JUICE690

I just want to tell you both good luck, we're all counting on you.

Great man - great times.

What he said

Newcastle short of just about everything For Newcastle United, nothing has changed yet everything is different. At 3pm today, the team relegated from the Barclays Premier League on the final, harrowing afternoon of last season will play a football match, their first of the summer. Given the circumstances, it stretches credibility to describe their friendly fixture away to Shamrock Rovers, in Dublin, as heralding a new era. Yet, of course, it is precisely that. It is only a game, but few people of a black-and-white persuasion at the Tallaght Stadium will be wallowing in good humour. Fewer still will be there; not Alan Shearer, the wannabe manager, who is yet to be appointed, nor Mike Ashley, the reluctant owner, whose calamitous tenure of the club limps on morosely. Supporters will be present and so will the players. With the exception of those who have fallen out of contract, it is the same collection of underachieving misfits (with a limited number of exceptions) who dragged Newcastle towards oblivion two months ago, Joey Barton included. To quote from the title of the excellent play about the club, which completed its run at the city’s Live Theatre last night, You Really Couldn’t Make it Up. The club specialise in low farce and if the sight of the team returning to action — the start of the Coca-Cola Championship is less than a month away — does not put a desperate situation into sharper focus, nothing will. But who is taking notice? Leadership at all levels at Newcastle, from the boardroom to the dugout, is non-existent and every day that elapses represents an opportunity squandered. There are important points to be made, however, about the process of selling Newcastle, not all of which are downbeat. The most obvious is that these things take time, no matter the frustration it breeds. When foreign bidders are involved, when millions of pounds are at stake, with financial and legal documents to be studied and agreed, the pace cannot and should not be forced. There is, of course, an exception to this rule — the bloke who used to sit in Newcastle’s directors’ box with an extra-large “King Kev” shirt plastered across his meaty frame. When Ashley bought the club, he may have effectively ambushed Freddy Shepherd, the former chairman, but his failure to undertake due diligence left him confronting a mountainous debt. It was the first of many, many errors. The groups attempting to buy Newcastle are not dealing with a normal business or a normal owner; little wonder that their inquiries are so exhaustive. Optimism that a deal may be completed by the start of next week has dipped but Keith Harris, the executive chairman of Seymour Pierce, the investment bank charged with conducting the sale, continues to work with diligence and discretion. While the list of overseas locations linked with bids continues to grow at a tedious rate, it is a useful, if not cast-iron, rule of thumb that those who speak the loudest can be discounted most readily. Non-disclosure agreements are in place, substantive bidders simply do not need to make themselves heard — as opposed to publicity-seekers — and only Harris is aware of the full list of individuals involved. In football terms, however, the danger is that decay sets in, that new owners will not have enough scope to revitalise a squad in urgent need of it; the majority involved against Shamrock are fully aware that they will not be on Tyneside when hostilities recommence. Shearer has plans in position but can do nothing to implement them and while he remains eager to take the post, he is powerless. Newcastle, meanwhile, are just rudderless. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle6684349.ece

To be honest I feel a little sorry for Hughton, he can hardly be blamed for being a shite manager as he never pretended to be one in the first place. No, all this fucking around and every other bit of bollocks going on with the club is down to one rather round fella and his dog.

Indeed, infact I'll call him a cunt "Mike I think your a Cunt!" just incase this is true

Yep, that's the one. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/...castle-bid.html

Surprised they didn't do it with the mackam one tbh

Aye, this is the first time I've ever really scanned the sports news pages so obsessively and it's unbelievable how poor some if the so called reporting actually is. As far as I can tell they just trawl forums all day, copy n' paste any old shite, feed it back to us, (sometimes day's after we've all found out it was utter bollocks anyway!) and pass it off as 'direct from out man in the know' , the mackam wind up being a perfect example.

Was just a matter of time I guess. Oh well look on the bright side, we erm, umm, mike... no, erm, we should hear somethi... no, ummm, hold on give me a minute... Shit.

Surely anyone considering buying us must realise meeting the asking price is just the tip of the spending iceberg. We're going to need a decent amount of investment to get back in the premiership and even further spending to keep us there. Be an insane to buy a football club that clearly needs rebuilding from the ground up and not have the funds to do it... wouldn't it?

Said it was the Malaysian consortium, 2nd visit in the last 7 days, again looking round the training ground, facilities etc, accompanied by Llambias. Also said that the man bankrolling the consortium (Krishnan hopefully??) was present, which hopefully means it's starting to pick up pace... Cheers + Krishnan

What was their take on it?

I'd recommend the M40A1.

It can be whatever the fuck they like it to be so long as it ends up in the opposition net more times that it does in ours tbh. We live in hope

Probably turn out to be Owen recovering a confiscated horse whip.

Personally I don't really mind it, it's a tad Buck Rogers but I don't think it really matters all that much as long as it stays round shaped.

Are people trying to convince themselves that we're well shot of the Premiership because the ball is a bit shit and ours is "well loads better!!!"

yay!

You're not paranoid either! I'm sure this all makes far more sense to all of you than it does to me

Looks as if we have our excuse laid out for the first loss of the season then! Pampered.

I saw him spit in a old ladys face! and moon a group of disabled kids. Burn Him!

Another article straight from the manatees "Idea Balls" of journalismTM