Newcastle fans – waiting for our new lives to begin
Posted on August 23rd, 2009 | 5 Comments |
Life as a Newcastle fan is never dull and the last two years have been a prime example of how the club can leave you in despair. It brings out the best and worst in us. It means so much to us that it fills almost our every living moment and not least our dreams of future glory. Yet we find ourselves with the soul of the club ripped out and fans fighting amongst themselves, such is the torment of recent events. And still inexplicably, the fans with no reason other than the love for their club turn up in their thousands. Pilloried for their loyalty but proud of their faith in something which will always mean more than winning trophies and trading one-up-manships with rival supporters.
We have been rewarded of late with better results on the pitch (albeit against lesser opposition) and yet that has been overshadowed by uncertainty and discord off it. Tomorrow promises to herald a new dawn as yet again we seek to wipe clean our slate and start afresh. Opinion is divided on what the future holds but one thing should be certain. There will be more answers than questions by close of play tomorrow night, that is almost guaranteed after the promise of an announcement by the club. We can only hope this time we get a meaningful message to let the long-suffering masses know what is in store for them.
My own opinion is that we’ll see a part-ownership proposal that sees someone come on board with the appetite for the game and the club, which Ashley no longer has. Arguably, it could be that buying us was never more than a whim and as such the appetite and genuine zest required to make the most of this business venture/hobby was never there. The most likely candidate for a part-ownership will be Moat and as such, the likelihood is that most fans will get their wish to see Shearer installed as manager.
That outcome would leave me relatively satisfied because I feel we would still get our club back. Ill-feeling and negativity are intextricably linked with this regime and it would be better for all if there was a direct replacement. However, if the asking price is beyond what anyone is willing to pay then a part takeover is a viable contingency. Ashley sticking around in the hope of a better financial return would be a necessary evil for both parties but without the day-to-day running of the club laying in his hands or that of Llambias, there is sure to be less animosity and hopefully a better outcome.
However, there are two other options (opinions on which are evidently more popular). The first, regarded as more likely by the optimists, is of a full takeover and a real fresh start with brand new owners. And actually, the real optimists are hoping for a ‘fan’s club’ utopian outcome with a Barcelona-esque ownership held by representatives of the fans themselves. Unfortunately, the white knight on his steed, the ‘Fanbase 410′ consortium, seems to have been discredited at the first hurdle. The other option believed by the pessimists, and slighty less palatable even for the most diplomatic of fans is that Ashley, due to his desire for damage limitation on his investment, will be prepared to stick around for at least another year. The worry being that by the nature of that decision, this will inevitably mean further sales and limited investment, while the ill-feeling will continue to pervade St James’.
This long-running tale has been some of the darkest hours as a Newcastle fan and yet hopefully this chapter is drawing to a close. The next chapter is sure to hold it’s own villains but we can only hope that they’re heavily outweighted by the heroes and that this next chapter has a happy ending, in which we can all live happily ever after.
NUFCBlog Author: bowburnmag
bowburnmag has written 234 articles on this blog.
I’m expecting bad news to be honest.
Hope I’m wrong.