Comments on: What We Think Went On At The Ashley Meeting

By: paul

paul — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:31:08 +0000

no……

an englishman, an irishman and a scotsman……

is a joke !

lol

By: Newcastle United.

Newcastle United. — Sun, 11 May 2008 10:29:31 +0000

39 million is a joke.

By: Exiled Geordie

Exiled Geordie — Sun, 11 May 2008 08:21:49 +0000

I think it makes sense to cut the wage bill because it means we have to get rid of all the dead wood bleeding our club dry.People like Smith and Roz have to be shown the door but getting someone to buy these players me be a problem.I do beleive you can find quality players for the right price and not pay silly wages but you have to have a good scouting network,just look at Wenger the best at it in the world.As for Ashley any man that is willing to invest what this bloke has deserves abit of respect and hopefully he wants what we all want,some silverware and a sucessful longterm future.As far as Owen is concearned i think he should take a pay cut if the stories are true, he doesnt need the money and he owes us big time for supporting him during all the injuries.

By: Danish_Magpie

Danish_Magpie — Sun, 11 May 2008 08:16:17 +0000

Surely talk of an exact that we have available to spend is slightly misleading; I think we may have some amount, say 20m to spend, but it seems that if Keegan c an attract a real quality player, that 20m could be breached. IE: We have spent 9m on Ashton, 5m on Shorey, and then Ronaldinho becomes available for 19m and Keegan convinces him to come, Ashley would not say “No mate, that puts us above 20m”. So let’s just see what happens over the summer, shall we..? PS. I am not saying Ronaldinho would ever in a million years come to the north-east..

By: KKN39

KKN39 — Sun, 11 May 2008 06:24:51 +0000

yes trim the wage bill! the obvious way to do it without dents in players’ quality is to replace old experience big-name players with relatively green and hungry ones:
- sell Smith a must (coming from ManU u can guess his wage is like)
- try to keep Zog and sell Duff
- replace Geremi with S. Larsson
- negotiate wages w/ Owen (maybe 15% or 20% cut?) and “pay as you play” contacts w/ Duke?
- no senior big club rejects should be signed (i.e. no Bridge / Riise / Crouch, but Gomis / Shorey / 2nd tier league imports as “less important” backup squad players?)

By: tapir

tapir — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:22:08 +0000

it hurt me most when Ramos says Berbatov will go, on sale,set price
then all team including Chelski,Manyoo all declare interest and want buy..
Its hurt me when we know the fact that Berbatov is Shearer and newcatlse no 1 FAN and we didnt event try!!!!!!!

By: domton

domton — Sat, 10 May 2008 22:55:36 +0000

HERE! HERE!

By: leather

leather — Sat, 10 May 2008 22:36:06 +0000

I have read this with interest, and will come out with the bleeding obvious. KK says we need between 2 to 5 players depending on who we have just played. He has released 2 -1st team players Carr and Ramage. He is getting shot of Shola, Viduka is 63 and knacked. Big head Charlie boy is history. We have no left back cover , Rozehnal is away hopefully and Emre is hurt more than Carl Cort. Barton could be doing bird.
Now hold on that means we have to just replace possibly 8! players in fact probably. Plus we as KK said 2-5 players short. Means we need 10-13 players . Now we will go down faster than Jordan if we have 20m to spend, plus about 8m from the mutts that will leave. Work it out Ed! this is why it is the stupidist statement ever 20m. Or sorry if it is true- get your money on for a lower than Derby points total next year. We have nothing saleable either Owen could go with Taylor for next to nowt. The only one we could get money off is Oba. Please do your research Ed know your team.
Also can people stop copying press reports and saying they want to sign daft players that are mentioned in the press. Then talking about them as if they think they are scouts. All you are doing is scouting your mates newspapers, you have never seen them play – so pack it in. Veloso, Arshavin Gomis etc, pile of shite you dont know they will fit in. Plus by the way Ed they would cost 35m. Do the math – Kev has been told to (apparently)

By: chuck

chuck — Sat, 10 May 2008 22:23:39 +0000

Use Arsene as a role model?, I`ll drink to that.
Think The Arsenal are the best run club in the country, play the most attractive football and are the only club to emulate been saying that from day one.
Chelsea are a rich mans toy, a bought team, a power team, impossible to emulate, too many rubles.
Man U. used to consist of some home grown talent, no longer, its spend big now and yes also big earnings come with it, however this is one of the highest leveraged teams in the world with an enormous debt level, not a good role model.
Liverpool a once top team, in and out of the top four over the last few years. With a manager who is also spending big time, but a team just off the pace of the top three.
The danger here is financial also, squabbling owners who borrowed to buy the team and now amid the financial uncertainty want to borrow more to finance some futuristic stadium.
Never gonna happen, a ploy to up the price, a nice profit and outta here.
Certainly not a pattern to follow.
So looking at things from this perspective N.U.F.C. dont look quite so bad..
State of the art stadium, filled for most home games.
Billionaire owner.
Debt paid off.
A group of talented young players being stocked in the youth system, who hopefully will be challenging for first team spots in the near future.
Bring in some young proven players, to the present team, McGeady, Veloso, etc. and enjoy some KK attacking style football.
Yeah it could take a few seasons before things come to fruition, Rome was`nt built in a day, so lighten up folks , go and support the team and enjoy the football.

By: domton

domton — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:41:52 +0000

I’d just like to say some very interesting and equally valid comments on this blog.

Downside is, I have no idea what I think!

As long as Keegan wasn’t sacked (which let’s face it wasn’t at all likely) and he didn’t resign (hmm not so sure how likely that is sometimes!), that’s all that matters. The rest is speculation, mostly based upon the Toon bashing southern media.

Try taking things at face value guys – don’t read too much into things, and DON’T get wound up by the gutter press. It’s what they want!

Hmmm cute bird down there nice one ed

By: Ed Harrison

Ed Harrison — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:32:59 +0000

anon, that’s what we need – a good season and finishing near the top – so we qualify for Europe. Then next summer we can build on that and make the squad even stronger. You’ve got to do it in stages.

By: anon

anon — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:17:04 +0000

Mike Ashley is one of the most astute business men I have ever met (i have met him once or twice). He will see Newcastle will be in the top 7 next season!!
“Miker Ashley, The Billionaire eh, surely he can afford a bob a two when players come along” .
the businessmen out there will understand……………..

By: geordiejayne

geordiejayne — Sat, 10 May 2008 18:55:00 +0000

Just a small comment about the gentleman/woman whom is not going to renew there season ticket is beyond my comprehension.

How can you have a season ticket under the Fat one and not now renew?

Up the Toon

By: Danny

Danny — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:51:51 +0000

Agree totally craigg….Lets just look forward to the summer!

With a bit of luck we will do our business before the european championships too!

By: Hadrian

Hadrian — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:06:57 +0000

faustino.

we have new owners , nufc will make ashley very very rich , especially when we fill the stadium regardless (didnt see many bottom half teams sell out this season) .
people want to see what he’s going todo for us before we do for him .
yes its our club , yes its our city , which is even more of a reason to tread carefully .
lets face it , if ashley doesnt do as much for us as we do for the club , there will be nothing good to come of him owning us . so why support him ?

but yes lets leave this till end of the summer , and see if its time to sing ‘theres only one mike ashley’ or … ‘ashley out ‘

i had such high hopes , not that we were getting a roman abramovich , but that we would see some serious funding . like sunderland ………..