In an exclusive Friday night in The Sun, Amanda Staveley spoke about the dire need of upgrading the infrastructure at Newcastle United. She called the training ground ‘really awful’ while The Sun’s correspondent, Oscar Paul, added that many Championship clubs would be embarrassed by it.
Improving the training ground, something former manager Rafa Benitez implored Mike Ashley to do, is an area of utmost concern to the new board. That is something they can plan to address almost immediately though it will take time to complete.
The board can also draw up a list of January targets. Staveley said in her interview the club could soon attract world-class players. However, she tied that into improving the facilities, which will be a longer-term proposition.
For the next transfer window, Newcastle appear to be targeting players on expiring contracts with Premier League experience. Burnley defender James Tarkowski and Manchester United forward Jesse Lingard are two players Newcastle are targeting according to The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards.
Edwards also reported that the new owners feel the squad is lacking in all areas of the pitch. He stated as many as five players could be added in January. That would cause some serious turnover with Newcastle’s squad already full.
While adding to the squad will have to wait until January and improving the training ground will take some time, an immediate change that could be coming is at manager. A few reports have claimed that Steve Bruce will be replaced before our next match against Tottenham in a week on Sunday.
There have been plenty of speculation as to who the next Magpie manager will be. Tucked away in Oscar Paul’s exclusive in The Sun was a blurb about Brighton manager Graham Potter. Paul stated that the 46-year-old is in the frame after impressing with Brighton this season.
The Seagulls are in 6th place in the league having only lost once all season. That was a 2-0 defeat at home to Rafa Benitez’s Everton. They also have won both of their Carabao Cup fixtures.
Potter has done extremely well at Brighton and could be one to watch. He plays a very attractive brand of football and could truly shine with an improved squad.
He has also worked his way up from obscurity having started his managerial career with Östersund, who were in the fourth tier of Swedish football when he was appointed.
It was Newcastle assistant coach Graeme Jones, a former teammate of Potter at Boston United, who recommended him to Östersund’s then-chairman Daniel Kindberg in 2010.
It paid massive dividends as Potter guided them up the leagues to Sweden’s first division, the Allsvenskan, for the first time in their history in 2015. They reached the Europa League in 2017 after winning a domestic cup.
His success in Sweden landed him at Swansea City in 2018 before he replaced Chris Hughton at Brighton a year later. He’s now reportedly being considered as the manager to get Newcastle’s revolution underway.
439 comments so far
The Prince's Mate
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:01 AM
Comment #401wynsleap
Oct 9, 2021 at 6:07 PM
Comment #90
Karren Brady getting her lipstick and knickers in a twist because she’s no longer Top Lady in English football. That’s our Mandy.
Does she wear knickers?
I remember reading about her a couple of years ago…desperate for ‘attention ‘ she text her husband Paul, fancy a quick s##g?
Unfortunately she sent it to her mother instead…..plum
The Ledge
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:03 AM
Comment #402According to the Chronicle, Brucie gave the players Fri, Sat, Sun off no wonder Shelvey loves him you would think we are top of the league.
The Prince's Mate
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:06 AM
Comment #403OP@366
Exactly…he’s OK for the first 12 month then seems to ruffle everyone’s feathers for some stupid reason
magscar
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:07 AM
Comment #404Jail
He’s gone man – lighten up not good for blood pressure 🙂
Seriously just be positive
Yes we are not in the best of states on pitch or infrastructure wise BUT we have competent rich owners who have done due diligence and fully appreciate what they have taken on, really want us and a fan base absolutely 100% behind them
Dont get bogged down on where the journey starts just where it is heading and will end 🙂
TheTinman
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:09 AM
Comment #405Jose has not been loved recently it’s true. He has been a little down in the dumps, but he has constantly been trying to deflect criticism from his poor teams. He has had to adapt a very negative style due to generally poor squads (both Man Utd and Spurs have poor CMs).
At Utd he won the EFL Cup and Europa League and got to an FA Cup final. What have they won since? Nowt at all.
Spurs were massively on the slide when he came in. Ali and Eriksen were stars in the Poch era, but they had gone completely off the boil by the time Jose came in. He had Son and Kane performing as the best pair the Premier League has ever seen and was on his way to winning Spurs first trophy in yonks before he was sacked. He never had a chance to really adjust the squad and do things his way.
I’ve watched all the Spurs documentary series and he is not a miserable character at all. I genuinely believe the negativity in press conferences is a deflection tactic, blame me and not these flaky players. You only need to look at Spurs so far this season to see what a poor and average squad they actually have. Watch them slide into the bottom half after we give them a good pummelling next weekend!!
He’s got Roma off to a cracking start this year after they were only 7th last year. Let’s see how it goes for him there.
I still think the Special One has it. But he needs the love of the fans and the support of the club to bring in who he wants and do it his way. One thing he would do without a doubt is change the culture from what it is now into a winning one.
That being said, he’s wouldn’t be my choice at the moment.
scott
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:10 AM
Comment #406Can we not get £100m for Hendrick from a team in the Saudi super league?
Or would that be cheating? 😉
/%%/
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:11 AM
Comment #407magscar,
The state the squad is in and what needs to be done is a talking point. You can’t ignore the fact that players like Gayle etc are taking up squad places and need to be removed. They will have to be paid to go.
/%%/
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:12 AM
Comment #408The Tinman,
Good points.
Optimistic prime
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:13 AM
Comment #409Saturday social on SSN, talking about players we could sign. Enjoyed it, a good laugh at times!
https://youtu.be/rGocDZTYiLA
The Prince's Mate
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:16 AM
Comment #410We can easily afford to pay half of the squad off which is what we should do….not cheap but a clean start at least?
TheTinman
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:16 AM
Comment #411The only hope for someone like Gayle is they sit him in a room and say look Dwight, you will never play for this team again.
We will let you leave on a free transfer / nominal fee to give you the best chance of finding a club you’re happy with.
He would then likely have to accept a wage cut if he ever wants to play football again. The wage cut might not be that huge. If you give him away for next to nothing then the other team might be willing to slightly over pay him in terms of wages, as seems to be the way with free transfers these days.
Otherwise it’s going to cost us a small fortune to clear the decks!
/%%/
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:18 AM
Comment #412I wonder how much it would have cost Ashley personally to have kept Rafa, it would have definitely prevented Ashley from siphoning off monies if he’d allowed Rafa to pay Lucas Digne type wages to players. How much he siphoned over the last 14 years we’ll never know.
magscar
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:18 AM
Comment #413Jail
I think you should keep your moniker – you haven’ been tale to move on and it remains appropriate 🙂
No one is unaware of the state we are in, whose to bame and the task ahead
It’s just that we have all mostly decided to move on from a former relationship and not argue whose CD’s are whose and who is taking the dog – we’re better than that
TheTinman
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:20 AM
Comment #414Of course we can afford to pay them off no problem, I’m just not quite sure how FFP comes into consideration? I might read up on it a bit since it’s actually relevant to us now 😆
We need massive investment and whatever budget we are allowed, it will be stretched to the maximum. That’s why we still need to be on the look out for good deals. We won’t be able to fill the team with signings we have had to pay over the odds ripping star players away from their clubs.
/%%/
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:20 AM
Comment #415I think that’s the best chance of offloading them, let them leave for free so a championship club can then possibly match their wages.
TheTinman
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:23 AM
Comment #416Yes Jail, we’ll never know and to be honest it’s probably best left forgotten about.
I’m sick to death of hearing of Ashley already. One thing though, if he does take over Derby County it might be another blessing for us.
He might take Bruce, Charnley and whichever other cronies he has all down there. A fair deal could be struck with our owners meaning we wouldn’t have to pay the lot of them compo.
/%%/
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:23 AM
Comment #417magscar,
You can’t dictate to people what they can and can’t talk about. What needs to be done with this current crop of players is very relevant imo and needs full discussion.
the crown princes nashers
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:24 AM
Comment #418we could spend 1 billion and FFP wouldnt be effected really, it depends on our sponsors really and who there going to be, expect adidas to return all the major corporations be at the door with sponsor packages this is what is bothering the 19 clubs really, they are shitting themselves from the dizzy heights of space, there is no ceiling on how much a company can sponsor a club so watch this space ladies and gents 🙂
the crown princes nashers
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:26 AM
Comment #419and also isnt it interesting on how spurs where offered to pif in 2019 whats up levy is it because they turned you down and now youve spat your silver spoon out your arse
TheTinman
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:30 AM
Comment #420Actually sponsorship deals with unfair values can be not included, isn’t that what happened to PSG when they failed? They had a massive sponsorship deal with Qatar tourism or Qatar airlines which wiped their debts out, but UEFA decided the deal wasn’t fair value so PSG failed FFP.
Genjikai
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:30 AM
Comment #421I told you all didnt I that we would get AshleyOut
Genjikai
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:31 AM
Comment #422Newcastle United never defeated.
Optimistic prime
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:31 AM
Comment #423Genj
I was literally thinking of you 10 mins ago!
How’s the bairn bonny lad?
Bills Son Is Back
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:33 AM
Comment #424Jail still harping ion about Gayle and Ashley…
What a surprise.
While practically every other fan is basking in the sunshine and glory of the takeover.
Hal
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:33 AM
Comment #425Hi all, been a year since I posted in here, took me a while to catch up on all that has gone on since I went off to start my nursing degree and of course that pandemic happened which has kept me a bit busy as well at work. Great to see the same old posters as I always loved reading the posts and sometimes replying.
Now it’s finally happened!! What we all knew needed to happen. Now we can look forward to a new beginning. A new era in what is the greatest football club in the world, with the greatest fans in the world!
It may have already been mentioned, but the Saudi weekend (as most on here know) is Friday and Saturday where little graft is done. Hopefully the phones will be ringing today about our managerial problem.
I think and hope it will be Martinez. Belgium are about to play Italy in the 3rd/4th place game today. He has a buyout of around 1.7m from his contract, Jonesy is already at the club and still has strong ties with him. He can get the best from players, his tactics are sound.
Great to be around to enjoy this new era, as I know a few others have I was hospitalised with Covid back in January.. scary time. But upwards and onwards now, can’t wait for the rest of the season and beyond!!
TheTinman
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:33 AM
Comment #426Just done some Googling 😀
“From Article 58.4: “relevant income and expenses from related parties (i.e. anyone involved in the ownership group) must be adjusted to reflect the fair value of any such transactions.”
This means that if an owner overpays for sponsorships, tickets, etc., the value of the transaction will be adjusted down to “fair market value” when UEFA starts reviewing the financials of each club. Of course, “fair market value” isn’t easy to define, and it will be left to the CFCB to decide on figures for every related party transaction.
Manchester City’s 10-year, £400 million naming rights deal with Etihad could very well be considered to be fair market value. PSG, however, entered into a sponsorship deal in January 2013 with the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) for an estimated €200 million per year (£165 million or $277 million). PSG is owned by the Qatar Investment Authority (QTI), which in turn, owns the QTA. Not only is the sponsorship deal several times what can reasonably be considered fair value, PSG actually tried to backdate the sponsorship agreement on the previous year’s books. For details, see these excellent articles by Ed Thompson and Daniel Geey.
In other words, teams trying to avoid FFP by essentially sponsoring themselves are probably going to find themselves in trouble.”
Genjikai
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:34 AM
Comment #427She is absolutely amazing in every single way.
How are you OP?
Optimistic prime
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:34 AM
Comment #428You all need to watch this!
https://youtu.be/0AEj3LA2vSo
TheTinman
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:35 AM
Comment #429Eh, why can’t we talk about the current squad of players we have?
Optimistic prime
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:35 AM
Comment #430Genj
Really good mate.
Going to stroll past SJP in a bit and enjoy the morning.
Optimistic prime
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:36 AM
Comment #431Genj
That’s great to hear.
Wondered when we’d hear from you.
Swlabr
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:36 AM
Comment #432In our current state of well being, perhaps we should spare a moment of quiet contemplation that those poor Derby County fans are spared the biblical plague that is M.A.. We know he would possibly inject some cash, but nobody deserves the inevitable sh!tstorm that goes with it.
catchy in norway
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:37 AM
Comment #433this guy should be the first man through the door
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uNMyaB0DPI
the crown princes nashers
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:38 AM
Comment #434ahh cheers for that tinman
TheTinman
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:40 AM
Comment #435Mike Ashley would be good for Derby and any club in those lower levels who are struggling financially. The level of investment is not as great so I do think he would spend a little, targeting stability or perhaps even promotion.
The HUMONGOUS caveat is that he has to leave at the right time. 2-5 years after buying. Leave the club with the books balanced and sell on for a profit for himself.
He does not belong at any club which needs investment to move forwards so at the point where the finances are black, or at least much better, he has to leave.
Swlabr
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:43 AM
Comment #436Tinman, you put that better than me.
magscar
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:48 AM
Comment #437Jail
Have at it I’ve never been a censor like some just want a postive approach to our situation
We are well aware of the issues and I made reference to it some days ago from a non-Ashley perspective
Look at OP’s clip from earler – that is how you are supposed to be feeling now 🙂
i can see you’re floundering around looking for a new sense of purpose and identity now your nemseis and raison d’etre has gone
A rebel without a cause – It will take time I guess
There are few if any on here not suffering from the trauma of last 14 years and I have no intention of forgiving Ashley and have no wish to erase him from our history but don’t want to blight our way forward with unecessary references to it when all on a high
Even Toon22 has moved on and making contributions looking forward
I’m not going to dwell on why we are here but am only too well aware of where that is i just hope Amanda and Co aren’t thrashing around saying God look where that Mike has left us O woe is us
lesh
Oct 10, 2021 at 10:50 AM
Comment #438Scythe For Bruce
Billiamnot or whatever, posted what appears to be well crafted dig at Woke – albeit in the context of foitball.
Tyran21
Oct 10, 2021 at 12:22 PM
Comment #439Hey Genjikai, thanks for your protesting efforts. Shame me as a Newcastle keyboard warrior.