Former Newcastle coach Mark Lawrenson isn’t worried too much about Chris Hughton’s Brighton getting relegated this season – but he is worried about Newcastle.
That’s the rather surprising opinion of the BBC pundit and it all centers around the takeover, which has introduced too much uncertainty at the club with the January transfer window about to open.
Mike Ashley is out of the country and he seems to have done little in the last few weeks to sell the club and there seems to be a deadlock in the negotiations.
The more this uncertainty goes on with no deal announced, the more it will affect Newcastle in their attempts to avoid relegation.
Rafa Benitez – must manage difficult situation this January
Rafa Benitez is handling all of this very well – but Lawrenson wonders where the manager will be getting his transfer funds from next month.
Are they from Mike Ashley (Newcastle’s money) or Amanda Staveley of PCP Capital Partners group – as a loan to the club – or both?
Here’s what Mark has explained are the problems at the Tyneside club at the moment:
“Newcastle were very defensive against Manchester City on Wednesday night, even when they went 1-0 down, but Rafael Benitez’s aim was for his team to try to stay in the game until the end.”
“And it almost worked because they nearly nicked a point.”
“There will be a very different feeling about this game, against another promoted club – the Magpies have to try to win this one.”
“Brighton lost at Chelsea on Boxing Day but they had taken four points from their previous two matches, and this will be another fixture that their boss Chris Hughton will have earmarked as one to get something out of.”
“The Seagulls are only three points above Newcastle in the table but I just don’t see Hughton’s side getting relegated – I never really have.”
“It is different with Newcastle, and I am a little bit worried for them.” “The takeover of the club is turning into a long-running saga.”
“Ad they need to bring in new players in January. They have Benitez as manager, which is a huge positive, but who is he talking to about potential signings?”
“Is it the current regime or the new people? It is a very difficult situation for them.”
Most fans seem confident we can get our first home win since back on October 21st tomorrow – we’ve lost the last 5 home games.
🙁
Comments welcome.
8 comments so far
Frank pingles come sock
Dec 29, 2017 at 2:18 PM
Comment #1My concern for the current management (if we are in limbo regarding takeover ) is how we attract players and what do you tell them our plan is / future is ??
Players don’t like uncertainty
lochinvar
Dec 29, 2017 at 2:21 PM
Comment #2“Pundits are pundits “
That’s being kind – most of them are irrrlevant
lesh
Dec 29, 2017 at 2:23 PM
Comment #3Ed seems to know when I’m about to post a comment – his bus pulls away at a rate of knots!
Anyway, repost
Frank pingles come sock
From my limited experience, the Arab doesn’t like having the pi$$ taken out of the. They’re a proud people and if we’re looking at high profile guys like Mansour, they’ll not be ripped.off by Ashley or anyone else. It’s called savng face ( as Dubai explained a few days ago) and if Ashley’s trying to screw or con our potential buyer, they’ll go out of their way to beat the greedy git at his own game.
On transfers, this reporting that Rafa doesn’t know what transfer budget he’s got for January, will not help any recruitment to a club that’ll appear to be badly run, devoid of any ambition and a cert for relegation. Sadly, I think it’s true that Rafa’s in the dark and again, Ashley’s diving with relegation – for the third time in eleven years!!
On the subject of Brighton, I think that fans expect more than sitting back at SJP and suspect that Rafa’d set up to go at them as we did at West Ham. They [Brighton] don’t like it up ’em you know, they don’t like it up ’em! Maybe those going to the match should take a Marks and Spencer bag – to bring the goals home… hopefully!!
Mag52
Dec 29, 2017 at 2:35 PM
Comment #4I can see us playing a more aggressive game against the Seagulls on Saturday.
The defence will remain as it was, Yedlin, Lascelles, Clark and Dummet.
Midfield starters will probably be Shelvey and Merino with Ritchie, Perez and Atsu behind lone striker Gayle.
That should be enough to send Hughton’s boys back to the south coast with a flea in their ear.
Munster Mag
Dec 29, 2017 at 2:42 PM
Comment #5Hope so mag52
Frank pingles come sock
Dec 29, 2017 at 2:54 PM
Comment #6Lesh – here what you are saying
Personally I don’t think £300 Million is such an unrealistic price and isn’t much of an insult or Micky take
If the offer is £250 Million and that’s what they think the top price is (so be it) they have done all the correct homework
I know £50 Million is a huge amount of money but I just think if they wanted to do a deal (before) January it would have been done now and the price agreed a while ago
I think Ashley price of £380 Million was stupid and unrealistic but meeting at £300/£310 would of seen the deal agreed early (if cash rich)
Any way time will tell , just a Shame we might be scrapping around loans for January to save the clubs future
Average_Contents
Dec 29, 2017 at 3:36 PM
Comment #7Munster
Did it take you all that time to come up with that? Or was it out of a cracker.
Tell us again how if we, if he, if they. If if if. The all knowing Munster, knows every eventuality for every possible scenario.
If only you’d engage your 2 braincells before speaking then you might get somewhere other than that anti Rafa hole you’ve dug you knobend
Cheers for the repeated bollix
toonaus
Dec 29, 2017 at 9:47 PM
Comment #8Can we not have a season without drama and uncertainties for once. I can’t understand why it’s so hard to sell a club like Nufc I would have thought people would have been lining up around the block to buy it even the likes of villa have been taken over wtf. All I want to see is my club do well return back to the glory day of the entertainment we use to have in the les Ferdinand and Alan shearer day and asprilla . Hurry up and sell the club mike your just digging the whole deeper and deeper or sinking the ship deeper into the bottom of the ocean. We need to be great again great again