Wandy

The only alternative is being bought out by a very rich individual or group who has actual ambition. This fan buy-in/buy-out stuff is pure fantasy. And some of us can remember the last time this was tried, when John Hall launched his share issue. That failed too, and that's when it was an actual viable proposition, and the club's supporter base was of a much higher calibre. You are talking about a fanbase that thinks boycotts don't work and that Ashley can do what he wants because "it's his club". If you expect them to get on board with this you are in for a whole lot of disappointment.

It really isnt. This lot at NUST seem intent on ramping up the very worst stereotype views of the city of Newcastle and it's support. Us Geordies man, we all love Greggs and we've got nothing else in our lives except the football club. Monumentally and excuciatingly embarrasing and a million miles from the truth. I have no idea what has happened to Caulkin either. Once a very good journalist and now just cringeworthy as fuck.

One of the most embarrasing things I've ever seen associated with NUFC. Cathedral on the hill? Greggs sausage rolls???? There must be a Mackem working undercover at the NUST. That is an absolute goldmine of ammunition for the mongoloids on RTG. They will be pissing themselves with laughter this morning. Consider my membership cancelled. I guess they don't think the Saudi takeover will be happening either then.

If the club is in the Championship next season then giving Doubtfire a new contract will be great news. They will need to stay down in that league and who better to ensure this than Steve Bruce.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but, on reflection, Benitez coming here was a complete waste of time for everyone except Ashley. All it did was extended Ashley's tenure for at least 5 years longer and put a delay on the events that are happening now. If we'd been stuck with a no-mark manager at the start of the 16/17 season and had a few years in the wilderness then Ashley might have departed by now.

Takeover, you say?

Voted "No, even though I believe the takeover is still alive but don't believe it'll happen." If the Saudi takeover does collapse and Ashley is still here then I'm done with football altogether, not just NUFC. But I don't want the club to be relegated as I'd still want people who choose to keep going to get some enjoyment out of it. Having said that, if the club is relegated, the Saudi's are gone and Ashley still owns us then under no circumstances whatsoever would I want the club to be promoted again with him as owner. I'd want them to stay down until Ashley is gone, no matter how long it takes.

Lol. Mate, I admire your relentless confidence in this going through, I really do. Myself, I am also still fairly optimistic, or I simply wouldn't be on this thread. But it's a different ball game if we go down. Its only us, the fans, who wouldn't be put off paying the full whack if the club is relegated. Business people don't look at it like that though. They will want value for money and wont want to come away from a deal feeling like they have been fleeced. Even if the long-term prospects are still great. I can still see them buying us upon relegation, but it would have to be at a pretty significantly reduced price.

If we go down then money will need to be spent, by whoever owns the club, on players to get the club promoted. Your suggesting that the Saudi's will be happy with paying extra money on these players, and also eventually giving Ashley his full £320m through a structured deal? Never in a million years. The idea that the Saudi's are so cash rich that they will casually just throw extra money at NUFC ...no matter the circumstances ... to complete the sale, is simply bonkers.

Positive Optimism regarding a takeover of the club while it is still in the PL is absolutely fine. What's not fine is claiming that the club's value will remain the same if relegated or that any buying party would happily pay the PL price when the club is in a league below. The icing on the cake though is stating that NUFC has such a high standing that it has some kind of entitlement to be viewed as a top tier club, even if it's not in said top tier. Now we have the additional suggestion that the club is actually trying to get relegted to facilitate a takeover, when the grim reality is that it's just gross incompetence that is likey to make that happen, not some clever masterplan. There needs to be three takeover threads on here. One for general discussion, this positive optimism one and now there needs to be a delusional optimism one.

Get fucked yourself, you muppet. If the truth hurts then that's your problem, not mine. I've been following this club for nearly 40 years, so I'm qualified enough to recognise what kind of a state it's in.

I'm not. In fact, Ashley has turned NUFC into the exact opposite of what you claim. They are a Championship club pretending to be a Premier League one.

It's mental isn't it? People are properly losing the plot over this now. And unfortunately falling into the "deluded Geordie" stereotype trap.

It's highly amusing that they have been completely forgotten about as a footballing entity though.

If the rumours are to be believed, we only sacked McLaren after Rafa approached us.

Not when there is the small matter of a few million in compensation to be paid to Bruce.

Going for Wilder would not be a short term appointment, meaning the takeover is either likely to fail in the coming months, or not going to be decided by the beginning of next season. We aren't sacking Bruce, paying out all that compo, and then appointing Wilder if new owners are coming in this summer. Giving Wilder the job now, at this stage of the season, would be even a more ridiculous decision than apponting Bruce after Rafa. It's all bullshit anyway as Doubtfire is now here until the end of the season, at the very least. If he was getting sacked it would have happened this week.

Without a doubt.

I will bet that the numbers of these self-styled "superfans" will currently be no more that 20,000. People are in for a shock how low the crowds will be if NUFC are mid-table or worse in the Championship. Also, let's not forget that the vast majority of this lot will not have witnessed NUFC do anything worse than finish top of the Championship. A year or two truly in the wilderness will sharp have loads of them jumping ship.

The sole reason this prick took the NUFC job was because, in his head, he saw it as one last easy payday. Fail in the job just like he has in every other and he gets the windfall pay-off. He's made a fortune off doing it with other clubs. Except this time he has come up against Ashley, who is going to make him suffer, rather than be taken to the cleaners by a chancer. After all, nobody recognizes a wide boy like another wide boy. To be honest, as much as I hate Ashley, I have a sneaky admiration of his stance here. He's certainly got balls, and is prepared to risk the vast loss in the value of the club if relegated. I guess, even at this level & no matter how much money is stake, it all comes down to ego and not being shafted by someone.

Just had a look on RTG and they are already on to it.

Can't remember the last time I saw the media turn on a manager and pretty much demand his sacking the way they have in the last 10 hours. If he is still here for the Spurs game I really hope NUFC go down now. Not bothered what the possible ramifications of that would mean either. The club in its present form are a stain on the integrity of the game.

They are peaking too early. They will finish 3rd and then fuck up the play-offs. Next season they should piss that league though.

Ashley must not be expecting this to be resolved this year, to be carrying on like this. A lengthy court case can be the only thing he is anticipating as it makes no sense to gamble this way on losing £150m against a payoff of a few million to Bruce.

For however much of a shitbag he is, there are clubs that have had much bigger arseholes owning them, and been run far worse. Wanting the club to tank and burn just to remove Ashley I’ve always found too extreme. I just can’t stomach the idea of us plodding along in the Championship, hoping to scrape a play off place whilst teams ping pong up and down building stronger through parachute payments like WBA, Norwich - but at least we got rid of Ashley. Moment we go down, and if PIF pull out, we leave ourselves with a greater chance of some even bigger scumbag buying us. Bare minimum we should be in PL. End of the day shouldn’t be a case of having to tank just to cause Ashley leaving. Would rather be in PL with Ashley, in strongest position for potential buyers than drop down and take a punt on some American come in a strip us clean. Exactly the kind of comment that Ashley hopes every NUFC fan will have. Happy with 17th every year in the forlorn hope that one day the club will be sold.