Various: Mike Ashley in talks with Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan

[Papavasiliou]

If a takeover did make us successful I wonder how the media will react. Will all of a sudden our fans be glory hunters? Will our success unlike Chelsea’s and Man City’s be bought? Or will they be kind by being honest and say, ‘You know what, they have always had a loyal following and they are doing no different than Man City and Chelsea are doing’.

 

I'd hapilly take all the stick the media can dish out, just as long as the referees start treating us like a Chelsea or City and we start seeing oposition players punished for once.

[STM]

Hate the club size debate. You can come at it from so many different angles.

 

All I will say is, go to the other side of the world and the chances are you will see foreigners and tourists in Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle and Chelsea shirts more than any other.

 

In the words of Ron Burgundy, we are kind of a big deal.

[Charlies]

More from Ryder:

How Newcastle United have been on Amanda Staveley and PCP Partners' radar for six months

 

www.chroniclelive.co.uk

 

Amanda Staveley and PCP Partners have had Newcastle United on their radar for six months.

 

Indeed with the group - led by Staveley - now valuing the Magpies at £300million following the early due diligence stages, they could now be close to making a formal offer after several months of doing their homework on United.

 

It first emerged that Mike Ashley was ready to sell back in June when rumours of Chinese investment broke in the football and business world.

 

However, since then interest from the Far East has faded and Staveley’s PCP Partners are now the frontrunners, with the club officially up for sale and Ashley even prepared to take staged payments to sell after 10 years at the helm.

 

But PCP Partners have been eyeing a Premier League club throughout 2017, before it became known Ashley was ready to sell, and Newcastle have always been a club they are understood to have admired due to the history and fanbase at St James’ Park.

 

Read More

 

As the story develops rapidly, the suggestion from the PCP Partners end is their interest in United is deadly serious and they are far from a flash in the pan.

 

Staveley has been linked with Liverpool in recent times, but the group of wealthy Middle East investors she is leading also know there is life outside the North West and that Newcastle has massive potential if the club is given the TLC it has been lacking in the eyes of supporters.

 

In the last 24 hours, reports from the Middle East suggest that Newcastle will have the same commercial model as Manchester City under Sheikh Mansour.

 

If Newcastle accept any forthcoming bid it is also expected that Rafa Benitez will get a competitive transfer kitty to spend in January.

 

Newcastle United Takeover

 

And if Benitez can continue the Magpies’ great start to the new campaign the mind boggles at what could be achieved if money was on the table to spend when the window opens again after Christmas.

 

However, deep breaths are needed at the moment.

 

So far the Magpies are yet to accept any bid from the parties that have signed non-disclosure agreements, but the only positive signs are coming from Staveley’s group.

 

Staveley was not at last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace but, as reported by the Chronicle, it was not an indication that interested had waned.

 

In fact, it was quite the opposite as a representative was in the crowd and a report was fed back to the group.

 

Also, and perhaps significantly, unlike previous takeover reports, there have been no denials from the corridors of power at Newcastle.

 

United are hardly chasing any potential bidders away, they are in fact encouraging them to come forward.

 

So it now looks set to come down to whether Ashley and the United board are receptive to a potential £300million offer.

 

If the proposal is an up-front payment it begs the question whether this would be seen as a good offer for the club, especially given part payments have been publicly declared as acceptable for the Magpies in recent weeks.

 

One thing both parties do agree on is that they want a sale completed by December.

 

It’s a developing story that continues to intrigue and excite the Newcastle supporters, and one that could have some distance to run yet.

 

   

[Crumpy Gunt]

Shay on Ashley;

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5022257/Newcastle-Mike-Ashley-hired-Joe-Kinnear-p-fans.html

 

I swear bling Given must have a book to sell?

[Zero]

I don't think the fat cunt would accept only 300M.

[Wilson]

He won't, but it's a good starting point. 

[54]

From Douglas:

 

Had an interesting lunch this week with a journalist from the National in Dubai (the source of the latest Staveley/PCP Partners takeover talk). The National was formerly owned by the Abu Dhabi royal family (through its Abu Dhabi Media arm) so their contacts in the Emirati business world are pretty much spot on. An important point: they would not be chasing this story if there wasn't some fairly sizeable interest from some big players in Newcastle United.

 

The £300m price tag PCP/Staveley have put on NUFC suggests there is work to be done on a price but the word from the Gulf is that there is confidence and belief that a deal can be done - as well as a real resolve to tap into the potential of Newcastle United. So far, so exciting for Newcastle fans.

 

What we don't know yet is: where the money for the bid is coming from (Staveley most likely doesn't have £600m disposable income - or the willingness to invest that kind of money in Newcastle) or quite where Mike Ashley's head is at with it.

 

Another point (and one I'll be expanding on in a piece over the weekend) the Premier League have rules and regulations surrounding takeovers. If any bid is imminent, the PL would have to be informed as they have several checks that need to happen (and can take weeks or even months to go through). So far, the Premier League haven't been contacted.

 

But feeling pretty confident that we're moving towards the situation where a Newcastle United takeover feels more likely than not before the New Year window.

[Charlies]

 

Interesting Ryder said they hadn't just rehashed that article & they had checked it out & the details were correct. Turns out (looks like) the source they were checking it with is the fucking jorno who wrote it

[Cclay]

I don't think the fat cunt would accept only 300M.

 

Perhaps he’ll suddenly have to go into hospital and PCP, exploiting the fact he’s on death’s door, will leaver him into accepting a shit deal... Hold on, no one could be that insensitive.

[Scoot]

Deluded geordie glory hunters, only turning up at games now to see a 4-3 defeat and boo southerners as they lift the trophy.

 

That'll be the new one. We only started going since we've started spending money.

[Wilson]

Where were we when we were shit?

[NG32]

Where were we when we were s***?

 

Bottom of the prem and top of the championship with Jack Colback a regular starter.

 

 

[Figures 1-0 Football]

If the glory hunters tag cannot be thrown at a club, it’s certainly us like

 

Aye, if we ever turned into Man City we’d get some new tag alongs joining us but it’d be embarrassing if people tried to claim that in 10 years time.

[Cronky]

I'm a bit wary of consortiums or managed funds, which is what we seem to be dealing with here. As we know, despite the money coming into football, it's difficult to turn a profit, because the money tends to get eaten up through the competitive costs of transfer fees and salaries. If you don't join in, you go down.

 

Chelsea, PSG and Man City have owners who are prepared to stick their own money in, regardless of the odds at getting a return, just for the prestige that success brings. I can't see whoever is behind Ms Staveley being up for that. They seem to be investors in the true sense ie they'll want some kind of return for their money, or at least won't be continually prepared to write off losses. If they're not going to get the individual ego rub that success brings, what's in it for them?

 

It looks like it's going ahead, and perhaps they'll be in a position to take more financial risks than Ashley. But let's not forget that for every Sheikh Mansour or Abramovic, there's several other foreign owners who get disillusioned after a couple of seasons and stop writing the cheques.

 

[Teasy]

You've got no idea who's behind it so how can you come to any conclusion at all about their motives?

 

Also even if they don't throw money at us, all it takes is for them to not be utter cunts and run the club well on its own money and we can do far better than we do now.  Ashley's problem isn't a aversion to risk, in fact he takes too many risks which so far have cost the club tens of millions (losses from relegations he caused by taking risks and terrible decision making).  Tens of millions that could have been spent on pushing the club forward and building on its potential.

[54]

I'm a bit wary of consortiums or managed funds, which is what we seem to be dealing with here. As we know, despite the money coming into football, it's difficult to turn a profit, because the money tends to get eaten up through the competitive costs of transfer fees and salaries. If you don't join in, you go down.

 

Chelsea, PSG and Man City have owners who are prepared to stick their own money in, regardless of the odds at getting a return, just for the prestige that success brings. I can't see whoever is behind Ms Staveley being up for that. They seem to be investors in the true sense ie they'll want some kind of return for their money, or at least won't be continually prepared to write off losses. If they're not going to get the individual ego rub that success brings, what's in it for them?

 

It looks like it's going ahead, and perhaps they'll be in a position to take more financial risks than Ashley. But let's not forget that for every Sheikh Mansour or Abramovic, there's several other foreign owners who get disillusioned after a couple of seasons and stop writing the cheques.

 

Unless I've missed something, there doesn't seem to be any indication that it'll be the case.

[Interpolic]

It's Cronky, his ideal scenario will be 10 more years of Ashley.

[Dave]

There's plenty enough evidence at this point to show that making a substantial return from simply owning a top flight football club isn't particularly easy. One would hope that any potential buyer is aware of this. They could ask the current owner for a start.

[Interpolic]

They'd have to be totally fucking stupid not to know that. Like the current owner.

[Jimburst]

Aye, football teams are rich men's playthings. It's not a way to make cash, although it is a great advertising vehicle.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Its near impossible to make money from a football club as an ongoing business. That's not to say a club needs to be in dire straights financially to operate because even Ashley has shown a club can kind of be self sufficient. If we are to kick on though, huge investment is needed because every level of the club has been neglected since Ashley took over.

[Fenham Mag]

Aye, football teams are rich men's playthings. It's not a way to make cash, although it is a great advertising vehicle.

 

Ashley's done both tbf to the fat fucking cunt.

[Jimburst]

Aye, I suppose I should have added the caveat 'without bleeding it dry like a fat cunt'

[Nobody]

Better the devil you know.

[James]

They will want something though.

 

It could just be an ego-football manager thing. Or they could just want a successful football club to raise their profile. That is all promising for as long as PCP don't get bored.

 

They may want to use the club as a corporate vehicle e.g. give away x% of seats to VIPs. That may cause some problems for fans

 

It is not impossible to churn out a profit with the TV deal. It could also be argued that more money could be generated via sponsorship and significantly increased ticket prices. This could still be run less frugal than Ashley but still as a business.

 

I don't think any owner will buy a club thinking they won't compete, but reality may eventually sink in.

 

We don't really know how things will turn out let's just enjoy the ride.