That's why I come here.

Jordan Henderson That's why he moved to Ajax instead

And the resale value. It'll be stat driven they'll feed an AI tool a player and then ask it what he will be worth after 50/100 English Championship appearances etc. That's what will be getting Suhail and the V's excited.

There was a period of the game when Newcastle players just seemed to collectively lose their heads. Gordon's tackle was definitely a red. Thought Slot's post-game comments were a bit disingenuous, suggesting Newcastle were hoofing & fouling their way through the game. Other than a small period where they did seem to lose a bit of control, I don't think that was a fair reflection of the game at all. I can only assume he was deflecting from another questionable performance from his team. It could be the old "good team winning games whilst playing badly" trope, or it could be warning signs that there are things that need to be addressed in that team.

I don’t think he will…I remember one player who moved to Saudi regretted the move and wanted to come back. But due to tax reasons they had to stay in Saudi for at least two years or they would lose a load of their money. I can’t remember off the top of my head who the player was? They mentioned it on a podcast/interview after coming back to England.

They have to use that to tag him, its the twitter username that Buckley chose, all of which start with an @ symbol

Anybody would want to change their job if you can triple or quad your income. That is a no-brainer. I would have moved anywhere for that kind of money.

Was mooted a while ago on another thread. What would 'working' mean? Play offs? Mid table survival? Promotion 🙂 Prolong the zombie state would be my assessment.

I assume so, under a good coach he will play against top players and on a very good wage.. out of favour here so you can’t blame him.

Buckley is such a weird one, looks to be a decent player, with an eye for a pass but looks and plays like he couldn’t give a shit 🤣 JDT, Eustace and Val haven’t fancied him so it’s probably best for all parties that he moves on. Will be paid a shit load in Saudi and the level and tempo of football over there will suit him.

Unless he absolutely tears it up in Saudi I can't see him coming back to England any higher than League 1. Could see an SPL club taking a punt on him in a few years time whenever his contract over there expires, but possible another middle eastern club will take him on if his current team doesn't renew. Presumably the wages on offer over there would beat offers he'd get over here.

I felt like his one real chance of cracking it with us was in the near miss of the play-offs under JDT when he was becoming a regular and playing really well. He then got injured and just never seemed to get back in on a regular basis from the following season. Good luck to the lad. As an aside I’m sure his bank manager will be delighted!

Buckley going to Saudi is one of the weirdest transfers in a while. I can only assume Des Buckingham rated him from when he was at Oxford maybe?

I’m actually gutted Buckley is leaving. I always hoped he’d come good and rediscover that form he had a few years ago. I wish him all the well but the lad sounded close to tears.

Honestly of all the things the club has wrong with it some of the stuff this last couple of hours is literally just moaning for no apparent reason

I think the UK sports media fawning over him plays a part in the general dislike. There was a MOTD last season where Southampton had lost again, were bottom of the table and I believe winless after 9 or 10 games, and the pundits were raving about the bloke like he was the second coming Ferguson or Wenger. It was absolutely ludicrous and not the first time it had happened. They were basically affirming this modern day belief that style is better than substance - and with RM it's the concept of a style because his teams are usually utterly boring to watch and rarely get consistent results. I will say I have nothing personal against him. He comes across as somewhat arrogant in interviews, but his media persona may not match his private persona. I just wish I could be so mediocre at my job and fall upwards with such unstoppable momentum.

Or thanks for your service for 20 years John it’s now time for a change. The last 4 managers haven’t seen enough in you to warrant continuing on so we think it’s best for all parties if we went our separate ways. Good luck to you in the future

Let’s all find something to be miserable about!

Think that’s because it’s his twitter name

But his alternative options as a footballer is possibly dropping down to league 1 and becoming a lower league journeyman. Cash in whilst he can.

Don't think De Neve is or ever will be up to the required standard, but conversely initial impressions of Alebiosu are good. He lacks somewhat in technical ability but he's got good energy and I can see him making things happen on the flank. Far too early to tell if he'll be an adequate replacement for Brittain, but there have been some promising signs. Not sure about Taveres yet, but think he'll be OK. McLoughlin and Miller should be steady signings, whilst Henriksson has shown he will need time to adapt. Baradji and Morishita are, on paper, excellent signings. Remains to be seen how they perform. We haven't been too bad defensively so far, but 2 of our first 3 games were pretty dire attacking-wise. The Hull match was a massive improvement, and hopefully we'll see that Rovers side turn up again against Norwich. I don't rate Norwich very highly, so I think if we put in another Hull performance we could win by 2 or 3. Otherwise a draw or narrow defeat. Certainly don't see the current Norwich team turning us over.

Genuinely think he'll be back in England in 6 months time.

Al fucking Khalood? He’s probably going to be a very rich man but at his age it seems a poor move for a footballer. Suppose he gets to play against some players who were once at the top of the game at least Anyway we’ve hardly forced him out, should we just keep players around forever if they are surplus to requirements? I don’t understand that sentiment at all; yes he’s been here a long time but been paid all that time Edit - just watched the interview and that was quite an uncomfortable watch I’m not sure that was needed at all unless he requested it

Yeah, "Sorry we forced you out after 20 years mainly because you're a high earner. Now if you wouldn't mind saying a few nice words about the Club before you leave....... Then don't let the door hit you on the arse on the way out. Ciao."

There’s another big factor when it comes to Suhail. Probably not quite as big as his ego, but he will bend over backwards for his friends. Up until now he’s held most of the people he’s worked with in absolute contempt. He remains feared by most rather than respected. He has a couple of allies now, and he’s installing as many more as possible. Gestede and Suhail are as thick as thieves, so where in previous years he’d deliberately put barriers in the way of new signings, Gestede will get much more leeway and support - moral and financial. When the details of the 26-27 kit deal emerge it will become abundantly clear how true this is. He’s happy to put his personal relationships well ahead of good commercial decisions. For now we just need to hope Gestede has an eye for a player.