NUFC not for sale + Hughton awarded 18 month deal

[TheMoog 0]

From the Mirror:

Any lingering doubts that Mike Ashley holds the Newcastle United fan base in complete contempt were swept away by his breathtakingly insensitive decision to defile the club's spiritual home with the crass email-style title sportsdirect.com@St. James' Park.

 

The relationship between the Toon Army and successive boardroom regimes has rarely been a harmonious affair, but never has one of football's most passionate supports been so alienated from those who occupy the corridors of power.

 

It is increasingly difficult to equate Ashley's growing reputation as the biggest serial bungler in football history with his self-made success in the field of sportswear retailing.

 

His litany of mistakes which ranges from relegating the third best supported team in England, driving out Kevin Keegan, snubbing Alan Shearer, lying to the fans, putting the club up for sale by email and buying players on the basis of You Tube videos is spectacularly inept by any standards.

 

But weighed against the success he achieved with a business that mushroomed from his front room it becomes even more incomprehensible.

 

The stage skit on the Ashley era "You Couldn't Make It Up" perfectly captured the mood of total bewilderment on Tyneside over his increasingly bizarre antics.

 

But, despite the repeated humiliations heaped upon them by this rancid regime, Newcastle fans have struggled until now to present any sort of unified or effective opposition to Ashley's debilitating ownership.

 

That is understandable give the sense of hopelessness and impotency felt by disparate groups of ordinary working-class fans faced by a powerful individual whose wealth when he took over was £1.8billion and who now owns the club, lock, stock and barrel.

 

An air of weary resignation, not surprisingly, crept into the sporadic chants urging Ashley and his equally-unpopular sidekick Derek Llambias to get out of Toon.

 

When fan fury was at its height the despised duo skulked away until things calmed down, now they are sufficiently emboldened to sit in the directors box sniggering and smirking.

 

Their arrogance both angers and frustrates me. The sight of two men, who clearly struggle to comprehend football, cocking a snoot at 40,000 dedicated fans makes my blood boil.

 

But I sense that his latest insult may turn out to be Ashley's biggest misjudgement - an own goal too far.

 

The mood of public rebellion has been revitalised by this most grotesque of gaffes and I sense that he is not going to be allowed to get away with his shameful attack on the very soul of a great club.

 

St. James' Park will forever remain St. James' Park as far as the Toon fans and most of the media are concerned and I believe potential sponsors will be frightened off by the outcry.

 

Ashley's spin that any funds raised by the re-naming fiasco would be made available to manager Chris Hughton have been lampooned by supporters who no longer believe a single word he says.

 

The fans fight-back will start in the next couple of days and I wish the supporters trust well. With determined and intelligent leadership I believe they can force change at St. James' Park.

 

Whether they can raise sufficient funds to buy the club is doubtful, but they offer a central rallying point for those that genuinely love Newcastle United and are prepared to stand up and defend its heritage and traditions.

 

But Toon fans be warned: It will require all the collective power and long-term resilience of the entire Toon Army to ensure that Ashley isn't allowed to go on taking the Michael.

[NJS 4411]

.Com are doing a similar thing. With their usual snide, holier than thou and wise after the event tone.

 

Some of what they say makes sense - I can see that if your pov is that promotion is the only thing that matters then a "truce" makes sense and also the point that it won't change his mind anyway.

 

 

My view is that getting rid of Ashley is more important than what the team does this year.

[snakehips 0]

This stuff about protests having a negative affect on the team is shite imo.

 

The players know we support them 100%. If they hear songs about LardAsh, they still know we support them (I say 'we', but it's obviously those inside the ground I mean); forty-odd thousand folk don't turn up just to pour scorn on fat boy, and the players know that.

 

Has anyone ever given thought to the possibility that the players actually hate this fat fuck as well, and that protests/songs about him actually lift them?? I bet they like him just as much as we do.

 

We lost that game to 'ull because we were utter dross - plain and simple.

[TheMoog 0]

This stuff about protests having a negative affect on the team is shite imo.

 

The players know we support them 100%. If they hear songs about LardAsh, they still know we support them (I say 'we', but it's obviously those inside the ground I mean); forty-odd thousand folk don't turn up just to pour scorn on fat boy, and the players know that.

 

Has anyone ever given thought to the possibility that the players actually hate this fat fuck as well, and that protests/songs about him actually lift them?? I bet they like him just as much as we do.

 

We lost that game to 'ull because we were utter dross - plain and simple.

 

Exactly, and to be honest I'm pretty sure the players feel the same way the fans do bearing in mind the reasoning some of the ones that have left have given. Plus talk of a truce is just nonsensical, how many fucking truces are people prepared to give Ashley?

[Craig 6700]

My view is that getting rid of Ashley is more important than what the team does this year.

 

This.

 

If we get promoted and that buffoon still owns the club, we'll be in the same sorry mess in 10/11 as we were in 08/09. Worse actually because the decent players we had who put up a fight and tried to keep us in the Premiership have been sold and there isn't a cat-in-hell's chance we'll get that quality back whilst Ashley is running the show....

[Ketsbaia 0]

This stuff about protests having a negative affect on the team is shite imo.

 

The players know we support them 100%. If they hear songs about LardAsh, they still know we support them (I say 'we', but it's obviously those inside the ground I mean); forty-odd thousand folk don't turn up just to pour scorn on fat boy, and the players know that.

 

Has anyone ever given thought to the possibility that the players actually hate this fat fuck as well, and that protests/songs about him actually lift them?? I bet they like him just as much as we do.

 

We lost that game to 'ull because we were utter dross - plain and simple.

 

Spot on.

 

http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fan...-protests-.html

 

 

Now post that on there and stop them from bullying me.

[Guest alex]

.Com are doing a similar thing. With their usual snide, holier than thou and wise after the event tone.

 

Some of what they say makes sense - I can see that if your pov is that promotion is the only thing that matters then a "truce" makes sense and also the point that it won't change his mind anyway.

 

 

My view is that getting rid of Ashley is more important than what the team does this year.

Agree whole-heartedly with the last bit and while there is defintely a convincing argument in some of what they say they're almost blaming the defeat to Hull and relegation on the fans that day. Fuck off you cunts. And it's the way they pour scorn on the fans in other ways too. Who the fuck do they think they are? Rhetorical question since they think they're the most soopa-doopa Toon fans in the world. Snakey is 100% correct too.

[Happy Face 29]

The players know we support them 100%.

 

I can think of a few players who probably aren't that sure. Harewood springs to mind as a recent example.

[Ketsbaia 0]

People seem to forget that holding the Hull game up as an example of protests = bad is hugely flawed, mainly because we were just as bad for the rest of the season without protests.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that the upheaval caused by a very popular manager being forced out of the club and the lack of information being fed down to the playing staff from those above contributed much, much, much more to the loss than the fans being a bit annoyed.

[trophyshy 7084]

It would be hard to imagine fans more entitled than Newcastle's to protest. I would not think it unreasonable if they all invaded the pitch and stayed there until Ashley and Llambias joined them and committed Harikiri in the centre circle.

 

Either stay away in protest or go as a raging ball of fury imo.

[Guest alex]

Hull were on a fantastic run at the time as well. They may well have won regardless.

[NJS 4411]

Agree whole-heartedly with the last bit and while there is defintely a convincing argument in some of what they say they're almost blaming the defeat to Hull and relegation on the fans that day. Fuck off you cunts. And it's the way they pour scorn on the fans in other ways too. Who the fuck do they think they are? Rhetorical question since they think they're the most soopa-doopa Toon fans in the world. Snakey is 100% correct too.

 

I read it that they (as I did) realised that day that relegation was a possibility due to the squad being shit and that that game was what turned out to be a critical six-pointer which is fair enough. I don't think the defeat was down to the fans/atmosphere but I don't think it helped.

[Craig 6700]

Hull were on a fantastic run at the time as well. They may well have won regardless.

 

The can fuck off if they think they can claim we were relegated simply because of the fans at the Hull match. IMO the last minute equalisers at home to Stoke and Wigan (which meant a total of 4 points were lost) was more damaging than the Hull result.

 

Seems all too convenient to pull up the one game where a protest was made when in truth we were shite all season.

[Guest alex]

Agree whole-heartedly with the last bit and while there is defintely a convincing argument in some of what they say they're almost blaming the defeat to Hull and relegation on the fans that day. Fuck off you cunts. And it's the way they pour scorn on the fans in other ways too. Who the fuck do they think they are? Rhetorical question since they think they're the most soopa-doopa Toon fans in the world. Snakey is 100% correct too.

 

I read it that they (as I did) realised that day that relegation was a possibility due to the squad being shit and that that game was what turned out to be a critical six-pointer which is fair enough. I don't think the defeat was down to the fans/atmosphere but I don't think it helped.

Well they point to the poisonous atmosphere (also eerie apparently, make your minds up) then write:

"On such moments do seasons - and relegations - depend. Handing three points to the sundance kid's team ultimately put us where we are today. "

That's fucking bollocks imo. And it is (at least partly) blaming the fans that day given the bit that preceeds it. On paper you could say, we lost that day and we went down by a point to Hull, therefore that sent us down. But we only won, what? 5 games all season. Any one of a number of games could have given us the extra point or two we needed. The draw away to Hull was another (arguably bigger) opportunity missed because they couldn't buy a point at the time. Also, I might be wrong, but have there actually been people interviewed outside St. James' condemning Ashley whilst clutching a Sports Direct carrier bag or is that just more of their patter aimed at showing how superior their intelligence is to the 'average' fan?

What sent us down was the complete lack of any proactive decision making after KK went, gambling in January (i.e. selling Given and N'Zogbia and bringing in sub-strandard shite like Ryan Taylor), etc., etc. Aye, we were in danger back then, in retrospect but only if the owner and his cronies did fuck all about putting things right.

Edited November 6, 2009 by alex

[NJS 4411]

Yeah maybe on re-reading they are over-emphasising that game in the scheme of things - fair enough.

 

I don't think they are "forgetting" all of the other issues/factors in saying that but still....

[Guest alex]

Yeah maybe on re-reading they are over-emphasising that game in the scheme of things - fair enough.

 

I don't think they are "forgetting" all of the other issues/factors in saying that but still....

In fairness I don't think they are completely forgetting everything else either but it's the air of superiority and opportioning of blame to the fans for that result which I find sickening.

[ewerk 31195]

it's the air of superiority and opportioning of blame to the fans for that result which I find sickening.

 

Aye, coupled with the 'we've repeatedly turned down media requests because we don't claim to speak for the fans' bollocks.

[Renton 21985]

Got back from holiday at Gatwick yesterday, picked up the Times, flicking through saw us yet again in the front pages with a piece by George Caulkin. Words literally fail me, just when you think Ashley can't make things worse, he does this. I think its the final straw for me now.

[snakehips 0]

Got back from holiday at Gatwick yesterday, picked up the Times, flicking through saw us yet again in the front pages with a piece by George Caulkin. Words literally fail me, just when you think Ashley can't make things worse, he does this. I think its the final straw for me now.

 

Hope you had a great time. It's a little known FACT! that Ernesto 'Che' was a Newcastle United supporter. That's what I was told, anyhoo.

 

(some of the above may be slight boolsheet)

[TheMoog 0]

I had all the time in the world for our new boss... then he came out with things like playing down the renaming of St James Park and how the fans protesting could hurt the team. It strikes me he's sold his soul for that permanent deal, he's nothing more than another one of Ashley's cronies for me now.

[Geordiejihad 0]

TBF Hughton has always been a lick spittle say nothing do nothing how high would you like me to jump Mike?

[peasepud 59]

Got back from holiday at Gatwick yesterday, picked up the Times, flicking through saw us yet again in the front pages with a piece by George Caulkin. Words literally fail me, just when you think Ashley can't make things worse, he does this. I think its the final straw for me now.

 

What the fuck you doing holidaying at Gatwick?

[snakehips 0]

I had all the time in the world for our new boss... then he came out with things like playing down the renaming of St James Park and how the fans protesting could hurt the team. It strikes me he's sold his soul for that permanent deal, he's nothing more than another one of Ashley's cronies for me now.

 

To be fair to Hughton, what is he supposed to say? He's got the manager's job - admittedly through sheer luck - at one of the biggest clubs in England. Whatever he privately thinks, there's no chance on earth he's going to publicly rubbish the owner's decisions.

[Geordiejihad 0]

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastl...61634-25111367/

 

FUCK OFF HUGHTON ...I mean just fuck off you stupid daft cunt ...try reading what YOUR BOSS has said on the matter , you thick cunt.

[trophyshy 7084]

Picking up Ashley's poisoned chalice

Nov 11 2009 By Andrew Hebden, The Journal

 

GOOD luck to Ampersand, the Merseyside-based PR and marketing company that has landed the job of selling Newcastle United sponsorship to a global audience. They'll need it.

 

What would until fairly recently have been seen as a fantastic commercial opportunity is now regarded by many as a poisoned chalice such is the animosity towards Mike Ashley’s regime.

 

Perhaps it was the extent of local anger which prompted the club to look so far afield for help in finding a new sponsor for its iconic shirt and famous stadium. After all, Ampersand has hardly impressed so far with the firm refusing to talk to our reporters about the precise nature of its involvement at St James’ and given the fact its own website is not functioning yet. (Apparently the new-look site launches in November 2009 – which is an interesting promise for a PR and marketing business to be making on November 10, 2009).

 

While Ampersand scours the globe for potential backers, the club has now infamously taken the decision to rename its ground in honour of Mr Ashley’s own sportswear company. Apparently, this is an effort to showcase the potential of this marketing opportunity – or in other words to highlight just how hated your brand can become by aligning itself with the current Newcastle United regime.

 

Many commentators have questioned just why Mr Ashley’s running of the club as a business has been so pitiful given his impressive record as a major high street retailer. The answer, as with so many other businesspeople who indulge themselves by buying a football club, probably lies in the fact that running a sports club is a quite different proposition to any typical business.

 

Yet the club’s recent efforts to market itself to potential sponsors is even more difficult to explain. Mr Ashley is, if nothing else, a successful salesman, so it does make you wonder why he should embark an a strategy which apparently involves upsetting as many of your most loyal customers as possible.

 

Winning back their goodwill is a size that is surely beyond him now. And transforming the image of his regime is surely beyond the finest PR brains that Merseyside can offer.

 

Ashley's astonishing conveyor belt of poor appointments goes on. He must be the luckiest man in business.