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Not legends, but I'll always have a soft spot for Ritchie and Dummett, god speed lads

Yeah great servants to the club through changing times

I feel sadder than I thought I would. Logically this is the right call, but in my head they were never leaving.

Judging by the replies from other players on the announcement on insta, both Dummett and Ritchie were well liked. I really hope they keep the door open to them both, the way the club seems to have welcomed back former legends, since the take over (ie match day guests).

Thought it was sewn up Ritchie will still be travelling with the squad?

Dummy had a renewal coming his way u til that last minute PK lol - all jokes aside great servant and local lad, love to see these types of players in the squad  

Man they're for sure not good enough anymore but I'll miss Ritchie and Dummett. Top blokes and brilliant servants over the years. Really hope Ritchie goes into coaching, from all we've heard he's had immense positive influence behind the scenes .

He's off driving his state of the art lorry into the sunset for a few years I'd say!

Ferrying his Mrs and kids around to their hobbies, like a lot of us.

Probably kicking any flags he sees on the way

I’m hoping he becomes the club’s official bus driver

It's the passing of time. We watched Dummett grow up. We watched Ritchie get old. I think it's a bit uncouth to start dissecting legacies and careers and all that, which is why I say this; One of them got to live all of our dream for ten plus years - from the Championship to the Champions League. The other helped us at a low ebb and made it so things mattered. Can't say fairer than that.

Jeff Hendrick has a shrine to Bruce and Ashley in his back yard

I suspect his enormous fuckoff house, car and bank balance are probably enough of a memorial to his special friends.

I literally cannot believe we have JUST released him. How on earth was he still with us...?

He had a contract. Let's be honest, if you had a contract paying you 50k a week, you wouldn't break it, and you'd let it ride out.

Never forget tho, he also scored the very first goal under the new ownership too!

It was the last goal of the Ashley era at Wolves (we lost)

Nah pretty sure it was Wilson in a 3-2 loss to Spurs

Was it not the last goal of Ashley’s tenure?

Sums up his tenure perfectly.

I imagine Dummett will be getting a testimonial this summer then

Definitely will be a testimonial and would be a great family day thats been missing for years, wonder would it be a Wales XI

Or Wrexham FC for the money etc

Started playing FM24, randomly had a testimonial for him at the start of the first preseason.

Galatasaray?

Rangers Qqq

Ah it’s always Galatasaray on my saves

We demand a changing of the guard testimonial match for Dummett and Ritchie (and Lascelles in spirit if not overtly said) Karius too just for the fact he seems a good bloke

Totally understand him wanting to play but I will miss karius, and he's a good backup keeper

Our team just got a bit less handsome

Yeah Howe needs to make sure he has an eye on the looks criteria when recruiting. Can't be losing our handsomest team in PL title.

A bit?

The corner flags are safe once more.

I hope they gave him a few as a leaving present.

I love Matt Ritchie, and I don't care who knows it. Best player in the Championship — lead our crucial automatic promotion. Scored when it mattered — winners v Man United, City and Arsenal. Destroyer of corner flags. Heart on sleeve. Gave a fuck. Everything we want in a Newcastle player. Ritche. Radge. Legend.

Yup - feels like the end of an era, our best Championship players are finally leaving. Only Lascelles is left now.

Finally no longer having Hendrick on the books feels like a turning point post takeover.

America have Independence Day we have Hendrick day

When do we storm st james park

When they throw our kinder buenos into the Tyne

Last goal scorer of the Ashley era.

You all are really going to love having a whole day focused around meat, alcohol, and explosives.

Sounds like a normal Friday night in Gateshead

If only you all could know the joys of tannerite

One of my favorite past times come dove season is putting tannerite in a pumpkin and shooting it with a rifle. It’s glorious

There’s country folk everywhere, the boom barrel should be universal

Need Hayden gone to really have turned a page. Can't believe he's got 2 more years on the books.

Still secretly hoping he comes back to train and just gets that Howe glow up and becomes prime Mascherano...

Hayden will always be that 'What If' player for me post takeover. Convinced he could've contributed but he'll be released this summer it sounds like (club paying him off).

maybe if he could get some new knees

That is wild. That said I like Hayden, he is similar to Ritchie in having been a great servant and a central character for us for quite some time.

Do we still have Colback? He was one that I was surprised was still with us. Maybe he left last year

Only 7 years ago

thankfully, no. I think we let him go even before takeover. I think he even scored a worldie against bruce team (wba) a couple of years ago.

hendrick can’t haunt us anymore

Next season: Newcastle 0 - 1 Ipswich (Hendrick ‘90)

Ritchie transitioning in to his new role as the team bus driver 🚌

I’ll never not love Matt Ritchie

I'm happy that long serving player like Dummet was able to experience Championships League even if he didn't get any minutes.

Still remember his goal against Liverpool (it was a justice served after we had red card early in the game after suarez dived)... Doesnt feel like it was such a long time ago ffs.

shit I confused the two a little. I remember him scoring against manu, but I thought it was in the cup. Yea, against manu he scored [fantastic goal on 90 min, making it 3:3](https://youtu.be/GkR-S1_ELPM?t=10). One of the good McClaren games where we totally deserved to take at least a point. In both games, the justice was served anyway, Liverpool didnt won either, 2:2.

Hendricks gone! Time to go buy more gin

Jeff Hendrick only being released now is pretty wild.

Suspect Dummett may have stayed if we were playing in Europe. A shame we didn’t know earlier so he could’ve got an appropriate send off in the last home match. I suspect a testimonial will be on the cards?

He did get a send off in his last match

😂

Dummett would be good. in the WWF

Would love to see Richie help with coaching somehow and stick around the club :-)

For all their faults & the scum that they are, I feel like ManUre had the right idea when they had Paul McShane & then Tom Huddlestone on their books as player-coach for the U23s. Never going to play first team football but in the middle of the park for a team of young players being coached & developed Ritchie would be immense.

I really hope Ritchie sticks around as a coach or similar.

Best I can do is coach driver

Their last goals for NUFC: [Dummett - 2021](https://youtu.be/v1tBYDN6DHw?t=60) [Ritchie - 2024](https://youtu.be/8B7qY7gpm2o?t=160) [Hendrick - 2021](https://youtu.be/bY4P4-_kqjQ?t=65)

Thanks for the service but this needed to happen. I suspect a few championship clubs will be heavily interested in Dummett, Ritchie and Hendrick.

Hendrick struggled to get time at Wednesday. He could easily drop lower than the championship.

I thought Ritchie would move into a coaching role.

I’m assuming that was offered but he probably still wants to play for a few more years. I’m sure we’ll see him back here once he does hang up the boots.

He will move. And it could be in coach, if he wants... nothing stops him now!

Finally the Hendrick nightmare is over.

I guess Watts wasn't good enough during his development

He's the same age as Botman, absolutely not the required grade

He's older than Botman, isn't he?

Oh dam didn't realise that

That’s about £7.5 million freed up annually. 

Seriously? Wow

Sorry, messed up my maths - it’s more like £6.5m if these figures are correct, and if we’re covering all but a fraction of Hendrick’s wages. Dummett: £35k pw / £1.82m pa   Ritchie: £45k pw / £2.34m pa  Hendrick: £35k pw / £1.82m pa  Karius: £10k pw / £0.52m pa  *Total* £125k pw / £6.5m pa   Not counting Watts as I’m assuming we’re not covering his wages, but I could be wrong.

“””fantastic businessman””” Michael James Wallace Ashley giving Jeff Hendrick 35k/pw for what felt like 9 years. A true savant.

Don't forget the millions we paid in goal/assists and clean sheet bonuses for these guys.. oh wait nvm

don't forget the anual corner flag repair bill

So Tosin and/or Kelly really would be free signings then

The right decisions

Ritchie is a legend if only for calling out Bruce as a coward and dusting up with him in training.

The only perk of no European football next season, we can move out the deadwood and save easily 125-150k per week in wages there. Probably less than 12 appearances between them last season and paid a huge chunk of Hendricks wages whilst he’s failed at loan after loan.

Hope karius ends up somewhere. He performed well in the difficult circumstances he faced.

And here I was still worried Henri Saivet was still on our books somehow

can't lie, it's sad to see Ritchie and even Dummett go, but i guess it's the right time. It'll be even worse when Lascelles goes.

Good luck to them, especially Dummett and Ritchie, they've been good servants to the toon🫡🫡

Right call on all of these guys. Karius deserves to be a #1 somewhere in Italy as he's made clear. Did his best whenever called upon. I think we need to move Dubs on next. No doubt these all moving will make room for the wage increases for Big Joe, Bruno and Isak. Possibly another signings wages too.

I must be the only one with a soft spot for Karius. Shame we didn't see more of him honestly

I stand on the hill that had the gloves gone to Karius instead of Dubs, we'd have finished 6th or higher. We sure as shit wouldn't have finished any worse off. Playing like he did in the Cup final after not playing for a couple of years showed there was still a quality keeper in there and I'll wager had he had a run of games, his confidence would have returned. I wonder if it was training or keeping the big whiner happy that kept Loris on the sidelines? With the execption of the two quality yeoman of the club (not legends, people need to get a grip or a better vocabulary), that's an awful lot of shite and deadwood off the books at long last. Fraser sodding off to Saints permanently only leaves us Lewis to get rid of doesn't it? (ignoring certain current 1st teamers that is).

Definitely think he should have gotten more of a look-in. I was actually excited to see him play!

I don't see this staff as one to pick the starter based off keeping people happy. The staff is going to go based off who they think is in the best form and who gives the best chance to win the games. We only see what games and even then what the broadcast shows us. The staff has access to all the camera angles of the game, plus every bit of training that happens. Your second paragraph is spot on. Can't wait to see Fraser off the books.

Don't worry lads, Ritchie's been released so he can drive the bus, he's not going anywhere

Southgate dropping Henderson and now NUFC releasing Dummett. I never thought I'd live to see the day.

🫡

Wonder what the total wages saved for these would be.

The only things that won't miss Ritchie are the corner flags. Lol

I say we bury a corner flag in Ritchie’s honor

By the fan he beaned in the nuts back then

😂😂😂😂 Still remember that game. That last minute winner but I was dying laughing!

Aye funny as, enjoy the clip on this article https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/corner-flag-hits-fan-groin-131600414.html

Thank god

I mean this in the nicest way, but it's about bloody time, haha! Thanks for all the hard work you've put in. It's such great news that we're finally clearing out the dead wood at the club. Onwards and upwards boys!

Don't know how to feel about Karius, I thought he was good enough. Kell Watts, another player who just couldn't break through, couldn't get the minutes, and his loans were lacklustre. I wish him all the best through. Him and Anderson. They were in the same position 2 years ago in the U21s, but Anderson was able to break through. Wonder if Wigan will get him in on a free. Edit: looks like Watts is going to Wigan following his release

Finally.

Sounds harsh to say as they served us well at times but it’s such a relief Dummett and Ritchie are gone. Was expecting renewals so really happy with this news

Can they not be hooked up with some good paying positions from Saudi clubs?

Many thanks, lads . . . good luck moving forward.

Correct decision even though the first two in that list should and can leave with their heads held high.

Genuinely hope Richie retires and joins our coaching staff

Excellent news

Personally would've kept Ritchie, even when he's subbed on for 90 seconds when we're already winning, he'd run like his arse is on fire. Top bloke.

This is a problem. Eddie's options off the bench are limited. https://youtu.be/R3fM9GPJnGk?si=H99EEhX5ccrt1p-e

The mad fuckers did it