One season to make me proud

[Jimbo 175]

Sam Allardyce will have just one season to prove he is the man to realise Mike Ashley's £400 million dream of turning Newcastle into a world footballing superpower.

 

That is the figure that Ashley has earmarked for his United revolution as he expects to convince chairman Freddy Shepherd to sell his stake in the club when they meet this week.

 

In anticipation of pushing through a takeover worth £133 million, Ashley - through his PR advisors - has assured the newly-appointed Allardyce that his job is safe.

 

But other sources close to the publicity-shy billionaire (right) last night revealed that he is yet to be convinced that Allardyce can establish Newcastle as one of the biggest clubs on the planet.

 

The Sunday Sun has been told of the big-money, five-year path to greatness which Ashley has mapped out for the Magpies.

 

 

The sports retail tycoon has budgeted an incredible £270 MILLION for winning the Premiership within three years and challenging for the Champions League within five years.

 

 

And although Allardyce will be given £45 million to spend this summer, he will be expected to push for Champions League qualification next season . . .

 

 

Or Ashley is prepared to follow Roman Abramovich's lead by parting company with Allardyce - as Chelsea's sugar-daddy did with Claudio Ranieri - after one season.

 

 

"Mike has huge respect for what Sam Allardyce achieved with limited resources at Bolton, but I can't stress enough just how big he hopes - and expects - Newcastle to become," a source told the Sunday Sun.

 

 

"Is Allardyce capable of taking the club not just up to the next level but into a whole different ballpark? That's yet to be seen.

 

 

"Of course, Allardyce will have the chance to prove himself. But he won't be allowed to hang around doing it. Mike wants big progress, fast."

 

 

Meanwhile, Shepherd - still in hospital yesterday recovering from pneumonia and a collapsed lung - is widely thought to be ready to accept the offer of 100p per share which persuaded the Halls to sell Ashley their 41.6 per cent share of United.

 

 

But the Sunday Sun has learned just how easily the Newcastle chairman could launch a rival bid for the club.

 

 

With his current 29.8 per cent stake, Shepherd is already within touching distance of the 30 per cent threshold which would oblige him to make an offer to buy all other shares.

 

 

And I understand he can count on being able to purchase low-key ally Len Hatton's 3.88 per cent stake at any time.

 

 

If Shepherd then approached United's institutional investors - who own around 22 per cent of the club - with an offer in excess of 100p per share, he would almost boost his holding to well over 50 per cent and leave Ashley himself with little choice but to sell up.

 

 

However, the timing of Ashley's purchase of the Hall family's 41.6 per cent stake - coinciding with a health scare serious enough to have left those around Shepherd badly shaken - has left the chairman seemingly poorly equipped to resist the newcomer's assault.

[Scottish Mag 3]

The same is being said in the Mirror

 

SAM ALLARDYCE will be given just one season to prove he is the man to lead reclusive billionaire Mike Ashley's proposed £400million Newcastle revolution.

 

Sunday Mirror Sport can reveal the former Bolton boss will find himself in the same "shape-up-or-ship-out" situation that faced Claudio Ranieri when Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003.

 

Ironically Jose Mourinho, who replaced Ranieri, will be one of the names on the short-list should Allardyce fail to make a dramatic impact, as will Arsenal's Arsene Wenger.

 

Ashley, now the largest Toon shareholder after buying Sir John Hall's 41.6 per cent stake, is "supremely confident" he will quickly pass the 50 per cent mark as his first step in taking complete control in a £133m takeover.

 

And the sportswear magnate plans to spend another £250m-plus on an ambitious five-year plan designed to make Newcastle Premiership champions by 2010 and serious Champions League contenders by 2012.

 

But new Magpies boss Allardyce, handed a three-year contract just 12 days ago, will be under pressure to finish in the European places - though he is set to get £45m to spend on players.

 

Sources close to Ashley's St James Holdings Limited share-buying vehicle warn he will be ruthless if Allardyce doesn't look like transforming Newcastle into a global brand.

 

The source said: "Ashley doesn't feel he will have any problem going above the 50 per cent mark. Sam Allardyce will get significant funds for next season should he gain full control.

 

"It is a results game and the manager will be judged by what he achieves in that department. Ashley wants the very best for Newcastle. He is putting in a vast amount of money and expects results."

 

Mourinho and Wenger

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

No-one succeeds by chopping and changing managers ever year. Stability and planning is what is needed. Although if even half of what is written in those articles is true, the goalposts have moved somewhat in terms of aspiration and ambition.

[BlueStar 0]

The sports retail tycoon has budgeted an incredible £270 MILLION for winning the Premiership within three years and challenging for the Champions League within five years.

 

Surely challenging for the champions league should take less time than winning the Premier League

[ewerk 31195]

No-one succeeds by chopping and changing managers ever year. Stability and planning is what is needed.

 

Aye but if the takeover does go through we'd be able to attract a far higher calibre of manager than Sam which is something we'd have to look at if he fails this season.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

The sports retail tycoon has budgeted an incredible £270 MILLION for winning the Premiership within three years and challenging for the Champions League within five years.

 

Surely challenging for the champions league should take less time than winning the Premier League

I think it means trying to win the CL, not challenging for a place in it. (Dream on btw)

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

No-one succeeds by chopping and changing managers ever year. Stability and planning is what is needed.

 

Aye but if the takeover does go through we'd be able to attract a far higher calibre of manager than Sam which is something we'd have to look at if he fails this season.

 

Although if even half of what is written in those articles is true, the goalposts have moved somewhat in terms of aspiration and ambition.

[Ketsbaia 0]

I think they mean challenging for the CL title.

[Gemmill 46023]

Happy fucking days.

[Ketsbaia 0]

Is anyone else waiting for this whole thing to go tits up?

 

A few weeks ago we were resting all our hopes on the fact that Allardyce would be able to pull something out of the hat and Freddy would keep his mouth shut. Now we're on the verge of being taken over by a billionaire who has the finances to help us push on.

 

It all seems too good to be true, this isn't what i'm used to as a Newcastle fan.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Is anyone else waiting for this whole thing to go tits up?

I am. It wouldn't be NUFC without someone throwing a spanner in the works.

 

Bitter experience tells me we never do things the easy way.

[.../\......\o/... 0]

So, what would you spend £45M on?

[toontoasey 0]

things are indeed looking up for us, i for one cant feckin wait till the juggernaut starts rolling.

[Lazarus 0]

No-one succeeds by chopping and changing managers ever year. Stability and planning is what is needed.

 

Aye but if the takeover does go through we'd be able to attract a far higher calibre of manager than Sam which is something we'd have to look at if he fails this season.

 

depends on what the definition of failure and success is though.

 

before the takeover i said (cant remember the thread) that success to me would be uefa cup qualification a couple of seasons in a row.

 

That still hasnt changed imo but after 2 years i'd want to be a top 4 team.

[peasepud 59]

If Shepherd then approached United's institutional investors - who own around 22 per cent of the club - with an offer in excess of 100p per share, he would almost boost his holding to well over 50 per cent and leave Ashley himself with little choice but to sell up.

 

However, the timing of Ashley's purchase of the Hall family's 41.6 per cent stake - coinciding with a health scare serious enough to have left those around Shepherd badly shaken - has left the chairman seemingly poorly equipped to resist the newcomer's assault.

 

 

Anyone know which hospital the fat bastards in then?

[Fop 1]

Is anyone else waiting for this whole thing to go tits up?

I am. It wouldn't be NUFC without someone throwing a spanner in the works.

 

Bitter experience tells me we never do things the easy way.

 

 

Aye.

 

I'd like it to go well....... but well past experience suggests it'll end up being a disaster.

[TheInspiration 1]

So, what would you spend £45M on?

Well for starters I wouldn't spend £27M of it on Albert Luque and Michael Owen.

[Jimbo 175]

So, what would you spend £45M on?

Well for starters I wouldn't spend £27M of it on Albert Luque and Michael Owen.

 

I'd spend it on the gift of hindsight.

[Craig 6700]

Don't know about anyone else but I doubt very much that Abramovich would have fired Ranieri if he hadn't got Mourinho lined up to replace in.

 

If Jose hadn't been available, I think they'd have stuck with him

[The Fish 10963]

No-one succeeds by chopping and changing managers ever year. Stability and planning is what is needed.

 

Aye but if the takeover does go through we'd be able to attract a far higher calibre of manager than Sam which is something we'd have to look at if he fails this season.

 

depends on what the definition of failure and success is though.

 

before the takeover i said (cant remember the thread) that success to me would be uefa cup qualification a couple of seasons in a row.

 

That still hasnt changed imo but after 2 years i'd want to be a top 4 team.

by top 4 do you mean, when pundits and the like speak of the top four they refer to us Chelsea, Man U and Liverpool (not in that order obviously) or that we've finished in the top four twice in a row?

[Lazarus 0]

No-one succeeds by chopping and changing managers ever year. Stability and planning is what is needed.

 

Aye but if the takeover does go through we'd be able to attract a far higher calibre of manager than Sam which is something we'd have to look at if he fails this season.

 

depends on what the definition of failure and success is though.

 

before the takeover i said (cant remember the thread) that success to me would be uefa cup qualification a couple of seasons in a row.

 

That still hasnt changed imo but after 2 years i'd want to be a top 4 team.

by top 4 do you mean, when pundits and the like speak of the top four they refer to us Chelsea, Man U and Liverpool (not in that order obviously) or that we've finished in the top four twice in a row?

 

I mean 2 years of uefa cup football and then qualification for a champions league spot.

[The Fish 10963]

 

 

I mean 2 years of uefa cup football and then qualification for a champions league spot.

That's fair enough, I think we're a lot further off being synonymous with top four finishes, but certainly with the right signings and proper management we can lift ourselves from the doldrums to challenging for a top four spot.

[luckyluke 2]

Great. We have a new manager, who wants to bring in a new backroom staff and give us the organisation and structure we've been so sorely lacking. We potentially have a new owner. Both are keen on signing new players so the team will probably look a lot different to last year. We even have a new strip next season, even if it is shit.

 

And we're going to give the manager one year to get things right, or fuck off. It's nice to that despite all the changes, somethings will always be the same.

 

For fuck's sake.

[Jimbo 175]

Great. We have a new manager, who wants to bring in a new backroom staff and give us the organisation and structure we've been so sorely lacking. We potentially have a new owner. Both are keen on signing new players so the team will probably look a lot different to last year. We even have a new strip next season, even if it is shit.

 

And we're going to give the manager one year to get things right, or fuck off. It's nice to that despite all the changes, somethings will always be the same.

 

For fuck's sake.

 

 

I'm taking this "one year" crap with a pinch of salt, we have not had any credible direct quotes from Mike Ashley backing up this claim.

[Papa Lazaru 0]

Great. We have a new manager, who wants to bring in a new backroom staff and give us the organisation and structure we've been so sorely lacking. We potentially have a new owner. Both are keen on signing new players so the team will probably look a lot different to last year. We even have a new strip next season, even if it is shit.

 

And we're going to give the manager one year to get things right, or fuck off. It's nice to that despite all the changes, somethings will always be the same.

 

For fuck's sake.

 

 

I'm taking this "one year" crap with a pinch of salt, we have not had any credible direct quotes from Mike Ashley backing up this claim.

 

Exactly, people can at least give the bloke the chance to takeover the club and speak before having a go at him for something a paper has said! And even if it does turn out that he is giving Allardyce a year to show him he's good enough, people don't know what that means exactly, may just be the same as the fans, wanting to see clear signs of improvement at the club, organisation and professionalism with the indication of success down the line.