Newcastle are in a precarious position in 3rd bottom place in the Premier League and we all know that Mike Ashley’s main (only) aim for Newcastle United is to keep us as a Premier League club.
Basically that’s to keep getting all the big money the PL gives out each May and the new £5.1B deal starts in June and that’s up from the £3B deal of the last three years.
We estimate that will give Newcastle around £135M a season – up from around £80M over the last three years.
Steve McClaren – must start winning in January
So Ashley will be motivated to get players in this month and news today we have launched a record £18.4M for long term striker target Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon.
17 points and only four wins in 20 league games is simply woeful – and while Steve argues we have been unlucky and should have had a lot more points – we still haven’t got the points on the board and are 3 points from safety.
We have played very well in a number of games including last Saturday at the Emirates – and there are signs the defense is tightening up, but we just cannot score the goals.
We play three games in eight days starting next Saturday at Watford in the FA Cup.
January Sat 09 15:00 A Watford - FA Cup 3rd round Tue 12 19:45 H Manchester United Sat 16 15:00 H West Ham Sat 23 15:00 A Watford
The results in those games could well determine whether Steve McClaren stays in charge at Newcastle and certainly three defeats – we have already lost the last three games – could mean curtains for McClaren.
And it will not be Lee Charnley who does the firing since Lee appointed Steve to the position only days after he was fired at Derby County.
It would also be a failure of Lee’s if the manager is fired.
What kind of ambition does appointing a sacked McClaren show Charnley has for Newcastle?
The correct answer is ……. not much.
It will be Mike Ashley’s decision is and when Steve goes – and we expect the owner to be involved in the transfer window this month when we need about three good players brought in to augment the squad and be instant starters at Newcastle.
As far as a new manager coming in is concerned – if it gets to that – means we could be restricted in choice because the manager would have to accept that Graham Carr is in charge of which players come in.
A number of good managers currently available – like David Moyes, Brendan Rodgers or Rafa Benitez – wouldn’t accept those conditions.
So if a new manager is brought in it would again have to be somebody who would have to accept the way the club is being run – even though we have been unsuccessful with those policies ever since Ashley arrived at the club back in 2007.
Crazy but true.
Well – that’s unless Newcastle see the error of their ways and change the system and give the manager a lot more say in most things – including the transfer window.
Then we would be getting somewhere.
Comments welcome.
176 comments so far
AK Malaysia
Jan 6, 2016 at 9:45 AM
Comment #1Mike Ashley will spend the cash… Starting with a proven striker.. Don’t mind loan deal of either Loic Remy or Andy Caroll … Needs to score more!!
lesh
Jan 6, 2016 at 9:49 AM
Comment #2There’s always Carver, Carver with an proven record of saving us from the drop!
AK Malaysia
Jan 6, 2016 at 9:50 AM
Comment #3Hope McClaren will stick with Gini in the middle of the park … Also, it’s time to bring back Siem into the first 11 … We didn’t lose when he started against Liverpool, Spurs & Villa …
stuart no9
Jan 6, 2016 at 9:50 AM
Comment #4Mr Ashley, if you want your £400m over the next 3 years , jose is still available.
hibbitt
Jan 6, 2016 at 9:50 AM
Comment #5if you don’t score you don’t win if we don’t win we go down……….we now need to win as many games to to stay up as we did all last year……. it’s not going to happen
spitfire_
Jan 6, 2016 at 9:50 AM
Comment #6Jib
I saw your far cry for the negativity of the fans in the last two articles, and I easily can start counting the reasons why the fans are negative and cynical about Newcastle. But this will take a lot of time, because there’s so many reasons. So just tell me, why our “default settings” shouldn’t be negative? Blind fait after the last 9 years or something else? What in this football club made you a positive person? Give me a example. And I mean a real positive news, not some spending spree in the summer, because even without spending 50 mill, we was again the relegation fight.
jazzyp
Jan 6, 2016 at 9:57 AM
Comment #7On the Lacazette transfer rumours NUFC not helped by timing either – Lyon def won’t part with Lacazette. Fekir out for months still, Beauvue transfer listed, they need him.
Jib
Jan 6, 2016 at 9:58 AM
Comment #8WWSBRD
Lash out ?
Ha ha ha
SBR once said to some whining fans in a filling station in Ipswich after his first 2 seasons finishing 18th and 19th.
“If you plastic fans cannot get behind your team when it’s doing poorly , and we need your support , I don’t want to see you when we are doing well ”
He got a right bollocking off Johnny Cobbold
the chairman for that . Two seasons later they got to the quarters of the UEFA.
I do believe that is the first recorded use of the term plastic fan . Although it was a term frequently used by SAF about Manure fans.
bladeuser
Jan 6, 2016 at 9:58 AM
Comment #9Nufc dither until it is to late SMAC should have been sacked let’s face it he hasn’t got a scooby and will take us down they will also cock up getting the right players in to at leastt give us a chance of staying up if it is correct and I doubt it they have bid millions for another out of form player from France who doesn’t want to come anyway speaks volumes
If it’s true and they have the money why not go all out for Austin he is just the type of player to get and take the chances to keep us up sell our French flops buy a top playmaker a top ch get arrons fit and bobs your uncle it’s not rocket science but those morons in charge will see us relegated
ASH OUT
SMAC OUT
COLO OUT
SHEEP ? Out
Blofal
Jan 6, 2016 at 9:59 AM
Comment #10I like Lacazette. He was brilliant last season. Obviously Ashley has made the cash available but why oh why are we still gambling??? We need players that can hit the ground running. Lacazette is one for the future not right now!!
jayphoto
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:12 AM
Comment #11Lacazette is interesting! Hes suffered this season as Grenier has been injured and Valbuena seems to occupy the space where Lacazette usually drifts out to. They just don’t seem able to understand each others play.
Hes more likely to cost 20m+ and for that kind of money i think there are other players that would be more likely to hit the ground running.
Hes twice the player that Michy Batshuayi is though!
WWSBRD
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:13 AM
Comment #12Jib
Nice history of the term…little to do with anything though
Not really sure why fans caring about the state of their club are plastic fans, explaining that would have more relevance to ur argument
geordieboy83
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:15 AM
Comment #13Morning all
On lacazette I’m seriously scratching my head as to why people wouldn’t want him here, he’s a mile above anything we could expect to buy from the premiership. He’s had a dip in form there ain’t a player in the world who hasn’t. This crap about adjusting, ba, cisse, remy 3 recent examples of how it can be done. If you’re good enough then it doesn’t matter where you come from and in my honest opinion lacazette is different class to anything we have or could get from this league.
Jib
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:21 AM
Comment #14When I interract with the usual suspects on here.
I get a mental image of this plastic Chelsea fan
Slank
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:24 AM
Comment #15It is looking increasingly likely that a striker will arrive in this transfer window irrespective of whether its a permanent move or a loan move.
This should be no surprise given our lack of goals this season.
To get Lacazette the club will have to ‘break the bank’. In a negotiating position we are in a very weak position due to our league position and geographic location.
However, we have attracted French players before and those still with us are not jumping up and down to leave.
For Remy I suppose it is a choice of exposure to the French national squad. Cabaye moved from an elite French club to Palace to get regular exposure. Remy might think the same although Palace would appear a better option for him.
jazzyp
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:25 AM
Comment #16Geordieboy83
Agree mate. Wini has proven that if your good enough you go straight into the first team.
Lacazette would be an unbelievable player to bring in, But I doubt it will happen. If we were flying high in the top 5 then maybe
Jib
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:28 AM
Comment #17Lacazette career form is a 1 goal in 3 games player.
The season before last he was a 3 in 4 !
This season he is still 1 in 3
With the right service (which I believe he will get at NUFC) he could be sensational.
Jib
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:30 AM
Comment #18BTW we are getting a bit of a chinning off of South Africa – 87 – 4 ATM
jazzyp
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:33 AM
Comment #19What’s the betting on the 16th a certain Mr Carroll goes and bangs a hat trick against us
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:37 AM
Comment #20I have seen Pardew almost doing everything you possibly could to get fired only to hear Penfold saying they had no backup plan for when Pardew left on his own accord.
Carver lost almost every game and was kept on until the bitter end…
Ed…why do you think McClaren’s job is jeopardy?
spitfire_
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:38 AM
Comment #21Keith Downie
?@SkySports_Keith
Sky Sources: Understand no bid has been made by @NUFC for Alexandre Lacazette, despite reports. We understand Lyon unwilling to sell.
Damn you, Keith! You just stopped my positivism!
Ron Knee
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:39 AM
Comment #22jesper
Welcome to the topsy-turvy world of NUFC!
Shot Bru
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:41 AM
Comment #23Ben Arfa has scored more goals than Lacazete so far this season.
I haven’t seen much of Lacazette, but from what I’ve read it seems he has no desire to come and play for us.
So why bid nearly 20 million for a player who doesn’t want to play for us. Not the type of attitude we require in a relegation battle?
once again our transfer policy appears to lack any foresight.
Jib
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:43 AM
Comment #24Sky Sports News was saying on Monday Rafa was meeting with Real’s chairman when every other sports news channel was saying he was sacked !
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:45 AM
Comment #25Ron…I am just trying to get an understanding of peoples reasoning!
…as you know I have absolutely no idea or understanding of what it is Ashley is doing???
I am speechless!
lochinvar
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:47 AM
Comment #26Sky: TOON BID £18M..REJECTED
Newcastle have had a £18m bid for Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette rejected, according to French newspaper L’Equipe.
The striker has scored six goals in 15 games for the French big-hitters and attracted the attention of the Toon scouts, who have been tasked with the job of finding Steve McClaren a new centre-forward.
Newcastle have found the net just 19 times in 20 Premier League games this season.
Ron Knee
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:51 AM
Comment #27jesper
I could understand if Ashley was an absentee landlord who never went to matches, but to voluntarily watch our awful team week after week is mind-boggling.
jayphoto
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:56 AM
Comment #28Agree that Lacazette would be very similar to the signing of Gini in the sense that hes a class above!
I actually think hed score more in england as the games are more open. Ligue 1 is a poorer league but on the whole its defensively more astute than the premier league.
Against Lyon Lacazette has defenders playing deep and lyon have to break teams down where his attributes are more suited to counter attack.
The guy can make something happen out of nothing though. He’d be a huge signing!! Just think the amount he would cost would be better split across 3 players in 3 positions
Slank
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:57 AM
Comment #29Spitfire @ 21
That report may be totally true in that no ‘official bid’ has been made.
All Newcastle could have done is sound out the Lyon club president as a preliminary horse trading move.
jazzyp
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:57 AM
Comment #30Sky Sports understand that there is more chance of Lacazette farting the French national anthem than joining Nufc
Jib
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:58 AM
Comment #31HbA has scored 8 in 19
AL has scored 8 in 15
However HbA has scored 2 for France in friendlies.
Kebabacus
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:58 AM
Comment #32For £19 million we could get Austin plus a loan deal for Remy with money left over for a tall centre-back.
jayphoto
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:59 AM
Comment #33@ron knee – its always confused me that Ashley chooses to come to as many games as he does!
He’s obviously a seriously busy guy and as a life long toon fan, even i find them excruciating to watch at times. Unless he just loves seeing us get beaten i can’t imagine choosing to watch us most of the time if youre not a fan!
catchy in norway
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:59 AM
Comment #34jib
my mind boggles when i heard you call rotonda a plastic negative fan, its like wow you are so far from the truth its not even funny.
if you were in a passenger seat of a car and the person driving had a heart attack would you pull the hand break on or would you just let it crash?,, my opinion of the pro p45 group is that they would allow it to crash and hope for the best, fans like Rotonda are in the other group, they seen the problem early with P45, and were trying to warn people, slowly people got on board with with the same thoughts and it got louder and louder not that the club heard, but P45 sure did,
Now P45 is not the biggest problem at our club but he had the most say on match days on how we played the game, the people above the manager are the real problem, but they are a harder nut to crack..
Shteve is not the long term answer to our problems, but what i will give him credit for is, we now have a style of play, we now get bodies in the box and we now create chances, we now sit top of the table of % of goals in side the 18Y box with 63% the teams around us in that league are towards the top of the table, the football is pleasing on the eye, you can see what they are trying to do, we just need more confidence.
for me fans like rotonda , jesper our toon, these guys are the total oppisite to negative, these guys are far more forward thinking than that,, fans that see no way out so they stick with same old same old,, these are the negative fans,,
Slank
Jan 6, 2016 at 11:04 AM
Comment #35jazzyp
‘Sky Sports understand that there is more chance of Lacazette farting the French national anthem than joining Nufc’
Looks like he will be well set to do the same for the Bladon Races and become the star turn at the players Christmas party, albeit with nose pegs !
martoon
Jan 6, 2016 at 11:04 AM
Comment #36Just a thought – if we are going to lash out £18m on an unproven French striker would we be better spending the money on a proven premiership striker such as Mr. Carroll??
Ron Knee
Jan 6, 2016 at 11:05 AM
Comment #37jayphoto
I always used to look forward to match day – but that was a long time ago now!
banjax
Jan 6, 2016 at 11:06 AM
Comment #38Why waste time. Hire Benitez now while there’s transfer cash available. Let him pick his players and sack McLaren and Charnley before we lose next 3 matches.
jayphoto
Jan 6, 2016 at 11:06 AM
Comment #39No comparing lacazette to ben Arfa surely? Lacazette is a driven, professional guy who trains hard, works hard on the pitch, plays for his teammates and will probably go on to achieve what ben Arfa with his talent should have!
HBA is having a good season. he plays a complete free role and does no defensive work. Perfect set up for him! No team could afford such a luxury in premier league. He’s proven so many times that he only plays for himself. Hes crazily talented but his mental side will always set him aside from being a world class player
geordielad880
Jan 6, 2016 at 11:09 AM
Comment #40My mate who is a leeds fan says newcastle are getting mowatt for 6m, hope hes right, very good young player, and a central midfielder who can create and score goals!