Finally an end to the Toon takeover farce.

Posted on October 27th, 2009 | 65 Comments |

Ashley to remain for now
Ashley to remain for now
The following announcement was made on the Newcastle United site tonight:

NEWCASTLE United are delighted to announce that Chris Hughton has been named the permanent manager of the Club, his contract will run until the end of the 2010/11 season.

At the same time the Club has confirmed that it has been withdrawn from sale and is no longer on the market.

The Club had been trying to broker a deal with a number of prospective buyers in recent months however none of those deals came to fruition. With regard to the possible sale of the Club to Barry Moat, that particular bid has now fallen through due to the cash price of £80m not being met.

In confirming the news, Mike Ashley stated that he is totally committed to the future success of Newcastle United and will be focussing on gaining promotion back to the Premier League. Mike will put a further £20m into the Club this week.

Derek Llambias, Managing Director of Newcastle United, said:

“We are delighted that Chris has accepted the post of full time manager. He has done a terrific job this season and we wish him every success for the rest of this season and beyond. He will continue to receive our full backing and support.”

And Chris Hughton added:

“It is a very proud day for me to be named as the manager of this magnificent football club. I thank Mike and Derek for their support and will be doing everything in my power to get the Club back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.

“Having the unequivocal backing of the players has helped me enormously and I would also like to thank Colin Calderwood, Paul Barron and the rest of the backroom staff who have never been anything but tremendously supportive to me this season.”

Whilst confirming these two matters, Newcastle United now aims to move forward on and off the pitch. The Club aims to maximise its commercial revenues; this includes renegotiating its Club sponsor and kit deal, which expire at the end of this season, as well as welcoming offers for the stadium naming rights for next season.

This entire statement has been taken verbatim from nufc.co.uk.

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.

Related Posts:

Posted on by Hugh de Payen in category: Chris Hughton and Club Statements and Derek Llambias and Hugh de Payen and Mike Ashley and NUFC sale saga , with tags: , , , , ,
Comment on this post

65 Responses

  1. Stadium fckin naming rights! What next?

    My take on this is that he has said ‘fck it’ I’m going to get the club back in the PL and if that means investing £20m so be it’

    Then he will put the club up for sale again. I just hope we don’t have an non active pre season again.

    I would welcome opinions on this point: What happens if we go up? He has spent a fortune on the club. We will need considerable funds for transfer just to stay in the PL. Would he provide more money?

    I’m not sure he can afford it.

    But hey oh, it’s over and we need to get on with getting promoted.

  4. fk this,ashley isnt willing to invest in the first team,where do you go from here ,what the f–k,we are done ashley wont invest…. this is perfect for stardust and worky.lets us all see what ashley is about

  5. Their also looking at naming rights for the stadium and a new sponsor after this seasonhow do you know that im sure it didnt say that in the statement did it ??

  6. To my mind this is the part that needs most analysis:

    “Mike Ashley stated that he is totally committed to the future success of Newcastle United and will be focussing on gaining promotion back to the Premier League.”

    Basically: and then what?

    Will he put us through all this club sale nonsense again or will he stay and continue to rebuild?

  7. summerof69 says:
    October 27, 2009 at 10:24 pm (Edit)

    Their also looking at naming rights for the stadium and a new sponsor after this seasonhow do you know that im sure it didnt say that in the statement did it ??

    ===

    Yes, right at the end. All I did was cut & paste from the Toon site.

  9. It gets worse- just read the article on the clubs website. It says

    “The Club aims to maximise its commercial revenues; this includes renegotiating its Club sponsor and kit deal, which expire at the end of this season, as well as welcoming offers for the stadium naming rights for next season”

    So no more St James Park – now that is shameful.

  12. I think Ashley has shown a certain amount of commitment by putting another £20m in. But I want to see something on the pitch for it.

    My biggest problem is the appointment of Hughton. My fear is he’s a puppet and Ashley will be as he says picking and choosing the players who come in.

  13. “this includes renegotiating its Club sponsor and kit deal, which expire at the end of this season, as well as welcoming offers for the stadium naming rights for next season”

    WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS STARDUST?

  14. just read it hugh i missed that part out and i am FUMING this is why he has taken us off the market so he can destro the one thing he is of yet too destroy-our soul

    though i am happy hughton has got the job

  15. Toon_Factor says:
    October 27, 2009 at 10:33 pm
    “this includes renegotiating its Club sponsor and kit deal, which expire at the end of this season, as well as welcoming offers for the stadium naming rights for next season”

    WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS STARDUST?

    He will say it’s an inevitable move forward in the world of football to compete at the highest level financially.

    Ashley seriously needs to look at getting a football administrator in to run the club. Llambias is a joke!

  16. Getting rid of the name. Not getting a proper manager in. Insulting the fans. Not investing in the team at all. Getting basement bargain loans and free agent in.

    I’ve had enough, as long as he is owner and my support means money in his pocket I refuse to do so.

  17. If he’s willing to do as he says, invest the 20m, get some money in at the end of the season from sponsors and kit deals and spend that money on strengthening the squad, who can really complain? That’s all I personally want him to do, that and install a Chairman who has a clue about what he’s doing.

    I’m no Mike Ashley fan, not in the least, but we have to remember that at one point, Mike Ashley was the exciting new billionaire owner with massive plans for the future of our club.

    Could be a case of better the devil you know….. or atleast I REALLY hope so.

    (I hope I don’t get bashed for this, I’m proper new here aswell :S )

  18. and yes heh as said he is putting 20 mil in to our club

    i will atleast say thank you for that but i would swap that 20 mil to keep st james’ park as it is st james’ park

  19. Well thank fuk atleast now when know what we have and we can now concentrate on the footie instead of a takeover. Dont get me wrong I wish we did get sold but there is nowt anyone can do so we just have to get on with it, wonder what the £20mill is for ?

  20. ‘Commitment’ – of course he’s committed, what other choice does he have?

    ‘Increasing commercial revenue’ – getting closer to his current asking price? Or beyond if we go back up?

    ‘Welcoming offers for the stadium naming rights for next season’ – Seriously now……he wouldn’t dare would he????……

    If all this had been done in an efficient and concise manner, more people would give him the benefit of the doubt. But after making bad decision, after bad decision, and considering this yet another occasion in which he is not really deciding to stay, it is forced upon him, how are we to trust him with the welfare of our club?

    And to finish off a statement like that about renaming St James’ Park. I mean for fcks sake……

    He will snap the hand off the first bidder that offers a decent bid, regardless of this rhetoric.

  21. To be honest, the thing that f–ked me most off is the naming rights. No more St. James Park?!? It’s a geordie pastime the horrible cockney pri-k.

    As for Hughton on an 18-month contract? Pfffft. I’d of gave him end of the season because if we do get promoted can you really see him cutting it in the prem?

  22. Daverism says:
    October 27, 2009 at 10:36 pm

    If Ashley invests in the team he will be forgiven – No doubt. That’s all every fan wants. It’s on the pitch were it matters.

    However I’m more than sceptical about him – I think the first chance he’ll gt he’ll be off again.

  23. If Ashley invests in the team he will be forgiven – No doubt. That’s all every fan wants. It’s on the pitch were it matters

    i dont think i can forgive him for changing the name

  24. To be honest, I think he’s beyond redemption in my eyes. I’ll continue to go to games and support the club but I don’t think I’ll ever have any respect for the board, I’d love them to make me eat my words but they have a lot of making up to do. I don’t see it.

  25. If they change the name of the stadium, I’m fairly sure even the hardiest Ashley sympathiser will find it unforgiveable. I would say there are certain sacred things that you cannot mess around with in a football club like our’s. Changing the name of the ground is definitely one of them.

  28. Stuart79,

    I agree mate, I think we all know the first chance he gets he’ll get rid.

    But no-one was willing to stump up the cash, in all fairness he spent alot of cash on buying us, unfortunately he made some ridiculous decisions and it backfired but he’s a businessman and he’ll want the majority of his investment back atleast and there’s not a great deal we can say about that because we’d all do the exact same thing.

    Fact is, we’re in this position because of him, he reduced the value of the club by allowing us to be relegated, it’s up to him to get us back up to recover his investment.

    I sound like i’m defending him, I’m really not.

    He is a complete t***.

  29. What you gonna call the place where you go to see the lads play?
    It’s ALWAYS gonna be Saint James’s Park.
    Who cares what some divvy Co. that pays good money, calls it?
    Hell, some people still call it ‘Gallowgate’ even now.
    Like it matters.

  33. clint of course your rite but wouldnt be nice to here them say on telly rite were of to the tesco stadium

  34. The statement concludes:

    Newcastle United now aims to move forward on and off the pitch. The Club aims to maximise its commercial revenues; this includes renegotiating its Club sponsor and kit deal, which expire at the end of this season, as well as welcoming offers for the stadium naming rights for next season.

    SORRY BUT IT IS NOT THE END OF THE FARCE BUT A NEW SORRY CHAPTER IN THE REIGN OF MIKE ASHLEY.

  35. We will be running around in one of his cheap brand shirts, with SPORTS DIRECT as sponsor, or CHAVS R US.

  36. Guys, i’m with you all the way, i’m just saying: in real life, no-one will call it owt but SJP.

  37. Must admit, couldn’t believe what I was reading regarding naming rights, thought it must have been a wind up. Then felt furious that he dared to interfere with the name, then felt pragmatic that if some company wants to stump up millions to call SJP something else and we have that money available for players (i know big if) then so be it. It will always be SJP to us all, like the Sir John Hall stand will always be the Leazes end.

  38. Maybe it wouldn’t even completely change the name?

    Could end up something like Durex St James’ Park?

  39. The cash he is so called investing is for debt or so they say. They have been proven liars time and time again, I will never believe a word any of them say.

    And to say no one came up with the cash to buy, what people fail to realise 100m or 80m is what he wanted, but no one knows what money he also wants back like the so called 100m loan, and dont say he did not want that back, he IS A PROVEN LIAR.

    If he renames St James Park then there should be a riot and I mean a riot and I dont give a tosh what stardust or anyone says, YOU CAN NOT RENAME ST JAMES PARK NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

  41. FFS, all business men/women are ‘proven liars’.
    As are ‘most’ people.

    ‘Tune into reality FM’

  43. Clint – A beacon of sensibility in a mad world – The renaming of St James Park – it will always be St James Park to us – that can never be taken away.

    Ashleys 20m investment PLUS the naming rights (say 12m over) is 32m swing in our favour. I would have expected some to be a little more pragmatic and happy. I certainly am – do any of you think Mort had as much as 50 pence to put into us when he couldnt even afford to buy us?

    I see this as the bottom of the trough now and (controversially) I do like some aspects of the name change – it disassociates the old ways for a new way – a change in the tide and a change in mentality of the fans and owners whilst letting go of the past. The past is the past. Time to get on with the future.

  45. Stardust, i’m sure in the cold light of day, plenty will see it as nothing more than a revenue generating scheme. At least, i’d hope so.

  46. Stardust you never f@@king fail to amaze me, change the name my arse, we have all had to move on but to change the name frigg off

  47. Why not GJ? We will always call it St James – only TV pundits will call it anything else.

    And like I say – its a great deal for the fans – we have generated more money today than if we had been bought out – Mort could only have borrowed money to grow (it was apparent he didnt have the cash to buy it) and then we would be back where we started.

  48. It’s worth throwing that nonsense of a post out there to see if there are any bites Stardust. However, to even joke about such a travesty displays that you are quite detached from the Club. To rename an institution is a crime.

  50. 49 Tino – lol

    GL – I am being deadly serious – once more the reaction is played out for all to see – you wonder why no one bought us – look at the reaction right now. Uncontrollable outrage from the Mob.

  51. Stardust says:
    October 27, 2009 at 11:37 pm

    GL – I am being deadly serious – once more the reaction is played out for all to see – you wonder why no one bought us – look at the reaction right now. Uncontrollable outrage from the Mob.

    Howay man Stardust, can you imagine how the Liverpool or Man U fans would react if they wanted to rename Anfield or Old Trafford? They’d be outraged too, and with good right. It’s nowt to do with being a “mob” it’s a natural reaction.

  54. I understand the sentiment Tino – but I want a strong club – if Liverpools present financial mess continues they will have to generate a lot more than a few million to sort themselves out.

    We will be on our best footing for years.

  55. 53 – Nice to see you have class and can debate your viewpoint Geordie Lander.

    The man who loses his temper in debate has no real foundation from which to debate.

    Convince me I am wrong but do not throw insults – it makes you look like a low life. (which to be fair is probably true)

  56. Glad you’re still here Stardust !
    Answer me one question ….
    Do you actually have a season ticket for
    ST. JAMES PARK ???

  58. I would be very careful Stardust at calling fellow fans ‘the mob’ or suggesting they look like a low life, when our owner has so little class you would have to apologise before taking him into decent company.

  59. Looks like Stardust has dodged the question as to whether he has a season ticket… And it is not the first time.
    It is obviously a bone of contention for him.. Therefore can I recommend that every time he blights this site with his nonsense he is reminded of the above.

  60. I don’t agree with Stardust, but surely that’s the entire point of a blog? To debate opinions etc?

  62. and more besides I dont know why I even answered you Foghorn – as I have said your “source – the biggest pee taker in the world” is ripping it out of you – but there you go again showing a low life side to you.

    Is a fan on the other side of the world any less a fan because they cant make it to the ground? And we wonder why we have a bad reputation – its because of people like you associating with the club.

  63. I would like to take this opportunity to declare my delight at hearing Ashley is staying. Now I say this not to provoke anyone but because we have someone who is prepared to invest in the club and continue a rigorous policy of financial stability, the foundation on which a good club may thrive.

    Ashley has been learning through these bad experiences and sometimes the lessons we learn best are the nasty ones. Going forward, what Ashley should do is open to debate but he certainly now knows what he should not do.

    Having taken the club off the market brings about a sense of security and importantly direction. We as fans should also recognise our mistakes and learn and while Ashley may not be your first choice due to his thrift but what we can be assured of to a large degree is financial stability which many clubs cannot confidently say.

    We do not choose our owners so let us make the best of our situation because no will do it for us.

    So let us unite and fully back our club Newcastle united and owner Mike Ashley.

  64. All I say is -If anyone thinks Mike Ashley is doing this for anything other than his sole benefit, then you are deluding yourself. Mike Ashley only wants what is best for Mike Ashley.

  65. @Micky Toon: Same way you want what is best for you, no?

    Let us put it this way. Our wants are actually congruent. Consider: Ashley wants a profit now and in the long term, we can agree there. In order to realise this want he must make Newcastle competitive. That way Fans attend games, we go on long cup runs providing plenty of opportunity for for TV money, gate intakes, commerce (fans buying Newcastle Merchandise, sponsorship money as other will be competing for space to advertise on our Jersey because of more TV time due to our success). All in the while the fans are getting what they want, success, no?

    So for you to behave as though our goals are distinct and unrelated is simply silly.