UncleBingo

As should Coppers of Gosforth. Usually use Rehills as it's about a 45 second walk for me.......dangerously close. Back to the football.....my brother just phoned about 20 mins ago to say he was on the A1 behind 2x top spec Ranger Rovers with Saudi flags on the plates.

Those tacky as fuck NUFC gift boxes that they used to send out with ST's Fucking awful signage typeface.

Will definitely be making an IPA/belgian/trappist dash the day this goes through. On the subject, does anyone happen to know anywhere stocking Sierra nevada Torpedo at the moment? Haven't seen it for a while. Marksies and/or Morries stock it don’t they? Failing that, Rehills probably have it. Will have to have a drive over to rehills, love the stuff. Marksies over my way haven't had it the last few times I've checked. Beware their new opening hours, they close at 6.30 most nights a the minute.

My thoughts as well.

Very interesting piece about sportswashing and our situation. https://thecoop.substack.com/p/discipline-and-sportswash

It says they are uneducated and do not understand the issues at hand. I think a lot of our fans will fall into that category. To be fair, I don't think it's just our fans that fall into that category. There's a large percentage of the UK population that are as thick as pig shit.

Even in their parlous state, they're a club with a decent set up and relatively large fanbase, so there's always a chance a wealthy and ambitious foreign owner might take a chance on them. We all know Ashley doesn't do the ambition part, so it's a yes from me.

agreed Would be canny tempted with a state-of-the art 75000 seater on the East Pilgrim Street site at the end of the Tyne Bridge.....or even where the current arena is, to be honest.

Martin Samuel, the Brexit Bluto.

Think it was telling that within the letter the premier league responded with 'company based in Saudia Arabia' and no mention of the crown prince. But he's Chairman of the group and can't disassociate himself that easily.

Was talking to a mate of mine last night who is a corporate lawyer in London, and he mentioned the PL 'might have a problem' with the clause in the fit and proper owners test which states that a new owner cannot' have power or influence over another Football League club[7]' Obviously with MBS having seniority over the minor Saudi Prince at Sheff Utd, this could be seen as a potential issue. Particularly after MBS effectively carried out a shakedown of other Saudi royalty in 2017, which saw many of them imprisoned & even tortured and strengthened his grip on power there. Would the PL want to go there with all the possible diplomatic fall out, I'm not so sure? https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/how-saudi-royal-crushed-his-rivals-shakedown-ritz-carlton-n930396

He understands what Newcastle is about, he always has. He doesn't look that old, but he was making his bones when Keegan was leading our title charge back in the 90's. His preview of the showdown with Man U had the hair standing up on the back of my neck. Just a shame it was before the internet days, would love to have put it up here. He's a canny fella is Henry. Met him a few times in the Bodega pre-match as he was a colleague of one of my mates. He said he used to love covering our games for the whole match day experience in the city.....he's definitely one of the journalists that gets the club.

Good post, and probably my feelings at this point in time. I do however feel that a part of me will die if this happens, the NUFC I knew and loved will be changed irrevocably and become one of the franchise clubs I despise so much. That makes me sad.

I think many people feel that Independent journalists are a bit hypocritical, when a Saudi investor part owns the company. I thought that journalists' work not being dictated by the owners of their outlets would be seen as a good thing but you live and learn. Totally agree, but you could see how some feel that being lectured by someone who takes a wage from a part Saudi owned newspaper, might come across as double standards.

I think many people feel that Independent journalists are a bit hypocritical, when a Saudi investor part owns the company.

Unless the PL are going to rewrite their rulebook on PL ownership, or the government themselves want to step in (and write off about 20Bn of business) there is absolutely nothing in the fit and proper owners test that would scupper this deal. The people involved wouldn't be this far down the line, without having considered these sort of objections either. That's not to say that I don't have any questions myself mind.

Don't see how it fits in any way with the fit and proper owners tests, which looks at the financial/criminal pasts of the named potential owners, which would be Staveley, the Reubens and the PIF guy.

Unless he has a clause in his contract of course.....

I was at a big family do that night and the first person I bumped into at the bar was my cousin David, a Newcastle fan, so we had a beer and a good laugh at the makems misfortunes. His son, however, is a red and whiter and was late turning up to the meal because he'd been at the Burton match. We sat down and some time later David shouted to me "tell numb-nuts here that the makems have been relegated!" His son, a man in his thirties, had blissfully spent the last three hours or so thinking they had avoided the drop and no amount of explaining would change his mind -"nar nar, we're not down, you're just trying to wind us up". Later on he looked at his phone said "bugger" and he and his lass flounced out - I've never seen him since. Beautiful. But how the fuck did he end up with a Sunlun supporting son?

Agreed. Very poor taste I thought and I'm a big fan of his.

I saw Steve Kray referred to as an 'elbow-headed dogsbody' which amused me greatly.

Not sure if posted already but the Aussie press don't f*** about mind... https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/premier-league/teams/newcastle-united/the-vicious-powerdrinking-rain-man-who-took-a-premier-league-giant-and-fed-it-up/news-story/a861752553965b0aa027f9f4ec1492f5

My feelings entirely, he definitely deserves to continue what he started here.

My take on it, as someone who has known him for about 15 years, is that he definitely had some good connections in Dubai when he first moved out there. Not sure how much he knew about the BZG stuff but he's almost certainly blagging the Saudi stuff. He was a decent enough lad but was always a bit of a braggard (cars & watches in his case) who liked nothing better than to talk about himself. I'm sure he's loving his new found 'fame'.

Agreed, it's morally wrong that the people who can least afford it at NUFC are the ones taking the hit. That said, I don't think it's the job of footballers to bail out this utterly wretched & wholly incompetent government.