Happy Face 29 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) No apologies if this turns into the same old shite. Just some interesting quotes in an Express article yesterday so if you can't stand the LM/Toonpack show, read the OP and then ignore the thread altogether.... FORMER Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd celebrated his 70th birthday last night with a big party in London. It was attended by a number of football luminaries but safe to say there was no invitation for current Toon owner Mike Ashley. Shepherd was ill in hospital in 2007 when he discovered Sir John Hall had sold his majority shareholding to the sports shop magnate, effectively forcing Newcastle United-daft Freddy to sell up too. The largesse of the Hall and Shepherd era, which encompassed Kevin Keegan’s great entertainers, has been followed by the frugal financial times of the Ashley empire. After Hall and Shepherd lavished around £130million on players, Ashley followed his Sports Direct policy of pile high and sell as he placed a squeeze on spending while flogging marketable football assets like Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan. With Alan Pardew at the managerial helm, young and hungry players like Yohan Cabaye and Sylvain Marveaux were imported. Pardew’s energised side travel to Stoke tomorrow still unbeaten in the Premier League. Around 4,500 members of the Toon Army travelled to Blackburn in midweek to witness a spectacular 4-3 defeat which seemed to belong to a bygone era. The fact that they almost pulled the Carling Cup tie out of the bag earned more praise. Some of it has come from an unlikely source, Shepherd. He admitted: “I am still a massive Newcastle fan. True to say Mike and I have not always seen eye to eye but you’ve got to give him some of the credit for what is happening this season. “I think it’s time for the fans to get fully behind him and give him a chance. After all, no one really owns Newcastle because it’s simply a football institution. “Maybe he is right in his policy and I was wrong. Maybe we gave our managers too much money to spend in the transfer market. I reckon we spent around £300m on players like Alan Shearer, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Tino Asprilla and Michael Owen. “Though we never won anything, it was still a great adventure for everyone connected with Newcastle. We were known all over the world. I have a photo of the day they pulled down Saddam Hussein’s statue in Iraq – there was a guy with a Toon shirt beside it. “The fans are now clearly behind Alan Pardew and the team, and if they get behind the directors the only way they can go is up.” Shepherd has been offered five clubs to buy since he left St James’ Park but added: “I am a Geordie. You can change your bank, your accountant, your wife, but you can’t change your football team.” Ex-Magpies player John Anderson watches all their games for BBC Radio Newcastle and has been impressed. “They showed real bottle at Blackburn,” said the former Republic of Ireland international. “Going into added-time 2-0 down, a lot of sides would have thrown the towel in. They got back into it with two great goals and were unfortunate to lose in extra-time. “They have a togetherness and a belief. They don’t seem to know when they are beaten. A lot of people were saying this was a big season for Alan Pardew. This is his team after coming in halfway through last season. Right now he deserves an A-plus.” Pardew revealed: “He (Ashley) wants us to be a top-10 side. Success drives him on. He does it in a way that sometimes can be brutal but my job is to manage that. “Hopefully we can be successful but we’re not going to be by paying over the odds and trying to compete with Manchester City.” http://www.express.c...iest-of-sources Edited November 14, 2011 by Happy Face Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 14000 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Oh shit. Even the new board can't handle this thread, All hands on deck!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asprilla 96 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 *drum roll* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Wasn't this posted elsewhere? Good of you to make sure it's seen though, HF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 Never seen it if so. Wouldn't want anyone to miss out on Ashley praise. I'm pinning ALL my hopes on the tubby c*nt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Team Positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeazesMag 0 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) flashes in the pan don't last. Unfortunately, this is all our current decent run is. Rather than a "Leazes/TP show", time will prove me to be correct. Again. I suspect Fat Fred knows this, but is only being diplomatic, it was much more entertaining when he slagged off Stevenage etc. Edited October 31, 2011 by LeazesMag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasepud 59 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Dear Freddie, With regards your application for a new private box, we would be happy to accomodate you on condition you give an interview to the press. Attached is the interview. Regards, Dekka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithJ 0 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 What was he suppose to say when we were 4th? Team is full of shit and Ashley should blow tens of millions on another Owen? Fair play to him for being man enough to say it cause that wouldnt have been easy to say! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monroe Transfer 0 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I suspect Fat Fred knows this, but is only being diplomatic, it was much more entertaining when he slagged off Stevenage etc. You calling Freddy a liar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Given the money paid for his shares on the back of the lack of due diligence, he shouldn't bear any grudges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) We are moving into uncharted space. HF clearly desperate using team positive stealth mode, hoping he might cloak against future volleys from chez. Edited October 31, 2011 by Park Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) It should always be remembered that the positive/negative bollocks was dreamed up by a lad who couldn't win a debate with Wayne Rooney, as a way to change the discussion from a fact based one to an existential one. His view was one of ignoring anything that actually happens and only looking at things positively. No-one else is that stupid, on the "negative" or "positive" "side". Edited October 31, 2011 by Happy Face Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 6 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Maybe he is right in his policy and I was wrong. Maybe we gave our managers too much money to spend in the transfer market. I reckon we spent around £300m on players like Alan Shearer, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Tino Asprilla and Michael Owen. His error was never buying players, but paying them silly money. Players need to earn there contracts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TicTacWoe 0 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) I think a much bigger error than giving the managers "too much money" was appointing the wrong managers in the first place. Souness, Gullit, Roeder and Allerdyce were all terrible choices in my opinion and it is for that reason that I'd criticize the old board rather than their player expenditure. When we had decent managers they tended to spend the money well. Edited October 31, 2011 by TicTacWoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I think a much bigger error than giving the managers "too much money" was appointing the wrong managers in the first place. Souness, Gullit, Roeder and Allerdyce were all terrible choices in my opinion and it is for that reason that I'd criticize the old board rather than their player expenditure. When we had decent managers they tended to spend the money well. Yet with hindsight you can see at the time the thinking behind all those appointments. The one real blunder was Souness, he damaged the club beyond all acceptable parameters wiht his huge ego and his neadrathal outlook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TicTacWoe 0 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) I think a much bigger error than giving the managers "too much money" was appointing the wrong managers in the first place. Souness, Gullit, Roeder and Allerdyce were all terrible choices in my opinion and it is for that reason that I'd criticize the old board rather than their player expenditure. When we had decent managers they tended to spend the money well. Yet with hindsight you can see at the time the thinking behind all those appointments. The one real blunder was Souness, he damaged the club beyond all acceptable parameters wiht his huge ego and his neadrathal outlook. Well Souness certainly was the worst alright. I never liked Gullit as a manager personally and the Roeder one was always doomed to failure imo. Edited October 31, 2011 by TicTacWoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asprilla 96 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 With hindsight, Shepherd's biggest problem was thinking all 'foreign' managers were a waste of time after Gullit didn't work out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asprilla 96 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Although most of us realised it at the time too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toonpack 8687 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 flashes in the pan don't last. Unfortunately, this is all our current decent run is. Best "flash in the pan" for 61 years. Canny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 21287 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I think a much bigger error than giving the managers "too much money" was appointing the wrong managers in the first place. Souness, Gullit, Roeder and Allerdyce were all terrible choices in my opinion and it is for that reason that I'd criticize the old board rather than their player expenditure. When we had decent managers they tended to spend the money well. Aye, that's my main criticism of shepherd too. It was his decision making that let him down. We had a chance to kick on and establish ourselves as a top 4 side for years but then shepherd sacks sbr and replaces him with souness - crazy stuff. It was just a few games into a new season too iirc. His habit of backing manages then sacking them in September was baffling and destabilising. All that said, i wish Ashley cared about the club like shepherd did and was prepared to put the kind of money into transfers we saw under the previous regime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeazesMag 0 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 flashes in the pan don't last. Unfortunately, this is all our current decent run is. Best "flash in the pan" for 61 years. Canny i didn't realise we had finished 2nd [twice] yet, 3rd [twice], 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th. Keep it up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TicTacWoe 0 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) I'm much happier with the current set up than I was with any of the post SBR days under Shepherd and co. Obviously, it's incredibly unlikely that we could reach the heights of Hall and Shepherd's best years but I'm still far happier with this than the dark days of Souness/Roeder etc. I've no problem with us being more prudent financially in theory but it's a very difficult/risky game to play. We seem to have a knack for getting decent players in at good prices at the moment though so long may it continue. I'd be perfectly happy with one or two non-trophy signings in the transfer window who will strengthen the squad and ensure we finish top 8 which I believe we will. Getting back to being a team that could contend for a CL spot is a pipe dream for now and we have to accept that. Because of the mistakes of the latter days of Shepherds regime and the much bigger mistakes of the first few years under Ashley we have fallen very far behind the rest. Meanwhile Chelsea, both Manchester Clubs, Liverpool and Spurs have spent phenomenal sums of money. Only Arsenal, who really deserve a lot of credit, can even attempt to keep up with them. The climate is very different now to when Keegan was first managing us or even when Sir Bobby was. Considering Liverpool have spent over 150 million since last January and they're only back to where they were under Benitez shows how hard it is now. The only hope would be crazy investment on the scale of Man City and we all know Ashely isn't suddenly going to go on a spending spree. I'm not even sure how much I'd want that. Sure it would be great to have Aguero, David Silva etc tearing teams up for fun but I'm sure there must be a certain hollowness about getting success that way. I love the fact that we've gone about our business quietly and signed some really talented players that many people hadn't even heard of. We will almost certainly lose to the Manchester clubs and maybe Chelsea too but as I keep saying, if we beat most of the teams outside the top 6, we'll finish 7th or 8th, which really isn't too shabby. Edited November 1, 2011 by TicTacWoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 Written prior to last nights game, but still a canny read.... UNBEATOON! My title says it all... who would have thought that the Magpies would be flying sky high following an excellent start to the season. Yes my little FanZone fanatics, the mighty black and white's are the North East's number one and currently "Unbeatoon" in the Premier League. The Geordie's are currently higher than Mike Ashley's calorie count :lol and long may it continue! As I type on my black and white laptop, the Toon Army are a fantastic fourth in the Premier League and following Chelsea's hammering at the weekend we could even go into third place if we get points at Stoke this evening. Our existing position is a fantastic one that will surprise many Toon fans and Dazza included! Apart from the recent lunacy of Nile "Power" Ranger being in the news for the wrong reasons, it's extremely refreshing to have Newcastle United in the news for matters on the pitch rather than off it, even though the media still don't seem to be forthcoming in giving Newcastle praise, even when it is due. It is not as if we are a club with a reputation for constantly being in the public eye (cough) It is great to see us doing so well and see the likes of Man Utd get thumped by their noisy neighbours, Chelsea getting beat by new boys Queens Park Strangers and have to defend their Captain against allegations and Man City involved in legal proceedings with their own players. Being a Newcastle fan is good at the moment, but we have a difficult run of games ahead of us and the next month or so will really determine how strong we really are. Let's face facts, Alan Pardew was not a fans' favourite when he became our new manager, mainly due to the nature of Chris Hughton's departure, but Pardew has to be treated on his results and who can argue with those? Whilst not liked at the time, the sale of Andy Carroll,Kevin Nolan,Jose Enrique and Joey Barton are now distant memories and have not affected results, but now appear to have been pushed to the back of many fans minds. So the question I ask, are Mike Ashley and Alan Pardew winning the battle for respect at SJP? Many will say no, never, but I think the majority of fans have to look at what's been done to the club both financially and on the pitch and agree that we are in a much healthier position. Don't get me wrong I am not a deluded fan saying that we have a Premiership winning squad or will be in next year's Champions League as that simply isn't the case, but you have to look at the start we have made with the players that we now have and I am more than confident that we will end the season with a Top 10 finish. Let us not forget that life on the Newcastle United rollercoaster is always eventful and let's hope the highs continue a while longer before the next inevitable stomach churning low. And now for Dazza's regular Fanzone rant.... 1. Regarding the new Sports Direct signage and renaming at St James Park... get over it, it's a sign for god's sake, Wigan's stadium is named after their owner, so what? Our stadium will always be called SJP regardless, end of. 2. Nile Ranger, give your head a shake mate. Stop feeling sorry for yourself with your "Life ain't fare" comment on Twitter. First of all learn to spell properly and more importantly act like the "professional" your paid to be. You're a role model to kids, so please act like one. 3. On the subject of Twitter, great to see Joey Barton already pulling his new club apart. I was sorry to see a good player leave us but not his outspoken comments. Barton is paid to be a footballer not a commentator, great player but a total liability, good luck with that one Mr Warnock, I hope you realise what you have taken on. 4. Great to hear the reduction in Season Ticket prices for the remainder of the season, a good move to reward fans loyalty, and for families... about blooming time! Let's hope we can continue our good form and maintain ourselves as the North East's number one, whilst our secret weapon "Agent Bruce" continues his ongoing mission to ridicule and bring destruction to Sunderland. As always please send me your views good bad or indifferent on my blog. You can also comment with your thoughts good on Twitter via @Fanzone or follow me via @DazWilliams. Watch out Premier League, the future is bright, the future is Black and White....TOON ARMY!!! http://www.skysports.com/fanzone/blogs/story/0,24015,16786_7284045,00.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolly Potter MD 0 Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) Written prior to last nights game, but still a canny read.... UNBEATOON! My title says it all... who would have thought that the Magpies would be flying sky high following an excellent start to the season. Yes my little FanZone fanatics, the mighty black and white's are the North East's number one and currently "Unbeatoon" in the Premier League. The Geordie's are currently higher than Mike Ashley's calorie count :lol and long may it continue! As I type on my black and white laptop, the Toon Army are a fantastic fourth in the Premier League and following Chelsea's hammering at the weekend we could even go into third place if we get points at Stoke this evening. Our existing position is a fantastic one that will surprise many Toon fans and Dazza included! Apart from the recent lunacy of Nile "Power" Ranger being in the news for the wrong reasons, it's extremely refreshing to have Newcastle United in the news for matters on the pitch rather than off it, even though the media still don't seem to be forthcoming in giving Newcastle praise, even when it is due. It is not as if we are a club with a reputation for constantly being in the public eye (cough) It is great to see us doing so well and see the likes of Man Utd get thumped by their noisy neighbours, Chelsea getting beat by new boys Queens Park Strangers and have to defend their Captain against allegations and Man City involved in legal proceedings with their own players. Being a Newcastle fan is good at the moment, but we have a difficult run of games ahead of us and the next month or so will really determine how strong we really are. Let's face facts, Alan Pardew was not a fans' favourite when he became our new manager, mainly due to the nature of Chris Hughton's departure, but Pardew has to be treated on his results and who can argue with those? Whilst not liked at the time, the sale of Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton are now distant memories and have not affected results, but now appear to have been pushed to the back of many fans minds. So the question I ask, are Mike Ashley and Alan Pardew winning the battle for respect at SJP? Many will say no, never, but I think the majority of fans have to look at what's been done to the club both financially and on the pitch and agree that we are in a much healthier position. Don't get me wrong I am not a deluded fan saying that we have a Premiership winning squad or will be in next year's Champions League as that simply isn't the case, but you have to look at the start we have made with the players that we now have and I am more than confident that we will end the season with a Top 10 finish. Let us not forget that life on the Newcastle United rollercoaster is always eventful and let's hope the highs continue a while longer before the next inevitable stomach churning low. And now for Dazza's regular Fanzone rant.... 1. Regarding the new Sports Direct signage and renaming at St James Park... get over it, it's a sign for god's sake, Wigan's stadium is named after their owner, so what? Our stadium will always be called SJP regardless, end of. 2. Nile Ranger, give your head a shake mate. Stop feeling sorry for yourself with your "Life ain't fare" comment on Twitter. First of all learn to spell properly and more importantly act like the "professional" your paid to be. You're a role model to kids, so please act like one. 3. On the subject of Twitter, great to see Joey Barton already pulling his new club apart. I was sorry to see a good player leave us but not his outspoken comments. Barton is paid to be a footballer not a commentator, great player but a total liability, good luck with that one Mr Warnock, I hope you realise what you have taken on. 4. Great to hear the reduction in Season Ticket prices for the remainder of the season, a good move to reward fans loyalty, and for families... about blooming time! Let's hope we can continue our good form and maintain ourselves as the North East's number one, whilst our secret weapon "Agent Bruce" continues his ongoing mission to ridicule and bring destruction to Sunderland. As always please send me your views good bad or indifferent on my blog. You can also comment with your thoughts good on Twitter via @Fanzone or follow me via @DazWilliams. Watch out Premier League, the future is bright, the future is Black and White....TOON ARMY!!! http://www.skysports...7284045,00.html ....... but Whelan, over the years, has been a wonderful backer of sport itself, in Wigan. From football to rugby league. His vision & endeavor, in a smaller market, rivalled SJH. Edited November 2, 2011 by Year Zero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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