Things are still going at a snail’s pace in the selling of the Newcastle Football club, but it does look like the man behind the Malaysian bid for Newcastle is Ananda Krishnan as we had suspected a couple of days ago.
Ananda Krishnan – likely new owner?
The Sun is reporting that billionaire Ananda Krishnan is closing in on a deal to end Mike Ashley’s nightmare two-year Newcastle reign – which has taken the club down to the Championship, and has left the club in complete and utter disarray.
Apart from that Mike did a good job at Newcastle.
But we had reported we thought it was Krishnan, when news broke of a Malaysian deal, if only because he is one of the richest people in that part of the world.
But the bid, which is reported to be £95M and close to the £100M Ashley is asking for the club, seems a good one.
Krishnan, who is 71 years old, is South East Asia’s third-richest man worth £4.5B, but other consortia still remain in the running to buy the crisis club, which has to settle down quickly, if we are to prepare for the coming season, which is now less than 5 weeks away.
But Krishnan must now be favorite to take control after meeting Ashley’s reduced asking price and should be good enough for Ashley to accept, if indeed he is as keen as he says to sell the club.
However, we find it ominous that Joe Kinnear picks this time to come out and say he is fit again and would like to manage Newcastle.
If that doesn’t make Newcastle’s future even more murky we don’t know what would. So we are a little concerned that Joe is selecting now to talk about coming back.
We have to hope for the good of the club that a deal is announced by Wednesday, at the latest, but whether they will want Alan Shearer in as the new manager is still not completely known.
An American consortium is also said to have bid for the club, so the new owners could still be a surprise. However, surely this uncertainty surrounding the Newcastle club cannot last too much longer.
Comments welcome.
Written from Paris – France.
32 responses so far ↓
1 Oleg G // Jul 5, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Sence we we’re relegated I haven’t said a word in here. Was just reading.
Finally I see some news that worth to comment on.
Hopefully this will be the week that we going to say “See ya Fatty”….. Hopefully.
2 Partizan // Jul 5, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Ananda Krishan would deff be my no 1 choice.
3 alkinou // Jul 5, 2009 at 8:59 AM
“However, surely this uncertainty surrounding the Newcastle club cannot last too much longer.”
How many times have I heard this this season … I’m afraid I’m slowly losing hope. The potential new owners should know that they have to buy the club quickly, so why don’t they hurry?
Come on good new please, soon!
4 Oleg G // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:01 AM
oh… now I saw…. Ed, you are crazy mate.
From Paris? Now you are an International jurnalist?
Another thing. Please, not Freddy, Please, Not Freddy, Please…. Lets have a thin owner for a change.
5 Oleg G // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:03 AM
alkunou. These are good news. what happened in the last week is much bigger then what happend in the month privious to that.
Finally someone came to actually look at the club. was there, phisicaly. The people were impressed.
Its not like buying a chicken in the store.
100M deal. Takes time.
But now there is real movement. so thats great.
Just hope that MA is really selling, and not playing his games.
6 najikhin86 // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:09 AM
its like having a butterfly in my stomach to read a fellow countryman intends to buy my favourite club. Well perhaps we malaysians could receive free tickets from him to watch newcastle after this..
joking only guys.. but the idea is cool. Maybe he could help to promote Newcastle in Malaysia, which consist 99.9% of ManU supporter which is very shameful.
7 Stuart79 // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:22 AM
I’m reserving judgment on all these rumours.
The only reason this guy is mentioned is because he’s rich and he’s Malaysian.
Other than that there is no concrete link at all.
8 Harry Krishna // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:27 AM
Sounds good to me…..
Wish he’d hurry up an get his wallet out tho…
9 toptoon // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:28 AM
Here’s an exclusive for you Ed!! Keneth Shephard reckons it’s a done deal!! Freddy is back!!
Better the devil you know!!
plus points are:
shearer trusts him
he has the best interests of the club at heart, although he has been a bit greedy.
Negative points – he does not have the financial backing of a shiek or sum multi billionaire! could be a good move to get us out the championship
10 Harry Krishna // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:28 AM
He’s got good teeth an’all
Thats always a good sign at 71……
11 Irish John // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:29 AM
Finaly somthing is happening……It would be just what we need after the most miserable years I can remember under fatty and fatty fred…
If we could just get ths guy in and then promotion and then who knows..Might be getting a little ahead of myself but im just praying this guy takes us over
12 Irish John // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:30 AM
toptoon please be taking out of your arse
13 shear-class // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Weve heard anything and everything for the last 6-9 months, new owners new managers,but finally a bit of substance to a takeover lets hope it doesnt drag on another few weeks and get alan shearer on board as soon as possible for a serious championship push Howay The Lads
14 Geordiedoonsooth // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:41 AM
Wasn’t the Malysian prime minister born in Newcastle & is a Toon fan? Maybe he has pursuaded Krishnan to buy us, we can only hope
15 Nick D // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:46 AM
God if it’s Shepherd I just cpouldn’t take it nay more. The best interests of the club at heart – what !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The guy has spectacularly proved that really isn’t the case. To all the people who said we wouldn’t have gone down with Shepherd in charge – are they for real. We were in steady decline after he took over as chairman and every decision he made since SBR got sacked has been disastrous. The way this sale has taken so long just shows how much debt Shepherd landed us and how reluctant new owners are to take it on and adminsistration and a point sreduction would have been inevitable if Shepherd had stayed. Shepherd isn’t even a football fan, just an opportunist.
16 Harry Krishna // Jul 5, 2009 at 10:05 AM
I like Freddy Shepherd
(coverin my bets here……)
17 windsrave // Jul 5, 2009 at 10:30 AM
reply to –> Geordiedoonsooth // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:41 AM
hi from Malaysia.
i don’t think our prime minister loves or even born in Newcastle. Instead he’s more likely a ‘criminal’ than a minister in my opinion =)
I think u’re saying Thailand Prime Minister, Abhisit. he’s indeed a nufc fan and even visited SJP last year .
Regarding the news about Ananda Krishnan is going to overtake NUFC, honestly im not really convinced about this move. i doubt his motive and the credibility of this news.
However, i hope this is true because having a Malaysian as the owner of the club is a great honour, at least i wont be mocked by my friends (50%manure,20%arsenal,20% liverpool, 5% chelski)anymore as i believe many malaysians will support NUFC if this deal really happens.
18 waddler // Jul 5, 2009 at 10:41 AM
Enjoying Paris Ed, its a fabulous city.
Ed, Neil Farrington from the Newcastle Sunday Sun is reporting this morning that Krishnan is backing away from the club and Shepherd is now the favourite to takeover the club and if he fails Kinnear will be back to save the day under Ashley.
It all seems to be revolving around the overdraft issue, £40 million and lowering the £74 million wage bill, so instead of buying the club with no debt and all asset in place, buyers are expected to pay £100 million plus take up the overdraft and the loss of player assets, so we may be talking about an outlay of £170 million for the club.
This would sicken someone like Krishnan and is probably why Shepherd is expecting to take over the club for £60 million.
After the due diligence Ashley is still hiding behind smoke and mirrors.
Try the Baton Rouge trip up the Seine at night Ed its great.
19 Archie Brand // Jul 5, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Good Old Joe Kinnear.
He reminds me of Donkey in the Shrek DVD – jumping up and down at the back shouting “Pick Me! Pick Me!”
The good news on the malaysian deal – for our first transfer we are promised first pick of any international footballer (inside Malaysia) and Mokhtar Dahari is looking favourite.
Shearers bar will only sell Malaysias #1 beer (which happens to be Thai) and in a bid to keep overheads at a reasonable level players will be given a Proton Savvy to get them to and from the ground.
Personally I dont think Shepherd would be such a bad option.
Think about it. Why would he plough a hundred million of his own cash into NUFC? Obviously he wants to make money, and the only place to do that is in the Premiership.
I think Freds the Shepherd to lead his lost sheep back to the fold.
20 punk skunk... // Jul 5, 2009 at 10:58 AM
FFS, FFS!..
…No way doris day!..
21 punk skunk... // Jul 5, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Never trust a blerter with a cookie jar!..
…Nee way santa fe!..
22 punk skunk... // Jul 5, 2009 at 11:07 AM
Nee way Habib Beye!..
23 punk skunk... // Jul 5, 2009 at 11:07 AM
Nee way Enrique!..
…Ok, that’s it!..
24 ark13y // Jul 5, 2009 at 1:13 PM
you finished?
25 Rangerman // Jul 5, 2009 at 1:39 PM
There seems to be a story about Freddy Shepherd in the Sunday Sun every week, you hear very little about him the other six days.
26 Solaidback // Jul 5, 2009 at 3:40 PM
So the rumours are still floating around that FFS is going to buy the TOON from Ashley…. I don’t think so….
1) He wouldn’t have the funds to buy the TOON & be able to create any sort of war chest for transfers without getting loans from bank, ie putting us back in debt again!!!
2) Ashley wouldn’t sell to FFS, not after all the shit he’s been posting in the crap-loids about how the clubs has been run badly since he left!!!
3) The only fans that would want FFS are either 2 years old or didn’t support the club when it was run by FFS & Hall, as they wouldn’t have a clue what he’s like & only want him back because he’s a Geordie!!!
4) NEVER take as the truth what is written in the Sunday Sun because it’s completely fll of crap, they print any testicles they can because no one gives them any real facts to print!!!
5) Kinnear will never be manager of the TOON again, unless Ashley does a U-turn & decides to not sell (god forbid)!!!!
27 marshy // Jul 5, 2009 at 8:38 PM
selling to fatfred, solaidback, would be ashley’s final kick in newcastles goolies after he has pumelled us into the ground.
28 mam M.A.D // Jul 6, 2009 at 7:44 AM
howdy everybody..im from malaysia..
we have 2 keep our faith n just hoping dat our team will get back 2 the top flight back..
im completely 110% behind u toonarmy…
29 Mag Matador // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:21 AM
Solaidback – if my memory’s correct, the Sunday Sun were the first people to report FFS wanted back in at Newastle.
30 Davies // Jul 6, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Speculation speculation, speculation. I don’t care who’s bidding. Until the club is sold it’s all speculation. Joe KInnear sounding off doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Aside from the fact that he’s just saying he’s looking for a job, he is actually a better choice than Shearer. He has, afterall, had a team promoted before.
31 Solaidback // Jul 6, 2009 at 1:43 PM
Mag Matador // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:21 AM
You maybe right but it doesn’t stop them from printing loads of testicles when they’ve nowt else to post does it!!!!
As for Kinnear being better than Shearer, Davies, how can you say that when Shearer hasn’t had a chance to prove it?? He was handed a team of players who had no discipline, were lazy & didn’t give a toss & in 8 games expected to turn them around & save them from dropping into the fizzy, not even Sir Alex or Mourinho could have done that, never mind Shearer… as for Kinnear promoted, who & when??? Wimboldon back in the 80’s or summit!!! when teams wages were around 80k a year, not a week, when players cost 100k to buy, not £80m!!! get a life mate, Kinnear did the least possible at the TOON because he didn’t need to do anything because Ashley promised him a job for life as long as he was still in charge at the Toon, so JFK didn’t do anything, not even pake the players turn up for training on time & then had Houghton take the training instead of him, another lazy bastard running a team full of lazy bastards!!!!
32 ToonArmy Malaysia // Jul 6, 2009 at 4:00 PM
I’m a Toon fan from Malaysia and wish to share some info with you..
i) Ananda Krishnan is the 2nd richest man in Malaysia with a net worth of US$7 billion (Forbes Asia – 2009).
ii) Krishnan is a telecommunications and media mogul controls Maxis Communications (telecommunication services), Measat and Astro (pay tv & digital broadcasting). Astro will show at least 6 live EPL games perweek via the ESPN and Starsports channels.
iii) Generally, 50% of Malaysia football fans is supporting ManU and Liverpool. Another 30% is supporting Chelsea and Arsenal. In the ‘3rd bracket’ there are the supporters of Newcastle, Spurs and Everton (Leeds and Sheffield). Supporters of the other teams are hardly seen.
iv) We do have NUFC Supporters Club in Malaysia since 2001. Although this group is yet to be recognized officially, we’re in contact with the people in NUFC on adhoc basis. Trip to SJP has been made in 2003.
v) Yes – Ananda Krisnhnan is behind the bid.
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