PIF, PCP, and RB Sports & Media

[OCK]

Stavely in the press saying they turned down Chelsea in the past. 

[Awaymag]

45 minutes ago, Rompe said:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/mar/03/premier-league-considers-adding-human-rights-to-new-owners-test

Interesting, but surely can't be retroactive so we should be off the hook

Doesnt matter as owner is PIF and not the Saudi State.   As has been said by PL and ourselves many times.

[Rompe]

3 minutes ago, Awaymag said:

Doesnt matter as owner is PIF and not the Saudi State.   As has been said by PL and ourselves many times.

Yeah, I mean that's what we're saying, but nobody actually believes that.

[Awaymag]

7 minutes ago, Rompe said:

Yeah, I mean that's what we're saying, but nobody actually believes that.

Its not what we believe that matters.  Its what PL and PIF have legally agreed to:

 

you can't in one instance have PL say they have legal clarifications of separation and that PIF are the owners to then have PL bring in new conditions and then say actually we believe the Saudi state own NUFC.    Any new rules can be run against existing Directors only and Saudi State is not a director of NUFC, the PIF chairman is.

 

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Awaymag

[Thiago]

I don't think I've felt quite as many contrasting emotions as watching Staveley talk. She'll say something very flattering about the club, then follow it up with that bad crack about Abramovich/Putin. 

 

This is who we're in bed with I guess. It would be pious to think owning our club will change how Saudi operate or what this chooses to be. 

[Hovagod]

Being honest, the morals of all of this were obviously always dubious at best. We made the deal, though- not many of us objected. So I’m just delighted at every comment they make that confirms their long term and exciting intentions clear.

[madras]

29 minutes ago, Thiago said:

I don't think I've felt quite as many contrasting emotions as watching Staveley talk. She'll say something very flattering about the club, then follow it up with that bad crack about Abramovich/Putin. 

 

This is who we're in bed with I guess. It would be pious to think owning our club will change how Saudi operate or what this chooses to be. 

Nah, it's not too hard to say she's 100% wrong on that.

[STM]

I like hearing from her but she and the other members of the consortium need to be smart about who they talk to.

 

It's fine doing an interview with a local journalist, who's interest is in football but if they think some capital hack is bothered about Newcastles future, they are mistaken.

[HaydnNUFC]

34 minutes ago, Thiago said:

I don't think I've felt quite as many contrasting emotions as watching Staveley talk. She'll say something very flattering about the club, then follow it up with that bad crack about Abramovich/Putin. 

 

This is who we're in bed with I guess. It would be pious to think owning our club will change how Saudi operate or what this chooses to be. 

 

Aye, hated that quote.

 

Been thinking about this ownership overall last few days tbh with the whole Ukraine and Abramovich stuff. I resent the amount of deflecting or defence rushing that some of our fanbase do. It proves sportswashing, but I don't actually think it's done with malicious intent tbh. This sounds daft but I'll elaborate;

 

I think our supporters have hated the Ashley years and perspective for over a decade now so much that they'll defend whatever the alternative was because Ashley was out. The celebrations outside SJP to me were because Ashley was out despite a minute amount holding the Saudi flag and wearing tea towels on their heads rather than celebrating being state owned by Saudi. It's like some kind of bizarre quasi fear has gripped some of our fans that Ashley could return or an Ashley lite could come along due to the spotlights on issues in KSA may render a tiny possibility that they could be forced out, especially given the absolute joke that the takeover process was.

 

I've just accepted it tbh, and move on. I utterly reject the notion that supporters should walk away from their club because of their owners, it's absolute virtue signalling nonsense put forward by people who will likely never have owners remotely similar in their clubs. But when someone says 'Jesus, MBS did this' or 'bloody hell, X happens in Saudi' I'd rather shoulders are shrugged and people just go 'yeah' rather than being like wHaT aBoUt UbEr AnD tWiTtEr YoU hYpOcRiTe or go on defences like it. 

[duo]

2 hours ago, Paully said:

 

Ha ha tremendous dig that!

Hopefully he doesn't call her bluff. I don't care how much he pays I don't want to see it anywhere near the stadium again 

[Hovagod]

4 minutes ago, duo said:

Hopefully he doesn't call her bluff. I don't care how much he pays I don't want to see it anywhere near the stadium again 

If he tries, they can just say, Nah thanks though 

[Thiago]

13 minutes ago, madras said:

Nah, it's not too hard to say she's 100% wrong on that.

I didn't say otherwise.

[Hovagod]

21 minutes ago, madras said:

Nah, it's not too hard to say she's 100% wrong on that.

What else could she say though? Agree that it’s disgusting, but this is what we have got into bed with. It would be obviously hypocritical of her to say anything else otherwise, and even equivocating would draw the obvious accusation.  

[jdckelly]

that statement on abramovich by her is a just plain stupid thing to say 

[Fantail Breeze]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/03/03/doubts-rise-roman-abramovichs-chelsea-asking-price-values-club

 

“Why the chance to buy Chelsea is an opportunity like no other - and the Saudis must be kicking themselves”

 

Saudi investment in Chelsea? Oh hello! Please come in

Saudi investment in Newcastle? Bunch of murderers.

[Guest HTT II]

PIF could have bought Chelsea a few years back, they obviously didn’t, despite being able to afford to, all they could add to the value of that club would be maybe max another 1bn, with NUFC you’re talking billions and it’s cheaper to buy and develop land in Newcastle…

[Wandy]

3 hours ago, Sima said:

All of these journalists are shitting themselves at a resurgent NUFC.

 

Fuck the lot of them.

 

Yep. And with Abramovich off the scene it might have just got easier for us to surge to the top. No wonder they are so rattled.

[xLiaaamx]

Staveley saying she's a big fan of Ashley is a bit much for me. Less of that please. 

[greydos]

1 minute ago, xLiaaamx said:

Staveley saying she's a big fan of Ashley is a bit much for me. Less of that please. 

Ashley Barnes? I hope it was Ashley Barnes

[Yorkie]

I like Staveley because she removed Ashley and has shown as much commitment to NUFC as any other individual over the last fourteen years. She also has our interests at heart even if even its wrapped in - for want of a better term - ulterior motives. For those reasons I believe she deserves at least some respect from any Newcastle fan, even one that would be vehemently against this takeover. 

 

I also appreciate her communication because it's a novelty and we've been so starved of any engagement from the club at all, that wasn't either laced with cynicism or delivered with an outright sneer. I don't think Staveley thinks I'm a total piece of shit but I stand to be corrected. 

 

However, once we have a CEO and Technical Director in place, I'm looking forward to them hopefully being less public-facing. Despite everything I've said above, they're not 'fooling me,' so to speak. PIF is clearly connected to the Saudi state in every meaningful sense, and the takeover is patently a sportswashing exercise. I can live without being insisted to that anything else is true. Not that I blame them for reinforcing that position; if they said otherwise then it would undermine the whole process of them securing the club in the first place. 

 

I suppose what I'm saying is I'd rather stick my fingers in my ears and avoid the constant reminders that we're owned by despicable individuals. Probably makes me a bad person but at least it would provide less opportunities for the tea-towel brigade to go into bat. 

[Miggys First Goal]

She revealed that her and Merhdad's official title is Interim Co-Chief Executive.

 

Wonder how long they'll actually be with the club once the infrastructure is complete.

[Tiresias]

4 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

I like Staveley because she removed Ashley and has shown as much commitment to NUFC as any other individual over the last fourteen years. She also has our interests at heart even if even its wrapped in - for want of a better term - ulterior motives. For those reasons I believe she deserves at least some respect from any Newcastle fan, even one that would be vehemently against this takeover. 

 

I also appreciate her communication because it's a novelty and we've been so starved of any engagement from the club at all, that wasn't either laced with cynicism or delivered with an outright sneer. I don't think Staveley thinks I'm a total piece of shit but I stand to be corrected. 

 

However, once we have a CEO and Technical Director in place, I'm looking forward to them hopefully being less public-facing. Despite everything I've said above, they're not 'fooling me,' so to speak. PIF is clearly connected to the Saudi state in every meaningful sense, and the takeover is patently a sportswashing exercise. I can live without being insisted to that anything else is true. Not that I blame them for reinforcing that position; if they said otherwise then it would undermine the whole process of them securing the club in the first place. 

 

I suppose what I'm saying is I'd rather stick my fingers in my ears and avoid the constant reminders that we're owned by despicable individuals. Probably makes me a bad person but at least it would provide less opportunities for the tea-towel brigade to go into bat. 

 

Basically this. Fans dont get to choose owners, unfortunately though. I am similar, it is a moral compromise, the sort almost everyone makes often when engaging the world day to day like buying things not knowing where bought. I think it is important to be reminded and to some extent remind others that Saudi Arabia are awful for a lot of reasons to counter any sport washing.

[Manxst]

3 minutes ago, Miggys First Goal said:

She revealed that her and Merhdad's official title is Interim Co-Chief Executive.

 

Wonder how long they'll actually be with the club once the infrastructure is complete.

Be with the club? They’re not exactly employees, given they’re also Co-owners. 

[Miggys First Goal]

Just now, Manxst said:

Be with the club? They’re not exactly employees, given they’re also Co-owners. 

 

I get that, but they're not exactly swimming in cash compared to PIF and RB. They might get bought out eventually.

[Manxst]

13 minutes ago, Miggys First Goal said:

 

I get that, but they're not exactly swimming in cash compared to PIF and RB. They might get bought out eventually.

Maybe, but who’s to say? I can’t see it being anytime soon. Im sure PIF will want a ‘Western’ presence in the club rather than put their own figureheads in to fill positions, and Reuben seems to prefer a background place. 
 

edit- plus, although they’ve purchased as a business transaction, I also feel that there is definitely an affinity and connection to the club/fans, and they won’t relinquish their 10% in a hurry as a result. 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Manxst