An awful lot of pundits said the Newcastle squad did not have enough quality and we had too many Championship class players and would fight relegation this season.
That along with saying Newcastle are newly promoted and therefore will struggle in the Premier League – yet another reason for fans to be just a little bit despondent.
What they didn’t mention was that unlike the other promoted clubs – Brighton and Huddersfield – Newcastle are a little bit different.
We have been in the Premier League since 1993 for every season except two – and when we were relegated twice (in 2009 and 2016) we came straight back up as Champions of the second division the very next season.
Not your usual promoted club by any means.
Rafa Benitez – on the sideline on Sunday at Southampton
And they also seemed to forget we had a manager called Rafa Benitez in place.
So fast forward two months and Newcastle (and Rafa) are now starting to get some kudos from the pundits.
Rafa has had two months coaching the Newcastle team and we now look good and are 9th top of the table.
[table “68” not found /]Kevin Kilbane was glowing in his praise of Newcastle United on BBC’s Match of the Day 2 on Sunday night.
This is what Kevin Kilbane had to say:
“It was glorious play at times from Newcastle.” “I thought Fraser Forster had a poor game and was at fault for both goals but take nothing away from Newcastle.”
“From the structure of their side, I thought they were excellent.” “I think the orchestrator was Jonjo Shelvey.”
“They are showing belief in the manager, they have got belief from last season, and now they have got some structure.
“Real positives if you are a Newcastle fan.”
And apart from doing well the news is that Mike Ashley seems to want to sell Newcastle United at the third time of trying.
We hope he is really serious about that.
If we can get a new ambitious owner in by the end of the year – we will be in nirvana.
All will be good – make that great – for Newcastle fans.
It will be about time too!
Comments welcome.
101 comments so far
Hooded Claw
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:10 PM
Comment #1I think it will be carry on as usual with no more money.
Jail for Ashley
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:13 PM
Comment #2@1 oh well, carry on regardless
hibbit
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:16 PM
Comment #3Claw
why do you think that ???????????
Ron Knee
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:18 PM
Comment #4Shakespeare gets the boot!
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41656917
hibbit
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:20 PM
Comment #5Craig Shakespeare Sacked As Manager Of Leicester City
Ron Knee
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:27 PM
Comment #6To be or not to be!
martoon
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:28 PM
Comment #7Shakespeare was quite high up on that manager pay list so should do all right with his settlement. Cue the bad joke quotes – ‘Now is the winter of discontent’ etc etc.
Tsunki
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:28 PM
Comment #8I wonder if there will be any blog backlash against the Ashley Out! Mob/crew/gaggle/throng/horde/etc the day Ashley sells?
Hooded Claw
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:33 PM
Comment #9Hibbit,we all know what Asswipes like he wont get what he wants so he will spit the dummy.
Jib
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:33 PM
Comment #10Not surprised.
He just couldn’t get them to playwright.
I’ll get me coat
Jail for Ashley
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:33 PM
Comment #11Good,
He should never have been there in the first place, same scenario as Souness and Roeder except I don’t know what the players had against Ranieri after he made a bunch of bang average footballers once in a lifetime PL league winners.
Maybe one day he walked in and said you are all shit, it is me that made you good??? Who knows what causes shit to happen?
Ron Knee
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:34 PM
Comment #12“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
Jib
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:37 PM
Comment #13A bid for Mahrez in January perhaps ?
hibbit
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:44 PM
Comment #14Claw
you might just get a nice surprise in the coming weeks just keep the faith
“the times they are a changin”
Jail for Ashley
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:46 PM
Comment #15Good on Shakspeare
He should never have been there in the first place, same scenario as Souness and Roeder except I don’t know what the players had against Ranieri after he made a bunch of bang average footballers once in a lifetime PL league winners.
Maybe one day he walked in and said you are all shit, it is me that made you good??? Who knows what causes shit to happen?
Jib
Oct 17, 2017 at 4:58 PM
Comment #16http://spor.haber7.com/futbol/haber/2449932-ulker-newcastle-iddiasina-aciklama-geldi
Hooded Claw
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:05 PM
Comment #17I hear he will do a Lord Lucan as HMRC close in.
magscar
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:12 PM
Comment #18Tsunki@8
Why a backlash they had nothing to do with it unless I am missing something
Tsunki
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:19 PM
Comment #19I was referring to that period when Ed was posting articles denigrating the unwashed rabble stirring up trouble for Mike. While they may not have been the main force in cheesing off the slave driving tat master, it appears they have played their part.
Rotonda heights
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:21 PM
Comment #20Thing is if ash does get too greedy again and can’t / won’t sell, I don’t think rafa would stay and we’d revert to a AP type manager with relegation a 3rd time and losing out on millions again a real possibility. this is ash’s only likely time to get a sale but not at his price.
Tsunki
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:22 PM
Comment #21In fact a big huzzah! To all those “fickle fans” who wouldn’t settle for the Devil they knew and weren’t happy to just get behind the lads and shut up about Mikey because he rescued us from the shepherd’s and halls don’t you know…
hibbit
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:26 PM
Comment #22pretty sure none of us actually no how much Ashley wants !!!!!
hitman
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:28 PM
Comment #23ive got a stiffy. 😉
ShirebrookToon
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:29 PM
Comment #24It’s gonna be the best Christmas ever!! Could even have new ownership in the next few weeks.
Exciting times ahead boys and girls.
Mindshaft
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:34 PM
Comment #25My worry is that football and financial analysts seem to be all pointing out that the value of Newcastle is between 200 – 300 million, If Ashley is asking for 380 million we have no hope of a buyer.
ShirebrookToon
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:34 PM
Comment #26Somewhere in the region of 300 million will see him gone!
Tsunki
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:43 PM
Comment #27I think Ashley will be happy to walk away with his investment including his outstanding loan. He has earned directly and indirectly from NUFC quite handsomely.
Tsunki
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:43 PM
Comment #28I reckon around £260-280m shall we do a bingo on it? 🙂
Ron Knee
Oct 17, 2017 at 5:52 PM
Comment #29Easy fixture for Spurs tonight I see.
magscar
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:03 PM
Comment #30Tsunki
Old arguement with no relevance to what is happening now. People took a stance appropriate to their view of situation. As I recall it was fans who attended (like sheep) who were the problem in many posters eyes and got most grief.
But do we really need to take over the ashes. Ed has often taken a different stance in same 24 hours to reflect what he is putting up and much as I love and respect the man an opinion former he isn’t.
9
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:03 PM
Comment #31I would say his earlier gambit of knocking a marginal £20m from his projected “price”, plus his amazing offer of offering easy terms, means he will sell at anything north of what he put in. I can’t reconcile current claims of him paying just £134.4m with earlier estimates of the £110m he paid plus the £100m+ debt he hadn’t bothered to find out about, and the (£110m is it?) loan. Are people deducting profits over the last 10 years to reach this figure?
soundoid
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:04 PM
Comment #32The installments statement is a sham. Ash wants his asking price not to help us out. If any potential buyer goes for this option we will continue to see a lack of investment in our squad as Ashley hoovers up our TV rights cash after he’s left…
ShirebrookToon
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:04 PM
Comment #33Tsunki
Wouldn’t go that far 🙄
ShirebrookToon
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:09 PM
Comment #34Smiley poo emoji
Essex Geordie Bill
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:14 PM
Comment #35Ron
So that’s around N1.5
Tsunki
I don’t think there’s many pro-ashley anyway!!
This is a repost from a few threads back, I only just caught up again.
Thump
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:14 PM
Comment #36Come on, Ed. Let’s stop counting our chickens, eh?
Yes, the club is up for sale, but I’m sure we all remember the previous times he has (officially) put us up for sale.
I hope he’s successful, but don’t get ahead of yourselves. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if this was all some grand con to keep Rafa happy heading into the January window.
Dondatta13
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:20 PM
Comment #37Haha Imagine… Mark Zuckerberg ($72 Billion net worth) buying NUFC lol
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/653044/Newcastle-United-Premier-League-Mark-Zuckerberg-Facebook-Mike-Ashley-Rafa-Benitez
toontaff2
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:25 PM
Comment #38Does anyone know if that Steve Wraith has a twin – a female who heads the Liverpool Hillsborough fans’ group? The pictures I saw had her to one side of Amanda and her husband on the other.
Dondatta13
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:27 PM
Comment #39Toonraff… he was in the box that day… about 4 seats away from Amanda. Possibly sporting a flat cap?
toontaff2
Oct 17, 2017 at 6:27 PM
Comment #40There – that’s Steve Wraith on the right! Wearing the grey and black coat! 🙄
http://cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/dynamic/58/photos/463000/Amanda-Staveley-Newcastle-1093463.jpg