Newcastle United Blog

Mike Ashley has officially stated that he wishes to sell the club. Not really any great shock as it looked like the only hand he could play.

Mike Ashley has released the following statement:

I have enjoyed sport since I was a boy. I love football. I have followed England in every tournament since Mexico ‘86. I was there to see Maradona and his hand of God. I know what it means to love football and to love a club. I know how important it is to other people because football is so important to me.

My life has been tied up with sport. It was the passion that I felt for sport that helped me to be successful with my business. That success allowed me to mix my passion and my business.

I bought Newcastle United in May 2007. Newcastle attracted me because everyone in England knows that it has the best fans in football. When the fans are behind the club at St James’ Park it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It is magic. Newcastle’s best asset has been, is and always will be the fans.

But like any business with assets the club has debts. I paid £134 million out of my own pocket for the club. I then poured another £110 million into the club not to pay off the debt but just to reduce it. The club is still in debt. Even worse than that, the club still owes millions of pounds in transfer fees. I shall be paying out many more millions over the coming year to pay for players bought by the club before I arrived. But there was a double whammy. Commercial deals such as sponsorships and advertising had been front loaded. The money had been paid upfront and spent. I was left with a club that owed millions and part of whose future had been mortgaged. Unless I had come into the club then it might not have survived. It could have shared the fate of other clubs who have borrowed too heavily against their future. Before I had spent a penny on wages or buying players Newcastle United had cost me more than a quarter of a billion pounds.

Don’t get me wrong. I did not buy Newcastle to make money. I bought Newcastle because I love football. Newcastle does not generate the income of a Manchester United or a Real Madrid. I am Mike Ashley, not Mike Ashley a multi-billionaire with unlimited resources. Newcastle United and I can’t do what other clubs can. We can’t afford it.

I knew that the club would cost me money every year after I had bought it. I have backed the club with money. You can see that from the fact that Newcastle has the fifth highest wage bill in the Premier League. I was always prepared to bank roll Newcastle up to the tune of £20 million per year but no more. That was my bargain. I would make the club solvent. I would make it a going concern. I would pour up to £20 million a year into the club and not expect anything back. It has to be realised that if I put £100 million into the club year in year out then it would not be too long before I was cleaned out and a debt ridden Newcastle United would find itself in the position that faced Leeds United.

That is the nightmare for every fan. To love a club that overextends itself, that tries to spend what it can’t afford.

That will never happen to Newcastle when I am in charge. The truth is that Newcastle could not sustain buying the Shevchenkos, Robinhos or the Berbatovs. These are recognised European footballers. They have played in the European leagues and everyone knows about them. They can be brilliant signings. But everybody knows that they are brilliant and so they, and players like them, cost more than £30 million to buy before you even take into account agent commissions and the multi-million pound wage deals.

My plan and my strategy for Newcastle is different. It has to be. Arsenal is the shining example in England of a sustainable business model. It takes time. It can’t be done overnight. Newcastle has therefore set up an extensive scouting system. We look for young players, for players in foreign leagues who everyone does not know about. We try and stay ahead of the competition. We search high and low looking for value, for potential that we can bring on and for players who will allow Newcastle to compete at the very highest level but who don’t cost the earth. I am prepared to back large signings for millions of pounds but for a player who is young and has their career in front of them and not for established players at the other end of their careers. There is no other workable way forward for Newcastle. It is in this regard that Dennis and his team have done a first class job in scouting for talent to secure the future of the club.

You only need to look at some of our signings to see that it is working, slowly working. Look at Jonas Guttierrez and Fabricio Collocini. These are world class players. The plan is showing dividends with the signing of exceptional young talent such as Sebastein Bassong, Danny Guthrie and Xisco. My investment in the club has extended to time, effort and yet again, money being poured into the Academy. I want Newcastle to be able to create its own legends of the future to rival those of the past. This is a long term plan. A long term plan for the future of the club so that it can flourish.

One person alone can’t manage a Premiership football club and scout the world looking for world class players and stars of the future. It needs a structure and it needs people who are dedicated to that task. It needs all members of the management team to share that vision for it to work.

Also one of the reasons that the club was so in debt when I took over was due to transfer dealings caused by managers moving in and out of the club. Every time there was a change in manager millions would be spent on new players and millions would be lost as players were sold. It can’t keep on working like that. It is just madness.

I have put Newcastle on a sound financial footing. It is reducing its debt. It is spending within itself. It is recruiting exciting new players and bringing in players for the future.

The fans want this process to happen more quickly and they want huge amounts spent in the transfer market so that the club can compete at the top table of European football now. I am not stupid and have listened to the fans. I have really loved taking my kids to the games, being next to them and all the fans. But I am now a dad who can’t take his kids to a football game on a Saturday because I am advised that we would be assaulted. Therefore, I am no longer prepared to subsidise Newcastle United.

I am putting the club up for sale. I hope that the fans get what they want and that the next owner is someone who can lavish the amount of money on the club that the fans want.

This will not be a fire sale. Newcastle is now in a much stronger position than it was in 2007. It is planning for the future and it is sustainable.

I am still a fan of Newcastle United. We, my kids and I, have loved standing on the terraces with the fans, we have loved travelling with the away fans and we have met so many fans whose company we have enjoyed. We have absolutely loved it but it is not safe anymore for us as a family.

I am very conscious of the responsibility that I bear in owning Newcastle United. Tough decisions have to be made in business and I will not shy away from doing what I consider to be in the best interests of the club. This is not fantasy football.

I don’t want anyone to read my words and think that any of this is an attack on Kevin Keegan. It is not. Kevin and I always got on. Everyone at the club, and I mean everyone, thinks that he has few equals in getting the best out of the players. He is a legend at the club and rightly so. Clearly there are disagreements between Kevin and the Board and we have both put that in the hands of our lawyers.

I hope that all the fans get to read this statement so that they understand what I am about. I would not expect all of the fans to agree with me. But I have set out, clearly, my plan. If I can’t sell the club to someone who will give the fans what they want then I shall continue to ensure that Newcastle is run on a business and football model that is sustainable. I care too much about the club merely to abandon it.

I have the interests of Newcastle United at heart. I have listened to you. You want me out. That is what I am now trying to do but it won’t happen overnight and it may not happen at all if a buyer does not come in.

You don’t need to demonstrate against me again because I have got the message. Any further action will only have an adverse effect on the team. As fans of Newcastle United you need to spend your energy getting behind, not me, but the players who need your support.

I am determined that Newcastle United is not only here today, but that it is also there tomorrow for your children who stand beside you at St James’ Park.

…As if!

Of course tomorrow is our first home game since the shambles which has unfolded at new levels even for this football club.

We still continue to be the forefront of jokes by rival fans and media alike while our fat cat owner hides away with his cronies.

Will they surface for the Hull City game? Not likely. A game which should have been a routine 3 points to get us right up there now could easily fall away from us as events off the field unravel the improvements that had been made on it.

Who’s to blame? We all know who.

To make matters worse who are these (sorry wise the man who can start an argument in an empty room) Muppet’s looking to bring in? Unproven Muppet friends in the shape of Ince or Poyet. Deschamps is still a Muppet but hey ho least he has a track record of some sort taking Monaco to the Champions League final. Hes still a friend of Wise tho…

They are going to start ruing what Keegan was trying to say immediately. A seriously small squad that lacks quality. Jonas our best player so far is now out for an unknown period of time. There dries up the service which was the case all of last season.

So what will happen? We’ll huff and puff with no ideas so much so against Hull that the pressure will build and we’ll lose it. That is honestly my prediction. If we end up with 3 points i’ll be amazed. Be nice to think so but at present I just cannot see it. That will then set the tone for the rest of the season.

Well done Muppet’s you’ve really destroyed the morale at this club.

I’m not going to go into the protests as there seems to be that many getting arranged. I honestly hope they work and that a decent buyer comes in with some savvy. It clearly looks now like Ashley is a struggling man with all his money tied up in assets.

The credit crunch is beginning to hit home! Its not just Newcastle United but football really has become a cesspit.

Will Newcastle United ever recover now? It’s hard to see where it will go…

Quite clearly after much thinking and discussion with all you guys it is clear that with Kevin Keegans resignation there appeared to be a deeper problem in that fans have lost heart. Our club is damaged and will it ever recover?

I have to say with KK going I felt hurt and depression now it just a sense of emptiness for what was once ‘OUR’ club. The feeling I have and im out here in Portugal at present, must surely be worse for all those back home. I can only get a sense and not a true perspective on it all.

I just don’t see why ANYONE with any decency would want to go anywhere near what really is the poison chalice with muppet peeing in the cake mix above them.

Wise… NO
Poyet… NO
Shearer… NO (as if hes a muppet?)

Its just complete damaged goods and anyone with any sense won’t go near apart from getting someone with no soul and care for the club looking for a nice golden handshake.

Ashley please sell up and find a new way to have fun because we clearly aren’t.

Has KK gone? Who knows? With the tripe our club is ran by no one knows wtf is actually going on. Its infuriating fans all around the globe.

I have to say after the close of the transfer window that if it is the case that KK has called time on his short stint I would for one blame him. He’s been filled with empty promises again and if that is the case then who the f*** would want to take over after him. I know I wouldn’t.

Even more worryingly I think as a long serving fan I have at last had enough. If KK has had to leave thats the final straw and I don’t think it is just me. Football has fast become a bad penny but at Newcastle its about 10 pounds worth.

I seriously think if Ashley has gotten shot of KK he has underestimated support from the fans. I WON’T be going to games even though I have my season ticket. I WONT be buying tops. I WONT be buying burgers/pints etc. Quite frankly I have had enough.

The transfer window closing was evidence of poor performance from the so called crew of Ashley’s motley crew headed by the non related namesake ‘Wise’. He is quite clearly anything but. They didn’t do their job. SO why would he ever be considered for the job?

If KK has gone at this moment in time I really have had enough… I’ll comment later im sick about it all.

KK and the motley crew of Wise, Jimenez, Vetere and Ashley have their work cut out over the next 30 hours. The time is ticking in the countdown for the window to slam shut until the winter months of next year.

One movement is that of the offer for Owen believed to be £120k a week which shows progress. This can only be a positive for the club and its image.

We are looking likely to sign Valencia’s midfielder Ignacio Gonzalez on loan for the season. With Valencia well stocked in that department it looked like David Villa would be making a big money move away but it hasn’t happened so their new signing will struggle to get in ahead of Villa. He’s away on international duty and won’t be due back until after the break.

Who else we bring in who knows but deals seem to have been ongoing for sometime so its likely non will be ‘panics’. Interesting times.

UPDATE POTENTIAL TARGETS

Ignacia Gonzalez (done deal)
Thimothee Atouba
Olivier Kapo
Xisco (pretty much done deal)
Malouda (apparently far in negotiations)

OUTGOINGS

Alan Smith
Shola Ameobi

Aston Villa have officially completed the signing of James Milner believed to be over £10 million. He took a medical this morning and departs being MON’s 7th signing of the summer.

This means the board decided to draw a line on wages and make a stand at this point after Milner threw in a transfer request at not getting his contract negotiated upwards…

UPDATE:

KK has stated in his press conference it was his decision to sell Milner. The funds will be made available to add to the fund he already had pencilled for the purchases of 3-4 other bodies into the squad. He also stated that he is looking to tie up some deals in the next few days.

James Milner has officially handed in a transfer request. The club has officially announced that it is not happy about it but will only let him leave at their valuation (good for them). I think Aston Villa have pursued him in an incorrect manner and they had the cheek to moan about Liverpool with Barry. Unsettle the player before making an offer so he hands in a request? Well if he thinks Villa are going places I think hes kidding himself.

We have debated this alot but I honestly thought Milner had one of his better games last night which kind of caught me off guard to his request today. However we have said many a time he can’t cross a ball and quite often has no end product. Yes a one hundred percenter but is that enough? In Jonas it appears we have one who has an end product.

Maybe its for the best…

Well after seeing off the incredibly boring axe hacking players that are called the football team Bolton we played Coventry in the Carling Cup who at least tried to play football.

We played some fantastic football in what was a match I enjoyed for the first time in a long time and credit to Coventry as well. They at least tried to play a game of football.

Newcastle played without any real strikers up top with Milner and Jonas filling the void with MO on the bench. Everyone knows what I think of Milner but I have to say I thought he did well up top.

We passed the ball nicely, penetrated, got shots off, tackled, pressurised it was just an all round good performance with a couple of rough edges. The lads deserve a pat on the back.

Quite how we got pegged back who knows? Also where the referee gained 2 minutes in injury time??? Only he will know…

The signs are still positive and its starting to look like it isn’t a flash in the pan! A couple more signings and an easing of the injury list will help us and KK greatly. Hopefully flash Ash will give him some money to spend before the window shuts – hes certainly worked for it.

Well we are in the hat for the next round of the draw and at the end of the day thats what matters as this cup represents our best chance of ending our trophy drought.

In general though great stuff and more of the same please!

Oh and a special credit to Coventry who gave a great game.

Great title eh? Did say I felt good going into this and we got a result and a very good one at that.

The players are playing correctly to a style pleasing to the eye. Man of the match should have been given to both Guthrie and Jonas. Coloccini fitted in nicely for a first game and will only get better.

Im in such a good mood

We are unbeaten this season.

So in a rather bizarre few days really of activity we get words of wisdom from Mike Ashley, fleeting appearances of Keegan’s ex hair-do from Coloccini and seemingly some tremor’s in the transfer market.

In a one off interview Ashley revealed he did no due-dilligence before purchasing NUFC from the hands of the Halls and Shepherd. He also gave an insight into how badly managed the club was having taken advanced monies from sponsorship deals and buying players on the never, never for which we still owe £27 million. This even after ‘Flash Ash’ pummelled £100 million in to pay off debts. It certainly seems as though the club on a financial side of things even after just a year on is starting to get a bit of direction.

Ashley also called Newcastle United as a ‘jewel’ and that he has no regrets about rushing into buying the club. He looked upon NUFC as too much of an opportunity to miss out on.

Perhaps this debt gives us some indication as to why we are being a bit more prudent in the transfer market. In all honesty it seems for the first time we are buying the right players rather than trophy signings. They I would imagine will eventually come in the future years.

We are still awaiting official unveiling of Coloccini but with Ashley having wore his name on his back and trained the odd time with the squad it would be a surprise if he weren’t already signed. Still it would be nice for us Geordies to have something to cheer about.

We are being heavily linked with Tiago from Juventus. The former playmaker from the Special One’s Chelsea days showed great glimpses in his time in the Premier League with Mr.Mourinho stating he regretted not getting the most out of Tiago in his time at Chelsea. Certainly a loan deal with a view to a permanent move for £8 million would be a great way to test the water – we just need to persuade Tiago that’s all… Good to at last see us linked with a play-maker though.

The Stephen Warnock links keep coming back in which Paul Ince stated no further player would be leaving. Warnock also had to deny he handed in a transfer request after NUFC turned his head sufficiently – that doesn’t count for anything these days though. We’ve already bid twice for the lad but expect him wearing a Toon top by the 1st of September. He is an extremely underrated English player and will give great competition at left back.

We are also being linked to 2 mysterious players at Real Mallorca again. Certainly one or two showed glimpses of great technical ability and a will to play.

Now with the outgoings…

At last it looks like the Hoekey Coekey himself Mr. Ameobi is on his way out the door with a deal being agreed with Ipswich town and a medical on the cards today. Hopefully that will free up some funds for KK to go get a replacement.

It’s also rumoured that Everton are looking to push through a deal for Alan Smith. It would be alright if we go and spend to replace with the right players.

Aston Villa are rumoured to be back in for James Milner yet again. This time £9 million. If that is the case everyone knows my opinion unless KK thinks he can change his final ball.

So in a nutshell we’ve had it all in the lead up to the opening game against the Manure including a public training session. But are you happy with the direction the club is going? As Jose Mourinho said, “Newcastle are a great club with great supporters and great players but time and time again they underachieve”.