Ashley, Shearer, Keegan, Moat … latest.

Posted on September 23rd, 2009 | 21 Comments |

Edging close perhaps
Edging close perhaps
Reports in The Mail and The Mirror are suggesting that Newcastle United may be sold by the end of this week. We’ve heard it all before of course but one of the newspapers will get it right one day and maybe it’s today.

Last week Newcastle issued a statement saying that Ashley’s £100m asking price has been met and all deals were now at the ‘sale and purchase stage‘ and apparently senior staff at the club have been told to brace themselves for ‘a big week‘ this week.

It was speculated that the sticking point was the loan facility with Barclays, so presumably – if a sale is imminent – that has now been sorted out and Barry Moat is in a position to take over the club.

If Moat takes over it is of course widely thought that Alan Shearer will be appointed as manager, although whether or not that’s a good idea still divides fans. At a function last week Shearer was indicating that he would not wait for Newcastle forever and was prepared to consider managing another club, but if the takeover is as close as the newspapers are suggesting it looks like Shearer won’t have to do that.

The tribunal into Keegan’s constructive dismissal claim is also due to deliberate this week and the club – should it lose its case – will find out how much compensation it will need to pay.

The Daily Mirror suggests that Keegan has turned down a last-ditch attempt by the club to settle for half the amount Keegan is owed on his 3 and half year contract which, if true, could suggest that Keegan has a good case, although I can find no confirmation of any settlement offer beyond Simon Bird of the Daily Mirror.

All change? Or more unfounded speculation?

Update: Just to say The Times, The Telegraph and other papers are now also claiming Keegan refused an offer to settle.

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.

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21 Responses

  2. Who knows, maybe Sol Campbells desire to leave notts County could be in order to come to SJP if Shearer is coming in.

  3. I wouldn’t read too much into Keegan not wanting to settle. First of all it’s more than likely paper bollox and secondly if it is true then Keegans refusal is probably more down to his stubbornness and his principles than anything else.

  4. As I’ve said on Ed’s blog re Sir Kevin….Yet another “revelation” based upon something allegedly said by “sources close to the club” – which normally translates into “made up by a journalist who hasn’t got a real story today”.
    Even if this garbage did emanate from “sources close to the club” – well, you wouldn’t expect them to exactly say something nice about Sir Kevin would you? Otherwise they’d soon become “sources not close to the club!”
    As you may have gathered, I just don’t trust anything written by journalists any more!!

  7. Obviously Ashley, Shearer, Keegan and Moat form the band singing the popular 80s cock rock anthem.

    A modern equivalent to Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch.

    Wise (Titch) is no longer with the band due to musical differences.

  9. I can tell you that Kevin Keegan wants as much money as possible so he can invest some of it in Barry Moats consortium.
    Th outcome of the KK tribunial will decide the final price of the club but price options have already been worked out and fully agreed which allow for every eventuality of the tribunals result.
    The announcement of sale of the club will follow shortly after the Keegan/Ashley dispute is finally settled.

  11. Well that would certainly be a welcome outcome. KK stiffs the club for money but then puts it all back in?

    I don’t know if I was talking about it on here, but I know that was mooted a while back. Though note sure whether that was more hope than reality :)

  12. Journalists are, by their very nature, bullshitters…when reading newspapers it’s always wise to check the date just in case.

    If it’s true…hallelujah! If it isn’t….whoops, there goes another deadline. Keegan’s money seems to be pivotal to the deal. To those who scream “If he really loved the club he’d just walk away!!” I say: Kevin Keegan is a man, nothing more. He is subject to the same emotions, foibles, failings and virtues we all have. He is also subject to the laws of this land…if he feels he has a case then he is entitled to pursue it. I have no doubt his personal finances have taken a kicking and £10m is a great deal of money.

    My memories of what he did for this club will remain undiminished by, whatever outcome, this tribunal hands down. Besides, if the award of £10m is enough to sink the club then where is the much touted stability Ashley talked of only last year. He bleats on about ploughing his own money in to stabalise club finances, yet £10m is enough to sink us?

    The £4m turned down could well be a recycling of an earlier settlement figure proposed after he left. Journo’s are an idle bunch!

    In any event, the cosmic tumblers continue to turn, at a snails pace, toward some resolution. When arrives it will not be perfect, universally adored and neatly wrapped; but pray God it is something that can unite us. The “Church of Toon” remains my dream…one day, maybe?

  13. bowburnmag says:
    September 23, 2009 at 11:57 am

    “Well that would certainly be a welcome outcome. KK stiffs the club for money but then puts it all back in?”

    It sounds like a recipe for disaster Bowburnmag. He’ll probably spit out his dummy again at a crucial stage and the club will be up in arms once more. Keegan is just too unstable to rely on.

  14. I’m not saying and have never said that if it is proven in court that KK is right then he doesn’t deserve the award, it’s only fair. What my complaint is about are the people who think it’s somehow good that the club will lose £10m as some sort of finger in the eye to Ashley.

  15. This club should NEVER have been put in a position where the loss of £10m was a disaster. The buck stops, always has and always will, with Ashley.

  16. with all the bad things people are saying about kk i am not going to be one of them. we where heading for good times until ashley moved the goal posts and brought in wise etc.

    what happens if kk wins and he says ok i have proved my point and does not take the money ? what do the fans think then.

    i cant wait for the take over to come to an end and get a proper manager in (not shearer as he does not have the experience).

  17. Dennis, Wise was there before KK. KK allegedly knew what he was getting into, hence all the confusion.
    Excelsior, I would love to meet any business man who isn’t an oil baron, where losing £10m isn’t a disaster.
    I could go on and on about how this isn’t down to Ashley, but I won’t because it’s old ground that I don’t want to go over again, especially seeing it will bring out the old Ashley bum chum comments, when I’m no fan of the man whatsoever.

  18. Micky Toon says:
    September 23, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    “especially seeing it will bring out the old Ashley bum chum comments,”

    Divven’t forget the old favourites “Mackem” and “can’t be a real supporter” as well, Micky! :-)

  19. How many would turn down an opportunity to get their hands on 9 million big ones, eh!.
    There`s Your hero King Kev. about to take the money and run !
    Will he still be your hero then ?

  20. Hardly fills me with great confidence, the thought of Moat as owner and his old pal Shearer foisted on us as the man in charge. I just hope Shearer’s giant ego and lack of tactical nous don’t cause us too many problems going forward but I’m not holding my breath. This could have a destabilising effect on the dressing room big time. Let’s see how long our impatient fans give him before they get on his back.

  21. Fair points Deb. I really don’t know what to expect if Moat gets the club. Shearer’s a definite if you believe the press and – given his obvious ‘man-in-waiting’ status – I would imagine the press are right and he’s probably already been given the nod by Moat.

    Shearer wouldn’t be my first choice of manager (nowhere near if we included unrealistic manager targets too) but he’s not my last choice either. Instinctively I think he’ll make a good manager one day but I wonder if now is the right time.

    I’m not quite as worried about the ‘destabilising effect’ as you are because a/ I think it’s a risk worth taking to get a permanent manager (and that applies to any candidate, not just Shearer) and b/ I’m not sure how stable things actually are anyway – I’m impressed with our start to the season but the paranoid me wonders if it flatters us a bit.

    I am however as concerned as you are about whether Shearer’s up to the job. I certainly hope so but it’s going to be a risk.