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Heaps of The Warlocks. Going to see them on Thursday to in fucking Sleazy's.

Long post ahead - don't read it. I'd really love them to do a Portsmouth - tumble all the way down the pyramid, then just rot down there forever. Not go out of existence entirely, as I'm sure there is a section of their support that isn't comprised entirely of dopes and weirdos, but for enough away for us to never have to play them in a league game again. They're a shambles, and I don't even take joy in their plight anymore. They issued this mess of a statement the other day: https://www.safc.com/news/club-news/2017/june/update-on-manager-position Ellis Short has been terrible for them, and any incoming board would obviously want "their guy" in the dugout, but the timing of this is just crazy to me. Entering a months-long takeover process during the most pivotal period of time in your club's recent history - a time that demands strong, assertive decision-making? Cool. They're sleepwalking themselves into oblivion. I remember in January, when the board revealed there'd be no significant transfer budget, and Moyes said they wouldn't sign anyone who'd "make a difference." It's like they're perfectly cognisant of their situation, but don't want to do anything about it. Moyes had an air of defeat about him from the moment he walked in, and it got worse throughout the season. Now, the seemingly outgoing board are in the process of completely botching their new season, and if they stick around, there's no chance of the next manager being given a decent transfer budget. Anyone, enough about those wretched cunts. Interesting season ahead for Newcastle. Our squad isn't even close to good enough (personally, I don't even think we had the strongest group of players in the Championship last season), but we can't afford to do what we did last summer and turn 40-45 players over. We made a slow start to the league campaign as a direct result of that, and those lost points will be much harder to reclaim in the Premier League. I feel like Rafa's brand of football will fare better against the PL's superior opposition, though. Last season's greatest struggles came when teams parked the bus and shut us out. Our system is quite reactive, and relies on staying disciplined while opposing teams attack, before moving forward and capitalising on any holes the leave behind. Obviously, teams will be more inclined to do that against us in the Premier League, which will probably see the squad overachieve somewhat. Think we'll finish somewhere between 12-15th. For my money, we need a goalkeeper, centre back, left back, central midfielder, attacking midfielder, and left winger, plus a couple of extra bodies for the squad. A left flank of Dummett and Atsu/Gouffran won't cut it at this level. Shelvey needs a beefy partner who'll sit back during his forays. Happy to give Gayle a shot up front, as he was averaging a goal every 95 minutes (or something daft) in the Champ. As long as we don't get relegated again, I'm happy tbh.