Tiresias

Is it not possible that everything doesn't actually revolve around NUFC? I fear I come accross as super negative, I am pretty upset it didnt go through cos quite frankly wasting their money on a football club and all the money for the area feels impossible to turn down but this push that anything bad about saudi arabia is propaganda against us is a bit daft. Not saying everyone else is saints btw but still, not going to win this fight on 'actually MBS is a swell guy' card

If the premier league fails us, SA buys us anyway and they back down and let us in they will be even more of a laughing stock and every other club would be up in arms. The structure of the league, may be wrong is essentially the clubs in the league are essentially counted as joint owners of the league, am I right? It would be totally ludicrous and they'd prefer the stink of kicking us out to the stink of every club in the league being outraged at us being given 'special treatment'. It is not a realistic suggestion in my opinion. I honestly think it's a dead parrot. Most likely avenue of hope would be league saying they'd have a look at it again in a future timeframe, and even then who knows if they don't just do the same thing again then? There are precious few straws left to clutch tbh.

PIF want us cos we are in the premier league, we have waaaay less value in the scottish league for publicity etc. The money prolly wouldnt be an issue, they want to look good in the eyes of the world

Yes, though think plenty would be upset, and understandibly so considering promise of getting rid of Ashley. At least a decision is a decision though. Next time someone of dubious character tries to buy a footy club, if the premier league reject them after a week or two, will they not demand to know why they weren't given a frankly endless amount of time to try and get house in order? Obviously didn't work for us and I guess the real issue was they were waiting to see if Saudi Arabia did clamp down on piracy, but in the end they banned bein after all regardless of the reasoning. Surely a more fair way of doing it would have been publicly rejecting PCP with explanation that if they come back in 12 months sorted out the piracy issue they will reconsider? Then at least everyone knows where everyone stands

Of course they are though, Bein have paid premier league for broadcast rights, the idea of a big customer having no clout seems to be a fantasy dreamed up when none of dared to believe it would go wrong and now people are like how dare someone who pays the league loads of money expect the league to pay attention to them. Noone thinks anyone involved in this is moral, there is no morality here for miles. Honestly, of course in a way it's wrong for saudi arabia to buy us, (and i do not buy any of this BS how dare the league assume MBS would be involved, that's bs of course he is ofc they were pirating, it's clear as day) it's just the league have no moral ground to stand on and have allowed plenty of dodgy owners, so just depressing we are the ones caught out. And it's tragic that some of that money that will be spent bombing yemen isn't diverted to supporting the north east (let alone reuben's money which while kinda think they're brexity wankers hardly actually evil lol) and the boost the area... The reality is, none of this should be allowed to happen, including mike ashley running us into the ground. Even with the element of hypocracy I woudl have respected a bit if the premier league had blocked it in a couple of weeks and said no chance not going to allow this, at least some backbone there. This all stinks of avoiding any kind of decision and stand.

TBH in it all I still don't know why so many people mix up the morality stuff (never a problem for the league) with saudi arabia blatently pirating off a big broadcast partner of the league. People seem to think a) they couldnt really tie it to PIF, which maybe on some technical legal level but in reality everyone knows PIF is run by teh state and the state is behind the piracy, and b) bein have no right to be angry, and yet while there is no doubt geopolitics, eer they did pay a lot of money for those broadcast rights. Equally of course the league is going to listen to one of their big customers. Where the league have acted badly is either leading the takeover on suggesting they could get over the line when in reality it was never really on, or just delaying making a difficult decision. I think the league do deserve some stick for this. However I do not think SA (as distinct from the consortium who i suspect had little power over this) acted particularly well, i especially remember the 'oh if you didnt want us to pirate you should have just said' line of defense. Wouldnt sound good coming out of a school kid let alone a nation state. Noone comes out of this looking good, but lets not forget one man is responsible for us being in a position we are so desperately reliant on saudi arabia of all things to get some kind of hope that it has basically at this point destroyed the club.

I think he's the newcastle fan writer, he is fantastic writer and mostly still good, I do think he maybe seem to be suckered into Staverley's high confidence. He maybe should have been more skeptical tho hindsight is 20/20

I kinda thought it would go through eventually but there were some spinning that the delay almost like it made it more inevitable which always seemed a bit mad. New rule with takeovers, if not done in a month just forget about it.

Regardless even if they did finally approve basically they delayed making a decision for a ridiculous amount of time until they didn't need to make a decision either way.

This does stink, I am just numb and my optimism died a while ago. People shocked that the premier league listens to the clubs in it need a reality check though. The clubs in the league act as stakeholders and are essentially considered to own the league aren't they. Of course their opinions carry massive weight with the league. It of course stinks this means that they will tend to resist any big takeovers though, I would have thought the money and exposure benefits all of them in the long run. Feel most numb for loss of investment in the area. This seems the most sly way too. I would have some respect if they had come out after a few weeks and said no chance they pass fit and proper that would be one thing. I will wait and see how much of this is some Ashley thing, know people trust Golfmag but hmm. If he did kiboosh it and refuse to sell hope it comes out, because if people were annoyed with him before. If that Mauriss sweeps in I will somehow be even more annoyed cos Edwards will be fucking intolerable.

The Saudis have answered everything does not mean satisfactorily, in fact quite clearly they haven't answered satisfactorily as it would have gone through by now if so. Now of course the Saudis are entitled and will believe themselves to be 'fit and proper' but if the premier league weren't worried about the piracy issue (no chance it's anything other than that, it's not about if Saudi arabia are bad or anything, it's that they pirated off a major broadcast partner regardless of the geopolitics). The premier league have clearly been asking about legal assurances of seperation from those mentioned in the WHO report etc etc, and clearly the answers haven't been good enough for the premier league (so far, hopefully last ones were). The idea that the premier league are just taking this long because its just this long a process is a nonsense. The Saudis think they've answered everything doesnt mean they have to the satisfaction of the league. Personally I am not as positive as a lot, I think the longer it went on the less likely of success especially once it was clear that they were very bothered by the WTO report and considering how long it's been. Fingers crossed I'm wrong.

Well if final questions means that we'll know one way or the other shortly

That's my take on it too. Yes but equally what they have received so far hasn't convinced them, at a certain point is there any chance PIF can convince them? What more can they do to get it passed?

That's clutching at straws. It's clearly written to give the premier league leeway to block bids with controversial figures attached to it. Arguing that the chairman of PIF would not exert influence over PIF is a stretch to say the least.

This is clearly going to drag on until PIF can give something to the PL that will satisfy them, clearly nothing has so far and tbh the longer it goes on the less likely they will be satisfied. I don't mean to be negative but the idea that PIF have given everything they need to and the PL are just endlessly dragging their heels for no reason doesnt make much sense.

The premier league is just trolling this form, it's all ready to approve just waiting till a new thread has to be made

manorpark seems to believe otherwise

Yeah it is legally binding apparently but if PL says no we're back to square 1. Mike ashley could sell the club to PIF anyway but we'd not be allowed in the premier league, thus a) massively diminishing the clubs value and b) why would PIF want us?

People say it is done in that it has been stated by credible journos that it is done in so far as it is legally binding subject to premier league approval and transfer of funds. It isnt the case that once the deal goes through ashley can change his mind, so it not unreasonable to call it a done deal, the same way you may shake hands on buying a car subject to one party checking the car's history is legitimate and in order and transfer of funds to the garage to take the keys. A deposit has already been paid. What is a bit more unknown is if there is any kind of time limitation on it. Presumably there must be should premier league just delay forever and a day and also in case the buyer delays endlessly transfering funds. At a certain point it one or both parties must be able to say enough is enough.

Nobody knows anything. Thinking up positive scenarios in your mind to fit the lack of updates positively will only lead to disappointment. We will find out when we find out.

And also a clear and obvious bribe for which the league could be prosecuted What bribe? The PL are selling their product, the Saudis buy it. And beIN get compensated for the rights they lost plus no more piracy. Its not like the Saudis give money for free to the PL and get to takeover us. Artificially inflating a fee is a fairly common way and fairly sure was it Rolls Royce who got done for the same thing with...Saudi Arabia I think...

And also a clear and obvious bribe for which the league could be prosecuted

Wait thinks young english players are leaving the premier league to leagues with lower average wages for 'non-football' related reasons and thus slagging them off? Bloody young players swanning off to europe to enjoy the culture the twats.

Maybe that's what should happen technically but I am not convinced that matters too much. As it seems that we should have failed it due to the piracy and the league is just waiting for this to get cleared, the league could probably just fail it for the piracy anyway and this could have been straw that broke the panels back in the minds of the league.

I really would not be hugely reassured by them saying it should not affect the bid. That sounds like it's come from the PIF contact who has been belligerently optimistic throughout, they're hardly going to say 'well that's us screwed' are they? Not saying it'll affect us either way, no-one knows though I don't think it can really be good, but think too long PIF saying it'll go through has been taken as a better informed take than it is, they have to present as confident as not doing so would acknowledge they think they might not be fit and proper which would be a mad stance.