Light reading material
From scanning the twitter-sphere I have come a cross a brilliant idea that has been put forward from some fans who are angry about Mike Ashley’s recent decision to ban the three local newspapers – Chronicle, Journal and Sunday Sun, from St James’ Park, The idea is a simple one, but if we could get all fans going to tonight’s game (and future games) to join in, it would send a powerful message.
The idea is for every fan going to the game to bring with them a copy of either the Chronicle, the Journal or the Sunday Sun, and in a message of solidarity, wave it in the air with your fellow fans – almost like the white hankie protest that is demonstrated on the continent by fans who are showing their anger at the club, the owner or the manager.
This would send out a very strong message to Mike Ashley that he has made a powerful enemy by banning the newspapers, and that if he does not want them as an ally, then the supporters of this great football club will welcome the media with open arms and stand side by side with them in a fight to rid this club of Mike Ashley once and for all.
While waving the newspaper may be a small token gesture in itself, given how we will have television coverage both in tonight’s game and in our home game against Chelsea on Saturday, the gesture could potentially reach millions of people across the globe. We need to send a message to Mike Ashley consistently – Newcastle United fans are not to be messed with. You have had your way for too long, and now it is time for change. Ashley’s bully boy tactics, amply demonstrated by his decision to ban the press, is a step too far and we will no longer stand for it.
So if you are going to the game, bring your copy of The Chronicle, Journal or Sunday Sun with you and stand proudly side by side with your fellow Newcastle United fans as you show Ashley that enough is enough.
Keep up to date with everything the NUFC Daily is doing by following @NUFCDailyBlog on twitter or by liking the NUFC Daily Blog Facebook page!
NUFC Daily 
Show support to the newspapers that the majority of our fans constantly slag off for their coverage of the club?
Don’t get me wrong I don’t agree with what Mike Ashley has done or a lot of the things he has done previously but a lot of our fans embarassingly seem to frequently change their views on things in order to back up their agenda with the owner.
Just seems a bit of double standards here how everyone now seems to be defending the Chronicle when usually they are criticising it.
Will certainly be interesting to see how many people if any do bring along a copy tonight and whether they will subsequently encounter any issues with the stewards!
LikeLike
Given how the club has banned the Chronicle for doing their job, now is the best time to get behind them in the hope that the Chronicle will cover the best interests of the fans and represent the club in the manner in which most Newcastle fans feel about things.
Times are changing in Newcastle, fans are starting to believe that we can get right under Ashley’s skin if we keep pushing but we will need the media support to do that.
It is only something that has been suggested on Twitter, but I thought I would promote it because I think it is a great idea. Hopefully other fanzines and blogs promote the idea too as I think it would send a great message. If they don’t, it’s not a big deal though but we should be capitalising on Ashley’s mistakes if we are to achieve anything.
LikeLike
The club have not banned the Chroniclefor doing their job. The club have asked the cChronicle for an explanation for it’s very biased, blatantly fabricated lies about the owner.
LikeLike
Utter tripe. Their coverage of the protest march was over the top. Love him or hate him Ashley has turned this clubs finances around. Yes we had a poor season last year but the year before was excellent. If you want to be a fickle fan and wave your newspaper in the air, crack on. I would rather stick to cheering on my team and hope they get results against moneybags City and Chelsea – when their owners eventually get bored of pumping money into their pet clubs they will sink back down the league, but we will at least be on an even keel.
LikeLike
You’re in the minority buddy. Turned the finances around? Our turnover has drastically fallen since he took over, and we are now in more debt now than when he bought the club, even if that debt is to the owner himself. I hardly think showing your annoyance at the press being banned as being fickle, nor is it fickle to show your ire at the many ludicrous decisions he has made in the past. But like I said, luckily you are in the minority.
LikeLike
Ciaran -there were close to 52000 went to the match; 300 attended the “protest” – not sure that is a majority mate. I do agree he has made some sh*te decisions, but then so has every Toon regime in my 40 odd years of supporting them (selling Andy Cole, buying Owen the list goes on and on – Although Joe F*kin Kinnear is still unbelievable). Shepherd and Hall brought us close to glory and close to financial disaster. The published debt at the time of Ashley taking the reins was something like £70 mill but their was also a mortgage on the ground that would have brought that up to around £130 mill by all accounts. The mortgage has been cleared and yes we still owe a fat sum to a fat Cockney – but at least it is at 0% and we aren’t servicing huge debts. I shudder to think where we would have been if Ashley hadn’t taken over. As for the Chronicle et al – they are in the business of selling papers – if they (like so many National papers) can cause a storm in a tea cup to sell a few more, they will. When Sir Alex banned certain media companies from attending his press conferences I didn’t hear about the Mancs waving their papers in the air. Let’s not give the mackems more to laugh about than we are already achieving.
Cheers for the blog though mate – keep it up!
LikeLike
Personally don’t think we as fans are capable of embarrassing us as a club. Personally I think that any action taken by the fans, even something as trivial as waving our newspapers to support the local media, will be seen as an action against a regime that is stifling this great region and great club.
You would be surprised how many fans of other clubs have commented on how much they hope we get rid of Ashley because they see what he is doing to one of English football’s great institutions.
As for the debt we were in before Ashley took over. Yes we had debts, and yes we had a mortgage, but there were agreements in place with the banks at that time. We were taking much more money in, our turnover was much much higher than it is now, and without the managerial merry-go-round that happened in 2008/09 season we would not have been relegated – something Ashley is directly responsible for.
Comparisons of Ashley with Sir Alex Ferguson don’t exactly fit though do they?
No side can claim to represent the majority, but I do strongly believe that a movement has been built, and Time4Change can only gather momentum from here on in. Ashley is not the saviour of the club, he is the man solely responsible for killing it and turning it into the hollow shell of itself.
If we support those trying to affect change we could reclaim our club and be proud of it once more.
LikeLike
Some reasonable points mate but the Ashley regime hasn’t stopped a free press – they have stopped 1 company who have given what they feel is overly high coverage of a minor march (whether as you point out it grows into something akin to the Jarrow March we will have to see). This is almost exactly what happened at Old Trafford. As for fans not embarrassing us, watching the national press report on one of our own punching a horse last season can’t be pinned on the Ashley regime can it? (incidentally, the Chronicle gave far less coverage to that).
I would be all for change if it is in the clubs favour – but who realistically are you looking to provide it? You can’t be in the mindset of Texan Billionaire/Oil Sheikh/Russian Oligarch turning up on their white horse to save us and take us to Champions League glory, surely?
LikeLike
Personally, not speaking for any fans movement, I am a big proponent of fan involvement. I have been liaising with a fan’s representative from German club Hamburg who was explaining the system of fan involvement that exists there, and he was adamant that a similar system could easily work for English clubs.
Swansea fans have a 20% stake in their club, so why couldn’t we promote the idea of owning a part of the club if we could get the requisite funds together?
I think NUST are in a great position to take up this cause once more.
Not all fans are horse punchers are they? I mean collectively as a fan base, we can’t do anything more to embarrass the club.
Banning 3 influential local newspapers whose primary function is to provide a link between the club and its fans is a pretty big deal would you not agree?
LikeLike
We were in the position of fans having shares in the club many moons ago and it made very little difference – eventually Ashley bought them all anyway. If your idea worked and someone like NUST were able to but a 20% stake, would they take on 20% of the debt too? If you want change you need to be able to state what that change should be. It needs to be practical and tangible. It is all well and good shouting “Ashley out” but who do you expect to step in? As for the Chronicle – there primary function is not to build links between the club and community. They are a business and like any business there primary function is to make money – the better the controversy, the more copies they sell.
LikeLike
I am as cynical about journalists as anyone, believe me. Well, Ashley has played into their hands if all the Chronicle cares about is selling papers.
In any movement against a tyrant, having the media on the side trying to affect change can be a powerful tool. Which is why I was suggesting that fans show their backing to these papers as it could help foster closer ties between the media and the fans.
I agree, there needs to be a coherent plan of action in place to replace Ashley with, as far as I am concerned, NUST have been working in the background since its formation to provide that alternative. If we, as fans, gave our backing to these groups that are trying to provide an alternative, instead of citing the lack of an alternative as a justification of Ashley’s tenure, then perhaps we would achieve more.
As for the “debt”, we are only in debt because Ashley says we are in debt. Through his own mistakes, he had to invest 140 million. He has since taken 11 million from the club leaving what Ashley is “owed” at 129 million. If we were to purchase 50% of the club at market value plus debt “owed” to Ashley, that would mean the asking price would be 165 million (assuming market value is 200 million).
It remains to be seen whether these fans groups can achieve that but I would dare to dream in this regard!
LikeLike
another the books are balanced part time accountant in our midst, you just do your usual thing, sit back, moan about all and everything but do jack shit about the situation. There are some of us who are sick of the mediocrity and want this FCB removed from our club.
LikeLike
Alan, not sure where you go the moaning accountant bit from (I’m actually in the Forces). I am not on here to complain about anything. We all want success for our club. For those who bang on about wanting change, tell us the change you want and not some unrealistic pipe dream. The bottom line here is that Ashley bought our club, he owns our club and he won’t be parting with it unless someone stumps up. I don’t support his stanch or his regime but even if we all went out, marched, waved papers and cried in the stands, he isn’t going to walk away from the millions he has invested without getting it back. So who is going to buy us?
LikeLike
No mate, you are in the minority.
What a complete load of dross.
Paper coverage of the march was way out of proportion.
If the likes of Stew , Dutch and myself were in the minority the march would have had more than “a few hundred” and the liverpool match would have had less than 52,000 there.
Ashley has turned the club around, and don’t know where you get your figures from, but thank god you’re not doing my books.
Get off the bandwagon and print something original.
Note – 3 people have respond and none of them agree with you. Instead of considering yourself “controversial”, there may come a time when you have to admit you are wrong.
LikeLike
3 people represent the majority?
You forget the hundreds who lined the streets during the march and clapped the march on, without actually joining in. You forget the many many people who have since stated that they wished they had taken part in the march.
As for where I get my figures from? The club accounts are easily accessed for a nominal sum. I’ve went through them, I suggest you do the same. If you don’t then how can you claim the figures are wrong?
If stating what I believe is controversial, then that’s not my problem. I will continue to state it, you are welcome to disagree.
LikeLike
Really can’t understand any support for mr Ashley . 6 years something like 6 manager’s tries humiliate good servants like keegan shearer. 1 top 6 finish . 1 relegation . Commercial bringing in nowhere near what was being brought in under previous groups accounts. I haven’t been since keegan was sacked having had season ticket 15 years shares and 10 year bond holder . My friend has put his 3 platinum seats up for sale after Sunday’s heartless gutless display .
LikeLike
Hearing more and more comments like yours Rob.
We need this silent majority to stand up and be counted. To march when there are marches, to demonstrate when there are demonstrations, and to encourage others to not put their money into the club until Ashley is gone.
I know if we all got behind Time4Change then we really could see some movement.
LikeLike
Hold up now fellas.
The chronicles coverage of an event about NUFC was over the top?
Behave.
If we put the issue of bringing “financial stability” to the side for a minute, are you seriously saying you’re happy with the level of ambition shown by the club? Are you happy with the shocking communication the club has with its fanbase?
The march was about wanting change. Some feel that means getting rid of Ashley, others think it could be achieved by pressuring Ashley into altering the plan a little. Either way, I haven’t found any fans that are delighted with the current set up and wouldn’t want to see change.
Anyway, the current issue is the club seemingly trying to stop any negative press. Why? Are they immune to criticism? Do people and the press not have a right to question the club?
It is frankly a ridiculous stance.
It just goes to show how much the papers have toed the party line with the club, to receive such a reaction to what was merely reporting an ever growing movement amongst fans.
Back to the march, I think you will find that a majority of people were keen to see how the first march went. There were some safety concerns before hand, but the people who turned up did our club proud.
Let’s see what happens next time around, before we start guessing whose opinion is the minority.
LikeLike
Couldn’t have said it any better myself Peter.
The arrogance was apparent from Wendy’s letter to the Chronicle, absolutely disgusting really. I mean, who do they think they are?
As for numbers, if 800 people (or even the few hundred that many people think it was) can get under Ashley’s skin to the extent that he bans the press for covering it, can you imagine how apes*** he would go if there was a sizeable sustained campaign of pressure against him?
He is against the ropes, do we go for the jugular or let a bunch of in fighting amongst ourselves let him back up?
LikeLike
Ciaran…I am for some reason gobsmacked at the response of some of the comments on here, I expect some to disagree, but not to such an extent. You’ve become the new toonbano! 🙂
Go for the jugular mate!
LikeLike
Think some agree with the premise but don’t agree with taking action. “For evil to prosper all you need is for the good people to do nothing.” – quite apt when you think about it.
Whatever happened to ToonBano? Haha
LikeLike
Apt indeed. I think we’re likely at a stage now where it’s not a case of “will we take action”, but “what action will we take”. Enough is well and truly enough.
I imagine the bitterness has eaten him whole 🙂
LikeLike
Well he aimed a lot of his ire at Pardew rather than Ashley didn’t he? I’d imagine last season would have done him in! haha
Well I’ve also heard a lot of talk about static demonstrations taking place instead of a march because static demonstrations are apparently legal, whereas an unapproved march is not. Only whispers on the internet now but I think it would be a great idea, keep the pressure on.
LikeLike
Ciaran… You are a fucking mupet. I hope Mike bans you from St. James’ for life… Fans like you are NOT what the club needs
LikeLike
CW
Please refrain from using profanity as people of all ages read this blog.
LikeLike
Id just like to clarify that my initial point certainly wasn’t a defence of Mike Ashley and his recent actions, I just find it a little disappointing how a lot of our fans seem very happy to change their opinion on things to suit an agenda.
I have previously heard nothing but criticism when it comes to the Chronicle yet now when it comes to an argument with Mike Ashley people are jumping to support them. For me both the current owner and the press are as bad as each other – as was mentioned above the press look to sell stories so will be loving this and I don’t buy into any of their rubbish with regards to caring about the club.
As for the whole Ashley debate in general I have to say it does really frustrate me how people seem to have to think you have to love him or loath him.
Plenty of mistakes have been made and I would love to see the back of him as the lack of ambition and some of the recent decisions are painful but I dont think people can just disregard the money that has been put into the club and the way the finances have been restructured. Love him or hate him I am certain that had he not taken over then we more than likely would have ended up like Leeds.
LikeLike
The Leeds argument has no proof or basis in fact. While we were in debt to the tune of around 80 million when he took over, we are now in debt to 129 million to Ashley himself, which he has attached to the sale price of the club, effectively holding the club to ransom.
Although I wish I could keep a more balanced outlook, however, treating 2 club legends like dirt, unfairly sacking Hughton, renaming our great stadium as well as the choking lack of investment in recent years has rendered me incapable of seeing the good in anything he has done, as any “good” has been done with his own best interests in mind.
LikeLike
Ciaron.
Newcastle owe no money to anyone other than the owner, meaning we are financially stable. His apparent desire to turn us into a self sufficient club cannot be viewed as a bad thing even by the Chronicle’s twisted view point. You also seem to dislike the fact that, should he sell the club, he might want a return on his investment…..
Hughton – nice fella, not cut out for top flight management.
Stadium name – correct me if I am wrong, but didn’t the current sponsors pay for the naming rights only to call it St James again… bordering on genius in all honesty.
Newcastle United are currently 11th in the Premier league. We have stability at all levels of the club, are debt free, have a tremendous stadium, some cracking players and a well respected scouting set up. I fail to see where, whilst things are not perfect, any genuine Newcastle United fans are hugely unhappy with the situation.
LikeLike
Andy
To call the renaming of our stadium “genius” is a disgrace.
Hughton – had us playing better football than Pardew, also we thumped Villa 6-0 and hammered Sunderland 5-1 during his brief time as manager of NUFC in the PL, when was the last time we gave a team a thumping under Pardew? Was Pardew really a step up?
You’ve also neglected to mention the treatment of Keegan and Shearer, but that suits you doesn’t it?
Also failed to mention how he has failed for 2 consecutive summers to bolster a squad that is weak in depth in terms of quality. Once more, that suits you.
Also neglected to mention the decision to re-hire Joe Kinnear who made us look idiotic with his radio rant.
6 years of mistreatment, mismanagement and contempt from Ashley. I fail to see where genuine Newcastle United fans can even attempt to justify Ashley’s tenure.
How’s that for engaging you buddy? Don’t paint yourself out to be a martyr, no sacrifices to be made by keyboard warriors.
LikeLike
You are right Ciaran the Leeds argument has no fact behind it but that was certainly the way the club was heading – anyone not willing to accept that has their head in the sand imo.
You are also right that the debt all being payable to Mike Ashley kind of holds the club to ransom a bit in that it makes it hard to get rid of him but the suggestion that owing him these interest free loans is as bad or worse than owing it to the banks is just being very stupid and very blinkered.
We are paying no interest on these loans and basically they can’t ever really be called in like they could be with the banks – they are both good things whether you like the man or not.
Unfortunately it does mean that for anyone to buy the club they are going to have to give him at least what he paid for the club plus the value of these loans which at the minute in the current financial climate is unlikely.
I don’t like the man or some of his actions but that doesnt mean people have to be negative about every single thing he has done, there have been some positive moves and financially we are in much better shape than a lot of clubs.
Just a shame that he can’t see the potential of investing some more on the pitch to then potentially generate more money off it…
LikeLike
Stew
I’m not being blinkered, naive, or burying my head in the sand. We could only speculate as to what would have been Shepherd’s next move had he not sold to Ashley. He may have conducted a fire sale in order to reduce the debt, or invested even more to try and win our way out of the red (which would have been a disaster) but I really don’t think we can say one way or the other where we would have been heading as we simply do not know.
There are clubs who can quite easily manage the level of debt we had at that time without going into financial ruin.
Being in ‘debt’ to the tune of 129 million to Mike Ashley can never be construed as a good thing. It simply means we are lumbered with him until such time where he has taken enough money out of the club to reduce that debt to such a level where a buyer can take over some portion of what Ashley is owed plus market value of the club. You are right, as it stands, that is not looking likely, but given how Ashley is a multi-billionaire, and has just made over 100 million from share sales in SD, he could write off 30 million couldn’t he? Even 50 million? He doesn’t have to, but he could, which would make us a much more attractive prospect to a buyer.
Ashley wants the club to operate at the level we are operating at. While we are not raking in the money of Champions League clubs, nor are we having to invest the kind of money needed to get us there, and sustain that position. We will remain in mid-table mediocrity, while Ashley pulls out more money in the future to recoup what he is owed.
That is not what I want from a Newcastle United owner. It is not what any Newcastle United fan should want from their owner.
He has done much more negative than he has done positive, and some of his decisions have been unforgivable, so I can understand how he irks people so much. That isn’t being blinkered, that is holding the man with as much contempt as he holds us.
LikeLike
Come on Ciaran, why the hell would he write off millions of pounds if he doesn’t have to? You can’t have a go at him for wanting to get back what he has paid out for someone to take the club off his hands.
Yes he can be criticised for decisions he is making whilst in charge of the club but unless someone comes up with around £300 million to take the club off his hands there isn’t much we can do and he is entitled to value the club at what he has put into it.
If any of these fan groups want to make any kind of difference then that is what they need to be doing – finding someone or a consortium of people with that kind of money to buy him out because he isn’t just gonna leave or give the club away and quite frankly why should he?
I totally get the frustration at our lack of ambition dont get me wrong but a big part of me just thinks we need to be careful what we wish for.
Look at Portsmouth – they were unhappy with their owners, got some seemingly cash rich new owners in which were going to transform things and look where they are now.
People can say we are not Leeds or we are not Portsmouth etc but those examples show that those kind of things can happen to so called “big clubs”.
People can hide behind saying things like “we dont know what would have happened under Shepherd if he had stayed” – we would be in massive financial trouble simple as that. If you don’t want to believe that then that is obviously your prerogative.
You have certainly generated an interesting debate on here anyway.
LikeLike
Portsmouth were a tiny club that overextended massively. We have a solid foundation with a huge fan base.
I am hiding behind nothing, because there is no factual evidence to prove that we would have been in severe financial ruin had Shepherd not sold the club. Those are the facts. You can speculate and even put forward an educated guess, but that is all you would be doing.
I am not calling for him to write it off, but it is a possibility to ensure a quicker exit and an easier life for both himself and Newcastle United fans, as there will be an ongoing battle this season that will not stop.
Having been in brief talks with some people at Newcastle United Supporter’s Trust I am firmly in the camp that they are targeting investors with a view to doing just what you have suggested. It is a matter of supporting them and then putting an offer on the table. It will not be today or tomorrow, but that day is coming.
LikeLike
Ciaran…Ha, I bet it did!
I have read a bit about that too. Will be interesting to see what the next step is. Why would another march have to be “unapproved”? Timing and financial?
Stew…I don’t think it’s really about standing up for the papers though. I get what you’re saying, in the past fans have been critical of the way the papers have appeared soft towards the regime…clearly for a reason.
I was one of those who could see the plus and negatives in Ashley. I have seriously come to question where this is heading though. Originally it was about getting us operating within our means with a view to push on. Since then, it’s all about not being able to compete and an absolute resistance to push on. I simply don’t believe Ashley anymore and the master “plan” always had an element of faith attached to it. The way he has alienated the fans is nothing short of stupid and arrogant and quite frankly, he deserves the current uproar.
Granted we may get carried away and perhaps at times expect too much, but that is part of being a fan. He’s supposed to be the smart, calm and forward thinking person.
LikeLike
Peter
A march costs over £1000 pounds to put together and takes 5-6 weeks planning with the council and police. Not feasible if you are planning one for every week.
LikeLike
Excuses, excuses 🙂
LikeLike
You’ve probably already seen this, but a worthwhile read in my ever so humble opinion.
http://blogs.thetimes.co.uk/section/the-game/106340/dear-newcastle-united-it-simply-has-to-be-better-than-this/?shareToken=60f19e180ce58e8e2ed2a09ca3fe21f9
LikeLike
This is a joke.
You guys at the Chronicle are turning this into a simple ‘see how we can boost sales’ push.
Your continued, unsubstantiated abuse and targeted affront against Mike Ashley and apparently the very club you claim to want to help – Newcastle United – is not befitting a supposesly respected newspaper.
I honestly hope this embarrassing attempt to shift a few more papers is met with as little enthusiasm as the pathetic ‘protest’ a few weeks ago.
People need to put their efforts into supporting the club and the players.
Lastly – I note that the Chronicle’s view is that they have been gagged by the club….. anyone who has actually read the letter from NUFC can see that the clib are entirely correct in asking you to stop printing fabrications and essentially anti-Newcastle propoganda for your own gains.
Shame on you and shame on anyone who attempts to line the pockets of the idiots atthis shambolic newspaper.
LikeLike
This is a joke.
You guys at the Chronicle are turning this into a simple ‘see how we can boost sales’ push.
Your continued, unsubstantiated abuse and targeted affront against Mike Ashley and apparently the very club you claim to want to help – Newcastle United – is not befitting a supposesly respected newspaper.
I honestly hope this embarrassing attempt to shift a few more papers is met with as little enthusiasm as the pathetic ‘protest’ a few weeks ago.
People need to put their efforts into supporting the club and the players.
Lastly – I note that the Chronicle’s view is that they have been gagged by the club….. anyone who has actually read the letter from NUFC can see that the clib are entirely correct in asking you to stop printing fabrications and essentially anti-Newcastle propoganda for your own gains.
Shame on you and shame on anyone who attempts to line the pockets of the idiots atthis shambolic newspaper.
LikeLike
Also, I don’t work for the Chronicle.
LikeLike
I cannot believe anyone is happy we were told team struggled last season because of Europe . We were told remember we did our spending in jan .
Tonight pardew the puppet says we want to win cup don’t think so with ameobi upfront . Maybe ask some former players keegan shearer say place is a joke . Steve howie got nothing good to report . Steve Harper more recent said and is on record on radio lambias came into changing rooms after last game and said we have learnt from last season’s mistakes ! Then he’s gone and nothing or nobody signed . Quote Newcastle United is bleeding.
The march started at 300 maybe but was in excess of 800 by percy st . What struck me was people clapping the march past .
LikeLike
There we go guys – I think the fact that absolutely no one bothered with your stupid ‘wave your paper’ routine shows how sick of your paper, and lies, Newcastle fans are.
Also, it’s interesting to see that you are ignoring the people who don’t agree with you on here…..
LikeLike
Andy, I was working between 6 and 10 and didn’t even get to see the game. Not ignoring you at all, and if you care to go through the previous few articles you will see that I engage people from all angles.
Just because it didn’t kick off this evening, does not mean it won’t in future games.
Sick of whose lies? The only person associated with NUFC who is lying is a certain Mike Ashley.
Cannot figure out your angle.
LikeLike
Let’s see what happens Saturday then. But please, don’t mistake the “silent masses” for apathy – if the views of a number of us on here are more reflective of the average fan, the “wave your paper” protest will never happen – because we just don’t agree with you, not because we don’t care about the club.
LikeLike
Not attempting to portray that view at all. But in a similar vein, do not think that apathy does not exist on a large scale amongst Newcastle United fans. I would venture an educated guess that there is a huge amount of Newcastle fans who are hacked off with the regime but cannot bring themselves to stay away from SJP.
It goes both ways.
LikeLike
Examples of Ashley lying then. If you make these claims, back them up.
LikeLike
I don’t think people will wave paper however more and more people are getting peed off . Virtually no atmosphere there last night a friend wanted a seat in corner section was told some sections were shut off for health and safety joke or what . He’s binned his season ticket was the last straw . 3 platinum seats binned by my friend on Sunday or should I say up for sale can’t see him getting much . However he has had season tickets for nearly 40 years and he’s washed his hands of this regime. Would also like to add a relation of paul dummet is really unhappy at how contract talks are going with the club !!!
LikeLike
Ciaran – the treatment of Keegan? Appointing a man who the fans wanted? Giving the chance to watch players we needed but having him say no, as he was opening a soccer academy, then complaining as the players were signed?
Mistreatment of Shearer? How? The guy made it clear he didn’t want the job when he took over.
I didn’t say you were ignoring me, you seemed to be only reacting to people who were in agreement with your opinions. ..
Genius is maybe too strong a word, but to get paid to rename the stadium was well done…..
Maybe the lack of atmosphere in the ground is generated by things like the Chronicle’s campaign against the club, by fan-sites/pages constant criticisms – people seem to be negative a lot more these days – not many seem to actually turn up to support the club anymore.
LikeLike
You are aware that Keegan was the victim of constructive dismissal? He took the club to court and proved that through Ashley’s actions Keegan was forced out of the club. Milner was sold without his say so and he was promised the money would be re-invested and it wasn’t. 1st instance of where Ashley lied.
Shearer wanted the job full time, but he wanted Ashley to invest money in the squad so the talks broke down and Ashley appointed Hughton without even consulting Shearer.
Getting paid to rename the stadium, on first glance seems good but how much is that deal worth? It is actually reportedly less than the sponsorship deal was with Virgin, who were also not consulted about renewing the sponsorship. Why does Ashley do deals behind closed doors?
Maybe the lack of atmosphere has more to do with the toxic lack of ambition coming from the top that is infiltrating the stands. The atmosphere has been terrible long before fans groups protested, and given how the Chronicle were only banned last weekend, I don’t think you can blame them.
LikeLike
The Chronicle were banned because they were targeting the Owner. I actually agree with the club doing that.
Keegan – was a mistake all round. Constructive dismissal – fair enough, I accept that. I also accept that Milner was sold without his say-so, but please do not forget that the kid was hugely average for us, and getting £12m for him was a good deal.
Sponsorship – It was widely reported that the deal with Virgin expired at the end of last season. No-one knows the in’s and out’s of the negotiations, and to be honest, why wouldn’t he do his business behind closed doors? The Wonga deal (let’s leave the actual company aside for now) is around £8m a season, on top of the rumoured £5m naming rights, and the £1.5m per season investment in Youth Coaching and Facilities for NUFC – this is all freely available information – seems a damned sight better deal then £5m for 18 months from VIrgin Money.
And – maybe, just maybe – if we support the club (as I said below), we can, you know, encourage some expenditure. Why should Ashley spend money, when it’s not appreciated?
I wish to point out as well, that I think the appointment of Wise, and Kinnear (both times) is a shocking judgement from the Board/Ashley – the role itself is a sensible idea, but the people filling it is scandalous. I am not saying that Mike Ashley is the best owner etc around, but it is far too easy it seems currently to slag the club off, rather than support them.
LikeLike
The Chronicle were banned for reporting on a march that was happening. Had they not done that they wouldn’t have done their jobs. Their reporting on the march wasn’t even anti-regime. Have you read the arrogant letter from Wendy Taylor? How, in good conscience, you can defend that is beyond me.
Forget Milner’s ability. He was sold without consulting the manager! That is ludicrous.
When I mean he does business behind closed doors, he doesn’t consult all requisite parties. Why were Virgin Money not consulted to see if they wanted to renew the deal, Sir Richard Branson made it very clear that they were interested in doing so.
Actually, the amount Wonga are paying per season has not been made freely available, although their campaign to invest in coaching and facilities was reported to be around 1.5 million, but their actual sponsorship fee has been reported to be less than what Virgin were paying – you are speculating over the 5 million, as those figures were never released.
Also, Virgin Money had a 2 year deal which was cut short with the announcement of Wonga’s sponsorship.
So we need to support the club before Ashley will invest? Seems a strange way of doing business. If Ashley invests in a competitive squad perhaps that will create enthusiasm from the fans. It shouldn’t be the other way around.
LikeLike
How about a novel approach then if you state people go to the games despite being hacked off with the regime.
Support the team. Generate an atmosphere. Back the players – sing their names, encourage them. Back the manager.
Get behind them, give them a reason to want to play for Newcastle United.
The better the players play, the higher up we get in the league -now here’s the game changer – outside investment comes then, people want to buy into an exciting project….. we have more chance of Ashley selling up if we are doing well, as more people will be interested in buying the club..
LikeLike
I agree, as someone opposed to Ashley I wholeheartedly think fans should generate as amazing an atmosphere as possible.
However, when you have a manager not fit for purpose and players who don’t give 100% for a club that they know is going nowhere fast, then it is hard to excite the fans.
LikeLike
Why would players give 100% for the club, when they know the fans can’t be bothered to support them.
I honestly believe that the best thing people like yourself, who do write reasoned and excellent articles, can do for the club is get the fans to put aside any differences, and become UNITED.
Get everyone behind the club. Get everyone supporting again. Encourage the players, manager etc.
No-one was saying Pards was inadequate when we finished 5th. Personally, I think the players don’t carry enough of the blame. Yes, the manager has made some questionable decisions (Dummett at CB on Sunday was strange), but he has shown that he has some tactical nous in recent matches. Also, the fact we have almost reversed our style of play from last season’s hoofball (most long passes in the league last season, to least this time round) shows he is working on things.
LikeLike
Andy
Pardew will never be good enough to manage Newcastle United. He’s a middle of the road manager as far as I am concerned, but he isn’t the main issue – Ashley is.
The reason we have players who are not bothered has nothing to do with the fans, the fans and the players are victims of Ashley’s toxic lack of ambition.
If you were Cabaye, why would you give your all when you know the club don’t even want to get into Europe, never mind win any silverware? Same goes for the fans.
It’s a matter of perspective, and while I agree that I would love nothing more than for the fans to be united, I feel you are not looking closely enough as to the reasons why they aren’t.
LikeLike
Totally agree on supporting the team Andy. For me anyone that walked out last night at 0-2 when there were 20 minutes of extra time left shouldn’t bother coming back.
Whilst the frustration surrounding the club at the minute is understandable the last thing we need is negativity transferring from the stands to the pitch. We look like a team shot of confidence as it is.
LikeLike
Cieran – let’s agree to disagree over Milner etc.
The Chronicle were not banned for “reporting” on a March – they were banned for having an active campaign to promote ousting the current owner – a march that was attended by approx. 0.5% of the average Newcastle attendance. The letter written by Wendy Taylor is completely well reasoned, and probably a little less direct than it could have been.
The club doing well and investment etc, and supporting the club – it’s not mutually exclusive. Support the club. If he spends money, we get better, everyone;s happy.
LikeLike
Andy you’re misinformed. The Chronicle were banned for what the club deemed as “disproportionate coverage” given to the march, not for having a campaign to oust the owner, don’t be silly man.
Her letter was certainly not well reasoned and it was incredibly arrogant “we do not need a reply to this letter as our position is non-negotiable” – you cannot ban the freedom of press and then say, our position is final. This is an ordered democracy, not 1939 Germany.
Seems you are promoting a somewhat circular argument that puts the onus on the fans to be worthy of investment. Cannot say I like or agree with your point of view.
LikeLike
I am not misinformed. The Chronicle were banned for giving disporportionate coverage to a protest march, aimed at “outing” the current Owner – a march that was very poorly attended.
Having just re-read the letter, it was certainly well reasoned. The club have not banned the freedom of the press – the club have banned three publications from attending Media Events, Player interviews etc, following a highly publicised attack on Newcastle United.
To Quote:
“It is quite frankly staggering that you devoted 15 full pages, including two front page splashes, a back page, three double-page spreads and a remarkable six full pages in one (September 7) in The Chronicle to a protest march which ultimately was attended by approximately 300 supporters. Even if the 1,000 supporters expected by the organisers had marched your coverage would have been disproportionate. Given the turnout was significantly less than this, in fact only just over a quarter of that anticipated, something your coverage following the march failed to reference or reflect whatsoever, you should be in no doubt as to the strength of feeling that exists within the club in relation to your coverage.”
The Chronicle are usually so very good at covering the Club, and usualyl give informative, unbiased opinions – this can be put down to essentially a “hate campaign” – aimed, as is pointed out in the letter, presumably solely to sell more newspapers – as can be seen by the very creation of this article we are commenting on now – “Buy The Chronicle and wave it at the game”….. followed by the “oh, it didn’t happen – Buy The Chronicle on Saturday, and wave it at the game”.
LikeLike
I’m not promoting sales of the Chronicle. You can take an old copy of the chronicle, you can print out an A4 sheet from the free online version of the Chronicle. I don’t work for them, and I am not trying to push sales.
Ashley banning them has done more for their publicity than they could ever have achieved.
They were commenting on the facts, which is a journalist’s job is it not?
It was the club’s response that was disproportionate.
Also, to claim that a protest march is “Anti-Newcastle United” is abhorrent. I was at the march, am I anti-Newcastle United? No, I love this club with every fibre of my being. The very reason I was at that march was because of my pro-Newcastle United stance. I want to see much better for this club, but currently I am not seeing it, because Mike Ashley is choking the lifeblood from it. The march was not “anti-Newcastle United” it was “anti-regime”
There is a significant difference. This regime is not Newcastle United, they are flying under its banner, but they do not represent it.
LikeLike
On a slightly different tact – who, right now, in World football, would want the Newcastle United job. Pardew is “ok”. He is doing the best he can do given the current situation.
I do understand your point, but I feel that campaign’s like The Chronicle’s do not help. Simply look at the response on here alone – and you see the differing responses and opinions.
In an ideal world, we’d want a carefree, free spending Geordie Owner, Pep Guardiola managing, and Ronaldo in the number 7 shirt.
We have “almost” won the league in the recent past. We have been relegated in the more recent past. We have been promoted, have some tremendous players, and can be much better than we currently are.
I just think there are far too many doom-mongers about at the moment – we are 11th in the league, just played a pretty decent game against a “reserve” side that cost £210 million, and have a big game on Saturday. I personally feel that, during the season, when nothing can be affected, we should support the club – the time for change is at the end of the season.
LikeLike
Backing up the Letter again – The Chronicle has average daily sales of 49,199 copies. taking into account that the “Protest March” was announced around the start of September….. Do you honestly not think that, for a paper that sells almost as many copies as fans attend the Home games, it was not disproportionate?
To put some more number on it – 300 people attended the protest – which is 0.006% of the average Chronicle daily sales.
Surely these figures show that the coverage was excessive………… and against public opinion.
LikeLike
I understand you don’t work for the paper. My point is that the ONLY reason the paper is doing this is to boost sales.
Whilst I understand and appreciate the reasoning behind the march, and to some degree agree with it, the fact that it was so poorly attended should give some feedback as to how popular it is in the grand scheme of things.
Football has moved on now – and whilst we all want “Newcastle people to run Newcastle United”, it is not going to happen. How many succesful, well run clubs are there that follow that remit?
Manchester United?
Liverpool?
Arsenal?
Manchester City?
Chelsea?
Southampton?
I’d love for us to follow someone like Swansea’s methods – but my honest opinion is that Newcastle fans would not have the patience for something like that to be put in place. The groundwork is in place currently. We need to build on where we are, and I go back to an earlier point I made whereby – the club is a more attractive proposition for Buyers, if we are SUPPORTERS.
LikeLike
Lastly – where did I say that the protest march was “Anti-Newcastle United”? The coverage afforded by the paper was……
LikeLike
If coverage of a march is anti-Newcastle United, then surely, be association, so too is the march itself.
LikeLike
Also, Wendy Taylor in her letter, claimed that the coverage was anti-Newcastle United, which by association, meant that the club feels the march in itself was anti-Newcastle United. You are defending people who are so out of touch with Newcastle United fans.
LikeLike
To reply to these points. I have not said that the march was “Anti-NUFC”. Having re-read the letter again, there is no mention that NUFC feel that the coverage was “Anti-NUFC”. At all. Disproportiate yes, but not Anti-NUFC.
Also, whilst the club is out of touch with the fans, you seem to be missing the point of my comments. You are now making comments up, to respond to……
Without this turning into a tit-for-tat exchange anymore, what do you suggest the way forward is for the club? Genuinely interested to hear this. If the club was put up for sale, we have no guarantee that the next owners would be any better than the current one…… If you think the manager is inadequate, who do we actually manage to get in to take over?
LikeLike
The letter does make reference to an anti-Newcastle United agenda, if you missed that then you didn’t read the letter well enough.
“We feel strongly that the turnout at the march renders your extraordinary coverage completely disproportionate. Furthermore it is evident from the scale and prominence you devoted to it that your agenda was the pursuit of sales based on an anti-Newcastle United stance, rather than a fair and balanced approach.” From Wendy herself. She fails to mention how soft the Chronicle went on Ashley at certain times, but that suits her pro-Ashley agenda.
The club is indeed out of touch with the fans, yet you find yourself fit to state that it is the fans who should show more support in order to be worthy of investment.
On the balance of probabilities, I think we would get a much better owner. As long as we have an owner who is willing to invest what the club makes right back into the club then that is fine and dandy with me.
I don’t care about balance sheet, or whether we are in the red or black. Those considerations should be beyond the scope of the average fan, yet Ashley has managed to make mini-accountants out of all of us because it suits him to push a “we’re skint” agenda to soften the blow of no investment.
Fear of the future should not be enough to justify Ashley’s tenure. I for one have had enough, but feel free to accept this mediocrity. As for the question about Pardew, until Ashley leaves I am content with Pardew to stay, because no self-respecting manager would work under Ashley in the current climate. When we get a new owner, then we will talk about a new manager.
LikeLike
No, no I don’t. I don’t state we should support to gain investment – I state we should support the club, as it’s what Supporters should do.
I appreciate the reasoned response. You state you don’t care about balance sheet, red or black – but you should do, as the man/men Ashley bought the club from were taking us out of business, spending outside of their means. Also – whilst not caring about money, you seem to argue that the current sponsorship deal is less than Virgin were paying etc. Ashley does not attempt to push any kind of “we’re skint” Agenda – all he has basically stated is that we will spend what we make. Fair enough.
You criticise Ashley for not putting what the club makes back into the club – which is pretty much exactly what he has done, so I am a bit puzzled by this comment. “On the balance of probablities” – on what basis? We are owned by one of the UK’s most independently wealthy businessmen….
As for the letter – missed that, you win that one 😉
LikeLike
Andy
He’s the 4th richest owner in the PL, but compare how Spurs reinvested the transfer money they received for Bale, compared to how invested Carroll’s transfer fee. The 35 million was inclusive of any agents fees, contracts, transfer fees etc and was spread out over a number of years. Spurs went out and spent every last penny to drastically improve their squad. That’s the difference.
I don’t care about being in the red or black, yes we had debts when MA took over, but nothing to suggest we were going into administration or anything of that sort, speculation at best.
Pardew is constantly bleating about how our income is drastically lower than many other clubs, he even stated that we can’t financially compete with Southampton, so I would say MA is pushing a “we’re skint” agenda.
The balance of probabilities could mean a less wealthy businessman could run us with more ambition. MA’s personal wealth has nothing to do with it.
LikeLike
See – now we are getting somewhere – I do agree with you to a certain extent there.
Spurs re-invested the whole Bale amount, but are significantly worse so far this season than they were last season (but that it probably due to the influx of players).
I had missed the constant bleating from Pardew on that – I know he made a comment in the summer about it – but that translating to a “we’re skint” agenda is as hyperbolic as you suggest my “financially struggling before MA took over” comments are.
LikeLike
I’m sorry Ciaran but although it may be speculation where we could have ended up financially before Ashley took over it isn’t speculation about the state we were in financially at that point as it is there in black and white in the accounts.
We had overdrafts left right and centre, owed installments on multiple previous transfers and were paying ridiculous wages out to certain players etc many of whom had little in the way of re-sale value.
Had the banks called in any of those loans or had we got relegated under Shepherd then we would have been in trouble and certainly not something a firesale of a few sh*te past it players would have sorted.
Being able to acknowledge that our financial situation is better now than when he took over doesn’t automatically mean you have to like him or are a supporter of him but the fact that you and many other fans refuse to acknowledge any positive that has occured under him kind of undermines any genuine arguments against him and just makes you look slightly foolish.
He should be investing more in the club, the Kinnear appointment, the press ban, the renaming of the stadium etc are all things he can be criticised for but the current state of our accounts certainly isn’t.
This is what winds me up so much about the Ashley debate – people seem to think you have to either agree or disagree with everything he has done. For me his tenure has been a total mixed bag – a lot of good has happened compared to the last regime but unfortunately more bad has happened to the point where I can understand why a lot of people have had enough but I would say as a whole the club is certainly in better shape than when he took it on.
LikeLike
Stew has just summed it up there – for me that is pretty much nail on head.
LikeLike
So then Ciaran, no protest (I personally didn’t see anybody waving papers but only got to my seat in time for the impeccably respected 2 min silence for something that really matters). Performance was excellent – though we still need some fire power upfront.
Where do you stand on the masses now, ‘cos my feeling is we backed our team and drove them to a result as we have always tried to do, regardless of who is at the helm.
LikeLike
My feeling is that the sense of resolve and solidarity, demonstrated by the protest, gave us an added advantage.
The team and the regime are two separate entities, which probably doesn’t suit your agenda.
LikeLike
Mate, I have no agenda. I came on here to join your debate as it looked like a good forum to allow us fans to exchange our views.
If from your last post you are implying that the protest galvanised support and got us a win, then crack on and protest every week!
LikeLike