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Spend big now or clear the debt first?


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No need to spend big at the moment tbh, £10m on a couple of decent defenders and a replacement for Dyer if he goes and we'll be a good side.

 

If MA is happy to give Allardyce big funds then yeah, fantastic. But we've good depth and quality up front and in the middle, which are the positions where you geenrally have to spend bigger.

 

A small investment is all that's needed, and I'll be mighty sickened if we start the season still threadbare at the back as it's not gonna cost a lot to make us solid there.

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Guest MaetihS

Man City are seeming to strengthen their squad such that it will be better than ours. The signings of Fernandes and etc as well as the reported imminent ones such as Bojinov and that young croatia defender really sickens me or rather make me envious. If we really do not sign anyone soon, this season is really gonna be a hard and long one.

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Man City are seeming to strengthen their squad such that it will be better than ours. The signings of Fernandes and etc as well as the reported imminent ones such as Bojinov and that young croatia defender really sickens me or rather make me envious. If we really do not sign anyone soon, this season is really gonna be a hard and long one.

 

The difference between us and Man City is their squad was fucking awful to start with, they only had 3 quality players and 2 of them left in the summer.

 

We need a few better defenders, that's about it for now.

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We dont really need to spend that big anyway. If we brought in three more player (2 defenders and a midfielder) i'd be quite happy to start the season. As Baggio says, i prefer our squad to Pompey's, Man City's and West Ham's. If we didnt have the strikers we have then there may be a case for £25m player but we are fairly sorted up front.

 

Our squad is far better than any of there's IMHO, our problem is we're light on numbers and short at the back.

 

Now Allardyce has said he wants big defenders mainly to stop us conceeding at set pieces, players like this don't cost a fortune usually unless you're talking about the genuine top class defenders who wouldn't join us anyway, a solid left back and 2 centre backs would transform our season and could be the difference between Europe and the lower half of the table.

 

he'll get them too IMO.

 

Why the change, may I ask?

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We dont really need to spend that big anyway. If we brought in three more player (2 defenders and a midfielder) i'd be quite happy to start the season. As Baggio says, i prefer our squad to Pompey's, Man City's and West Ham's. If we didnt have the strikers we have then there may be a case for £25m player but we are fairly sorted up front.

 

Our squad is far better than any of there's IMHO, our problem is we're light on numbers and short at the back.

 

Now Allardyce has said he wants big defenders mainly to stop us conceeding at set pieces, players like this don't cost a fortune usually unless you're talking about the genuine top class defenders who wouldn't join us anyway, a solid left back and 2 centre backs would transform our season and could be the difference between Europe and the lower half of the table.

 

he'll get them too IMO.

 

Why the change, may I ask?

 

I'm in a better mood today.

 

BTW I've always said we've got a good squad apart from a few defenders.

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I thought howaythetoon must have crashed! :razz: :D

 

Why's that?

 

Just taking the piss out of someone else's comment on here the other day, something about how you have changed since you started using that bored.

 

:blush:

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I thought howaythetoon must have crashed! :razz: :D

 

Why's that?

 

Just taking the piss out of someone else's comment on here the other day, something about how you have changed since you started using that bored.

 

:blush:

 

Ironic.

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NUFC has to operate on the red Queen theory - you have to run as fast as you can to stay in the same place.  Therefore, if he wants to make money out of NUFC, by all means attack the debt, but in modest and continuous way, but maintain the product on the pitch.  He knows the only way to make a profit or make NUFC attractive, is to be attractive on the park.

 

That means a reasonable outlay for players, to sustain any progress in the league. Doesnt have to be Hollywood signings and it doesnt need to be either/or.  We wont look attractive to potential purchasers, or even attractive to the fans if we are looking over our shoulders by Xmas, for the sake of some prudent signings.

 

 

How about have a larf with £1billion of fat Ashley's money before he realises?

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/08/02/sfnbon102.xml

 

Mike Ashley's promise swayed Newcastle

By David Bond

 

Mike Ashley's £134 million takeover of Newcastle United was only recommended by the club's previous board after he promised to invest some of his £1 billion-plus fortune in the team.

 

 

Rising tensions: Sam Allardyce is becoming increasingly frustrated

According to documents detailing Ashley's bid for the club, former chairman Freddy Shepherd, who left St James' Park last week with a £1 million pay off, only backed Ashley's bid after he was convinced that the controversial Sports Direct tycoon offered "the best possible opportunity for the club to flourish in the future".

 

However, tensions have been rising between Ashley and manager Sam Allardyce in recent days over his lack of investment in the squad. Despite spending £8.5 million on David Rozehnal and Joey Barton, the sale of Scott Parker to West Ham for £7 million means Newcastle's net spending so far this summer is just £1.5 million.

 

Allardyce held clear-the-air talks with new chairman Chris Mort, a corporate lawyer from City firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, on Monday but remains frustrated at Ashley's failure to make serious funds available.

 

On June 7, in a letter to shareholders, recommending the offer of 101 pence per share, Shepherd wrote: "The Newcastle United board believes that a critical factor in improving the performance of the club on the pitch is Newcastle's ability to invest in its player squad.

 

"The company's publicly listed status has placed certain constraints on its ability to invest in players, notwithstanding the fact that over the last five years the company has spent approximately £104m on player acquisitions.

 

"This has become more acute in recent years as football clubs have significantly increased the amount they are able to invest in their squads, with a resulting escalation in the level of transfer fees being paid for players, and in particular highly rated players.

 

"The offer from SJHL [st James Holding Ltd, the company set up by Ashley to acquire Newcastle] is at a level which fully reflects both the performance of Newcastle United and its prospects and ambitions for the future, and the board believes SJHL and Mike Ashley will be excellent custodians of Newcastle United's heritage and will provide the best possible opportunity for the club to flourish in the future."

 

Tellingly, however, there is no specific reference anywhere in the 52-page offer document to the amounts of money Ashley was prepared to spend on new players.

 

It only says: "Mike Ashley has funds to make available, through SJHL, for investment in Newcastle. However, before finalising the amount he is willing to invest, Mike Ashley will want to undertake a thorough strategic review, including its existing infrastructure, contractual arrangements, playing staff and financial position."

 

Following that review, carried out by Mort, Ashley has decided to make refinancing the club's £80 million of debts a priority. "The debt's too high and it's something we'll look to address quickly," Mort said.

 

Newcastle took out a 15-year, £55 million bond in 2001, securitised against ticket sales, which incurs a 7.43 per cent annual interest charge. On top of that, there is another £25 million of short-term debt, the majority of which is player related.

 

But Ashley should not have been surprised by the level of debt at Newcastle as a cursory glance at the most recent set of accounts, for the six months to the end of December 2006, would have showed him that Newcastle had net debts of £77 million.

 

Yet, sources have told Inside Sport that Ashley did little, if any, due diligence on the club's accounts before he launched his offer.

 

That is partly explained by the way Ashley agreed to buy the 41.6 per cent of the club from former chairman Sir John Hall and his son and former director Douglas for £55 million on May 23.

 

Didnt look at revenues or debt then?

 

 

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I see Sven has spent nearly £40m on unknown players since being appointed manager by the bent Korean. Would the Ashley knockers please stand up and be counted at this stage? Prefer Man City's approach or ours?

 

 

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Game of dare for a £200k debt?

 

Takeover in an afternoon anyone?

 

Didn't SJH say he was talking to Ashley's people for days?

 

Literally seconds is what i heard.

 

I was wrong, all done the same day without due diligence, he did express an interest a few months earlier though and another article suggests he was buying shares since February.

 

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/0200sport/sport/tm_method=full%26objectid=19214438%26siteid=50081-name_page.html

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Game of dare for a £200k debt?

 

Takeover in an afternoon anyone?

 

Didn't SJH say he was talking to Ashley's people for days?

 

Literally seconds is what i heard.

 

I was wrong, all done the same day without due diligence, he did express an interest a few months earlier though and another article suggests he was buying shares since February.

 

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/0200sport/sport/tm_method=full%26objectid=19214438%26siteid=50081-name_page.html

 

I'm sure he was, my opinion of Sir John is not that high though, i was in the pub tonight with someone who claims to have given Sir John his first job in surveying 'above ground', as in not down the mines and he was as cynical as you like about him. 

 

The Halls wanted out for ages, they obviously found someone willing to take on the risks with Ashley and got rid.

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