Newcastle United – News Roundup – 23 August 2009
Posted on August 23rd, 2009 | 20 Comments |
“It was very pleasing to get the three points, and especially the clean sheet, away from home.
“We said to the players before the game that we expected a tough match, and that’s what we got.
“But to get a goal after just two minutes was a dream start – it gave the players and the fans a massive lift.
“It was then a very good time to get the second goal and again, like Kevin’s, it was a very good finish.
“We had to defend a little bit more after the break but I felt were always in control.
“I thought the effort and desire was tremendous.
“We’re going very well at the moment but we have to keep that going because all of the hard work is in front of us – but it’s been a great start.”
There is little other news but I’ll scrape around and see what I can find.
Nile Ranger has been expressing his desires to impress Hughton and battle for a first team place. The England under-19’s star said:
“Whenever you get the chance, you have to grab it with both hands.
“My aims this year are to get opportunities for the first team.
“I just need to work hard, stay on my toes and stay level-headed – that’s so important for any young player. When that chance arrives, I’ll be looking to take it.
“To see Andy Carroll and Shola Ameobi doing so well for the first team is important to me.
“It shows what can be achieved, and I’d love to follow in their footsteps by playing regularly and scoring goals in a Newcastle shirt.
I’m sure he’ll get opportunities this season given the small squad we have.
Apparently Derek Llambias has been running naked across St James’s Park after losing a bet with Mike Ashley, which is a frightening thought. Am I making this up? No, but The Mail might be.
That’s about it for the news but we had some interesting discussions yesterday and I thought it might be worth summarizing them here.
One concern that was raised was about Barry Moat’s ability to fund the club. If he is already scratching around to afford the club, how does that bode for his ability to fund us in the future? Of course we don’t really know much about the details of his bid or how much money he has allocated for future funding and all we have to go on is press speculation, which is particularly unreliable at the moment, but it’s a fair point. Finding £100m to buy the club is just the start of the financial commitment – it will take a whole lot more money to fund transfers, operational costs and a rebuilding plan.
Personally I would hope that Moat, having performed due diligence, knows exactly what he’s getting into and has been properly advised by his accountants about his ability to afford it. I can’t imagine many businessmen buy (or run) football clubs in the reckless way Ashley did, but you never know.
Another issue raised was that bringing in a new manager could well upset our good start to the season. Hughton has done a good job and if, say, Shearer and Dowie come along and displace Hughton and Calderwood, what effect would that have on the team? Of course that might apply if any manager comes along – Kinnear, O’Leary or whoever. It’s certainly a risk but, whilst it could result in a dip in form, it could also result in an improvement.
If Ashley keeps the club – which I think is the most likely option – Hughton could well find himself in the manager’s role anyway. He has had an excellent start and has managed to get the players motivated and playing well. He has previously given the impression that he never wanted the manager’s job, preferring instead to remain as a coach, but I think his attitude has changed in this respect lately. Maybe Ashley would now stick with him rather than appointing someone like Kinnear.
Ideally I’d like to see us with a new owner and a long-term manager. Regardless of any other criticisms I might have of Ashley, I don’t like the idea of him hanging onto the club simply until he feels its opportune to try and sell it again. If Ashley was to commit to the club for good then it might be a different matter, but the thought of going through all this again in January or next summer isn’t particularly appealing. It would simply breed more short-term planning and I think that’s something we need to get away from. We need an owner who’s committed to the club and a manager appointed for 3-5 years.
As I said though, I’m guessing Ashley will keep the club. If anything our good start will have encouraged him to do so – if he thinks we have a decent chance at promotion then I suspect he’ll fancy the idea of waiting until next season and doubling his asking price. Then again, the fact that Ashley has extended the deadline for Moat again might suggest otherwise.
Oh I don’t know!
NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen
I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10).
Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.
Morning Hugh
Good round up. Like you, I’m starting to believe that the likelihood is Ashley won’t sell. If he makes the necessary changes we have discussed previously, I could live with that outcome.