It’s Joe Kinnear day in the Sunday Sun today, as the former Newcastle manager has given many different interviews to the local paper.
Joe Kinnear – has given lots on interviews this week
And one thing that was obvious when Joe was on Tyneside, is that he always seemed to get on well with Mike Ashley, the Newcastle owner, and also with Derek LLambias, the Managing Director.
And Joe was given a standing ovation when he was introduced last Thursday night at Dunston’s Lancastrian Suite, when former managers and coaches were present.
That was for the all-out efforts he made to keep Newcastle afloat during our relegation season – and it was fitting, because Joe Kinnear worked his socks off for Newcastle when he was manager of the club.
Joe talked about owner Mike Ashley today, and it’s fair to say that Mike has had a little bit of a thawing in relationships with Newcastle fans, over the last couple of years.
This is what Joe said:
“I’m delighted to hear the fans are coming around to Mike and he deserves that. He has put an awful lot of money in that club and it’s now run the proper way.” “Mike knew nothing about Newcastle before he bought the club.”
“It was only much later on when he admitted to me that I was right when I kept telling him how big it was.” “I had bumped into Mike a few times over the years at various functions and knew he was big into sport. I think he would have bought Tottenham, but they weren’t for sale.”
“I still get on with him. I get the odd phone call now and then and we meet for a pint and talk football.” “I asked Mike one day if he had ever been to the training ground and he said no, that he left that to the managers.” “I pointed out that he was paying for the thing and told him to come down and have a day with the lads.”
“So he did that and I brought him over to meet a few of the boys such as Joey Barton, Nicky Butt and Michael Owen. I introduced the owner to them and joked that he was probably as young as some of them.
“Mike came and had lunch with the team and afterwards the boys all said that he seemed a nice guy, a good guy – and that’s what he is.”
Since then Mike Ashley visited the training ground when Chris Hughton was getting Newcastle promoted from the Championship, and he still makes fleeting visits to discuss things with manager Alan Pardew at the Benton Training gorunds.
It’s a good thing that Mike can take the time out to do that, but things seem to be in very good shape at the club right now, and all we need to do is bring in some four or five very good players over the summer months.
And we also need to keep all of the good players we already have at the club, although when you read the Sunday newspapers each week, it looks like all our top players are moving to other clubs this summer.
If we lose one and bring in a suitable replacement that would be okay, we suppose, but we cannot lose more than one top player this summer.
Comments welcome.
76 comments so far
Jail for Ashley
Jun 3, 2012 at 10:54 AM
Comment #1Being locked in a cold cell biting the pillow on the top bunk with Bills son shouting whose the daddy is too good for Ashley.
Graeme
Jun 3, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Comment #2Peace and tranquillity prevail – long may it continue!!!
SupaToonKid
Jun 3, 2012 at 10:56 AM
Comment #3Just started following Mulumbu on Twitter and on the 20th of May he tweeted: “Chelsea, Liverpool or Newcastle next season…”
Well with Chelsea being packed out in CM and Liverfool being sh*t; i think Mr Mulumbu will just have to become another monster in the centre of our mighty side alongside our current monsterman Tiote.
Graeme
Jun 3, 2012 at 10:56 AM
Comment #4Jail, wow, that’s harsh mate lol
Dannyo
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Comment #5Lol, JB saying MA seemez a nice guy, imagine that.
Dannyo
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Comment #6@rich last thread
Replacing players is not a worry imo, whoever should leave. I think we’ll target the right players to keep the momentum going.
However i do have one worry concerning this, and that is if we’ll bring the targets in on time.
We tend to use allot of time on bringing players in…
Southern Pride
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:09 AM
Comment #7What’s that 3 or 4 articles on JFK? What’s the world coming to? Do we seriously give a f what JFK thinks or says…well I don’t.
In other news, Drew Barrymore had a surprise wedding…
pardew no 1
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:09 AM
Comment #8we dont need mulumbu we need hesky
Ben Arfa (Either love him or Hatem)
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:11 AM
Comment #9Southern,
I couldn’t agree more.
rich_toonfan
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:13 AM
Comment #10That’s the one area Ashley needs to improve i think dannyo.
If you lose a top player you have to replace them that window, even if it means spending an extra couple million or it could harm you in the log run.
I still think Ba will go. I’m sure he was signed as a stop gap until cisse was available. Hence the release clause as they probably never thought he would do as well a he did and wouldn’t have expected many top clubs to be after him for that price.
Beattie25
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:14 AM
Comment #11Is there nothing? No other news stories? No other press releases? Nothing?
Arrrggghhhhh
Beattie25
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:18 AM
Comment #12I think MA is doing a good job but what annoys me is that he has this 100m interest free loan we owe to him so why csnt he increase that by 20m and sanction a transfer spree nufc style.
That 20m if used correctly could fire us into the top 4. It is from his personal fortune but it’s not like lending it to a friend and not getting it back.
Other than that (what I would call) tightness he is doing well.
greg
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:19 AM
Comment #13Elia———Cisse——–HBA
————Cabaye————-
——–Tiote—-Mulumbu ——-
Cissohko–Colo–Staylor–Santon
looks very solid
5m+3m+6m=14m
Dont mind Debuchy but Cissohko seems more powerful in defence
archaeomag
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:19 AM
Comment #14Looks like JFK is trying to raise his media profile – must be looking foe work. . .
rich_toonfan
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Comment #15Heard a lot of mixed reviews on cissohko. Most things I have read don’t place him too highly where debuchy is a full French international.
I think we need attacking full backs as we have defensive ones already. Then if we play 2 holding players the full backs can get forward.
Indian Magpie
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:26 AM
Comment #16People talking Ill of ashley shd know, he is better than Gold and sullivan, glazers, hicks and gillet
bills-son
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:34 AM
Comment #17Beattie – by all accounts Ashley has sanctioned £20M to spend in the summer. I couldn’t care though if we spend next to nowt again and get players like Ba, Cabaye, Santon, Marveaux and Abheid.
It’s not how much you spend thats important, it’s who you buy.
Just ask Liverfool fans, their owners and Dogleash.
graham cwarr
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Comment #18Beattie because he wants the club self sufficient. Sod gettin this 20million loan. More debt.
Ben Arfa (Either love him or Hatem)
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Comment #19I’d prefer this team all day long:
————————–Krul————————–
–Debuchy–Colocinni—-Saylor—-Santon—
———————Tioté–Mulumbu—————
————————-Cabaye———————-
–Ben Arfa——————————-Johnson–
————————-Cissé————————–
Debuchy – 6m
Mulumbu – 3m
Johnson – maybe swap Ba + 2m; if not play Marveaux instead.
11m spent = 9m remaining
1m on the Coventry lad, Hoillett on a free if possible and spend the rest (~8m – compensation) on a decent, young CB.
I chose Debuchy ahead of Cissokho because if we play 2 holding midfielders, the full backs can get forward, and I think Debuchy is a much better attacking option.
bills-son
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:37 AM
Comment #20Fathering a son and finding he’s the double of Ashley would be too good for JFA.
Getting a DNA test and finding Ashley is actually the father and his lass has been MacDonalds ‘lurvin it’ would be the icing on the cake.
ToonDownSouth
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:40 AM
Comment #21All this Johnson talk is pie in the sky if you ask me.
Why buy overpriced English players on inflated wages? Come on… we all know how it works.
graham cwarr
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Comment #2220 million coming out of last years 32million profits?
Ben Arfa (Either love him or Hatem)
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:45 AM
Comment #23@TDS,
He looks proven and is going at 8-10m
I’m just thinking of ways we can get rid of Ba without losing out because we get virtually nowt from the release clause.
I did say Marveaux was as option if we couldn’t get hold of Johnson or Hoillett. Marveaux is still a great player to have going down the left, I’m just pointing out that there are better ones available.
ToonDownSouth
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:47 AM
Comment #24cwarr
We did sign Cisse after those accounts were released.
rich_toonfan
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:50 AM
Comment #25Johnson would be good if we can get him for the right price and if he is willing to take a pay cut but that seems unlikely to me. Sure another club will offer him the money he wants.
rich_toonfan
Jun 3, 2012 at 11:51 AM
Comment #26Yeh accounts run from June to June in football.
GoalsBringSmiles
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:11 PM
Comment #27MA such a nice guy he employs third world hindi boys to stitch his cheap sportswear in sweatshops
djm...
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:13 PM
Comment #28What you have to remember is the club don’t do capital outlay. I assume this applies to wages too, we won’t sign a player unless the money for the length of their contract is already in the bank. We may have 32m sitting there, but how much of that Is already earmarked to continue the running of the clubs current books?
Toon1978
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:16 PM
Comment #29Colo linked with a move away now. How many more are these uneducated baffons going to try and unsettle at NUFC? Nearly every first team player we have has been linked with a move away. Our 5th finish in the EPL has p1ssed a few spiteful, lying, self centred morons off down in the capital…pathetic.
bills-son
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:17 PM
Comment #30Being wellied in the nuts by Ashley with football boots specially fitted with hardened steel toes would be too good for GoalsBringSmiles.
cupiddstunt
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:18 PM
Comment #31GoalsBringSmiles @ # 27
And where do you buy your food???????????
Tell me a supermarket that does not screw the last penny out of their suppliers, name me one product supplier that does not screw third world workers in order to max out their profits while giving you your fruit, coffee, tea, etc, etc.
Grow up bud MA is only doing what the business world has been doing for centuries.
SupaToonKid
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:20 PM
Comment #32People stop trying to sell Ba; he’s happy on Tyneside so stop this rubbish about doing a swap deal with Adam Johnson. If we’re going to do a swap deal with Ba it would be for forward e.g. if City came in i’d ask for Guidetti + cash in return, if Chelski came in i’d ask for Lukaku straight swap, if Spurs came in i’d tell them to piss off & if PSG came in i’d do a swap for Gameiro. But let’s be honest it’s not going to be a swap deal we will just receive some money but still think Ba will stay as most teams have other priorities and if they fail in getting them it’ll be too late as the 2 months will be up and Ba’s price will be back up to £20-25M.
geordie157
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:21 PM
Comment #33Is Mulumbu better than N’Zonzi? Thought Mulumbu was great last season, but didnt see much of N’Zonzi. Either would good additions.
cupiddstunt
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:21 PM
Comment #34GoalsBringSmiles @ # 27
Almost forgot MA is such a nice guy he gave away almost half of SD profits back to the workers as they helped SD to buck the economic trend and hit company targets so he rewarded them to the tune of almost £100 mil in bonuses.
Novocastrian66
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:21 PM
Comment #35Cannot wait for next season, to stick it up the southern and nort west obsessed Brithish sporting press. According to them we will be selling all our top players. They spout so much bull. As for Ashley using sweat shops all major sporting brands do and charge far more for the finished goods. GBS, If you want to take a moral high don’t buy the products.
geordie157
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:24 PM
Comment #36The next transfer links will be…………….two previously ones resurfacing.
As Auxerre went down along with Dijon, Sanogo and Corgnet will now be cheap and surely worth buying?
Ben Arfa (Either love him or Hatem)
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:25 PM
Comment #37@STK,
“if Spurs came in i’d tell them to piss off” made my day 😉
Ba has showed signs that he wants to go; if we swap him, we don’t lose out simple as that. Other teams wouldn’t bother offering players as part of the deal cos 7m isn’t that much to those clubs, so we’ve got to be the ones offering the swap.
The PSG swap for Gameiro looks very tempting; after all, Ba has said that he wants to go to PSG one day.
Dannyo
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:25 PM
Comment #38@GBS
U only come on to spout shite don’t ya. Always have, always will.
What a great and uplifting life u must live.
SupaToonKid
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:26 PM
Comment #39Adam Johnson is way to expensive and we do not need a winger as both Ben Arfa and Marveaux are better than Johnson + Johnson will demand wages that would make him a starter at other sides.
We’d be better off getting a player who can play Upfront and out wide such as Hoilett. This would give us such rotation in the side with Hoilett, Ben Arfa and Marveaux all interchangeable if in those 3 positions (RW, CAM, LW) with Cisse or Ba ahead and then Cabaye and Tiote in the middle. This would be used to really attack weak defensive teams like Wigan whereas we would play Mulumbu and Tiote together with Cabaye in CAM against Man City, Arsenal etc. so we could break down their midfield easier.
SupaToonKid
Jun 3, 2012 at 12:29 PM
Comment #40geordie157
Nzonzi is hugely overrated as he is so 50/50 but Mulumbu is a superb player who is far more consistant. Mulumbu would be valued at £3M whereas Nzonzi at some ridiculous fee. Mulumbu is the better player and better value so got to be him!