Kix

The fact remains we're the fourth most attended club in the league, what we can't understand is why we lack the squad of the Mancs or the Arse. Is it because our owner isn't as rich as them? Maybe. It's certain that he runs the club like he runs a store, a faceless boring, pile it high sell it cheap, buy brands at low prices and expect to sell them for a massive profit.

Sounds familiar?

The football fair play rules are long overdue but the big clubs will always get around them - naming rights for example.

So what's to be done about it, we can't change the money side of things that's for sure. Home grown talent is often shouted about but Stevie Taylor was woeful last night.

The bigger picture must prevail to save the game from becoming a rich man's game. I can see an exclusive Eurppean League in the not too distant future, that will then be the break up of the game, national sides will decline further as there is no buzz for a player to play for their country.

Welcome to capitalism and Murdoch.

Sandboy

start watching non league football, much more enjoyable and it's the football that matters

I still have my season ticket but it's not the same

scrubbedexpat141

OK, attendance is irrelevant, you've got a big stadium. If Chelsea had a bigger stadium, they'd have a higher attendance, same can be said for lots of teams.

Money is the root of all that if great and shit about football today. Best players in the world don't come cheap and we all want to see them in the Prem.

There must be a reason why Newcastle haven't been bought by a bazillionaire Rusky or Arab....how much does Ashley want for the club? How much is he in debt because of it? I reckon that's what makes it so unattractive? The stadium and crowd pull is (sort of contradicting myself but not really) a big plus to any investor, the facility is there, the fans are (mental) there, so what's wrong with them?

It's always been a rich mans game, Blackburn bought the league title nearly twenty years ago...it just so happens that the figures are bigger now and the owners are richer.

Don't worry about football, it will continue to evolve positively and negatively in different areas.

scrubbedexpat141

Lucky Sunlun buggers.

Kix

You didn't do yourselves any favours though - OK you had a goal disallowed for no apparent reason just after they scored, but really you should have put them to the sword - and how I wish you had.

Don't get me started on The Toon. Suffice to say that the badge on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back. The joys of being a Toon fan.

On the first couple of games, I can't see Palace staying up, and I think us and sunlun are in the shit too, we had 16 shots and not one hit the target.

scrubbedexpat141

We had 70% possession in the first half.

We hammered them but we suffer a bit from the same disease as we did end of last season; cantputitinthe****ingnet-itis.

Newcastle are in the shit, you're bang on the money: Cisse et al couldn't give a monkeys. He just wants a pay check (partly funded by the infidels at Wonga) to go and blow down the Sharia-compliant casino.

Kix

It gets better at SJP, Arsenal, and Wenger in particular, somewhat like a petulant child who has found a way to irritate, has now stated he wants Tim Krul (cue the jokes, a Krul move etc.), and Crystal Palace want Alan Pardew and are ready to sack Ian Holloway.

Oh to be a Toon fan!

Happy days, and a pic from yesterday's game to make you smile (removed by the stewards)...

jam25mack

And not even one comment about City last night....

He he he, Pellegrini had better shape up soon otherwise they'll ship him off!

jam25mack

Bit of a snoozefest last night between United and Chelski, although with the team that Mourhinho put out that was always on the cards. Very negative tactics. He must have zero confidence in his strikers.

I think the ref had an OK game, although there were about 3 pen appeals for Chelki handling in the box, the Lampard one especially. Yes he was close, however, he brought his arms up to meet the ball. Stone waller. Other than that he let the game flow and let both teams off with a few mistimed tackles to keep the card count down.

All in all I would say that United deserved the 3 points more than Chelski, although a draw was probably a fair result in the end.

MOTM for me was Rooney. A great display, he was everywhere.

Dumbo

Awful game. I see you forgot to mention that Valencia should have been sent off.

jam25mack

No I didn't forget, I just didn't mention it.

Yes it was a late challenge BUT I think red would have been harsh. Similarly you could say that Cashly should have walked for his early scythe on RVP and then his hilarious attempt at diving.....

As I say, I think the Ref did his best to limit the cards and keep himself out of the media. If he had given Cashly that early one there would have been 6 each by the end of the game. Instead he warned him and then did the same to Valencia.

Dumbo

TBH I tend to agree that a red would have been harsh, but the ref in the studio was adamant he should have gone.

I thought the young Chelsea lad was harshly booked as well, considering some of the other challenges that were allowed to go.

Come the last 15 minutes I found myself wanting United to score, this goes very much against the grain, but all my FPL rivals had Ivanovic and I had the utterly useless Hazard.

jam25mack

I was in the pub so didn't hear the studio ref. What did he say about the Lampard hand ball? Seems to be little in the way of consistency when it comes to hands in the box.

Agree with you on..... De Byrne is it?? Was that the innocuous 50:50 with RVP? He got a smack round the chops and a card for his troubles.

Dumbo

Not sure I missed that mate but if its the one I'm thinking of it would have been a bit harsh, blasted at him from not too far away and he was bringing his hands into his body.

Yeah thats him De Bruyne. Was basically a 50:50 and his teeth nearly knocked out for his trouble.

Kix

And how you all mocked me, but the top 5 PL scorers thus far are....

Sergio Agüero Manchester City 8
Daniel Sturridge Liverpool 8
Luis Suárez Liverpool 8
Loïc Remy Newcastle United 7
Robin van Persie Manchester United 7