ozzmeister

So were through in spectacular fashion, the drawer is after the matches today. So who do we want, strong sides left in look to be Liverpool, city and probably Chelsea and Tottenham after today. Is there any fear from these so called big teams, I think on our day we could give any a good game! However I wouldn't mind some lower teams first to thin the field, maybe shrews or bompey at home??

So I was talking to someone who's knows Mike Ashley very well, he told me some interesting things on how he runs Newcastle (and his other businesses) - he has made Newcastle debt free and profitable - all is administrative staff (which pardew comes under) are paid a maximum of 150,000 a year (this is what he pays himself) - all additional incentives are done by incentives based round performance (he have bounds to all his sports direct staff, till workers and all) - for the football club the bonus paid to pardew and the rest of the back office team depend on two factors, league position and profit from selling players - he is one if the few owners who lives in th UK and pays UK tax - he has a number of times to his social circles 'Newcastle fans would be happy for me to bankrupt if they thought it would give the club success) So, based on the above, and I have no reason to believe it wouldn't be, pardew would not be expensive to sack, pretty much as long as he is not relegated he will keep his job as he has bought into the philosophy's on how Ashley runs his business. I very much doubt many big name managers would take that approach.

Maybe its like at school when the photographer man does the rounds, so needs to be spread over a couple of weeks (jokes post not serious)

Maybe another example of Lowe being a bit more of a visionary than people have him credit for (ala Woodward).

Could also put another bow in our youth set up. Having an overseas academy India or otherwise) where scholars can spend 6 months at a set up academy, linked to the feeder club where they play exhibition types games (similar to how universities have links with universities in other countries). Just a thought, and could work for both young coaches and players.

India are setting up a new league to start this October: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29110757 India is well thought to be one of the biggest untapped markets in world football, the Africa of say 5 years ago! I hope we will be sending scouts and setting up an academy in this market, much the same as we have done with Jaidi in Africa! Would be a great opportunity to exploit a new fan base and increase external revenue in one of the biggest growing affluent middle class markets. Kruger get it in your plan!

Interested about the complicated situation regarding the option to buy. Either we have the option or we dont? Or is that implying that Athletico have the option to take him back if they are still interested? Do we then have first refusal at an agreed price, first refusal of any future price or no option what so ever. Are we at risk of him having a stonking season, then just being signed by one of the big boys, or kept by Athletico and we get single season wirth of benfit whilst possibly paying his wage?

Gentleman Batman is right, this was a genuine rumor that I also see on the BBC gossip page, so lets try to minimise the squabbling, seems like a long enough summer for that already! On the rumor I still dont believe anyone would take a risk on JRod until he has proved he has come back from his injury. I think he needs a good second half of the season if there is any chance. I'd be sad to see him leave, I like seeing English players in the squad.

I think this idea has benefit but also needs to be regulated in a sense that you cant appeal against every decison, if so you'll have managers who just appeal just on the off chance an error may have been made - in this instance I agree this would stop the flowing nature of the game. What I'd like to see if a limit of the number of calls you can make in again. In tennis (and possibly in cricket) dont they have a maximum number of appeals they can make per match - may be as low as two. This means that managers will only call this if they are VERY sure an injustice has been made. This keeps the game flowing and actually adds a further element of entertainment to the fans watching (I always like watching the halk eye appeals at Wimbledon).

To we've got the whole world: We've got alderweireld in our team, We've got alderweireld in our team, We've got alderweireld in our team, We've got alderweireld in our team, Simples

I've read lots of the posts regarding how we think the squad now fairs but I have not seen a great deal about how the business side has faired especially against other clubs. The below link is awesome as details transfer earnings of all the clubs and guess who comes out WAYYYYY on top. That's right - Southampton. We made a profit of 40.9million, the only other club to make a profit were Swansea and that was a poultry 2.5million. ALL the other clubs made a loss. We may argue that the board may have been a bit naive from a football standpoint but from a business standpoint they have been spot on! http://www.cityam.com/1409680422/crisis-what-crisis-southampton-are-premier-leagues-biggest-transfer-window-earners?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=140903+-+CMU That 40million can in theory be in the pot for January, buy any of the players who are on loan or plug any operating gaps that were there from last year (wasn't there a 30million hole somewhere). This does not of course take into account the TV money which is even better this year. The best run club in the BPL and maybe in Europe????? The futures bright the futures Red and White!!!

Sounds like there's a Palace midfielder who could replace our Morgan though........

Cracking signing, but was anyone remotely bothered that in RoKo interview about the player he implies that saints were a step forward from where he is now, but bigger steps may be available should he perform?

I would say Maine and JWP are our creative outlets now!

So now all is said and done and the dust is settled what's the line up (when the team are settled and fit). Personally I'd go for: Foster Clyne anderwield Jose Bertrand Spider Victor JWP Maine. Tadic Pele Subs: cropper, gardos, cork, Davis, Lloyd, long

0-0 at half time, can't access a stream but that's pretty pants! We playing badley or millwall just being frustrating?

I think sadly this thread for whatever reason this season is a lost cause. If people here a rumour about an individual just tart a new thread and rename this one general SFC 'debate' thread with the hope people can keep bickering to a single thread and leave the rest of us to enjoy reading/posting actual football stories!

Super billy sharp hits the winner for Leeds!

Swansea have had an awful pre season, watched them (with a pretty strong team) get taken apart by Minneapolis (at best a low championship/L1 team. A strong bet for relegation I think!

So what type of midfielder do people see him as? Myself I would play him just ahead of two defensive midfielders (Morgan and VW) pinging passes to two wingers (tadic + 1 (gaston)), however that's also the role I'd see gaston playing as well - basically central playmaker.

Someone mentioned on the recent 'MoPo' leaving thread that he has stayed living in chilworth because his son is in the saints academy? Is this the case, is he any good, and does this mean we may still MoPo every now again at the training ground? Seems odd he wouldn't move his kid to Tottenham academy (which can't be that bad). Was there also rumors that cortese son was in that academy, maybe it will be déjà vu in 30 years time lol!

If he has no game time and hankered for a move away (Andy Carroll) would anyone take him, cut price, say 12million? Maybe he would see error of his ways and come back to his spiritual home.....

Posted to me from a native fan: He's an amazing manager and he's bringing his brother along with him. They both managed Feyenoord. Ronald did quite a better job though with a 2-3-2 finish in the league in the past three seasons, which is exceptionally good for a club with our financial limitations for the past 6 years. Last season we were in a good position to become champion actually. We just let ourselves down in the 2 (very silly) matches right after the winter break. He's also one of the masterminds (if u ask me) behind the 1-5-2-3 formation, the one that got us to win pretty much all of our last 10 matches. Same system was copied by Louis van Gaal, which left Spain in utter shock after 90 minutes. He's a no-nonsense type of manager. Will give young lads and/or guys from the own academy a chance to prove themselves and whoever deserves it will make it to the first 11. Good with media, straight forward, not a lot of tolerance if u don't perform well during practice and no preferential treatment. Ur lucky to have him as a manager. Hope he's going to do well for u guys. He deserves it. Sounds bloody brilliant to me!

What formation does RK tended to go with in the past or has he been generally flexible. Will he be forced to adopt the Southampton way which is supposedly being adopted from bottom to top?

Didn't cortese sanction the sale of lambert to west ham in January, not sure what happened there but I feel lambert would have gone this summer regardless of the board. Let's also not forget 4million plus add on sis good business for a 32 year old now on the decline. I don't expect him to do to much at Liverpool, nice end of career for him though.