Mike Ashley to issue statement of intention.
Posted on May 4th, 2010 | 109 Comments |
You can forgive the feeling of worry when words like that are announced, especially when you take into account that previous statements have been followed by massive disruption and uncertainty through all levels of the club. I think this time will be different though as Mike Ashley has looked like he is again enjoying his tenure as owner, albeit from the executive seats and not the stands, and most will be looking for a positive outlook this time around rather than yet another episode involving the ‘for sale’ signs. The official club statement should be in the public domain some time this week, according to The Journal, the contents of which are sure to be the subject of much deliberation until it’s release.
The Journal claim to already know two of the details that will be outlined within the statement. One of them is that Chris Hughton will be manager next season, despite some cruel jibes from some quarters that after a record-breaking season he wont be good enough to manage in the Premier League. Quite right he should be the manager too! Not only does Hughton have a contract for next season, he has worked a miracle this season to turn a club that was predicted to struggle in The Championship back in the direction of the Premier League, and in record time too!
Every hurdle that has been thrown at Chris Hughton this season has been cleared, he even managed to skirt around the potentially explosive situation between Andy Carroll and Steven Taylor whilst not giving the press anything to sniff around, and carried on, with dignity, when he didn’t even know what players would be at training the next day or if he himself would be in charge.
The second revelation will apparently be that Mike Ashley is NOT looking to sell the club and will be keen to avoid any turmoil that such a manouvre can bring about. Having just seen the accounts for the 2008/2009 season, the likelihood of finding a buyer would be slim for the moment anyway.
Of course the club is always up for sale. If somebody decides to splash silly money in front of Ashley’s face and pay far more than what the club is worth then of course he will accept it, a lot of business men would do exactly the same. It’s still different to actively pursuing a sale though and at least shows some form of commitment other than keeping the club running.
You’ll forgive me for sounding like I am stating the obvious, and I am to a degree. But isn’t it nice to be able to think about Newcastle United logically for once? Things have been getting done properly for a while now, long may it continue.
Now let’s see what this Toon manifesto incudes.
Let me give it a shot:
-Hughton to stay as manager, he has done a fantastic job
-Ashley not selling the club
-we must continue to be sensible regarding wages and build a sustainable club
-we are not going to overpay for expensive talent but are going forward with a youth movement based on sound scouting
-we have the nucleus of a Prem squad already and will only supplemnt that
-Chris is in charge of transfers and will have the backing of the owner
-we would also like to thank the fans for their tremendous support this season and we look forward to taking our rightful spot in the Prem