LoveItIfWeBeatU

Except he won't be free at all as whoever he signs for will have to pay a fee (decided by a tribunal) to Man U due to Simpson's age and Man U developing him. I'd sign him if the fee is £500k. He's easily worth that. If he didn't hack it in the Premiership the club would easily recover £500k in the transfer market selling him to a Championship club. If we get promoted I can't imagine Ashley splashing the cash and I can't imagine anyone buying the club off him either.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2010/01/18/newcastle-united-wait-on-star-lovenkrands-72703-25625864/

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2010/01/18/newcastle-united-wait-on-star-lovenkrands-72703-25625864/2/

Tesco's are more interested in forming their own bank by having instore branches, along with buying branches that RBS, and Lloyd TSB have to sell off aswell as some of the Allience & Liecester branches Abbey will sell before it is merged with them fully. If the government sell off the 'good bank' (which is the one that will be sponsoring NUFC) within a year they are idiots and deserve to be shot. Why sell when the Financial market is at a low? They might as well hang on to Northern Rock and their Lloyds TSB and RBS shares until banking is booming again and then sell high. If Virgin, Tesco or Metro (some American bank) do buy Northern Rock surely the deal would have changed and therefore they wouldn't have to sponsor NUFC any more? Anyway, I now await a huge number of 'Daily Mail' readers and Southern tossers to start complaining that public money is being spent on NUFC via this sponsorship deal.

Regardless of promotion: - Pancrate - Out of contract - Release - Only extend contract if he vastly improves over the rest of the season. Geremi - Out of contract - Release - He's on £60k a week and can't get a game in the Championship. Hopefully he'll leave in this January transfer window. Butt - Out of contract - Retire/Release - He's probably going to retire but even if he doesn't there is no way Ashley would extend his contract for anything like his current wages. Besides, we currently have Barton, Nolan, Guthrie and Smith so we don't need any more centre midfielders (unless we can get a creative one). Xisco - Try to sell. He's supposedly on ridiculously high wages and he's not even very good in his home league in Spain. A terrible Dennis Wise purchase!

I think that was ashleys plan all along I don't think it's a bad plan really, there's no point in letting the likes of Leeds exploit us, from what I've heard they have been offered more than enough considering the circumstances. We already have the biggest wage bill by some margin in the Championship. It's a bitter pill to swallow but this could be a step on the road to Newcastle United living within it's means and not letting players/clubs take the piss when it comes to wages and transfer fees demands.

Us not being run like Liverpool and Man U has provided nothing but problems so far. It's a bit like having games in hand, I'd rather have the points on the board. Both Man U and Liverpool have trophies in there trophy cabinets, we've got cobwebs in ours. You could say the same for Portsmouth. They won the FA Cup in 2008. Will the memory of that trophy keep them happy as their club goes down the pan? Both Man U and Liverpool fans hate their owners. That's why I'd be worried about some unknown person or group buying Newcastle off Ashley. Look at the state of Portsmouth for how that can work out. In a world where clubs only spend what they earn Newcastle would be sitting pretty money wise due to our loyal fan base and 52000 seater stadium. The 'natural' order would be restored to some extent with the well supported clubs like Newcastle, Leeds, etc. replacing the clubs with a smaller following but a wealthy owner in the top division.

I hope all the people who go on about someone buying the club off Ashley read it. I'm no fan of Ashley but going by the type of owner's Man U and Liverpool have got maybe we are better off with the devil we know. For all his many faults, at least he is trying to run the club on what it brings in rather than what it may bring in in the future.

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/becks-spells-out-his-promotion-desire-20100117_2247585_1935126

58 pages for nothing then (unless Newcastle resurrect a deal in the Summer when he's out of contract). I can't say I'm upset about the deal collapsing. If he still wants to come in the Summer and the club still want him we'll get him for free.

I can't see anyone coming to 'rescue' us from Mike Ashley. He may in fact turn out to be some sort of perverse blessing in disguise!

You should 'Tweet' him the above.

Can't see Lovenkrands playing. He wasn't in the team earlier in the season when he had 'family problems' i.e. his dad being ill. With his dad dying I would imagine he'll be missing for a while which is a damn shame. Ameobi with Nolan supporting or Ameobi and Carroll is what Hughton will probably go with.

I'm sure you and a lot of others would, but if the guy genuinely enjoys playing football, money is pretty much irrelevant isn't it? Or you could look at it as, a guy has been able to do the 'job' he loves for half his life so far at the highest level. That particular job usually comes to an end by 35 at the latest (excluding goalkeepers and the rare few) assuming you are relatively injury free. He may have to give it up a few years early. "It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2010/01/milner_can_be_world_cup_wild_c.html

Those feeling sorry for him, do you often pity 31 year old multi millionaires who drive supercars and have diamond encrusted watches and the like? I'd swap places with him now in a flash! Save your pity for someone who deserves it.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/West-Ham-star-could-be-forced-to-retire-article287567.html "Hugely popular Dyer"? Popular with who? He's only played 18 times for West Ham in 3 years!

http://www.itv.com/sport/football/news/facup/matchreports/report-newcastle-v-plymouth-483863622.html

http://msn.football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_5854217,00.html?ocid=today

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2010/01/12/nufc-deny-chase-for-striker-rickie-lambert-72703-25580618/

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2010/01/12/hughton-to-end-saga-over-midfielder-geremi-72703-25580597/

Have to say, I worry about who will buy us if Ashley sells. The bubble seems to be bursting and quite a few clubs are up Shit Creek. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8453337.stm

Hopefully Shola doesn't get crocked as if he does (and he is prone too) we're fucked. I assume we could do another 'emergency' loan deal after the transfer window closes. Depending on how some Premiership clubs do in the cups we could end up loaning a 'promising' young striker from the likes of Arsenal, Man U, etc.

The way the snow is thawing it's pretty likely the game will be on.