We put out a story earlier today that we expected Nile Ranger to be moved out on loan next week, when the loan window opens. That seemed fairly obvious.
Nile Ranger – Newcastle will not sanction a loan move
But rather surprising news in the Sunday Sun today that Nile Ranger will not be allowed out on loan, and the club would prefer to sell the 20 year-old, with the transfer price said to be set at £1.5M.
And don’t think this has anything to do with Newcastle failing to bring in another striker on Wednesday – no such logic seems to exist.
That’s because the representatives of Ranger were at the club last Monday, and were told that Newcastle would not sanction a loan move, and of course Nile was almost sold to Birmingham on Wednesday as a makeweight in having defender Liam Ridgewell come the other way.
The leaves Ranger is a precarious position at the club, because it would seem he will be in the wilderness at least until January, with Alan Pardew unlikely to play him in the first team.
Indeed he is not even part of the first team squad at Newcastle and currently trains with the Reserve or Development squad, and Demba Ba, Peter Lovenkrands, Leon Best and the two Ameobi brothers are ahead of him in the striker pecking order at Newcastle.
Nile’s agent Nick Rubery had this to say about the situation:
“United have made it clear there will be no movement.” “It is frustrating for Nile he will not get that opportunity, but it is not up to him or us.
“He just has to get on with the situation and work hard.”
It’s now up to Nile Ranger to put his head down and work hard and keep himself out of trouble off the pitch.
The lad has the ability, but he will never be successful until he commits himself fully to his football career, and right now could be a very good time to start doing that.
Comments welcome.
228 comments so far
MacToon
Sep 4, 2011 at 2:39 PM
Comment #41but are you happy to still buy pints at the match etc?
and west end toon is wrong, it does effect Ashley n llambias.
niafron
Sep 4, 2011 at 2:39 PM
Comment #42Bonjour messieurs.
Did Ranger punch that guy or not and what are the circumstances?
West_End_TooN
Sep 4, 2011 at 2:40 PM
Comment #43@38
Nothing much we can do m8 just hope he falls down the stairs or summit or it looks like were stuck with him lol no matter wat happens iyl support my team and not the board!!
ToonDownSouth
Sep 4, 2011 at 2:46 PM
Comment #44MacToon
I’ve been living down south for a few years now, and almost only go to away games because of that. So I don’t expect my opinion to be counted as much as some.
However, is boycotting the best way to do things? Liverpool got the change they wanted not by boycotting (although their attendance did fall similarly to ours at the moment), but by protesting before & after games.
The way you all did it after Hughton was sacked – protest before, protest after, but in the 90 minutes plus stoppage time, support the lads 100%. Personally I think that’s the way to go about it.
Boycotting matches lowers NUFC’s income – not Ashley’s. But I’ve heard from many sources that it’s the chants and abuse that get to him and made him put the club up for sale in the first place.
ToonDownSouth
Sep 4, 2011 at 2:48 PM
Comment #45And when I say “sources”, I don’t mean to sound like some ‘in the know’ tw@t. I just mean a lot of people 🙂
MacToon
Sep 4, 2011 at 2:53 PM
Comment #46TDS, I don’t think you will be able to find 1 post by me asking fans to boycott matches mate.
We have started a protest group and we are trying to work with the fans who are still happy attending games, we understand and respect their choice. There are many others who have already given up on Ashley and like me will not return until he leaves.
AsprillaCartWheels
Sep 4, 2011 at 2:55 PM
Comment #47Gangster out! We dont need this kit stealing, guns posing clown in the team. You are no andy cole! You are no andy cole! Asshole!!
MacToon
Sep 4, 2011 at 2:57 PM
Comment #48I posted this a little earlier TDS…..
Both the talk of boycott and the singing section did have an effect on both Ashley and Llambias.
This isn’t an opinion, I know it for a fact.
Also I am not neccesarily saying there should be a boycott before I’m accused!
BiffBaffBoff
Sep 4, 2011 at 2:59 PM
Comment #49I think a boycott is already happening. Against Fulham the attendance was what? 40-42k? Thats 10k less than capacity and even in the championship we got more then that. That game was before the transfer window closed too!
ramboreilly
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:03 PM
Comment #50If,when the results take a turn for the worse,the chants will increase,the attendances wil fall and the press will be on his back.Should we have a fight against relegation this season,he will wnt to sell up before things get worse.I think the transfer window was the last straw(well apart from the front page of the people)he has burnt his bridges.
niafron
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:04 PM
Comment #51One more time, is this really a boycott, or is it linked with the economical crisis?
Maybe the both.
The attendance was already low against Arsenal.
MacToon
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:07 PM
Comment #52niafron, who knows for sure at the moment but the next few home games should answer those questions.
BiffBaffBoff
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Comment #53niafron
I don’t see how it is linked with the economy. If it was then other stadium attendances would be down but they’re not. Also our away fans (the die hard ones) are always filling their allocation of tickets.
ToonDownSouth
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Comment #54MacToon
Fair enough – I mainly just directed it at you because you were posting rational thoughts, rather than angry drivel in capital letters.
This is an odd question, but – I spend, say, £30 for a ticket for the away stand for Swansea v Newcastle. Does any portion of that go to the Newcastle?
Also, anyone that claims Ashley is taking no money from the club, have a look at this –
http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,90265.0.html
Technically, he did when he bought the club. Glazer style.
Harry Hampton
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:22 PM
Comment #55I don’t believe the Liverpool fans’ protests (“marching” from a pub they would have been in anyway to a game they were going to anyway) made any difference – Gillet and Hicks were thrown out because the banks pulled the plug on their dodgy business plan, because (unlike Ashley) they actually were taking money out of the club.
niafron
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:23 PM
Comment #56@BiffBaffBoff
What is the general attendance in PL after these 3 weeks?
BiffBaffBoff
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:24 PM
Comment #57ToonDownSouth
I think it belongs to Swansea if it’s a league game. I do believe its different for cup games tho and that the away section goes to the team whose fans they support.
BiffBaffBoff
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:25 PM
Comment #58niafron
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/attendance/_/league/eng.1/barclays-premier-league?cc=5739
There ya go, look at that then look at the previous season, you’ll see its the same whereas for us its 3k lower.
eaststandgeordie1982
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:27 PM
Comment #59has everyone seen this from the fat man
http://t.co/6EyfU6S
niafron
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:27 PM
Comment #60@TDS
Interesting, but what about the former debt? The one of the Shepherd time?
What was the amount of it when Ashley buy the club?
Daft_lad
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:28 PM
Comment #61I dislike the current regime as much as anyone….the lies, the lack of ambition and the absence of any footballing know-how whatsoever….though what I will say is that MA has the club heading in the right direction financially to allow NUFC to move forward in the future.
For me he’s a PR disaster and he’s doing things in the wrong way; cutting too deep and too fast into the structure of the club. That said, everyone needs to understand that something had to be done about the club’s state of accounts whether you like it or not.
Those advocates of a boycott out there need to think through the consequences of such action…..if you dont go to games and stop buying shirts etc then there is a shortfall in matchday and commercial revenue…..MA will then look to offset this and balance the books meaning another prized asset will be sold with a low cost replacement drafted in…..no matter how you look at the situation; we’re stuck in a cycle of events until such a time that MA recoups his interest free loan and sells the club…..by all means keep the pressure up by protesting before and after games but by boycotting you’ll make a bad situation worse and I do firmly believe we’re through the worst of times….
MacToon
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:29 PM
Comment #62“posting rational thoughts” ha ha cheers TDS.
Ashley will get some of your £30 but it will be minimal, my guess about £1 of it but that is just a guess, depends on the ticket allocation and percentage of Newcastle fans to the home gate figure.
MacToon
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:33 PM
Comment #63TDS, if you like e-mail us on maoc@hotmail.co.uk just let me know your blog name in mail and if anyone else wants to contact us please feel free, a little about yourself like your current situation with SJP (if you wish) and blog user name 😉
I will tell you a little about us and link you to some sites and if you like I can send you the minutes from our last meeting on Thursday just gone.
We will try anything (within reason) to rid ourselves of this shyster, the sooner he’s gone the better imho.
niafron
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:33 PM
Comment #64@Biffbaffboff
Need to confirm that on a long run to have a reliable statistic, but indeed, that’s of great concern.
ToonDownSouth
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:38 PM
Comment #65niafron
If you look at the chart, the debt Freddy had us in rises from 55 in 2005, to 70 in 2006, to 77 in 2007.
Then it gets complicated. It’s difficult to see whether any of the profits have gone/are going towards paying back the debt incurred when he purchased the club. Guess it’ll be easier to tell when the last years accounts are published next year.
Ashley did promise when Carroll was sold that none of the 35m would go towards paying him back the 138m with which he purchased the club. But obviously that’s not the only sale we made, and not the only income we generated.
BiffBaffBoff
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:40 PM
Comment #66niafron
Ofcourse you have to take the long-term view to confirm it. But to have an average attendance of 44k is not good. Even small things like, remember against Villa at home last year, the stadium was full and the fans were noisy and excited. Against Arsenal the attendance was just 46k, thats crap for your first home game of the season. This means that, based on our average attendance, the Fulham game attendance was just 42k
Milking Mikes' bulging pockets
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:50 PM
Comment #67Eastand
I were just about to tuck into my sunday roast, thanks…..
niafron
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:52 PM
Comment #68@TDS
Yes difficult to know, furthermore, if the club was still losing money after Ashley buy it. The wages were high isnt’it?
If the board is genuine, they are really stupid to be so secretive about the money.
TiotesToenails
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:52 PM
Comment #69you know what the problem is with most of these so called ‘fans’ calling for a boycott? there just plain idio..ts, i mean come on second season up and they expect massive spending? wake up and realize the last time you pulled this boycott stunt we got relegated!!!
niafron
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:55 PM
Comment #70@BiffBaffBoff
The most disapointing thing for me against fulham, before i know about the attendance was the lack of atmosphere in the Stadium.
Like if St James was asleep…
The crowd wake up only when Fulham scored to support the lads and help them to hang on.
ramboreilly
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:58 PM
Comment #71How people can say he is finacially heading us in the right direction.Him just taking over the club has put us into even more debt.The 77 million debt we had before he bought us out has now quadrupled.This 77 million debt was owed mainly on the stadium and new training ground.It would have had a fixed interest rate and a fixed period in which to pay it.Now ashley wants the money back asap.
What would you rather have interest on a 77million debt or no interest on a 240 million pond debt.
ToonDownSouth
Sep 4, 2011 at 3:59 PM
Comment #72TiotesToenails
Are you suggesting that it was the fans fault that we got relegated? Are you serious? It couldn’t be the lack of passion of the overpaid players, the 4 managers we had in one season, a Geordie legend and hero walking out on the club, or just general incompetance from everyone incharge?
niafron
Yeah, we also made a loss in the championship year, which was to be expected. But last year we raked in 35m from sales, the parachute payments from getting promoted, and higher TV revenue.
Considering we only made a loss of 10-20m (if I remember correctly) in the Championship season, I’d expect to see a big profit from last season.
ramboreilly
Sep 4, 2011 at 4:10 PM
Comment #73It borders on criminal that we could go from 77million to a quarter of a billion in debt.He not only gets this money back season by season but gets even more when he sells it.A 250 million pound loan could turn into 500 million pounds,I am shocked at the pure greed of the man.
Everyone should protest in the their own way boycott ,chants whatever.I have supported newcastle for 30 years,I was one the 10000 against oxford,bit I willnever go back as long as he is there.
niafron
Sep 4, 2011 at 4:13 PM
Comment #74The club will not sale a Carroll all the years. So a good busisness is generaly to be balanced between the buys and the sells.
The question is, are the wages covered by the income of the club?
Now, the answer is probably yes. So if money has been used to cover the former debt, it’s maybe a lack of ambition, but not a bad policy.
I must admitt however, this story of loan look like a bad trick…
If really the board is eager to answer the fans, it have to say something about this.
archaeomag
Sep 4, 2011 at 4:15 PM
Comment #75I am sure the club will be addressing the fans’ concerns in the near future; prepare for charm offensive – roll up – roll up – get your free scarfs.
Poor old Alan, nobody will be disappointed as him; a 100%, at not getting our targets across the line; but we have brought some very exciting players to the club, and like the rest of us he looking to seeing them play and wondering what will happen if the players we got cheap, because of their recent poor injury record, revert to type.
Did somebody say the owner was a bit of gambler?
niafron
Sep 4, 2011 at 4:15 PM
Comment #76Can you explain me this quarter million debt story? It include these famous 138 millions?
ramboreilly
Sep 4, 2011 at 4:20 PM
Comment #77He bought the club for 138 million we oew him that.The club owed 77 million and the cost of relegation brings it up to 250 million.Ever seen the film “THE STING”.
MacToon
Sep 4, 2011 at 4:22 PM
Comment #78niafron, I believe the wage bill is close to 40% of taking which is very good but ofcourse we are not paying for a #number9 and have no real centre of defence cover atm.
and the “quarter million debt story” he seems to have increased the debt by adding his purchase price of the club to the existing debt and debt that has occured while he’s been here.
jimiley
Sep 4, 2011 at 4:27 PM
Comment #79People have to realize that Mr Ashley is the best thing to happen to this club. I am grateful to him for saving us from extinction. We have to be patient. I believe we will win something in the next 15 to 20 years under his careful husbandry. This team is capable of getting 6th place this season. He has invested all the money on Carroll on the infrastructure of the club. I know only 42K turned up for the Fulham game and that figure will reduce when we lose a few games. It may even reach 35K. But who wants idiots who cannot see what he is achieving and fair weather “supporters”.
MacToon
Sep 4, 2011 at 4:27 PM
Comment #80Sorry niafron I think that was a poor guess, anywhere between 45 and 55% of takings, it is certainly better than the 70% or so it was under Freddy n SJH.