Some of us Newcastle supporters are getting long in the tooth, and if we are ever to see Newcastle win a trophy again, it will have to happen in the short-term – a lot of us older folks don’t have long-term plans for anything these days. 😀
Freddy Shepherd – when Newcastle Chairman
That’s one reason we are so disappointed at the way Mike Ashley seems to be running the Tyneside club, with just no ambition being shown at all, and we are even being out-bid by perennially small clubs like Swansea, Southampton, Norwich and Fulham, and that’s really hard to take.
On last nights showing Newcastle seemed to be as bad as we were when we were hammered at home by Sunderland 3-0 and Liverpool 6-0 – and if last night is anything to go by (we hope it’s not) we are in for a very difficult season – yes – another one.
It’s not good at the moment, because Newcastle (make that Ashley) is showing absolutely no ambition at Newcastle, and the fans are upset – but so are the players.
A few of them have come out and said they want to see new players signed, and last night’s experience will not have been a good one for many of our top players – another embarrassing hammering.
Ashley is almost the polar opposite of Freddie Shepherd, the Chairman who ran Newcastle from December 1st of 1997, through the summer of 2007, when Mike Ashley bought the club.
Mike Ashley – the polar opposite of Freddy Shepherd
Mike seems to be more concerned about balancing the financial books and getting good frugal deals, than he is about creating a top side.
Now it’s a good thing to be financially responsible – we certainly don’t want to go belly up like some clubs have done by over-spending, don’t get us wrong on that, but you can also overdo it.
Freddy was the opposite of frugal with money, and paid put huge fees and huge wages to get decent players to the Tyneside club – and as a man born and bred on Tyneside he had a burning desire to see Newcastle United become a top club.
Freddy had a lot of faults (don’t we all?), but at least he wanted do make Newcastle into a top side.
It would be hard to say that about the current owner Mike Ashley, and we seem to be falling behind even the smaller clubs – never mind the top six.
That’s so very sad – but so very true.
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511 comments so far
Mister Tuff
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:32 PM
Comment #41Not playing Cabaye because “his head was turned” clearly an unmitigated lie/whopper – spouted by Percy -no doubt under instructions from El Gourdo -name of the game here lads( and lasses) to protect the saleable asset. Who received the bid telephone call -was it Cabaye – of course not. Well how he he get to know -easy because the Toon management told him. Whilst Percy towed the line -you have all witnessed a technique used by amateur liars -to deflect blame -false indignation. They must really think the public, including the supporters are mugs who will believe anything they spout.
Nothing much has changed since last season. After seeing all the teams playing now -it’s possible to make assessments (difficult perhaps for the new teams until they find their feet). West Ham look reasonably well organised and look a bit better than last season. So I think it might be looking a bit dodgy for our next game -hope not but that’s what I think.
G.unit
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:32 PM
Comment #42And if we do start spending, all of a sudden, it just clarifies what I have been thinking all along. Pardew has done a sterling job for Ashley all summer, by flogging Cabaye to the highest bidder. Job done!!
Sir Braveheart
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:32 PM
Comment #43@10
No. Its not good for the club or for JK’s health. Or our reputation. Or our league position chances. Or our ability to attract new players. Or our ability to keep our players.
In fact there isn’t a single benefit to it. People may not rate Pardew but he’s better than JK.
Ashleys in it until he’s made his money back. Once he’s made back what he’s lost he’ll sell the club for 150-200m and buy Rangers for a quarter of that, with no debts and the promise of Champions League football and competing for trophies in a few short years.
The question is who will buy us?
AaranD
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:32 PM
Comment #44Pardew wants Transfer window change.
The fans what a regime change!!
It’s a shame you don’t always get what you want in life.
After thinking on the whole Cabaye bid. We don’t know the true facts of it but I think it was released to undermine Pardew and try to unsettle him.
The bid was made on Sunday but the Club came out and said a few hours before kick-off. Cabaye didn’t know until Monday. The club didn’t have to release the statement saying a bid had been made. All very fishy! I might just be over thinking it but that’s because the state of club and how it is run has caused it!!
Barton
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:33 PM
Comment #45crist car’nt quite believe fans are calling freedy worse than Ashley,yup freddy had faults (ie no business acumen) ect,how ever he was a fan who WANTED THE BEST FOR CLUB AND BEST PLAYERS HE COULD GET PLAYING FOR CLUB,can you cashley lover’s say the same about big mike?
JackButler
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:33 PM
Comment #46We need an owner who is prepared to spend money but within the bounds of a sound business model.
All Sheppard ever did was borrow money to spend and all Ashley does is refuse to spend, we need to find a happy medium
toon kk
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:34 PM
Comment #47TDS
Do you seriously think we’ll do quite well this season? I know we’ve just had one game but the signs of last season are still there.
I can’t see us strengthening either. You can’t seriously be happy with MA and the way he runs our club?
We’re not a quality side we are just average, very average. Mark my words we’ll be playing our football in the championship if this penny pinching continues. Mashley will wish he’d bought a few better player’s while we’re still in the premier league. Then again I don’t think he’s bothered.
eaststandgeordie1982
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:34 PM
Comment #48My tickets came today for morecambe think that will be a long night and we better have a decent team out.
outsidethebox
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:34 PM
Comment #49the silence is deafening from our dof…another good young,un left and cabaye on verge and still silence from jfk …leaving pardew to take all the flack ..cannot understand why we have a media spokesman a director of football and all the fans get is silence …not good enough…
Ibizatoon
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:35 PM
Comment #50Nice to read from some that there was within the mess of last night, some early signs of some better passing etc…even if it was just signs.
It was never going to be easy and we were never going to dictate play against City away, so I suppose it’s something. Something I hope isn’t given up on due to last night.
On this subject matter, it will be hard, but it will take patience from all as it wont just happen over night and confidence is clearly lacking.
What the team need is something to give them more confidence and energy….something legal mind.
crockwell
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:35 PM
Comment #51I think it’s a misconception that we owed more under Shepherd than we do under Ashley. At end of 2007 our Balance Sheet showed a negative equity of 23.5m whereas at end of 2012 it showed a negative equity of 43.6m. It is just the make up of the debt which is different as it’s owed to Ashley and is interest free other than being an interest bearing loan owed to the bank. Although Ashley receives no interest he is more than compensated by the free advertising for his tatty sport shops.
eaststandgeordie1982
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:38 PM
Comment #52JB spot on is it to much to ask for the owner to put in 20m ish in the summer to boost the whole club instead of doing nothing and just putting everyone down, look at norwich, soton, west ham and swansea we must of made more than them last season to make available for signings. He just wants to make money and i think everyone has now seen him for what he is time for them all to go and replace the lot from coaches up.
Belfast
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:38 PM
Comment #53Yeah that was the only positive from last night for me. We weren’t hoofing it and actually trying to pass. Apart from that we were awful.
hoppernufc
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:39 PM
Comment #54pardew is a clueless muppet, he never gives any players a chance apart from his favourites i would play vuckic marv anita bigi all ahead of tiote guti ober and sammy, pardew dosent have a fkn clue, hes a yes man and thats all ive had enough now like and the quote from last night about we were doing well untill tayls was sent off made me piss maself laughing i mean whos he trying to kid? ive never seen such a bad performance hes getting like kinnear full of shit and a stone wall lyer!
BrightonMag
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:39 PM
Comment #55Last night sucked. As soon as it hit 4-0 I actually found myself rooting for city to keep scoring in the vain hope that Ashley might see sense and get rid of Pardew…Unfortunately, I don’t think he will until it’s too late…Sad times for the toon
Belfast
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:40 PM
Comment #56Still badly need a striker that can hold the ball up. Gomis would have been ideal.
Ibizatoon
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:40 PM
Comment #57JB…Imo, we need an owner that will continue to do what this owner did the summer we got Cabaye, Santon, Ba, Marv, etc. The signs then were good. I don’t mind buying on a budget, but plan and follow through. Something they haven’t really done since, with the possible exception of that following January when Cisse turned up and kept things rolling in a positive way.
It may have been luck and momentum that resulted in our 5th placed finish, it certainly had some hand in it, which just makes it even more frustrating that they decided to change the game plan last summer.
Barton…Not sure it’s as simple as that really. If it was, Jonas wouldn’t get nearly as much stick as he does…or Shola.
Truth is between Ashley and Shepherd, they both offered good and bad things and Ed hits it bang on the head with the “polar opposites” bit.
AaranD
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:41 PM
Comment #58Being able to knock the ball around for 5-10 minutes out of 90 is simply not good enough for Premier League players. A pub team could do that.
We lack any cohesiveness in the team, that leads to sluggish look we have when on the ball. So tactically we are inept. And when you aren’t playing very well you need grit and determination that willingness to go that extra yard for your team mate push that extra effort out, we don’t do that either anymore our players get ill disciplined and that leads to further problems.
We lack leaders, people who can stand up and be counted for.
I’m not just basing this on the City game it was most of last season as well. Need a massive improvement in the next few games other wise more drastic changes need to take place.
cockneymafiaout
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:43 PM
Comment #59Ashley is actually a a good business man just incredibly greedy. Freddy Sheppard only had his self in mind when paying out money from the bank ( lets not forget it was largely him that got us in so much debt)
Basically what am trying to say is we are going to struggle for the next decade, we cant rely on Graham Carr scouting all these wonderful cheap players.
Personally I think you need the right balance in a team. Look at Manchester united, their stand out players are the likes of van persie and vidic. While they also field less luxury players like cleverly and welbeck who are willing to put in a shift for the team (I admit Man U have a much greater youth system than ours and is why they are producing these players)
Players like Sissoko, collocini and Krul deserve to play as they are quality and always put a shift in. while other players like debuchy, cabaye and cisse are mecernaries who don’t seem to care anymore and as a result there performance have suffered.
We need to start looking at the championship but only at the real quality players who are capable of the step up. (i.e. tom ince, Redmond before norwich snapped him up and so on)
Was also watching the crystal palace game and their defensive midfielder Jedinak had a tremendous game and all the way through the game I was saying Newcastle were screaming out for a player like that and I was proved right after that game yesterday.
Rainrix
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:43 PM
Comment #60Ibiza… Why do you have to stifle all my good ideas with all this “legality” business? 🙂
i take it you didn’t watch the match then? We did keep it on the ground surprisingly quite a bit. But we still lacked a cutting edge. It might’ve simply been we didnt really pressure them long enough to get that edge. Defensively we were horrific. No organisation. Even if tayls stayed on we could’ve easily still conceded 4 or 5.
JackButler
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:44 PM
Comment #61eaststandgeordie1982
Whats annoying is that no one is asking for stupid money to be spent, we simply can’t compete with the top clubs but it looks like we can’t compete with the rest at the moment either
Ibizatoon
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:45 PM
Comment #62Just to put Pardews comments about the Cabaye offer into comparison with someone many on here have called a better manager than Pardew, here is what Martinez has to say about transfers once the season is under way….
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11671/8879814/manchester-uniteds-bid-for-leighton-baines-and-marouane-fellaini-a-waste-of-time
I’m talking about Pardew here, not the club, before anyone starts with the whole Martinez didn’t pull the players from the starting line up…we don’t know what happened last night, but I would guess it’s more than likely if the decision was made by the club it came from higher than Pardew.
Thump
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:45 PM
Comment #63@Ibizatoon: That’s what I’m thinking. He’s young, typically Dutch, loves the ball played to his feet because, let’s face it, he can probably run at full sprint under Routledge’s legs and one of those players that definitely has it in him to change a game. If we get £25m for Cabs, invest it in the wide areas.
After yesterday, I’m not entirely sure I’d have an issue seeing Saylor go but it’s clear he’s the trophy Geordie to be rolled out on derby day and probably the most useful Englishman in our squad (which is saying a lot). To replace Saylor would be a bark because we wouldn’t be able to get somebody English of equal ability.
JackButler
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:45 PM
Comment #64Ibizatoon – @56 100% agree mate
eaststandgeordie1982
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:47 PM
Comment #65JB
And thats a massive insult to us ehen pardumb comes out with them comments that we cant compete with soton in transfers, its an absolute joke.
eaststandgeordie1982
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:48 PM
Comment #66*when
Our Toon
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:48 PM
Comment #67Some people on here are unbelieveable, when we finished 5th some of these players were playing to their potential and believed in the Newcastle United idea of buy young, pass and move football etc, now what we are seeing is the same as when Barton, Nolan etc were at our club, players disillusioned by empty promises, poor football, lack of footballing nous and around the merry-go-round we all go again.
These players have had enough of playing for our club and for good reasons to, LIE after LIE every season, no ambition, then why should any of these players show ambition on the pitch. Tiote, Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Colo and god knows who else just look disinterested, because quite simply we are a nothing club going nowhere with no ambition to achieve anything
fatman
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:49 PM
Comment #68Shepherd had a plan to rid the club of debt it was called the no1 st James park project and it would have left us with a 60,000+ stadium.
Belfast
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:50 PM
Comment #69Think Pardew will play Gosling instead of Anita.
I actually thought he would of played Gosling last night.
Wouldn’t complain if Gosling got a run of games tbh
Ibizatoon
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:50 PM
Comment #70Rainrix…I do apologise good sir, you take part in any illegal activity you see fit 🙂
Nope, didn’t catch the game. Was due to go and find a bar to watch it…had even seen a few black and white shirts around the place about an hour or so before KO, but then the phone started, so I had to return to my cave to attend to work….so had text updates.
As I said, at least it’s something. It will take time, but if they persevere with it, things will improve. Perhaps not a great example, but Liverpool after Daglish took some time, but Rogers appears to be getting the best of his players now. These things do take some time and one pre-season is never going to cut it.
How did the fitness levels look last night? My real feeling of optimism this summer has been that Faye Downey (think I have that right) would have at least improved that aspect of our game. Keeping in mind we played half the game with 10 men and from the sounds of it had to do most of the running work last night against a sharp looking City side.
BrightonMag
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:53 PM
Comment #71Ibiza…Fitness levels didn’t look too bad, first half the thing that impressed me was the amount of chasing down the ball we were doing…Something in the back of my mind however was screaming this was gonna be a re-run of Arsenal last year
walker_lad
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:54 PM
Comment #72Sack pardew and bring in Di mateo he’s guided Chelsea back to champions league football he’s a good tactician and would be good for Newcastle
catchy in norway
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:54 PM
Comment #73http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/8879218/pardew-unhappy-with-'disrespectful'-bid
the guy watches football in a whole different way to anyone else I know
the result would not have been the same if cabaye had played
hmmmmmm
JackButler
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:55 PM
Comment #74eaststandgeordie1982
Under Ashley we will spend to survive and nothing more, those players that came in during the January window would never had happened if we had been sitting pretty in the league.
Ashley’s ambition is survival in the Premier League and nothing more
catchy in norway
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:56 PM
Comment #75RDM
is a very poor manager,,,
we do not need him
catchy in norway
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:58 PM
Comment #76fat freddy
D hall
Cashley,
all the same, just like most chairman,, all dodgy guys who have been lucky in life
Ibizatoon
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:59 PM
Comment #77JB…I know people get frustrated at many posters resistance to jump on the negativity bandwagon, but it is the way we conducted ourselves that summer that really gave so many people belief…even JFA was lightening up.
I have been hoping it wasn’t just a one off, as on paper, the plan makes perfect sense. Sadly, I am struggling to shake that I have placed my hopes with the wrong people…still, that doesn’t help me decide where I should be putting my faith. I imagine an Ashley exit strategy being complex and not much fun for toon fans.
Thump…I think he needs some game time. For sure he has made mistakes when he has played, but he was also one of, if not the best player on the pitch for about 3 games in a row last season. I certainly wouldn’t complain too much if Cabaye went, Anita replaced him and they money was invested well on other areas rather than CM.
All comes down to whether the money will actually be re-invested though and I’m really in no mood to try and second guess or debate that issue.
On Saylor, I have real mixed feelings about him. At times, he can be really good imo. At the end of the 5th placed finish season he came in and was brilliant for us. But these stupid actions and performances he puts on are pathetic in the extreme and more to the point…they aren’t working! I don’t think selling him is the option though, for what we’d get for him and be able to replace him with is probably just not worth it. Perhaps some bench time and a reality check is in order for him? Yanga and Colo at CB for me.
Now, about this RB we waited so long for…what the hell is going on there?
BrightonMag
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:59 PM
Comment #78Catchy…Hadn’t seen the interview yet…”Don’t think we’ve got much to be concerned about from tonight”!!! What game was that guy watching? As for RDM, totally agree, no way
Yohan Kebab
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:59 PM
Comment #79has anyone had tickets to the charity game arrive?
Ibizatoon
Aug 20, 2013 at 3:03 PM
Comment #80Catchy @ 74..Doesn’t happen often, but I agree. RDM is not the answer for me and would just be an act of desperation.
Brighton…Good to hear also. As I keep saying, it will take time as we were already behind most teams in the league in this respect. Better late than never and as long as they keep with it, there is something to be happy about…sort of 🙂 Chasing Man City down will take it out of a lot of teams.
I know it’s an old and over used cliche, I really do, but for me, I am now more interested in how we respond in the next game. We got the disaster most expected, now what?