While we still think the news that Indian Billionaire Anil Ambani is on the brink of buying Newcastle United is untrue, it’s also interesting what his people are saying about our club – some good stuff and true too.
Mike Ashley – owner of Newcastle United
The sixth richest man in the world was reported yesterday to have given a one week deadline to Mike Ashley, for him to accept a £260M offer for the club.
Ambami and his company denied this was true, only this morning.
Ambani is said to be worth £21B and a source close to the proposed deal told The Daily Telegraph today:
“Ambani has twice as much money as [Roman] Abramovich and his intentions are deadly serious,”
“His people will put a set of proposals to Ashley and if they don’t like them they will say ‘that’s it’ and turn their attention elsewhere.”
“They won’t be messed about.”
It is understood that English clubs with large fan bases, have attracted interest from Ambani, and Yorkshire clubs Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday are also interesting the Bombay-based Billionaire, and Everton are also said to be within his sights.
But it looks like Newcastle United, with their terrific and passionate fan base is his number one choice, as the source continued:
“They see Newcastle as a massive club with vast potential,”
“They know they already attract 50,000-plus crowds and wonder what would happen if they get back into the Champions League.”
” But they also see India as an untapped market as well.”
This billionaire seems to know what he is talking about, doesn’t he?
Now let’s think – wonder if there is any truth in this story? 😀
Comments welcome.
241 comments so far
Piers
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:29 PM
Comment #81We can hope…..if it is actually true then Ashley should sell. Now lets move on……Is Fabrico in Newcastle as we speak? Isn’t he undergoing a physical? Whats the deal Ed?
Toon1978
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:29 PM
Comment #82Don’t know what to make of this bit of news but i think i was from yesterday but this time i ain’t getting sucked into the hype because the news this morning about this being rubbish nearly had me in tears i was gutted. i PERSONALLY don’t think this will happen but wouldn’t it be nice. Ashley worth 2 billion but Anil worth 22 billion my god we would be wealthy BUT this is probably a none starter even though i would LOVE this to happen.
Graham
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:34 PM
Comment #83SteveM – I mentioned this a month or 2 ago (not the play off though).
There is no chance of the remaining 16 clubs in the premier league making an impact on the top 4 as loing as they are getting in more TV money. Prize money is slightly different but the gap should be closed from 1st to 20th
harrier
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:35 PM
Comment #84I notice Angryman and the anti-ashley brigade have quieted down, I don’t think they like facts getting in the way of their “Ashley is trying to rob us” crusade
Izitme
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:35 PM
Comment #85I like many other toon fans, have met Mike Ashley, he is as he appears in his photo’s a genuine man who is indulging himself because he can afford to do it, he admits himself you dont get into a EPL club to make money, I for one will be surprised if he sells out, I won’t be at all surprised if he takes on a partner(s) willing to pump money in the club in turn for worldwide exposure in a few years time.
JC
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:37 PM
Comment #86This completely off topic but….. everyones favourite song and a link to. Its just to make things feel less doomed and gloomy. Please!!! Its so depressing reading this!!!!!!!
Sun'lun's Burnin'
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:39 PM
Comment #87WHERE IS COLOCCINI!!!!!!!?!?!????
Sure KK said that a signing would be annouced in next 24 hours about 4/5 days ago!!!
gettin bit worried now!
Peter Ramage
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:39 PM
Comment #88Hi fellas.Just like to say im settling in well at Rangers and i hope the Toon do well this season.Just because ive left doesnt mean i care anymore im still a massive Newcastle fan.Bassong’s not as good as me thou!Only joking i watched last nights game and keep the faith im sure Kevin will get things right because if theres a set of fans that deserve to win something its you’s lot.Anyway goodbye i plan on posting on this blog to keep to with things now im away doon Londan
Cheers Peter.
harrier
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:40 PM
Comment #89JC – this song always picks me up – but I am a huge zep fan 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxlI72d9bgg
JC
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:40 PM
Comment #90http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4
A quality song that sums up everyones feelings towards the whole situation at the club
chuck704143
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:43 PM
Comment #91I WANT ASHLEY TO STAY !!!
Contray to what a lot of people are saying the club IS GOING FORWARD. Ashley is an absolute legend.
also I dont support Newcastle United for the glory, I support them cause I think the club are rudy bloody brilliant and have the best supporters in the league, if not the country. Went to Arsenal last year and even when we were 3- nil down a 3000 strong toon army brigade was outsinging the rest of a ghost town like emirates. ‘4-3 we nearly won 4-3’ was the chant at the final whistle
supporting the underdog is the british way and having banter with arm chair supporting friends who all favour the big 4 is part of the fun. i would not have it any other way despite the times when we get dicked on by the likes of Man Utd 7 -0. Just keep telling myself how sweet it will be when we beat one of the big four in the league, let alone when we win the carling cup or FA cup, the feeling will be indescribable !!
now that feeling wouldnt be there if somebody came in and poured in loads of cash and brought us kaka ronaldo and whoever else.
anyway jsut by two cents,
ps any news on colo ??
pps arshavin would is a rip off at anything near £20m he is 27 and has only ever played anywhere except the russian league (to my knowledge) he did have a good euros but that does not quite justufy the price tag.
JC
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:43 PM
Comment #92http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huLklsj_5HI
My favourite song ever…
Ian
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:43 PM
Comment #93Dondatta13 makes a good point, it is a private business how would any of us know how much he actually put in to the club??
The fact he paid £134 million for it if there hadnt have been any debt would make it difficult to ask £250m a year later for it, it seems funny that he is happy for everyone to know he missed £80m when adding up the value of the club when it was only worth £134m.
Anyhow like Valle says it is the football team that interests me and at the moment I am worried but I will wait until the end of the window and see what happens.
JC
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:45 PM
Comment #94http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULVQOneeZE
Good song better video
harrier
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:45 PM
Comment #95Ian – banks recalled the loans – which they had a right to during the takeover. He knew about the debt, he just did not know that he had to pay it off within 60 days.
Obafan
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:45 PM
Comment #96£If this is true, wich I hope, Ashley needs to sell, cause the Indian guy can make us bigger than Ashley ever will.
Hadji
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:45 PM
Comment #97Somehow i still believe that we’ll be bought by Anil
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Anil_Ambani_looks_to_buy-out_Newcastle_United/rssarticleshow/3323301.cms
paul p
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:46 PM
Comment #98well i dont no what to believe anymore, what i do no is this, after watching that shambles over the weekend. it is not going to be a very good season for us. we have no one who can actually create anything for anyone. it was awful to watch. to me, we are as far away from the top 10 as we ever have been. a do hope for 4 quality signings in the next week to 2 weeks plus coloccini, which will then push us further up the league. but i dont think we will win anything this season as it stands at the min. i will still be there, home and away getting behind the lads though week in week out. role on man u away.
darren grech MALTA
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:47 PM
Comment #99i like everything that is good for the club.anil ambani can make history in newcastle because of his money.all the best clubs are good because of money so we aren’t defferent. i wish this is a true story.our fans deserve much better
Hadji
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:48 PM
Comment #100I think the whole delay of Colo’s medical is cause he went to the barber shop first.
Hard time for the barber 🙂
harrier
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:50 PM
Comment #101paul p – we were missing given beye faye coloccini 🙂 barton butt nzogbia gutierrez viduka martins owen. 😛 Which is an Enrique short of our strongest current lineup (imo)
Toon1978
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:51 PM
Comment #102Darren Grech Malta you are spot on.
glenn hills
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Comment #103How many times does Ashley have to say hes NOT interested in selling the club??? its more rubbish from the NOTW with their 58th TOON FOR SALE headline of the summer!! both parties supposedly interested have came out today and denied it as well. People really need to start realising the good that Ashley has done for the club as well.
Tez131
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Comment #104I have heardrumours that Coliccini is going to be in the toon today for a medical, but has there actually been any reports/ sightings/ talk that suggest he has been undertaking the medical today?
I was hoping both Coliccini and Bassong could be unveil this evening. Not looking likely :- (
——————–Given
Beye –Coliccini — Bassong/Faye –Enrique
—Barton/Butt/Guthrie (Not sure on DM)—
Gutteriez————————————N’Zogbia
———————–Milner
————Owen ————- Martins
Not a bad team, but I think we need to start buying players that will be better than what we have an push the likes of Butt to the bench rather than getting players that are roughly as good as our current squad.
Tez131
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:04 PM
Comment #105I have heardrumours that Coliccini is going to be in the toon today for a medical, but has there actually been any reports/ sightings/ talk that suggest he has been undertaking the medical today?
I was hoping both Coliccini and Bassong could be unveil this evening. Not looking likely :- (
——————–Given
Beye –Coliccini — Bassong/Faye –Enrique
—Barton/Butt/Guthrie (Not sure on DM)—
Gutteriez————————————N’Zogbia
———————–Milner
————Owen ————- Martins
Not a bad team, but I think we need to start buying players that will be better than what we have an push the likes of Butt to the bench rather than getting players that are roughly as good as our current squad.
glenn hills
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:04 PM
Comment #106what we need is a creative midfielder and a striker who can hold the ball up. Someone like Ashton.
Ian
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:12 PM
Comment #107Cheers Harrier, I didnt know that.
I really do not know what to think.
Do you think Ashley thinks we are in for a good season????
Ian
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:15 PM
Comment #108The striker we want is Cisse, 6 goals in 7 pre season games and going for £8m, no striker with that scoring rate of 1 goal every two games throughout his whole career is that cheap.
Man City are trying to get him on loan!!!!!!! His club doesnt want him to leave so no way are they going to get that deal!
gorskino10
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:15 PM
Comment #109bassong has signed as he only had week trail and that emded last week he signed and flew out to the Mallorca cup, for Coloccini there is no news anywhere on him let’s hope they meant he was flying to Newcastle on Monday for medical latter today or tommorow let’s hope we haven’t missed out on him being too slow on the medical.
Magpie Dave
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:16 PM
Comment #110what a bunch of fickle tw@ts some of yous are.
I remember when Ashley took over all the fans thanking him for getting rid of fat freddy.
Ashley has not put a foot wrong since he came here.
We’re about to sign a 10 million quid centre half and you don’t know who else is lined up and all you lot can do is look for the next man to come in.
Big Sam was right about a big chunk of our fans being short sited, with ambitions above their station.
We went the road of spalshing stupid money on 2nd rate players for years and won nothing.
We now have a guy who has put 200 million of his own cash into a club he had no allegiance to, but wants to and all you lot can do is blast him and look for his replacement.
I have to say I think the whole story is crap anyway but its certainly brought the sh#t out of the closet as far as some of our fans go.
I truly am sick to me stomach with some of you lot and you’re only adding fuel to the fire in respect of what other fans think of us.
Punk Skunk
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:19 PM
Comment #111Is that ‘really’ you Peter Ramage?..
…If so, all the best man!..
antz
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:21 PM
Comment #112thats not rammy!! lol
SteveM
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:22 PM
Comment #113Thanks Graham for responding.
I dont think the march of the big four is unstoppable just that it may be unstoppable on the football pitch. I think we need to recognise that the big fours commercial interests are totally opposed to our own. I believe that the 16 remainning clubs still have more weight than the top four because of our existing fan base. We dont have to play ball with the big four – i would be more than happy to give them permentant CL place and kick em out of the Premier league. Playing Man U is one thing Playing Man U Global Investement Corp. is another. In monetary terms their current team is worth over twice our team. I think there is a window of a few years in which the rest of the teams in the premier leauge still have the fan base to force the big four to go against their comercial interest. You could market the new league minus the four big corperate teams as a revolution and a rebirth of football. It may take the destruction of another team to make this happen – probably spurs seeing the amount of money they are spending – but I can see a movement taking shape. Would people on this board welcome the exclusion of the big corperate 4 from the league and the return of a competivie league?
Toon1978
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:22 PM
Comment #114Mag pie Dave you are right mate but i think the fans are worried at how slow we are bringing new players in and watching NUFC the last few nights has not helped Ashley one little bit. Major investment in the team is needed because we are way short in numbers and we need at least 3-4 if not 5 more players to give us any chance of competing for a top 6 position.
Faustino
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:24 PM
Comment #115Can I echo the point that todays new crop of sensible people has been a real breath of fresh air in comparison to the pre-pubescent hip shooters and doom mongers that have made a home here in recent weeks. Long may it last!
Ian
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:26 PM
Comment #116Magpie Dave we were fifth in the premiership (third at one point) what are you on about???
You reckon we will be back up to fifth like the Bobby Robson days???
I do not know what to think, and i will know at the end of the transfer window but at the moment there doesnt look like any great plan from the top, I am not even sure if he has any interest at all in the football team, just money.
Punk Skunk
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:32 PM
Comment #117I think the only way to break the top 4 (not big 4) stranglehold is by introducing a socialist system like in the states!..
…i.e. No relagation!..
…”2 leagues…Prem & champ…
…The 2 other leagues become college based, full of kids, learning football & other skills…
…Therefore creating bigger interest in them, ‘cos their players will become future players for everyones teams & the national teams…Therefore, becoming 2 leagues of up & coming stars that would be actually be worth goin’ to see play…& also stop them getting their young mitts on too much money, too soon!..
…It would also probably do away with the transfer system & lead to draft picks for teams to trade in!..
…My little scheme!..in a nutshell!..
hitman
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:34 PM
Comment #118harrier season tickets are £934 not 800
Peter Ramage
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:34 PM
Comment #119Thanks Punk Skunk.First games against Barnsley im looking forward to it.If anyones in London on the 9th you should come and watch the game.I think we can get promotion this year.Ian Dowie is a canny manager aswell.Anyway thanks punk skunk.
Cheers Peter.
Ian
Aug 4, 2008 at 5:36 PM
Comment #120Something needs doing punkskunk as it is going to end up mad in the premiership, it could end up the top ten richest groups of people in the World are the owners of the top ten teams then no-one else can get near.
We want to see decent football games only, there is no silverware for a healthy balance sheet or most cash etc!!