Newcastle Matters. But Not That Much

[tinofbeans 91]

"It's ruined my life. It's ruined my life."

 

As Adrian Chiles suggested on Match of the Day 2, perhaps some Newcastle fans are lacking a sense of perspective over the crisis at St James' Park. If that woman's life has been ruined, it was by whatever left her so fragile that her self-worth was dependent on the performances of a football club. It's the kind of image that leaves the Geordie nation open to mounting tides of ridicule.

 

Mike Ashley, meanwhile, has pointed to how much money he paid for the club, how much debt he has paid, how much remains, as he puts the club up for sale. Aren't these Geordies an ungrateful, over-emotional lot?

 

Well, no. That Ashley has spent a substantial part of his fortune on the club is plain. He has admitted, though, that all was not what it seemed in the prospectus and that the club owed millions on players whose contracts he thought were in among the goods and chattels.

 

He made another miscalculation. He thought he had bought control over the swaying crowds of black-and-white shirts in the stands and streets as well as those on the pitch. He thought that donning an XXL top and downing the odd pint would make him one of them, too. But there are limits to what money can buy.

 

Newcastle United matters to the people of the city in a way that most other big clubs do not. Neither Manchester United, nor their home city's more powerful club, is a unifying symbol. Similarly with Liverpool and Everton, even if the former have the advantage of bearing the name. Peter Kenyon's dream of Chelsea "owning London" has been even less fulfilled than his dream of owning Robinho. Newcastle is the largest single-team city and unlike, say, Leeds there is no alternative in the shape of a popular rugby league side. (The Rhinos are the best supported rugby team in either code; union side Newcastle Falcons cannot compare, watched by 4,602 on Sunday.)

 

The divide in the north-east comes the second you step outside the city. Newcastle is the centre of the local media, but those claiming to speak to or for the region have to remember that for the swathes of Sunderland, Middlesbrough and other supporters, all this Geordie wailing is a source of delight. Reporters should bear this in mind: North-East and Newcastle are not interchangeable terms.

 

For those who are Newcastle fans, though, the team is a regional symbol. Not life or death to most, but important. Worth spending time and money on. Worth caring for. Ideally, worth watching, which they were once more under Keegan.

 

After the sterility of Sam Allardyce's misbegotten reign - which was a mistake by the previous regime, a blunder Ashley inherited - hiring Kevin Keegan was the right thing to do if you shared the faith the supporters have for him. Trying to treat him as a regional manager for Sports Direct, with bosses who knew better in London, was not. Hiring a manager whose principal attribute is inspiration then not letting him choose who to inspire was grand folly.

 

I spoke to some Newcastle fans over the weekend for The Observer, and one point they made was that Keegan was the worst possible choice for Ashley if he was serious about imposing a continental system, because he has always been his own man, taking his own path. To that I would add, if you were imposing a continental system, why in God's name would you put Dennis Wise at the helm of it?

 

Appointing Keegan was seen by many as a high-risk strategy because of his meltdowns, because his record was so questionable. In fact the reason why it has proved so high-risk was because it was an all-or-nothing gamble with the supporters: there is no other comparable figure short of Jackie Milburn and he is not available. And those still alive who come closest are not dumb enough to try to fill Keegan's shoes.

 

Ashley has tried to frame it all in terms of his not being a "multibillionaire" and that the fans financial hopes were unrealistic. But what the sane majority wanted was for what funds were available to be put in the hands of Keegan, not Wise and Tony Jimenez. It was an avoidable mistake.

 

So what next? Well, Ashley is still owner and will struggle to sell in the immediate future. He will also struggle to find a manager. I argued a couple of weeks ago, between the initial crisis and Keegan's departure, that he was in a powerful bargaining position. Ashley's attempts to bring him back confirm this - and if there is one thing about analysing Keegan and Newcastle worth remembering, it is "never say never".

 

Philip Cornwall

[Fop 1]

I spoke to some Newcastle fans over the weekend for The Observer, and one point they made was that Keegan was the worst possible choice for Ashley if he was serious about imposing a continental system, because he has always been his own man, taking his own path. To that I would add, if you were imposing a continental system, why in God's name would you put Dennis Wise at the helm of it?

 

Both those points make a lot of sense and very little sense.

[Ketsbaia 0]

Pretty much agree with the article. Nice to see that the rest of the footballing world aren't swallowing what Ashley said about the money being the reason why we were fucked off.

[Guest alex]

Aye. Any big club in crisis provides the media with an opportunity to gleefully display their schadenfreude but you get the feeling Ashley and his cronies don't have a lot of friends in the press. Or indeed anywhere else.

[wykikitoon 21472]

Pretty much agree with the article. Nice to see that the rest of the footballing world aren't swallowing what Ashley said about the money being the reason why we were fucked off.

 

Aye!

 

I like how the spoke to some sensible people too!

[Howay 12496]

I was starting to think this was going to be another article trying to wind up with the start up about that stupid woman saying it ruined her life but gladly it turned into a canny article, I'm guessing he's a City fan judging by the Robinho jibe and the "Neither Manchester United, nor their home city's more powerful club" bit .

[Tom 14021]

Aye. Any big club in crisis provides the media with an opportunity to gleefully display their schadenfreude but you get the feeling Ashley and his cronies don't have a lot of friends in the press. Or indeed anywhere else.

 

 

This surely the first time someone has used that word on Toontastic

[Meenzer 15839]

Aye. Any big club in crisis provides the media with an opportunity to gleefully display their schadenfreude but you get the feeling Ashley and his cronies don't have a lot of friends in the press. Or indeed anywhere else.

 

 

This surely the first time someone has used that word on Toontastic

[Tom 14021]

Aye. Any big club in crisis provides the media with an opportunity to gleefully display their schadenfreude but you get the feeling Ashley and his cronies don't have a lot of friends in the press. Or indeed anywhere else.

 

 

This surely the first time someone has used that word on Toontastic

 

Surely.

[Besty 4]

Aye. Any big club in crisis provides the media with an opportunity to gleefully display their schadenfreude but you get the feeling Ashley and his cronies don't have a lot of friends in the press. Or indeed anywhere else.

 

 

This surely the first time someone has used that word on Toontastic

 

Surely.

 

http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?...ost&p=18204

 

http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?...ost&p=79173

 

etc, etc

 

All seem to be Isegrim like.

[Tom 14021]

Fucking hell

[Guest alex]

Speaking of which, Teed must be over the fucking moon at present

[Park Life 71]

Aye. Any big club in crisis provides the media with an opportunity to gleefully display their schadenfreude but you get the feeling Ashley and his cronies don't have a lot of friends in the press. Or indeed anywhere else.

 

He can run but a man that size surely can't hide.

[Tom 14021]

It's every mackems dream

 

It might turn sour if DIC or Ambani buy us out like

[Guest Stevie]

Aye. Any big club in crisis provides the media with an opportunity to gleefully display their schadenfreude but you get the feeling Ashley and his cronies don't have a lot of friends in the press. Or indeed anywhere else.

 

 

This surely the first time someone has used that word on Toontastic

Caveat used 19 times as well. Cunt used in 250 threads and baldy 88 times.

[The Fish 11070]

Aye. Any big club in crisis provides the media with an opportunity to gleefully display their schadenfreude but you get the feeling Ashley and his cronies don't have a lot of friends in the press. Or indeed anywhere else.

 

 

This surely the first time someone has used that word on Toontastic

Caveat used 19 times as well. Cunt used in 250 threads and baldy 88 times.

I'd have thought it'd be a lot more than that.

 

( and yes I'm aware it'd be 251 now.)

Edited September 15, 2008 by The Fish

[Tom 14021]

Aye. Any big club in crisis provides the media with an opportunity to gleefully display their schadenfreude but you get the feeling Ashley and his cronies don't have a lot of friends in the press. Or indeed anywhere else.

 

 

This surely the first time someone has used that word on Toontastic

Caveat used 19 times as well. Cunt used in 250 threads and baldy 88 times.

 

I think it's time we put or monocles on

[Guest Stevie]

Anal 325 Louise 79

[Happy Face 29]

Anal 325 Louise 79

 

Suggests Louise takes it up the arse 25% of the time.

[sammynb 3640]

Aye. Any big club in crisis provides the media with an opportunity to gleefully display their schadenfreude but you get the feeling Ashley and his cronies don't have a lot of friends in the press. Or indeed anywhere else.

 

 

This surely the first time someone has used that word on Toontastic

Caveat used 19 times as well. Cunt used in 250 threads and baldy 88 times.

I'd have thought it'd be a lot more than that.

 

( and yes I'm aware it'd be 251 now.)

 

One post not make a thread young fish, ok yes it does but you're still not 251

[tinofbeans 91]

Anal 325 Louise 79

 

Suggests Louise takes it up the arse 25% of the time.

 

only 25%

 

more like 4 times at once.

[trophyshy 7095]

Anal 325 Louise 79

 

Suggests Louise takes it up the arse 25% of the time.

 

only 25%

 

more like 4 times at once.

 

QP? fp, tbh.

[Guest alex]

Reminds me of a conversation on here about if it to 'tp a dolphin' to use Renton's phrase.

[Teed 0]

Speaking of which, Teed must be over the fucking moon at present

Whey yinar.