NEWCASTLE UNITED were thrashed 5-0 by Man City at the Etihad Stadium.
And Toon fans remain on the edges of their seats over the club's proposed £300m takeover from a Saudi Arabian consortium, which could bring the good times back to St James' Park.
Follow ALL of the latest updates right here…
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GOOD MORNING TOON FAITHFUL
Newcastle will look to make Kalidou Koulibaly their first marquee signing once their takeover bid goes through, according to reports.
The Toon are closing in on becoming the richest club in world football once their £300million Saudi-backed deal finally gets the green light.
It is being backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund led by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.
And he will waste no time attempting to turn Newcastle into a powerhouse of world football.
According to Foot Mercato, they are already looking into the possibility of landing Napoli's highly sought-after centre-back Koulibaly.
The report adds that they have made a 'verbal offer' and tempted him with a lucrative long-term contract.
Koulibaly will not be short of potential suitors this summer after Napoli put him on the market for around £70million.
Manchester United, Man City and Liverpool are all believed to be locked in a transfer tug-of-war for the Senegal international.
Napoli club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has already admitted he will cash in if he receives the right offer.
Meanwhile, Steve Bruce and his side will be back on the training pitch today looking to put Wednesday’s 5-0 drubbing at Man City out of their minds.
They travel to Watford for the lunchtime kick-off tomorrow as they hope to bounceback from that hammering.
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YOUNG AT HEART
Hear from Jack Young.
The 19-year-old had a bit of a rude awakening last night when he was involved in his first matchday squad for Newcastle's first team.
The Magpies got battered 5-0 but he will hope to push for opportunities on the field.
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MAXED OUT
Newcastle talisman Allan Saint-Maximin was notably absent from the drubbing at Man City on Wednesday night.
The Frenchman was thought to be struggling with an injury but Football Insider sensationally report he was just exhausted.
He has started all of the Toon's games since lockdown and appears to have run himself into the ground.
The 23-year-old was sorely missed as the Magpies were pumped 5-0 at the Etihad.
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VERY KOUL
The Saudi group trying to buy Newcastle have reportedly told Napoli they are ready to bring star defender Kalidou Kouilbaly to the Toon.
FootMercato suggest Koulibaly could be signed for as much as £90million.
He would be the marquee signing to welcome in a new era at St James' Park.
But when will the takeover from Mike Ashley finally get the green light?
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ASHLEY NOT PAYING RENT
The Chronical Live have reported that Ashley is holding back rent payments the Fraser Group until trading levels go back to normal.
The group consists of chains such as Sports Direct, House of Fraser, Flannels, Game, USC, Evans Cycles, Agent Provocateur and Jack Wills.
This move is due to a slow month following the reopening of the chains following lockdown because of COVID-19.
What this means for the Newcastle United takeover remains to be seen, but it could be construed as a sign that Ashley is hoping for a deal to be finalised sooner rather than later to help subsidise his other ventures through a challenging time.
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POCHETTINO ON THE HORIZON?
According to Mundo Deportivo Newcastle United could be the 48-year-old Mauricio Pochettino's next destination.
Steve Bruce could have the reigns taken away from him at St James’ Park after the Magpies appointed him as Rafael Benítez’s successor last summer.
Newcastle have managed only 11 wins in 34 league games, which put's them in13th in the Premier League.
According to the Spanish outlet, Pochettino ‘is close to Newcastle’, meaning Tyneside are set to replace Bruce.
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RIO'S FAITH IN BRUCE
Following yesterday's game Rio Ferdinand believes Steve Bruce “warrants a chance” of managing Newcastle United if a takeover is complete.
Speaking on BT Sport before the match against City he said: ''It’s difficult, though, in a situation like this, with the takeover potentially coming through at Newcastle,''
“There’s not loads to spend, you’d imagine. If that continues, and he stays as the owner, he’s got that way to think about it, but he’s also got a plan just in case, if the new owner comes in, and there’s huge money to spend. It’s not easy.
“He doesn’t know the levels. For instance, right now, he’s probably on a shoestring budget under the current ownership.
“It’s something I’m sure he’s never had to do before. Listen, he’s eight points better off than last season, with Rafa Benitez before, who the fans loved.
“He’s doing better than he was doing. You’d like to think he would get a chance under the new ownership. The grass isn’t always greener somewhere else with a fashionable name or whatever. This guy knows what it’s like to manage clubs like this.''
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SHEARERS OPINION
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer watched on as Newcastle United gave an embarrassing performance against Manchester City.
After the match, the Newcastle legend and fan was asked to talk about what he had just watched.
Speaking on Match of The Day Alan Shearer said: ''I think it is safe to say Alan, that Newcastle didn’t have the (Gary Lineker laughs) best of evenings and in fact we’ve got another graphic we can show you.
''City have set a new record for best passing accuracy, 93.7% of their passes, 840 passes as well, which shows you Newcastle didn’t see an awful lot of the ball…''
“Well I know Newcastle had players out injured but that was awful.
“Too many players didn’t give enough and I just felt they accepted defeat too easily.
“They had the attitude of: we’ve got players out, we’re playing Manchester City, we don’t expect to win, and they were beaten before they walked onto the pitch, which was very disappointing.”
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BRUCES PLEA
Steve Bruce is asking for a vote of confidence from fans after Newcastle's dire display at Manchester City on Wednesday night.
The Magpies face relegation-threatened Watford at Vicarage Road (12.30pm) with Bruce warning his players not to let standards slip in the remaining four fixtures.
Fans watched on in horror as the Magpies were thrashed by City with Bruce's side producing just one shot on target during the 5-0 defeat.
Bruce said: “Look I hope we are not going to be judged on playing Manchester City.
“Because we have tried to come and play against them and basically the team we played against were far too good.
“What the supporters would want to see is more resilience than we put up that night.
“We're not the first team, they have just beaten the champions 4-0.
“To play against this mob twice in a week or so behind closed doors is not easy, let me tell you but I still expect us to perform better and put up a bit more of a show as we did.''
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TWELFTH NIGHT
Premier League clubs are edging towards a September 12 start date for next season, reports MARTIN LIPTON.
But that would put the League Cup under serious threat – and spell the likely end of FA Cup replays as well.
League chiefs had proposed three potential starting weekends for the 2020-21 season, August 22 and 29 and the September date.
September 5 is impossible because it falls in the middle of what will be first international break since last November.
League chiefs were keener on an early start for a season that must finish by May 16 because of the fixed requirement for a rest period before the delayed Euro 2020.
But that would have opened the possibility of Manchester City, Manchester United and Wolves all missing the opening weekend if they are still involved in the rescheduled Champions and Europa League mini-tournaments.
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STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
Steve Bruce has revealed why he started Fabian Schar instead of Matty Longstaff in their 5-0 loss at Manchester City last night.
The Toon boss said: “Matty’s only been training for the last week.
“So I thought it was a big call for him as well to get him started.
“I wanted to have Fab Schar. He’s been playing in midfield in the training ground area, and I wanted to have a look at that.
“We could talk about formations and this, that and the other, and players playing where they were playing.
“I thought those two were arguably our best performers.”
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SEXIST ACCUSATIONS
Amanda Steveley – who is embroiled in a £1.6 billion High Court battle with Barclays – was referred to as a “dolly bird” and a “tart” by former bank chiefs, a judge has heard.
The terms used by two then Barclays bosses to describe Staveley, in a telephone call during the financial crisis 12 years ago, emerged at a High Court trial on Thursday – as she awaits news of the takeover of Newcastle United.
Richard Boath referred to Ms Staveley as “that dolly bird” during an evening call with Roger Jenkins in October 2008.
Mr Jenkins referred to her as “the tart”.
Ms Staveley, 47, has made complaints about the behaviour of Barclays bosses when negotiating investment deals during the 2008 crisis 12 years ago.
She says Barclays agreed to provide an unsecured £2 billion loan to Qatari investors, but the loan was “concealed” from the market, shareholders and PCP Capital Partners, a private equity firm she runs.
PCP is suing the bank and wants £1.6 billion in damages.
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SHEARER: TOON BEATEN IN TUNNEL
Alan Shearer has blasted United's players for giving up before they went out on to the pitch at Manchester City.
Steve Bruce's side have exceeded expectations in their recent league run, but were thumped 5-0 by Pep Guardiola's side.
The ex-world record transfer Shearer said: “I know they had players out injured but too many players didn’t give enough. I just felt they allowed defeat too easily.
“They had the attitude that ‘okay, we’ve got players out, we are playing Manchester CIty and we don’t expect to win’.
“They were beaten before they walked out onto the pitch, which was disappointing.”
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GOOD MORNING TOON FANS
Newcastle fans have Hatem Ben Arfa to thank for having Alan Saint-Maximin at St James' Park.
The French winger, who has been in fabulous form, revealed: “There were a lot of players, like Yann M’Vila, though he wasn’t at Newcastle, he was in Sunderland.
“He spoke to me. Hatem spoke to me.
“I talked with a lot of players. They said to me it’s a great club, a great city and the supporters are great.
“Everything is great. This is why I came. I said ‘I know I want to be there’.
“Everybody told me (to join). Some players in Arsenal said to me ‘it’s a great stadium with a lot of people.’”
Meanwhile, George Caulkin of The Athletic has weighed into the Newcastle takeover debate.
Speaking on the Pod On The Tyne podcast he said: “The very simple rule of thumb is that money wins, and that’s not something I particularly like, but it tends to be a fact when it comes to the Premier League.
“I’ve always thought that finally, ultimately, eventually, money will win – and I suppose I mean Saudi money – yes, coming into Newcastle but also coming into the Premier League and that there is a way of making that work for everybody.''
Finally, some of the senior advisors to the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince who are bidding to buy Newcastle are being targeted in a crackdown by Foreign Secretary Dominc Raab.
On Monday evening, Raab published a list of over 40 people – 20 of them Saudi who have been thought to have ''committed the gravest of human rights violations.''
Fifteen were officers involved in the “unlawful killing of Jamaal Khashoggi” and some worked in the Crown Prince's office.
And they included Saud Abdullah Al Qahtani a “former advisor to the Crown Prince in the royal court”.
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RICH PICKINGS
Conor McGregor, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are in the top five for money earned per day's work.
But which other sportsmen are on the list?
Check it out here!
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MAGPIE IN THE SKY
It's been a dreadful night for Newcastle at the Etihad.
They've been thumped 5-0 by Man City.
READ OUR FULL MATCH REPORT HERE.
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BAD TOON
It's half-time at the Etihad and Newcastle are currently trailing Man City 2-0.
Can Steve Bruce's men turn it around in the second half?
FOLLOW THE ACTION WITH OUR LIVE MATCH BLOG.
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HOME RUN
Could this be the future of sport with no fans?
Creepy dancing robots and dogs have replaced fans at a Japanese baseball ground.
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks had 20 of them dancing on an otherwise empty platform ahead of their Nippon Professional Baseball game against Rakuten Eagles yesterday.
How would you feel about seeing this at a football match, or a boxing fight, or an F1 race?
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BEN AND GONE
Newcastle fans have Hatem Ben Arfa to thank for having Alan Saint-Maximin at St James' Park.
The French winger, who has been in fabulous form, revealed: “There were a lot of players, like M’Vila, though he wasn’t at Newcastle, he was in Sunderland.
“He spoke to me. Hatem spoke to me.
“I talked with a lot of players. They said to me it’s a great club, a great city and the supporters are great.
“Everything is great. This is why I came. I said ‘I know I want to be there’.
“Everybody told me (to join). Some players in Arsenal said to me ‘it’s a great stadium with a lot of people.’”
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HIGH FIVE FOR PREM
Premier League clubs will be given the option of using up to five substitutes for NEXT season, reports MARTIN LIPTON.
Football’s law-making body the International FA Board rushed through Fifa’s proposal for a “temporary” change in laws to allow more replacements in May.
The switch was a response to fears over the impact of the coronavirus shutdown on player safety when the game returned under a concentrated timetable.
But the announcement of the change came with the confirmation that “the IFAB and FIFA will determine at a later stage whether this temporary amendment would need to be extended further… for competitions due to be completed in 2021”.
The two bodies have now agreed that there should be an extension for next term for competitions that wish to take it up.
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BRUCE ON SHELVEY
Steve Bruce has praised Jonjo Shelvey on his impact on the team. Even saying he views games of football like games of golf.
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TAKEOVER TALK
Some of the senior advisors to the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince who are bidding to buy Newcastle are being targeted in a crackdown by Foreign Secretary Dominc Raab.
On Monday evening, Raab published a list of over 40 people – 20 of them Saudi who have been thought to have ''committed the gravest of human rights violations.''
Fifteen were officers involved in the “unlawful killing of Jamaal Khashoggi” and some worked in the Crown Prince's office.
And they included Saud Abdullah Al Qahtani a “former advisor to the Crown Prince in the royal court”.
The Premier League are still considering whether they're going to the let the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund by the 80% share in the club.
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LONGSTAFF CARRICK COMPARISON
Sean Longstaff had barely played a dozen games for Newcastle'sfirst team, and the comparison of ‘The new Michael Carrick’, was already being seen.
Carrick was often seen as one of the biggest missed opportunities in Newcastle United's history.
The midfielder was a boyhood Toon fan, and while he did play at St James’ Park during an illustrious playing career with West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, Carrick only ever did so as an opposition player.
Longstaff drew these comparisons first whilst playing under Rafa Benitez showing certain similarities to Carrick.
The 22-year-old has always been calm on the ball, and able to control the tempo in the heart of midfield.
Unfortunately, Longstaff’s first full season under Bruce hasn’t gone according to plan.
A red card against Wolves saw him being handed a three-game suspension, and when he was available, he was benched.
When he has been able to find first-team opportunities, he hasn’t quite radiated the same level of calm that defined his early performances in black and white. He was absent from the squad for Newcastle’s first two games after lockdown but returned to the side for the trip to Bournemouth.
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MAN CITY CLASH
It could look better for newcastle as they go into this evening's game with eight injuries, however Sergio Aguero is out for the rest of the season so Newcastle may have a chance to make something of the game.
BBC Sport, pundit Mark Lawrenson predicts a for a 3-0 victory for City.
Explaining his choice, Lawro chose to focus on City missing the injured Sergio Aguero, and claimed: “Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus is good, but he's not as good as Aguero.
“Of the two, Jesus is probably the better player outside the box but the Argentina striker might have made the difference for City in Sunday's defeat by Southampton because he is so deadly in front of goal.”
“I don't think it will matter too much against Newcastle, mind. City will create a lot of chances, like they did against Saints and I don't see Steve Bruce's side keeping them out.”
A win for Newcastle could see them move as high as tenth in the table, a win all round for the Magpies if that happens.
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MORE SUPER STATS
No losses in Newcastle's last SIX Premier League games! Wins: 3, Draws: 3
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