Chronicle Questions

[TRon]

Answers are pointless.

 

Nobody will believe them.

 

That would vindicate the board's policy of not communicating with the fans then. They could turn round and say there is no point seeing as the fans already know the answers.

[taxfree]

I don't get it. How're these getting to the club and how are the answers supposed to be given? Someone from the club's gonna email the paper?

 

Who cares 

 

If they answer them, we'll know.

[Dr Venkman]

17. Seriously though, do you think we're fucking stupid?

[Dinho lad]

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2011/09/06/revealed-your-questions-to-nufc-s-board-72703-29371059/

 

Your questions to NUFC's board

 

1. Where's the money that was pledged to be reinvested in the squad after the sale of Andy Carroll gone?

 

Board :" "

 

2. Why is there such a lack of communication with the fans from Mike Ashley and his board?

 

Board :" "

 

3. In 2009 you outlined your plans for the club at a fans forum. Can you give us an update on how you see our position now against that plan and if it has changed? What is the long-term plan for Newcastle United?

 

Board :" "

 

4. Can you justify why it took seven months to pursue a striker before failing at the eleventh hour to secure a signing?

 

Board :" "

 

5. Public opinion on Tyneside from large sections of fans is that they no longer trust statements coming out of the club after several empty promises. What assurances can you give fans

that they can believe what the club tells them?

 

Board :" "

 

 

6. Given that level 7 was deserted in some parts at the Fulham game, is there any reason why those who want to sing can't all be sat together rather than upsetting fans who don't want to sing, which appears to be the problem in the Strawberry corner? What has caused the club to fundamentally change its stance to standing in the stadium?

 

Board :" "

 

7. Many fans clamoured for a marquee signing on the striker front. Are those days gone and can we expect more continental-based players coming in in January, if any?

 

Board :" "

 

8. Are you concerned about the 10,000 drop in attendance and that fans are either not renewing season tickets or have headed to support local non-league teams instead?

 

Board :" "

 

9. Is Ashley considering putting the club up for sale?

 

Board :" "

 

10. Newcastle United has the third highest attendances in the country, Sky TV and income from merchandising, plus a lower debt position than many in the EPL. Why in terms of player recruitment can Newcastle not compete with smaller clubs like Stoke, Fulham and QPR?

 

Board :" "

 

11. Are you aware of fans' disgruntlement with the away ticketing policy given the Toon Army are amongst the loyallest fans in the UK, and will you consider reviewing the policy?

 

Board :" "

 

12. Alan Pardew said he was 100% convinced he would get a new number 9.

What changed?

 

Board :" "

 

13. Why was Joey Barton allowed to leave for free and join a club that could be considered to be a rival in the Premier League?

 

Board :" "

 

14. Many fans now consider us to be a "selling club" after the departures of Nolan, Enrique, Carroll and Barton. How do you respond to this?

 

Board :" "

 

 

Read More http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2011/09/06/revealed-your-questions-to-nufc-s-board-72703-29371059/#ixzz1XAnS6ATv

 

Quite suprised at how blunt they are...was expecting more censored questions..

 

Also apologies for starting a new thread, but none (other than the Pardew/Transfer thread) seemed relevant.

[mattypnufc]

Anyone care to answer these from a clubs perspective...then compare them to the actual answers.

 

I reckon we could get them nearly 100% correct.

[JH]

I don't get it. How're these getting to the club and how are the answers supposed to be given? Someone from the club's gonna email the paper?

 

Well journalists have these things called interviews where they sit down with someone from the club, ask the questions and they are answered

[Guest VaVaVoom]

Good questions. Pretty much everything we want covered. The answers however will be cryptic and more smoke'n'mirrors.

 

When are the answers expected?

[cp40]

no response from Cashleys Spokestu?

[Guest Rainforest]

I want Otter to make troll replies, then we can compare em with the real one come a weeks time.

Will probably be uncannily close.

[Guest GeordieBatistuta]

I dont post a lot on N-O but read it daily. These arent my views but a mere prediction of the tripe I feel we will be fed.

 

1. Where's the money that was pledged to be reinvested in the squad after the sale of Andy Carroll gone?

All the money from the Andy Carroll sale has went back into the club. This includes the aquisitions made over the summer, their agent and signing on fees and the long contracts we have tied players down to. We have also upgraded the clubs training facilities which will aid the development of the players and the the youth players making the step up.

 

2. Why is there such a lack of communication with the fans from Mike Ashley and his board?

We have a first class PR and media team who bring you all the latest news on the nufc.co.uk website and also our twitter feed. While the board doesnt feel its appropriate to have direct contact with the fans, we do let you know first hand of any developments at the club including first team news and various youth pieces.

 

3. In 2009 you outlined your plans for the club at a fans forum. Can you give us an update on how you see our position now against that plan and if it has changed? What is the long-term plan for Newcastle United?

Not a great deal of our plan, which we are commited to, has changed. We are currently building on a core group of players and will hope to build on our 12th position last year with a place in the top 10 this coming season. From there we will continue to grown and challenge for European spots thereafter.

 

4. Can you justify why it took seven months to pursue a striker before failing at the eleventh hour to secure a signing?

We had a large number of scouts across Europe searching for a new striker. We made numerous bids and in some cases offered sizable amounts of money, however, the club felt that the large majority of strikers we were after were overpriced. While we had a great negotiating team, we often encountered states of brinkmanship. Our search continued until deadline day which can become a frantic time, but we didnt want to be drawn into paying over the odds for a striker. Therefore we are biding our time and our search will take us to January.

 

5. Public opinion on Tyneside from large sections of fans is that they no longer trust statements coming out of the club after several empty promises. What assurances can you give fans that they can believe what the club tells them?

The club always aims to give the fans a true and proper account of dealings at the football club.

 

6. Given that level 7 was deserted in some parts at the Fulham game, is there any reason why those who want to sing can't all be sat together rather than upsetting fans who don't want to sing, which appears to be the problem in the Strawberry corner? What has caused the club to fundamentally change its stance to standing in the stadium?

Due to rules and regulations, the PL now demands a certain percentage of our stadium should be given to away supporters. Because this overlapped the 'singing section' up on Level 7, we had no other choice than to move the loyal supporters. While we active tried to place these fans elsewhere, we ultimately were restricted by current season ticket holders etc.

 

7. Many fans clamoured for a marquee signing on the striker front. Are those days gone and can we expect more continental-based players coming in in January, if any?

The current board has identified that far too often in NUFC's past, have the club over paid for players who had very little end product. Therefore, the current board believe a far more viable option is to continue to scoure the UK and Europe and add young up and coming players to the already strong squad.

 

8. Are you concerned about the 10,000 drop in attendance and that fans are either not renewing season tickets or have headed to support local non-league teams instead?

While we encourage all supporters to take an active interest in local non-league teams, we believe our supporters are as loyal as ever. We appreciate that there were various reasons for the drop in attendance at the Fulham game factoring in problems such as the school holidays, bank holiday weekend and the lack of support Fulham brought with them. However, in terms of season tickets, we are currently seeing a record high number of season ticket holders, with a great deal of this success being down to the recently implemented 10 year plan.

 

9. Is Ashley considering putting the club up for sale?

No. Mike Ashley is very committed to the future of this club and will remain as the owner for a long time to come.

 

10. Newcastle United has the third highest attendances in the country, Sky TV and income from merchandising, plus a lower debt position than many in the EPL. Why in terms of player recruitment can Newcastle not compete with smaller clubs like Stoke, Fulham and QPR?

Newcastle United remains as one of the best know names in European football and continues to draw upon footballing talent from across the globe. While we have alluded to our transfer policy we are seen as fantastic destination for up and coming young players who come to blossom and play some of their best football here.

 

11. Are you aware of fans' disgruntlement with the away ticketing policy given the Toon Army are amongst the loyallest fans in the UK, and will you consider reviewing the policy?

Newcastle United supporters are renowned around the world for being so loyal and supportive of their football team. We felt the away ticketing policy had to be amended in the aftermath of the shocking events at Darlington and so we felt the method we have taken was the best approach. There will be no review of this policy in the near future.

 

12. Alan Pardew said he was 100% convinced he would get a new number 9. What changed?

Understandably, AP was upset that the club were unable to find a player to wear the famour no.9 shirt. However, after meetings with the manager we have discussed various paths and options which we will continue to work on until January where we will hopefully find a player who fits our model, and we deem appropriate of wearing the no.9 shirt.

 

13. Why was Joey Barton allowed to leave for free and join a club that could be considered to be a rival in the Premier League?

While we wish Joey Barton well in his career, we felt that both the club and the player werent necessarily working in the same direction and because of this we felt both entities should go their separate ways.

 

14. Many fans now consider us to be a "selling club" after the departures of Nolan, Enrique, Carroll and Barton. How do you respond to this?

While we look to keep our most talented players at the club, the fans must firstly appreciate that every player has a price. This is shown by the great deal of money we were offered for Andy Carroll, and both club and player felt it would be best to accept the deal. While some players may go, the club are committed to finding replacements that are worthy of wearing the black and white shirt.

[BottledDog]

I want Otter to make troll replies, then we can compare em with the real one come a weeks time.

Will probably be uncannily close.

 

Why? Because diplomatically (which the club has to be) there is not a lot they can say other than what people expect?

 

 

In no particular order, these answers should pretty much cover most of the questions.

 

 

'Obviously a good deal of money has been reinvested already, but the money we have set aside for the right player is still there'

 

'We are as disappointed (and the manager is disappointed) as everyone else that we didn't get the striker we'd hoped for'

 

'Nobody lied, we genuinely believed we could get our man, but circumstances changed and we had to accept that'

 

'Every player at every club has his price and every player that has left chose to leave'

 

'We have laid down a policy that will increasingly be able to compete financially with other, even larger clubs'

 

'We have not and cannot change our policy on standing as the law itself has not changed'

 

'Communication has been complicated by failures in the past and we felt it was best to focus on the team and let the managers communicate where necessary, we may review this decision if we feel it would be welcomed'

 

 

All pretty fair given the limitations of what can reasonably be said, yet no doubt there will still be much gnashing of teeth and an overall feeling that the words were worse than regurgitated shit recently deposited by Ashley down Llambias' neck.

[Disco]

At the very least they're actually commenting for once. Although I suspect the answers will reveal little. 3 or 4 of the questions could be answered with the same statement.

 

Missed a trick (purposefully?) avoided the sd@SJP stuff too.

[basjen]

I dont post a lot on N-O but read it daily. These arent my views but a mere prediction of the tripe I feel we will be fed.

 

1. Where's the money that was pledged to be reinvested in the squad after the sale of Andy Carroll gone?

All the money from the Andy Carroll sale has went back into the club. This includes the aquisitions made over the summer, their agent and signing on fees and the long contracts we have tied players down to. We have also upgraded the clubs training facilities which will aid the development of the players and the the youth players making the step up.

 

2. Why is there such a lack of communication with the fans from Mike Ashley and his board?

We have a first class PR and media team who bring you all the latest news on the nufc.co.uk website and also our twitter feed. While the board doesnt feel its appropriate to have direct contact with the fans, we do let you know first hand of any developments at the club including first team news and various youth pieces.

 

3. In 2009 you outlined your plans for the club at a fans forum. Can you give us an update on how you see our position now against that plan and if it has changed? What is the long-term plan for Newcastle United?

Not a great deal of our plan, which we are commited to, has changed. We are currently building on a core group of players and will hope to build on our 12th position last year with a place in the top 10 this coming season. From there we will continue to grown and challenge for European spots thereafter.

 

4. Can you justify why it took seven months to pursue a striker before failing at the eleventh hour to secure a signing?

We had a large number of scouts across Europe searching for a new striker. We made numerous bids and in some cases offered sizable amounts of money, however, the club felt that the large majority of strikers we were after were overpriced. While we had a great negotiating team, we often encountered states of brinkmanship. Our search continued until deadline day which can become a frantic time, but we didnt want to be drawn into paying over the odds for a striker. Therefore we are biding our time and our search will take us to January.

 

5. Public opinion on Tyneside from large sections of fans is that they no longer trust statements coming out of the club after several empty promises. What assurances can you give fans that they can believe what the club tells them?

The club always aims to give the fans a true and proper account of dealings at the football club.

 

6. Given that level 7 was deserted in some parts at the Fulham game, is there any reason why those who want to sing can't all be sat together rather than upsetting fans who don't want to sing, which appears to be the problem in the Strawberry corner? What has caused the club to fundamentally change its stance to standing in the stadium?

Due to rules and regulations, the PL now demands a certain percentage of our stadium should be given to away supporters. Because this overlapped the 'singing section' up on Level 7, we had no other choice than to move the loyal supporters. While we active tried to place these fans elsewhere, we ultimately were restricted by current season ticket holders etc.

 

7. Many fans clamoured for a marquee signing on the striker front. Are those days gone and can we expect more continental-based players coming in in January, if any?

The current board has identified that far too often in NUFC's past, have the club over paid for players who had very little end product. Therefore, the current board believe a far more viable option is to continue to scoure the UK and Europe and add young up and coming players to the already strong squad.

 

8. Are you concerned about the 10,000 drop in attendance and that fans are either not renewing season tickets or have headed to support local non-league teams instead?

While we encourage all supporters to take an active interest in local non-league teams, we believe our supporters are as loyal as ever. We appreciate that there were various reasons for the drop in attendance at the Fulham game factoring in problems such as the school holidays, bank holiday weekend and the lack of support Fulham brought with them. However, in terms of season tickets, we are currently seeing a record high number of season ticket holders, with a great deal of this success being down to the recently implemented 10 year plan.

 

9. Is Ashley considering putting the club up for sale?

No. Mike Ashley is very committed to the future of this club and will remain as the owner for a long time to come.

 

10. Newcastle United has the third highest attendances in the country, Sky TV and income from merchandising, plus a lower debt position than many in the EPL. Why in terms of player recruitment can Newcastle not compete with smaller clubs like Stoke, Fulham and QPR?

Newcastle United remains as one of the best know names in European football and continues to draw upon footballing talent from across the globe. While we have alluded to our transfer policy we are seen as fantastic destination for up and coming young players who come to blossom and play some of their best football here.

 

11. Are you aware of fans' disgruntlement with the away ticketing policy given the Toon Army are amongst the loyallest fans in the UK, and will you consider reviewing the policy?

Newcastle United supporters are renowned around the world for being so loyal and supportive of their football team. We felt the away ticketing policy had to be amended in the aftermath of the shocking events at Darlington and so we felt the method we have taken was the best approach. There will be no review of this policy in the near future.

 

12. Alan Pardew said he was 100% convinced he would get a new number 9. What changed?

Understandably, AP was upset that the club were unable to find a player to wear the famour no.9 shirt. However, after meetings with the manager we have discussed various paths and options which we will continue to work on until January where we will hopefully find a player who fits our model, and we deem appropriate of wearing the no.9 shirt.

 

13. Why was Joey Barton allowed to leave for free and join a club that could be considered to be a rival in the Premier League?

While we wish Joey Barton well in his career, we felt that both the club and the player werent necessarily working in the same direction and because of this we felt both entities should go their separate ways.

 

14. Many fans now consider us to be a "selling club" after the departures of Nolan, Enrique, Carroll and Barton. How do you respond to this?

While we look to keep our most talented players at the club, the fans must firstly appreciate that every player has a price. This is shown by the great deal of money we were offered for Andy Carroll, and both club and player felt it would be best to accept the deal. While some players may go, the club are committed to finding replacements that are worthy of wearing the black and white shirt.

 

Are you Mike or Derek?

[Sifu]

As some of you have said, these are decent questions but really it's unlikely that the board will answer them properly. They'll probably twist the questions around to their own liking.

[HawK]

Just ignore anything and everything from the Newcastle board, only look at balance sheets, actions and if you don't see it yet you will.

[AlanSkÃrare]

If the board has "promised" to answer these questions I'm fully expecting them not to live up to that promise.

[JH]

If the board has "promised" to answer these questions I'm fully expecting them not to live up to that promise.

 

They've assured us that every question will be answered in full. Just give them until the end of the January window to do so.

[jdckelly]

good questions, now lets wait for the answers

[NG32]

If the board has "promised" to answer these questions I'm fully expecting them not to live up to that promise.

 

They've assured us that every question will be answered in full. Just give them until the end of the January window to do so.

 

[cp40]

they will answer them- along the lines of talking about the general finances of the club, blah, blah.

[Tsunami]

I'd like to know what the t*** thinks of the fans. Does he hate us with the same passion we do him. If so is there anyway back which will see him enjoy his club and invest with any kind of gay abandence or will he continue to abuse us and take the p*ss?

[AlanSkÃrare]

If the board has "promised" to answer these questions I'm fully expecting them not to live up to that promise.

 

They've assured us that every question will be answered in full. Just give them until the end of the January window to do so.

 

[BottledDog]

I'd like to know what the t*** thinks of the fans. Does he hate us with the same passion we do him. If so is there anyway back which will see him enjoy his club and invest with any kind of gay abandence or will he continue to abuse us and take the p*ss?

 

Abuse you?

[Tsunami]

I'd like to know what the t*** thinks of the fans. Does he hate us with the same passion we do him. If so is there anyway back which will see him enjoy his club and invest with any kind of gay abandence or will he continue to abuse us and take the p*ss?

 

 

Abuse you?

 

Abused verging on violated by the fat twat. Leading me on with promises of spending money and good times only to be laughed at and pissed on from a great height.

 

I do believe that he should be asked about his feelings for the club and the fans after the KK debacle. It's like we are the toy he no longer wants but keeps to poke fun at.

[Cronky]

They are actually accusations dressed up as questions, and as such, if Llambias has any brains, he won't respond.