Change @ St. James

[SCOREBOARD1 0]

Someone please tell me me this a fucking joke

[Meenzer 15550]

Official statement at midnight apparently. Released by a topless Mike Ashley, pissed and helpless with laughter.

 

Drinking in front of the computer again?

[hostile_statue 0]

Guess this was just another lie then:

 

"We will showcase Sports Direct until the end of the season," chief executive Derek Llambias told BBC Newcastle.

"I'm sure we're going to get a sponsor in for next season."

 

Former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd criticised the move to re-name the stadium, telling BBC Sport that "there are some things that money can't buy".

Ashley angered supporters of Newcastle when he announced the club's plans to rename the stadium for commercial purposes.

The announcement came on the same day as he took the club off the market after failing to attract a buyer willing to pay the reduced asking price of £80m.

He had bought the Magpies for £134m two years ago while it was still in the Premier League.

Asked if the name "St James' Park" would always remain amid an angry response from fans, Llambias said: "Absolutely. In our reign, absolutely."

[Howay 12496]

Fat cunt, totally incompetent fat cunt. He really can't seem to help himself really anytime we're showing any sort of signs of progression he needs to do something to try and rock the boat it seems, what's becoming a positive atmosphere at games will again turn strongly negative anyone that still thinks this bloke is good for us is a mug.

I'll never ever refer to the ground as anything but St James' Park.

Just another needless smack to the face of every Newcastle fan from this total waste of skin.

Edited November 9, 2011 by Barton7

[Isegrim 9796]

And in next week's news Lambiarse will probably complain again about fans being mean to poor Mikey boy...

[toonotl 2987]

I don't believe this will happen. Ashley is not that stupid. Surely not.

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Can one of you clever financial types explain to simpletons like myself what sort of extra revenue Sports Direct receives from branding like this?

 

I.e. is it even really worth it for them?

[Happy Face 29]

Can one of you clever financial types explain to simpletons like myself what sort of extra revenue Sports Direct receives from branding like this?

 

I.e. is it even really worth it for them?

 

You're asking if advertising works? The billions pumped into it every year suggests so.

[Ayatollah Hermione 13881]

Undone all the good PR again. Hopeless.

[Isegrim 9796]

Undone all the good PR again. Hopeless.

If true, it has to be intentional, because nobody can be so stupid.

[Kid Dynamite 7033]

Guess my boycott is back on then!

 

I'm struggling to believe even MA is this daft by the way

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Can one of you clever financial types explain to simpletons like myself what sort of extra revenue Sports Direct receives from branding like this?

 

I.e. is it even really worth it for them?

 

You're asking if advertising works? The billions pumped into it every year suggests so.

 

What's with the attitude?

 

Difference between it bringing in a massive increase in money for the company, as opposed to bringing in a moderate amount more that is offset by fans of the club's anger towards the decision in the short and long term. And possible lost revenue from said angry fans (however minimal), if they feel that way inclined.

 

It's good for spreading the name out across the world, but bad because you know it will offend the people you're supposed to be one with.

[donaldstott 0]

Can one of you clever financial types explain to simpletons like myself what sort of extra revenue Sports Direct receives from branding like this?

 

I.e. is it even really worth it for them?

 

Needs a marketeer not a financial type.

 

It's all about brand awareness. Having his branding at the ground limits it to a TV audience for those televised games and those in the ground. Renaming it opens up millions more mentions of his brand (newspaper reports, radio reports, Non televised games twitter, facebook).

 

However, by the time you take all the negative brand damage of such a move and no doubt a lot of SJP regulars who will now boycoutt his stores, the benefit isn't that great.

 

In pure business terms it's probably worth the risk.

[Gemmill 44930]

Never mind branding, as pisstakes go, it's a fucking doozie.

[Kid Dynamite 7033]

It's been pointed out that we have only just put the sports direct @ st James Park signs up last month. Points towards it being bullshit

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Can one of you clever financial types explain to simpletons like myself what sort of extra revenue Sports Direct receives from branding like this?

 

I.e. is it even really worth it for them?

 

Needs a marketeer not a financial type.

 

It's all about brand awareness. Having his branding at the ground limits it to a TV audience for those televised games and those in the ground. Renaming it opens up millions more mentions of his brand (newspaper reports, radio reports, Non televised games twitter, facebook).

 

However, by the time you take all the negative brand damage of such a move and no doubt a lot of SJP regulars who will now boycoutt his stores, the benefit isn't that great.

 

In pure business terms it's probably worth the risk.

 

It's a shame that Sports Direct has always been his proverbial favourite son, with only the required amount of affection (money) being spent on NUFC. I wish he'd keep the two separate, or at least do things with SD to benefit NUFC instead of it always being the other way around.

[Howay 12496]

I'm struggling to believe even MA is this daft by the way

Completely agree with this, it's absolutely appalling if this is true. Back to the poisonous atmospheres of previous seasons.

[hostile_statue 0]

Renaming the club has to be the next step. We'll be the next Red Bull Salzburg.

[Monroe Transfer 0]

I'm struggling to believe even MA is this daft by the way

Completely agree with this, it's absolutely appalling if this is true. Back to the poisonous atmospheres of previous seasons.

 

I'm not saying "it's just a name" or anything like that, but we should try to keep our feelings towards the owner seperate from our respect and appreciation of how the players and staff are doing.

[donaldstott 0]

It's been pointed out that we have only just put the sports direct @ st James Park signs up last month. Points towards it being bullshit

 

He's never exactly been in it for the long game though has he. Buy em cheap and sell me high etc.

[Ayatollah Hermione 13881]

I imagine Pardew sees these announcments and just sits there thinking "for fuck's sake, MAN"

Edited November 9, 2011 by Ayatollah Hermione

[Monroe Transfer 0]

.com, spot on.

 

Name and shame

 

 

Almost two years to the day that a "rebranding" of St.James' Park to "sportsdirect.com @ St James' Park" was announced and just weeks after signage to that effect was erected, a further change now looms, after details of Thursday's press release were leaked online.

 

Prepare for:

 

Sports Direct Arena

 

Having made significant strides in PR terms this season and seen their popularity rise in tandem with progress on the field, this just looks like yet another own goal by NUFC.

 

Just when "Peace in our Tyne" looked to have been achieved after another tumultuous period of player (and managerial) departures and other distractions, this latest development seems both ill-advised and avoidable - running the risk of opening up old wounds for no reward.

 

If commercial investment in the club from third parties is to be forthcoming though, then surely that would be driven by the continuing good form of the team and the resultant full stadium and content fan base?

 

Handing a cause to the bedsheet brigade - and risking a return to the "toxic brand" days of 2008 hardly seems likely to attract inward cash and again, throws up a subject that will inevitably cause division among fans.

 

The announcement is timed to maximise the period before our next home game and give any dissent and protests ample time to blow themselves out before Chelsea head to Tyneside on the first Saturday in December.

 

The best chance of convincing a justifiably distrustful fan base that a stadium rename is for genuine commercial reasons remains someone walking up Barrack Road clutching a big cardboard cheque with lots of zero's on it.

 

 

 

Making fans believe that this rename is a trade off for the financial investment of the owner though is a much harder sell - perhaps if Ashley just came out and admitted that, then acceptance might come easier. Perhaps if he spoke at all in public then it might help on a general level.

 

While the notion of renaming stadia with sponsors names is a familiar one, the other current Premier League examples tend to be newly-built venues where naming rights were sold "off-plan". We have to be different, apparently and give the impression of jettisoning decades of history to anyone with a spare bag of swag.

 

In a cock-eyed way though, that precedent of trying to change the name of an established stadium may turn out to be the one saving grace - and a cast-iron reason why trying to sell those rights to a third party is futile.

 

The Emirates Stadium is the Emirates Stadium, it's never been anything else, except a plan of a hole in the ground once called Ashburton Grove - it has no other name.

 

Newcastle United however play at St.James' Park and always have done. Everyone knows that and will continue to know that - regardless of what irritating branding is applied to it. You won't call it that and neither will we.

 

It's an interesting dilemma: moan about calling it the Sports Direct Arena sufficiently and it will stay as that; allow it to pass comparatively un-remarked and increase the chances of it becoming a 52,000 seat billboard for an airline or a credit card company.

 

And of course, any negativity from fans as a result of this renaming attempt that transmits itself to the team (as happened in the relegation season) will then become the sole explanation for any consequent downturn in on-field fortunes - regardless of whatever else happens.

[hostile_statue 0]

@Scottwilsonecho Scott Wilson

To all those asking questions about #NUFC - the answer to most is yes.

[Guest Your Name Here]

Undone all the good PR again. Hopeless.

If true, it has to be intentional, because nobody can be so stupid.

He’s taking advantage of our good start to the season to push through the next stage of his plan to turn NUFC into SDFC. It won’t stop here. It’ll never stop.

 

He’s got our ‘support’ sussed though. He knows we haven’t got the character to stand up for the club we claim to love. He knows this move will be met with some half arsed protest followed by fuck all. That we’ll just roll over and take it up the arse like we always do. Pathetic.

[Howay 12496]

I'm struggling to believe even MA is this daft by the way

Completely agree with this, it's absolutely appalling if this is true. Back to the poisonous atmospheres of previous seasons.

 

I'm not saying "it's just a name" or anything like that, but we should try to keep our feelings towards the owner seperate from our respect and appreciation of how the players and staff are doing.

I agree fully, after all the hard work the players and staff have done to give the fans a positive and to keep us from thinking about MA and his cronies he goes and does something that will cause more protesting etc, I can't stand this bloke. I hope the atmosphere in the ground is nothing but positive.