We’ve said it a few times recently that every defeat Newcastle have – and it’s now been 8 in the last 9 games – Amanda Staveley will be thinking twice about buying Newcastle United.
We are now in the relegation zone, and with West Ham winning 3-0 at Stoke they will have plenty of confidence for our game in London next weekend.
And then we play Manchester City at home so the chances of Newcastle getting out of the relegation zone before January – given our current form – has to be slim.
And it’s usually difficult to get new players in during January, so Mike Ashley’s decision not to fund Rafa Benitez in the summer has been another disastrous mistake by the owner.
What we need to do is to try to get some wins, but that’s easier said than done, and it’s been a surprising drop off in form and results since we beat Crystal Palace 1-0 on October 21st to be in 6th place in the league.
Mike Ashley – disastrous owner for Newcastle
This has to be Rafa Benitez’ worst run in his management career, and if we don’t pick things up soon, it will become our worst ever run of games in the Premier League.
We just cannot see Amanda Staveley paying out £250M for a club that now looks like it will be back in the Championship next May.
Of course, there is still a chance we can survive, but we cannot keep losing games like we are at the moment especially against teams near us in the league table.
With every Newcastle defeat, Mike Ashley’s bargaining position only gets weaker.
And this is a complete hammer blow for Newcastle fans who in May thought it would be a good season for us.
We thought we had seen the last of the Championship and the football wilderness.
But then we forgot about Mike Ashley and his disastrous decisions – he has almost guaranteed he will not be able to sell the club because of his miserly ways in the summer.
He’s been an absolute disaster for Newcastle United for over ten years now.
Ashley could be responsible for a third relegation in his time as owner.
He needs to get out and quickly too.
Comments welcome.
19 comments so far
toonbrother
Dec 17, 2017 at 7:56 AM
Comment #1While its disappointing to see us in the relegation zone,
i think we have improved massively since lascelles returned
ritchie was also good yesterday
all hope isnt lost
Toondog2
Dec 17, 2017 at 8:00 AM
Comment #2See my comment in previous post
What is the point of not investing to stay in the EPL
Makes no sense to me and AS wont want to throw money away so why would she want to buy?
expatmag
Dec 17, 2017 at 8:02 AM
Comment #3Toondog
When has logic ever cone into it when you talk about ashley?
His ego will not allow him to sell for less than he believes the club is worth and Staveley wont buckle but walk away.
Championship beckons.
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Dec 17, 2017 at 8:02 AM
Comment #4Staveley – wouldn’t surprise me if she bought Sunderland for £100 million
Saving of £200 million go along way in buying a decent squad
hibbit
Dec 17, 2017 at 8:06 AM
Comment #5Ashley has underestimated PCP from day one .
But this is Ashley who can tell what he’ll do !!!!!!!!!
Jib
Dec 17, 2017 at 8:06 AM
Comment #6I thought Ritchie , who has looked
jaded of late , was used perfectly yesterday
in a slightly more advanced role as an impact
player. Really good management of limited
playing resources.
I also think a top drawer goalie might have had
a chance with Özil’s rather lucky looping volley
expatmag
Dec 17, 2017 at 8:06 AM
Comment #7Charlie
Not a chance. Why would she want to venture into tbe black hole of the UK?
Frank pingles come sock
Dec 17, 2017 at 8:22 AM
Comment #8I will go with Shire on this one , something announced tommorow
The last twice when he has said this , the next day or the weekend after the man united match ….we have heard sky break news
This coupled with all the other info leads me to think deal is done and announcement very very soon
There has to be really as both sides needed to agree on who spends what in January and how it’s factired into agreement
Ashley wouldn’t spend in this window if no agreement was in place
Yes you all might think he would to stave off relegation but he is too deep into negotiations now to spend on his own in window and hope we stay up
He wants out
Frank pingles come sock
Dec 17, 2017 at 8:23 AM
Comment #9Factored
posada
Dec 17, 2017 at 8:25 AM
Comment #10Expat at 7
You’ve been away for a while.
They now have their own KFC and the best swimming baths in the North of England.
Toondog2
Dec 17, 2017 at 8:25 AM
Comment #11Hibbit at #5
I agree, but who in their right mind wants to reduce the value of an asset by not protecting it ?
The bare minimum is a huge gamble and clearly is looking like it has backfired in this very competitive and high finance League.
It’s becoming clear that the current squad needs several proven EPL players to just maintain the status in the top league never mind getting into the top half
Whether we get that or not is going to be the difference between staying up or going down .
Talk about the rollercoaster of supporting the Toon . Not good for my health!!
jimiley
Dec 17, 2017 at 9:32 AM
Comment #12Invest to protect. Thats what bloggers were writing 9 years ago to defend Ashley.
Well the only manager he gave decent money to was McLaren.
The guy is crazy so you cannot apply logic to his decisions. Skinflint who tries to get away with the minimum investment to put the most in his pocket. Usually wrong.
jarra mick
Dec 17, 2017 at 9:39 AM
Comment #13Ashley’s tactics are a joke, he’s gonna relegate us again ?
ash1001
Dec 17, 2017 at 10:03 AM
Comment #14Think on this – First 9 games = 14 points, Second 9 games = 1 point, same squad, same manager. so whats changed to bring about the decline, nothing that Ashley has done (and am not defending him), supporters the same as ever, right behind the team no matter what.
The answer has to be something or someone within the club is to blame.
marshy
Dec 17, 2017 at 11:08 AM
Comment #15is this drop in form coinsiding with the news that ashley was selling, maybe the players realised some of them would be out and are playing to be relegated.
ArtyH
Dec 17, 2017 at 12:05 PM
Comment #16Ash1001@13
Maybe it was the league was just settling down and making adjustments to their new signings and we got lucky, like we did under Pardumbo when we got to 5th, massively over achieved. Also we did not play the top sides baring Spuds, we hit the buffers when Manure came around, of course its JMHO. I thought we played well for what we have against Arsenal, if not for the wonder goal, which could have gone out of the ground on another day, it would have been a well earned draw and a turn around in fortunes. However the fickle finger of fate wagged and other results went badly against us resulting in our drop into the bottom 3. I expected to loose yesterday but by many more, so for me its a positive. The only disappointing aspect was Hoss and Dear-Me getting on the team sheet, having said that I thought the former had one of his better games but was still poor. I believe Mitro is not the answer but going back to the same dry well all the time when its dry yields the same result, an empty bucket. Could Mitro not play with Gayle and we just load the box and see what they can do? I am firmly behind Rafa but he cannot keep playing the same way and expect it to change as the players do not have the quality to compete in this league. Look at Wilshire compared to Pereze yesterday, there was no comparison, Wilshire was an integral part of their link up play and did he ever loose a ball or make a stray pass, not that I could see? His only bad point was not making a better interseption when we got a shot on goal. Its the same throughout the team, we just do not match any of the better sides due to lack of investement. The only glittering and glimmer of hope from our side came from Merino who had a superb game and pulled all the strings for us, probably his best game for us so far. We desperately need new players, loans, Wilshire PLEASE, and INGS would be perfect, then some money signings, even if it funded by selling Mitro/Colback/Dear-me and any other not in the running for a start. I think the next week will define our season with regards to relegation and takeover, the latter looking like a lead balloon now. Only at the toon. HWTL’s.
mactoon
Dec 17, 2017 at 12:39 PM
Comment #17It’s looking increasingly like we need to invest money for January transfers, something Ashley has refused to do. If Staveley wants the club (and at around £300 million I think this would be a great deal for a Premiership club with the potential of NUFC), she needs to ensure we stay in the Premiership or she would simply pull out.
The only option I can see is if Staveley provides a loan to the club for January which Ashley would get back in the event of the deal not going through. The only sticking point is, Ashley wouldn’t be willing to release as much as Staveley would.
toonluvva
Dec 17, 2017 at 6:59 PM
Comment #18Ashley might well want to shot of NUFC. However, PCP are not just going to oblige him too easily.
He wants to walk away with a fat profit, PCP want to protect the interests of their clients.
Today we are in the bottom 3 with little or no prospect of getting out anytime soon, certainly not before the transfer window opens. There is also the chance that the teams above us may well pull even further ahead of us on points.
If we were SportsDirect, there would be no holding back with money, but we are not and our owner cares little about us.
So the way I see is that our tightwad owner instructs his “yes” man Charnley to put in as many obstructions in the way of any purchases / loan deals as possible. Then come February 1st we will get the usual “we couldn’t get anyone over the line” spiel.
PCP will see how were are doomed to relegation, a hat-trick for Ashley, and withdraw from any further negotiations.
The net result being Ashley pretending to have toughed it out, while NUFC drop back into the Championship.
All down to Ashley as everyone knows, but being surrounded by “yes” men, he will see himself as the hero.
I have a bad feeling about our future especially as we have all had our hopes raised by the prospect of a sale. It will all be over by 15th December we were assured. Now days have turned into weeks, and these weeks will soon become months.
We need him gone now. Not January or February. NOW. The forthcoming lack of funds will see us relegated. Any intelligent owner would appreciate that. But Ashley seems keen to be seen to tough it out. If he does that he will lose millions of pounds.
A bit of advice Mikey Boy. 4/5ths of something is a lot better than 5/5ths of nothing!
chinleymag
Dec 18, 2017 at 1:03 PM
Comment #19Can one of Ashleys business advisers please explain to him that if your house has experienced subsidence(relegation) twice in the last ten year and because you have done very little to fix the problem only paper over the cracks it is in danger of doing so again you have to reduce your price to sell.Further a financial assurance from your self to help financially if it does meet the problem will help the sale.
We keep hearing that both sides are still talking. Load of twaddle me thinks cos the deal is so simple to sort out it would be done and dusted by now if they were serious. How much Rafa has to spend should surely have been in the budget from the start of the financial year. All smoke and mirrors Im afraid