The whole Keegan-Ashley thing - the Rags' View - Fri 9th May.

[thomas]

Perhaps they were referencing the classic western movie or is that granting them too much credit?

[Syrette]

Keegan and Ashley in the boardroom, earlier

 

http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2005/09/04/helena/a09090405_01.jpg

[Dr Venkman]

and finally, ladies and gentlemen, what we've been waiting for.  The Ronny's take.

 

"Keegan: Ill always tell it like it is"

- http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/05/09/keegan-i-ll-always-tell-it-like-it-is-72703-20885686/

 

What an awful article, Oliver clearly wasnt the brightest student in English back in his day.

 

fyp

 

If you seen what im using to use this forum you would excuse my mistakes, my normal computer is broke.

 

not a problem, normally i wouldnt correct someone, unless their post was about bad writing!

[Tooj]

Keegan and Ashley in the boardroom, earlier

 

http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2005/09/04/helena/a09090405_01.jpg

 

Quoting that mate so you don't have chance to delete.

[WarrenBartonCentrePartin]

Broadsheets

 

The Times - "Kevin Keegan and Mike Ashley make up"

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article3904976.ece

 

The Independent - "Keegan talks end split at Newcastle"

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/keegan-talks-end-split-at-newcastle-825437.html

 

The Guardian - "Tense talks end in truce between Ashley, Keegan and Wise"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/may/10/premierleague.newcastleunited1    again, another article by wheyse keys.

 

 

Tabloids

 

The Daily Mail - "Michael Owen is facing a £2m pay cut as Keegan and Ashley strike a fragile truce at Newcastle"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=565228&in_page_id=1779&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=picbox&ct=5

 

The Sun - "Kev mauled by Toon owner"  mackems.gif  (Read the bit at the top of the browser too, they call him Jack Ashley)

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article1147346.ece

 

Daily Express - "MORT: KEEGAN MEETING 'CONSTRUCTIVE'"

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/43958/Mort-Keegan-meeting-constructive-

 

The Mirror - "Kevin Keegan survives Newcastle showdown"

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2008/05/10/kevin-keegan-survives-newcastle-showdown-89520-20413082/

 

The Journal - "Ashley’s positive Kevin is his man"

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/05/10/ashley-s-positive-kevin-is-his-man-61634-20889160/

 

also worthy of note - "N’Zogbia falls for lure of the capital"

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/05/10/n-zogbia-falls-for-lure-of-the-capital-61634-20889161/

[Decky]

The Sun - "Kev mauled by Toon owner"  mackems.gif  (Read the bit at the top of the browser too, they call him Jack Ashley)

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article1147346.ece

 

mackems.gif

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

The Sun - "Kev mauled by Toon owner"  mackems.gif  (Read the bit at the top of the browser too, they call him Jack Ashley)

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article1147346.ece

 

mackems.gif

How else did you think The Sun were going to dig themselves out of their previous days "Grovel" story? That's right, follow it up with an equally shite story. Can anyone imagine Keegan "grovelling" to keep his job? Exactly! He'd be a lot more likely to tell them to stick it.

[Wullie]

Tomorrow's News of the World running with Ashley not giving KK any money (don't think it's been posted). I read as far as that Newcastle "insider" (is it the same one for every paper or do they all have one each?) saying "Obafemi Martins cost £7m".

[Guest SB]

United aim to land Toon striker for £7million

 

FERGIE LAUNCHES OWEN BID

By ANDY DUNN and DAVID HARRISON

 

MANCHESTER UNITED have taken the first steps in a sensational move to sign Michael Owen.

 

Informal contact has been made between United and Owen's representatives over a summer transfer.

 

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes he can snap up the England striker for a cut-price £7million and is pushing for a speedy conclusion to the deal.

 

The United boss is convinced Owen can provide the missing ingredient to his strike force – a penalty box predator who can convert half chances.

 

Fergie confirmed this week that an Owen-type striker was high on his list of summer targets.

 

Louis Saha looks certain to be unloaded and Sir Alex said: "We will buy. Along with Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney, we may need experience in one forward position, somebody to take over from Ryan Giggs eventually."

 

Owen's recent goal-scoring form has convinced Fergie he can still cut it at the highest level. However, he would probably want to sign the striker on an incentive-based contract, dependent on games and goals.

 

Immediate

United's interest comes at a time when Owen's future at Newcastle has been thrown into serious doubt.

 

Talks have yet to begin on a new contract and the indications are that he will be expected to take a £40,000-a-week cut on his £120,000-a-week earnings.

 

That will be rejected by Owen and he will either press for an immediate move or see out the last year of his deal and go for free in 2009.

 

Meanwhile, Fergie will pick up a £500,000 bonus if he leads United to the double and nd his weekly wages will rise from £70,000 to £90,000.

 

    I hope it's not true

 

[Guest johnson293]

A slightly different view from the Sunday Mirror?

 

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/sport/football/2008/05/11/kev-truce-as-ashley-backs-off-98487-20414262/

 

Kev truce as Ashley backs off

 

By Brian Mcnally  11/05/2008

 

Warring Toon duo Kevin Keegan and Mike Ashley have agreed an uneasy public truce.

 

Both men stepped back from the brink of a split at Friday's London showdown.

 

But the major contentious issues remain a new contract for England striker Michael Owen and the exact size of Keegan's summer transfer budget - thought to start at only £20million.

 

The baffling decision to hold an 11am meeting in the London on a day when all the main Newcastle top brass were due at an evening charity event for Sir Bobby Robson at St James' Park was seen in some quarters as a bid to publicly humiliate the manager and provide further evidence of the "Londonisation" of the club.

 

There is also still discontent over the way Keegan was led to believe that Croatian star Luka Modric was on his way to Newcastle, only to see him snatched from under their noses by Tottenham.

 

Owner Ashley was forced to climb down from his get-tough stance with Keegan after his advisers warned him that sacking Keegan at this stage would provoke a ferocious backlash from the Toon Army and damage season ticket sales.

 

Some in Ashley's camp hinted the former England manager would have to "grovel" to save his job.

 

But a senior Newcastle source said: "There was absolutely no question of Kevin grovelling. The opposite was the case.

 

"He stuck to his guns and politely outlined to Ashley what was needed to keep Michael Owen and improve the squad.

 

"Ashley pointed out the transfer budget must take into account his bid to tackle the debt and told Keegan he could increase the figure by selling some big earners."

 

 

All based upon 'sources', but at least a differing view from the others that it was Keegan taking a hiding.

[Syrette]

Yawn.

 

http://blogs.notw.co.uk/sport/2008/05/ashley-message.html

 

NEWCASTLE'S WAY AHEAD

 

By AIDAN MAGEE

 

THE mood was polite if hardly convivial. In fact, Mike Ashley and Kevin Keegan sat about as far from each other as it's possible to be on a round table.

 

They exchanged nods and a couple of glances but, for most of Friday night, Ashley was engrossed in conversation with Gareth Southgate while Keegan spent his time signing autographs and chatting with Newcastle fans.

 

Then again, billionaire owner and Toon manager had spent most of the day in each other's company with Keegan, it's fair to say, doing far more listening than talking.

 

So by the time they arrived at a fund-raising event for Sir Bobby Robson's cancer charity, there was nothing else that needed saying.

 

Keegan was under no illusion as to what was expected — indeed demanded — of him.

 

Ashley spelt out in no uncertain terms the million-pound madness at Newcastle was over... for good.

 

A strict blueprint had been set down at the meeting as the Sports Direct chief categorically stressed he will not sanction big-money moves for high-earning, established stars.

 

Instead, he told his team to scour the world to recruit the best up-and-coming talent.

 

A Newcastle insider said: "Mike Ashley is convinced there is a better way forward than just splashing the cash.

 

"That's what the club has always done in the past — and it's got them nowhere. So now there will be a massive shift in the way the club is run.

 

"There will be no more Michael Owen-style deals. Instead the club will be competing to capture the best youngsters and turn them into big stars.

 

"Look at what Arsene Wenger has done at Arsenal. He has made them a major force in England and Europe without breaking the bank.

 

"He's a master at finding undiscovered stars, buying them in cheap and then selling them on years later for huge fees.

Silverware

 

"Look at what David Moyes has achieved at Everton. The same goes for Villa and Blackburn. Mike knows we have to be realistic and admit we cannot compete financially with the likes of United and Chelsea.

 

"Arsenal and Liverpool are also in a different league because they cash in on the Champions League. The top four enjoy first pick of the best players because they offer Champions League action and a chance of silverware.

 

"So we can't compete financially and we can't compete when it comes to attracting the top stars. But we can beat them in other ways. Look at Wigan and Antonio Valencia. United are said to be ready to pay £14m for him.

 

"I'm sure we'd like him here, too, but we need to be signing the likes of Valencia early.

 

"It will be difficult but we are sure if Villa, Everton, Tottenham, Blackburn and even Wigan can do it, so can we."

 

Nightmare

 

Our top source added: "When Mike bought the club it was £100m in debt and the wage bill was an incredible £70m out of a turnover of £90m.

 

"That's because the people here had chased the dream but ended up in a nightmare. As a result it was a failing, fading club on and off the pitch. Newcastle were one of the three or four biggest spenders in the Premier League but never one of the top sides.

 

"They had the fifth biggest wage bill in the league but did they finish fifth? Nowhere near."

 

Newcastle broke the British record to lure Alan Shearer for £15m and then splashed out £16m for Michael Owen.

 

Since arriving from Real Madrid, Owen's £120,000-a-week wages total another £16m.

 

With just 40 appearances to his name, he has cost £800,000 per match with his 19 goals working out at an incredible £1.7m a strike.

 

The Toon source added: "No one's blaming Michael but someone has to pick up the tab — and it is a helluva big tab.

 

Plan

 

"Obafemi Martins cost £7m, Alan Smith £6m and Damien Duff £5m and they are all on more than £50,000 a week. So are Mark Viduka, Nicky Butt, Geremi, Emre and Shay Given.

 

"So it's a club that's spent big, paid big, acted big but delivered oh so little. Surely no one needs reminding this club hasn't won a thing since 1969!

 

"Now it is a different story. Mike has a proper, professional business plan and Kevin Keegan is a part of it. But throwing money around irresponsibly is definitely NOT."

 

"Kevin was given a full briefing of that plan when he was offered the job and he was happy.

 

"And yes it's fair to say he has been reminded of the way forward on Friday, but in a good meeting where again everyone emerged happy.

 

"Now we are all going off to put those plans into operation so we can look forward to making real progress next season."

[Raconteur]

Gee, that insider verges on the verbose doesn't he? On first name basis with the big man too...

 

Pffft