There’s a chance when the smoke clears that we’ll be left with an awful situation at Newcastle United.
At the end of August, Mike Ashley could still be the owner of the club and Rafa Benitez, with the three coaches who work closely with him, could have left the club.
Mike Ashley is unwilling to give way to Rafa on recruitment and the free use of his transfer budget – but if Ashley is selling the club, why is he so concerned about this?
One big thing that can help the owner sell Newcastle currently is that world-renowned Rafa Benitez is the manager.
Why would he want him to leave before the club is sold – so why didn’t he give what Rafa wants to stay at the club.?
Mike Ashley – does he really want to sell Newcastle?
We are being told the Bin Zayed Group are well along with in their efforts to acquire the club, and that two other groups are also still involved in trying to buy Newcastle.
But no exclusivity has been granted to any of the groups – or so we are told.
What we don’t understand is why Ashley wouldn’t have given in to the demands of Rafa Benitez, and he could have signed the deal four weeks ago, and we wouldn’t be in this terrible mess of uncertainty the club are in now.
Surely Ashley would have done that if he intends to sell the club and once the club is sold we would expect the new owner(s) to potentially upgrade Rafa’s contract.
Why would Ashley be so firm with Rafa if he wants out of Newcastle?
That’s the question.
If this man is still around by the end of August he really is a reluctant seller – and that simply code for he doesn’t want to sell the club and lose all that global publicity for Sports Direct.
And it could all turn out to have been another ruse not to spend much money in this summer’s transfer window.
We really hope that’s not true.
There should be some protest made to the Premier League about the behavior of this owner – he’s completely unfit to own a Premier League club and had kept Newcastle in chains for 12 long years.
He should have no future at all at Newcastle United.
Comments welcome.
391 comments so far
Zele
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:41 PM
Comment #41If the club is in the advanced stages of being sold the current owner would never commit to any lengthy financial commitments without the agreement of the prospective new owners.
Either the prospective new owners have had a quiet word with Rafa that he is wanted and the funds will be available when the sale goes thru or they have told Rafa that he isn’t wanted.
chicousa
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:42 PM
Comment #42Captain AmeriMag vs The Frog
Battle royal! The forces of unbridled optimism vs unrelenting pessimism! See them duke it out! Mano e Mano! Be there!!!
😛
jimiley
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:42 PM
Comment #43The fat man behaves despicably towards the club (his club) because he can get away with it . Chanting is water off a ducks back to him.
Do you believe for one second that he could get away with this bollix if he owned Arsenal or Liverpool etc etc. A net spend of 50 million over 12 years? “Sorry Stretford End I can only afford 5 million this year. I have a retail business to run you know and its doing very well. You can console yourselves that your money is keeping a lot of my SD staff in work and on minimum wage. I wan t to also thank you because your money means I am coining it in.”
How long would he last before all hell broke loose.???
12 years?
12 months max.
We encourage the guy to behave the way he does by doing nowt except chant a bit.
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:43 PM
Comment #44The current sale lie in mid fiasco
It’s got all the trademarks of all the other sale lies
We’re clinging onto an NDA while ignoring the fact if they were actually following any NDA you wouldn’t have heard anything about it whatsoever
Same as all the other lies
MA needed it to cover Rafa being shoved out of the door for showing some ambition
Dubs Left Glove
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:43 PM
Comment #45If my memory serves me correct, typically Ashley statements tend to come out at about 6pm, i recall with the previous Staveley/takeovers SSN typically broke it around 6pmish each time. Rafa potentially looking at the China deal, 6pm also. If we don’t hear anything tonight (good or bad) i think it’ll be next before we hear something.
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:45 PM
Comment #46He seems to love televised protests
He also loves being confronted in person
I’m sure his tat shops love having people pretend to buy stuff online but never actually confirm the sale, ironic as it is
Ron Knee
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:47 PM
Comment #47He’s a diplomat, Rob.
Markaccus
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:48 PM
Comment #48Dubs
So next week again. Trouble is, “next week” never arrives. We have had tales of an announcement tomorrow but I am not holding my breath 😀
chancel be a fine thing
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:49 PM
Comment #49Tomorrow is summer solstice, don’t now if this is an auspicious date for buying a football club.
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:49 PM
Comment #50His PR firm loves being made to look like a bunch of amateurs, cheers for the hand they gave us on Twitter
He is going to absolutely love it when we go down and the crowd decide to turn on him and the team
I doubt you’ll see the level of support the clubs had in the past
Let’s hope we end up costing him a fortune
JP...from The Rock
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:49 PM
Comment #51Captain Amerimag- I think most us want to believe it without a doubt but we’ve been burnt before and are understandably cautious this time after many false dawns. I really really hope this time it’s happening and I don’t think we’ve ever been this close before. This time there seems to be many more things going for the takeover to actually happen, than against.
The silence is killing me, but as many say I also think it’s golden and think we’ll now only know it’s done when we wake up one day and see it officially announced.
Bobbybee
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:50 PM
Comment #52https://youtu.be/3MF6bLIWJiY
Jimiley and his only friend. 🙂
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:52 PM
Comment #53He wanted rid of Rafa but wants his golden goose
He will get this summers transfer budget but it will cost him his tat shop adverts being in the prem
In the end people will just stop caring as it’s pointless with him as our owner
I hope he spends a fortune trying to get promotion
Toon Cat
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:53 PM
Comment #54A see a lot of comments on Twitter (and yes, I should know better) along the lines of ‘Relax – takeovers take time – no point stressing – it’ll happen when it happens’ etc. Which is probably true but timing does actually matter here.
If a takeover can be concluded before 30th June, or shortly after, it’s possible to secure Rafa’s services and for him to crack on and buy/sell the players he needs for next season. Not ideal, but do-able.
If though, for whatever reason, a takeover drags on significantly beyond that what happens ? What if it’s still paralyzing Newcastle past the start of the season ? It could. What then ? Would Rafa stay on under a short-term contract or would he be gone and some short-term interim replacement manager installed as a sticking plaster ? Presumably no players would have left except the ones out of contract and no new players would have been bought ? It would be a struggle to cope with a tough start to the season with all of that going on. Could all of that happen ?.
So while ‘chilling’ might be good advice (and it is) it’s sometimes easier said than done .. 🙂
jimiley
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:53 PM
Comment #55How does chanting “fat man out” outside SP in Northumberland Street on matchdays for half an hour achieve anything?
Except stop people going in the shop for 30 minutes.
He still has a few hundred other shops you know and the Mackems probably buy extra that half hour.
Even the passers by look bemused. Oh those bloody stupid Toon fans doing their bit for their conscience.
The fans response to being treated with contempt is actually pathetic.
JP...from The Rock
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:54 PM
Comment #56Dubs left glove- I think we heard of both statements by BZG at around 6pm too. That is slightly worrying now lol unless Ashley gave them permission to make the statement?
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:54 PM
Comment #57How many NDAs do you see being discussed before a sale by the general public ?
Toon Cat
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:55 PM
Comment #58Incidentally, re #54, I’d still want Ashley out however long it takes and however hard that process is on our nerves, just stating the blindingly obvious that timing does matter .. 🙂
Captain AmeriMag
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:56 PM
Comment #59I think a leak at the Premier League sold the story to the Sun, which let’s be honest it’s just an office like any other it was probably a low level employee or cleaner or the guy there to fix the photocopier to make a couple of quid. If this hadn’t happened BZG would never have announced anything. They even said in their first statement they wanted to clarify some things that were being circulated in the media. Add that to all the other little things and this time is just different. It’s different because it’s actually happening and my tears of joy are already in my ducts for when the announcement comes!!
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:57 PM
Comment #60Jimiley
Remember the lengths he went to when they were going to empty the ground during a televised game ?
You think it’s due to him not minding us doing it ?
What about when fans confronted him outside of the AGM he pretended he wasn’t going to ?
Running scared enough to lie
mactoon
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:58 PM
Comment #61Ron Knee..
I think every manager Ashley employs has a confidentiality clause, what else would explain the fact that none of them have come out and said anything. Apart from Keegan who took him to court.
With regards to the clause, I left my job over a year ago but I’m still subject to the official secrets act. I doubt any such clause would become ineffective once Rafa’s contract runs out.
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:58 PM
Comment #62CAM
8th times the charm
We’re not that stupid
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:58 PM
Comment #63CAM
You on about the NDA that’s public knowledge apparently
Common practice it seems at the toon
Mag52
Jun 20, 2019 at 3:59 PM
Comment #64AO.
ctommo
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:02 PM
Comment #65Working away this week and just catching up with the blog, time differences suck.
Just read that hatem? posted there will be an announcement tomorrow. A bit like Micky said, god help us if Hatem’s man really is involved. Not that he is though, and its odd that hatem even mentioned him tbh.
The guy I think he is talking about would have less chance of passing a fit and proper person test than that fella who sailed off in the canoe for his life insurance payout
Mag52
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:03 PM
Comment #66Could be that Rafa is silent because he has no guarantees yet that he will be the manager under the new regime.
He will be expected to present his vision for the club under his coaching anew to the new owners once they arrive and see what they think of it.
Ron Knee
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:05 PM
Comment #67mactoon
I assume I’m still bound by the OSA I signed nearly 50 years ago!
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:06 PM
Comment #68Or maybe he’s said nowt as he knows his contracts up and has no intention of playing along with the lie
Bobbybee
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:08 PM
Comment #69Ron, you’re right I think. I’m pretty sure when I signed it it was for a lifetime. The OSA and an NDA are nothing like the same thing. You can go to jail for breaching the OSA!
hibbit
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:09 PM
Comment #70any one else noticed that posters that are getting the most upset at the very though of a sale are all the ones that supposedly gave there season tickets up ??????????
Bobbybee
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:11 PM
Comment #71Why would he say nowt if he had no intention of going along with a lie? By not saying anything he would be going along with it. He’d speak up if he had no intention of going along with anything. Jeez.
Bobbybee
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:12 PM
Comment #72Hibbett, if you believed all these thousands who claim to have had a ST to give up, we’d be the only ones left in the ground matey! 🙂
Captain AmeriMag
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:13 PM
Comment #73He’s been working from home drawing up a proper A-list of transfers, with the budget he knows is coming as he discussed it with the Sheikh months ago. Today or tomorrow he’ll hop in his car to tell us all the good news at the press conference. I really believe it, I feel it in my black & white bones!!
Ron Knee
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:16 PM
Comment #74Bobby
The secrets I had access to are pretty stale now!
chicousa
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:16 PM
Comment #75Captain AmeriMag,
You go mate! Get in there! Even toon22 hopes you are right! 😀
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:17 PM
Comment #76CAM
You went round for a cuppa?
Can read minds
Or have an excellent crystal ball?
Do you know this fridays lotto numbers too ?
Bobbybee
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:17 PM
Comment #77Ron, mine too mate. Not that I actually knew anything secret anyway, but it was a long time ago.
Captain AmeriMag
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:19 PM
Comment #78I have no information Dear Frog, just faith! Blind faith admittedly but I just feel it, it’s happening
toon22
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:19 PM
Comment #79Or are just making stuff up now ?
You think MA has lined up Pep as our new manager ?
Or maybe Trumps going to buy us and back us with the wealth of the US state ?
LoL
hibbit
Jun 20, 2019 at 4:19 PM
Comment #80Bobbybee
don’t kid yourself you can go to jail for breaching an NDA