Reports coming in are that Newcastle will make an announcement on Monday over efforts to sell the club.
Mike Ashley – decision will be made today we think
Owner Mike Ashley was expected to make a decision sometime today on the sale and whether to keep the club for another year.
He has apparently given Barry Moat until 5:00 pm Newcastle time to make the deal.
And there still seem to be talks continuing with local businessman Barry Moat. And it could be that talks are also ongoing with two other consortia, but that’s less certain.
Ashley wants a £100m deal for the club, or else reports suggest he will just not sell.
It’s true that the longer things go on without a sale being reached, the more likely it will be that Ashley will stay.
We hope some news will filter through about the decision before Monday, but if Ashley decides to keep the club he will need to make a decision over his new manager.
With Chris Hughton doing so well with Colin Calderwood we have to think this points to Joe Kinnear being given the job again.
That’s even if it means waiting a month or two for Joe to be fully fit after his open heart surgery in February, because Hughton and Calderwood seem to have the support of the players at the club.
We don’t think Chris Hughton is the right man to remain in charge but he’s shown he’s an excellent coach, as is Colin Calderwood, and we would expect them both to stay on at Newcastle.
The squad is threadbare right now and whoever is announced owner and manager will need to get new players in quickly.
On Monday there will be just over a week left in the transfer window, what a ridiculous situation to be in.
We also think if Ashley strays then some players will want to leave, and we expect Steven Taylor and Nicky Butt may be two of them.
Now we have a few days to wait – well we’ve already waited almost 13 weeks – in fact on Sunday it will be 13 weeks since we were relegated by losing 1-0 at Villa Park.
We think if Ashley stays on, it will be very difficult to get the fans behind him, since he’s not well liked at all on Tyneside, and that’s putting it mildly.
Comments welcome.
138 comments so far
Tel
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:18 PM
Comment #41Geordiedoonsooth: already been through this debate and conclusion was that he will not be allowed to do anything with the stadium as the ground upon which it is built is owned by the city council and terms of the leasehold say as a football stadium. Not a car park. It might be a very big football stadium and not a very big team who play there but it will be a football stadium.
Isaac Hunt
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:20 PM
Comment #42Haware man Tel. It would be great having a bigger car park. It’s murder trying to get a parking space at 14:50 on match days. 🙂
komfort
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:34 PM
Comment #43rod , your best bet is to consentrate on the drink…good luck anyways.
long_live_sir_bob
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:34 PM
Comment #44is there anymore craic about taylor??
also does anyone know if its true sol campbell is at notts county today??
magpie4ever
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:35 PM
Comment #45Chris G // Aug 21, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Oleg G – MarinerUK was referring to Selhurst Park, the home ground of Crystal Palace, where we will be playing tomorrow
He should go to Parkhurst for the rape of NUFC!
Chris G
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:40 PM
Comment #46I’ll tell you what really bothers me about all of this –
The club has apparently been the target of several consortiums recently, and presumably they were all astute businessmen who were exercising due diligence etc. And none of them were interested in buying the club
The only person left in the frame is Barry Moat, because he is a lifelong Newcastle fan, and he is letting his heart rule his head
I fear for the future of our club 🙁
dave 1961
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:43 PM
Comment #47you could not pull down the stadium without first getting the permission of the freemen then the councils planning department & they would refuse
Rodzilla
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:43 PM
Comment #48haha komfort, that bet is nailed on mate!!!
Chris G
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:44 PM
Comment #49‘He should go to Parkhurst for the rape of NUFC!’
🙂
dave 1961
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:46 PM
Comment #50my head says no takeover, my gut says the chines will take over, they are starting to invest in sport, and there was interest before Mike Ashley took over, i think moat is just to put pressure on the real interest.
jckie15
Aug 21, 2009 at 3:54 PM
Comment #51ANyone seen the guardians report? It says Mike Ashley i to make an announcement with regards to his effort to sell the club…..he aint going anywhere!!!!!
Chris G
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:04 PM
Comment #52dave 1961 – Ah so
Finally a chink in Mike Ashley’s investment 😉
dave 1961
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Comment #53Moat seems a smokescreen if i was wanting to buy a football club i would not sit with the owner
ObaMartins
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:11 PM
Comment #54Rodzilla>>>I’m off to the Dogs <<Why go to Sunderland for a night out ????
Tom Mo.
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:19 PM
Comment #55ashleys def keeping it, i can tell. same deal as last time.
crap.
Chris G
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:23 PM
Comment #56jckie15 – yeah, I saw the Guardian report and I was interested in this bit –
‘…However, talks with local businessman Barry Moat, as well as two other consortia, are continuing as Ashley looks to strike a £100m deal…’
Are there really two other consortia still interested? Do we have any idea who they are?
chanty
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:26 PM
Comment #57we must be waiting on that carrier pigeon to deliver the message again, in this day and age why do things take so long!!!!
Rodzilla
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:28 PM
Comment #58dave 1961, they’re very good points. I’ve thought for a while that IF, and that’s a big ‘if’, we get bought it’ll be by someone that nobody’s heard a squeak out of from day one.
ObaMartins, to set fire to it.
lesh
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:34 PM
Comment #59The grauniad article’s use of the words ‘ongoing efforts to sell the club’ sound a bit ominous!
On the other hand and this is wishful thinking on my part, I’m inclining to Moat being a smokescreen, a decoy with the real and mystery buyer emerging on Monday – a rich Saudi…. Osama Bin Laden.
Paul141726
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:34 PM
Comment #60I’m hoping against hope that the fat one is gone on Monday—-but we’ve been at this stage before, so I will wait for an official announcement.
magpie6699
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:44 PM
Comment #61Looking forward to the official announcement on Monday: “The situation is on-going”. Arrrgh!
Worst case scenario – Ashley stays and appoints JFK. We lose Taylor plus others and get no-one decent in.
Best case scenario: Club is sold, we get Shearer back, Taylor stays, Colo goes, Geremi goes, we get Sol Campbell, Skjelbred, Lovenkrands, Beckford and others ( I can dream, can’t I)
Anything else – in-between scenario.
JimmyFuckinClitheroe
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:45 PM
Comment #62The fat pleb is staying.
Expect no money to be spent, more players to be sold without any replacements coming in and JFK or Dolly to be the new manager.
Dont build yer hopes up and you wont be disappointed when this is announced.
Stardust
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:49 PM
Comment #63A story about the mob.
They chose to believe everything they read, they choose to ignore the blindingly obvious in light of their need to grab at stars and dust. Their hands are empty all the same.
Billy Bunter is dead – I hoped he proved a point – as I advocated last year – await outcome and evidence alone – thereon form your opinions – for everything your read without evidence is simply tosh.
Would have been a boring few weeks without him.
batty
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:50 PM
Comment #64komfort // Aug 21, 2009 at 2:59 PM
zilla , try having a reverse forcast of 4/6 in each race and you should be ok..
….batty’s been going to the dogs for years.
<<<< lol and thats what i always back on the dogs 6 4
batty
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:52 PM
Comment #65sorry star it had to be done sonna
dave 1961
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:53 PM
Comment #66the thing about the Chinese if they buy Newcastle they would think of it as there team, so you could add 50 million extra fans and beam the home games to china, china & India are the future markets for the premier league and any business man with a clue how to run a business, would see the potential of Newcastle. its a gift at 100million.
Stardust
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:53 PM
Comment #67No Probs Batty – I think its funny you outed me – particulalrly as you outed me as a killer and folks were lapping it up lol.
The madness has nearly ended and back to football again!
Rodzilla
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:56 PM
Comment #68Stardust, not meaning to be curt, and nothing personal of course; but I think the only point Billy Bunter proved was that people don’t like bull5hitters. I’m sure there’re many more to come though, and I hope so too – they do make blogs more entertaining. Welcome back Stardust.
Stardust
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:58 PM
Comment #69lol I think he proved you can fool some of the mob some of the time but not all of the people all of the time lol – good to be back Rod cheers
Toon1978
Aug 21, 2009 at 4:59 PM
Comment #70Wish we could say good riddance to an absolute idiot in M.Ashley. Unfortunately i don’t think this will be the case.
Rodzilla
Aug 21, 2009 at 5:00 PM
Comment #71reet, I’m off to stare at beer and Greyhoonds. Later lads………
Stardust
Aug 21, 2009 at 5:01 PM
Comment #72Toon 1978 – Ashley – an absolute idiot? why do you say that?
Tino 11
Aug 21, 2009 at 5:03 PM
Comment #73Ah Mr Stardust, if only you hadn’t tried so hard with the “i can’t spell very well” act!
Toon1978
Aug 21, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Comment #74Stardust
I know you are all for Ashley but i have had it to the back teeth with the constant lies and deceit coming from him and his sidekick Llambias. Our club is in a complete mess and where is the money he has received from the sales of Duff,Martins,Bassong and Beye, and Taylor to follow suite fairly soon leaving us with a squad that will be unable to cope with the amount of games we have in the CC. One solitary loan has come through the door and thats it with just over a week left in the transfer window. I go to every game and i must admit i am one of those fans who go along with the song “you fat cockney wan..r get out of our club” yes very immature but the tension around the club is getting to breaking point and if Taylor goes i’m afraid that may be the straw that breaks the camels backs. Sorry i feel like that Stardust but that is my opinion.
JimmyFuckinClitheroe
Aug 21, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Comment #75Dear Mike, hurry up and p*ss off. that is all
Stardust
Aug 21, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Comment #76tino – if you notice when it started he could spell OK – I made it worse with each day – people still believed – not all of course but some lol
magforlife
Aug 21, 2009 at 5:14 PM
Comment #77Stardust – you are one very sad person to prey on the vulnerability of others, fellow good natured fans from all walks of life who come on this site to have a rant, argue and share information.
You now talk like you are some clever smart arse who was trying to prove a point, well you certainly made a right tit of yourself and i will be pleased when you are back to school you childish arsehole.
Stardust
Aug 21, 2009 at 5:16 PM
Comment #78No Probs Toon – I am just grateful when someone comes in and repays 150 million that others removed into their grubby pockets.
I think that if fans had stopped and thought about the consequence of their actions last year – we wouldnt be here right now.
Again – please remember the club isnt sold – your songs at Ashley if he stays simply do not encourage him to financially support the club. Everyone should learn from their lessons and move on together.
United we stand divided we fall.
Stardust
Aug 21, 2009 at 5:18 PM
Comment #79Magforlife – thank you for that ringing endorsement. I am available for comic signings in WH Smiths Northumberland Street this weekend.
Tino 11
Aug 21, 2009 at 5:21 PM
Comment #80Stardust – I don’t think many people at all believed!
Although you like to think the so called “mob” are thick, the majority aren’t.