Gemmill

Hope he plays on Thursday to brighten up what will otherwise probably be another dreary European night. Hopefully anyway - we don't need any shocks.

If N-O goes down again, we could have a mong surge at any point in the day. I'll go for 1:03pm.

Isegrim was saying that Bremen want to keep him another season and that the likelihood is that he'll leave next year I think. There's apparently talk of him signing another contract with a sensible minimum release clause in or something - to protect his and the club's interests.

He doesn't mention them in the interview, but I suppose anything's possible.

I don't think there's any chance at all of us getting Klose, but it would be class if we did.

Belgravia Group targets Newcastle United By James Wilson and Malini Guha Published: August 22 2006 03:00 | Last updated: August 22 2006 03:00 Newcastle United has become the latest English Premiership football club to attract investor interest, with a Jersey-based investment company admitting that it is considering an offer. Shares in Newcastle jumped almost 10 per cent yesterday after the Belgravia Group, alittle-known private company, confirmed it was "examining the potential opportunity" of acquiring the club. Sir John Hall, the local entrepreneur who controls about 28.8 per cent of Newcastle United, has previously indicated that he would like to sell his stake and in June he revealed talks with Polygon, a US hedge fund. However Freddy Shepherd, Newcastle's chairman, also owns about 29 per cent and is understood to be reluctant to sell. Earlier this month Randy Lerner, a US businessman, had a £62.6m offer accepted for Aston Villa - like Newcastle, a well-supported club that has failed to achieve success on the pitch for many years. Richard Hunter, head of UK equities at Hargreaves Lans-down stockbrokers - who last week predicted that the more marketable brand of Newcastle was likely to be one of the next acquisition targets - said the sector had come back in vogue this year for a number of reasons. Mr Hunter said: "There is a perception that players' wages have started to plateau, record television football rights have been negotiated and the World Cup has generated interest." In its most recent full-year results for the year to July 2005 Newcastle made a small pre-tax profit of £16,000 on turnover of £87m. However, the company is expected to report a loss this year after its failure last year to qualify for lucrative European competitions. Belgravia, which also has offices in London, is backed by a group of wealthy investors and chaired by Duncan Hickman, formerly a fund manager at Liberty Ermitage. The company has investments in telecommunications, marketing and management services, as well as an asset management subsidiary. Shares in Newcastle closed at 67p, giving the company a market capitalisation of £89m. The company floated in 1997 at 135p, valuing it at £193m. Wealthy businessmen have poured hundreds of millions into British football assets in recent years. The money has inflated salaries and transfer fees but successful returns have been elusive, even for the richest clubs. Last year Newcastle United finished seventh in the domestic league and has now qualified for European competition this year. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006

Talking of the Talksport loons, have you ever heard Gab Marcotti rave about Obafemi Martins ? Its practically a jizz-fest. 182251[/snapback] Haven't heard it Jimbo. He's usually got nowt nice to say about us though, so it'll make a change him having to compliment one of our players!

I think they are just following their legal obligation to disclose the quantity/value of the shares. 182244[/snapback] Aye, that's what it is. It's a stock exchange requirement signifying that a bid is about to/has been made, I think.

By the way, I know he reads on here, so can I just say in advance how much I'm looking forward to HTT's page-long parochial cobblers about how a Geordie should always run the club.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let it be true I want the club to be a rich Arabs plaything, I've waited 40 years, watching shite (with a few exceptions) so a few years of high "loads a money" drama (please)and then we can be crap again for eternity as far as I'm concerned 182234[/snapback] Exactly. We're at the footballing roulette table, spin the fucking wheel. Always bet on sheik.

I think I'll listen to the assorted luminaries on Talksport talk shit about this on my way home tonight. I do hope it's someone particularly stupid like Jason Cundy or Patrick Kinghorn.

If it's not a Sheik now I'm gonna be a bit disappointed tbh. Belgravia's representatives are pretty much gonna have to put towels on their heads to placate me.

The beeb require two independent sources before they'll run a story. Or something like that. It's why you never usually get the sort of shit on there that you'll get on the Skysports website.

Canny shocked like. I certainly didn't expect this when I got up this morning.

Aye, for it to get to this stage, following the talks with the Halls, you'd have to think it's probably gonna go through.

Get with the programme Barney! That one's already been posted.

Wonder where Ahmed lives. Probably nowhere near Manchester.

Luke, I get the impression you think there's some truth in the belief that Hair's a bit of a racist. I know it's completely out of order, but he just looks like one to me.

The FT seems pretty certain he's got a hand in it. Would make sense since we did have a dealing with a Sheik in the past when Keegan was here. 182139[/snapback] Sultan of BroonAle tbh. 182142[/snapback] Change Local Hero to Sultans of Swing for the pre-match.... 182146[/snapback] Commission a new version - Sultans of Bling - and you've got a winner. 182149[/snapback] The video to that has enormous possibilities. From shepherd in head gear doing a fat mans jig to the first team doing 'walk like an egyptian'-style robot dances. Great idea Gemmill, could bring in a few quid if it got to no. 1. 182168[/snapback] Video ends with Dyer setting light to 50 Dirham notes..........fade to black.

That literally is a Tesco Value type tea towel as well btw. At least get something silk for your promotional shots, Sheiky.

I thought it was about time i came over for a bit. The craic can be much funnier here. Its working again and i'm still here so that says something. Plus i think i managed to pick up some tickets for the west ham game. What with my contributions to this thread its been a decent knock as they say in cricket. 182154[/snapback] Nice one. Definitely better craic on here when it gets going, it can just be a bit quiet from time to time. The spaz count is pretty much non-existent.

Besides, you're only over here cos N-O's spackered again.

The FT seems pretty certain he's got a hand in it. Would make sense since we did have a dealing with a Sheik in the past when Keegan was here. 182139[/snapback] Sultan of BroonAle tbh. 182142[/snapback] Change Local Hero to Sultans of Swing for the pre-match.... 182146[/snapback] Commission a new version - Sultans of Bling - and you've got a winner.

That's right. You fagged for the captain of the Lacrosse team. My mistake.

The FT seems pretty certain he's got a hand in it. Would make sense since we did have a dealing with a Sheik in the past when Keegan was here. 182139[/snapback] Sultan of BroonAle tbh. 182142[/snapback] That's the fella. Didn't he take the team bus back when Keegan left? 182144[/snapback] I don't know that we ever got it. I know he commissioned some enormous luxury 10-storey team bus with a CD player and everything, but he either said we couldn't have it, or took it back when Keegan quit.