’s not them fucking sportwashed sellouts. I don’t begrudge the likes of Spurs, West Ham, Wolves, even Villa winning something. It’s Everton and Newcastle I never want to win anything.

 

I hope Newcastle’s long barren run lasts for eternity. If they hadn’t embraced the Saudi takeover the way they did then I’d have felt differently. Shit, I’ve wanted them to win league titles in the past, but I look at how those fans have embraced the Saudis and it’s pretty clear that for the most part they’re the worst bunch of fucking gobshites in England and I hope they never get to enjoy anything ever.

 

I said when the Saudi thing was first mooted that these were the worst possible fans that this could happen to and that they were the ideal candidates for sports washing. Even more so than City. I’d say Everton would be right up there too now (they’d embrace Putin if he could get them in the top six), but from a Saudi perspective Newcastle were ripe for the picking and it’s gone exactly how I knew it would.

 

Not only do they not care where the money is coming from or how many people their owners execute or throw in jail for being gay or tweeting about women’s rights, they’ll actively speak out to defend it just because they funded the purchase of Dan fucking Burn and Kieron Trippier. It’s mental. I don’t have a problem with those who just want to enjoy the footy and say they can’t control who owns the club, but that’s not what is happening really is it? They are hero worshipping the ownership (flags, banners, dressing like Saudis etc) and fighting their battles for them on social media by either denying or defending the human right abuses. They’re even picking fights with Amnesty Intertional. Who needs to invest in a bot farm when you have 50 thousand Geordies who’ll do it for you.

 

And for what? Because Saudi Arabia bought their football team from the hated Mike Ashley. Of course Ashley was a knob, but he wasn’t chopping people’s heads off for speaking out against him. Shame really, I could have got behind that. They’ve actually got banners for Amanda Staveley for fucks sake. Tolerating Saudi ownership is one thing, but embracing it and revelling in it for ’banter’ purposes is another thing entirely, and that’s what is happening. Worst fans in the league.

 

You probably aren’t even aware of most of the embarrassing shit they’re up to but I’ve got a Sunderland supporting brother-in-law so I’m constantly seeing the cringe worthy shit that’s going on up there. So yeah I’m made up they lost. They disgust me, and Beheddie Howe can fuck off as well. Don’t want him winning anything, the fucking spineless Saudi shill.

 

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[Razoray]

I realise you may fear Newcastle going down the legal route, but you really need to get off the fence and let us know what you think of them 

[alles ist gut]

Top, top "Italian clubs are incurable mingebags" analysis there, Dave.

 

 

[johnsusername]

I reckon Ferdinand's been sniffing the same gear that made him swerve that drug test years ago. Cretin. 

[halewood pete]

Agree about Newcastle, I came in for some stick at work for saying I hoped United won the Cup.The lesser of two Evils as far as I was concerned 

[Paul]

2 hours ago, halewood pete said:

Agree about Newcastle, I came in for some stick at work for saying I hoped United won the Cup.The lesser of two Evils as far as I was concerned 

Whatever we think about The Mancs, their success and financial might has been earned. And they don’t (currently) make excuses for human rights abuses to justify their ownership. 

[DalyanPete]

My neighbours here are Geordies, really nice people but haven't got a clue about the owners or as you say just ignore.

The Daughter has Downs and always asks me if I will let them draw with us so we can both be happy, answer is always the same, "sorry darling, a win for the Reds every time" she takes it well to be fair 

[dave u]

3 hours ago, DalyanPete said:

My neighbours here are Geordies, really nice people but haven't got a clue about the owners or as you say just ignore.

The Daughter has Downs and always asks me if I will let them draw with us so we can both be happy, answer is always the same, "sorry darling, a win for the Reds every time" she takes it well to be fair 

 

I have absolutely no problem with that though. Your neighbours can't do anything about who owns the club and they probably aren't that interested anyway. If they just want to enjoy the footy then I totally get that. I have a family member who supports them, but he's a casual fan who just likes to watch the games and doesn't really get involved in any of the rest of it.

 

He's not defending the Saudis but I reckon if you gave him the option of being owned by them or not being owned by them he's defo wanting them to stay. They're sick of being shit and therefore they'll tolerate this if it means success. Those aren't the ones that disgust me.

 

The ones who embrace it and react to any criticism of the Saudis as some sort of personal sleight on them are the worst, and there's thousands of the fuckers. They're actually fighting with Amnesty International!! Imagine being that invested in it that you'll go to those lengths.

 

That's why I said there was no worse set of fans that this could have happened to. And they haven't even got started yet. If they ever have any kind of success God help us all.

[johnsusername]

19 hours ago, johnsusername said:

I reckon Ferdinand's been sniffing the same gear that made him swerve that drug test years ago. Cretin. 

 

[Frank Dacey]

I read something a year o so back from a physio who said players with Van Dijk's injury take an age to get back to full fitness, if they ever do. He reckoned they have to do particular exercises and workouts every day just to keep building up the knee. I reckon Van Dijk has been brilliant to be as good as he has been since he got back.

[aws]

43 minutes ago, Frank Dacey said:

I read something a year o so back from a physio who said players with Van Dijk's injury take an age to get back to full fitness, if they ever do. He reckoned they have to do particular exercises and workouts every day just to keep building up the knee. I reckon Van Dijk has been brilliant to be as good as he has been since he got back.

Agreed. Twenty years ago that was a career-ending injury. I remember reading some comment by a surgeon saying it would be two years minimum to make any real recovery and even them some pace and jumping ability would be irrecoverable. 

[TheSire]

Regarding the comments from Virgil regarding the injury, I think we presume it works like fifa where a player is just injured or not injured.

 

I think they're probably often carrying something due to the training and intensity output all the time. With serious injuries though its highly likely you'll always feel it for the rest of your life. You do see players disappear off the radar after a bad one because they rely on pace or athleticism for example and once that's taken away there's little to work with.

[DalyanPete]

17 hours ago, dave u said:

 

I have absolutely no problem with that though. Your neighbours can't do anything about who owns the club and they probably aren't that interested anyway. If they just want to enjoy the footy then I totally get that. I have a family member who supports them, but he's a casual fan who just likes to watch the games and doesn't really get involved in any of the rest of it.

 

He's not defending the Saudis but I reckon if you gave him the option of being owned by them or not being owned by them he's defo wanting them to stay. They're sick of being shit and therefore they'll tolerate this if it means success. Those aren't the ones that disgust me.

 

The ones who embrace it and react to any criticism of the Saudis as some sort of personal sleight on them are the worst, and there's thousands of the fuckers. They're actually fighting with Amnesty International!! Imagine being that invested in it that you'll go to those lengths.

 

That's why I said there was no worse set of fans that this could have happened to. And they haven't even got started yet. If they ever have any kind of success God help us all.

Agree with all that Dave. I think the shit with cheats will have a big effect on how the geordies are able to run the business. Their fans have always been insufferable.

Biggest losers in all of this is the shite, it just makes me laugh how many times they've been overlooked for investment and when they finally get it they still remain shite.

[terry symes]

Agree, it will be a sad day saying goodbye to Bobby but it's the right time to go.

 

Just galls me that 3 players are all leaving on a free this summer. What could we have got for all 3 of them last year you reckon? Upwards of £60m you'd imagine. Or at least keep Bobby and sell the other 2. Crazy.

[dave u]

It's how Klopp works. He won't break contracts unless the player wants to. In Bobby's case I'm 100% ok with that, but he should have shown Keita and Ox the door because that basically stopped him being able to sign people who could actually contribute.

[terry symes]

Well hopefully we start to see a more ruthless streak then after the way this season has panned out. Something has to change as you simply can't run a club like that. That's why i'm sympathetic towards FSG. They come in for the most criticism but you can't have it both ways. You can't have a manager wanting to honour everyone's contracts and also spending fortunes every season on new players. When a player enters the last year of his contract, a serious conversation has to be had. In the case of Bobby, Milner etc then yeah - thanks very much for your service, you've contributed enormously and therefore have the right to choose what you want to do. In the case of Ox and Keita then it's a case of if you're not signing a new deal then you're off. Simple as that.