"Mike Ashley" Unveils his Blueprint for Newcastle

[Parky]

However you look at it the new regime will be primarily judged on the 2/3 players we need to go straight into the first team. All the  other stuff is fine and dandy but won't make us competitive next season.

[Mr Logic]

Anyone else feel the 70-100m that went to pay off debt could well have been originally earmarked for the transfer market. The lack of due diligence ends up resulting in the changed plan er, blueprint, for the short-term and ultimately, long-term too.

[Parky]

Anyone else feel the 70-100m that went to pay off debt could well have been originally earmarked for the transfer market. The lack of due diligence ends up resulting in the changed plan er, blueprint, for the short-term and ultimately, long-term too.

 

No.

[Mr Logic]

Anyone else feel the 70-100m that went to pay off debt could well have been originally earmarked for the transfer market. The lack of due diligence ends up resulting in the changed plan er, blueprint, for the short-term and ultimately, long-term too.

 

Personally speaking, no.

 

FYP

[Matt]

Anyone else feel the 70-100m that went to pay off debt could well have been originally earmarked for the transfer market. The lack of due diligence ends up resulting in the changed plan er, blueprint, for the short-term and ultimately, long-term too.

 

Under the terms of the stadium refinancing deal, no.

 

FYP

 

FYP again.

[andydunc]

Glad we're not going around throwing big bucks around.  If we were we would be getting ripped off a la Chelsea.

The money will be there if and when the right player comes along!

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

I have no problem with buying potential. So we spend around £250K on each young player who has already shown some quality (it's not like we are buying young players with no experience. A few of them are under 21 players for their country). One or two of them may one day turn out to be a star. A few will possibly be sold for a profit if they don't make it as Premier League quality. All in the spending is probably less than we have pissed away on one established 'star' player like Smith or Duff. Given the choice what would you rather have, one average player or 10 young players with potential? These young players costs will be covered by the money saved from the shite NUFC have already shipped out this summer.

 

Obviously we also need to spend a decent amount to buy already established quality as well. The fact that we tried to buy Modric and have been linked to quite a few quality players suggests we are going for youth and experience. Not a bad policy in my eyes.

[madras]

there is established (as in 25yrs with a resale value) and established as in 28+ who'll have little or no re-sale value.

 

i wonder how many players man utd,arsenal or liverpool have bought recently who were over 25 ?

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

there is established (as in 25yrs with a resale value) and established as in 28+ who'll have little or no re-sale value.

 

i wonder how many players man utd,arsenal or liverpool have bought recently who were over 25 ?

Exactly. I think most of the players we have been linked with are in their early 20s. Arshavin is the oldest at 27.

[UV]

Panic signings i can think of off the top of my head: Luque, Sibierski, Rossi, Babayaro. Even Martins to some degree. We weren't after him until Kuyt turned us down and it became apparant that Inter wanted rid.

 

We were looking at Martins & Kuyt for about the same length of time IIRC. Martins was second choice after Liverpool eventually put in a for Kuyt and he went there, but I don't see how he was a panic buy.

 

Does that make any midfielder we buy now a panic buy because our first choice Modric went to Spurs? Is any signing we make in the last week of the transfer window going to be a "panic buy" (even if they were planned backups in case we failed to get players we'd rather have had).

 

 

there is established (as in 25yrs with a resale value) and established as in 28+ who'll have little or no re-sale value.

 

i wonder how many players man utd,arsenal or liverpool have bought recently who were over 25 ?

Exactly. I think most of the players we have been linked with are in their early 20s. Arshavin is the oldest at 27.

 

Strange how the reporter missed non-"stellar name" Arshavin, 27, out of his article isn't it.

 

 

Also, I don't want to go over old ground, but I'll just note that the non-stadium debt has now been reduced to being a more realistic £30m rather than the £40-70m figures that have been flying around.

 

[fredbob]

its just the usual s****.

 

I'd like someone to tell me who all these "panic buys in abundance and marquee signings galore" are, that nobody else signs.

 

They certainly aren't talking about players like Woodgate [when we bought him], Bramble, Lua Lua, Gavilan, Jenas, Dyer, Solano, Speed, Bellamy, Robert, Hamman, Griffin, Acuna, Ambrose, Milner, Butt, Emre, O'Brien, Carr, Babayaro, Martins and Bowyer to name a few.

 

Still. I suppose some people will laughingly latch onto this heap of cack and believe it.

 

What a joke.

 

 

 

Wont delve into this too far, but will say that 15 of those players we part of one era, our last successful one. This article, like most article ridiculing the Shepherd regime refer to after this period of time. And to be fair the ones that werent part of that era could be defined as Marque signings (Butt for example).

 

Decent article - still craving some fresh news though.

 

Same chairman, different managers.

Same money, different approach to transfers.

Who's to blame?

 

 

I struggle to see how Boumsong, Luque, Duff, Parker, Smith, Martins, Barton and Emre are "stellar names" , but Modric (£18m?), Turan (£15m?) and Gomis (£12m?) aren't.

 

I can name 2 or 3 major differences bewtween the sets of players and how the policy differs. Not just a case of different standards but i like most people on this board appear to see the difference between signing those set of players and the latter group of players.

 

- Look at who/where they were signed from

- Look at there ages

- Look at there current standing in the game

 

TRhe second group are all players on the cusp of real potential, the samedefinitey cant be said for the first group. The first group are even signed from major clubs in major leagues, look at the second group - Turkey, Croatia and France in comparision to England, Spain and Italy, these are alltelltale signs of the mojor difference in transfer pursuial policies.

 

I think this is just another case of you beliving there are double standards when in actual fact there isnt - a prime example of this is Hugo Viana and Albert Luque. 2 players who endured simliar careers here but only one of them was marked agaisnt the old board, why?

[magorific]

I thought Arsenal were the blueprint?

 

If they are the blueprint, then someone should remind Ashley that Wenger's team was built on a defence full of experience (ie Adams, Keown, Winterburn, Dixon).

 

[Skirge]

The mans a genius we are going to rule the football world..

[Dokko]

Mike Ashley unveils his blueprint for Newcastle

George Caulkin

 

Newcastle United may not have been active participants during the transfer window, but impatience is yet to set in at St James’ Park. In fact, impetuousness is something they are determined to avoid. At a club where there have been panic buys in abundance and marquee signings galore, where no meaningful trophies have been spotted for 39 years, there is a firm desire to do things differently.

 

The Times has been given an insight into the vision which Mike Ashley, the club’s billionaire owner, is gradually implementing on Tyneside. It is not what some supporters will have expected. Towards the end of last season, Terry McDermott, Kevin Keegan’s lieutenant, spoke of a “big re-launch” being planned for this summer, but Ashley’s chequebook will not be the primary weapon.

 

Ashley spent his first 12 months at Newcastle finding his feet and, on occasion, finding more than he bargained for. He discovered and paid off a debt which had spiralled to more than £70 million. Under Chris Mort, the outgoing chairman, a strategic review of all club affairs was undertaken. Bridges were built with fans and community leaders, the Academy was re-stocked and taken seriously, the training ground is being updated and, of course, Keegan was appointed.

 

Under the previous, discredited regime, transfers had been planned and negotiated by directors, their family-members, agents and hangers-on. When Freddy Shepherd left, they followed. The arrival of Dennis Wise, Tony Jimenez and Jeff Vetere to lead Newcastle’s recruitment department was perceived as a threat to Keegan’s position, but they were merely replacing Shepherd’s acolytes. Whether they fare any better is another matter, or course.

 

But could they fare much worse? Newcastle have finished the last four seasons 14th, seventh, 13th and 12th in the table. During that spell they have spent millions in transfers and wages on the likes of Michael Owen, Jean Alain Boumsong, Albert Luque, Damien Duff, Scott Parker, Alan Smith, Obafemi Martins, Joey Barton and Emre Belozoglu. Certain individuals have performed better than others, but nobody would argue that the philosophy of buying stellar names has provided value.

 

That philosophy has now been shelved. While some fans have expressed disquiet at the dearth of activity since the end of another disappointing campaign, movement is expected to begin now that Keegan has returned from holiday. A senior figure on Gallowgate has reiterated that every player to have left the club has done so at the manager’s request, aside from Peter Ramage, the defender, who joined Queens Park Rangers is search of regular football.

 

Newcastle, previously perched on quicksand foundations, will now be run far more rigorously. Ashley is eager to get his money’s worth; why pay Rolls-Royce wages for Robin Reliant performances? “The determination is to build a team, rather than simply buy big names,” said the source. “The desire is for a young, hungry squad which will stay together for the good of Newcastle for years to come rather than for just a season or two.”

 

The change in approach is evidenced from Newcastle’s targets in the transfer market. A bid was made for Luka Modric, the 22-year-old Croatia international, who instead joined Tottenham Hotspur. They have also enquired about Galatasaray’s Arda Turan, 21, who has been excelling for Turkey in the European Championship and submitted a bid for Bafetimbi Gomis, 22, the France and St Etienne striker. That is their preferred age range, but beneath that level Wise et al have already brought in several youngsters and are still hoping to lure Aaron Spear from Plymouth Argyle.

 

Naturally, there have been teething problems. Some goodwill was forfeited by delays and price increases for season tickets. And some substantive questions remain. Can Keegan and Wise can draw up different lists of players and work through them harmoniously? He may have played and managed, but does Wise possess the necessary qualities to sit on the board of directors? Shouldn’t Keegan’s reputation and enthusiasm be used in the acquisition process? Will the players they eventually sign settle and prosper? There are no guarantees.

 

The only certainty is that Ashley is to take a more active role in proceedings at Newcastle, working alongside Derek Llambias, the newly-appointed managing director, rather than hovering in the background. The other one is that what has happened previously patently failed. There is a balance to be struck between prudence and adventure – no supporter will ever wear a replica shirt with the phrase ‘healthy bank balance’ emblazoned on the back – but it must be worth a try.

 

Is there any Big Mike quotes in there or is it just paper spew; nice smelling spew for a change?

 

 

[Guest Heneage]

Panic signings i can think of off the top of my head: Luque, Sibierski, Rossi, Babayaro. Even Martins to some degree. We weren't after him until Kuyt turned us down and it became apparant that Inter wanted rid.

Inter didn't want rid. Martins asked to be transfered,after they signed another striker, and he wasn't guranteed first team football.

[UV]

I can name 2 or 3 major differences bewtween the sets of players and how the policy differs. Not just a case of different standards but i like most people on this board appear to see the difference between signing those set of players and the latter group of players.

 

- Look at who/where they were signed from

- Look at there ages

- Look at there current standing in the game

 

TRhe second group are all players on the cusp of real potential, the samedefinitey cant be said for the first group. The first group are even signed from major clubs in major leagues, look at the second group - Turkey, Croatia and France in comparision to England, Spain and Italy, these are alltelltale signs of the mojor difference in transfer pursuial policies.

 

I think this is just another case of you beliving there are double standards when in actual fact there isnt - a prime example of this is Hugo Viana and Albert Luque. 2 players who endured simliar careers here but only one of them was marked agaisnt the old board, why?

 

FFS install a spell checker please. Your posts are worse than txt spk. Usually it's just annoying but that was almost illegible. alltelltale indeed. 

 

Emre - Turkey, Boumsong - Scotland

Martins - 22

Barton - great standing in the game!

 

I know there are differences between the players the journo chose to pick out of the players we signed in the past and those he chose to pick out of the one's we've been linked with this transfer window. Why didn't he include Bellamy, Robert, Viana or N'Zogbia in the first group? Why didn't he include Arshavin in the second, or even Beye, Cacapa, Faye, Smith who were all bought under Mort/Ashley? The difference has nothing to do with them being "stellar names", and is merely down to their age, the relative averageness of the first group and the "potential" of the second. The difference is based on hindsight in one case and hope in the other. I have no doubt that if Modric, Turan or Gomis had theoretically been signed by the old board a couple of years ago and had flopped they would all have been included in the journo's list of failed "stellar names" as an example of the bad old days.

 

[fredbob]

I can name 2 or 3 major differences bewtween the sets of players and how the policy differs. Not just a case of different standards but i like most people on this board appear to see the difference between signing those set of players and the latter group of players.

 

- Look at who/where they were signed from

- Look at there ages

- Look at there current standing in the game

 

TRhe second group are all players on the cusp of real potential, the samedefinitey cant be said for the first group. The first group are even signed from major clubs in major leagues, look at the second group - Turkey, Croatia and France in comparision to England, Spain and Italy, these are alltelltale signs of the mojor difference in transfer pursuial policies.

 

I think this is just another case of you beliving there are double standards when in actual fact there isnt - a prime example of this is Hugo Viana and Albert Luque. 2 players who endured simliar careers here but only one of them was marked agaisnt the old board, why?

 

FFS install a spell checker please. Your posts are worse than txt spk. Usually it's just annoying but that was almost illegible. alltelltale indeed. 

 

Emre - Turkey, Boumsong - Scotland

Martins - 22

Barton - great standing in the game!

 

I know there are differences between the players the journo chose to pick out of the players we signed in the past and those he chose to pick out of the one's we've been linked with this transfer window. Why didn't he include Bellamy, Robert, Viana or N'Zogbia in the first group? Why didn't he include Arshavin in the second, or even Beye, Cacapa, Faye, Smith who were all bought under Mort/Ashley? The difference has nothing to do with them being "stellar names", and is merely down to their age, the relative averageness of the first group and the "potential" of the second. The difference is based on hindsight in one case and hope in the other. I have no doubt that if Modric, Turan or Gomis had theoretically been signed by the old board a couple of years ago and had flopped they would all have been included in the journo's list of failed "stellar names" as an example of the bad old days.

 

If its all the same, Ill stick with my dodgy spelling when it comes to teaching you how to suck eggs. Things that are important will get there due attention. Thanks for the advice though....

 

What the point of me even replying? You'll only miss the point again. As usual.

 

My reply was to NE5 and the list of players he listed - you've only just gone and re written basically what he said earlier. 

 

In fact your post is so unitentionally funny, its almost saddening.

 

"Look at there ages"  - so obviously you pick the youngest one to "prove" your point missing the entire point.

"Current standing" - so you choose a player that has no relevance to anything we're talking about, (old board policy vs the new board apparent policy)

 

Like i say - the signings of Viana, Dyer, Milner Jenas werent ciritcised - any belief that they are are pure fabrication in your paranoid little mind.

 

Theres just so much wrong with what your saying, i actually havent got the time to make you look as silly as i usually do so ill leave it here - dodgy spelling in tact.

[biggs]

More Journaltastic news

 

Magpies keep up trawl for talent

 

Jun 20 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

MIKE Ashley’s blueprint for Newcastle United’s future continues to take shape as the Magpies close in on the signing of Plymouth teenager Aaron Spear.

 

While United fans clamour for the first big-name signing of the summer, which they hope will send out a signal of the club’s renewed ambition ahead of the new season, United’s owner is keen to ensure the club’s long-term health is looked after as much as its short-term needs.

 

The Journal revealed last week that Ashley will be taking a more hands-on role at St James’s Park next season following the departure of chairman Chris Mort.

 

This will see the billionaire take direct control of player recruitment, as well as having the key say in the on-going contract talks with skipper Michael Owen and defender Steven Taylor.

 

As a result, although Kevin Keegan will be back at his desk next week to step up the Magpies’ first-team recruitment drive, Ashley continues to promote a policy which will see the Magpies attempt to sign the best young players in the country, even if some of these have never made a first-team appearance.

 

“We are not going to make big-name signings just for the sake of it,” a senior Newcastle figure told The Journal. “If the right player is available and the price is right we will be in for them, but we don’t want to buy established stars who are approaching the end of their careers on big wages who will need to be replaced in one or two years.

 

“We want young, hungry players who will be at this football club for a long time to come. That is the vision we have for the future of this football club. It is about the strength of the club over many years to come.”

 

Spear will be the latest youngster to move to the North East when the deal finally goes through later this month. The 15-year-old will follow former Swindon prospect Ben Tozer, 18, Hungarian youth international Tamas Kadar, 18, French striker Wesley Ngo Baheng, 18, highly-rated Italian forward Fabio Zamblera, 18, and Swedish goalkeeper Ole Soderberg, 17, to St James’s Park. All have signed this year and United’s activity in this area will not end with the capture of Spear.

 

The teenager is also attracting interest

 

from Arsenal, who have attempted to hijack his proposed move to Newcastle, but sources close to the player have suggested he favours a move North in a deal which is likely to cost the Magpies around £250,000.

 

Keegan is well aware of his boss’ desire to build up the strength of the club’s young players, but he has also emphasised that considerable investment is needed in the first team squad if he is going to be able to build on the positive end to last season.

 

Newcastle’s only transfer activity so far this summer has seen players leaving, with Emre, David Rozehnal, Peter Ramage and Stephen Carr the most high-profile departures, while striker Shola Ameobi – a player once talked about as Alan Shearer’s natural successor – will also be on his way when he returns from his honeymoon next week. And it seems Celtic winger Aiden McGeady could be one of the first of the new arrivals, with Newcastle’s new youth-team coach Alan Thompson insisting his former Bhoys team-mate has all the attributes needed to be a success in the Premier League.

 

McGeady has also attracted the attention of United’s North East rivals Sunderland and former Newcastle midfielder Thompson, who has returned to the club to take charge of the Academy’s 15 and 16-year-olds, would love to see him in a black-and-white shirt next season.

 

Thompson said: “I think Aiden McGeady has more than enough to survive in the Premier League and he would be a great attribute if he comes to the North East. He’s a young lad, but already has umpteen international caps and you don’t get that at his age unless you’re good enough. I used to joke with him that neither of us was any good in the air, but he’s strong on his left or right foot and he’s willing to learn.”

 

[Guest elbee909]

"striker Shola Ameobi – a player once talked about as Alan Shearer’s natural successor"

 

Ok, who said this, and when?  If ever there were talk of this it was aimed at Chopra, never Shola.

[nufcjmc]

"striker Shola Ameobi a player once talked about as Alan Shearers natural successor"

 

Ok, who said this, and when?  If ever there were talk of this it was aimed at Chopra, never Shola.

 

At the time the press were saying it was hoped when shearer left shola would step "out of his shadow"

[colinmk]

Doesn't tell us anything new but I think it's a good strategy overall. no more Duffs and Smiths, instead bring in the guys who have it all to lose, guys who need to succeed.

[Guest optimistic nit]

its just the usual shite.

 

How ironic.

 

[Colocho]

this ”Blueprint” aint the actions of a man trying to sell the club any time soon.

 

Or presenting someone with a project that already has a clear outline and aim?

[Teasy]

I can name 2 or 3 major differences bewtween the sets of players and how the policy differs. Not just a case of different standards but i like most people on this board appear to see the difference between signing those set of players and the latter group of players.

 

- Look at who/where they were signed from

- Look at there ages

- Look at there current standing in the game

 

FFS install a spell checker please. Your posts are worse than txt spk. Usually it's just annoying but that was almost illegible. alltelltale indeed. 

 

Emre - Turkey, Boumsong - Scotland

Martins - 22

Barton - great standing in the game!

 

 

We signed Emre from Inter Milan.