Mike Ashley (former owner) (still alive)

[Guest The Little Waster]

 

Supporters reacted yesterday to news of a possible deal.

 

Owen Shepherd, of Newcastle Fans TV, said: “When you look at the likes of Blackpool and Portsmouth there is always the possibility of someone coming in and being worse than Ashley. But it’s become heartbreaking. The club is in disarray and it’s all down to one man.

 

“When you see it’s the Crown Prince of Saudi the first thing you think of is the money and the potential it could bring.

 

“You don’t think about the human rights abuses but of course nobody wants to see that. It is a dark thing.

“We have so much potential at Newcastle though and I think it is a price worth paying. That money from Saudi Arabia could push us towards the Champions League and enable us to expand our stadium.

 

So yeah hes a bad man but who cares ? FFS

 

 

[Joe_F]

[Disco]

iron your takeover jeans lads

 

 

Those strides get me everytime

[Guest The Little Waster]

 

Takes us nicely to Tuesday ...

[The Bonk]

[jdckelly]

Reuben follows a fuck load of Tories too. Get in the fucking bin.

hardly the problematic part of this group

[Sean]

Just remember Edwards spent the summer basically laughing at the BZG link when we know for a fact it was a real thing as Ashley referenced it in his Martin Samuel PR stunt.

 

For all it has been "leaked" I'm not too sure it has been in the truest sense. This will have been talked about for months and it was only reported by WSJ yesterday when it became near completion (allegedly). As many have pointed out, WSJ wouldn't be publishing stuff as a favour to Ashley/Bishop or any of the other fun and games that go on. I think it's fair to assume the interest is legitimate, however that doesn't mean a deal will be done.

 

Also I understand the scepticism about this being news in January but realistically there are only two times to buy a club like ours - the summer and now. The summer is a relatively short period of time to get a deal through in time to then have a stab at building a squad (even changing manager too) so doing it now when we are looking like being safe makes sense for a buyer but also for Ashley. The value of the club should be fairly secure right now as we should stay up, any buyer can have everything in place well in time for the summer. We looked certainties for relegation in September/October sort of time and that has been the case for the past few years. So it really shouldn't be a surprise that these stories come out in January.

 

There have been rumblings, little snippets here and there, about potential deals for the club for a while now. Dickhead Keys, a couple of lines from Ornstein in The Athletic, that fella on ESPN I think it was - all saying a deal was being discussed. The NE press pack have always maintained people were in "the data room" or whatever you want to call it. The reality is none of them have a clue, they're all fishing about for 2nd hand information. A few of them yesterday came out with "well I'd heard some things..." but it's not like the Chronicle is short of column inches, there is some pure shite printed in there. It won't be one of that lot who break any news like this if and when it finally happens.

 

Fingers crossed this is the one, just don't get your hopes up when Ashley is involved.

 

How the fuck does Ashley saying something make it true? 

 

I don't even know where to start with the rest of that.

[Stifler]

Reuben follows a fuck load of Tories too. Get in the fucking bin.

His father and uncle are one of the largest property owners in the world, he’s not going follow Labour is he?

Staveley is a paid up Tory member as well for what it’s worth.

[Disco]

Reuben follows a fuck load of Tories too. Get in the fucking bin.

His father and uncle are one of the largest property owners in the world, he’s not going follow Labour is he?

Staveley is a paid up Tory member as well for what it’s worth.

 

You not spoken to her yet?

[Big Geordie]

Ashley will torpedo the ‘talks’ sometime this week, if not in early Feb. Which takes us past transfer deadline and possibly season ticket renewal time too.

 

We have been here before  - many times. He has no reason to sell. Nufc makes him too much money via exposure.

[Wilson]

Just remember Edwards spent the summer basically laughing at the BZG link when we know for a fact it was a real thing as Ashley referenced it in his Martin Samuel PR stunt.

 

For all it has been "leaked" I'm not too sure it has been in the truest sense. This will have been talked about for months and it was only reported by WSJ yesterday when it became near completion (allegedly). As many have pointed out, WSJ wouldn't be publishing stuff as a favour to Ashley/Bishop or any of the other fun and games that go on. I think it's fair to assume the interest is legitimate, however that doesn't mean a deal will be done.

 

Also I understand the scepticism about this being news in January but realistically there are only two times to buy a club like ours - the summer and now. The summer is a relatively short period of time to get a deal through in time to then have a stab at building a squad (even changing manager too) so doing it now when we are looking like being safe makes sense for a buyer but also for Ashley. The value of the club should be fairly secure right now as we should stay up, any buyer can have everything in place well in time for the summer. We looked certainties for relegation in September/October sort of time and that has been the case for the past few years. So it really shouldn't be a surprise that these stories come out in January.

 

There have been rumblings, little snippets here and there, about potential deals for the club for a while now. Dickhead Keys, a couple of lines from Ornstein in The Athletic, that fella on ESPN I think it was - all saying a deal was being discussed. The NE press pack have always maintained people were in "the data room" or whatever you want to call it. The reality is none of them have a clue, they're all fishing about for 2nd hand information. A few of them yesterday came out with "well I'd heard some things..." but it's not like the Chronicle is short of column inches, there is some pure shite printed in there. It won't be one of that lot who break any news like this if and when it finally happens.

 

Fingers crossed this is the one, just don't get your hopes up when Ashley is involved.

 

How the fuck does Ashley saying something make it true? 

 

I don't even know where to start with the rest of that.

 

Think it was quite obviously true that there was interest like, much the same as I've got no doubt there's interest now, and most of the other times it comes out.  It just doesn't pan out how we want in the end, which is where this is going.

 

Interest... Offer.... Fucked off. Rinse and repeat.

[TRon]

Saudis’ £340m bid for Newcastle United in the balance

 

Mike Ashley will spend the next 48 hours deciding whether to accept a £340 million offer for Newcastle United after the details of discussions with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund were leaked.

 

The British retail billionaire is understood to be angered by a report that appeared in The Wall Street Journal on Saturday, in which sources that claimed to have knowledge of the talks revealed that he had asked for two days to consider his options.

 

While some insiders insist a deal fronted by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has control of a Public Investment Fund that boasts assets of about £300 billion, could go through this week, The Times understands that the Saudis are similarly unhappy that their business is now public knowledge when they had managed to conduct negotiations secretly for months. It has apparently led to a weekend of accusations about who went to the media.

 

Amanda Staveley, the British financier who brokered the Abu Dhabi takeover at Manchester City, is said to have been central to the discussions but her involvement could yet prove a further stumbling block given her history with Ashley. Previous negotiations between Ashley and Staveley about a possible takeover ended in acrimony, with the Newcastle owner complaining publicly that she had wasted his time.

 

That, however, owed much to the fact that Staveley’s backers lacked the necessary funds. On this occasion, though, money is not a concern: the Saudi royal family’s total wealth amounts to around £1 trillion.

 

Staveley and her PCP private equity firm are also looking to take a stake in the club, with Staveley hoping to take a seat on the board should the deal go through.

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/saudis-340m-bid-for-newcastle-united-in-the-balance-9v8tb59m9

[TRon]

Why £340m Newcastle United deal adds up for Saudis

 

Given that he has spent more than £400 million on a yacht and £300 million on a chateau in France, Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia is unlikely to be deterred by the £340 million price tag that has been dangling from St James’ Park since October 2017.

 

The estimated wealth of the Saudi royal family is about £1 trillion, while it was only three years ago that it was announced that the Public Investment Fund, which will finance any takeover of Newcastle United, planned to increase its assets under management to £300 billion.

 

That fund is run by Yasir bin Othman al-Rumayyan, a 49-year-old business executive who is also chairman of Saudi Aramco, the oil company, and is said to be at the forefront of discussions.

 

Yesterday there was still some doubt as to whether the takeover of Newcastle would go through, not least because of anger and frustration on both sides that news of a possible deal was reported on Saturday by the Wall Street Journal, complete with the detail that the British financier Amanda Staveley is potentially involved in the deal.

 

So incensed is Newcastle’s owner, Mike Ashley, by her participation that he has apparently asked to be left alone for a couple of days while he considers whether he wants to proceed. Rumours had been circulating for some weeks. When The Times put news of a possible Saudi takeover to senior figures at St James’ Park this month, this newspaper was advised to file it away with the countless other ghost bids.

 

But sources in the Middle East continue to insist that a deal is close to being agreed, with Staveley and the British billionaire Reuben brothers expected to take a small stake — about 20 per cent — and seats on the board.

 

It is Staveley’s involvement that is causing many, Newcastle fans among them, to be cynical. She may have brokered the Abu Dhabi takeover of Manchester City but her previous discussions with Newcastle led Ashley to brand her a “tyre kicker”, or a time waster. Ashley was irritated when Staveley arrived unannounced at his favoured curry house, Paradise in Hampstead, in December 2017 during his regular Wednesday night out, and angered that she was photographed leaving. The timing and the media scrummage that followed annoyed him further.

 

Last night it was unclear whether Ashley’s view of Staveley had softened, while the question of why the Saudis need other investors to come up with 20 per cent of the cash has not been answered. Perhaps some British involvement could make a Saudi takeover more palatable given the country’s human rights record.

 

Sport, of course, is developing a knack for turning a blind eye to these issues in exchange for Saudi riches. And it is not just boxing, golf and Formula One. The Saudis already enjoy a presence in the Premier League via Saudi Telecom and its official partnership with Manchester United and Saudi Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad’s full control of Sheffield United.

 

The Saudis have made no secret of their desire to get involved in sport as part of its Vision 2030 global image project. They regard it as a rebranding exercise, something they hope will boost tourism, while the rest of the world calls it sportwashing.

 

In Newcastle there is unlikely to be too much opposition. The Evening Chronicle, Tyneside’s local newspaper, conducted an online poll on Saturday about whether supporters would have any objections because of the Saudi human rights record. The response was overwhelming with 80 per cent in favour of a takeover.

 

In part that can be put down to a level of fan indifference to the complex morality of owners, and also to the desire to rid the club of Ashley. The first home game, post Ashley, at a St James’ Park free of Sports Direct signs, would be a celebration.

 

Newcastle remain a big club in waiting, a fact identified by Prince Mohammed and advisers who also regard it as excellent value when clubs such as Manchester United and Chelsea would be valued at more than £3 billion.

 

Newcastle’s draw with Oxford United on Saturday means it is the first time the club will be in an FA Cup fifth-round draw since Ashley took control in 2007. The fact that a capacity crowd of 52,221 watched a fourth-round tie with a League One side shows the club’s potential — albeit the attendance was helped by a more affordable ticket pricing policy for cup games.

 

However, more than 5,000 season ticket-holders have boycotted the club because of Ashley. Indeed many sense the club have returned to their embryonic pre-Sir John Hall and Freddy Shepherd days, a club seeking direction and genuine ambition with a fed-up fan base unconvinced that twice breaking the transfer record last year points to a long-term strategy.

 

It is understood that there is no desire among the prospective buyers to make any immediate changes to the coaching staff. On Saturday Steve Bruce, the Newcastle manager, said the latest round of speculation would not alter his plans for the rest of the transfer window.

 

“I just ignore all of that [takeover talk], but it won’t affect anything we look to do this week, I’m confident of that,” he said.

 

That merely adds to the confusion, as does the club’s long-held insistence that it will not comment on any possible takeovers. They now have a weariness shared by supporters who have seen Staveley, Peter Kenyon and Sheikh Khaled all emerge as potential new owners in the past two years, without the financial clout to purchase the club that Ashley bought for £134 million.

 

The Saudis do have such clout. They could regenerate local areas in much the same way City’s owners have parts of Manchester and they could also invest in a football stadium, training ground and academy that have changed very little in the 13 years since Ashley took control.

 

The new owners may have to be mindful of financial fair play regulations but money really would be no object. Even the prince’s yacht can be rented at £5million a week.

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/why-340m-newcastle-united-deal-adds-up-for-saudis-r2pbkjcqn

 

 

 

 

[TRon]

So basically Ashley is still pushing the line that months of negotiations could be binned because someone leaked the story to the press. If he doesn't want to sell, why doesn't he just say it straight instead of wasting everyone's time?

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

If any of this is true, not sure I’d want Benitez back now as great as he’d be. I’d want a fresh start.

[Robster]

I think he genuinely gets off on pissing people around and having all the power in a deal involving other wealthy people.

Plus he gets to piss NUFC fans off yet again.

[TRon]

As bad as Ashley is he isn't executing people for blasphemy or being raped, he isn't chopping peoples heads off in embassies, he isn't killing kids in Yemen.

 

If you guys want to be a marketing tool for these psychopaths then that's up to you though. I bet it'll all be worth it when we win the Champions League.

What is a club, in any case?

 

Free advertising for a discount sports chain at the moment.

[TooonDoom]

those two articles conflict as to whether the two days thinking time was agreed before or after the leak. 

[TRon]

those two articles conflict as to whether the two days thinking time was agreed before or after the leak. 

 

They are doing a Luke Edwards and covering both bases it seems.

[Sima]

So basically Ashley is still pushing the line that months of negotiations could be binned because someone leaked the story to the press. If he doesn't want to sell, why doesn't he just say it straight instead of wasting everyone's time?

 

 

Because he enjoys it.

[FinnMag]

If those rumours are true, SD advertising rights in The SJ Park are one major stumbling block for the takeover.  Im pretty sure that Ashley wont sell, if the deal does not includes those rights...

[Guest]

[Guest]

[Guest]

It is believed that a £340millon deal is now a big possibility for United, but Ashley wants to be convinced that the bidding group can take the club on to the next level.

 

As opposed to Ashley of course?

[Guest chopey]

Has Rafa been linked yet ?