If that's aimed at me then I think you're being naive in assuming they do. Their number one priority will be maintaining the status quo. We already sell them enough weapons to floor The Avengers so what benefit will buying Newcastle bring to that?Originally Posted by Kikó
No you're right. They've bought Newcastle to make money from it.
This is like saying Jeff Bezos made Amazon Prime Video because he cares about cinema. It was to shag birds.
Because the point you started this shit show with was made on the back on one I replied to that floated the idea that they've bought Newcastle for Sportwashing reasons. I don't doubt they hold a severe dislike for actual dissenters, but do they give a crap what Barry Sauce Stained Geordie thinks of them? Do they fuck.
What tangible difference will owning Newcastle Utd make to them getting away with the general shithousery they've been getting away with for decades?
You definitely would.
Edit: FYI that's Jeffrey's current lass.
I don't pretend to know why they bought Newcastle Utd and frankly, I don't care - I just think the 'Sportwashing' take is moronic and doesn't stand up to any scrutiny.
They’ve obviously noticed how popular a figure Mike Ashley is and thought it couldn’t fail.
Indeed. I don't know what goes through the mind of people who're advocating this as a theory. Manc might have been indulging in a throwaway comment, but Kik's is seemingly all over it.
If you'd bought Newcastle and established yourself as a great bunch (as you say, owning a football club is a fool proof way to do this) before you started chopping hands off and attacking Yemen then I could sort of see the logic, but this way around? Have a day off.
It's soft power. It might not 'improve people's opinions' but it gives you fingers in pies, which is basically what sportswashing is.
Makes sense, but don't Saudi Arabia own a shit load of London already. Presumably that's a far more influential place to be than hanging out with Ant and Dec.
I thought that Arabs bought football clubs for fun. Like, to have something to do.
And that for me makes the most sense. Bit of a flex if you do manage to make them one of the best teams in the World too.
You think it's more plausible they've bought Newcastle for a laugh than for any sort of PR exercise?
Again, what tangible PR would you get that'd offset some of the hideous shit they get up to?
"Well, they do cut hands off, but Utd's xg has doubled since they came in..."
Look at UAE. Everyone used to hate them, but now they are the most beloved country on the planet. Heard that they will be invited to join the EU soon.
Optics and image management is a lot more complex than this weird binary argument you're making. It's not like they're expecting a Europa League run to make the western world go oh shit fair play, what a sound bunch of lads.
They want the kind of soft power shit that makes people like Gary Neville say stuff like "well you have to admit, Abu Dhabi have really helped investing money in East Manchester and done some good things", and, I mean, sarcastic or otherwise, what @Pepe is saying about UAE...I mean, plenty of morons go on holiday to Dubai right?
Basically, they're not expecting owning Newcastle to immediately make people forget about the hand choppy journalist stabby stuff, more that it's part of a pretty broad effort at legitimising them as a country, and I think with the bottomless pit of money they have, I mean, why not?
It did fuck all for Mike Ashley and Sports Direct.
Last edited by Shindig; 10-11-2021 at 09:48 PM.
But what difference does any of this make? We already sell them all of the weapons, they already do whatever they like.
And people go on holiday to Dubai because it's hot and looks like it's shitting gold, not because Man City have the best training facilities in the North of England.
I can sort of see where you're coming from, but if they want holidaymakers they'd be better served tidying up areas of their country and investing in a tourist board.
Well I'm unconvinced it DOES make that much of a difference, but I think it's pretty obvious the Saudis reckon it will, even if only a bit. I think it's the same reason MBS is trying to market himself as something of a liberal by their admittedly low standards.
The weapons stuff is related to this. They have no use for half of the shit they buy from us and the Americans, but it keeps their hand in and gives them a bit of leverage should they ever need it. They aren't doing this to change the average punter's perception of Saudi Arabia. It's another 'thing' to buy into, like how they buy up prestige hotels/landmarks in London rather than more potentially lucrative developments. You can't build a film industry there, or other cultural things; but you can buy into football, and then all of the football ecosystem - clothing, sponsors, media, etc. - will have to consider your feelings.
What would be better though? I agree, he should stay treading water with Rangers until THE JOB comes up, but, short of that [The] Villa seem about as good a prospect as he might get, unless you think Brendan's heading your way and the Leicester job is on the horizon.
If I had an endless supply of money, I would also be tempted to buy football clubs, F1 teams, lol luxury hotels, etc. If you can then use them as leverage against the 'leaders of the world', even better.
Something overseas.
It's a great gig. He'd have to go some to relegate them and if he does actually turn out to be good, that's our future sorted
Are you saying he needs a stint at Molde?
If he waits six months, the Everton job will be back on the market.
There must be some Italian side he could go and get playing Good Football. At [The] Villa he either goes down and sets his career back five years, or stays up and then so what mate enjoy fourteenth every year because none of the better teams would think to approach him.
Aston Villa is one of the better jobs to take over I’d say. Massive club and absolutely minted now as well. If he’s any decent he’ll have them where Leicester have been the last few years.
Rangers fans are taking this worse than Celtic did with Rodgers. ‘How could he do this on remembrance weeks of all weeks’ lmao
Take Curtis Jones for Ł35m and get them to Europa League. Job done.
Maybe you should have advised them. Old plastic face did a terrible job.
Saudi Arabia isn't getting good PR now but they probably think they will be getting some by osmosis when Newcastle make City look like Norwich.
Buying the club itself was a flex exercise in soft power, the only club purchase the government has stuck it's redacted document oar into surely?
Pretty sure at this point the Saudi hierarchy could order the gangrape and brutal murder of a UK family and not much come of it once the dots were joined by the authorities. They shit their pants over their threats to stop buying weapons last time round.
https://www.themag.co.uk/2021/10/the...castle-united/
The cricket was going well for England yesterday until someone spotted Steve Bruce in the crowd and the camera started panning to him regularly. An hour or so later, we were left to regret what might have been and look forward to future World Cup campaigns.
Oh an article about Steve Bruce being a bit shit from a Newcastle fan. Must have fluked managing at the top of English football for the past 12 years or something.
Anyway, those "we don't care about pr" Saudis and their sock puppets are at it again.
I dunno whether I hope "I have pants" is a lost in translation thing or not.
I quite like the idea of that as a putdown in itself. "Oh yeah? I have pants, motherfucker."
How are you going to use the fact that the article was written by somebody who has actually watched almost every game that Steve Bruce has managed in the last two years to discredit the article? It doesn't make sense. Mellin said he was like this as Villa too.
Make it make sense, boys. Please.
He's been trading on the fact he's Steve 'can organise a defence' Bruce and once touched Alex Ferguson for that time. The myth is slowly being exposed though. Newcastle didn't want him, Villa don't want him, hell, even you wouldn't want him until the end of the season at Utd if Ole left now.
Which isn't to say he's a terrible manager, he just isn't a good one.
Indeed. Kik's loves listening to experts in other walks of life and always takes their opinion as objective. But here? Get out!
And a load of people who already love the Saudi regime have piled on.
I know I'm late to this.. but I don't think the Saudi's bought this for PR (what shit PR that would be) or Sportswashing - I think they bought it as a play thing. They are rich and want to spend money and also to prove they can be successful/powerful.
He's probably lost because the Financial Times haven't written about Bruce since 2008.
Why not buy a better team then?
What are you trying to prove though?
Can anyone manage at the top of the football pyramid?
If no, then can someone who is able to manage for a number of seasons having relative success be considered good?
Is he the best manager in the game? Obviously not but he's not objectively "shit".
I think it all boils down to your last sentence and this can be forgotten for the boring semantic wing of the board.
And finally, the "1,000 games, he must be good" argument is so lazy and I genuinely thought we were better than that. By all means defend him based on footballing achievements, but longevity? There are people stealing a living in all walks of life for decades (we all acknowledge that, right?) there's no reason football would be any different.
Anybody seen any good competitive knitting recently?
Anyone can knit, I can't believe you'd use that as a measure.
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