PIF and RB Sports & Media

[Hovagod]

Wish they would fuck off to be honest. Don’t care what they’re supposed to be doing for us- it’s a shit price to pay. 

[Whitley mag]

We’ll be fine a lot of growth in value for them to exploit in us yet they’re going nowhere happily.

[Nucasol]

12 minutes ago, cubaricho said:

 

Looks like there's talk of the PGA and LIV re-merging too so this sounds about right.

The golf was an embarrassing vanity project. They were paying more for a single golfer than they were for a football club that has appreciated three fold in value in three years. 

[Stifler]

14 minutes ago, Hovagod said:

Wish they would fuck off to be honest. Don’t care what they’re supposed to be doing for us- it’s a shit price to pay. 

I don’t, I’m happy taking their money.

London has received money from every fucking corner of the globe, Abu Dhabi have investment in Manchester. If the North East relies on Saudi money, then so be it.

I’m not just talking about NUFC. My favourite hobby/interest is a beneficiary, but they are already investing elsewhere into our economy. The North East is too far behind now to start questioning where money is coming from. It needs investment, people need jobs.

[macphisto]

Surely PIF should be the top thread? Big questions have to be asked about the direction of the club? We claim to want to be number one and yet all the evidence is saying otherwise now. 

 

Infrastructure: No movement on new training ground or stadium. They've had all of this time plus the time it took for the deal to buy the club to go through. Newcastle is a small city, not difficult to have at least found a location for the new training ground. No FFP considerations holding them back. 

 

Income: There are significant revenue streams that they haven't exploited to get more money into the club even accounting for related-party transactions. Compare to Chelsea exploiting every loophole and their revenue is already much greater than what our revenue is. I'm not saying we should be like Chelsea but PIF could have found ways to put much more money into the club within the current rules. 

 

This transfer window. Like under Ashley, the owner drives the club. Do you really think that if PIF wanted to make the club number one that they'd let Mitchell or Howe dictate our transfer policy like this where we've signed no one and it's arguable that the squad is weaker? Wouldn't happen.  If money is so tight that we could only buy a CB then they could have got a Saudi club to buy a player for more FFP room as a last resort to boost funds. 

 

You can make valid  arguments against each area but when looked at as a whole then it speaks volumes. This window reflects a change of priorities for PIF, maybe the Saudi League or World Cup are now their main priorities in regards to football.

 

Going forward, I expect we'll be a well run club bouncing between mid-table and the lower European places; nothing like what we all envisaged when PIF took over. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2024 by macphisto

[Abacus]

There were various rumours that any big deals needed to be signed off by PIF. In that respect, if that was ever true, I wonder if it leads us to being less agile and slow paced in decision making, such as in this transfer window.

 

Amanda seemed to have a hotline to PIF to keep their attention and was a good bridge between all other camps within the club as well, so maybe losing her is a bit more of a blow than we thought. Just putting an alternate theory out is all.

[TBG]

1 hour ago, macphisto said:

Newcastle is a small city, not difficult to have at least found a location for the new training ground. No FFP considerations holding them back. 

 

But surely that is an issue then?

 

If Newcastle is a small city, then surely there isn't a lot of open land for sale?

 

It's easy saying just move to Leazes Park or Castle Leazes, but that requires their owners wanting to sell the land.

 

Yes we're the "richest" club in the world, but it doesn't mean we can always get what we want.

 

The quicker some fans get that, the better

 

[Chapo]

The blatant disregard for human rights I can look past but not signing a RW is unforgivable. 

[Whitley mag]

39 minutes ago, Abacus said:

There were various rumours that any big deals needed to be signed off by PIF. In that respect, if that was ever true, I wonder if it leads us to being less agile and slow paced in decision making, such as in this transfer window.

 

Amanda seemed to have a hotline to PIF to keep their attention and was a good bridge between all other camps within the club as well, so maybe losing her is a bit more of a blow than we thought. Just putting an alternate theory out is all.

In the aftermath of their departure it was reported that Amanda found the process slow and struggled with it.

[TheBrownBottle]

2 hours ago, TBG said:

 

But surely that is an issue then?

 

If Newcastle is a small city, then surely there isn't a lot of open land for sale?

 

It's easy saying just move to Leazes Park or Castle Leazes, but that requires their owners wanting to sell the land.

 

Yes we're the "richest" club in the world, but it doesn't mean we can always get what we want.

 

The quicker some fans get that, the better

 

The financial constraints imposed by the PL has no bearing on training facilities - they’re ‘FFP neutral’.  So they could’ve thrown money at the problem - which, in terms of finding land to build on, absolutely resolves the issue.

 

Three years in and there doesn’t seem to be anything on the horizon.  Odd that.  

[Jewel]

We’ve gone from the world’s poorest billionaire (Mike Ashley) to the world’s poorest trillionaires (PIF).

 

It can only happen to us.

[duo]

Where's the CL/Adidas money? 🤔

[Fezzle]

Just now, duo said:

Where's the CL/Adidas money? 🤔

Please don't start people off on that road again ha

[timeEd32]

10 minutes ago, duo said:

Where's the CL/Adidas money? 🤔

 

Amanda took it to pay off her legal fees and fund her Tottenham investment.

[duo]

Got ya

[TheBrownBottle]

22 minutes ago, duo said:

Where's the CL/Adidas money? 🤔

CL money was last season; adidas only kicked in this season - they effectively balance each other out, so in real terms our income hasn’t increased from last season to this season 

 

edit: don’t forget we needed Minteh and Anderson sales to balance the FFP books last season. 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2024 by TheBrownBottle

[Miggys First Goal]

When was the last time Yasir was at one of our games?

[et tu brute]

7 minutes ago, Miggys First Goal said:

When was the last time Yasir was at one of our games?

Last home game v Brighton 

[macphisto]

Am I reading these figures correctly? 

Saudi League 23/24 

Transfer expenses:
€977,388,774

Expenditures per club:
€54,299,376

 

Saudi League 24/25

Transfer expenses:
€255,847,028

Expenditures per club:
€14,213,724

 

I know the league received large investment as a startup, but I wonder if the reduction in investment above and our summer window are a sign of PIF pulling back on their investment in football? Maybe moving the funds to the World Cup?

 

Worth noting that the Saudi government are cutting costs in general across the board. 

[Ben]

This window has been the first real downer of their ownership, it will be interesting what happens over the next few weeks 

[High Five o]

2 hours ago, macphisto said:

Am I reading these figures correctly? 

Saudi League 23/24 

Transfer expenses:
€977,388,774

Expenditures per club:
€54,299,376

 

Saudi League 24/25

Transfer expenses:
€255,847,028

Expenditures per club:
€14,213,724

 

I know the league received large investment as a startup, but I wonder if the reduction in investment above and our summer window are a sign of PIF pulling back on their investment in football? Maybe moving the funds to the World Cup?

 

Worth noting that the Saudi government are cutting costs in general across the board. 

If you try to link this to Newcastle you need to align with PSR. We have by all means bid £65m for a CB and I assume that is what our limit is in regards to PSR.

[Elric]

I know he was hardly gonna come out and say "we're looking to consolidate being an upper mid-table club", but Al-Rumayyan's "number one" speech looks more and more daft with every passing window tbh

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, Elric said:

I know he was hardly gonna come out and say "we're looking to consolidate being an upper mid-table club", but Al-Rumayyan's "number one" speech looks more and more daft with every passing window tbh

Everyone loved when he said, rightfully so and myself included. It’s just a shame we haven’t backed up his words with actions to warrant the lofty ambitions. 
 

People keep moaning about the fans being unhappy but it’s the ownership who’ve raised expectations to where they are. 

[Jonas]

Al-Rumayyan I dont think factored in PSR/FFP. In those days it was still in the form of a threat and I don't think even those of us that knew more about it thought it would be so hobbling and all-reaching to where building slowly and steadily, as we were, isn't even allowed.

There's nothing they can do about it unless the rules change. Doesn't matter how ambitious they are, were on the bubble of how ambitious were allowed to be.

[r0cafella]

Just now, Jonas said:

Al-Rumayyan I dont think factored in PSR/FFP. In those days it was still in the form of a threat and I don't think even those of us that knew more about it thought it would be so hobbling and all-reaching to where building slowly and steadily, as we were, isn't even allowed.

There's nothing they can do about it unless the rules change. Doesn't matter how ambitious they are, were on the bubble of how ambitious were allowed to be.

Maybe, maybe not we will know for certain either way. If it was a factor I’d expect some form of pivot in regards to strategy or the goal was the same kind. Of the goal posts are shifted and your ambitions remain surely you have to change something to achieve your aims? Or have the goals changed and the plan is muddle along and see where that gets us? I doubt it as that isn’t even a viable plan

 

I guess what I’m getting at is, what is the plan to be number one? How do we plan on reaching that lofty goal?