Probing the pension broker behind NUST.

Posted on February 4th, 2010 | 163 Comments |

SIPP Broker Ltd's Lynn Steele (right).
SIPP Broker Ltd's Lynn Steele (right).
The acronym “SIPP” (Self Invested Personal Pension) has recently become a familiar one to all those who have supported the NUST in their bid to drive owner, Mike Ashley, from St James’s Park. It is one of the primary financial vehicles used to persuade people to invest savings and pensions in the NUST’s Barack Obama inspired “Yes We Can” campaign.

In this story I will be looking at the financial brain behind the NUST, Lynn Steele, and her company, “The SIPP Broker Ltd”, in Halifax. Formed less than two years ago, the SIPP Broker Ltd’s rise has been not far short of meteoric, and it’s business development team includes figures such as ex Chelsea player, David Speedie, and ex ‘Spurs player, Graham Roberts, who were brought in to exploit oppotunities from the highly lucrative world of football.

It was Speedie who caused a huge furore in 2004 after referring to black people as “blackies” and “ni**ers” at a charity function, after agreeing with Ron Atkinson’s comments about black player, Marcel Desailly, who was described as a “lazy thick ni**er” by the veteran manager and pundit. It was Roberts who, in his capacity as a business development advisor for the pension selling firm, also fronted the “Fans 401” bid for Newcastle United some time ago.

On that bid, Lynn Steele said in an interview with the Halifax Courier:

“The supporters’ trust is the key.”

One way Steele established supporter trust was to cut the NUST in on the deal, promising them a percentage of revenue raised, and gaining their full support for the scheme. When that bid fell through however, SIPP Broker Ltd turned to it’s partners in the NUST to reignite it’s business development opportunity, and the “Yes We Can” campaign was born. Speaking at the launch of the second campaign in October of last year, she explained how the opportunity would work:

“We need around 4,000 investors to put in the £20,000 and then we have the magical £100m figure as HM Revenue and Customs will top it up with £5,000 in tax relief. The money could come from businesses, individuals or from pension pots.

“We haven’t tried yet and we already have £20m committed, I think it could be very easy to get the rest with some effort.

“It could take three to six months to get the money raised if we are using the pension model. If we get more than £100m then we can put more money into the club.”

Returning to the previous interview with Mrs Steele, there was another interesting part in the piece, though not from Mrs Steele herself. The Courier explained:

“Now the firm has 50 introducer firms on its books – independent financial advisers, accountants and law firms – who refer their clients to the SIPP Broker because of its specialist knowledge.”

Would any of these firms perhaps be on this list?

“We will be launching a list in the next few days of 27 IFAs who can advise you on the best way to invest in the Club.” (From the NUST website).

It’s guess it’s time to dig deeper…

NUFCBlog Author: workyticket workyticket has written 1091 articles on this blog.

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163 Responses

  4. Back on topic, who says investigative journalism is dead. A very important article. I would love it just love it for us to own the club but not by swapping one load of chancers for another, particularly if they are using peoples pensions. Big Mike never sank that low.

  5. @ worky
    and your point is?
    Im sure if you did a bit of investigative digging you find out more trivia. Maybe john terry knows graham roberts or david speedie. Oh that would be terrible.
    Why not do the same with the chief executive of lloyds or barclays? You might get a shock! They might have an employee who is a mackem supporter! Heaven forbid if the general public found that out. The financial institutions would collapse over night.
    My god worky youve excelled on this one haven t you.
    Absolute tosh and it sounds like you are desperate to get your point over that you dont trust them.
    I would’nt bother digging deeper in case you find out something you dont want to hear.
    Then again you print it would you? !

  6. sick of hearing aboot nust just as iam sick of hearing how good mike ashley is get a fckin grip

  7. Likewise Batty, I’m fed up of all the NUST talk and Mike Ashley talk.

    Even more fed up of Chopra saying he isn’t going to celebrate on Friday night – get a grip lad, you’ll never score in a month of sundays at St James’s.

  10. i see batty has been oot and aboot. :)http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/Police-appeal-over-Shields-flasher.6040676.jp

  11. Very interesting article Worky. Hope you keep digging and find out more about this subject.
    If anyone has a link for the Cardiff game that will get me some radio coverage of the game here in USA, can they please post it on here. Cheers, Jilly Bean

  12. Bobby Shinton’s a bit harsh… but probably right. Although I really appreciate your efforts to get some real info, Worky – this ain’t (ahem) the finished article. What you appear to have done is look for any link which casts aspertions upon those involved.

    But if you take those quotes on their own without the background “isn’t it suspect?” chatter, there’s nowt wrong with any of it.

    This is how funds get built. £100m is chickenfeed compared to most, and SIPPS are generally a very good idea as part of a pension pot. (Note ‘part’ – I believe the NUST will only let you invest a maximum portion to make sure you don’t over-risk.)

    I’ve not been impressed with NUST recently, but I know the different between inept PR and a lack of financial nouse.

    Yes, the brokers will make a lot of money if this comes off. So they should – they’ll have risked several years and hundreds of thousands of pounds to get there. They probably aren’t even nice people, but find me someone in that industry who is. (Sorry to the one exception who’s bound to read this.)

    We just have to wait for that prospectus. But they really need to extract their digit, because they’re losing momentum and trust with every day’s delay.

  13. @Jill

    You must be stardust under another name!

    How can you take this article seriously?

    The links are hilarious!!

    I am serious when I say he may find out Graham Roberts and David Speedie may know John Terry. That is how trivia the links are.

    Unbelievable!

    Anyway, Batty, I’m with you. I haven’t been on the blog for a week or so and I don’t know if people are supporting Ashley, but by your comments it appears people actually have been stupid enough to believe he is pulling things round!!

    He has officially spent £500,000k on players that we know of. All the others are loans and undisclosed fees! Yet his “yes” man hooters is quoted as “THE NEW SIGNINGS HAVE ALL THE POTENTIAL TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES AS PREMIERSHIP PLAYERS”
    That is frightening! We’ve got the scraps from championship clubs and he really expects them to be Premier players! Very worrying!

    Has Hooters not realised we are playing absolute garbage football and scraping wins against dross. Also, just like every other manager does, he drops established first teamers for his own buys to the detriment of the team.
    I am no fan of Jonas, but he should start every game for us considering the competition for his place is woeful, yet he leaves him on the bench for the last game whilst he plays his inadequate signings.

    No wonder we never scored!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  15. @Whumpie

    That has been my whole point since NUST was set up.

    Wait for the prospectus and make an informed decision.

    Worky, Stardust and the like are absolutely disgraceful and don’t speak on behalf of as many individuals as they believe.

    Stardust has one agenda, Mike Ashley and the hatred of the common fan.

    God knows what Worky’s is? Boredom?

  16. lot of fans saying this young dutch kid played well in attack mode wonder if it would work playing him and j.e.when fit on the left side as both can def as well

  17. Lynn Steele and the SIPP broker are NO LONGER associated with NUST in ANY way and are NOT the pension broker looking at the SIPP model.If you do some digging make sure you dig in the right places and are factually correct.

    One of the reasons that the prospectus is delayed is the weeding out of the financial people who are serious and proper and those who are just out to make a buck out of the fans which NO ONE at NUST wants to see or happen….

  19. I am starting to wonder if Stardust is actually one of Ashley’s kids – he’s that ridiculously biased sometimes.

    He’s also admitted that he’s basically an MBA-type financial boy, of the type who just crashed the world’s economy through sheer stupidity and arrogance.

    But it would be dull on here without the likes of him, and he does occasionally say something sensible. Ho hum.

    Back on NUST (sorry Batty) – I’m wondering just how much support they’ll still have if they take another month to get this prospectus out. All I’ve had from them is very biased missives which tell me very little, and that does not inspire the sort of confidence that’ll part me with my cash.

    Still, I’m keeping an open mind.. just.

  20. TCD – sorry, didn’t see your post until after I’d sent mine. Interesting update… but NUST needs to tell people about the delay rather than just let things fester. Otherwise you get articles like this one damaging credibility… no matter now wide of the mark they are.

  21. TCD – as you’re so well informed – would you like to enlighten us why youre heading down the Collective Investment Scheme route when there are far more sensible and cheap ways of doing these things. Do you even know what these routes are? Why did you launch without knowing what you were getting ordinary people into. Why do you think its acceptable to ask people for the pensions into a scheme when you havent even got any financials – on that basis dont even dare try and distance yourself from the fact YOU have asked for peoples pensions – their futures for gods sake.

    Can you also elaborate on the long term protection of fans in light of shortfalls in revenue and the subsequent devaluation of shares that will occur in light of the lead investors picking it up – what is the formula for that shortfall and devaluation?

    Finally – I cant see how you can possibly try to have any credibility with the Mike Ashley taking 7m a month out of NUFC – firstly the income this year will be far less than that – but since the club is losing money each year – your actually suggesting a deficit of 100million this year in NUFCs books. Crawl back under your rock fella. As I have said your hatred has clouded NUSTs view – NUST are the cancer at the heart of this club – the quicker it and you are cut out the better.

    Your leadership is as clueless as I have ever seen – nationally coming out with gaff after gaff – you embarrass NUFC – just stop now before you hurt more people and the club.

  22. Bobby Shinton – You’ve messed up. You’ve posted under Troy Stavers. You need to keep this in mind in the future. If you are going to be sad enough to have more than one personality on here, at least keep to type when posting. Getting them mixed up just looks daft.

  23. The whole NUST thing is totally irrelevant as they will never get control of the club. So even if they were the best thing ever for the Toon the continuing debate and saga is a waste of time other than to provide a supporting comedy act to the main show, i.e. promotion for the club and either MA to become our Saviour or he sells to a serious wealthy buyer. Thats it folks.

  24. Micky Toon, looks like you may have found a serious internet illness, Schizoblogging, perhaps NUST can set up a charity to help fund research into cures. ;)

  25. And Bobby / Troy scores an own goal lol – too late Stavers – youve outed yourself twice now lol.

  26. i too noticed the bobby/troy slip up. had me laughing away to myself though so i will continue to go along with Bobby and Troy being individuals. Will you be doing the same Stardust? haha

  27. MT – that’s a bit unfair. All individuals should have the right to post on here. Just because one personality logs on incorrectly under the previous one’s id? At least they seem to agree with each other.

    I think MPS is the correct term, not schizoblogger.

    And it’s fair to say, ye div not kna the half of it…

  28. BBM,i agree everyone has the right to post and good to debate,but sure stardust is ,ashley,know all,used to have a teacher at school like that,belive or get hit with stick pain in arse

  29. Stardust says:
    February 4, 2010 at 11:38 am
    And Bobby / Troy scores an own goal lol – too late Stavers – youve outed yourself twice now lol
    <<<< ha ha people still dont relise your all the same person but why beleive me cos i always tell lies dont i stardy ?

  30. BBB, MPS, Multiple Personality Syndrome? if thats what you mean then it’s more or less the same as Schizoblogging. Not that I’m trying to start an argument the comment was made as a joke. I’m sure all the contributors to this blog are rational mentally sound people with serious social comments to make.

  31. He is my mate anyway Ross – and to be fair he is mad anyway – never know who its turning up for a pint – Bobby or Troy.

    Bit like having a pint with Captain Chaos!

  32. Course they are Big Wil!…

    Scizoblogging will do.

    In fairness, when he’s being half-sensible he puts up some great arguments. And when he’s not, he’s quite amusing. Either way, the MPS is contributing well.

  33. Incidentally, it’s fair to say I don’t agree with trying to pull the NUST to bits. But that’s a given for the regulars and I’m only a part of this blog. worky is obviously more than entitled to write what he feels like. But I think the lads might end up being surprised by the credibility of the new approach, even if they still disagree with it.

    I’d also say to Dusty, that while accusing people of “hindsight hatred”, I believe was the term. Does the same not apply here? You’re still trying to hang NUST for indiscretions that they’re trying admirably to move away from? (in addition to some of the more recent things, which I also didn’t agree with by the way).

  34. Nust’s ‘spin’ is gonna better in the future-So i’ll give ’em me cash then, shall i?
    Na!
    Dave cameron seems like such a nice man on tv/radio-Might as well vote for his ‘spin’ too-Na!

  36. Stardust – you really are one arrogant, vitriolic tool sometimes.

    Can you just get one thing straight before you go slandering people like that:

    NUST HAVEN’T ASKED ANYONE FOR MONEY YET.

    All they have done is give an overview of what they want to do and ask for an indication from people as to whether they’d be interested in investing based on that.

    They have made it VERY clear that this is just a necessary toe in the water to test whether there is enough support to continue to the point of a prospectus, and that commitment to provide funds will ONLY come once we’ve had a chance to look at all the detail you have so eloquently listed.

    I’m guessing you’ve got an MBA and bugger-all understanding of what it all means in practice. What really bothers me is the way you go so off at the deep end when it comes to NUST; it makes me deeply distrust your motives. I honestly think you have Ashley connections now.

  37. BBB, I wouldn’t disagree with what your saying, I don’t know that much about NUST ( perhaps there is an underlying conspiricy angle here, NWO again :) )and as I said they could be the best thing since sliced bread. But I don’t see them as having any chance of taking control at the club. There may be an outside chance of Ashley allowing them to to contribute to the clubs coffers but I doubt if it would be any more than that. IMO all they are contributing to the Toon is an amusing side show for us th churn over repeatedly.
    As someone said in a much earlier blog, the supporter controlled club model is based in an earlier era of football and unless there is a total financial collapse of the major clubs in this country (or abroad even) it just aint going to happen.

  38. BBM – “I’d also say to Dusty, that while accusing people of “hindsight hatred”, I believe was the term. Does the same not apply here? You’re still trying to hang NUST for indiscretions that they’re trying admirably to move away from?”

    You simply cant dissociate yourself from your program when all you’ve done is distanced yourself from an individual. You simply cant say OK we asked for your money and we didnt know what we were doing a few months ago but we do now – so give us your money now?

    So BBM – a Q for you. Do you think their attempts are now warranted and even more so “well timed”. They will have to use mass protests to get the club for 100m if we are promoted.

  39. i find it absolutely unbelievable how you give stardust the time me day with his views. He absolutely howls at you lot at the way he manipulates you. He has no other agenda than to support ashley. This is the same creep who went on daily hissy fits about you lot not supporting ashley! He is over the moon that NUST have come along and is using them as a deflection. The great thing is, NUST, who im totally behind, and for the life of me, cant understand why the theory doesnt hit home with you lot, other than being dense, they are gathering momentum and i hope they destroy you little shmooks once and for all.

  41. Stardust – you need some consistency, fella. When it comes to Ashley’s horrendous misdemeanours you say ‘forget that and concentrate on now’ but with NUST you jump to huge and unjustifiable assumptions before they’ve even given us any information and try to slaughter them based on total speculation.

    You display more bias on here than anybody; it’s ridiculous. Sometimes amusing, but ridiculous!

  42. I think the anti-NUST stuff gets my goat because I know what it takes to get something like that off the ground when all you get is cynical sniping in return. I’d guess that there is someone among the founders who is (putting it politely) not the best PR man going, but while they’ve invited some piss-take they have not justified the sort of vicious attack coming from Stardust and some others.

    (And yep, that £7m a week thing was a clanger of biblical proportions…)

  43. Whumpie – I stated these things even as their announcements were made as I have experience – real life experience – something they fundamentally lack – your MBA text book assertion made you look a little silly there..

    Do not even try to state they werent asking for money without their financial model being in place – they were inviting people to attend various IFAs and lodge their pledges – for an INVESTMENT – later to be made from their pension funds on clarification of further detail.

    A quick rap on the hands MADE them change their language and register with the FSA as they havent got a clue what they are doing. All of this is needlessly expensive to run – but again in your view I am guessing at that I suppose – but I am not here to give those cretins any advice.

    To launch such a scheme without a financial model is unforgivable end of. They are playing with peoples lives – and just because you have a degree of common do not assume all of the people signed up to NUST have – thats why the FSA have to govern schemes – to protect the vulnerable.

    NUSTs scheme is campaigns at those who are subject to care in the community – if they arent – they should be.

  46. ASHLEYSARSEOLE,have no view on nust one way or other,but stardust does my head in learned now to switch to another blog at 28

  47. Whumpie – there are proper, legal, ethical and moral ways to raise cash – they displayed neither on launch – they then come out with outright lies and scaremongering – EVEN NOW.

    Please do not compare a regime trying to run a football club in difficult circumstances with a bunch of chancers lying and rabble rousing to try buy a huge organisation with other peoples money.

  48. bowburn,
    i’m a realist mate, that may include a soupcon of cynicism, granted.
    But they can’t make all the PR gaffes that they’ve delivered & get away with it, can they?
    They sound like mongs to me, sorry.
    So they can draft whom ever in to clean up their spiel, but that will not detract from the fact that they’ve come across in such a amateurish & vitriolic way that only degrades their stance further.
    Just like some will never trust Ashley, some will never trust NUST, simple.

  49. On a slightly different subject, congrats to the youngsters for their win last night. There has to be a fair chance that some of them will get first team call ups before the end of the season.
    I don’t normally say what I think the team for our next game will be as you just never know if CH or the back room mafia or picking it.
    But a lineup of:-
    Harper
    Simpson-Williamson-Collo-Aanholt
    Routledge-Guthrie-Smith-Jonas
    Carrol-Lovenkrands
    Looks good to me, the only snag is whether they can gel
    together quickly albeit that shouldn’t be a problem.

    I have a horrible feeling that the BRM will insist on Nolan and Butt starting however.

    Oh and sorry, I am an idiot I forgot to mention NUST.

  50. Nah Stardust, that wasn’t what I meant. I think you make things out to be far worse than they are, as Whumpie has implied. I’m aware how disingenuous the financial world can be, particularly at the broker level. But so too are NUST by all accounts, hence weeding out those just in it to make money off the movement without due care.

    I was really referring to how you’ve constantly pilloried them at every step and harked back to incidents when they had barely been what the NUST looks like today. I agree the claim about Ashley was foolhardy as it came across as a snidey tactic. That’s not to say there aren’t elements of truth about the financials involved.

    I don’t think they have a chance if they haven’t considered the increase in value should we be promoted. But as I’ve said previously, with the increase of stature comes not only an increase in value but an increase in the investments. How they handle the share issues once they get bigger investors, as you’ve suggested, would need to be well-documented and controlled and there are obvious risks you’ve pointed out. But your egotistical and aggressive manner is unnecessary in my opinion.

  51. I think many on here are confusing ‘what Stardust says’ with ‘the way he says it’.
    You might not like the latter, but that doesn’t necessarily negate the validity.
    Don’t be so touchy, others on here come out with far worse, far harsher, semantics.
    It’s just boring when people pick up on the way it’s said as opposed to what’s said.
    A sure fire admission, if ever i heard/read one, that you can’t argue with the point.
    Soz like.

  53. Stardust, you’re so far off one side of the scale it’s just infuriating. You defend a known, tried-and-convicted con who’s shown again and again that he has no scruples. Yes, I like what he’s doing now, but you cannot defend his character – he’s a proven crook.

    Then you launch into the NUST and accuse THEM of being crooks because they’ve been bad – in your opinion – at the way they’ve gone about things.

    I don’t think you understand what they are trying to do or what it takes to do it. You cannot apply your “Idiots’ Guide to Setting up a Football Trust” here. This is an iterative, speculative and evolving process where wrong turns and about-faces are inevitable. I agree that the people who started it are probably not the sort of people you hand money to, but then they went to Trust status… good move… then they started to get proper expertise in… good move… then they adjusted their approach to fall in with legal guidelines… essential move.

    All I’ve seen is what you’d expect from non-expert, passionate supporters trying to put together a groundbreaking, ambitious, professional and complicated business structure. Lots of clangers, yes – but look subjectively at what we KNOW about the NUST people and what we KNOW about Ashley, and it baffles me how you can defend the latter and attack the former.

    The only explanations I can think of are:
    1. You are closely linked with Ashley and (correctly) have a need (possibly a brief) to discredit NUST before they become too big a threat, or
    2. You’re just really, really good at wumming.

  54. How Big Willy,
    Best instead of Carroll & if fit, Barton over Guthrie, if not, it’s toss up between Guthrie & Nolan.

  55. CLiNT FLiCK @48 – that’s more like it. If Stardust could stick to that kind of honest comment it would be ok. I kind of agree with you; I’m just hopeful that they’ll turn it around yet. Probably just blind optimism.

  56. CLiNT FLiCK – undoubtedly Stardust loses credibility in the manner he communicates his expertise and financial sense. It’s a shame he couldn’t take the time out that he takes on here to offer an email or two to NUST to explain what his concerns in a constructive manner. But because he’s judged them, they aren’t worthy of his expertise by all accounts.

    Of course, if were to help out, it could sabotage Big Mike’s future reign and he wouldn’t want that now…

    So sullying NUST is the way forward.

  57. Whumpie – let me buy you a few rounds at the Bristol game. For speaking my mind so eloquently for me.

  58. Cheers whumpie,
    i get what y’saying mate.
    I just try not to get abusive, hey, it’s difficult sometimes & i have bitten back on occasion. Let’s try & keep it to a minimum & apologize sometimes.

    ashleysarsehole,
    if you ‘be’ yourself, we’ll think for ourselves mate.
    ;)

  59. NUST are a bit like a plane without engines, they’ll never get off the ground, who in their right mind is going to risk their pension on a football club? which historically run at a loss. I’m sorry but the only people to have made money out of Newcastle were Shepherd and Hall, don’t know why they are wasting their time..

  60. Big Willy @49 – That’s the team I’d like to see start, but I’d be happy with most combinations of striker. I think I’d start with Carroll/Loverboy and get Best on and either Ranger or Shola depending on how the defenders are doing against height versus pace.

    Can’t wait to see what happens when the opposition has TWO wingers to defend against, and I still think Guthrie could be our 1st choice in the middle, with Smith behind.

    Isn’t it great to be looking forward to matches like this? It’s been a few years…

  61. bowburn,
    do y’reckon NUST would prefer us not to get promoted so as to keep the price down, so therefore try & sabotage said promotion.
    Now there’s cynicism for ya’.
    Eeeesh!
    :)

  62. BBM – you’re on for that. Actually, you may get a chance before then, as I’m flying up for the Preston match on the 20th.

    Anyone got any good suggestions for making the most of that weekend? Got two mates from the SE coming along for the ride (not Toon, but open to the experience) and I’ve got tickets right in the middle of the Gallowgate end; the loudest bit.

    Where to go for beer before and after? Where to go later to find some intimidatingly direct slappers who are drunk enough to chat up middle-aged married men?

    Suggestions please gentlemen! It’s been 20-odd years since I lived in Gosforth, so I’m a smidge out of date, like…

  63. Whumps – do Central before the game mate, loads of decent bars round there – Union Rooms, Long Bar, The Forth then Tilleys on the way up and maybe catch one up round the Gate in the Newc Arms or somewhere. I’ll figure out a route beforehand.

    Central and the Gate (although that will be chocka straight after) for the night. If things get desperate (reeeeally desperate) just succomb to Grey’s Club or the lapdancers down the way.

  64. CLiNT FLiCK – beyond cynical 8O

    Though truthfully, if we could have a clean slate, some trustworthy plans and guarantee that we assume the same sort of financial sense that most on here advocate, then what’s the harm?

    I’m not desperate for Premiership status. Cleansing the soul may take longer than one season anyway.

  65. Ah – Grey’s Club. Took my best mate there for his stag do in 2000. I’ve never been in the presence of so many fuglies in my life. It was like a drag club for rugby players!

    I hanker for the days of Tux 2 and ‘trebles for a quid’ in happy hour! Two pints of Braindeath (9 whiskies topped up with lemonade) and set for the night. Happy days.

    Hopefully we can end up with a decent crowd – doesn’t matter much where you end up if you take the people with you, eh.

  66. @30 Big Willy says:
    February 4, 2010 at 12:20 pm
    BBB, MPS, Multiple Personality Syndrome?

    Nah… not at all, there are some on here who are stark staring bonkers, crackers, round-the-bend…. eg NUTS!

  67. Personally, I’d be happy if we had Ashley owning and NUST with a stake and a place on the board. Nice balance, and I’d be ok with ignoring the significant flaws of both parties. I may even bung some money in… but I wouldn’t necessarily expect to see a profit…

  68. Exactly mate.

    Incidentally the “loudest bit” is Level 7 with the radgies. You’ve missed out there. It’s like being 18 all over again!!!

    Mind you Cardiff will probably try to turn the place over tomorrow night so it could be interesting for those of us up in the cheap seats.

  69. Clint, trouble with Best and Barton is that one is a total newbie and t’other is just returning from injury. I think they both should get on at some point but not start.

    BBM sorry mate but for some reason I keep using BBB, sort of thing that happens as you get older.

    And Whumpie, indeed two wingers, perhaps it will help Carroll (or whoever starts) to shine with some real chances to convert.

  70. BBM – I’m glad I’m not the only one who will have mixed feelings about going back to the Prem… whenever that happens. From the outside it looks even more like a club for corrupt barrow-boys in suits, with idiots paid obscene amounts to fall over and cheat at every opportunity.

    At least in the CCC Smudger can tackle someone without expecting a law suit…

  71. Did anyone else think Ranger’s (sadly offside) strike on Monday was a belter? On the volley, while airborne and stretched out, and right into the corner!

    Bring it on, Taffs.

  72. Big Willy – no bother. I gathered it was a typo. Of course there is an astute post going by that acronym. Though he’s slightly less diplomatic than me. Which I like!!

    Whump – yep, more honest in every way down here.

  73. Big Willy,
    Knw what y’saying, but Carroll plays like a newby anyhow, half the time & according to Harper, Barton’s champing at the bit to get on.
    I just think with Best, try the lad at hyem, he’ll be stoked right up for it.
    Carroll can slow the attack & wander off outside the box, when he should push into the box & perhaps win the odd pen.

  74. Tell you what, I would hate to be in the tunnel if Barton was to get another injury.

    Whumpie yeah one or two legal goals like that would do nicely. It’s never a good thing to tempt the fickle Gods of football but I really fancy us for a good win Friday.

    A win for me in the Euro Lottery would make it a nice double. £85m wouldn’t change my way of life though. Not bloo*y much it wouldn’t. :)

    NUST haven’t said it for a while. ;)

  75. I really don’t see it working, AT ALL, with NUST having a ‘stake/cut/%’ of the club.
    & i really can’t see Ashley dealing with them after their crude attempts to defame him constantly in the press & on their site. Yet another dumb move by them, mashing any chance of a working relationship, der!
    Surely, they would be against anything the rest of the board were for, & just become a stumbling block, if not, like Stardust suggests, a canker, festering inside the club. Can’t see any point to advocating that potentially, poisonous scenario.

  76. Clint – good point about them burning their bridges with Ashley. Big own-goal, I think. Shame; could’ve been a good move for both sides.

    NUST are going to have to re-think things now Ashley’s demonstrated some competence in the transfer window. He may be a hated figure, but instability is hated more right now.

  77. The only watering hole name I recognise from my nights out in the Toon the is the Long Bar. I doubt if I’d know where I was if I was to visit. Nostalgia just aint what it was.

  78. CLiNT, comment 75 more or less what I was thinking and saying. I just don’t think that saloon is big enough for both of them. IMO Ashley is too much of a control freak to allow another party (antagonistic or not) to have a say. Thats why I keep saying NUST is an event not waiting to happen. It’s a dead parrot, it’s nailed to the perch, deceased, in the great aviary in the sky, dead Jim.

  80. For bar recommendations got to theburglarsdog dot co dot uk. They don’t update it anymore, which is a shame, but it’s funny as feck.

    BBM@27 – Not sure what you are saying here. I don’t think anyone should stop posting, even that idiot who always posts “1st” and then nowt else. It’s their time they’re wasting.

  81. Whumpie,
    If they’d gone about it, from the get go, in a professional, magnanimous way, it would have been a great idea. Particularly the % of the club bit.
    But i fear they’ve blown it big time, by being way too emotionally charged & attached, first up.
    I have nothing against the fans either owning all or part thereof, the club, on the contrary. But i just think these guys have wasted & potentially killed the whole situation. How totally & utterly disappointing.

  82. Funny as f*** Big W :)

    But, didn’t Ashley ask if anyone wanted to invest/join on for cowboys & indians, way back when?
    So maybe they shoulda approached him from that angle, with the prospect of eventually buying him out, over time?

  83. A NEWCASTLE VAN DRIVER USED TO AMUSE HIMSELF BY RUNNING OVER EVERY SUNDERLAND SUPPORTER HE WOULD SEE STRUTTING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN THEIR UBIQUITOS RED AND WHITE COLOURS HE WOULD SWERVE TO HIT THEM AND THERE WOULD BE A LOUD THUMP AND THEN HE WOULD SWERVE BACK ON THE ROAD ONE DAY AS THE DRIVER WAS DRIVEING ALONG HE SAW A PRIEST HITCH HIKING HE THOUGHT HE WOULD DO A GOOD TURN AND PULLED THE VAN OVER.HE ASKED THE PRIEST WHERE ARE YOU GOING FATHER IM GOING TO SAY MASS AT ST JOSEPHS CHURCH ABOUT 2 MILES DOWN THE ROAD REPLIED THE PRIEST NO PROBLEM FATHER ILL GIVE YOU A LIFT CLIMB IN THE HAPPY PRIEST CLIMBED INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT AND THE VAN CONTINUED DOWN THE ROAD SUDDENLY THE DRIVER SAW A SUNDERLAND FAN WALKING DOWN THE ROAD AND INSTINCTIVLEY SWERVED TO HIT HIM JUST IN TIME HE REMEMBERED THE BLOODY PRIEST SO AT THE LAST MINUTE HE SWERVED BACK TO THE ROAD NARROWLY MISSING THE BSTARD HOWEVER EVEN THOUGH HE WAS CERTAIN HE MISSED THE GLORY HUNTING S HITE HE STILL HEARD A LOUD THUD NOT UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE NOISE CAME FROM HE GLANCED IN HIS MIRRORS AND WHEN HE DIDNT SEE ANYTHING HE TURNED TO THE PRIEST AND SAID SORRY FATHER I ALMOST HIT THAT SUNDERLAND FAN THATS OK REPLIED THE PRIEST I GOT THE FCKER WITH THE DOOR

  84. CLiNT, Yeah I think he would happily take their money but thats as far as they would get.

    Batty I hate to be pedantic but there are some errors in your (very funny joke).

    Substitute, slinking for strolling, stumbling for walking, delete glory hunting and insert pathetic survival hoping, and surely a simple exorcism would have been more appropriate to his calling.

  85. MT@80 – I was being facetious about the nature of the split personality. I can’t believe my mind-double (you) didn’t get it 8O

  86. I think sometimes my humour is a bit too subtle.

    Or ‘s**t’ might be a better word for it…

  87. BBM, I suspect MT’s comment was in the same vein, but I have to agree you sometimes think it’s a pearls before swine feeling.
    I don’t believe any one has been banned as yet so free speech appears to be the order of the day.

  88. Noticed following his investigative journalism piece Workey kept a low profile.
    Have to say were I thinking about investing in NUST
    I would certainly take into account those involved and their financial track records and any group associated with the likes of Speedie and Roberts(known scam artists and racists) it would definately be a case of “buyer beware”.

  89. BW – Aye, I was just trying to carry on the joke. Woosht… straight ower MT’s head. I blame myself and not him for that though.

  90. capello phones wayne bridge up and sez terry has lost the captains armband m8 so could u do me a favor and chech under your bed plz

  95. dave he won 400 dollars 4 of his m8s bet him 100 each that he couldnt drink 2 bottles of tobasko sauce the daft bugger

  96. TCD says:
    February 4, 2010 at 10:40 am

    “Lynn Steele and the SIPP broker are NO LONGER associated with NUST in ANY way and are NOT the pension broker looking at the SIPP model.If you do some digging make sure you dig in the right places and are factually correct.

    One of the reasons that the prospectus is delayed is the weeding out of the financial people who are serious and proper and those who are just out to make a buck out of the fans which NO ONE at NUST wants to see or happen….”

    Neil,

    That must be a VERY recent development, which I will check again. When did you sever all ties with Lynn Steele and The SIPP Broker Limited? And who will be your new Pensions advisor?

    Also, about that poll. Both myself, and Ed Harrison at The Newcastle United ‘Blog have noticed some very strange discrepancies there. I noticed, as he did, that the questions were framed in a certain way that assumed that all fans had voted negatively against Mike Ashley’s in the previous question. Why was that?

    One thing which he was canny enough to check, which I didn’t, was that voters could vote over and over again, which would render any results meaningless anyway. Why was there no security in place to prevent this from happening? Was it deliberate?

    Finally, it’s results are way out of kilter with other polls on the same subject.

    http://www.nufcblog.com/2010/02/03/we-agree-ashley-is-unpopular-but-96-of-fans-oppose-him/

    Then, of course, you attempted to ‘spike’ the results still further by posting a blatant falsehood about Mike Ashley’s supposed £7 million a month profit per month just before the link to the poll itself. Why did you do this? Did you not see how incredibly stupid, and harmful to your credibility this would be?

    More questions:

    When did Mike Ashley tell you that £10 million would be acceptable as proof of funds? All other prospective purchasers of hte club have had to produce the whole amount, so when did he tell you that he would make a special dispensation just for yourselves?

    Who will receive up to £0.5 million in “administration costs” if your bid for the club falls through, and who will receive the interest that will be earned on having £10 million in a high interest Escrow account for however long it is held?

    I don’t know how you can expect people to trust your organisation with their hard earned savings and pensions when you behave in such a cavalier fashion. Also, I don’t know how you expect to persuade Mike Ashley to sell a part, or all of the club to NUST when you disseminate false information about him, and adopt a tone of complete hostility. It just doesn’t make sense at all I’m afraid.

  97. Thats good mate ;) he wont go short off food then. It was just an old mate of mine is in Bastion.
    Looking forward till tomoro nights match hope we start on the attack and keep at it :lol:

  98. dave they have a kfc subway and burger king on the base plus a kebab shop and as for the football it will be the same old m8

  99. batty says:
    February 4, 2010 at 6:15 pm

    “dave they have a kfc subway and burger king on the base plus a kebab shop”

    Sounds like he’s based with the Septic Tanks, batty?

  102. LOL Dave. I was slipping into a bit of Cockney there Septic Tanks / Sherman Tanks = Yanks.

    I was curious about whether the British lads get all those KFCs and such on their own bases now?

  103. Us Brits don’t eat KFC or Burger King – We like a scone and a cup of tea just before ‘tiffin’

    Worky – Who’s TCD or Neil?

  104. Batty, 2 bottles sheese, did he need medical treatment after that.

    I read that Starbucks are anti war and basically told some squaddies who were asking for some of their coffee to be sent out to them to s*d off. Don’t know if is an urban mythe or true but an e-mail doing the rounds was suggesting a boycott of their cafes.

    No problem for me as I think they are pretentious bugg*rs anyway and the greasy spoon place in the same location sells better and cheaper coffee where I live

  105. “batty says:
    February 4, 2010 at 3:37 pm
    stardust dont want too spoil your day but john terrys car is parked oot side your house m8”

    Lol – very very funny Batman. :)

  106. Big Willy says:
    February 4, 2010 at 7:23 pm
    Batty, 2 bottles sheese, did he need medical treatment after that.

    I read that Starbucks are anti war and basically told some squaddies who were asking for some of their coffee to be sent out to them to s*d off. Don’t know if is an urban mythe or true but an e-mail doing the rounds was suggesting a boycott of their cafes.
    <<<< i dont know m8 but there is agood few coffee shops on base

  107. Woo hoo hoo hoo!!!

    A cannit wait for the morro neet like!!!

    Big Mick is organising a massive fight with the Cardiff hooligans and the gremlins! Am meeting Big Mick and Dekka doon Durham train station at midday and waiting for the Taffs!! Good fighter Big Mick like. We’ve been practising loads of fight moves the day like in me back yard. Dekka’s godda a raker jab on him like.

    Anyways, Big MIck is ganna wear his 4 Belcher rings!! Pure radge packet like Big Mick like. A divvent need owt like that like cos a kna ave got one of the best punches in the North East like. Dekka telt is man! He says,
    “HOO TROY, YE MUST HAVE ONE OF THE BEST PUNCHES IN THE NORTH EAST LIKE!! PURE RAKER PUNCHER LIKE!”

    Hoo dafties, if ye’s wanna join wu like, wu peddling doon to the central the morra at 11 bells and jumping on the train to Durham.

    Big Mick says he’s reet up for it like!! He reckons he’s ganna wear aal his old 1970’s skinheed gear like. Tee-shirt, braces, cut off jeans and 18 hole Docs!!

    Divvent turn up like if yi divvent want to ruck. Am fast anyway but once a drop a wrap of speed, nee one is quick enough to see me punches coming.!!

    Here yi doylems, get yorsels doon and fight for the toon!!

    Laters gaters!!

    Woo hoo hoo hoo!!

  110. Big Willy says:
    February 4, 2010 at 7:23 pm

    “I read that Starbucks are anti war and basically told some squaddies who were asking for some of their coffee to be sent out to them to s*d off. Don’t know if is an urban mythe or true but an e-mail doing the rounds was suggesting a boycott of their cafes. ”

    Big Willy, Personally, I can’t stand Starbucks for all kinds of reasons, but to be fair, I am certain that the thing you mention is 100% ‘Urban Legend’. I came across it because I follow Starbucks quite closely since I was involved in a campaign against their practices with Ethiopian coffee growers and other coffee growers in the very poorest parts of the world.

    I believe that the hoax was started by a Sergeant in the US Army, but as I wrote, it is not true.

  112. stavers :lol: :lol: :lol: ile be there so divent worry when big mick and decka leg it ile look after ya

  113. Stuart79 says:
    February 4, 2010 at 7:15 pm

    “Worky – Who’s TCD or Neil?”

    Stuart, “TCD” was Neil Mitchell, chairman, or interim chairman of the NUST.

    No, I’m not Shami.

  114. Troy, I’ll try to get there if my zimmer frame is out of the repair shop, hope it doesn’t start to late as I have to be back in the care home quite early. I’ll bring my spare set of Titanium false teeth, and a specially weighted walking stick. You might have to hold some of them cos if they are mobile it might be just too much for me to catch them. Anyway what was the question again.

  116. TCD logged in – checked out and chose not to answer the questions he has no answer to – a chancer of the lowest order.

  118. batty says:
    February 4, 2010 at 10:16 pm

    “worky did fat ash know the club was in debt wen he took over ?”

    Well, he seemed to be in a big hurry to buy the club, and he didn’t go through a full due diligence process, but I don’t know for certain what he did or didn’t know exactly about the debt situation when he bought it.

    He did make some rather rash, impulsive decisions at a time when quite a few people made some rash, impulsive decisions about buying and running big football clubs.

  119. i know he didnt know aboot the sponsor money but i read some where that he knew we had 70 mill debt before he took over

  120. I reckon he had a fair idea.
    The guy’s a businessman & a gambler, he’ll have known based on ffs’s face as he was signing it over.

  121. CLiNT – Wasn’t Fat Fred in hospital when it happened? I thought it was sold from under him? Not an easy job if done literally :D

    worky – 1 in edit.

  122. batty – He could have just looked at the previous years books and made an educated guess perhaps?

    Whether the stadium money being repaid clause thing was known about by Ashley is up for questioning though.

  123. I think MA knew we were in debt maybe he didnt know the full extent but I would say he knew most of it. But as Worky says > quite a few people made some rash, impulsive decisions about buying and running big football clubs.

  124. I think he’d of known we were in a pickle batty – but I guess the horror of it was beyond his worst case scenario.

    BBM – a question again – why do you think NUST should expect people to treat them reasonably when they act like scumbags – undermining the club – telling lies – commencing the raising of money in an unethical manner – targetting folks pension funds when they dont even know the consequence of the ask (but are willing to gamble 500 000 that its OK) ?

  125. toonsy,
    he’ll still have met with ashley & talked, you can learn a lot from that, if you know what to ask-Then how to read the answer,
    can’t ya’?

  127. by the way I should have said willing to gamble 500 000k of other peoples money NOT their own.

  128. That & the plain fact that ffs was well prepared to sell whilst on ‘his deathbed’ (great excuse that!).

    We’ve got to remember that, at that time, no one was expecting world financial melt-down & therefore big co. ‘players’ having their ‘worth’ cut by massive %’s.

  129. CLiNT – I suppose. I guess the long and short of it is this.

    1) If Ashley knew that effectively we were broke, did he then think ‘hang on, I can apply my business knowledge, slim the expenditure and make a profit out if it’

    OR

    2) Was he blitheley unaware of the situation and how bad it really was until he got in and had a good look for himself?

  131. Big Dave – I’ve gotta go some to beat my Ashley: sell or stay one the other day. That was quite popular judging by the comments :D

  132. Re NUST I cant help but wonder has no one realised that they have 3 hopes of getting the Toon now for a cool 100 mill, some Hope, Bob Hope and no fcking Hope

  133. Big Dave – I wouldn’t say £100 million is out of the question yet. Were not up yet. If we do go up then yes, it’s bye bye to the £100 million price tag.

  134. toonsy, if you remember,
    this guy has said virtually nothing press-wise. But what he did put out was that he was doing it for kicks, not profit.
    Then all moneygeddon hell breaks loose, kk walks, he’s lost half his wealth overnight, lost the locals & forced to accept that the picture ain’t so rosy all of a sudden.
    That, due as much as anything to mass upheaval, leads to relagation.
    Then a need to become thrifty, but try & get back to the prem & be in a decent financial position at the same time.
    Shit! It could actually be the making of this club, if only by dumb luck/badluck.
    Strange set of circumstances which ever way you look at it.
    Phew!
    Go figure!

  135. CLiNT – Oh aye, I said ages ago after I had calmed down a bit after relgation that it could be the making of us, especially at a time when other clubs are struggling.

    One thing, as you say, its certainly more by luck than Ashley’s judgement that he has a way back that could benefit us.

  136. Stardust question for you I have allways wondered if you ever considered getting intouch with NUTS to advise them on what you obviously know alot about. and that isnt a smart ass remark and im not trying to blow smoke rings ;)

  137. Could just be gamblers ‘rub of the green’ mate.
    I’m sure he’s used to hanging fire & winning/losing on the spin of a coin.
    If you stick with a bad run long enough, y’luck will go the other way.
    He know’s that & he can still, just about, afford it.

  140. CLiNT > Shit! It could actually be the making of this club, if only by dumb luck/badluck.
    Strange set of circumstances which ever way you look at it.Phew!Go figure!
    I think your right Clint in many ways it is what the club needed to sort ourselfs out and get rid of the free loaders we had that would have been still here if we wern’t relegated

  141. Sad but true Dave.
    We would still be stuck with certain players, wages, expectations.
    Held ‘hostage’ by players, agents, other clubs over prices.
    It’s been a reality check for us fans too, & a lot of us probably needed this kick up the arse.
    Let’s just learn from it as a club, board, team, fans, Toon.

  143. @Nora Batty

    You must be one of the thickest people on here yet you are funny. you remind me of alex reid. A lovable prat!!

    This argument has been discussed a thousand times and we all know the answer. Ashley has even said so himself, remarkably, one of his few statements. I didn’t do due diligence so therefore never realised the amount of debt the previous regime had accumulated.

    The big point was, he was so desperate to push things through, cos fat fred had pnuemonia and was unable to fight the sale, he got what he deserved.

    Do not listen to the creep Stardust, who supports Ashley, only cos Stardust hates the common man, despite him being nothing other than one himself, who tries to hide it by wearing designer clothes, yet, he is no richer than me and went to the same secondary education system, ie comprehensive school and ended up in the same job.

    Do not be fooled by this little upstart who does anything to knock you off the fight against the corrupt regime of Ashley, cos he sees Ashley as an ally against the common Geordie fan.

    I knows it, I knows him.

    And Batty, you are thick but have a good sense of humour and as i’ve said to Stardust, your the only one i would like to meet for a pint on this blog.

  144. I just wish people would stop sitting on the fence and come out and say what they think of NUST and Ashley.
    Wusses or what.

  147. @Big Willy

    Oh you are thick, thats why they call you Big Willy.

    In width not length so Batty reckons.

  148. I can just picture Batty noo, sleeping on a heavily stained mattress with his 8 kids and wife, six dogs, 4 cats and an aquarium thick of mildew, nee heating, nee carpets, dishes unwashed for a month, thick grease all over the chip pan on top of the gas hob, dirty clothes littered all over the house, a pony in the kitchen, a goat in the garden and a 52 inch coloured plasma tv!. A taxi everywhere paid by the government cos he has faked a disabled benefit cos he is depressed, net curtains, drinks day all day, smokes 100 tabs a day, kids get nowt, top of the range phone, jumps the NHS queue, free bus and rail passes, never worked but can tell a tale about how he got injured on a building site aged 21 and hurt his back, wife is fat, eats a daily diet of fish and chips, cakes, and out with E ingredients, kids fed on monster munch sandwiches, goes to the toilet once per month and strains so hard it produces more piles, walks around the house all day in his boxer shorts he has had on for a week, nee top on, farts in front of the kids and wife, has a competition who can do it the loudest, votes labour cos his dad did, the kids can’t see their 52 inch plasma cos batty is smoking his rollies one after the other and causing a smoke mist, never takes the dogs oot for a walk but opens the door so they can crap on next doors garden, never picks it up, never washes his hands after going to the toilet, loves the soaps and jeremy kyle and aspires to be on there one day, knocks off the next door neighbour when mrs batty is oot shopping at netto.

    Give mrs Batty my love.

    Troy I mean Booby!

  149. Big Willy, if you mean my views on them then in a ideal world I would want neither. If I had to settle with one of the two I would stick with Ashley. If you meant something else then forget what I just said. ;)

  150. Bloody Hell Bobby, do you do Tarot readings as well?

    Ever seen etc. Basically I was just taking the pee, I think you got that though. :)

  153. booby shitsuey if thats the picture u have in your mind u keep it there me little numb nuts freind

  154. Some of the content of your report contains items which are un true. David Speedie and Graham Roberts have not worked for my company ever – they have referred interested parties to the firm.Four months ago their introducer agreement with us was cancelled by mutual consent.
    In addition we resigned from working with the NUST on their scheme some 4 months ago so best to do a bit more digging to make sure the real facts are shown!

    We are appalled and disgusted with the link in your article with ourselves and racism – and have referred the incorrect elements of you report and this racist link to our solicitor.

  155. Lynn Steele says:
    February 9, 2010 at 7:02 am

    “Some of the content of your report contains items which are un true. David Speedie and Graham Roberts have not worked for my company ever”

    Dear Mrs Steele, I would suggest you inform your solicitor to get in touch in the Halifax Courier too, as they wrote in their interview with you.

    “And Mrs Steele has just employed two former footballers –Graham Roberts, who played for Tottenham Hotspur and David Speedie, who played for Blackburn Rovers – as business development managers.”

    http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/jobstodaylocalnews/A-year-ahead-of-its.5527947.jp

    If it is indeed the case that you have never employed Mr.Roberts and Mr.Speedie, why didn’t you raise the issue with the Courier when you checked the interview, making it clear that the information was incorrect, and potentially libellous?

  157. Lynne – would you like to comment on “TCD says:
    February 4, 2010 at 10:40 am
    Lynn Steele and the SIPP broker are NO LONGER associated with NUST in ANY way and are NOT the pension broker looking at the SIPP model.If you do some digging make sure you dig in the right places and are factually correct.

    One of the reasons that the prospectus is delayed is the weeding out of the financial people who are serious and proper and those who are just out to make a buck out of the fans which NO ONE at NUST wants to see or happen….”

    ….If Worky (owner of the blog) has stated correctly the interim chair of NUST posts TCD – his statement above suggests you were one of the financial people weeded out – a quick question – did you walk or were you pushed.

    Please clarify as NUST’s credibility is at an all time low having already made up falsehood in the scaremongering..

  158. LYNNE maybe instead of sitting on your arse in an office reading blogs you should get your self oot joging and try lose a bit of weight pet.

  163. Intriguing piece. The article was to the point and just the information I was looking for. I can’t say that I agree with all you mentioned but it was emphatically intriguing! BTW…I found your site through a Yahoo search. I hope you’ll allow me to post a link to a site germane to the Obama quote discussed in your blog post. I’m a returning visitor to your blog and will be backsoon.