The recent furore over St. James Park’s naming rights was clearly the last of many straws - a group of Newcastle United fans have started appeals to banks and local businesses, asking for help in raising enough funds to launch a takeover bid for the club. The Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) claim to have roped in ‘big names in the business and financial world’ to help meet Mike Ashley’s £80m price tag:
We have emailed over 40,000 supporters to ask them if and how they want to buy into the campaign to lead a city-wide bid to buy back the club.
The idea is based on fans investing in the club through a number of financial opportunities which will be held by a local solicitor in an escrow account to demonstrate to Ashley that the fans have proof of funds.
Bramall Lane is a happy hunting ground for Harewood
It’s difficult to confidently argue in favour of either team ahead of tonight’s TV offering of Sheffield United v Newcastle, with the hosts winless in six and the Magpies having ended three of their last four away games empty-handed.
Therefore, our attention turns to Marlon Harewood, a boo-boy victim during last weekend’s 2-1 home win over Doncaster. Assuming Chris Hughton is brave enough to risk the wrath of the Toon Army by starting the Hare, his Betfair odds of 3.75 (11/4) to score are worth a glance.
The 30-year-old isn’t the most prolific striker in the world, which is why his record of five goals in his last seven meetings with Sheffield United - and two on his last three visits to Bramall Lane - is worth paying attention to.
It could also prove a blessing that he is playing away from the sceptical St James’ Park support - six of his last eight league goals have come on the road.
Most managers who contribute to a club’s relegation become pariahs. Forced to move away from the city, booed upon their return with another team, these men certainly don’t get another crack at the job (see Peter Taylor at Leicester, Tony Cottee at Barnet or Bryan Robson anywhere for classic Public Enemy No 1 examples.)
Yet not Alan Shearer. The man who won just one of his eight matches in charge is tipping himself to take charge again one day. Speaking in the weekend’s press, Shearer said,
“I would still like to be the manager of Newcastle again one day. If the situation came around and everything was right and in place then without a doubt I would love to give it another go. But that’s not up to me.”
Dennis Wise finally explains why spending £1million on a player who is no good, was actually an excellent idea.
In a hefty dose of nostalgia that left readers longing for the good old days, the weekend newspapers were once more cluttered to the brim with high-level comedy courtesy of Newcastle United. Amongst the more interesting revelations from the fall-out of Kevin Keegan’s tribunal, was that Dennis Wise pressured the Messiah into paying £1million for a player nobody at the club had actually seen play, with the sole intention of keeping some South American agents on board.
Wise should have spent the weekend bathing in shame at his behaviour, yet rather had the gall to show his face on television during yesterday’s Super Sunday Sky offering. True to form, the man who Alex Ferguson once said, “could start a row in an empty house,” has come out fighting, insisting these payments were worthwhile and part of a broader plan. Loveable Dennis explained:
“The long-term idea was we would have a relationship where we would have first option on all the best young South American kids, and that was important to the club.”
All well and good. Except we here at spoiler HQ have been racking our collective brains all morning to try and think of any South American youngster (for the sake of argument, under the age of 21) who has ever even remotely achieved anything in the Premier League. The best we could do was Mauro Zarate’s brief but ultimately doomed four months at Birmingham City two seasons ago.
Are we wrong? Or is Dennis Wise defending the indefensible? Tell us below…
The great gentleman of English football passes away aged 76
Former England manager Sir Bobby Robson died this morning, aged 76, after a long battle with cancer.
Robson was one of the most loved and respected figures in football. He was in charge of the national team for the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where England reached the semi-final before losing on penalties to West Germany. After a playing career that brought him 20 England caps, Robson had a long and distinguished managerial career, taking unfashionable Ipswich Town to UEFA Cup glory in 1981 before landing the England job.
After standing down from international football, Robson took on some of the biggest jobs abroad, enjoying success withteams in Holland and Portugal before moving on to Barcelona. In 1999 he returned to English football, as manager of Newcastle, the club he watched and supported as a boy.
Sir Bobby’s last public appearance was last Sunday at St James’ Park, where 33,000 fans turned out to honour their former manager and raise money for the Sir Bobby Robson cancer foundation. An England XI, including several members of the 1990 World Cup Squad took on a Germany XI. This time Robson saw his England team win 3-2.
Dave Whelan might be a bit of an egomaniac and have an unhealthy obsession with Sir Alex, but he definitely knows how to give supporters value for money. Attention-seeking research by ING Direct has revealed Wigan fans have most reason to smile ‘in the current climate’ after paying out a relative pittance on season tickets to see their team triumph (well, they were fighting for 7th until a few weeks ago) in the Premiership.
Second in the value league are Blackburn, who charge just £200 for their cheaper annual passes. In contrast, some Spurs fans will have shelled out near to £2k for the privilege of watching their beloved team being given a shoeing by Hull, Stoke and West Brom at various points in the season.
Has your team’s performance been worth your hard earned coin this season? Thoughts below and see the list after the jump…
With the final day of the season drawing nearer and Newcastle knowing they must better Hull’s result against Manchester United to survive the drop, a city vicar has rewritten some of his congregation’s most popular hymns (’All Things Black and Beautiful’, ‘Lord of the Toon’) in the hope of some favourable divine intervention come Sunday. Sadly though, according to Reverend Glyn Evans, certain members of the United Geordie Nation do not approve:
“It’s a bit of fun but sadly I have had hate mail calling me blasphemous.”
Spoiler Bonus: Newcastle United are a club steeped in rich musical history - who could forget Fog On The Tyne?
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