I think if that happens there can be no fault at his door. To have us not bottom with this team is pretty admirable. We're really not very good at the old football.

Yeah that's true. If he could coach your players to attack you might be able to play football and score goals.

We've not been that bad in terms of chances created I think we're 9th in the league. It's just Gayle is dreadful and Joselu is what you get for £5m

9th really? You look so devoid of creativity whenever I've watched you this season. Granted the squad is poor but Rafa's tactics have always relied on the individuals which is why the attack is so bad. Your strikers are poor I agree. Gonna be a real slog to stay up without signing a competent striker.

Tbf Darren I can't imagine you have watched them vs the bottom half of the table sides.

I can't blame you, who would subject themselves to that!?

Seen a few. Got a few good mates that are toon fans. Lack of creativity and shiiiiiiit strikers seem to be the consensus among them as well.

I really like Merino, good player.

Yeah that's true Darren, needed a good creative player and striker minimum this window. Instead we've got a random chinese hating brazilian

comment by #4zA - #savethedonkeys (U19575)
posted 6 hours, 17 minutes ago
Lucarelli, average of one gol per game he begin for Napoli!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiBr1TSC_qc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"E immortale, e immmortale"

Lucarelli, true Livorno legend.

Ashley's playing a risky game not signing the players you need.

Ashley is a nob

Daz, Athletic are generally very disliked by all the other Basque and Navarrese clubs, because they're the richest in the region and regularly poach players from all the others. Javi Martinez, Llorente and Iker Muniain, for example, were all poached from Osasuna.

As if Iñigo Martinez leaving wasn't already bad enough, just a few years ago he actually said he'd never join "the enemy, Athletic."

Are Athletic the only Basque team who only sign within Basque?

At least out of the upper level teams, yeah.

Though the criteria are pretty flexible, covering Basque heritage up to a couple of generations back or having played youth football in one of what they consider the Basque provinces, which is a broader area than the political region they control.

He's gonna be loved by the fans after that.

Edin, the thing is they make more money than they can actually spend, which is why nowadays they only ever sell their better players for the fee stipulated on the buyout clause.

They're immensely popular locally and around the region, and they still have a fair deal of supporters around the country.

I find the Basque thing pretty admirable, always makes me think how a UK equivalent would be.

I think the London teams would be alright, possibly Yorkshire. Thats about it.

North West would be good, we'd probably struggle.

It's pretty limiting.

Even including the outlying regions that aren't properly Basque, it's still a catchment of less than 3 million people. Pretty good standard if you bear that in mind and the fact that there are plenty of other teams there to compete with.

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Yep, only Bilbao and Madrid have any decency left

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