Toon debris will take a major clean up after black September
ST JAMES'S PARK is still standing and in the next week we are actually in danger of watching a football match.
But with anger still polluting the air above the hallowed turf even three points against Hull City and a good win over the Premier League newcomers will do little to ease the tension around Gallowgate in what has been so far a black, black September.
In the cold light of Monday morning, it's dawning that Kevin Keegan is gone for good barring an incredible turnaround of events.
The noises coming from Barrack Road are that Mike Ashley will attempt to weather the mother and father of all storms and hope results go the way of his team.
Entrusted with first team affairs for the week are caretaker boss Chris Hughton and Academy duo Alan Thompson and Richard Money.
It's actually hard to take on board that as recently ago as August 8, it was looking fine and dandy in the black and white garden with Mike Ashley trumpeting his plans for the future and Kevin Keegan claiming that team spirit had never been so high.
Yet on September 8, gone are the popular figures of Adam Sadler and Terry Mac on another sad day and the Toon squad are thought to be in a state of confusion and disarray.
It has to be said that the lad from Seghill will be a big miss at SJP having worked his way up from the Academy from goalkeeper coach to second string boss.
Despite his tender years in coaching, Sads had the respect of his young players and that resulted in a Northumberland Senior Cup final victory in May.
And on top of that, in recent times kind words from managerial big gun Louis van Gaal underlined he was one of the most promising coaches in the game .
Sadler will undoubtedly be back in football sooner rather than later.
Terry Mac knows St James's Park inside out too, although his role has often come under fire at the club.
But the Scouser has always used the phrases "we" or "us" when it comes to Newcastle.
Life will go on as it always does in football and today the news filtering through from St James's Park is that Mr Ashley will stick to the management structure put in place with new coach set to work with (or beneath?) Dennis Wise and his colleagues Tony Jimenez and Jeff Vetere.
Debris in the game can usually be cleaned up by winning football matches.
And if Freddy Shepherd and Douglas Hall can recover from calling local women "dogs" and branding Toon fans stupid for buying their team's kit, does that mean that an owner of a club can recover from having a row and then losing his manager in a fall out over the coaching structure?
A trip to any bookies to study the list of runners and riders for the job don't fill the heart with a warm feeling either.
Indeed, Shearer or Keegan aside, some of the names will recieve a luke warm welcome at best.
Tempers though are still clearly frayed on Tyneside from top to bottom.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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Lee Ryder - Proudly born and bred on Tyneside, has followed the fortunes of the club over the last three decades as a Toon fan and football writer.
Things go from bad to worse at sjp. Ashley and co set off down the road of us and them, siege mentality. Everything they say and do seem to give the impression that they want to provoke a riot at saturdays game. I would not be at all surprised if we have a new manager by then that Wise will walk out with him to the team bench as new assistant manager just to show us who's boss.
While the shock of keegans exit and the smear campaign against him by the club rages on , i think people are missing a trick .
even before keegan left there were 5 thousand empty seats at saint james' park .
many toon fan like myself were waiting on mike ashley to back up his claims of ambition in the tranfer market , there had been signs since the day he arrived that the investment he was prepared to put into the club was minimal , and while the good old 'club insider' attempted to blacken kevins name , he always mentioned 'residual' value for players whos tranfer fee's were in the couple of million pound bracket .
without the accounts to look over you have to use previous years books to give a rough idea of nufc's finances .
looking at them its clear mike ashley intended on taking more out of the club than he ever did investing in it .
instead we seem tobe looking for players who with premiership exposure , values would rise , and even going down the webster ruling route .
all the while reducing outgoings with salarys and whatever other cost cutting mike has done , aswell as increasing income with raises on season tickets .
you wouldnt be blamed for thinking we were being set up as a feeder club .
with a net spend of less than 2 million this summer , its fair to say that mike ashley stands to make the biggest profit from all premier league clubs this season , hardly a sign of ambition .
This system will NEVER work!!
If any manager comes in, he will be a ‘yes man’ in every sense of the word. If he doesn’t like a player, he will be out, if he wants this player, unless he’s approved by the deadly quartet of Wise, Llambias, Jimanez and Vetere and ultimately Ashley, he won’t be signed.
This is only the tip of the iceberg, Owen won’t stick around long, Barton will be on his tod, I doubt if Top Pro’s such as Given, Harper, Taylor, Butt, etc, will want to be around a stinking club either.
If a player has a good six months till January (say Martins for example) You can bet your life he will be sold, if the fee’s half way decent. I dare say if Spiderman has a good first half, he will be off. Coloccini likewise. EVERY player can have grave concerns for his future, except for Alan Smith of course as we all know he’s Ashley’s blue eyed boy.
I’d just like to bring fans to Wikipedea’s recording of Mike Ashley the business man as the parallels are stark and frighteningly real.
(On Sports Direct‘s marketing style) “The chain will often use a Closing Down sales tactic, and re-open in another location soon afterwards using another one of its brands�
So expect Newcastle United to fold and open up in London under the name ‘Lillywhites United’ after all the club is already ran from the capital.
“Customers are also drawn into the store by almost margin-less promotions on perceived high-value brands� Doesn’t that remind you a bit like fans season tickets with the promise of that ‘Wow’ signing, then not materialising?
Worryingly it goes on- stating that Ashley made “£10m from selling the intellectual-property rights to the Slazenger Golf brand to arch-rival JJB in 2005�
So are we to expect that St James’ Park will be sold to Sunderland for a decent bid?
There are also reports of “complaints about poor investor relations management� Well 52,000 people and Kevin Keegan would testify to that wouldn’t they?
Finally- it quotes “concerns (of) the group's close-to-the-wind sales practices�
Could this be a direct parallel to sticking a whole football team up for sale on transfer deadline day maybe?
Either way the more I read and hear, the more I don’t trust this man.
Paul
Shall we just get on with it now. Keegan's gone, and every player W*se has brought in has been as good or better than what we had previously! Personally Fatih Terim tops my list of candidates.. But i think Ashley will have already decided on someone along time ago.
P.s. I will still be boycotting all products until the whole mess is sorted out! Except a ticket for the Hull match.. Lets get behind the lads and remind them why they wanna play at such a soap opera'esque club.. For US!
some people say they have supported newcastle all their lives -i have my uncle was on newcastles books so i stood there with my father all my life,im 42 now and i`v had enough no more,my father hasn`t been back since they sold waddle and i know exactly what he was talking about all those years ago-a total lack of respect and loyalty.newcastle fans tout themselfs as football men who know what they are talking about,however it has became apparent this is not always the case,some PRATTS talk about kevin throwing his teddy but its quite obvious that they cant see the whole picture,on the last day of the season our WHOLE team was up for sale.as a season ticket holder what in Gods earth was i going to be watching against hull,what am i paying for????a young lad released from that football powerhouse SOUTHAMPTON??? on the bench against arsenal,is that it,a totaly pathetic squad??this is the future? do i get a reduction in my season ticket bill? this is not what it said in the brouchure.wise was hated as a player as a manager at leeds and hated now,his credentials????NONE absalutley nowt at all.i will cancell my direct debit for the next 3 years come what may cos i`v had enough,they can shove it,ill be there against hull but will not put another penny into the pockets of low life thiefs.go to america and stay there astley,this just showsyou cant buy class no matter how much money you have.
I think if we stick our heads in the sand as we did when the London press was full of rumours about the problems between Ashley/Wise and Keegan or stuff about Dougie Hall and Fat Fred rubbishing the people who pay to see their team, we'll get the owner/management team and the ridicule we deserve.
I think that unless we have a concerted campaign to rid the club of these mercenary owners we are mugs.
I can understand why people don't want to boycott the Hull game but turning up just makes us look like Mugs. By not turning up we are in effect withdrawing the only thing they need from us, our support. Similarly workers last resort is withdrawing their labour, we need to withdraw our support.
Again and again we are made to look like fools for our loyalty. I think it is more loyal to boycott the club for the long term good than it is to blindly go on supporting them. We need to ensure that this time is different and we change the structure of the club so the fans get some kind of representation to ensure things like this don't come to a head before being sorted out.
Its our club and we need a proper stake in it to keep it in the right direction
I think the damage is done now to be honest, there isnt really anything Ashley can do to repair the relationship with the supporters. The latest club statement is a disgrace and an insult to KK, IT IS A FACT, IT IS A FACT, IT IS A FACT. Who the hell wrote that rubbish. And advertising hull tickets on the radio and website as though nothing has happened over the last week is a slap in the face to us supporters. I really fear for the future of the club, its pretty clear we wont be spending money on big name/quality players under Mr Ashley, which is a dissapointment. I respect Ashleys view that he wants to build the club up the way Arsenal have by investing in youth, and that he likes the Arsenal model. Well hes missed one thing, does Wenger have to answer to a director of football or does he make the decisions?? Obvious asnwer.
All in all lets just hope Ashley sells up in the near future and we can get this great club back on track.
"on the last day of the season our WHOLE team was up for sale".
Is this actually true? Lee? Anyone out there?
Over the last week,I must have read thousands of comments on all the forums ( by god we have some strange supporters) and at last I'm annoyed enough to write in to question why not one person has put up a valid argument why we should 'support the team' by not boycotting the Hull game,the West Ham game and so on, en masse.
'The lads can't play without us','we can't desert the team' etc etc . Absolute poppycock. The only way this club will take a blind bit of notice of us is if there were no NUFC supporters in that ground on Saturday. Can someone tell me why that makes me a bad supporter if I take the ultimate sanction and don't darken their door until they take my views seriously?. This lily-livered approach of attending the game and shouting a bit at a vacant seat will not sway anyone in power and I doubt the little cherubs will perform any worse than when we are there whingeing under baited breath about Geremi's general passing, or Duff's shooting/crossing, or Ameobi's blacksmith-like touch. In fact, half of them will probably play better without us.
You have to make the choice of going to the Hull match,maybe getting 3 points and more or less accepting that things will never change(because that'e the way the media will interpret it),or you stay away (watch the game in one of the pubs) and show the owner enough is enough and that the actions of his unwisely appointed employees will never,ever again make us the laughing stock of the country's football fans and anti-NUFC media (don't get me started on the southern press and Sky people).
Alan Patterson I agree with everything you say. I should have walked away when the family silver was sold in the 1980's (Waddler, Pedro and Gazza). I will probably go on Saturday (unless there is an organised boycott). However, it will be my longer term actions that will have a greater effect on Mike Ashley - not renewing my season ticket next year, refusing to spend another penny on club products etc. I won't be the only one...
Have to agree with Mikey. Boycott! Make the whole nation see exactly how we feel about our club, otherwise we'll never be taken seriously again. One game - that's all and I'm sure this will force Ashley's hand, especially when accompanied by a boycott of all club products.
Hit him hard. The players aren't daft and they know we'll support through and through, but we must stand up, show solidaridity and do all we can send Ashley back down South where he belongs.
Our ancestors must be turning in their graves.
Good luck Terry Mac!
speaking of Gazza...I loved the guy, and remember that Asprilla...he was amazing....
Get real. NUFC, like Leeds, were on the verge of financial melt-down for years. Ashley invested millions in the club with long-term stability his aim. He took brave, if ultimately unpopular, decisions. Recruiting KK was arguably his worst decision. I really hope he does ride out the storm.
There are not enough benevolent billionaires in the world to keep the Premier League happy with multi-million pound imports. When they depart, what will happen to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City? The players may not have been KK's signings but Coloccini, Gutierrez and Guthrie look a lot better than many of our previous 'manager-only' efforts. If Wise and Jimenez produce the goods then we should support them. Management must be a team effort. Do you think Ferguson, Wenger et al. do it all themselves? Instead of whingeing like petulant children, get behind the Toon, its the only one we've got.
KK is gone and I for one would not look backwards. It all ended as everyone knew it would. Talk of boycotts is ridiculous. Will we cheer to see the lads relegated? Let's move on, get behind the lads and build a team to be proud of.
The Fanzines are misguided and wrong - we should boycott SJP until Ashley has gone - the more who do, the quicker he will go. Starve him of the income we give him and he'll cut and run. On the other hand, if he gets 55,000 paying to boo at him every other week - what do you think he and his London based sidekicks will think? Geordie MUGS! - most likely. BOYCOTT SJP.
Yes - we are all that sad!!!
Somebody has said that Keegan will leaving have a negative impact on the whole of Newcastle. Strange - the female members of my family seem completely oblivious to events. Have a look at the Soccer Circus website to understand the KK mindset. He has invested heavily in a concept that was never going to work. However, he does better than being treated like dirt by the Cockney Spivs now in charge of the Toon.
Mikey / Ian - I agree with you wholeheartedly. Whilst this situation should not be an opportunity to argue amongst each other, and we should all stick together for the greater good, i just do not see any logic at all in religously attending the matches in order to blindly support the team. Lets face it - they all get an average salary of more than £40k per week so I'm sure they can muster up enough enthusiasm to play a football match for 90 minutes. And lets not forget - they also know why we will not be there - and also know that it is not because of their actions. The fraud that is Mike Ashley has bought OUR club for this very reason - because he KNOWS that we will attend no matter what. Well here we have an opportunity to show him we are no fools.
I for one will NEVER return until he and his band of cockney fools have long gone, and I sincerely hope there are many thousands with the same views.
Another thought - perhaps the players will actually appreciate these actions as we are their voice also - under their contracts they cannot be seen to step out of line. They will not be happy under this regime, (who would be under Dennis Wise) and it may well be that we will be supporting them more by staying away and forcing change.
Can't help but agree with the growing number who are saying that only a boycott of the Hull game will be sending the message which can't be misinterpreted or ignored to Ashley and the media. A deserted stadium for the tv cameras would be a powerful weapon. Ashley, Wise and cronies are better suited to manning a barrow down the Portobello Road than running(?) a football club.
After years of doing the right thing and supporting the team even though the upper management didn't seem to be able to organise party at a brewery I personally have had enough.
If the board won't listen to the people that pay their vastly over-inflated salaries then let them listen to silence.
A boycott of the game against Hull would be a last resort. We've reached that last resort and gone beyond it.
The likes of Mike Ashley only understand one thing. If he's like;ly to lose money on a regular basis he may see sense.
Talk with your feet lads! Stay away.
If I had spent £200m on a toy, i would want it to work the way i wanted it too. If i was an experienced and talented football club manager risking my reputation on the performance of my squad, i would want to choose the players in that squad. I can't find anything wrong with these two viewpoints.
On the other hand, you have Dennis Wise This is where the problem lies.
I'm sad to say we won't get KK back,not now, but we should concentrate our efforts on something achievable, get Mike Ashley to sack Wise and put the manager back in charge of player transfers. This is the only way to attract a top manager.
Ashley is a businessman and understands one thing - money. To hurt Ashley, you have to hit him in the pocket. Boycott his shops, don't buy club merchandise, and if you choose to go to the game (I won't be and neither will the bairns!) don't buy food or drink in SJP. And I won't just be boycotting for one game, it will be every single game, win, lose or draw, until Ashley sells up and ships out of Toon.
Some will boycott, others will not, and the impact will be lost.
Newcastle City Council hit the nail on the head when it identified the club as being an integral part of the city's heartbeat.
I'd like to see a massed rally on Saturday, followed by a march to the ground. I'd like to see the press coverage for 50K+ supporters, walking through the streets showing their displeasure with honour and dignity. I'd like to see the press coverage for that, it would be awesome!
And then as a collective, going to SJP, supporting the team, and calling for Ashley to get out.
And then do it for the next home match...
Its not even about Keegan anymore but questioning the judgement of the management and our faith in them which is zero.
Unfortunately I can see the team relegated this season, Ashley leaving and the fans left to pick up the pieces. The words Leeds springs to mind.
Everyone is saying not to boycott the Hull game, so why dont people show how they feel by entering the stadium late or a the kick off time, this will keep the stadium empty for 10 minutes and show ashley how we feel. for those that want to get there early go to the bar before kick off. Imagine the images on bbc. on 15 minute everyone should start chanting walking in a keegan wonderland, followed by the rendition of get wise out. this will show the team support and keegan but also so Ashley that the fans have the biggest voice in the way a football club is run.
This structure that Ashley has in place is not designed to manage a football team.
Its a very simple structure designed to manage profits from trading football commodities i.e. players, nothing else.
Why would you buy players that the manager did not need or want if this was not the reality?
Just a thought...when Shepherd 'knew' of his impending loss of the club, he installed a useless manager in Allardyce, knowing full well that he couldn't satisfy the expectations of toon-fans in football style and quality. Kinda like handing over his keys on the way out, and leaving a slow ticking bomb in his desk for Ashley and the fans. Don't expect any less from Ashley. If he feels forced to sell-up by the peasants after financially stabilising their clubs' debts, then I will brace myself for some ricochet.
I think they should give the managers job to Coco the Clown we are just a bloody circus. I grew up in Walker until moving to Cramlington in 1970 then down to Sandhurst in Berkshire in 1981. Been a Toon nut since 1955 but now I am truly sick of the whole thing. Mr Ashely say the Toon is a business well for his information it's NOT a business it's the life blood of the whole city & for those of us who have moved away it is the link back to our home. Please Mr Ashley do the decent thing sell the club & you and your cronies never come back to the toon
The thing that concerns me is that Ashley thinks he is runing a business with 50 people. This is a football club which belongs to the people. I am not from Newcastle nor am I a geordies; but anyone with sense will feel sad for the Geordie nation. This guy, Ashley, has hurt them so much.
My view is all Newcastle United fans, the whole city of Newcastle should stand up and let Ashley know their feeling. A while ago I said Newcastle will miss Freddy Shepherd one day; but I was told off. I don't think ashley is better though. by the way this link bellow talks about other issues Ashley is having with one of his firms.
www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/serious-concerns-over-newcastle-bosss-firm-924086.html
i am furious nufc and are trying to weather the storm and ride this out, i am sorry but this wont wash with me, i have my plans ready for saturday and i just hope all other true Geordie's do the same, you can clearly see the fans falling for this one yet again, never mind people telling you what to do, fanzines etc, don't listen and just stay outside the ground at3pm and make a protest, go in and Ashley and co will be laughing there socks of, action is needed to end these cockney gangsters, nufc forever,
Thoughts on the possibility of Zico? I think it's time for the Toon Army to look ahead.
Now now then. Be good little lads and show your loyalty to the team. Tail between the legs, Spineless, are terms that spring to mind. Freddie & Douglas got away with slagging the region off and made megabucks so why not Ashley. He's far too clever, and at least one step ahead of our disorganised supporters who have no leader. If there is a 40K+ attendance I can just see the headlines from the red top rags, "Ashley comes up trumps" The only way there will be some kind of action at SJP is if Hull manage to beat the Toon. I admire all those who have decided not to attend the Hull game and also the Spurs game. At least THEY are taking a stance against Ashley.
Probably a total clear out of the top people on the playing and management side plus relegation are exactly what Toon need. The alternative is undoubtedly Leeds style melt-down. Ashley certainly has no smarts for football and probably is strapped for cash on the business side. He undoubtedly has to sell off what can be salvaged to raise cash. He needs relegation to cut wages and to make the club viable for sale because nobody will buy it as it is now. After sale and relegation Shearer will rebuild a club capable of competing in the Premier League by about 2020 (yes get used to red and white supremacy for a good long time).
The ideas that there is anybody out there waiting to buy the club or any good manager wanting the job is foolish dreaming.
Sadly toon fans have played a part in the game of delusions.
"so why dont people show how they feel by entering the stadium late or a the kick off time, this will keep the stadium empty for 10 minutes and show ashley how we feel."
That's really hitting them where it hurts!Half the fans don't get into their seats until after 10 minutes anyway!
Mike: Get real pal. You think Ashley parted with 130 Million for a 'long term' strategy? My money and the little that I have, is on a quick buy out and an easy few quid for the fat cockney masquarading as a foot ball supporter.
A march through the toon with 50,000+, late entry after kick off and 120 mins of how we feel would be marvellous and a fine northern tradition. Keep that up alonside boycotting his merchandise and he and the country may finally understand what this club means to us. Anyhting has to be better than nothing and may force a sale sooner rather than later.
I for one hope KK not only comes back, but does so by taking a stake in a club he cares for as much as us. Any gripes on that, see my posting on the other article.
Nothings been this bad since we managed to force McKeag to bale. We've done it before so lets do it again. This is OUR club.
A thought on Arthur Cox,he left very quietly
& quickly,did he resign or was he pushed.
IF he resigned was it because he saw all of
this coming,If however he was pushed,WHY?.
Surely Arthur would of made a better director
of football than wise,as he & kk know &trust eeach other
ROB.
I really am struggline with all of this. Ashley made his alledged billion £'s in retail where the law of the trade is "the customer is king" and "give your customers what they want". Why on earth is he therefore running NUFC the way he is? In any other business what he has done in the last week, includung the pathetic "fact, fact, fact" statement the club recently released, would be commercial suicide, Gerald Ratner anybody? However, I think it demonstrates exactly what Ashley thinks of the paying customers who are the supporters of NUFC: mindless morons who will accept anything through a blind and blinkered love of the club and the badge.
I'm afraid it is time to stand up and be counted, Mike Ashley and the odious little men he has placed in power at NUFC must be shown exactly what the paying customer thinks and that does, I'm afraid, mean a boycott of ALL things NUFC: tickets and all associated merchandise, anything that lends our support morally and financially.
It's not about who is going to be the next manager/coach/puppet of the club, it's about how the club is being run and how the regards of the paying customer, us, are ignored and abused.
If Keegan hadn't been getting the club to perform we all know he would of resigned, he wouldn't need to be sacked. This clap trap of him being a "quitter" is rubbish: the man has integrity and therefore doesn't expect to be paid off for failure thus adding insult to injury to the football club, and the supporters, he does the honourable thing and resigns. How many modern day managers have we witnessed declare their "love" and "passion" for the team they manage an dits supporters only to fail, and sometimes miserably, then hang on to be sacked thus earning themselves millions of £'s whilst the supporters suffer through failure/relegation and lack of funds to rebuild the team? Look at Peter Reid: he said he was red n white through and through, only to hang on when everyone else knew he should go so he could receive an obscene payout for failure, Sven with England is another obscene example.
Does NUFC really expect us to beleive that Keegan accepted the job on the basis he would have no say in any transfer dealings, the club would buy and sell whoever they wanted without his agreement AND would have to report into Denis Wise of all people???? No, doesn't sound right does it, Kevin Keegan being told how to do his job by Denis Wise.
In closing, we wouldn't accept these lies from our friends, family and loved ones and we wouldn't accept this sort of treatment off any other company we buy products and services from, so why on earth are we, yet again, going to accept what NUFC is dishing out to us? A poor team trying 100% with everyone pulling in the same direction, yes, but this NO, NO, NO!
Paul Ince in frame for toon job now, just how many best mates has Wise got, cant give them all a job can he?
"However, I think it demonstrates exactly what Ashley thinks of the paying customers who are the supporters of NUFC: mindless morons who will accept anything through a blind and blinkered love of the club and the badge."
Sadly, this seems to be the case with some people
Have you noticed that all the front runners according to the press are under 5' 5" tall.
Nothing like seeing eye to eye with the owner and the Director Of Football is there?
I agree with Michael ONeil, the Fanzines are misguided and wrong - we definitely should boycott SJP until Ashley has gone. The simple reason some fans are questioning a boycott is because they have already paid for their season tickets and by turning up at SJP they will make Ashley think he can ride it out! It does not send a strong enough message!
I am sorry but it is empty terraces that will make the difference. Ashley must be made to realise IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS - HE MUST GO! Boycotting the club bars is nowt, lets face it Ashley was giving away free pints anyway!
No it has to be a Boycott in every respect, all bars, merchandise, anything NUFC or Sports Direct AND STAYING AWAY FROM SJP UNTIL HE HAS GONE!
If you find you have cancer you do not wait around to see what happens, or start taking aspirins, you react with a sense of urgency and try and eradicate the disease ASAP.
Serious action is needed to make Ashley understand, that is why I will not be going to another NUFC game until he has gone.
- the more who do, the quicker he will go.
The wholes thing stinks and no one involved is totally innocent. We have been left high and dry again. The only thing we have left is the 11 on the pitch. I for 1 will not be boycotting any match until the teqm deserts us, when that happens we're ***** See U saturday - late or not!
I trust all supporters WILL STAY AWAY, please for all the Geordies who don't live with you..
Show the country what we are made of!
Strong,Solid with the greatest sense of community and common pupose.
Stay away - let's watch it on the news! read about it in the papers, and know we should have been there with you on a great day for NUFC!
There is only one Newcastle, you can leave Newcastle but it never leaves you!
The whole thing makes me feel very sad..... and very angry. I think that they used Keegan to sell tickets and merchandise last season, and to ensure selling as many season tickets as possible this season - i.e.the "Keegan effect" for the club.
As supporters we did get a committed manager, who, basically kept us up. He also reintroduced football to the club - (post Allardyce).
Maybe now we could expect at least a small number of decent signings, with maybe one or two with promise - who may make the grade ?.... maybe , yet more exciting football ?(i.e. the Keegan effect for the supporters).
MMM - the rest is history.
We are all individuals - so act as you see fit - ok? I will not attend the Hull game, thereafter, the current regime have had their last penny off me - so if we get to May 09 and they are still in place, then the Season ticket goes too.
I have loved & supported the club for 36 yrs and more, and it's that love that tells me that I must play my part in ridding the club of this lot asap.
I boycotted all non ticket sales for around 6 yrs after supporters were forced from their seats in favour of the clubs richer friends - so this will be no big deal.
I am sick of the world laughing at us time and again. Each episode more ludicrous than the last. This has got to stop. We pay the money out - and get dumped on any and every way they choose. Maybe, but no more.
Ask yourself this, If Liverpool hadn't won a domestic trophy since they beat us at Wembley in '74 Do you think that they'd be enjoying the unquestioning support of nearly 50,000 supporters, year in, year out ?
Good luck guys, let's get it sorted.
Stevie O
Like the other ex-pats on here I can't believe the boycott is not happening. I now live down south and no-one down here gets it, they do not understand how strong the feeling is or how devastated we all are. Not just that Keegan has gone, but what that represents and what our beloved club has become.
Please please please boycott so when I watch the news on Saturday I can be proud of my fellow Geordies for showing a unique response to a unique problem at our unique club.
Anything less than a boycott will look like we are weak and fickle and everyone will believe that Ashley can sit it out and wait for us to forget.
If we boycott we will stay on the national news, Ashley and his brands will continue to get bad publicity and he will be forced to quit and sell. His shareholders will not want to be associated with bad publicity.
Sack the Board is old hat; chanting insults to the board is will be done at many clubs on Saturday and not make the news. An empty St James' Park will be headlines on all national and international news - Ashley would have sold before the next game.
And don't forget, Hartlepool, Darlington and Gateshead could do with some support. I will be at Bromsgrove Rovers thinking of all my mates back home.
If St James Park is empty, I'll be up there for the first game when Ashley has gone.