Change @ St. James

[DEADMAN 0]

yep think so i can see sports direct coming for that and anywhere else he can slap it even on his arse to

[Lake Bells tits 1]

Your foresight borders on clairvoyance Deaders

[DEADMAN 0]

heh i can read ashleys mind

[@yourservice 67]

Directorheads.

[Dr Gloom 21924]

Jazzy Jeff Stelling

 

 

It's a different matter when you are naming a new stadium, of course; in that instance the sponsors should be able to call the ground whatever they like.

But people all over the world recognise St James' Park as Newcastle's home. To destroy that affinity is abject nonsense and I'm sure that every true Newcastle fan will abhor this name change.

 

abso fucking lutely jeff. been saying this all day.

[Sonatine 11393]

 

Newcastle may struggle to find stadium sponsors, warn industry experts

 

• St James' Park to be called the Sports Direct Arena

• Sponsors will be wary of damaging brand due to fans' anger

• 
  
  • reddit this
    

• Matt Scott
  
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 10 November 2011 16.59 GMT
  
• Article history
  

St James' Park will be called the Sports Direct Arena until Newcastle find a new sponsor to buy the naming rights. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Newcastle United's hopes of raising £8m-10m a year in new income from their stadium naming rights are highly unlikely to be realised because the plan breaks the "golden rules" of a successful sponsorship property, industry experts have warned.

Newcastle are third in the Premier League after an 11-match unbeaten start to the season and announced on Wednesday that St James' Park is to be renamed the Sports Direct Arena. Derek Llambias, the club's managing director, said : "I would hope to generate between £8m-10m a year, that will give us another player." It was, in the eyes of sponsorship consultants, the worst possible thing he could have said.

Shaun Whatling, the chief executive of the management and brand consultancy company Red Mandarin, cast doubt on Llambias's forecasts, saying: "They're unwise to raise expectations of £10m incremental revenue and creating linkage with new signings – there's already antagonism amongst fans to the sale of naming rights and Derek Llambias is now preparing a frosty welcome for any sponsor buying in 'on the cheap'."

Tim Crow, the chief executive at the sponsorship consultancy Synergy, believes the best way to avoid the risk of brand damage for interested sponsors would be to stay away. "I'd be very surprised if any brand came forward and if any of my clients asked me for my opinion I'd advise them in the strongest possible terms not to," said Crow. "Or they could do the shirt sponsorship on its own, which would be entirely positive."

Crow has devised six "golden rules" for a successful naming-rights proposition and it is clear the latest development breaches them. His advice is never to rename an existing stadium with a strong heritage and, 119 years after the club first played football there, St James' Park certainly qualifies as that. The exception, Crow has written, is when stadium operators rebuild or relaunch an unloved or decrepit stadium, when a sponsor's cash provides tangible improvements to the facility. This happened at the Millennium Dome (now the O2) and Dublin's Lansdowne Road (now the Aviva Stadium).

But at Newcastle, a wholly owned subsidiary of the retailer Sports Direct, the extra money would go towards players; the likely net effect being only that the unloved parent company is spared the expense. "They've driven a cart and horses through the golden rules," said Crow, who described the stadium's former incarnation as SportsDirect.com@St James' Park as "a horror".

Andy Westlake is the chief executive of the sponsorship and management firm Fast Track and advises clients including Emirates, which signed a successful shirt and stadium deal with Arsenal in 2004. The deal was worth £6.5m a year in shirt sponsorship and only about £2.75m in naming rights.

Those were more buoyant economic times but Arsenal discounted the sponsorship value to receive cash up front, without which their new home could not have been built. Manchester City's £200m-plus, 10-year deal with Etihad bucked a declining trend in naming-rights values but the relationship between Abu Dhabi's national flag-carrier airline and its Premier League proxy may have distorted the value of that contract. Westlake cannot see Newcastle achieving anything like that amount.

"I don't think any brand will be buying in to naming rights at Newcastle unless they are focusing on building a relationship with fans," said Westlake.

With Mike Ashley trending on Twitter on Thursday in a far from complimentary context, that is unlikely. "In this [recessionary] market you have to recognise what sponsorship is about: adding value for fans in the club they love," added Westlake. "But Newcastle fans are universally against this. Perhaps he's[Ashley] is generating the wrath so that a brand coming in can restore the St James' Park name and be loved for it. Otherwise, I can't explain it."

[Brock Manson 0]

Slunt?

 

Amalgamation of 'slut' and 'cunt'.

[trophyshy 7083]

With Mike Ashley trending on Twitter on Thursday in a far from complimentary context, that is unlikely. "In this [recessionary] market you have to recognise what sponsorship is about: adding value for fans in the club they love," added Westlake. "But Newcastle fans are universally against this. Perhaps he's[Ashley] is generating the wrath so that a brand coming in can restore the St James' Park name and be loved for it. Otherwise, I can't explain it."

It's easily explained when you recognise Ashley is a narcissist. Would it be libel to run that story?

Edited November 10, 2011 by trophyshy

[millman 0]

I would like to say that as a everton fan (please don't shoot me down in flames just yet!!) I am completely disgusted that ashley & co even considered to do this, let along go through with it!. I won't be buying anything from sports direct either and i hope that many others from other clubs follow suit. Its high time that we all stand together against these so owners who are hell bent on making cash and ruining clubs history and tradition in the process. I truly hope that you guys protest and get the name changed back to what it rightly should be!!

Darren

[Monroe Transfer 0]

 

Newcastle may struggle to find stadium sponsors, warn industry experts

 

• St James' Park to be called the Sports Direct Arena

• Sponsors will be wary of damaging brand due to fans' anger

• 
  
  • reddit this
    

• Matt Scott
  
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 10 November 2011 16.59 GMT
  
• Article history
  

St James' Park will be called the Sports Direct Arena until Newcastle find a new sponsor to buy the naming rights. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Newcastle United's hopes of raising £8m-10m a year in new income from their stadium naming rights are highly unlikely to be realised because the plan breaks the "golden rules" of a successful sponsorship property, industry experts have warned.

Newcastle are third in the Premier League after an 11-match unbeaten start to the season and announced on Wednesday that St James' Park is to be renamed the Sports Direct Arena. Derek Llambias, the club's managing director, said : "I would hope to generate between £8m-10m a year, that will give us another player." It was, in the eyes of sponsorship consultants, the worst possible thing he could have said.

Shaun Whatling, the chief executive of the management and brand consultancy company Red Mandarin, cast doubt on Llambias's forecasts, saying: "They're unwise to raise expectations of £10m incremental revenue and creating linkage with new signings – there's already antagonism amongst fans to the sale of naming rights and Derek Llambias is now preparing a frosty welcome for any sponsor buying in 'on the cheap'."

Tim Crow, the chief executive at the sponsorship consultancy Synergy, believes the best way to avoid the risk of brand damage for interested sponsors would be to stay away. "I'd be very surprised if any brand came forward and if any of my clients asked me for my opinion I'd advise them in the strongest possible terms not to," said Crow. "Or they could do the shirt sponsorship on its own, which would be entirely positive."

Crow has devised six "golden rules" for a successful naming-rights proposition and it is clear the latest development breaches them. His advice is never to rename an existing stadium with a strong heritage and, 119 years after the club first played football there, St James' Park certainly qualifies as that. The exception, Crow has written, is when stadium operators rebuild or relaunch an unloved or decrepit stadium, when a sponsor's cash provides tangible improvements to the facility. This happened at the Millennium Dome (now the O2) and Dublin's Lansdowne Road (now the Aviva Stadium).

But at Newcastle, a wholly owned subsidiary of the retailer Sports Direct, the extra money would go towards players; the likely net effect being only that the unloved parent company is spared the expense. "They've driven a cart and horses through the golden rules," said Crow, who described the stadium's former incarnation as SportsDirect.com@St James' Park as "a horror".

Andy Westlake is the chief executive of the sponsorship and management firm Fast Track and advises clients including Emirates, which signed a successful shirt and stadium deal with Arsenal in 2004. The deal was worth £6.5m a year in shirt sponsorship and only about £2.75m in naming rights.

Those were more buoyant economic times but Arsenal discounted the sponsorship value to receive cash up front, without which their new home could not have been built. Manchester City's £200m-plus, 10-year deal with Etihad bucked a declining trend in naming-rights values but the relationship between Abu Dhabi's national flag-carrier airline and its Premier League proxy may have distorted the value of that contract. Westlake cannot see Newcastle achieving anything like that amount.

"I don't think any brand will be buying in to naming rights at Newcastle unless they are focusing on building a relationship with fans," said Westlake.

With Mike Ashley trending on Twitter on Thursday in a far from complimentary context, that is unlikely. "In this [recessionary] market you have to recognise what sponsorship is about: adding value for fans in the club they love," added Westlake. "But Newcastle fans are universally against this. Perhaps he's[Ashley] is generating the wrath so that a brand coming in can restore the St James' Park name and be loved for it. Otherwise, I can't explain it."

 

 

Shame Llambias didn't consult this expert. If he really consulted any experts at all in the first place.

 

Certainly didn't consult the people who matter the most - us.

[ewerk 30620]

His 6 golden rules.

 

1. The stadium must have only one short name. If there are two names, one of which is the sponsor’s, guess which one the media, and the fans, will edit out? ‘The Reebok Stadium’ works: so does ‘The Emirates’. Conversely, horrors like ‘Sports Direct.com@St James’ Park’ always quite deservedly bomb.

2. Avoid re-naming an existing stadium with heritage. If you do, you run the risk of being edited out (The Oval) or the object of acrimony (SportsDirect.com@St James’ Park). It’s much easier to start with the blank canvas of a new stadium. But don’t forget to follow rule number one.

3. The exception to this is when a stadium or arena is unloved and/or decrepit and as a result is going to be re-built and/or re-launched – for example the way the Millennium Dome became The O2 and Lansdowne Road became the Aviva Stadium. But again, don’t forget to follow rule number one.

4. You must pay enough. There was an outcry in Leicester against Walker’s – previously a relatively popular local employer – when it was announced that the company had paid only £150,000 per year for 10 years to sponsor the new Leicester City Stadium. This was unfavourably compared with the millions the company had spent using Gary Lineker in its TV advertising.

5. You must be in it for the long term, for two reasons: to demonstrate your commitment (see also rule number four) and also because if you do it for long enough, the return on investment in terms of media impressions alone will be enormous – as long as you’ve followed rule number one.

6. Once you’ve followed rules 1-5, the hard work really starts – gaining the respect and admiration of the fans and the media for what you’re doing.

[Exile 0]

I have been raging about this all day. Its clearly no coincidence that the fat cunt has chosen to reveal this at the start of an international break and when our next two games are away. Ironically, the fact that we are punching above our weight in the league and everyone is behind the team has contributed to this. The only thing that would stand a chance of getting the fucker out - a boycott - will never take place when the team are doing so well.

 

This all smacks of "Hell hath no fury like a big fat cunt scorned." We threw his friendship back in his face when Keegan walked and he's been making us pay for it ever since. 10 mil a year is nowt in football. History has shown us that he'll make way more than that by selling off our best players, or any player that the fans take to. The bastard is out for blood, make no mistake.

 

At this point, the only things he has left to do is to change the team colours, the name of the team and to take a piss on a statue of SBR at half time when we play the mackams at home. Sadly, there are still a significant number of supporters who would let that slide as well.

 

If anyone's interested, I have Mike Ashley's home address kicking around somewhere.

Edited November 10, 2011 by Exile

[trophyshy 7083]

 

Newcastle may struggle to find stadium sponsors, warn industry experts

 

• St James' Park to be called the Sports Direct Arena

• Sponsors will be wary of damaging brand due to fans' anger

• 
  
  • reddit this
    

• Matt Scott
  
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 10 November 2011 16.59 GMT
  
• Article history
  

St James' Park will be called the Sports Direct Arena until Newcastle find a new sponsor to buy the naming rights. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Newcastle United's hopes of raising £8m-10m a year in new income from their stadium naming rights are highly unlikely to be realised because the plan breaks the "golden rules" of a successful sponsorship property, industry experts have warned.

Newcastle are third in the Premier League after an 11-match unbeaten start to the season and announced on Wednesday that St James' Park is to be renamed the Sports Direct Arena. Derek Llambias, the club's managing director, said : "I would hope to generate between £8m-10m a year, that will give us another player." It was, in the eyes of sponsorship consultants, the worst possible thing he could have said.

Shaun Whatling, the chief executive of the management and brand consultancy company Red Mandarin, cast doubt on Llambias's forecasts, saying: "They're unwise to raise expectations of £10m incremental revenue and creating linkage with new signings – there's already antagonism amongst fans to the sale of naming rights and Derek Llambias is now preparing a frosty welcome for any sponsor buying in 'on the cheap'."

Tim Crow, the chief executive at the sponsorship consultancy Synergy, believes the best way to avoid the risk of brand damage for interested sponsors would be to stay away. "I'd be very surprised if any brand came forward and if any of my clients asked me for my opinion I'd advise them in the strongest possible terms not to," said Crow. "Or they could do the shirt sponsorship on its own, which would be entirely positive."

Crow has devised six "golden rules" for a successful naming-rights proposition and it is clear the latest development breaches them. His advice is never to rename an existing stadium with a strong heritage and, 119 years after the club first played football there, St James' Park certainly qualifies as that. The exception, Crow has written, is when stadium operators rebuild or relaunch an unloved or decrepit stadium, when a sponsor's cash provides tangible improvements to the facility. This happened at the Millennium Dome (now the O2) and Dublin's Lansdowne Road (now the Aviva Stadium).

But at Newcastle, a wholly owned subsidiary of the retailer Sports Direct, the extra money would go towards players; the likely net effect being only that the unloved parent company is spared the expense. "They've driven a cart and horses through the golden rules," said Crow, who described the stadium's former incarnation as SportsDirect.com@St James' Park as "a horror".

Andy Westlake is the chief executive of the sponsorship and management firm Fast Track and advises clients including Emirates, which signed a successful shirt and stadium deal with Arsenal in 2004. The deal was worth £6.5m a year in shirt sponsorship and only about £2.75m in naming rights.

Those were more buoyant economic times but Arsenal discounted the sponsorship value to receive cash up front, without which their new home could not have been built. Manchester City's £200m-plus, 10-year deal with Etihad bucked a declining trend in naming-rights values but the relationship between Abu Dhabi's national flag-carrier airline and its Premier League proxy may have distorted the value of that contract. Westlake cannot see Newcastle achieving anything like that amount.

"I don't think any brand will be buying in to naming rights at Newcastle unless they are focusing on building a relationship with fans," said Westlake.

With Mike Ashley trending on Twitter on Thursday in a far from complimentary context, that is unlikely. "In this [recessionary] market you have to recognise what sponsorship is about: adding value for fans in the club they love," added Westlake. "But Newcastle fans are universally against this. Perhaps he's[Ashley] is generating the wrath so that a brand coming in can restore the St James' Park name and be loved for it. Otherwise, I can't explain it."

 

 

Shame Llambias didn't consult this expert. If he really consulted any experts at all in the first place.

 

Certainly didn't consult the people who matter the most - us.

 

 

 

The only ex spurt these two pricks have ever consulted is eachother's manfat.

 

How's that for libel?

[Lake Bells tits 1]

an Empty ground would send out a signal alright. Dont show up for Newcastle - Chelsea. Simple

[Park Life 71]

The heritage of SJP will cause what is know as 'Brand Friction'. It's a massive risk being associated with an unpopular name change. No blue chip brand will go near it.

[ewerk 30620]

Which was most likely the plan all along.

[Park Life 71]

Which was most likely the plan all along.

 

I believe so.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

Media is buying it though. Loads of pundits debating whether they will actually find anyone

[CleeToonFan 1]

I can't imagine that we'll get Sportsdirect blue red and white as an away kit. More likely to get a pink donnay shirt, some black LA Gear shorts and a pair of Hertha Berlin socks from the 05/06 season.

[Brock Manson 0]

Of course they won't find anyone, Salty.

 

No-one took up the @St. James option and they damn well knew it wouldn't when it was implemented. Now the stadium is a beacon for tacky sweatshop merchandise and there's fuck all the fans can do about it until Fat Mike is bought out by someone with more money than sense to not balk at his ridiculous price for the club.

 

Let's just hope there's a shitstorm from the media and people finally hit the cunt where it hurts and stop buying his shitty merch.

 

Wonder how Lee Ryder is going to blow smoke up the fat man's arse for this one?

[McFaul 35]

Steve Harmison: "I can only liken it to changing the team's colours from black and white to red and white and making us look like Sunderland.

"That's how big a deal it is. You do wonder whether they would do that if the money was right.

"St James' Park means everything to me, it is a magical place. It is a special place for every single Newcastle United fan. Players come and go, managers come and go but Newcastle United and St James' Park stay the same."

"Of all the things Mike Ashley has done since he became owner, I think this is the one people will find hardest to forgive and forget.

"It is a very sad day and it's such a shame because the team are doing well, Alan Pardew has done a wonderful job and everything was going in the right direction.

"I'm not anti-Ashley, I never have been. He, along with Derek Llambias, has got the club into excellent shape. Financially we're stronger than we have been for years, but this will explode in their faces.

"If it's going to mean we can compete with the big boys again financially then it will be a necessary evil. But we want to see concrete evidence the money is going to be used in the right way, not just vague assurances. If it stays as the Sports Direct Arena the only person benefiting is Ashley.

"Giving Pardew a war chest of £20-30million in January would be a start. This money has to be given to the manager, only then can I begrudgingly accept it makes sense. At the moment it feels like an insult.

Bang on most of it too.

 

Harmy can fuck off tbh. He's picking up his £120k pa at Durham and refusing to play with made up injuries. Goes to St James when he's getting a free meal. He also threatened to fill me in a few weeks ago

He would as well I'd only be even money against him he's a big fucka, and a nice bloke when I spoke to him up Ashington. My estimation of him going up by the hour.....

[McFaul 35]

I know for a fact the Ashington hard man used to regularly make up injuries in his England days to come home from series abroad because he missed home too much.

Who gives a fuck my poll established that most people think cricket is wank anyway. What did he threaten to fill you in for? I bet you piped right down.

[McFaul 35]

I would like to say that as a everton fan (please don't shoot me down in flames just yet!!) I am completely disgusted that ashley & co even considered to do this, let along go through with it!. I won't be buying anything from sports direct either and i hope that many others from other clubs follow suit. Its high time that we all stand together against these so owners who are hell bent on making cash and ruining clubs history and tradition in the process. I truly hope that you guys protest and get the name changed back to what it rightly should be!!

Darren

 

Well said Darren. Newcastle and Everton fans have had a bit of friction since we came back up in 1993, but if they did that to Goodison Park, which like St James' is one of THE most historic venues not only in English football, but world football, I'd show the same disgust. It's been getting worse and worse this commercial side of the game since the Premier League was formed.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

Stuck Talksport on (I know, I know) on the drive home as I knew that cunt Durham would be trying the old WUM act and he didn't dissapoint. Called us backwards, over-reactors to any kind of change, and just looking for excuses to have a go at Ashley when he's actually doing a great job. I then turned it off before I found out if anyone took the bait. And then punched the shit out of the car stereo.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

Everybody reflects on the stupidity of thinking big names would come knocking. What they should be debating is why they feel the need to change the name before they even have a sponsor. Cant believe why journos are not on top of this and see the cunts for what they really are and are after - a smokescreen in order to "temporarily ( for free ofc)" advertise the shit out of SJP..sorry SportsDirect Arena for the foreseeable future.