Chrons Lee Ryder on NUSC

[Christmas Tree 4669]

When a respected observer of all things Newcastle United contacted me back in September to notify the Evening Chronicle of the formation of NUSC I was delighted to hear that finally Newcastle United fans would have a positive voice.

 

Gone would be the days of the muppets in tracky bottoms at Gallowgate being whipped into a frenzy by the Sky TV cameras so that the rest of the nation could not tar the rest of us Geordies with the same brush.

 

Instead it would be the group preparing statements that reflected the views of members and somebody who could reflect that to the right people.

 

Sadly that hasn't turned out to be the case with many of the 50,000 fans who turn up at St James's Park not opting to sign up to the group.

 

And the ones that are in the group prepared to spout out half formed thoughts on behalf of other members who may not agree with what they have to say.

 

 

The idea of NUSC is fantastic and it's extremely healthy to have a voice for the fans who can challenge the powers that be at St James's Park for positive changes in the future.

 

In my humble opinion as a fan who has several family members who hold season tickets and are deeply concerned about the club's future, NUSC is a fantastic idea that can work given the right leadership and representation.

 

Am I a member? No. Could I persuaded like thousands of others who also aren't?

 

Quite possibly.

 

Sitting back and doing nothing is not a positive option but, speaking as a Toon fan, observer and in this case not a journalist, after a recent Supporters Panel Meeting all representatives of NUSC on that night have achieved is making the group look like unorganised chaos by arguing like children.

 

Pressing Derek Llambias for answers was one thing but trying to talk over the guy when he wasn't spouting the answers we all want to hear was just pointless and didn't do anybody any favours - at the end of the day no matter what people ask Llambias or in the future Mike Ashley, they will defend their own actions on the whole.

 

The main culprit being Michael Teasdale who has nominated himself as an unofficial spokesman of Toon fans under the banner of NUSC and made himself heard on the night.

 

Teasdale is believed to have drafted a report of how a Supporters Panel Meeting supposedly unfolded at St James's Park, a report that has been ridiculed by fans on popular fan website www.newcastle-online.org.

 

While some of the comments from Llambias were on the whole accurate, there was an incredible amount of spin on just how the meeting turned out.

 

The questions posed did not take things on any further and only turned into a heated discussion because the tone from the floor wasn't diplomatic.

 

For starters, Llambias certainly wasn't flanked by local journalists on the way into the meeting. Utter garbage and utter lies.

 

I was too busy chatting to two more realistic Toon fans who later failed to get in their questions because Teasdale was more intent on letting the whole room hear his voice even though all that was coming out of his mouth was hot air.

 

Certainly in my three decades of following the Toon, especially on away buses like Keith Barrett's Toon Travel and the Monkseaton Mags coach ran by Simon (aka Guru) I didn't see Teasdale cracking the beers open at 6am in the morning on the way to places like Tranmere, Grimsby and any other far flung outpost that have been clocked up by other supporters' groups and coach services down the years, before the days of the internet and mobile phones.

 

An as far as invited journalists nodding in agreement with Llambias, I use this Blog as my right to reply.

 

And I can state this is again another inaccurate statement that holds no substance simply malicious lies, which poses the question do NUSC know that one member is publishing libelous material that isn't getting them anywhere?

 

And as far as NUSC is concerned, is a member arguing with journalists at a rare meeting with Llambias only eating into time that was wasted for others who failed to ask the questions they wanted to ask?

 

The Chronicle and the Journal turned up to report the meeting and did so to the best of their ability within the contraints of media law - unlike Teasdale's inaccurate account of what happened on the night.

 

Teasdale was later revelling in his new found "fame" and excitedly told the Journal: "His (Derek Llambias) explanations were fair enough."

 

Here is a transcript of how the Chron reported the meeting.

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-...72703-23007850/

 

And the Journal went with...

 

http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-ne...61634-23004127/

 

Surely using the local press as a vehicle to get the views of NUSC across to 250,000 readers per day has to be an positive option?

 

The report about the meeting which 23 people attended, is available on www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,60517.0.html and has sparked some interesting poinst discussed by its forum members.

 

The NUSC group needs to stick together because with the team in grave danger of going down, fans are going to need a proper voice because even if the team stays up, there are tough days ahead.

[peasepud 59]

And so it begins

[Guest alex]

Someone's not telling the truth.

[NJS 4355]

So the biggest crime is to tell itsy-bitsy lies about Llambias' new lickspitel journalists.

[Christmas Tree 4669]

My two penneth.

 

Putting personalities (who I dont know) to one side, quite a bit of what he says echos what a lot of Newcastle fans have said this week.

 

I would advise adding this to the learning curve and moving on.

[Douggy B 0]

The NUSC is a relatively new concept so it will have teething problems.

 

Having experience of the THST, I believe to be taken seriously by the club, it has to behave in a manner similar to the board of a company. Questions for the club should be arranged in advance and asked in a level headed manner by one or two "top members" of the NUSC. These top members should be voted for by members of the NUSC.

 

At the end of the meeting you can open up the floor but for organisers to act in a threatening / aloof manner towards a club official (who lets face it is doing them a favour by turning up) is pathetic.

 

It may be even worth submitting questions for review by the club before they are asked.

 

That way more of the NUSCs ideas will be taken on board.

Edited March 4, 2009 by Danny B

[Christmas Tree 4669]

My two penneth.

 

Putting personalities (who I dont know) to one side, quite a bit of what he says echos what a lot of Newcastle fans have said this week.

 

I would advise adding this to the learning curve and moving on.

 

 

 

Not that I think this will happen, if anything it will lead to the internal battle that will decide whether dimplomacy can prevail allowing a supporters club to flourish.

[Asprilla 96]

On the plus side, NUSC is getting talked about. That takes some doing.

 

Now it needs to learn how to not shoot itself in the foot.

[Happy Face 29]

For someone so keen on reporting the truth without spin, it seems odd to say...

 

"a report that has been ridiculed by fans on popular fan website www.newcastle-online.org."

 

When there's plenty of fans arguing with those doing the ridiculing.

 

It'd be nice to see a piece arguing against the points made in the report rather than a character assassination on the man who wrote it. The one thing he refutes from the report is that Llambias arrived with the journalists. That's not really a concern of mine with regards to the goings on at NUFC. If the football side is propaganda, the holes can be picked out of it surely. It'd be a story I'd like to read.

[Guest alex]

So the biggest crime is to tell itsy-bitsy lies about Llambias' new lickspitel journalists.

No, telling the truth about him.

[Christmas Tree 4669]

Hopefully the new PR guy will set up a meeting with the locals to talk about the positive side of NUSC and their wishes for the club both now and going forward. A war of words with the chron would be silly.

[peasepud 59]

Ive got no problem with the questioning around the tone of the article Michael put out, on reflection I think the criticisms are fair but over the top, this however is a disgrace and an attempt to take the heat away from any of the numerously shocking things said by Llambias. On reflection if we'd picked those out and posted them alone then it would have been beneficial. What it wouldnt have done though was give those of us not lucky enough to attend an insight into just how odiously DL went about his business. The level of abuse from a Managing Director of this club towards members of the panel purely because of their affiliation with the NUSC was staggering.

 

However, a local reporter who was at the same meeting not reporting these things and instead using the space to dig at another there is nothing short of a waste of Thompson House's money. They may as well have sent a junior and told him to watch what the others there do.

 

Where is the hard hitting journalism Lee?

Why arent you questioning our Managing Directors total lack of understanding or sense in some of his answers?

Why arent you seriously worried and passing this information onto the fans you purport to be one of and care for? Others do, read anything from the two proper journalists that turned upto the NUSC meeting with you and you'll see how to do your job.

 

Still, at least you'll get your reward from Derek in the form of the odd snippet of information that you can put out as an exclusive.

 

[Ketsbaia 0]

Lee Ryder is the new Anal.

[Big Onion 0]

Ryder has gone right down in my estimation for that. Astonishingly vindictive in tone and far more extreme than anything in the NUSC email. Wanker

 

The club are getting Thomson House very much onside now, I'm convinced of it.

[Guest Stevie]

The Chronicle and the Journal turned up to report the meeting and did so to the best of their ability within the contraints of media law - unlike Teasdale's inaccurate account of what happened on the night.

 

Teasdale was later revelling in his new found "fame" and excitedly told the Journal: "His (Derek Llambias) explanations were fair enough."

Ryder has made this Teasdale bloke look a right nobhead in this article.

[peasepud 59]

Tell you what.... there'll be some messy duvets out there today.

 

Slags off NUSC and mentions N-O in the same story, sales of kleenex and Daz will hit the roof.

[Ketsbaia 0]

Worst of all is that he describes the comments in the NUSC from DL as 'on the whole accurate'. If that's the case then why, as a journalist who is meant to have some form of integrity, didn't he pick up on them and report them. Some of Disco Dekka's comments are very worrying yet he decided to toe the party line and leave them unreported.

[Guest Stevie]

Tell you what.... there'll be some messy duvets out there today.

 

Slags off NUSC and mentions N-O in the same story, sales of kleenex and Daz will hit the roof.

I can hear the cotton shuffling noises from Leeds to Hertfordshire.

[Asprilla 96]

Ryder has gone right down in my estimation for that. Astonishingly vindictive in tone and far more extreme than anything in the NUSC email. Wanker

 

The club are getting Thomson House very much onside now, I'm convinced of it.

 

That's how the game works.

 

If NUSC wants to survive, it will realise that and get tactical.

[Big Onion 0]

Ryder has gone right down in my estimation for that. Astonishingly vindictive in tone and far more extreme than anything in the NUSC email. Wanker

 

The club are getting Thomson House very much onside now, I'm convinced of it.

 

That's how the game works.

 

If NUSC wants to survive, it will realise that and get tactical.

 

You're right of course. Reading stuff like that still boils my piss though.

[Douggy B 0]

Ryder has gone right down in my estimation for that. Astonishingly vindictive in tone and far more extreme than anything in the NUSC email. Wanker

 

The club are getting Thomson House very much onside now, I'm convinced of it.

 

That's how the game works.

 

If NUSC wants to survive, it will realise that and get tactical.

 

Exactly, it needs to get onside with the club because the local media will always side with the club when push comes to shove.

[David Kelly 1217]

It's a poorly written piece on the back of a poorly written email. The worrying thing is that the way both were done only deflects attention away from the extremely worrying shit that Labia came out with.

[Asprilla 96]

Ryder has gone right down in my estimation for that. Astonishingly vindictive in tone and far more extreme than anything in the NUSC email. Wanker

 

The club are getting Thomson House very much onside now, I'm convinced of it.

 

That's how the game works.

 

If NUSC wants to survive, it will realise that and get tactical.

 

You're right of course. Reading stuff like that still boils my piss though.

I know it does, and rightly so.

 

The media has to be courted though, make enemies there and you can forget about reaching the people you need to reach.

[snakehips 0]

And people wonder why I don't buy the rag.

 

Something about this article is just not right. He's attacking Teasdale, rather than NUSC. To mention the debate on N-O (or any chat room ftm) seems very, very strange imo.

 

Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice said.

 

He's probably been warned about future access to SJP, if he doesn't tow the line.

[Asprilla 96]

It's a poorly written piece on the back of a poorly written email. The worrying thing is that the way both were done only deflects attention away from the extremely worrying shit that Labia came out with.

The media sell newspapers. Any sniff of a controversy and it'll get splashed all over the front page.

 

The facts are secondary to the story. Always.

Edited March 4, 2009 by Asprilla