Dokko

Its not on, Allardyce is a long term plan, money cant buy you team spirit and organisation & its a disgrace if Ashley is only willing to give him one season. No, but not spending any money will not create team spirit and organisation as well. Money isn't a factor. The manager and the players he has is the factor. Mourinho spent a shit load and I personally think Chelsea have the best 'team spirit' in the league. Yet there have been teams in the past loaded with stars who don't understand the notion of 'team spirit', for example Real Madrid during their Galacticos phase. Money isn't a factor in whether team spirit is created or not. Why is it a disgrace if Ashley is only willing to give him one season? If Allardyce does spend £45m, we should expect to be comfortably placed in the top 6 and actually challenging for the CL. When Abramovich bought Chelsea, he expected them to win the title in the first season!! Ashley's doing the smart and right thing. He's not stupid, and he does rightly expect success given the sum of his investment. I think the giant leap we are going to make, Ashley or not will be so significant to the fans that SA has at least another season here, even if Ashley is unimpressed, which i cant see him being as if were happy and optimistic and spending money, everyone is a winner.

They'd be alright players if they had a reliable defense behind them and a good targetman in front of them. Am not saying i would keep them indefinite, in fact if decent money came in id sell em all, but under a new manager they could have some use.

Quicker the better imo. News like this will only mean the fans will side with the new guy, obviously (and why the story is appearing before the board meeting next week) Yeah but didn't Allardyce say that fans need to be patient about what he does. yes but when he was saying that he obviously was planning for little steps due to the massive job and the massive ammount of money to do it in a short spell of time now with rich backing you would expect it to happen quicker, remember before the chelsea take over they were as much mid table as we are now. Quite a bit of bollocks you are talking there mate. Were 14th, they were 4th, aye mid table, lets scrub off there trophy wins in the last decade before the takeover as well. ok a bit of bollocks my mistake on remembering league finishes but my point was literally to say that they were not title contenders season in season out before the money came pouring in and while our final position this year was 13th (not 14th) I would still class us as a mid table side at the moment But they were a much better club than us before the takeover, miles better, you stated that they were mid table, they weren't simple as, they were as strong as Liverpool at the time, and pipped the to 4th place on the last game of the season, that's how close they were already to top four, were miles away mate, miles and miles.

Quicker the better imo. News like this will only mean the fans will side with the new guy, obviously (and why the story is appearing before the board meeting next week) Yeah but didn't Allardyce say that fans need to be patient about what he does. yes but when he was saying that he obviously was planning for little steps due to the massive job and the massive ammount of money to do it in a short spell of time now with rich backing you would expect it to happen quicker, remember before the chelsea take over they were as much mid table as we are now. Quite a bit of bollocks you are talking there mate. Were 14th, they were 4th, aye mid table, lets scrub off there trophy wins in the last decade before the takeover as well. Chelsea were on the verge of having to dissolve, becuase they were so badly in debt, Abromavic (can't spell his name) did indeed turn them from mid-table mediocrity into a team too be feared by Europe's elite, and maybe Ashley could do the same for us. Like Yorkie i'm pissing myself with excitement Chelsea were struggling in terms of finance, but on the pitch they were a much better team than we are now, you could say they were a better team then and the years before than we have been over the last 30 years +

13th is bad enough, don't make it any worse than it actually was. Soz like.

Don't see any quotes there from Ashley. Ashley doesn't give interviews he speaks through others. Derek Ackorah on the payrole asap then.

Quicker the better imo. News like this will only mean the fans will side with the new guy, obviously (and why the story is appearing before the board meeting next week) Yeah but didn't Allardyce say that fans need to be patient about what he does. yes but when he was saying that he obviously was planning for little steps due to the massive job and the massive ammount of money to do it in a short spell of time now with rich backing you would expect it to happen quicker, remember before the chelsea take over they were as much mid table as we are now. Quite a bit of bollocks you are talking there mate. We're 14th, they were 4th, aye mid table, lets scrub off there trophy wins in the last decade before the takeover as well. (includes 2 FA cups, League Cup, Cup winners cup, charity sheild & Europpean super cup)

Quicker the better imo. News like this will only mean the fans will side with the new guy, obviously (and why the story is appearing before the board meeting next week)

Thought it was worth its own thread.

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcastleunited/news/tm_headline=one-season-to-make-me-proud%26method=full%26objectid=19206949%26siteid=50081-name_page.html One Season to make me proud May 27 2007 By Neil Farrington, The Sunday Sun Mike Ashley Sam Allardyce will have just one season to prove he is the man to realise Mike Ashley's £400 million dream of turning Newcastle into a world footballing superpower. That is the figure that Ashley has earmarked for his United revolution as he expects to convince chairman Freddy Shepherd to sell his stake in the club when they meet this week. In anticipation of pushing through a takeover worth £133 million, Ashley - through his PR advisors - has assured the newly-appointed Allardyce that his job is safe. But other sources close to the publicity-shy billionaire (right) last night revealed that he is yet to be convinced that Allardyce can establish Newcastle as one of the biggest clubs on the planet. The Sunday Sun has been told of the big-money, five-year path to greatness which Ashley has mapped out for the Magpies. The sports retail tycoon has budgeted an incredible £270 MILLION for winning the Premiership within three years and challenging for the Champions League within five years. And although Allardyce will be given £45 million to spend this summer, he will be expected to push for Champions League qualification next season . . . Or Ashley is prepared to follow Roman Abramovich's lead by parting company with Allardyce - as Chelsea's sugar-daddy did with Claudio Ranieri - after one season. "Mike has huge respect for what Sam Allardyce achieved with limited resources at Bolton, but I can't stress enough just how big he hopes - and expects - Newcastle to become," a source told the Sunday Sun. "Is Allardyce capable of taking the club not just up to the next level but into a whole different ballpark? That's yet to be seen. "Of course, Allardyce will have the chance to prove himself. But he won't be allowed to hang around doing it. Mike wants big progress, fast." Meanwhile, Shepherd - still in hospital yesterday recovering from pneumonia and a collapsed lung - is widely thought to be ready to accept the offer of 100p per share which persuaded the Halls to sell Ashley their 41.6 per cent share of United. But the Sunday Sun has learned just how easily the Newcastle chairman could launch a rival bid for the club. With his current 29.8 per cent stake, Shepherd is already within touching distance of the 30 per cent threshold which would oblige him to make an offer to buy all other shares. And I understand he can count on being able to purchase low-key ally Len Hatton's 3.88 per cent stake at any time. If Shepherd then approached United's institutional investors - who own around 22 per cent of the club - with an offer in excess of 100p per share, he would almost boost his holding to well over 50 per cent and leave Ashley himself with little choice but to sell up. However, the timing of Ashley's purchase of the Hall family's 41.6 per cent stake - coinciding with a health scare serious enough to have left those around Shepherd badly shaken - has left the chairman seemingly poorly equipped to resist the newcomer's assault.

Shearer signed because he thought he'd win trophies, if we were shit he wouldn't have signed imo. Keegan did. Twice. Point i was making was him hanging around after that dream was totally crushed.

Shearer. Keegan signed him, but anyone can sign a class player, and it wasn't down to KK he signed, it was the love of the club, like any Geordie would do. Keegan ran away at the 1st sign of trouble, Shearer carried us for years even though he pretty much knew his career would never give him trophies if he did. Still love KK, respect everything he did for the club, but Shearer pips it for me.

Swap for Dyer, that is all i'd offer for him, i wouldn't swap Parker for him, Parker is a much better player imo.

Yep. SA has the stomach for the fight, GH thinks he does, whether he can withstand the pressure remains to be seen. I'd fear for GH's health if he came here, maybe he'll be our director of football, that i would be pleased with.

Sven can't get a job, la la la la laaa!

Worth the hassle isn't it?

Gerard Houllier 'Liverpools highest ever fee'

As if that cunt is going to stop him, Harry is already snapping up as many CB's as he can as he knows Sol in unhappy at Portsmouth and wants to move on. They'll take £1m, maybe less, Harry loves to wheel and deal and would see making a million as a success, especially if he gets Bramble in as well for nowt. Can't see him selling Campbell, hope I'm wrong. Can't see him having a choice if Sol wants out. Transfer request, refuses to play, year left, i'll sit and cost you £70k per week until you release me, cheers.

£14m for Cisse!

As if that cunt is going to stop him, Harry is already snapping up as many CB's as he can as he knows Sol in unhappy at Portsmouth and wants to move on. They'll take £1m, maybe less, Harry loves to wheel and deal and would see making a million as a success, especially if he gets Bramble in as well for nowt.

Would rather have Campbell over Hyypia. Sami's lack of pace has made him a liability and the reason why Agger is preferred. Sol certainly has a bigger frame as well, and at their peak the much better defender. I'd have them both though, just look at how far Milan's aging defense has got them, experience is vital as a defender, especially a CB and both would help Taylor move forward and become the player we all hope for. Hyypia/Campbell Taylor/Ben Haim. All for peanuts and would be our strongest central partnerships we've ever had imo.

On a serious note (even though i've probably said it) i dont wish the man dead, and do hope he makes a full recovery, but if this has weakened him severely and forces him to consider his life and future, then i hope i runs on a little bit longer and he sells up. Maybe just maybe with his ill health and not so long ago his wife, he is thinking about moving away from here, going abroad and living life nicely chilled out watching a billionaire invest in the team he loves, i'm sure we'd all like that scenario for him.

Looked more solid last season defending but this season Wigan have been all over the place leaving him more exposed, i'd take little note in that tbh, apart from he may feel he's standing still or finding its time to move on to a bigger club.

Baines, Campbell & Ben Haim plus a solid rightback and were laughing. If we could get Viduka on a free as well this could turn out to be an excellent 07/08 season.

Another 5 brilliant years left in him as well. Which by then Krul will be ready to take his place.