iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 1h

Yes, they pay a lot. But it’s probably quite attractive to play for a team who have the best manager in the world (at the time), and are competing for everything.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 1h

Whilst your wider point may be true - don’t let Liverpool be victims here. Liverpool had a free run at Guehi the Summer before. They tried to force Palace in to a low-bar deal by moving for him with 24hrs to go. And stop acting like this is Wrexham who have nothing but money….

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 18h

Yeah, I naturally remember the end of the relegation season but that year in the Champ, coincided with my freshers year in Uni. Made every Saturday incredible winning almost every week - champions party at the end of the year etc. Then Hughton and the first 18 months under Pardew were all great.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 18h

I’m particularly bad with post-Bobby/Shearer up until the Championship season. I’ve got a pretty good mind for remembering matches/goalscorers but other interests in my late teens, added with Allardyce/Kinnear really turned me away from football for a short while

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 19h

That is crazy. It feels like one of those stats that seems to manipulate time - see, Cleopatra living closer to the the invention of the iPhone, than the building of the pyramids.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 19h

I definitely remember him as we had (on paper) an obscene front 3 of Oba, Viduka and Owen. I agree on the wider point though - Butt is a great example. Rush, Barnes and Pearce as you've said. That 08 - 11 period had a lot too with Alan Smith, Geremi, Harewood

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 20h

I definitely do not remember him in that kit? That’s the Championship one, no? With PL badges on?

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 22h

Every single Man U fan I know was desperate for the Qatari’s to come in. Their disappointment in getting scruffy Jim had nothing to do with his politics but because he was ‘just’ British rich, not Emirati rich.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Yeah it’s this one gig in River Plate that they all obsess over ha!

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I like these too. I have no idea why but I like people (almost always US), reacting to live performances of AC/DC.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Celebrate, no - acknowledge, yes. I was responding to an earlier poster underplaying their influence on East Manchester. If you had visited pre/post then the difference is stark.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

He’s not even the best midfielder at Arsenal

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Oof Hornicek should do better there!

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Can I ask at what point during the SEVEN nil win did you think we were missing Rice? Or the almost uncompetitive 45 minutes tonight?

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The Witches! It was only one of two VHS’s my childminder had. Used to scare the life out of me.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I suspect that APT rules and the link between State and Club were different before 2017, hence why they believe this to be solid evidence

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The proposed Super League had worse implications for the English game than what City have been charged with. The fact that there’s been so much pearl clutching from others in ‘the big 6’ in the last week is quite staggering considering they were willing to sell everyone else down the river.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Objectively, West London in particular would be particularly appealing I imagine to a wealthy young footballer.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Outside of the red teams, I don't see that happening at all. What's happened doesn't come close to 'hatred' of players. There may be some pantomime booing at the start of every game but it'll quickly die out.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Or that selling hotels and Women’s teams to yourself is fine and totally not fraudulent either.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I can sympathise with the view of stripping titles but I stop at redistributing new winners. I’ve said it elsewhere but City have only done what other teams did before the advent of financial regulation. But agreed, I feel strong point deductions for a number of years is likely

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I’m not sure how anyone can take issue with this (unless you’re trying to get your hands on a winners medal). Punishment should be forward facing, not retrospective. The latter is way too murky and has the potential to affect every team City have played in that time period.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I’ve seen signs, encouraging signs.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This is how I feel really. I’ve lived in Manchester since 2009, and now live in East Manchester. We live a 20 minute drive from the Etihad and my son will almost certainly be a City fan because all his mates will be.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The analogy that comes to mind with City is that of punishing the poor for stealing food. They have broken the law, but the system is broken and has been for a long time. They should be punished but this should be a time for reflection of how to fix the league as well as going after a guilty party

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

And with the stadium expansion / entertainment district they’ve provided 1000s of jobs for people in local communities.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I take the point they haven’t uplifted all of Manchester but that’s still quite reductive. If you look at East Manchester before and after it’s stark. Most of the regeneration is in Ancoats. You’ve also got to look at the work of CITC and the £1ms they’ve put in to local communities.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Also, the season DDG is claiming for, Man U finished 18 points behind. Let’s not pretend they were hard done by. Be interesting as no punishment will please everyone. I think they probably should be removed from the PL, but with the money they have, they’ll be back at the top within 2 years.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The last point is one thing but in the case of Armstrong, those who came 2nd weren’t then given the TdF. I’m also of the opinion that these other big teams were definitely doing the same thing, they just happened to do it before the PL brought in sanctions to slow City down.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

In the same way that removing the trophies won’t take away the moment for City fans at Wembley/Istanbul.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Would a trophy from 15 year ago, really mean anything to the fans? Not having gone to Wembley, have a parade etc. Does retrospectively winning that change the disappointment? It’s a huge can of worms. We finished 5th in 2012. Do we now get that CL place 14 years later?

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Gordon best Eng player tonight by a distance and best I’ve seen him play in years. I like O’Reilly but him and Guehi really out of sorts. Can’t remember the last time I saw Saka have a good game. Always seems to be on the periphery. Less said about Lewis Skelly the better.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This has been my point to Man Utd supporting friends. There’s not a chance that titles are awarded retrospectively. They may (though unlikely) have them removed, but they won’t be ‘rewarded’ elsewhere. As you say, teams who came in 5th - Now rewarded CL money from nearly a decade ago?

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Look forward to the Newcastle explanation

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

When did World Class become ‘fairly good player’? WC should mean top 5 player in their position, in the world.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I suspect Tonali probably made an appearence on the list before the 'new' additions squeezed him out.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I agree broadly and certainly in the case of Bruno. Not a cats chance that he’s in the top 6/7 if he’s with us. But if you look across the list, it’s littered with players from teams on par or smaller than Newcastle. I think the narrative around us having no players left has played a part for sure.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Oh there's so many issues I have with it. I stand by what I said RE Ekitike and a few others, but they clearly haven't applied that throughout the list. If Martinez wasn't in the list to start with, how (in poor form) is suddenly now included. Sarr for Palace, Rayan +3 despite not scoring/assisting

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I suppose him not playing doesn’t make him a worse player. Whilst form has clearly been a contributing factor (hence ups and downs), certain players simply have a fixed ability. If Haaland hadn’t played a minute of the season, we’d likely still agree that he’s the best player in the league.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Though in terms of '50', I think it just means that there have been 50 games played in the PL - 5 weeks, 10 games. The Athletic did this same infographic before the season started, and they are updating this now we've reached the first Int break.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I don't really get the list. Why has Emi Martinez been added yet has been slated in the media since his debut and has conceded at 2+ goals every game.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I was Man Met - it was close to the Footage / Deaf Institute, just off Oxford Rd. I’ll be honest, including watching that match, I probably only went in about 3 times.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I was devastated (particularly because it was Owen). I’ve lived in Manchester ever since!

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Was my very first day in Manchester as a student. Parents dropped me off at my digs and watched it at the Stu Union. Aside from my hatred for Man U, I had a soft spot for City because of that era - Given, Bellamy…

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Even after he retired, we should have just given it to Maradona every year until someone was good enough.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Agreed, it's become pretty essential to my work if I'm honest. It gets a bad rep, quite rightly, because the biggest output seen by the public are poorly done ads, promoting local community events. It helps me reformat briefs and internal reporting, also makes data analysis far more efficient.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I actually don't mind him because, like Neville, he's overly critical of his own team and praises the opposition in contrast to Liverpool's weaknesses. It's when the whole punditry team is also, say, Liverpool aligned, when it becomes unwatchable.

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Tyneside Paul @tynesidepaul.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

If Coventry hang on here … And if Fulham get a result at home to Man U tomorrow… Spurs will be bottom going in to the International break….

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