PaddockLad

Graham. Derek Carr is a pigment of my imagination

fyp

These comments were, the club said — again anonymously — reflective of Mike Ashley’s views. Staveley has been stung by that, irked by the suggestion that her pursuit of Newcastle, which has been very open, was nothing more than an exercise in self-publicity. “It is only right to let the fans know that there is no deal on the table or even under discussion with Amanda Staveley and PCP,” the source said, which was news to her. “I’m very much still interested in buying Newcastle,” she says. “And our bid remains on the table.” It is the first time that the 44-year-old has spoken publicly about Newcastle since she launched 1,000 headlines and more conspiracy theories by attending their home game against Liverpool on October 1. There has been a non-disclosure agreement in place with Newcastle since the middle of that month — her initial bid for the club followed on November 2 — but she feels obliged to defend herself. “I’m very concerned, I’m very surprised and I’m disappointed about what’s been said this week,” Staveley says. She is wearing a pale blue jacket, dark trousers, sipping water from a pink plastic bottle, and coffee from a mug. She is agitated and clearly upset. “The suggestion that we were either wasting time or not serious is absurd. It’s hurtful. Hugely hurtful,” she says. If she was not serious, why would PCP have made three offers to put Ashley out of his misery after his loveless, contentious 11 years at St James’ Park? Why would she have engaged Chris Mort of Freshfields as her lawyer, a man who worked as Newcastle’s chairman under Ashley? Why would she involve the Reuben family, who have an estimated worth of £13 billion and a significant property portfolio on Tyneside, in her bid? “This is something we’ve been working really hard on,” she says. “It’s not something we’ve just thrown together. I’m putting a lot of my own capital into this and our investors, who come from around the world, include sovereign wealth funds.” Her first bid was for £300 million, £200 million up front, the rest payable in two chunks. The second, made on Friday, November 10, was for £350 million, payable in instalments, as the sportswear retailer had encouraged. There would be £150 million on completion followed by £50 million every year after that, with the final tranche dependent on achievement, such as reaching the Champions League. For both were penalty clauses, in the event of demotion or Newcastle being stung by HMRC’s tax investigation into the club. There was a third offer on November 17. “Dear Mike,” it began. In this one, £250 million would be paid in full, no caveats, no conditions, no clauses. This was substantially below Ashley’s £350 million valuation, aside from one sense; Staveley is committed to investing another £200 million, at least £100 million on new players across the first two transfer windows and the same again on improving a tired training ground and ineffective academy. PCP brokered the deal that saw Sheikh Mansour buy Manchester City. Staveley has also attempted to buy Liverpool, but Newcastle fits, Newcastle works — so much potential, never realised — and she has been courted by supporters. “They’re such passionate fans and it’s a great club,” she says. “I’m a northerner. My family home is an hour away from St James’ Park. I just love football and Newcastle has a proper history and a real magic. “That passion of the fans is vitally important when you’re looking at a club, because you know that you’re a custodian. I’m also a passionate believer in investment in the north east, because I know it’s tough. A lot of great things are happening in the city — we’ve got friends, like the Reubens, who have invested there — and it’s a really special place, with its own identity. It is absolutely unique.” PCP is not a charity. “This is an investment, but it has to be a long-term investment,” Staveley says. “Newcastle would be run as a business, but we want it to be a successful, thriving business that is an absolutely integral part of the city.” Equally integral is Rafa Benítez; in each of PCP’s three bids, was a stipulation that the manager must stay and agree to a new contract. “Rafa is doing an incredible job,” Staveley says. “We want Rafa to be part of this project.” By November 20, it is understood that Mort was confident that a deal might be on at £250 million. At the start of December, Staveley met Ashley at an Indian restaurant in London, brokered by Richard Desmond, the publisher. Pictures appeared in The Sun. “The famous curry house is the only time I’ve met Mike,” Staveley says. “It wasn’t a formal meeting and it was arranged by Mr Desmond. Mike was engaging and interesting. I enjoyed his company.” And those photographs? Convenient, no? “I would never had done that,” Staveley says. “If I had, I certainly wouldn’t have been pictured smoking. I hadn’t had a cigarette for years. My dad nearly killed me. There has been a lot of miscommunication through the press, but that’s not my fault. This is football.” In the middle of December, Staveley was told that “another bidder” had emerged, prepared, according to Ashley’s people, to pay £350 million. Fine, PCP said, but come back to us if you want to re-engage. Since then, they have heard nothing. Not a single thing. Which, again, hardly fits with the Ashley-sanctioned notion of “exhaustive” discussions. “Where are the other bidders?” Staveley says. “It’s been for sale for three months.” Staveley had not given up. When people asked, the official line was that the process was ongoing, although time was ticking on and there were concerns; PCP would not be able to fund Benítez in this transfer window and the team remain in a precarious position. What happens next? A staging post feels like the next Premier League broadcasting rights. And beyond that, whether Newcastle stay up will be pivotal. In the meantime, supporters continue to wait; for something different, something better. It is the loyal 52,000 who squirm and suffer as Benítez attempts to find gold in a nettle patch. Perhaps Staveley could have been the answer. Perhaps she still can. But it has been a bruising week. Will it happen? “I don’t know,” she says. “I hope so.”

Barry from Watford used to be a regular contributor to the inexplicably popular 80s throw back Steve Wright in the Afternoon, I thought he was some sort of spoof character?......

1-2 v Spurs league cup live on sky 24th Sept 2008 : 20,577 First home game after the Hull City/"cockney mafia OUT!" game

It's was to stop a team getting to say a semi final then signing three or four (in theory better than what they have) players in order to win the cup. Fairly irrelevent nowadays tbh

Its changing fuck all on matters of opinion. Waste of time.

Don't fancy playing Norwich on this evidence... Morata appeals for VAR

So how are you measuring the standard of refereeing? By what some pundit in the media tells you? Perhaps you'd also like to expand on how VAR will change the way the game is played in a fairly significant way as changing the back pass rule did? I don't remember having strong opinions one way or the other on that tbh but if you had a goalie who could actually play a bit of football as we did with Pav it was easy to adapt to. What a change in the way the game is played has got to do with games being reffed from Heathrow fuckin airport am not sure though.

Like against Spurs in 2008?...the fuckers still here 10 years later man. Ellis Short has got an empty stadium, he's still there too. A full vibrant stadium has brought PCP to the table...do you think theyd be keen on buying the mackems if they sat among 20k fuckin silent mongs staring at pink seats because what's on the pitch is so poor it's a better option?

And Jim White literally saying on talk sport 10 mins ago that he's spoken to pcp this morning and the 250 mill offer is still on the table

ok, explain to someone with a passing interest in cricket why that's the case.

No they wouldn't have, not least becasuse I wasn't aware of the guidance notes/appendices to do with body parts that are now in use. Yes in that youre right VAR worked perfectly last night. No because I'm aware of, due to a mate being a referee on the national list and my own experiences in 20 years of Sunday league football that there's an immortal phrase uttered by refs to linesmen before a lot of games up to a very high level; " if you think it's offside stick your flag in the air and I'll make the decision". It really is that simple, and it's been that simple up until very recently. And we've all loved that game. For me, and I understand this has now been near 30 year process, the game is no longer a sport it's a multi million pound business and decisions on the pitch are now subject to business type scrutiny. It's one of the final nails tbh.

You can have a Ashes test match without umpires. Theyre irrelevant. I do not want that to happen to football

It's a sport ffs, not a fuckin moon shot

Fuck me it's TTs very own seeker of truth and justice. Do you wear a cape? Am not suggesting anything you're saying is incorrect. Am questioning the need for VAR because of the history and traditions of the game in the 130 year history of it up until January 2018. I hope I've indicated that I'm aware of and understand the issues to do with its introduction and implementation, but for me Its change for change' s sake and not welcome.

Yes and no, on the correct interpretation it's fair to put the flag up. If the rules are that anal then it's virtually impossible to tell what part of the body is in front. I think refs welcome this tbh, it takes pressure off them. The situation where any punter with sky can know better than the ref is plainly ludicrous too. But in every other sport the crowd is informed clearly what is going on, either by big screen or as in NFL (after consulting his 4/5? colleagues) the ref goes to a mic and informs the entire stadium and the viewing public. I think for it to be a real success it'll have to include the crowd being informed properly. I don't agree with any of it though. Life is imperfect. I don't see why sport shouldn't be. Football became the world game without this nonsense. As I quoted before, what do we want sport to be for? Why do we have to seek truth and justice on the field of play? I get fairness, but we've got this far without it. It's just unesscessary.

Yeah, what I posted isn't the only way way to look at this. I think as a rule of thumb us not being worth anywhere near 400mill is ok though.

I missed that meeting

aah. It's late. Thanks for clarifying/telling me to read what is in fuckin front of me

saw this in another place, some fair points... Hold the fuckin bus here. Southampton sell 80% of their shares at £210m. With a £30m training complex and a conveyer belt of huge player sales? Latest being Van dijk (75m). Everton sell 50% of their shares at £85.5m making them worth £171m. Everton a premier league ever present. So how are Nufc worth £300m+? Relegation twice in 6 years and a squad of championship players. Hrmc case hanging over the club. Our transfer record sits in 2005 while every other club has broken theirs numerous times. The club is and has been shambolic under Ashley’s ownership. Why would anyone regardless of funds overpay to pay for the previous owners mistakes. Doesn’t make sense.

Reported.

It'll work ok, it's whether you feel it's required or not. The offside rule says "player", not foot, forearm or nose. People have been brainwashed by media replays for the past 40 years into thinking that this is the correct interpretation of the rule, it's not, it's fuckin nonsense. If a player is a yard in front he's offside, if he's level but his foot is in front or something (like tonight's goal) he's not. So flag should've stayed down and no need for VAR. Leicester fans get a tiny moment of instant ecstasy on a cold Tuesday night and everyone's happy

Hmmmm....from that article... Ashley’s appointed legal representative, Andrew Henderson of Dentons. seems to be different info to what Caulkin claims... No fucker knows anything, nothing to see here