Don't let Newcastle United rot
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley may well be ready to sell his club and he still has every right to name his price - but more worryingly for Toon fans the worst case scenario for the Magpies could be playing Championship football this time next year.
Ashley said on Sunday: "If I can't sell the club to someone who will give the fans what they want then I shall continue to ensure that Newcastle is run on a business and football model that is sustainable. I care too much about the club merely to abandon it."
Therefore leaving the club without a manager while unsuccessful attempts to sell in the Middle East are in danger of causing extensive damage to the club in the long term, Leeds United's current status could well be the future for Toon fans unless action is taken quickly.
Speaking of Leeds, David O'Leary was linked with the job today at Newcastle to help out in crisis.
Have fans not had a hard enough time of it already?
To go from Kevin Keegan to David O'Leary in less than a month is just more salt into very open wounds.
Even Alan Curbishley would have fans climbing the walls with anxiety.
If Ashley stays in charge and if the new manager/continental super coach has to work with the Dennis Wise and Tony Jimenez, then surely that scenario is better than somebody just helping the club go through the motions.
Writing off the season before we are out of September on a night when the Champions League is in full swing (anyone remember Barca, Kiev or Feyenoord?) is bad enough but working out just how we are going to get to 40 points without and manager when the squad's confidence is at rock bottom is beyond belief.
Especially when in the car journey to Arsenal a couple of weeks ago, I recall chatting to Bob Moncur about just what a decent start it was to the campaign and the game against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup was a great chance to help relieve the captain of his unwanted tag of being the last skipper to lift a trophy.
And especially when you consider that in the calendar year of 2008 Newcastle United are the rock bottom club in the Premier League behind struggling Spurs.
So if Mr Ashley does care, surely the best possible appointment has to be made now because at the end of the day the club will be a lot easier to sell if it is in reasonable shape and stil challenging for honours.
Not that challenging for honours seems realistic right now.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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Lee Ryder - Proudly born and bred on Tyneside, the Chronicle's chief sports writer has followed the fortunes of the club over the last three decades as a Toon fan and football writer.
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No wonder Milner left at the first chance. We are going down without doubt. The worst tem we have had in years! King Kev was right
Hi Lee. Another stupid pursuit by Ashley and Llambias-do they not realize Curbishley walked for the same reasons as Kev-also Please Please -not O"Leary-what is wrong with these guys -they dont seem to have an inkling with whats wrong with our club- I note both the candidates are supposed to be buddies of Llambias and Ashley -as is Wise -comes to something when this becomes the criteria for getting a job-well it seems it has to be at Newcastle-What a load of rot -we are a sinking ship -the tables dont lie -and still Ashley refuses to swallow his pride. The only manager the toon want is King Kev back and Ashley had better make that happen and quick-he will get his eyes opened when he sees the gate against Spurs -perhaps he will realize we are now losing all faith in him making any sensinle decision that is going to help improve the position of the toon. For gods sake Ashley wake up.
Spot on Lee, but this scenario could be the perfect opportunity for a spoilt brat to stick it back where it hurts because we dared to oppose a double billionaire. In fact, this scenario might well be what he was hoping for all along if my suspicions about him months ago were correct. I know the southern knockers ( good name for them )have reported '' outlandish conspiracy theories from some blogsters up here about his intentions '', but if, say he were one of those people like Hull's manager who claimed to have had a ' kicking ' from geordies years ago and still held a grudge, then what a great way to ' have fun ' and kick the lot of us back where it hurts more than physically. Any supporter of my age group ( 57 ) will remember the bad old days of soccer violence that occured after virtually every match home and especially away. NUFC's supporters were viewed as Viking marauders and feared by most of London's clubs, especially Spurs. Yeah I know, an outlandish conspiracy theory and I do have a creative mind, but I've actually encountered such people with long grudges in my work as a brickie in London. Ashley is in a perfect position to destroy our club big time, like Leeds United, by asking silly money, not buying in January and dragging this out until we're relegated. Oh the power of wealth!, and power's what wealth is. It does all look very suspicious when a man as rich as him buys potentially the biggest sleeping giant in Europe, and systematically dismantles the obvious basis of any successful club i.e. the fans' faith and cash support. I fear for the future of the toon as long as he holds the ownership papers because he was never in any danger of at least getting all of his outlay back, and more. He can now operate from London with his cronies, with complete impunity to anymore demonstrations and remonstration, just like when he swanned off to New York to party and left the Keegan farce to explode. Him and his non-football business cronies will still gather in that backroom of the bar in Chelsea for a good drink and a larf at the fa**in geordie ca**s.
It is important for the the first team to be effectively managed until Mr Ashley sells his financial interest in the club. Any contract should be restricted until the sale is completed and this should enable players and those atending matches to concentrate their attention of the game in hand. Would Mr Keegan or Mr Shearer be interest on such a basis condition or the club being put up for sale at a realistic price independently valued?
I do not believe anything which Mr Ashley or the present club manmageemtn and administration say regarding the sale or the position of the clun unless it is independently verified.
I do not believe he is seious about selling his interest given the reported sum he has asked for or his report snub of the arranged meeting.
At least his allegation of being warned about his personal safeey and that of his family has been exploded by Northumbria Police confirming that they issued no advice on the subject and also complementing the fans for their behaviour which was loud because of the tunnel effect outside the main entrance. I witnessed the fans responding immediately and with good humour when asked to keep a passage way clear so that those attending the match with Hull could get to their seats.
Congratulations to the reported comments of the Chairman of Wigan Athletic.
I believe there could be a case for Mr Ashley to be charged by the FA with bringing the game into disrepute and to be declared not a fit person to own a football club,
There is also a case for insisting on an independent financial evaluation of the club's income and debts and for a close look at the financial management of the club by the financial authorities during the tenure of Mr Ashley.
I also suggest that the House of Commons should set up an enquiry into the private ownership of Premier Division Football Clubs and whether the rules should be changed to ensure that they are owned either by public companies, or by companies perhaps registered as charities and enabling the more active involvement of subscribing Members who would annually elect the governing President taking into account the team performance and the financial management during the previous season,
Meanwhile supporters with the future best intersts of the club at heart should continue to exert pressure, including organised protests until the situation is resolved but do so informing the appropriate authorities of their intentions and following any guidance issued. The most peaceful the protest the more effective it will be and eevntually ti will command the respect of other football fans and those interested in the future of premiership football responmsive to the interests and welfare of those who pay to watch it. The holding of placard and the wearing of T shirts is one good example which will ensure the media give due attention and are not hoodwinked by propoganda from Mr Ashley and the club, issued directly and indirectly.
One thing I just don't get: why has no journo asked Ashley, Llambias or anyone near to them the obvious question, i.e. if they are so keen on the Arsenal model, why don't they follow it properly and give KK the control he's asked for? That all part of the Arsenal model just as much as the financial side, and it still seems the obvious fix even now.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but I suspect Ashley would be forgiven even now if he pulled off that particular u-turn.
If you can chat to Bobby Moncur, surely you can be the one to answer this one key question for us all? Please??
Ryder's reply: Your first problem is that Mike Ashley doesn't take questions from journalists and we are still waiting for a chane to quiz Derek Llambias.
But I agree that it would calm ill feeling if he could pull it off and bring KK back, last Friday night though may have been the point of no return
Lee, stop stop stop and get real.
No-one of any real substance is going to want to manage this club given that their tenure is limited by ownership uncertainty, and there are, at the very least, questions over what exactly the managerial role encompasses.
You identify and correctly state a real concern of the fans. We could be in a relegation battle by Christmas. And we all know how inexperienced clubs fare in the dog-fight for survival.
But stop barracking anyone who is mentioned and start giving viable options. Should be an interesting list. I'm all ears.
Who would you have? Sam Allardyce?
Ryder's reply: I would have Kevin Keegan, he's out of work so it must be a viable option.
"Not that challenging for honours seems realistic right now."
With all due respect Lee, I don't think your quite on the right page. Our club is (or has?) disintegrating (-ed?). Has the extent of protest and feeling ever been bigger and more bitter than it is now? Pre and post Hull City atmosphere ain't going away in a hurry and for flippin' good reason.
Lee this isn't just another plot twist in the sad (and from the outside utterly laughable) mess of NUFC, this is disaster mode.
We really needed 3 points from Hull (Hull man!!). Unfortunately, I agree with Oliver and a rapidly increasing number of supporters - this really could be the year NUFC suffer a Leeds fate. So yea any possibility O'Leary can rather politely buzz off.
Perhaps fanciful but just a thought - has Frank Rijkaard mentioned/even considered yet? I'd have KK back in a dash but that is looking near impossible.
We've got to get past this 'must be a Geordie manager/owner' nonsense. KK isn't a Geordie, Joe Harvey wasn't, and Freddie Shepherd is. Ashley needs to go because he has been found out - he has invested ZERO into building the club, which KK decided needed to be brought to the public's attention. Ashley's motive all along was to sell on for a profit, so lets hope he just gets it sold quickly. His appointments (Wise, Jiminez and worst of all Llambias - who?) show that he was running the club at minimum cost, and he thought bringing KK in would provide the PR front to get away with it. Thankfully KK still has some principles. The reason KK did such a great job last time is that he was prepared to stand up to the Halls, and you can only do that if the owner knows you are prepared to walk away. I don't think KK will come back, but he has done us all a great service by refusing to sit back and watch Ashley deceive the fans.
Reading todays press about Ashley's exploits in the middle east (drinking alcohol in public during Ramadhan, not turning up for meetings with buyers etc.) it makes you wonder how bad this will get before it gets better. The greedy ashley with his grubby mitts is demanding double what he paid for the club, he is an absolute disgrace and any sympathy I had for this guy as evaporated, even now he is taking us for a ride and treating the club and the fans with complete contempt.
My fear is that this club may go down and will take years before we fully recover, I think the Halls have a lot to answer for, if they loved the club they should have done a bit background on who they were selling to.
i am as sicked by this whole episoe as every other newcastle supporter but one question,where is Kevin Keegan?