smoggeordie

I hope he's A-Ok.

Newcastle United MD answers your questions Feb 10 2009 by Lee Ryder, Evening Chronicle NEWCASTLE United fans are used to life on the black-and-white rollercoaster – but even by the Geordie fans’ own sky-high standards, the 2008/09 season has been the campaign from hell. Now in a four-part interview in the Chronicle and the Journal, chief sports writer LEE RYDER talks to Toon supremo Derek Llambias who lifts the lid on the silence at St James’s Park since he was appointed as managing director back in June, and exactly why there has been such a deathly hush around Gallowgate since Kevin Keegan sensationally walked out on the Magpies. Derek Llambias and Mike Ashley CAN you offer any explanation as to why there has been a lack of communication from the club and owner, particularly during the time when Kevin Keegan departed the club? EFFECTIVELY we can’t answer any questions on Kevin Keegan until we have made a settlement. We didn’t want to lose Kevin. SO why doesn’t Mike Ashley like speaking publicly and is there any chance that might change? THERE is a possibility Mike will speak publicly. I think Mike will continue to do generic statements through the website and the local Press. I think at the moment we want to clear up some of our outstanding issues, because Mike would want to tell people everything including the KK case. He would want to say what was happening and that would shoot us in the foot. He knows that and he’s the sort of guy who would sit and take a polygraph test. And he means it. WHY has Mike or yourself (Derek Llambias) been quoted in the national Press rather than the Chronicle, Journal and Sunday Sun? IT’S not like we have a relationship with anybody – sometimes these things are twisted. We haven’t got a relationship with anybody. If the truth were known, the relationships Mike wants to build are with the Chronicle and the Journal. He’s always made it clear that local Press are the most important to Newcastle United. That’s why we want to build up a relationship. Maybe I should have done this in June. It’s a long time ago but at the time we wanted to keep our format of a low profile. But August came, the window was there, then September 1 and it all got terrible. We found ourselves without a manager and it was difficult, then we really were the bad guys. If that hadn’t happened who knows? We were always going to come and talk to you guys. But once it got nasty, we had to be careful what we were doing. And that’s why we started attacking some of the papers. There were some things that were so outrageous that we had to ignore them, because if you antagonise them they get worse. But if you ignore it gets worse. It got to a point with our families and friends and some of the issues with fans where it got out of order. We’re not out there to antagonise we’re out there to get everybody on board again. CAN you offer an explanation as to why the communication has dried up? Historically with Sports Direct, Mike stayed under the radar for 20 years until he floated his company. Then all of a sudden people realised there was a £2.5billion company here. He stayed under the radar because he had very little Press communication. But we do realise owning Newcastle United is a totally different forum. When Chris Mort was here he was very proactive with the Press. He continuously spoke to the Press. So when I came on the board, Mike and I discussed it and we basically wanted to keep a lower profile. Then within no time at all KK happened. And then it just got worse and whatever we said got worse. So we decided to keep as low as possible, get on with our business plan, move forward with what we’re doing with our management team and to assist whatever manager was coming in as best as possible. CAN you explain why Mr Ashley completely ignored a request from NUSC to meet in a location of his choice to liaise with fans? WE’RE in dialogue with them. We have a monthly meeting and we need to get the record straight – we are in dialogue with NUSC. We have a monthly supporter meeting where a reasonably representative group of people who represent our fans tell us what for. They have been invited to be part of that forum so there are four or five of them coming along. It’s not true that we have blanked them. We have engaged with them and had dialogue since they formed. And we’re sitting down again with the group. Their initial approach was not in the correct tone. They are a small group and they are charging a subscription fee which was a bit strange to us. They are welcome to come along to our forums. That’s fine, they are coming on February 12 and there will be four or five of them. The whole idea of the panel is basically to give them an idea of where we are going and what the expectations for the future are. We don’t want to talk about Kevin Keegan, which is an issue they will insist talking about. Unfortunately, that’s not what the tone is. There are breakaway supporters groups. They (the NUSC) are a small group and given more credence than they deserve DOES this interview signal a change in management style which will keep the fans informed as to which direction the club is heading? THIS is a change in direction, yes. We’ll have regular meetings once a month and regular meetings if there are any issues. I’m not expecting to have one every time something goes wrong. Basically we wanted to address some issues. We’re not selling, we’re trying to stabilise our team and we’re back on track with our business plan. WHAT exactly does Dennis Wise do and will he be staying? DENNIS is our director of football. He is out there looking for players. He will remain part of our management structure. It works quite well with Joe and Dennis and ourselves. IF Mike Ashley cares about the club and listens to the fans, why didn’t he reinstate Keegan and get rid of Wise? IT’S a no-comment I’m afraid. It’s something we can discuss later. It was never a possibility. WOULD Mike consider re-appointing Chris Mort as chairman? THAT’S not going to happen. WHAT role does Tony Jimenez still have? HE’S gone. He went in October.” HOW can you justify running a company from London when the company’s head office and entire operation is based in Newcastle? WE don’t have an office in London. Let’s clear that up. Dennis is travelling most of the time but he’ll be here twice a week. I am here five days a week. Mike is in the Midlands and running Sports Direct. He comes down once a week, and he’s going to spend most of that time at the training ground. Being run from London is nonsense and it’s never been the case. It’s just that we’re Londoners. MANY fans believe you are destroying NUFC. Discuss. RELEGATION is a major fear for us too. Whatever players the manager has asked for, he’s had. Are we disappointed we didn’t get another midfielder? Yes. Are we disappointed we didn’t get another right-back? Yes. But that January transfer window is so awkward. As far as we’re concerned we see Newcastle United as having an exciting future. It’s not a question of anything else. Why would you buy a business and then just run it into the ground? HAVE you treated fans with contempt? I CAN understand why they feel like that. But no. Our silence is seen as contempt. But that is due to the outstanding issues such as arbitrations with courts and we’ve had to keep a low profile not to jeopardise any of those outstanding issues. We’ve made mistakes. Football is a new business to us, not running a stadium. Communication has been a mistake. Sometimes we feel like we’ve been bombarded and then when we have come out it’s been twisted. That has made us mistrusting of the Press.

Just read it. Says there is 8m available for transfers in the summer Mort wont come back Wise is staying long term Club haven't paid all of Martins and Duff transfer deals yet All of Northern Rock and Adidas money spent Club lost 34m last year, will lose 20m this year and 7m next year and will then be making money (presuming we stay up) We are a *ahem* buying club. Never have had offices in london JFK and Wise are working 'well together' in the management structure. Club are in dialogue with NUSC but find it strange you have to pay a tenner to support the team. Club wants to forget KK and move on, but NUSC insist on talking about him. Says NUSC get 'more credence than they deserve' Ashley has spent net 38m on players since he's been here, including past deals. All future transfers wiull be paid up front The board are on acontracts with standard salaries, with no bonuses. Club regret the silence around KK leaving

Main points from the interview: :: Derek Llambias apologising to Toon fans and admitting that the board's silence since Kevin Keegan left was wrong. :: A promise to give the fans a voice at the club. :: Predicting that Newcastle will lose millions this year but maintaining "we are not a selling club". :: Revealing that Mike Ashley believes Newcastle can challenge for EVERYTHING within the next five years.

LeazesLad30 (6 hours ago) "Americans usually only pick up "Posh" or cockney versions of the British accent" Firstly, I'm not British I'm English, and secondly that is because they're ignorant cunts. I have spoken to a few Americans in my life, maybe three, and all three didn't think I was speaking English, as my dialect geordie is incomprehensible to them. There's no way you could mix them up, whereas as I said all yanks sound the same. "Have a nice day" fuck off I wonder who this is

LeazesLad30 (18 seconds ago) Reply fuck off you yank cunt, you wouldn't have survived second world war Poland that's all I can say

Surely that's a crippling amount if they go down? No Premiership TV deal money, very small crowds, a large wage bill. They could easily be the new Leeds. Except they're nowhere near as big as Leeds were. Very few would bat an eyelid if they disappeared off the face of the earth. For personal reasons, I hope they don't go bust as a lot of my mates support them. A relegation or two wouldn't hurt though...l

http://www.westbrom.com/forum/index.php?topic=38396.0

West Brom official site saying the game will go ahead if there are no severe changes in the weather in Birmingham over the next 28 hours or so, which aren't expected. Pitch and stadium is fine, and they're doing extensive gritting in the surrounding areas.

Currently a student, going through the process of job interviews. Got one next week for a graduate scheme in Chartered Accountancy

Not really considering he already had 9 points on his license. Cue shitty jokes about it beng more points than the team have got this year etc

JOE KINNEAR has demanded even more from Spanish left-back Jose Enrique going into Newcastle United’s daunting Premier League run-in. Enrique will feel he has done enough to stay in the team against West Brom after the 1-1 draw with Sunderland. But Kinnear has a big decision to make ahead of the trip on Saturday and must decide how to use new boy Ryan Taylor at the Hawthorns. The England Under-21 star can play in a range of positions and has starred out wide on both flanks for Wigan and at right-back and left-back. And with Kinnear unlikely to drop Damien Duff, Jonas Gutierrez or Steven Taylor, Enrique could be the unfortunate one against the Baggies despite going into the game on the back of one his best performances in a black-and- white shirt. However, Kinnear told the Chronicle: “I told him at half- time, you’re not giving what I expect from you. “He’s got all the potential to be a top-class left-back. “He just sits at times. “He was our get-out ball, without a shadow of a doubt. “I didn’t think he did enough in the first half, so I had words with him at half-time, and I thought he did exceptionally well in the second half.” Indeed Enrique was a big threat for the Magpies down the left-hand side and linked up superbly with Jonas before later admitting he likes to link up down the flank with the Argentine international. The selection dilemma is a welcome one for Kinnear, who also has Kevin Nolan and Nicky Butt lined up for places in the engine room and must perm two strikers from Andy Carroll, Oba Martins, Mark Viduka, Alan Smith and Xisco. However, reflecting on the capabilities of Enrique, Kinnear says: "When he gets in that last third of the pitch, he can hurt teams. “Sometimes he’s just prepared to sit on his backside in that position and let the game drift away from him.” United have also been buoyed by the news that Michael Owen is making excellent progress from the ankle injury sustained at Manchester City. Owen is out of contention for West Brom and the home clash with Everton on February 22, but is targeting the trip to Bolton on March 1. Top class from Ryder there

Hope it's not postponed, got a class weekend away planned.

I'm sure this time last year they were £49.95 Anyway, who here has one, and what you got on it?

*Digs out map to Donny etc*

Butties, Joe's contract, Training, Cigar smoking in the boardroom....

Considering, last time I saw, Ashley was at the training ground, i'm inclined to not believe him. Would be good if it was true though.

??? !!!

Going nowhere according the the ssn reporter at the COM stadium

I assume Carroll was thud and Shola Blunder....

Would be happy with that.

Ashley and Llambias at training ground working on deals. David Craig saying the rumours are still Daniel Fox and Michael Johnson, nowt new.

FA in talks with FIFA about extending the deadline till tomorrow

SSN off to our training ground after the break.

IMO we don't need a new RB. Taylor, Edgar and Geremi can all play there until Beye comes back. We only have one LB on the books.