Newcastle United Season 2008/9

[johntheclaret]

Following on from my "Should we have a thread for each EPL side" thought, I figured Newcastle would be a good start, with all the shenanigans going on up in toon land. There's certainly some interesting stuff happening.

Newcastle United striker Michael Owen has admitted that he and his team-mates are still feeling the effects of Kevin Keegan's departure. The Tyneside outfit remain without a manager after Keegan parted company with the club at the beginning of September.

The Magpies have lost both games under caretaker boss Chris Hughton, while owner Mike Ashley has said that he intends to sell the club after coming in for strong criticism from supporters.

England international Owen has urged the squad to move on from Keegan's exit.He told the Evening Chronicle: "We all liked Kevin Keegan and we were sad to see him go. We are all feeling it at the moment. But we have got to snap out of the doom and gloom and try and get some confidence and results, and at the minute not picking up the results is hurting the players. We are as much in the dark as the fans as to the next move, and it does not make it any easier as Kevin Keegan was very popular with the players and the fans."

[johntheclaret]

Ref Sky Sports

A consortium based in Nigeria is planning a bid to take over Newcastle United, according to reports in Africa.
Earlier this month, current Magpies owner Mike Ashley announced he was looking to sell the club following the criticism he has received in the wake of Kevin Keegan's resignation. However, a buyer has yet to be found, with Ashley rumoured to be looking for a fee of more than £400million and Dubai International Capital recently ruling themselves out of the running. But a Nigerian company claims to have £350million - and is bidding to secure the remaining funding which would improve its chances of a successful takeover.

Sky Sports News chief news reporter Bryan Swanson has also learnt that one of the Nigerian consortium's main aims would be to reappoint Kevin Keegan as manager. Swanson has been told Keegan is a major part of their plans.

Chief Executive Officer of the NVA Management Chris Nathaniel, whose company are said to be handling the deal, told Kick Off Nigeria: "All along I have been working hard to get wealthy and football loving Nigerian entrepreneurs to buy the club since Mike Ashley indicated his willingness to sell the club to the person, people or entrepreneurs who can meet the £400million selling price of the club.
"Right now I am happy to tell you that well meaning Nigerians have responded and the consortium of Nigerian entrepreneurs has so far contributed £350million to buy the club. Ashley has stood his ground that he won't sell the club until the money is raised to the asking price of £400million. So what that means is that we need to raise another £50million or £100million to shut the door behind the other top Arab companies who are also interested in the club. The Arab companies have also indicated interest and made offers - but they haven't met the asking price too."

Harris role
Meanwhile, Newcastle have confirmed that London-based investment bank Seymour Pierce will be overseeing the sale of the club.
Former Football League chairman Keith Harris, who is currently with Seymour Price, helped broker the takeover deals for Chelsea and Aston Villa in recent years and he is expected to head the search for Newcastle's prospective new owners.
A a statement released by the club read: "The Board of Newcastle United can today confirm it has appointed the London-based investment bank Seymour Pierce to act on the potential sale of the club. "All matters relating to the sale of the club, including inquiries from interested parties, should go through Seymour Pierce. The club will be making no further comment at this time."

[McAlmanac]

'Ere, you're jokin' - it's Joe Kinnear!

How can one football club get it so wrong?

[McAlmanac]

Nigerians? It just keeps getting more preposterous. Maybe they'll sign Taribo West and Jay-Jay Okocha.

[johntheclaret]

Joe Kinnear has been appointed temprory manager of Toon and will take up his role on Monday. Terry Venables was offered the job but decided it wasn't for him. General consensus up in Toon lands was TFFT. The Newcastle job has been a poisoned challis and with the job on offer only a temporary one, attracting a big name has been impossible.

Keegan is hotly tipped to return when the buy out finally goes through, however, Ashley imo has grossly overvalued the club and might struggle to get the £400m he is asking. IIRC he paid about £220m a year ago.

Personally, I'm not sure why the Toon army are so in love with Keegan. He was a hero as a player but pretty ordinary as a manager, and has a tendanct to "bottle it" when the goinig gets tough. He walked out on them once before and famously had a dummy spit live on air when Man U came to town. Fergie, a master in psycological mind games had the last laugh as Utd went on to win the game and the title.

[dinglinga]

just rub it in john ...lol

great a nigerian company now ill be getting a letter u have bought a soccer team please send us $100 DOLLARS please so we can send u the documents...

thank god i got u to send me a millwall top not a newcastle top lol

[blackcat]

Would be great to see them get relegated

[johntheclaret]

just rub it in john ...lol

great a nigerian company now ill be getting a letter u have bought a soccer team please send us $100 DOLLARS please so we can send u the documents...

thank god i got u to send me a millwall top not a newcastle top lol

I could have sent you two Toon tops for the same price ding. Buy one get one free

[johntheclaret]

Would be great to see them get relegated

user name blackcat: Hmmmm. No bias there then. Keep praying bc, cos it just ain't gonna happen. Toon will pull off the great escape..............when Keano finally dumps Sunderland and crosses the Tyne.

Did you hear his out burst last week about fans booing the team. Fair do's to him and peresonally, I have never understood anyone who boo's their own team, but what will he do if it happens again? vitually said he wouldn't hang around and put up with that sort of stuff.

[johntheclaret]

And now another "consortium" has arrived on the scene

Ref: News of the World

A South African consortium has expressed an interest in taking over from Mike Ashley at Newcastle.

The reaction to Kevin Keegan's departure from St James' Park has convinced Ashley to sell the club and he hopes to find a buyer within the next few weeks.Newcastle have already been in contact with a group of Nigerian businessmen but a rival consortium has now emerged.

Reports suggest the British-based tycoons have put together a £350million deal, although they have yet to hold formal talks. "We are serious about Newcastle, we believe they are an iconic institution who deserve to be run professionally," a spokesman for the South Africans said in the News of the World. The spokesman added that Keegan was the key to the group taking control, with Alan Shearer also in their thoughts.
He said: "Kevin is integral to our plans. We want Kevin to be fully committed to the team and we hope to find a role for Alan Shearer. We are not personalities. We like to be in the background, we need to be in the background.
The South African consortium, who plan to keep their identities secret until they have met with Keegan and Shearer, have made their money from rescuing and rejuvenating household brands around the world.
They are confident of reviving Newcastle's fortunes, with the spokesman saying: "The existing management structure has not worked so we'll pay Mike Ashley what it takes to get rid of him.
"The level of expertise we have is in discovering the real problem preventing success. We want to find the root problem and turn the club around. We will give the Newcastle fans what they want."

So......everyone wants the return of the messiah. And Shearer too, assuming he actually wants a role at Toon. Personally, why would he. Has a nice stress free cushy little eraner on the go with the Beeb, and is a hero at Toon from his playing days. Why would he want to risk his reputation on a bag of carp ?

[Bully]

and then the hype will be all over the new manager........and again he will fail to the Newcastle fans as not winning a trophie in the first year.....and then again this time next year we all will be talking about who will manage newcastle....and the ball keeps rolling

[Dogwatcher]

Keep enjoying that bottom two spot Toon.

[Bully]

have to admit that i would be very surprised to see them relegated

[Dogwatcher]

I would too - but it's nice to dream!

[McAlmanac]

have to admit that i would be very surprised to see them relegated

You may need to alter your signature after losing at home to Hull....

[johntheclaret]

Speaking of odds and managers. Here is the latest betting on who will be Toons next manager. Some odds look a little ungenerous.

Kevin Keegan 6/4
Joe Kinnear 10
Gustavo Poyet 12
Alan Shearer 12
Terry Venables 20

Bear in mind, these are odds for who will take over on a permanent basis and not just the temporary role filled by Kinnear

[johntheclaret]

The saga just keeps on going......

thanks to Sky News

Seven foreign parties have shown an interest in buying Newcastle United.

Current St James' Park owner Mike Ashley is looking for a buyer after putting the club up for sale following the criticism he received in the wake of Kevin Keegan's shock resignation at the beginning of September.
And it is now reported that seven parties have approached Newcastle and that they have been granted access to basic confidential documents regarding the Magpies' finances. However, it is understood that business consortiums based in Nigeria and South Africa - who have been strongly linked with the Premier League side - are not yet included in the seven groups.

Sources have told Sky Sports News' chief news reporter Bryan Swanson that Newcastle are still open to interest from other parties and the Nigerians are still working hard behind the scenes to buy the club. Swanson has been told that Mike Ashley remains confident the club will be sold for a sum in the region of £300million and £350m.

[johntheclaret]

Just a thought

So are these the top ten problems affecting troubled toon ??

No10: Deciding Barton’s future
Joey Barton’s career on Tyneside has never got going thanks to injuries, a stint in prison and subsequent FA suspension. Toon fans have understandably struggled to warm to the midfielder but the club has to decide whether he has a long-term future there. If so, help him back to his best. If not, show him the door.

No9: Clearing the dead wood
Injuries may have limited resources but Newcastle’s squad remains large. They possess at least 10 senior midfielders, too many strikers and could also do with clearing out some of the youngsters that are not up to scratch. Right now, it is more quantity than quality.

No8: Ending the injury curse
There are often more men in the Newcastle treatment room than out on the pitch and this season has been no different. Whether it is the fitness regimes, the training facilities or just pure bad luck, it needs to change. The club cannot afford to have so many stars stuck on the sidelines.

No7: Avoiding a relegation scrap
Saturday’s dismal defeat at West Ham dunked Newcastle into the Premier League drop zone. Yes, it is still early days in the season but they must drastically improve their form — something that is difficult to imagine right now — to avoid being pulled into a relegation fight come Christmas.

No6: Keeping Owen
Remember the fuss made over Frank Lampard’s contract? Well, Michael Owen’s deal expires next summer and who could blame the England striker for walking out of St James’ Park for free. Newcastle need a star player to lead the club into the future – and, despite all the injuries, Owen is that man.

No5: Sorting out the defence
Although the days of Titus Bramble, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Marcelino are thankfully a distant memory, Newcastle’s backline remains suspect. Shay Given, Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor are all quality but the defensive unit is still far from watertight.

No4: Accepting a dose of realism
Newcastle are a big club in terms of their fans, stadium and star player but not, crucially, in terms of success. The days of Champions League football are long gone and they have not won a major trophy since lifting the Fairs Cup in 1969. Fans need to accept the club is currently worthy of its reduced status.

No3: Deciding who's in charge
Some say the writing was on the wall for Kevin Keegan when Dennis Wise parked up in his role as executive director. Relative unknowns Tony Jimenez and Jeff Vetere were also handed jobs, helping to undermine the manager. When the next boss arrives, there is clearly a need for clarity at the top.

No2: Finding a new manager
Keegan is gone and it is unlikely that a permanent successor will be found until Mike Ashley sells up. But whoever takes charge in the long-term faces a number of key tasks, many of which are on this list. They have not had a steady boss since Sir Bobby Robson was sacked four years ago.

No1: Attracting the right owner
This is the biggest step lying ahead after Ashley vowed to sell up. If they are to compete with the likes of Manchester United, they need a mega-rich owner who is prepared to fund massive signings. And, of course, the new backers will decide who they want in charge of selecting a winning team.

Pretty straight forward really

[johntheclaret]

He's a little monkey that Kev.

Thanks the The Cronicle

Keegan in talks over Toon return. Former manager meets with consortium head

Kevin Keegan has met with the head of the South African consortium bidding to take over at Newcastle United. Keegan's decision to walk out on the Magpies last month led to furious protests from fans and caused owner Mike Ashley to put the club up for sale.
Now Johnathan Cleland, the Scotland-based businessman who is leading the South African approach, confirmed he held talks with Keegan over a possible return to St James' Park in a Manchester hotel on Monday.
Cleland told the Evening Chronicle: "My meeting with Kevin went very well. I am hugely impressed with him and I got the sense there is a good chemistry between us and there is a strong mutual interest in working together. He is our preferred option, but we can't make any concrete decisions on the management position until negotiations on our planned takeover are further advanced. I think he understands and supports our concept of developing the club organically."

Cleland's comments came as the group he leads stepped up their attempts to secure control of the North East outfit. He revealed his consortium is "80 per cent confident" of managing to push through a deal as up to eight prospective buyers jockey for position. Clelland added: "I am a businessman who happens to be a supporter and the club and the fans deserve better and we are hoping to achieve that. What we have to do is get the fans to come out and support the club in the coming games in the number and in particular to support the interim manager, who has such a challenge ahead of him. I would say we are at least 80 per cent confident of this working. We are cautiously optimistic but we are not arrogant."

[johntheclaret]

Good news or bad.....Hmmmmm

Thanks to The Mirror

Newcastle’s vice-president leaves the club

Newcastle's vice-president (player recruitment) Tony Jimenez has left the club. Jimenez was appointed vice-president by owner Mike Ashley when he installed his off-the-field team under executive director (football) Dennis Wise.
A club statement reads: "Newcastle United can today confirm that Tony Jimenez has left the club. Tony, who was appointed vice-president (player recruitment) in January, has made the decision in order to pursue other interests. Newcastle United thanks Tony for all of his hard work and efforts and wishes him every success in the future."

Wise, Jimenez and technical co-ordinator Jeff Vetere were put in place to oversee the club's recruitment policy, although their roles have proved controversial.
While they have brought a series of young players to Tyneside, they were also asked to strengthen the first-team squad during the summer, and that led to major clashes with then manager Kevin Keegan.