Garryh

Let’s ignore some positive news about the club and start to bury it under gripes about overseas scouts and formations. Jeez.

Thread bump, but guess this is the best one to mention it on. I see that Mike Dean has just admitted that he consciously didn’t refer the hair pull as he didn’t want his ‘mate’ to have to go and make a decision at the screen as he had ‘had a hell of a day’. Confirms that these refs are all in cahoots, and there is a conscious bias at times. Obviously any reference by the club to this will be perceived by everyone else as whingeing, but surely some sort of complaint needs to be put into PGMOL? One of their operatives has now admitted a deliberate bias to their role leading to a negative consequence to one of the sides that they are meant to be officiating as a neutral. Too late to call for heads to roll etc. But it stinks.

That’s what I was thinking when I saw it was a loan with obligation, but I wonder if it was more from Newcastle’s side and their own FFP requirements? I wouldn’t claim to know their financial position, but perhaps they are maxed out on a FFP basis? If we were needed income for current FFP compliance, as many Twitter users are desperate for the world to think, then we would have insisted on the immediate sale - otherwise what’s the point? So this being a deferred purchase could well be at Newcastle’s request, and one that equally suits us with the booking of income next year.

He’s a top quality player. If we hadn’t have signed him in Jan, I suspect that he would have gone elsewhere in the summer, and we would have been crying out for a player of his skill-set for the next few years.

How right you are! In another thread I read a poster intimating Joe Cole's CC goal was a product of long ball, but it was actually a great pass directed to Joey. Reminds me of the time that Frank LeBeouf joined when us when a friend of mine commented that he had been in a pub watching the game and people were shouting 'Hoof' every time he delivered the ball. (Think it was the 6-0 against Barnsley, when he had been sublime in spraying the pitch with 40 yarders) There seems to be a recurring discussion on this forum about the style of football, but if you cant tell the difference between long ball and a long pass then you are stuffed!