Wandy

I will accept it when NUFC under Ashley appoint their own successor to Benitez. Until then, everything happening stiil suggests to me a takeover is in the works. Something needs to be said by both parties within the next 10 days though

The darkest hour is just before the dawn.....

This is a nonsense cliche that has grown over recent years. The modern-day SJP crowd is not all that different to that from the 1980s. People in the stadium are simply quietly depressed but they are still capable of getting every bit as angry at a game than any of the 80s lot. NUFC are not Chelsea FFS, it's a club comprised of people largely from an ordinary/lower working class background and most of those people are in it for the long haul, no matter what. I was there in the late 80s and remember it all vividly. The main parts of the ground where all of the vitriol came from were the Gallowgate Corner & Scoreboard. Even the West Gallowgate was considered to be full of what would now be called "customers" but it was enough for the Corner and Scoreboard to create the anarchy that started off the snowball of negativity around the club. Most of those in the 20,000 crowds that we were getting back then used to simply shrug their shoulders at it all too but the small pocket of militancy was enough to turn it all to shit and send us into the 2nd Division. SJP may have 50000 crowds next season but will only take 1000 of the remaining vociferous ones to start off a new spiral of doom. The main part of the ground where all the vitriol came from in the late 1980s was the Milburn Stand (Leazes section) so you've got it wrong straight away. They made it more uncomfortable for McKeag (to the point where he couldn't go to games for his own safety) than the Gallowgate, or the young lads in the Leazes did. I never said that the Gallowgate Corner/Scoreboard were the only places that had militant elements. Yes, I remember the Milburn Stand Leazes wing very well and they did make a racket too, but the main dissidence came from the Gallowgate. That's probably the only difference in the SJP crowd now...you wouldn't get that kind of intimidation from the Milburn Stand. You can thank Freddie Fletcher for that though with the disgraceful bond scheme that ended up in most of those lads being chucked out of their seats in the Milburn. You said the main parts of the ground where the vitriol came from was the Gallowgate Corner and Scoreboard. I'm simply saying that wasn't the case. The Milburn stand leazes section were far more vocal (and effective due to their proximity) in their chants against McKeag than the Gallowgate. Today's crowd have sat and suffered Ashley in silence for years now. If you are suddenly expecting them to explode in a fit of rage next season I think you might end up disappointed. Your saying that a hundred or so people in the Milburn were more influential than a fair few thousand in the Gallowgate? Not a chance man. For a start, those in the Mllburn had the benefit of a roof over their heads, which amplified their noise. No doubt they were the main source of intimidation for McKeag and co but that's not the point I am making. The nasty atmosphere in the stadium was generated mainly by those on the terraces. The atmosphere in SJP next season won't need to be at the intimidation level of 1988/89 to have the effect of sending the club into a spiral, it just needs to be suitably negative. And with no Rafa to keep the ship afloat that is what is nailed on to happen. It was a lot more than 100 like In fact until Keegan arrived in February 1992 it was the noisiest part of the ground for a good 2/3 years. There's zero hostility inside that stadium now. People would rather sit in silence or boo at a misplaced pass than aim any abuse at the directors box, not that Ashley makes many appearances these days anyway. Most of the militant ones have already walked away. Ok, a couple of hundred maybe. Disagree that they were the noisiest, as I say they just had the benefit of a roof. There has been zero hostility over the last few years simply due to Rafa holding it all together. Once he has gone that will change, no doubt about it. Again, probably not on the intimidating level of 1988/89 but the vibe will be equally as negative.

This is a nonsense cliche that has grown over recent years. The modern-day SJP crowd is not all that different to that from the 1980s. People in the stadium are simply quietly depressed but they are still capable of getting every bit as angry at a game than any of the 80s lot. NUFC are not Chelsea FFS, it's a club comprised of people largely from an ordinary/lower working class background and most of those people are in it for the long haul, no matter what. I was there in the late 80s and remember it all vividly. The main parts of the ground where all of the vitriol came from were the Gallowgate Corner & Scoreboard. Even the West Gallowgate was considered to be full of what would now be called "customers" but it was enough for the Corner and Scoreboard to create the anarchy that started off the snowball of negativity around the club. Most of those in the 20,000 crowds that we were getting back then used to simply shrug their shoulders at it all too but the small pocket of militancy was enough to turn it all to shit and send us into the 2nd Division. SJP may have 50000 crowds next season but will only take 1000 of the remaining vociferous ones to start off a new spiral of doom. The main part of the ground where all the vitriol came from in the late 1980s was the Milburn Stand (Leazes section) so you've got it wrong straight away. They made it more uncomfortable for McKeag (to the point where he couldn't go to games for his own safety) than the Gallowgate, or the young lads in the Leazes did. I never said that the Gallowgate Corner/Scoreboard were the only places that had militant elements. Yes, I remember the Milburn Stand Leazes wing very well and they did make a racket too, but the main dissidence came from the Gallowgate. That's probably the only difference in the SJP crowd now...you wouldn't get that kind of intimidation from the Milburn Stand. You can thank Freddie Fletcher for that though with the disgraceful bond scheme that ended up in most of those lads being chucked out of their seats in the Milburn. You said the main parts of the ground where the vitriol came from was the Gallowgate Corner and Scoreboard. I'm simply saying that wasn't the case. The Milburn stand leazes section were far more vocal (and effective due to their proximity) in their chants against McKeag than the Gallowgate. Today's crowd have sat and suffered Ashley in silence for years now. If you are suddenly expecting them to explode in a fit of rage next season I think you might end up disappointed. Your saying that a hundred or so people in the Milburn were more influential than a fair few thousand in the Gallowgate? Not a chance man. For a start, those in the Mllburn had the benefit of a roof over their heads, which amplified their noise. No doubt they were the main source of intimidation for McKeag and co but that's not the point I am making. The nasty atmosphere in the stadium was generated mainly by those on the terraces. The atmosphere in SJP next season won't need to be at the intimidation level of 1988/89 to have the effect of sending the club into a spiral, it just needs to be suitably negative. And with no Rafa to keep the ship afloat that is what is nailed on to happen.

This is a nonsense cliche that has grown over recent years. The modern-day SJP crowd is not all that different to that from the 1980s. People in the stadium are simply quietly depressed but they are still capable of getting every bit as angry at a game than any of the 80s lot. NUFC are not Chelsea FFS, it's a club comprised of people largely from an ordinary/lower working class background and most of those people are in it for the long haul, no matter what. I was there in the late 80s and remember it all vividly. The main parts of the ground where all of the vitriol came from were the Gallowgate Corner & Scoreboard. Even the West Gallowgate was considered to be full of what would now be called "customers" but it was enough for the Corner and Scoreboard to create the anarchy that started off the snowball of negativity around the club. Most of those in the 20,000 crowds that we were getting back then used to simply shrug their shoulders at it all too but the small pocket of militancy was enough to turn it all to shit and send us into the 2nd Division. SJP may have 50000 crowds next season but will only take 1000 of the remaining vociferous ones to start off a new spiral of doom. The main part of the ground where all the vitriol came from in the late 1980s was the Milburn Stand (Leazes section) so you've got it wrong straight away. They made it more uncomfortable for McKeag (to the point where he couldn't go to games for his own safety) than the Gallowgate, or the young lads in the Leazes did. I never said that the Gallowgate Corner/Scoreboard were the only places that had militant elements. Yes, I remember the Milburn Stand Leazes wing very well and they did make a racket too, but the main dissidence came from the Gallowgate. That's probably the only difference in the SJP crowd now...you wouldn't get that kind of intimidation from the Milburn Stand. You can thank Freddie Fletcher for that though with the disgraceful bond scheme that ended up in most of those lads being chucked out of their seats in the Milburn.

Agreed. It will be a turbocharged version of 88/89. Ironically, I can see Ashley trying to pull a similar stunt to that of Gordon McKeag and co back then by rolling out some signings to try make up for the loss of Rafa, just as McKeag did back then by signing John Hendrie, Dave Beasant, Andy Thorn etc to try to appease the masses for the summer sale of Paul Gascoigne. It was futile though as despite some initial optimism the bitterness of the Gazza sale soon came back to the fore when things started off badly. The exact same thing will happen with a Rafa-less NUFC. I was there at Goodison that day too and you just knew what was coming for the rest of the season. Cottee scored after 30 seconds and the writing was on the wall immediately. I was at Anfield for the 2-1 too...and swear I had a mini-heart attack when the final whistle blew. Ironic that we won at Anfield in a thoroughly dismal season, lol.

This is a nonsense cliche that has grown over recent years. The modern-day SJP crowd is not all that different to that from the 1980s. People in the stadium are simply quietly depressed but they are still capable of getting every bit as angry at a game than any of the 80s lot. NUFC are not Chelsea FFS, it's a club comprised of people largely from an ordinary/lower working class background and most of those people are in it for the long haul, no matter what. I was there in the late 80s and remember it all vividly. The main parts of the ground where all of the vitriol came from were the Gallowgate Corner & Scoreboard. Even the West Gallowgate was considered to be full of what would now be called "customers" but it was enough for the Corner and Scoreboard to create the anarchy that started off the snowball of negativity around the club. Most of those in the 20,000 crowds that we were getting back then used to simply shrug their shoulders at it all too but the small pocket of militancy was enough to turn it all to shit and send us into the 2nd Division. SJP may have 50000 crowds next season but will only take 1000 of the remaining vociferous ones to start off a new spiral of doom.

Anyone who thinks that a Benitez-less NUFC with Ashley still at the helm will be able to move on from this takeover saga as if nothing has happened is utterly deluded and kidding themselves. The club will cease to be a cash cow for Ashley and will become an iron-clad albatross around his neck as it plummets into the Championship. It doesn't matter if SJP is still packed next season and played to a zombie atmosphere for games. The slightest bad turn will expose the anger and bitterness, the media will feast on it and everything will quickly snowball into an unstoppable negative force. And with no Benitez to turn water into wine and no time to buy players for the new yes-man manager the first bad turn will happen very early in the season. I'm guessing a lot of people aren't old enough to know what NUFC is like when there is real doom, gloom and hostility towards the powers-that-be. In short, it's not pleasant, and next season will make the 88/89 season look like a picnic in comaprison. When NUFC are relegated next season under Ashley he will be spending all of his time, money and energy in keeping the club away from the Championship trapdoor. There will be no coming back this time.

No doubt Ashley would love to hold on to NUFC for a lot longer but unfortunately for him he has painted himself into a corner whereby he simply has to sell this summer. The reasons for this are two-fold....firstly he is haemorraging cash from his other business interests and secondly he has a manager of NUFC who cannot be replaced without the whole club imploding in a manner not seen before in its entire history. If Ashley is a smart gambler then he knows all of this and also realises that now is the time to walk away from the table. He has got his money back, made a tidy profit and had 12 years of exposure for his tatty brand. If he stays at the table then his asset will turn to dust over the next 12 months and wont ever recover while he is the owner. Is Ashley a smart gambler though? Would a smart gambler have even bought the club in the first place without doing due diligence and finding out there was £110m worth of debt he knew nowt about? Buying NUFC in 2007 wasn't a gamble, it was a no-brainer. That he didn't do his homework properly does not detract from the fact he still landed what was one of the biggest clubs in the world at the time, based on turnover. He has not had the vision and intelligence to weather the small financial issues the club had at the time and continue to build it into the giant it could be and thus make him a fortune in profit and now his miserly, negative direction has brought him to this postion where it is sell or bust. I will give him one last small piece of credit before he f*cks off and say he does realise this and is cashing in his decent stash of chips. If he had any real business sense or knowledge of football though that stash could have been a mountain of chips. His loss.

No doubt Ashley would love to hold on to NUFC for a lot longer but unfortunately for him he has painted himself into a corner whereby he simply has to sell this summer. The reasons for this are two-fold....firstly he is haemorraging cash from his other business interests and secondly he has a manager of NUFC who cannot be replaced without the whole club imploding in a manner not seen before in its entire history. If Ashley is a smart gambler then he knows all of this and also realises that now is the time to walk away from the table. He has got his money back, made a tidy profit and had 12 years of exposure for his tatty brand. If he stays at the table then his asset will turn to dust over the next 12 months and wont ever recover while he is the owner.

If he is staying put then all I can think is he knows Rafa is staying. Otherwise he must just want the club to burn down to the ground for a bit of fun. It would be the only explanation for letting a phoney takeover rumble on for a month without comment, allow Benitez to leave and then massively hike up ticket prices.

IMO all of the events that are happening indicate that the takeover is done & dusted. Point blank refusal to communicate with the press or issue a statement to the supporters as he has nothing to lose by shunning all and sundry, SD signs coming down, ground improvements at SJP, and now a huge hike in ticket prices seemingly without a care. Its like he has washed his hands of it and will let the new owners deal with the fallout.

The other way of looking at it is why would he hike the prices up so much in the midst of a takeover if he's not going to be here to reap the benefits of it? You would expect him to leave things they are. Like I say...as a final "fuck you". That's if he knows for certain the club is sold, of course.

"Fuck it....I won't be the owner next season anyway so I'll give them another massive increase in their ticket prices as a litte parting gift....the Geordie caahnts"

They are in meltdown over the Sheik's statement. https://www.readytogo.net/smb/threads/mags-getting-bought-out.1475008/page-22 Turning out to be a weekend to forget for them.

Forget about getting rid of Ashley, forget about whether Benitez will stay or not...THIS is the most important issue regarding NUFC now as it will affect the future of the club and city forever if it is allowed to happen. Twenty years ago a group of pensioners managed to stop an entire stadium being built on Leazes Park. Nobody is telling me that with the right will and direction this abomination cannot be prevented. Its time for anyone who cares for NUFC and the city to get their finger out and do their bit to stop this from happening.

That is absolutely fucking disgusting. There is not a chance that the Gallowgate could be extended with those buildings in such close proximity, and especially not an extension of Level 7. This has got to be fucking stopped man. It's even more important than getting Ashley out.

They have been quite warm towards us on this thread https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=282654.13280 but the friendship appears to be over after today. Rafa is too good for us now apparently.

First thing I would do if I had gazillions to buy NUFC would be to permanently ban the Chronicle from the club. Would love to see the shock on their faces. They have let this city down over the last 12 years on an unprecendented level by letting the fat cunt run amok. And the City Council are no better so I'd be banning those fuckers too.

Would be a complete waste of anyone's time, unfortunately. It's going to happen and nothing will be done to stop it. It's a new stadium or bust going forward if NUFC want to expand. Ashley has won, we are f*cked and it has all happened with barely a whimper of complaint from anyone within the city. Geordie pride eh? This where the likes of the Magpie Group should have been directing their energy, instead of pointless chants outside of SJP & Sports Direct on Northumberland Street. Days to go until Rafa's probable last ever home game and not a peep out of them for months. They have shown themselves to be utterly inept at effecting any kind of change. Out of interest what did you offer up in the way of forcing change? Gave up my season ticket, will not set foot in SJP till Ashley has gone. Absolutely refused to buy anything from SD. Attended all Magpie Group meetings & events. Phoned radio phone-ins. Had numerous arguments with friends & family to try to convince them to boycott matches. Enlightened them on the scandal of how Ashley is quietly asset stripping us and how they are actively supporting it by continuing to turn up at SJP and renewing their season tickets. Any ideas of what else I could have done?

Would be a complete waste of anyone's time, unfortunately. It's going to happen and nothing will be done to stop it. It's a new stadium or bust going forward if NUFC want to expand. Ashley has won, we are f*cked and it has all happened with barely a whimper of complaint from anyone within the city. Geordie pride eh? This where the likes of the Magpie Group should have been directing their energy, instead of pointless chants outside of SJP & Sports Direct on Northumberland Street. Days to go until Rafa's probable last ever home game and not a peep out of them for months. They have shown themselves to be utterly inept at effecting any kind of change.

Ross has spent 76% of the transfer budget of the entire division. For us to have done the same in that season that we (according to them) bought the league with the biggest transfer spend ever in the Championship (not true) we'd have had to spend over £400m that season. He's failing spectacularly. Ok, when you put it like that. However... They are a club that sacks a manager at least once a season. Maybe it's time to stick with one, despite the mistakes he has made? They have still only lost twice all season, after all.

They have almost to a man turned on Ross now. Thing is though, is it justified? Trying to keep a neutral stance here, looking in on them from the outside Ross seems to have done a good job in arresting a severe downward spiral. It might take them more than one season to fully reverse their decline but their baying mob are having non of it. In their eyes they think they are far to big to have to suffer more than one season in that league and this campaign should have been a stroll in the park. And they have the nerve to say we are deluded.....

The meltdown currently occuring on RTG is glorious.

Did they even advertise this meeting? Didnt see anything on their website and I didnt receive any email from them giving notice of the meeting. Only through Twitter, and even then it wasn't getting much traction in the form of RTs or replies. Like neesy's said they've fucked themselves. The tirade they threw at the Chronicle was anguish inducing plus the fact that Greg and Heron have left speaks volumes of where it's at atm. What "tirade" is this that you speak of? If they had a pop at the Chronicle then it was long overdue as those spineless cowards should have been held accountable a long time ago.