Disturbing news today that the sale of Newcastle United could take at least another 4 weeks.
Alan Shearer – still waiting
We were all hoping and half expecting that with due diligence completed, the bids would be in this weekend, and Keith Harris of Seymour Harris Bank would select a recommended buyer and Ashley would be told of the recommendation.
And that would be it, and then Newcastle could start doing some real work preparing for the new season in the Championship.
But no, news today from a reliable source inside the club, reported by www.nufc.com says that the sale could take another 4 weeks. And www.nufc.com have a habit of being extremely accurate on what they report.
If this is true, then the club is now in another sorry mess, and may miss the chance of having Alan Shearer installed as manager, because as time goes by, there will be some pressure on Alan to take up his old job on Match of the Day at the BBC.
You would have thought that after all the damage Mike Ashley has inflicted on the club already, it would be hard for him to inflict any more damage on a Newcastle club already in severe crisis.
It looks like that view may be wrong, and maybe if it is going to be 4 weeks, we’ll see Joe Kinnear come back in, as interim manager, to take the team forward, as a way of speaking.
Maybe that’s why Joe was making all those noises yesterday about wanting to come back to Newcastle.
But we’ve seen this scenario before haven’t we? It seems at least a couple of times, and we can probably kiss goodbye to promotion this coming season, and hope we can survive in the Championship.
It’s hard to think the Newcastle club can sink any deeper, but watch out.
It may be that Mike Ashley hasn’t finished with his demolition work yet.
Comments welcome.
Written from Paris, France.
31 responses so far ↓
1 Nick D // Jul 6, 2009 at 6:59 AM
Ed there is no need to keep regurgitating this depressing news especially while you are meant to be taking it easy. You’re turning it in to a self fulfilling prophecy of doom.
In Paris, try switching off from it all. You never know, when you come back things may finally have all changed.
You can almost pinpoint the day when SBR left and that idiot Shepherd appointed Souness and gave him 50M to spend. The rest as they say is history.
2 jim // Jul 6, 2009 at 7:08 AM
nick d-stop stalkin batty man, and ed……
3 shear-class // Jul 6, 2009 at 7:47 AM
This is just another source but i wouldnt put anything past mike ashley ive always said he wants to destroy us
4 Geordiedoonsooth // Jul 6, 2009 at 8:20 AM
I hope it aint true but NUFC.com don’t report things unless there is some sort truth behind it. If this happens we could be f*ucked & do a Leeds or Norwich or Notts Forest
5 lesh // Jul 6, 2009 at 8:39 AM
And who’ll come to the rescue as manager? Well, Joe’s put his hand up as being available and ready to go!
Ho hum it goes on, and on, and on, and……
Marvellous!
6 Ross // Jul 6, 2009 at 8:58 AM
if the takeover fiasco is still running come the start of next season, we can all get those league one badges and the iron at the ready.
Kinnear, or Hughton/Calderwood would be a disaster.
7 Timmers // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:25 AM
If anyone thought we’d actually be sold before Christmas you’re very naive indeed. 100m is too much for a Championship club, and why should Ashley care what happens if he’s selling????? He didnt care about the club when over the last 2 years. And now ppl are moaning that he isnt doing anything WAKE UP!!! You’re hated in your job and you’re leaving would you care if the company was going down? No didnt think so. The best we can hope for is to offload some of the high wage earners who spread the play for pay mentality and hope the youth players with a mix of experience players have the integrity and fortitude to keep fighting even if they have no idea of the future owners.
8 batty // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:31 AM
timmers aye ive got a feelin jokerkinnears coming back
9 hitman // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:41 AM
any1 reckon the sale has went t1ts up like,were doomed if it has.
10 batty // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:45 AM
aye hitman iam starting to think that way
11 Geordiedoonsooth // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:46 AM
If this is true we are up the swanny
http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2009/07/06/mike-ashley-s-price-too-high-for-bidders-61634-24081250/
12 Geordiedoonsooth // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:49 AM
If we aren’t sold & Kinnear comes back I can see the crowds being below 10,000
13 Whumpie // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:55 AM
I don’t know about this, Ed. NUFC.com are usually very reliable, but there’s really nothing in their story to suggest it’s more than just the opinion of some blerk somehow connected with it all. Doesn’t mean his opinion is right.
One thing we have to remember: you don’t have to complete the sale to appoint a manager and start building a team. To that you have to have a sale agreement signed, that’s all. All the i-dotting and t-crossing can happen afterwards.
The real news today is that MA has sanctioned (importantly, with Big Al’s blessing, according to the Journal) the sale of some of the big names. If true (and it’s out there in public, so I think it is) then this suggests three things:
1. That the lack of sales so far has been deliberate, not through lack of trying.
2. That Big Al is continuing his involvement behind the scenes (which would also make sense)
3. That MA is starting to realise that things have to move on.
MA is a tool, but he’s not so stupid as to not realise that the value of the club is dropping by about a million a day right now, as the likelihood of promotion recedes. That means that he is far more likely to take a £90m offer than to hold out for his £100m.
Sit tight, lads. I think, this time, we could actually see stuff happen “this week”. Just don’t expect it to be everything at once.
14 Satboyslim // Jul 6, 2009 at 10:04 AM
Yeah i think Whumpie is right, even Ashley now knows in his own warped wway that he has to keep the club in as good a condition as possible to get the highest price for it. I honestly cant see him being at the helm come match day 1.
On a completely different note there should be a campaign going to keep some of the players, if 50000 fans all gave a couple of pounds a week that would be Oba’s wages paid for and a good wage increase for Bassong aswell. I think it’s pretty naiive of me but i dont see why that cant work!
And i think Martins really would tear up the Championship, i think the fear other defenders would have playing against him would be immense.
Opinions?
15 Solaidback // Jul 6, 2009 at 10:19 AM
I personally think that we’re going to be stuck with Ashley & Kinnear come the start of the season, I mean, look at all the other takeover bids that have happened, they’ve taken a few weeks but ours seems to have taken forever & it’s not even close to being completed…. all we hear is what the crap-loid journo’s want to make up & none of it is good news, so I’m not holding out for any conclusion to this story, as I don’t think it will happen, not anymore anyway!!!
16 Whumpie // Jul 6, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Actually, I want rid of all but a very few of the squad. Martins just wasn’t the real deal when you look at his performances in retrospect. He’s exciting to watch, but the end product just wasn’t there. It says a lot that Owen hardly played but still out-scored him.
Likewise Colo, Nolan, Guti, Duff, Enrique, R.Taylor – loads of ‘em. Clean slate, please. I even think we can do better with £10m than Bassong will give us – his heart ain’t in the club.
The only exceptions are those who have shown consistent and genuine heart for the team: S. Taylor, Beye, Harper… um…
Oh, and most of the reserves.
And Barton can go headbutt a bus.
17 Timmers // Jul 6, 2009 at 10:32 AM
@batty-i think Joke might be back as well, the only plus i see is that Mike can risk him so then Shearer can be appointed and the interim just moved on/and Joke is happy to have a job and doesnt care about the restrictions on him or where he is.
As for the sale i get more and more worked up. Fact is i still think he’ll sell the club for a nominal fee in Jan with the premise the new owner inherits the wages and revenue loss. Not what i want obviously.
Only plus in all this the youth team/setup
18 NorthernPaul // Jul 6, 2009 at 11:05 AM
I’m really starting to get a bad feeling again.
We aren’t going to have time to sort out a balanced squad. We aren’t going to have time for the new manager, whoever he is, to instill his own discipline and playing style, and players to fit that style.
We are already weeks behind the other teams, and there is still no light at the end of the tunnel.
Our first pre season friendly is only a few days away.
Rather than bouncing back at the first attempt, I really think we could struggle this season.
19 Sav // Jul 6, 2009 at 11:32 AM
I agree with those who think such delay can’t be in Ashley’s interest – the club is devaluing the longer it drifts. If you think 80 million is a lot for a Championship club. what is Leeds worth? Yes, it CAN get worse.
The nufc.com story isn’t really saying much. It COULD take 4 weeks. It could also be done by our first friendly next weekend, when no doubt fans will start protesting and coverage of results will be littered with criticism of Ashley. He won’t want all that raked over again.
The story nufc.com could have been leaked just like the Malaysians at SJP story – Llardyarse meeting them and introducing them to players even though he ‘doesn’t know who the bidders are’?
I think both stories may be to put pressure on whatever bidder(s) there are. The only purpose I can see in suddenly selling Martins and Colocini is because prospective owners have challenged the valuation the club has placed on them as assets, rating them more as liabilities. Mike Ashley could have been asked to prove what they are worth in the market and hand over the cash equivalent (or knock it off the selling price he’s put on the club).
20 Sav // Jul 6, 2009 at 11:39 AM
If we start playing friendlies with Calderwood and Hughton in charge and get our butts kicked by lowly sides it will do nothing for season ticket sales or Ashley’s reputation in the business world. The knives and the pens wil be being sharpened already for another assault and there won’t be an unpainted bedsheet from Benwell to Longbenton.
NUFC and Ashley are dragging each other under and he needs to cut us loose as fast as he can.
21 Paul141726 // Jul 6, 2009 at 11:51 AM
I think I’m joining those who feel that because of the state the club is in financially, with high earners on long-term contracts and hemmoraging money every day, that buyers have seen the light and do not want the club anymore. Some may have not even been interested to begin with and were just “kicking the tires”. If this is so, and it’s only speculation, we are stuck with Ashley who will have a company in NUFC that he won’t sell to the highest bidder, but can’t sell because there aren’t bidders anymore. Stupid!!!
22 ToonTinka // Jul 6, 2009 at 12:00 PM
This is getting really frustrating now. I hope the stories today are false and where still accepting bids from the consortiums.
Potential bidders dropping out is the last thing we need.
Here’s hoping
23 chuck // Jul 6, 2009 at 12:53 PM
What a joke, it appears the Malaysians were another hoax, nothing to do with either Tony Fernandez or Anand Krisnan, who have publicly stated they have no interest in purchasing the club.
So what can you expect from the present bunch of clowns running (into the ground) the club.
No wonder they insist on secrecy, god help us just when we begin to see some light at the end of a long tunnell, we learn we are no further down the road than when the club was first put up for sale, aaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhh !
It really is an unbelievable saga and how an apparentley successfull buisnessman could take a multi million PL club and turn it into a half priced debt ridden lower league club in such a short period of time, it`s difficult to believe.
So where do we stand now ?
I believe it`s called deep sh*t .
24 Macas35 // Jul 6, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Chuck – Where has Krishnan denied his involvement?
25 Doocey // Jul 6, 2009 at 1:42 PM
Disgrace if true.
26 Geordiedoonsooth // Jul 6, 2009 at 2:12 PM
Just seen this on the chronicle site I hope to god it’s true & we have new owners soon.
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2009/07/06/newcastle-united-receive-bids-of-100m-for-club-72703-24086316/
27 Geordiedoonsooth // Jul 6, 2009 at 2:16 PM
Solaidback – There’s massive problems at Portsmouth & Southampton with take overs dragging on or not happenning at all. So we aren’t the only club in the sh*te we just happen to be the highest profile one
28 gorskino10 // Jul 6, 2009 at 2:46 PM
So it takes West Ham one day yet it takes newcastle over 2 months typically dragged out that seems like a newcastle habbit to be honest.
29 OHurley // Jul 6, 2009 at 3:31 PM
I believe the expression fitting this situation is, “Hadaway an’ sh!te!! Sell the club and get us oot o’ this muckle clarty mess.”
30 dev // Jul 6, 2009 at 4:30 PM
just been on skysports breaking news lambias has said 2 bids off 100mil have been accepted!!
31 Sav // Jul 7, 2009 at 2:17 AM
What happened to ‘First bid to meet the asking price gets it’, then?
Oh yeah, bullshit. I remember now.
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