The Sun has an article out this morning about a potential player exodus at Newcastle in the wake of the club’s handling of Rafa Benitez.
While it mentions mainly Ayoze Perez as being likely to want an exit, it also adds a couple of new names that would further devastate the fan base if they were to leave.
Those two are Swiss International defender Fabian Schar and Slovakian International goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. Both players were brought in by Rafa in bargain deals.
Dubravka’s arrival in January 2018, initially on loan, transformed the team. His ball distribution and world-class saves made the team a lot more solid at the back while simultaneously providing a more fluid attack.
Fabian Schar, with his ball-playing skills, also allowed the side to play a bit more comfortable in possession. He also showed an ability to score goals out of nothing with his strike against Burnley coming quickly to mind.
While there has only really been the murmurs from Juventus for Dubravka and a very muted Arsenal link for Schar early last month, we would expect those whispers to get louder with the departure of Rafa.
Another new name to crop up in possible want away talk is Argentine Federico Fernandez who deleted a tweet yesterday which seemed to be somewhat critical of the club
This is what David Coverdale writes in his article:
Defender Federico Fernandez criticised the club’s handling of Benitez’s contract saga and is now open to offers.
While sought-after centre-half Fabian Schar and keeper Martin Dubravka would also listen to an approach.
One of the devastating aspects of Rafa’s departure was that the work he had done over the past three years with limited backing had set a solid foundation.
This was going to be the year that he was to be given a larger budget in what could have been such a monumental summer.
With £50M to spend along with what was generated through player sales, we were excited at the prospect of watching two or three top additions strengthen an already solid squad.
Now we are terrified at the prospect of this squad being decimated by departures due to the incompetence of this owner.
39 comments so far
toon22
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:19 AM
Comment #1After all the talk all the lies people are clinging onto some random WhatsApp number
Mixed with the usual bollix and are trying to pass it off as real ?
There won’t be a single player in our current team who isn’t looking to leave
We’re looking at a list of new manager that might as well have been found in the bin
Our owners buggered off on holiday as usual instead of sorting his mess out,cowardly indeed
And it’s as good as taken for granted huge sums of money will simply vanish into the usual place it goes,regardless what some truly and claim
It’s an utter car crash
Captain AmeriMag
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:19 AM
Comment #2Silence from Rafa, good news from Midhat, looking good again
🙂
hibbit
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:20 AM
Comment #3the official last day to renew S/T is the 4th july but they will and have always extended that if sales are slow
at the moment the cancellations must be by folk who are on the 10 year deals
toon22
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:21 AM
Comment #4Until MA is forced from our club or dies we can expect the exact same thing next season
Over and over again
toon22
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:21 AM
Comment #5CAM/Catchy
Hiya KBA
toon22
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:22 AM
Comment #6Hobbit
Would you believe a single word the club said in regards to season tickets ?
Me neither
RobLeenio
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:23 AM
Comment #7Muz, PL regulations state that the application for an owners and directors test has to come from the club, not from a potential buyer or any other third party.
However, you would think that the lawyers would be in close contact with the PL and would be chasing up exactly when the paperwork had been submitted.
I’m sceptical on this for that reason, rather than it couldn’t have happened.
Still think the sale is on, like. Too many things going on which are hard to explain if it’s not. Sometimes we forget to believe the evidence of our own eyes and start to overthink things. I’m disappointed it hasn’t happened sooner, but there’s no guarantee they would have kept Rafa anyway.
Foggy Hall to Timbuktu
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:23 AM
Comment #8Mund
My head is battered aswell mate. I really want this to go through for the obvious reasons but also I also don’t want to give up my season ticket which I will have to do if Ashley stays. Match days are an escape from life for me and I have been a ST holder since I was 10.
I don’t know what us toon fans did in a previous life to deserve all of this!
Foggy Hall to Timbuktu
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:26 AM
Comment #9As expected.
Please see this link conversation with Midhat. He is getting pee’d off.
https://twitter.com/Geordie_Hollie7/status/1143808991434330113
kev1664
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:28 AM
Comment #10Muz,
Paperwork for any new owner or director for the owners and directors test must be submitted by the club
Repost
ToonRich
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:28 AM
Comment #11Mund, from last thread…I’m in Captain AmeriMag’s boat!!! Any glimmer of hope, in any way, shape or form is good news!
We really do need the media to back the fans and start asking real questions of MA and his ownership. We need the FA/PL to take us seriously and have the balls to stand up to him. The league want competition, MA has clearly stated he isnt going to compete therefore he’s breaching the league terms! Thats the bottom line…but they wont do anything!
Captain AmeriMag
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:29 AM
Comment #12I wonder if the Frog’s technique works any better when used for the power of good rather than evil? Let’s see…..
catchy in norway
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:29 AM
Comment #13Simple answer is nooo unless big money is offered
Can anyone explain what Rafas style was or what his plan for recruiting is / was?
As far I can see, he had no plan, he just wanted money and control.
He played the same football at Madrid as he did at Nufc but no one will admit it, people just seem to think that if the fat man opened up the wallet, Rafa could buy better players and we would some how play better football, and again his 3 previous clubs with all the best players in the world and money to spend it didn’t happen, all 3 went backwards.
Him and his team held us back and only he benifited,
jon
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:29 AM
Comment #14We’ve just signed a NDA today………
We can’t tell ANYBODY ANYTHING.
Captain AmeriMag
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:29 AM
Comment #15I wonder which superstar we’ll sign next week?
Captain AmeriMag
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:30 AM
Comment #16We’re not that stupid, we’re hopeful
Captain AmeriMag
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:30 AM
Comment #17Hiya BZG
😉
jon
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:30 AM
Comment #18A company has expressed an interest in buying us.
Aces-of-Eights
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:30 AM
Comment #19Imagine if BZG pullout because NUFC fans have pissed off Midhat and Ashley gives out a statement saying its all NUFC fans fault the sale didn’t go through lol
Mund
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:31 AM
Comment #20Foggy
Mental isn’t it. What have we done to deserve all this crap. I look at it sometimes and think wow why doesn’t everyone on the outside see what’s i see. See what’s happening to this amazing club or what’s happened I should say. To be honest a lot are saying stuff now the likes of Ian Wright who supported Ashley long ago and fell out with the toon fans he blasts Ashley every time he gets a chance now which is good to see finally. Obvious Shearer has been in his ear. Then going back to Ferdinand on BT sport who talked the biggest pile of crap I’ve ever heard and Jake Humphrey’s hammered him. Also to note they had the most complaints ever sent in and had to issue an apology lol and that’s not happened before I remember reading.
jon
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:31 AM
Comment #21Now, back to trying to catch up on the blog.
kev1664
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:31 AM
Comment #22As far as doing things another way I can think of two options.
BZG becomes the backer or part of a consortium for Kenyon’s bid.
BZG buy a share of the club from Ashley with a view to taking full control down the line.
In both cases I’d imagine that an owners and directors test would have to be carried out.
geordietom
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:32 AM
Comment #23rob…
your post above only thing is how long does this TEST take or is it how long is a piece of string . it seem to be taking ages .
hibbit
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:32 AM
Comment #24RobLeenio re the lost application
2 major law firms who will more than likely deal with each on a weekly basis for numerous clients wont allow this to happen even for Mike Ashley
runheed
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:33 AM
Comment #25BZG group..pfft. Fantasy island.
Ashley is just your standard capitalist. He has the cash and we don’t.
As George Bernard Shaw said, stop being…‘a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.’
Walk away…
Aces-of-Eights
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:35 AM
Comment #26Worrying thing is NUFC saying they are looking for new manager. If takeover is on then they should say we will get a caretaker i.e. redfearn to see preseason until sale complete because wouldn’t new owners want their own manager? All this seems like another game by Ash so he wouldn’t have to sign up rafa and give him big funds as this summer I’m sure everyone was expecting a 100mill budget with tv money and that over past 2 seasons being in premier lge.
outside the box
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:36 AM
Comment #27have to think takeover is going thru…imagine trying to disentangle all cashleys tentacles….imagine buying a house but find the garage has been let for next 50year…i hope to see in the future that all profit from “club” shop bars programmes food goes towards nufc pockets and not one of cashleys pockets .
Rotonda heights
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:37 AM
Comment #28Catchy
Thank you giving up your time to become being such a welcome asset to the blog with your invaluable, knowledgeable, well constructed and thought out posts. You are a must read.
Diddly
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:38 AM
Comment #29Foggy it’s embarrassing. They should lay off. Hope he changed his number he will get soldiers of weirdos on. Makems too. Idiots
RobLeenio
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:38 AM
Comment #30catchy, we’ll never know what his plan for recruitment was, stifled as it was by Ashley’s minions. How can we know from the evidence we have right now which players he wanted and was denied, which players who arrived came from him and which came from the club? Sure, some are obvious, others are not.
I think his frustration was evident, which suggests that he didn’t get what he wanted. The fact he had a positive net spend (reported several times in respected papers over the last couple of days) also suggests that there was unfulfilled potential in the transfer budget, which if realised could have taken us to the next level.
I’m not sure you could criticise a racehorse carrying a 10 stone handicap for not winning its race against other horses carrying none. In fact, if it continually avoided finishing in the last three, you’d have to give it massive credit.
Similarly for Rafa.
kev1664
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:38 AM
Comment #31Aces,
They’ve said nowt on a takeover so far, they aren’t gonna change tact and start saying their is a potential takeover so we are only looking for a caretaker.
It’s got to look like its business as usual, and business as usual is to say we’re looking to replace the manager.
If we hire a manager to a long term contract you can (almost) guarantee a takeover is not happening.
geordietom
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:40 AM
Comment #32i cant see BZG and the law firm they are using lending their name to all this…
as we have said the ARABS dont like to lose face they would never live it down . they would be a laughing stock …
RobLeenio
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:43 AM
Comment #33jon, are you saying that a new company has signed an NDA and signalled its intent to buy us? Where did you hear this?
Geordie-john
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:43 AM
Comment #34Ashley has found some way to hide the cash that goes missing from our club. It is also very suspicious that he keeps going to USA. There must be a link .
Why doesn’t someone investigate this twat ?
As much as I love the club we need to stop the profit to get rid of him. There is no other way. How many more times do we have to be wound up and lose out. This so called take over is real just the annual fake over from Fat Lad.
How many Geordies do you know would let someone approach them in the street and let them take this piss as he has without doing anything ? I don’t think I know anyone that wouldn’t retaliate especially concerning football ! So why are they allowing him to do this now ????
kev1664
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:43 AM
Comment #35Outside the box,
When I was buying my house we nearly didn’t get a mortgage on it because the previous owner had a company put up solar panels on the roof. In that contract the previous owners signed a 25 year lease on the roof.
We had to sign to say we took on the lease. What’s worse, if we ever need the roof repaired we have to pay for the panels to be taken down and then re-elected.
I cant imagine what Ashley has the club like.
RobLeenio
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:43 AM
Comment #36hibbit, you’d like to think that these lawyers could get their act together, for sure. Like I say, I’m sceptical over that bit.
Geordie-john
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:44 AM
Comment #37jon
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:30 AM
Comment #18
MORE BOLLOCKS ! just what we need
outside the box
Jun 26, 2019 at 10:51 AM
Comment #38kev1664@35…
a few years back i bought from one of the club shops but it had a sd ticket….i was imagining that shop at ground may have lease to one of mash companies also food and drinks caterers …i dont know but someone posted cashley had several holdings related to st james…if takeover takes place i hope all remnants of cashley are rooted out….
Toonboi4EVA
Jun 26, 2019 at 11:08 AM
Comment #39I tell you what. I’ll read what the frog has to say all day everyday if it meant I didn’t have to read one more post from catchy!!!
It’s blatant disrespect towards Rafa, and everything else it says tells me it’s no toon fan.
It can f**k right off with the fat knacker that’s ruining our club!