Rob W Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Cape Town - Is the South African consortium of businessmen bidding to buy English Premiership club Newcastle United biting off more than they can chew? One local journalist, Edward Griffiths, who was involved in various SA bid campaigns and is general manager of SATV sport, believes they are; in fact, he goes further and says the group, who call themselves the New Newcastle United and are headed by one Jonathan Cleland, are preparing to make what could prove to be the biggest mistake of their lives. Griffiths in his weekly column, One Small Voice, says these investors who are reportedly on the brink of buying the Magpies for R4,2 billion “must be mad”. “Taking into account the inevitable stress and strife, bearing in mind the public humiliation when their vision turns sour, as it will, this poisoned chalice of a club is not worth R4,2 billion. The consortium may be attracted by the prospect of owning a high-profile English football club, rubbing shoulders with the Americans who own Manchester United, the Russians who own Chelsea, the Arabs who have recently bought Manchester City and even the Icelanders who run West Ham. They may believe the FA Premier League is an elite club they want to join, not just because of the prestige, but also because, by every measure, the product is continuing to boom worldwide. In terms of TV rights sales, TV audiences and merchandise sales, the FAPL has become the world’s favourite league. ‘“We can make money’, these tycoons may tell each other, and they may well be right. If the current owner Mike Ashley does sell, he could make a tidy £50-million profit on the deal. Even so, the sports shop millionaire will not reflect on his period in charge at St James’s Park with any pleasure at all because he and his family are now hated — literally hated — by hundreds of thousands of disappointed fans. “What the wide-eyed South Africans need to understand, sooner rather than later, is that Newcastle United is different. This is not a normal football club with normal fans and normal ambitions. It is a social movement fuelled, inspired and ultimately constrained by the hopes and frustrations of the community. “The football club is an institution so closely identified with the people who live in this proud, but economically and socially depressed area that whoever happens to ‘own’ the club according to the documents at Companies House, nobody will convince the hordes of supporters who wear black-and-white striped shirts every Saturday that the club belongs to anybody except them. When you buy Newcastle United, you don’t buy an asset. You buy a burden, effectively a responsibility to give the self-styled ‘best supporters in the world’ the success they crave. Many have tried in the past 50 years. All have failed. Newcastle last won the championship in 1926/27 and have not won a domestic trophy since the FA Cup in 1955. Year in, year out, successive owners have arrived with fanfare and failed. “The club has been called the ‘sleeping giant’ of English football so often that the question needs to be asked whether the giant is actually sleeping or whether it has in fact expired. Any self-respecting ‘Geordie’ will tell you, at length, that it is a disgrace that such a big club has not won more, and that the fans deserve much better, and that is the owner’s fault. Most youngsters growing up in the Newcastle area are not aware that ‘Sack the Board’ is actually three separate words until they are 11 years old. “The words of Oscar Wilde were never more true - ‘Yet each man must kill the thing he loves,’ he wrote. The supporters of Newcastle United have effectively killed the football club they love because they demand so much so quickly that every owner, every Board, has consistently failed to deliver. The supporters don’t want a trophy tomorrow: they want it yesterday. Their enthusiasm and passion for their club is so great that planning and preparation is impossible. “The South Africans may well take over and, amazingly, they may tempt the hugely popular Kevin Keegan to return as manager by giving him five percent of the club (overlooking his record as a serial quitter). There will be an initial burst of optimism, but it will end, sooner or later, in anger, bitterness and recrimination, because, in simple terms, the overblown expectations of the club’s devoted supporters are impossible to meet. “All this pain can be avoided. Just say ‘no deal’”. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
madras Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 bollicks really...."demand so much so quickly" reality is "give us improvement and we'll be happy" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colos Short and Curlies Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 bollicks really...."demand so much so quickly" reality is "give us improvement and we'll be happy" Tell the NUSC that Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulivye Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Newcastle United is different. This is not a normal football club with normal fans and normal ambitions. It is a social movement fuelled, inspired and ultimately constrained by the hopes and frustrations of the community. it's why i love this club. this resonates with me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Antec Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Piss poor effort from a complete prick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 bollicks really...."demand so much so quickly" reality is "give us improvement and we'll be happy" Tell the NUSC that Unfortunately this is the impression of the club we are now creating with rent-a-mong pressure groups being shown on tvs all over the world demanding the club be run a certain way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheKingOfNewcastle Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Cliche-ridden tripe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbo Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 "socially depressed area"? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliottman Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 "socially depressed area"? thats exactly what i was thinking! Cheeky twat! (not you, him) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest elbee909 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 "socially depressed area"? thats exactly what i was thinking! Cheeky twat! (not you, him) Yeah, some areas of South Africa are the worst places in the world for 'social depression', putting it mildly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzzieMandias Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Most youngsters growing up in the Newcastle area are not aware that ?Sack the Board? is actually three separate words until they are 11 years old. I had to laugh at that bit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shaun11177 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 The myth continues-Newcastle fans demand success yesterday-bollocks. As soon as you read that you know the writer hasnt got it, doesnt understand the subject he is writing about. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustynrg Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Like it or not, that is the perception of "outsiders". Like it or not the owners will look upon NUFC as a financial investment, as the owners of NUFC have done since the club was formed. Our biggest threat is our biggest asset, the fact that 45000 + people turn up every game. I can't remember a time when I haven't thought the owners are just in it for what they can get out of the club - lots of dosh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Logic Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 the self-styled ‘best supporters in the world’ That's the bit that always gets me, it's the media that keep repeating this ad nauseum until everyone believes it's the truth and mock the supporters because they think we're arrogant and deluded.. But I don't believe the average supporter thinks like that at all, and just about all clubs fans sing 'We're the loyalist supporters the world has ever seen.' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredbob Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Well, i guess ill break the mould and say i kind of agree with most of that statement. If anything, the actions of the NUSC have vindicated that article to a certain degree. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 "socially depressed area"? a lot of bloody depressed folks around SJP Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 you really have to wonder why clubs like Derby, Villa, Forest (FFS!) have had their day in the sunshine while we have had exactly NOWT in nearly 40 years................................ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthiGeordie Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I don't think we ever had a decent owners or management structure. FFS had plenty of chance to get it right and he couldn't. The one what really pissed of me is the Martin O'niell one instead of wooing him to our club he decided to give the job to Roader now after two and half years see where we are and where Aston Villa are..... With the right management and owners We will be Just happy.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustynrg Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I don't think we ever had a decent owners or management structure. FFS had plenty of chance to get it right and he couldn't. The one what really pissed of me is the Martin O'niell one instead of wooing him to our club he decided to give the job to Roader now after two and half years see where we are and where Aston Villa are..... With the right management and owners We will be Just happy.... I think Martin O'Neill didn't want to come to us, especially with Freddie in charge. Think of it, they're poles apart. They just don't fit (not in a manlove sort of way). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzza Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I think the article is quite close to the truth TBH, take out the socially depressed part and it cuts close. At least I thought it ran reasonably true. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Howaythetoon Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Never read so much shite in my life. Ferk erf cants. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredbob Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Never read so much s**** in my life. Ferk erf cants. Which bits of it dont resonate with you? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Howaythetoon Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Never read so much s**** in my life. Ferk erf cants. Which bits of it dont resonate with you? Most of it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomson Mouse Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Never read so much s**** in my life. Ferk erf cants. Which bits of it dont resonate with you? Most of it. The parts that other people have mentioned above. These show a basic lack of understanding of the club. He's been reading Louise Taylor's articles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredbob Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Never read so much s**** in my life. Ferk erf cants. Which bits of it dont resonate with you? Most of it. The parts that other people have mentioned above. These show a basic lack of understanding of the club. He's been reading Louise Taylor's articles. So is there anything thats negative in that article that you'd agree with? If so, why? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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