Mike Ashley

[Frode]

Er vel begge deler.

Det jeg vil frem til er at NUFC kan kategoriseres som en "sovende kjempe" og en "storklubb" rett bak de største, men jeg mener også at lag som Everton, Aston Villa, Tottenham, osv er i samme kategori. Ja til og med Leeds og Nottingham er klubber jeg venter på skal komme tilbake. Klubber med en stolt fortid, trofaste og mange supportere og som har bevist at de alltid kommer tilbake uasett nedtur.

[Kesse]

Og det JEG skulle frem til var at Newcastle ikke har noe større potensialet enn Pompey, Everton og Blackburn feks. Vi får vel bare være enige om å være uenige på noen punkter da vi har sagt det samme noen ganger nå.

[Kristoffer]

Jeg kategoriserer Everton, Villa, Spurs, Newcastle og Leeds sammen.

[Kristoffer]

Fra The Times. Underholdende, men samtidig veldig bra artikkel.

The end of a car-Toon era at St James’
Newcastle 1 Hull 2
George Caulkin

Mike Ashley: an apology. In common with many news organisations over recent days, The Times may have inadvertently suggested that one Michael James Wallace Ashley has somehow been responsible for the slow death of Newcastle United. We now accept, without reservation, that this allegation is completely false. We are happy to set the record straight.

Ashley, in fact, has done the opposite. Through mismanagement and folly, from the whittling of Kevin Keegan’s authority to the point of resignation, through the appointment of Dennis Wise, the absence of public leadership, a refusal to communicate until yesterday’s statement, a witless summer in the transfer market and the small-minded snubbing of Alan Shearer, supporters are mobilised.

Newcastle are not dying, Newcastle are reborn and contrary to appearances, Saturday was an uplifting occasion. The 2-1 defeat by Hull City was alarming in that it pointed to a long season of grind – and vindicated Keegan’s longstanding concerns about the depth of the squad – but the turmoil that surrounded it was inspirational. Anger is an energy and it is forcing Ashley out.

Amid the chaos, the protests, the chants, the march and the boycott of merchandise, the football felt like an irrelevance, so with more apologies – this time to Hull, whose composure would usually warrant greater attention – this cannot be a traditional match report. What follows is a series of random observations.

1.There is a Light That Never Goes Out. The DJ at St James’ Park knows his stuff and the Smiths song that played after the final whistle was apt. Newcastle’s future may be uncertain, but here was a substantial reminder of Geordie ardour. Powerful, emotive, raw and important.

2. Newcastle, united. There have been lean spells on Tyneside and much underachievement, but rarely has there been a universal target of disapproval. Freddy Shepherd led a discredited regime, but the former chairman’s failings were often disguised by a Hollywood signing, unpopular managers or errant players. Now the opposition is focused.

3. Where’s Waldo? Neither Ashley nor Wise were present on Saturday, but if the notion of accountability suffered, the cacophony will have echoed as far as London. In the directors’ box, Derek Llambias sat amid empty seats. When a banner reading “Cockney Mafia Out” was carried around to raucous applause, the managing director smiled. It was less a demand than a prediction.

4. Sing your hearts out for the lads. A selection of songs, which will not be available in any shops: “Taxi for Ashley”; “He’s thick, he’s fat, he is a f***ing t***, Ashley, Ashley”; “He’s a dwarf, a dwarf, it’s plain to see, to see, he’s smaller than you and me, he’s a dwarf, a dwarf”; “Sack the board”; “There’s only one Kevin Keegan”. And from the away end: “Are you Grimsby in disguise?”

5. Crisis, what crisis? Late on Friday night, Hull’s first-team squad moved to the Malmaison hotel after an altercation with a wedding party at their country retreat. Phil Brown’s close association with Sam Allardyce, the former Newcastle manager, was apparently a source of dispute; the home team looked more fatigued.

6. Danger, genius at work. Ashley, we are informed, had a five-year plan. He wanted younger, hungrier (cheaper) players. But while injuries may be prevalent, Newcastle confronted Hull with no recognised full backs and a substitutes’ bench featuring Frank Danquah, Mark Doninger and Ryan Donaldson. Xisco looked like the new Shola Ameobi. The old Shola Ameobi was jeered off.

7. And in other news . . . a match took place. Marlon King scored twice for Hull, initially through a penalty and then, in the second half, after turning inside Charles N’Zogbia. An unmissable tap-in from Xisco in the 82nd minute did not herald a come-back but more frustration. Danny Guthrie was dismissed after two red-mist lunges on Craig Fagan.

8. A fine mess. Whatever else happens in NE1, the Toon Army is marching. What Saturday proved is that ownership of a club is about more than billionaires and directors of football and Newcastle has been taken back by their fans. As Ashley said yesterday: “I have listened to you.” So apologies, Mike. And thank you. And, now, goodbye.

[Kristoffer]

Og nufc.com's syn på dette må selvfølgelig tas med. For der er faen ingen som sier det bedre enn hva de kan gjøre:

Point of order:
Difference of opinion

There's a lot of common sense and logic in what Ashley says, but there's a huge gap where the hoped-for clarification of the issues that forced Keegan to walk should be and the whole Wise situation is ignored.

One section stands out for us though:

The fans want this process to happen more quickly and they want huge amounts spent in the transfer market so that the club can compete at the top table of European football now.

Is that really true? It does attempt to perpetuate the line given to the press last week by an un-named club official about Keegan throwing his toys out of the pram when being denied funds for Thierry Henry etc.
 
But clawing back £12m for an England U21 midfielder and replacing him with a borrowed Uruguayan seems to be going to the opposite extreme to the megastars.

Quite simply, anyone who watched this team last season could not have failed to spot that it was weak in certain areas, both in terms of quality and head count.

As a self-proclaimed football fan of long-standing, Ashley would surely have picked that up for himself - even before speaking to the fans or the team of employees he brought in headed by Dennis Wise.

So the process that most expected in the last close season was to try and move on the players who had been nothing but a financial burden to the club, while also replacing them with halfway decent assets at a halfway decent price. 

The youth recruitment efforts were welcomed by those who had an interest in it and certainly pre-injury, the Hungarian defender Tamas Kadar had shown genuine potential - even if a few of the others looked less promising.

But parallel with that, there had to be a sensible recruitment programme to improve both the quality and quantity of players available to the manager now.

Not necessarily megastars, but by the same token not unattached teens with colourful histories who play one game for the academy and then get on the first team bench. Oh, and not all from Spanish clubs....

This isn't a radically new policy either - Sir John Hall was reluctant to find any money to finance the return of an ageing Peter Beardsley but bowed to Keegan's judgement (and a porkie about his age). Thank the Lord, he did....

When the transfer window closed this year, our net spend was less than most other Premier League clubs this season - clubs with a smaller fanbase, less season ticket holders, cheaper tickets, cheaper corporate sections, smaller corporate sections etc. etc.

Most people believed that Kevin Keegan's "million miles away" statement last season was right - but they also believed him when he talked about improving the club's league placing.

We would contend that most people didn't believe that the only way to do that was spending "huge amounts".

The one charge that is continually levelled at Newcastle fans by lazy outsiders is that they have unrealistic expectations and no patience.

Unfortunately the owner seems to have fallen for this line, ignoring the evidence of his own eyes that Newcastle fans will shell out for tickets if they believe they are seeing a team worth watching and moving forward - and not being led up the garden path.

[hcan]

For å si det sånn: hadde jeg vært i den situasjonen at jeg hadde MASSE milliarder på bok nå, så hadde jeg gikk faan i om klubben hadde kostet £250mill eller £400mill.

Så får vi håpe at det er en riking der ute som er NUFC-fan og tenker det samme som meg!

Tror ikke vi får en nufc-fan men får nok inn personer som ikke vil blande seg inn i hvordan klubben ledes så lenge man får gode resultater. Men noen som vet om Wise vil gå og?

[ScandinavianMagpie]

Wise forsvinner nok i oppryddingen etter Ashley når/hvis Ashley finner en kjøper av klubben.

[AK84]

Wise forsvinner nok i oppryddingen etter Ashley når/hvis Ashley finner en kjøper av klubben.

Håper for all del du har rett i dette.... 

[fredd]

WITH Mike Ashley having broken his public silence to confirm his desire to sell Newcastle United, vice-president Tony Jimenez was last night in Dubai setting up a meeting with representatives of billionaire group Dubai International Capital (DIC).
DIC, the investment arm of the Dubai Government, has been in discussions over a possible takeover of Liverpool for much of the last 18 months.

But with Anfield co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks no nearer to resolving the impasse that is preventing the sale of their club, Newcastle officials are confident of brokering a deal that will see one of the richest companies in the Middle East assume ownership of the Magpies.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/3673582.Magpies_supremo_sets_date_with_Dubai_group/

[Nico]

Herregud, da kommer det til å bli en drakamp mellom Abu Dhabi Group og DIC om hvem som kommer til å hente de beste spillerne, hvem som kommer til å bruke mest penger osv osv. Vi mister mye sjel, men det hadde vært moro om vi fikk se litt resultater. Fotballen har blitt en sport fullt og helt styrt av det finansielle, og det er noe, hvis vi skal være en toppklubb, vi må følge med på. Det er ikke mange klubber i europa som kommer til å klare en CL-plass eller i hele tatt utfordre storklubbene uten å investere flere hundre millioner kroner i spillerkjøp og talentutvikling. Det er sånn utviklinga er. Talentene i verden blir snappet opp før de mindre klubbene får glede av de, og hvis det er noen som glimter til, så blir de kjøpt opp sommeren etter.

Jeg er ganske sikker på at DIC kommer til å kjøpe seg inn i en engelsk klubb i nærmeste fremtid. Hvertfall etter ADG kjøpte seg inn i Man City. Derfor vil jeg heller at vi får de eierne istedenfor at de kjøper opp Tottenham/West Ham osv, og se at de seiler fra oss i en sinnsyk fart. Både Chelsea, Man Utd, City, Arsenal (til en grad), QPR osv har eiere som en sinnsyk cashflow, derfor syns jeg også at det er på tide å få litt kapital inn i klubben. Selvom, som sagt, vi mister en del sjel på det, vil Newcastle alltid være en klubb som er bygd på fansskaren rundt St. James. Vi har de beste supporterne i England, og vi kommer fremdeles til å ha det etter et eventuelt oppkjøp fra oljepenger.

Howay the lads

[Kristoffer]

Hvis noen tvilte på at spillerne lider under dagens ledelse:
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/09/15/text-reveals-player-s-fury-at-nufc-crisis-72703-21820049/

NEWCASTLE United players are furious at the way the club has been turned into a “shambles”.

They have not been told anything about what is happening at the club and they were gutted at losing to Hull City in what were difficult circumstances at St James’s Park on Saturday.

United players are never afraid to speak to the media even when they have been on the wrong end of a bad result.

However, there were no player interviews after Saturday’s game mainly because the media respected that there was very little for them to say.

But I did receive a text from a player on Saturday night which summed up their frustrations and anger.

It said: “The players did not speak after the game because how can we?

“We are not allowed to be honest and say what we want.

“It’s time for the people upstairs to speak up for themselves rather than reel us out to do it for them.

“It’s a shambles.”

This text was not from Shay Given, but the Republic of Ireland international is the senior and most respected player at St James’s Park, and the talk from inside the dressing room is that he was the most upset after Saturday’s events.

Now all Given has to look forward to is Saturday’s trip to Upton Park and a meeting with Gianfranco Zola’s West Ham.

[Kesse]

Det er vel liten tvil om at dette går utover spillerne også. Vi får håpe Ashley finner en kjøper fortest mulig.. Hvis ikke så forsvinner de beste spillerne våre i januar.

[Kristoffer]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/newcastle/2962624/Mike-Ashleys-potential-buyers-for-Newcastle-United---Premier-League-Football.html

Telegraph nevner Ant & Dec som en av fem potensielle kjøpere av klubben 

[Kristoffer]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11678_4149556,00.html

Og DIC er ikke interessert i å kjøpe LFC eller noen annen PL-klubb for øyeblikket...

[Erlend Simonsen]

Telegraph nevner Ant & Dec som en av fem potensielle kjøpere av klubben 

Hvem er egentlig de? jeg måtte Google dem, kjente igjenn han ene karn ifra Arsenal kampen. Regnet med at han var Arsenal supporter siden han satt å så kampen.

Er de penge sterk nok?