Sir John Hall's comment in today's Sun.

[Cronky]

Interesting set of comments from SJH. I don't agree with it 100%, but he's always struck me as one shrewd cookie and he's talking far more sense than most -

 

 

FORMER Newcastle owner Sir John Hall spoke yesterday of his horror at the club's relegation to the Championship.

 

And his disbelief at the collapse of standards at St James' Park - both on the pitch and off.

 

"The table doesn't lie," said the local property developer who built Newcastle into a footballing power in the mid-90s.

 

He added: "It's been desperately poor all season - and the worst thing was they didn't even appear to try on Sunday.

 

"I'm not going to pull any punches. This current side is rubbish. Useless.

 

"There has to be a clean sweep and the club has to be rebuilt from top to bottom.

 

"I'm as baffled as anyone with the signings of players like Joey Barton.

 

"Then, again, Sam Allardyce said he could put him right.

 

"As for Michael Owen, he's had too many injuries and has never seemed to be on the ball.

 

"Now we are saddled with a huge wage bill. The lesson here is obvious: You can't take on yesterday's men and hope to survive. That's for a club that has no ambition."

 

Ashington-born and from an old mining family, Hall saw Newcastle challenge Manchester United during the glory years of Kevin Keegan's first spell at the club.

 

But the dream faded and Hall sold his 41 per cent stake to Mike Ashley for £55million two years ago.

 

Now 76, he says the only way forward is to maintain faith in Alan Shearer, despite the stand-in boss winning just one game in eight.

 

Hall said: "Shearer must stay. Sure, he doesn't have the experience but then neither did Keegan the first time round. But, like Keegan, the fans have faith in him.

 

"He is a dedicated professional, the club is in his blood and he is the rallying point for all the supporters.

 

"But he has to have time and money. The question is: How much money is still there?

 

"If I was Shearer, I would want to see it on the table."

 

Though Hall says he has no regrets about selling to Ashley, he admits the current owner was badly advised.

 

Hall said: "He has been let down by his own inexperience and the inexperience of others.

 

"There were also a series of extremely poor appointments stemming from the fact Mike inherited Sam Allardyce.

 

"And, no, I don't blame him for getting rid of Allardyce because the football was the worst we had ever seen.

 

"Then he listened to the fans and brought Keegan back. And that was a mistake.

 

"You can never re-tread footsteps in business. Life and circumstances change, the world and the game moves on. You have to have fresh blood.

 

"One mistake led to another with Dennis Wise and Joe Kinnear coming on board. Two terrible appointments. Wise was trying to do the job from London and that was ridiculous.

 

"You have to be up here, getting to know the people and their feelings for the club.

 

"There was obviously bad blood between Keegan and Wise which I'm told went back to their England days. It was like a red rag to a bull.

 

"As for Kinnear, you have to have people who are active in the game.

 

"Now it's all gone wrong and Mike has to decide whether to stay or sell up - and, believe me, there are always people around who want to buy clubs like Newcastle.

 

"If he stays he has to inject new funds. Not once but twice.

 

"First, to build a new team to fight their way out of the Championship, then to stay up.

 

"I know from my experience with Kevin that you have to have real battlers to get back into the Premier League.

 

"On top of that, it's obvious they are going to struggle to attract the top quality players.

 

"But I don't go along with the feeling Newcastle could become another Leeds or Nottingham Forest and end up in League One.

 

"We're too strong for that. Yes, there's a huge wage bill and that has to be trimmed. And there must be no uncertainty in the close season. The club has to get on with it."

 

And what of his own role in the demise of a club that, with average gates of 48,000, was the third best-supported in the Premier League?

 

Hall said: "Yes, I sold the club to Mike, and, to many, it might appear to have been the wrong move. But it seemed the right thing to do.

 

"He was the answer to people like Roman Abramovich.

 

"I didn't go down this road lightly. But what were the alternatives?"

 

 

[Dave]

Mostly fair comments, but he backed Keegan when he was appointed so he's using hindsight saying that was a mistake. And I can't recollect ANY fans calling for Keegan's return. He wasn't even in the betting.

[Tooj]

Mostly fair comments, but he backed Keegan when he was appointed so he's using hindsight saying that was a mistake. And I can't recollect ANY fans calling for Keegan's return. He wasn't even in the betting.

 

Exactly.

[80]

Not to make out like he's a colossus or anything, but I don't understand how he sired those children of his.

[Guest Phil K]

Mostly fair comments, but he backed Keegan when he was appointed so he's using hindsight saying that was a mistake. And I can't recollect ANY fans calling for Keegan's return. He wasn't even in the betting.

 

All correct

Most what he says rings true though.

We have to get rid of the wasters and the expensive failures (and Kinnears disasters) remove all traces of Wise's wastefulness - yes, INCLUDING Jonas - and get in Chamionship players who know, can do it and are NOT too old, and can improve in a bigger club and not do an Owen/Viduka, and spend too much time on the sick contributing f all

[Skirge]

Had he not sold out tot he fat cunt we may not bei n this mess!!

[Guest neesy111]

Tbf, the halls we're the starting reason we are in the mess

 

they are the one's that told shepherd to sack bobby, and they are the one's that made the most profit from the club, over 150 million in fact

 

[Dave]

Heard Shepherd on the radio this afternoon, says he feels no responsibility whatsoever for the club's demise.

[Tooj]

Did he mention the part about how his son thought SBR was going to relegate us?

[Slim]

Did he mention the part about how his son thought SBR was going to relegate us?

 

Robson was losing the plot....some of the subs he made were comical.

[Guest neesy111]

Heard Shepherd on the radio this afternoon, says he feels no responsibility whatsoever for the club's demise.

 

no suprise tbh, probably taking advice from NE5

[biggs]

"He was the answer to people like Roman Abramovich.

 

"I didn't go down this road lightly. But what were the alternatives?"

 

laughable in hindsight  with Ashleys pitiful cash backing and the second bit was a case of take the money and run imho

[Guest BooBoo]

John Hall couldn't wait to sell up and as soon as the clown Ashely turned up, Hall cashed the coin pronto without a moments thought that he might be putting the club in the wrong hands.

[afar]

John Hall couldn't wait to sell up and as soon as the clown Ashely turned up, Hall cashed the coin pronto without a moments thought that he might be putting the club in the wrong hands.

 

Hall went down a long way in my estimation when he decided to take a back seat and let his son look after his interest, he seemed to get bored with the whole  football thing. Then as you rightly say he shopped his stake around and was only too happy to gett a fat wedge for his stock, he din't give a s*** who he sold it to.

 

His quotes though some are quite true are just hindsight enlightened stating the obvious crap really.

[NG32]

Looks like everyone has teflon shoulders sydrome.

 

Some cunt has to take responsibility.

 

FUCKING COWARDS.

 

 

[Keefaz]

Looks like everyone has teflon shoulders sydrome.

 

Some cunt has to take responsibility.

 

FUCKING COWARDS.

 

 

 

I'm Spartacus!

[NG32]

Looks like everyone has teflon shoulders sydrome.

 

Some c*** has to take responsibility.

 

f***ing COWARDS.

 

 

 

I'm Spartacus!

 

Teflon wasn't invented then, it was invented by Henry VIII for his 8 fucking bitches.

[ikri]

Going to out on a limb here & say that I don't think that Sam Allardyce is on Sir John Hall's Christmas card list.

[Tooj]

Did he mention the part about how his son thought SBR was going to relegate us?

 

Robson was losing the plot....some of the subs he made were comical.

 

I've always said he should have went then. But would we really have got relegated under him?

[Filflop1]

Hall is as much to blame as anyone he sold the club  ffs

[quayside]

Being generous to the man Hall may have had half a thought on the fact that in 2007 the club was going backwards fast and needed some "fresh blood" - but it probably wasn't anywhere near being his main motive. Hall sold out because he could see the value of his shareholding reducing due to the utter financial mess the club was in. Ashley probably was the first mug to come through the door who had the money and was able to make a concrete, sustainable offer and Hall took it. Why he should bear any blame for any of that is beyond me. Even if he did care at the time how was he supposed to know that Ashley was going to turn out to be as clueless as he has been? 

[Guest neesy111]

Being generous to the man Hall may have had half a thought on the fact that in 2007 the club was going backwards fast and needed some "fresh blood" - but it probably wasn't anywhere near being his main motive. Hall sold out because he could see the value of his shareholding reducing due to the utter financial mess the club was in. Ashley probably was the first mug to come through the door who had the money and was able to make a concrete, sustainable offer and Hall took it. Why he should bear any blame for any of that is beyond me. Even if he did care at the time how was he supposed to know that Ashley was going to turn out to be as clueless as he has been?   

 

it's his fault the decline started though, remember it was he who told shepherd to sack robson and he who MADE millions from the club around £150 million in total

[Dogmatix]

 

Cant prove and cant reveal the source but Hall played 'Holy Fuck' when keegan came back --something along the lines of --

'There where reasons why he left and those reasons are still relevant' --

 

' and thats OFF the record'

 

--I dont know what exactly he meant, but he was not a happy bunny.

 

I also realise if it hadnt been for him this club would have sunk years ago --but lets not forget who made a HUGE profit when Ashley bought the club

[Cronky]

 

Cant prove and cant reveal the source but Hall played 'Holy Fuck' when keegan came back --something along the lines of --

'There where reasons why he left and those reasons are still relevant' --

 

' and thats OFF the record'

 

--I dont know what exactly he meant, but he was not a happy bunny.

 

 

That doesn't completely surprise me, but I don't know why Ashley and Mort didn't consult Sir John Hall before appointing Keegan. SJH has a lot of experience that they could have usefully drawn on. They seemed to buy into the legend of Kevin Keegan rather than the reality.

[Guest float one in]

Has anyone read "The Magnificent Obsession: Keegan, Newcastle and Sixty Million Pounds"? It was written by one of the broadsheet journalists, can't remember his name, mostly based on interviews with SJH in the immedite aftermath of KK quitting in 97, and gives alot of details about the business side of things from 91ish to 97. Since I was only about 8 or 9 at the time that the Halls and Sheperd were mouting their buy out I never appreciated how hostile it all was, and also to what extent SJH was reluctant to be a part of it. By his own admission, Douglas and Sheperd were the ones really pushing him to get involved - he even comes across quite regretful about it all in parts (bearing in mind this was 97, that was quite surprising to hear) so I'm not surprised at all that he sold his shares at the drop of a hat when Ashley came bumbling along.

 

I would definitely recommend the book by the way, especially for someone like me who was a bit too young to appreciate the business side of things at  the time. Since KK didn't give the author any interviews it comes across as a bit one sided, but certainly not anti Keegan. It must have been rushed out, cos I think it was published in 97, and that shows in the writing a bit, but its an interesting read thats for sure.