Tooj Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 You say that about Irving and Charnley but look at how much a club legend like Beardsley was quick to turn his loyalty to Ashley over somebody who had done so much for him like Kevin Keegan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Worst thing about our predicament is that the owners of a lot of clubs in the league are envious of our unambitious mediocrity. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 http://www.starsports.com/football/columns/columnist=117/articleid=1305004/index.html#newcastle-are-currently-the-epitome-tepidity-and-willful-lack-ambition Newcastle are currently the epitome of tepidity and a willful lack of ambition Published 06 February 2014 As an outsider, it is difficult to summon much sympathy for Newcastle United supporters unhappy with their club’s current ‘plight’. They sit in eighth position in the Premier League with their safety effectively confirmed by Christmas. Last season, they were 15th at the same stage, but amid a run to the Europa League quarter-finals that saw victories against Bordeaux, Club Brugge, Metalist Kharkiv and Anzhi Makhachkala. The season previously, Newcastle had become only the eighth different club since 2002 to finish in the top five, an extraordinary achievement given relegation to the Championship just three years before. However, for those close to the club or city, Newcastle are currently the epitome of tepidity, a willful lack of ambition strangling and suffocating any potential for excitement or fervour. There may have the security of Premier League survival, but any vim or vigour has been slowly sapped away. At a fans’ forum at the start of the season, the club admitted that the cup competitions were no longer a priority, and that the focus would be on a top half finish in the league: “We will utilise the cup competitions to secure match experience for the wider squad. The club is also mindful of injuries following last season's Europa League. Our primary aim and focus has to be the Premier League and we don't want to jeopardise that.” The Europa League and cup competitions have indeed caused headaches for numerous teams, and one needs only to look at the demise of Swansea, Wigan and Birmingham for obvious evidence of that, but those three examples are (or should be) far removed from Newcastle. “You look at a club like Southampton, and they’re in a much stronger financial position than us in terms of purchasing players,” was manager Alan Pardew’s pre-season dampener. This is a club with the 25th highest revenue and the tenth highest average attendance in Europe last season – should aims not be a little higher? “A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions” is the famous quote from Marcus Aurelius – what is stability without the desire to strive for more? At the epicentre of supporter frustration sits owner Mike Ashley. After publicly putting the club up for sale on two separate occasions, the suspicion remains that Ashley is deliberately limiting the club’s spending in order to regain some of his initial outlay whilst in charge of the club, effectively putting a ceiling on potential achievement as part of an elaborate exit strategy. Content with the status quo of such engorged revenues, Ashley is not prepared to push Newcastle to the next level that fans so crave. The only transfer window in which the club have invested significantly was January 2013, when relegation seemed a distinct possibility and, even then, the transfer net spend for the whole season only stood at £15million thanks to the sale of Demba Ba to Chelsea. Since promotion in 2010/11, Newcastle have made a profit of over £20million in their transfer market dealings, the highest figure in the Premier League. This season, despite the inflated revenue associated with the new renegotiated television deal, no permanent signing has been made, loan moves for Luuk de Jong and Loic Remy the only additions to the squad. Instead, Newcastle sold their best player, Yohan Cabaye joining Paris St Germain at the end of the January transfer window. The Cabaye deal was not a surprise – the Frenchman had been angling after a move for the best part of 18 months and had refused to participate in the opening game of the season against Manchester City. He wanted Champions League football and that is exactly what he found. But, with the sale long expected, no plan had seemingly been put in place for a replacement. Clement Grenier and Remy Cabella were rumoured as possible alternatives, but with time running out, deals never looked close to being completed. Reports of an accepted bid for Grenier followed up with a pitiful wage offer to the Lyon midfielder only underline the lack of trust in Ashley’s current regime. In fact, the only permanent appointment made by the club since January 2013 was Joe Kinnear as Director of Football, beginning an utterly embarrassing period for those with any association with Newcastle United. It wasn’t just the mispronunciation of player names or the boasts about contacts in the industry. Nor even that he claimed the club would sign Mohamed Salah for £25million after Chelsea had already agreed to a fee of a far lower amount. Not even that his appointment caused managing director Derek Llambias to quit his role and chief scout Graham Carr to offer his resignation. No, the greatest insult about Kinnear’s now thankfully terminated tenure at St James’ Park (and it will always, spiritually at least, remain under that name) was the two fingers stuck up to the fans. The rest of football saw it all as a big joke but it was Ashley and Kinnear that were laughing the loudest. This was the ultimate indictment of football as soap opera, a group of fans so hideously addicted to their second (and in many cases first) love that they had exposed themselves as ripe for exploitation. The club, their social institution, had repaid their loyalty and faith by p*ssing all over it. Questions, it is clear, need to be answered. Would Yohan Cabaye really have demanded to leave had the club kicked on (rather than settled for inevitable regression) following the fifth-placed finish? What was Joe Kinnear’s full remit, or was he simply a cleverly placed scapegoat, the fall guy for a deliberate tactic of underinvestment? Just what does Mike Ashley see for the future of Newcastle United? If the answer to that final enquiry is that 10th place and no cup runs is deemed more than satisfactory, interest may soon begin to wane among the most loyal of supporters within the game. Frankly, that’s a crying shame. Perhaps more than any other club in the country, Newcastle acts as the heartbeat of its locality. Alongside Leeds, this is the biggest one-club city in the country, but without the presence or popularity of both rugby codes and a county cricket club’s base, the entire area of Tyneside has its weekend mood determined by the success of its football club. As Lady Elsie Robson (widow of the late Sir Bobby) said after his death, “It took him from the darkness of Langley Park Colliery to the bright glare of the floodlights. Black and white were the shades that always clung to him.” There are tens of thousands that share such emotions, but it is becoming an affliction. Newcastle supporters know more than most the fine line between ambition and financial unsustainability (and memories of such mismanagement are still fresh in the minds), but whilst the latter can cripple a club’s future, the former can be just as damaging. Without ambition there is no hope, and without hope there is no point. Fans are not asking for a miracle, instant trophies or an overnight sensation. They’re just asking to feel proud of their club again. This is a great article - says it all. Just compare it with Owen's self-satisfied and totally incorrect blunderings in the DT. This one couldn't be more right and his couldn't be more wrong, yet his is a view shared by many in football who fear NUFCs potential and also by the media outside the region. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 You say that about Irving and Charnley but look at how much a club legend like Beardsley was quick to turn his loyalty to Ashley over somebody who had done so much for him like Kevin Keegan. Beardsley was a great player but my opinion of him as a person couldn't be much lower...all he cares about is maintaining his own overly-comfortable life-style. Still, he has his cross to bear...MRS Beardsley.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 The season previously, Newcastle had become only the eighth different club since 2002 to finish in the top five. Well that's wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neesy111 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Loved this quote in Dave's article: A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Had a dream I was reading this thread and the title changed to 'Mike Ashley selling Newcastle', might have had a wet one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomson Mouse Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 You say that about Irving and Charnley but look at how much a club legend like Beardsley was quick to turn his loyalty to Ashley over somebody who had done so much for him like Kevin Keegan. Beardsley was a great player but my opinion of him as a person couldn't be much lower...all he cares about is maintaining his own overly-comfortable life-style. Still, he has his cross to bear...MRS Beardsley.. Yes I remember a few people saying she was a dragon when they lived in Hexham in the 80s Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooneyToonArmy Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Former Newcastle skipper Rob Lee has warned Alan Pardew he faces a major fight to hold on to his best players if owner Mike Ashley does not back him with hard cash this summer. Asked if four big signings would be enough, the 48-year-old former midfielder, an ambassador for the Budweiser Open Trials campaign, which will provide amateur footballers with the opportunity to play at Wembley in front of professional scouts, told Press Association Sport: "It's a start. Is it enough? No, probably not. "Is [Loic] Remy going to sign for us? I am sure after the season he has had - he's only on loan - he will have a lot of options and if he sees Newcastle selling Cabaye, their best player, what's he going to think? "It's not as though he's going to have a shortage of offers, so my instinct would say he won't sign, so you have got to replace him; there are rumours that [Papiss] Cisse is not happy and is going to go; Shola Ameobi is out of contract; [Cheick] Tiote, is he going to be happy with Cabaye going? I think there will be a lot of people after him. "You have to keep these people happy - [Fabricio] Coloccini again, is he going to stay? There were rumours he wanted to go back anyway. "Again, it comes down to when you start selling players, your best players that are left are not going to be happy." Lee was not surprised to see Cabaye leave the club after he was unsettled by Arsenal's bid in August, but was astonished that a replacement had not been lined up before PSG were given the green light. He said: "Everybody knew it was coming. That's fine, but you have to have somebody lined up to replace him. He's your best player. "He went very, very cheaply as well - if you look at [Juan] Mata going for £37million, he's a bargain, he's an absolute bargain for PSG. "We had to have someone lined up to replace him straight away, but typical Newcastle, we didn't." Whatever happens during the summer, Pardew faces the task of trying to plug the gap left by Cabaye. His initial attempt to do that in last weekend's Tyne-Wear derby proved less than effective as Newcastle were trounced 3-0 by Sunderland to invite further recriminations after a dreadful week or so for the club, and Lee admits the manager has a problem on his hands. He said: "You look around and you think is there anybody there who can actually do that at the moment? I would say no. "It's a major rebuild for Newcastle in the summer, but it depends how much money you are given. For a major rebuild, you need to spend a lot of money. Will Mike Ashley give him that money to do that?" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 When I read some of the passion some of our ex players still have for "us," it pisses me off when I see some of the shite we've got at the club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wullie Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Rob Lee's the guest on the new TF podcast incidentally, which I think will be available later today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFEE Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Who was the rumoured buyers from last week?... Some hotel group?... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONTEMPI Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 When I read some of the passion some of our ex players still have for "us," it pisses me off when I see some of the shite we've got at the club. That's because one of greatest managers engrained it so deeply. Now we have this white flag waving chump, is it any surprise when it comes to the crunch, they hide under their shells as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jtm_92 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Who was the rumoured buyers from last week?... Some hotel group?... Sandman Hotel ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Who was the rumoured buyers from last week?... Some hotel group?... Sandman Hotel ? That would be apt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maze Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 What a fucking disgraceful piece of shit Mike Ashley. Please sell up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyn davies Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Who was the rumoured buyers from last week?... Some hotel group?... the group that own the old newcastle brewery office, 1st hotel in UK and bought the office as they like Newcastle United, was working there when place was being done up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NG32 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 http://www.themag.co.uk/the-mag-articles/mike-ashley-financial-acumen-proved-myth/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 When I read some of the passion some of our ex players still have for "us," it pisses me off when I see some of the shite we've got at the club. Rob Lee has raised a good point about players looking at us selling and not buying and the impact it will have on our squad this summer. He's right, what chance of us keeping Remy now? Assuming we ever had the intention that is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmojorisin75 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 When I read some of the passion some of our ex players still have for "us," it pisses me off when I see some of the shite we've got at the club. Rob Lee has raised a good point about players looking at us selling and not buying and the impact it will have on our squad this summer. He's right, what chance of us keeping Remy now? Assuming we ever had the intention that is. As I said in the Pardew thread, our case isn't helped by how little the management and coaching do for most of the players we sign. I suppose some people might still be subscribing to the idea the players aren't very good like, I prefer the sane option. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNUFC Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 When I read some of the passion some of our ex players still have for "us," it pisses me off when I see some of the s**** we've got at the club. Rob Lee has raised a good point about players looking at us selling and not buying and the impact it will have on our squad this summer. He's right, what chance of us keeping Remy now? Assuming we ever had the intention that is. As I said in the Pardew thread, our case isn't helped by how little the management and coaching do for most of the players we sign. I suppose some people might still be subscribing to the idea the players aren't very good like, I prefer the sane option. Even with a top manager i couldn't see us breaking top 6. I'd expect us to have a higher points tally, maybe somewhere around Everton's and challenge them a lot more but couldn't see us breaking the top 6 until Ashley really invests in the club. Pardew has us in the league roughly were the calibre of the players should be. He just makes it a massive struggle to get in this position when really we should be a comfortable top 8, not looking down to see how many points 10th place are on. Main problem is Ashley not willing to compete with the clubs higher than us in the transfer market and that makes the job even more difficult than it already is for any manager to break the top 6. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NG32 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 http://www.themag.co.uk/the-mag-articles/jfk-assassination-throws-contradictions/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Even with a top manager i couldn't see us breaking top 6. I'd expect us to have a higher points tally, maybe somewhere around Everton's and challenge them a lot more but couldn't see us breaking the top 6 until Ashley really invests in the club. Pardew has us in the league roughly were the calibre of the players should be. He just makes it a massive struggle to get in this position when really we should be a comfortable top 8, not looking down to see how many points 10th place are on. Main problem is Ashley not willing to compete with the clubs higher than us in the transfer market and that makes the job even more difficult than it already is for any manager to break the top 6. How much have Everton spent to get into the top 6? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Protests in the club shop shouting Ashley out Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewJerseyMag Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Even with a top manager i couldn't see us breaking top 6. I'd expect us to have a higher points tally, maybe somewhere around Everton's and challenge them a lot more but couldn't see us breaking the top 6 until Ashley really invests in the club. Pardew has us in the league roughly were the calibre of the players should be. He just makes it a massive struggle to get in this position when really we should be a comfortable top 8, not looking down to see how many points 10th place are on. Main problem is Ashley not willing to compete with the clubs higher than us in the transfer market and that makes the job even more difficult than it already is for any manager to break the top 6. How much have Everton spent to get into the top 6? Bugger all, but they haven't stripped the cupboard bare either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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