Twittergate resolved – players issued with edict

Posted on August 5th, 2011 | 21 Comments |

Newcastle United players issued with Twitter guidelines.
No more Twits at Newcastle
On the back of Joey Barton’s Twittergate situation, Newcastle United get heavy by making it clear that using Twitter to attack the club is forbidden.

Inevitably, Newcastle United have laid down the law regarding Twitter and all players have been issued with strict guidelines as to what they can and cannot to on the loathsome application.

Basically, they’re not allowed to use it (or other social networking sites) to reveal ‘privileged’ information about the club that might give other clubs a competitive advantage and they can’t use it in a way which might undermine their colleagues at the club.

Joey Barton – along with all the players – has been given a letter from lawyers telling him that he’ll be in breach of contract if he uses to Twitter to comment on club affairs again so, unless he’s prepared to risk his salary, we’ve probably heard the last of his Tweets until he leaves the club.

Pardew summarised his dislike of Twitter as follows:

The problem I have with this new medium of Twitter is that people are twittering in an emotional state. Putting something out instantly can be very, very, damaging. Not only to a football club but to any organisation and it could be to the police too, which I’ve seen on occasion.

I suppose the Twitter restrictions are fair enough. If I Tweeted something about my boss that didn’t reflect well on him, I’m sure I could expect disciplinary action at least, if not the sack (although in my case I actually work for myself, so I’d simply reemploy myself again).

I wouldn’t get too worked up about ‘free speech’ issues either; it’s a concept that has always been relative anyway. Joey is of course still free to Tweet if he likes. If it’s not libellous he won’t face any problems from the law but he could suffer the consequences according to his contractual obligations.

Pardew added:

We’ve notified the players this morning. They’ve probably seen it as another sort of dictatorial moment from us but we’ve had to issue them legally with a letter to say this is not right, it’s a breach of contract and you have to understand you’re going to be fined and disciplined for that. It can’t happen. Sir Alex shared with me quite ferociously how difficult this Twitter issue is for clubs, particularly managers.

Pardew went on to intimate that the Barton situation hasn’t made for an ideal pre-season. He said:

No, I’m not happy with it. It hasn’t been the most perfect pre-season. I don’t think Newcastle United are in chaos but are we having a difficult week? Yes. Do we need to get our fans into a better place? Yes. Does the team need to improve on the pitch? Yes.

So that might be the end of things as far as Twittergate goes.

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

  1. Does the team need to improve on the pitch? Yes.

    Well buy some decent players you Dong.

  2. I dunno what to think… The club does unfortunately seem weak and in chaos… If we had bought the players we wanted by now, we could have stood strong and make an example of this, but now im not sure if they give JB the olive branch because they will struggle to get anyone else in.

  3. I think the idea of not paying over the odds and buying players under 27 are great, but as with everything, it can be overdone and i feel thats what is happening in our case. Because we are unwilling to go the ekstra mile, we now struggle to get players in… 2-3 players would do it a LB a ST and a RW and we could get them for 25 million im sure. But with Jose going we would have a transfer income of more than 50 million, which means that we would still pay off allot of our loans with TV-money as well and so on… Could even spend the ekstra 7-8 on a CB like Samba and we would be VERY strong the next season.

  4. Can’t see much spend….agent fees are way too high,winter fuel bills etc etc
    We need to live within our means,cut our cloth accordingly.

  5. I really can not understand the mind set of MA. Now we all know he is an inteligent man, you dont become a billionare if you are stupid. The annoying thing for me is, I think he is so close to having the perfect blueprint at our club. A way to live within our means so as to put down foundations that will see our club back among the big boys. He admits he does not know much about running a football club, so here is the main problem for me. Employ someone who knows the football world and how to run a club on a day to day basis. Not a jumpped up casino boss who has the man management skills of Attila the Hun. Until this happens MA will never see his blueprint for success come to fruitition.
    That is sad really. Sad for us in particular. With a little hind sight he could still re vamp our squad into a top 8 side this season.
    Our club today is back to being the laughing stock of English football, and for what? Something as stupid as Twitter. Barton, Lamearse & Ashley, grow up for Christ’s sake, this should have been nipped in the bud straight away and kept in house.
    Unless people at the top come to their senses, our club is going to crumble back to the depths of the Championship. Sad, sad, sad.

  6. Get Joey back on board – get a couple of quality strikers in and lets galvanise like we were last season! I want to feel like I did at the 6 – 0 gubbing of Villa, the 4 – 1 howking of the mackems and the jubilation at coming back from 4 down to the Arse nal !!! That is what SJP is about that is why i love NUFC ! That is why I am proud to be a geordie. Please please please let me get what I want this time …. (put that in for Mr Barton) lol :)

  7. Alnwick Bryan @ 7

    If you have ever been with an organisation which has had to change in order to survive you will know that it is not an easy task and along the way there are many pitfalls and stumblings with a lot of anguish from the staff especially those who have been left who haven’t been given a handsome payoff.

    I have been through it, perhaps like many others on this site, with the organisation coming out of it in a much better state, able to survive and prosper, which it did.

    In contrast I have been in a company that didn’t face up to reality and stuck its head in the sand and hoped the problems would pass. It didn’t and the company collapsed and everyone lost their jobs.

    Billionaires are not Nelson Mandela / Mother Teresa types. There are are nosed individuals who get what they want. Mike Ashley is one and is no mug. He will turn around Newcastle United like he has turned around Sports Direct much to the astonishment of the City. He will make mistakes on the way but we will have a better club at the end of it.

    With regard to Twitter, ask any employee of any organisation what would happen to them if they spouted off about their company, their colleagues and mentioned the inner workings of the organisation. They would be sacked.

    Joey Barton is a very lucky lad to still be paid giving his history.

  8. I will be most impressed if the Joey Barton situation gets resolved to our advantage. I always thought he was a bit of a TWIT for his comments and that you shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds you, though I know many will disagree, due to the inhumane nature of the clubs gagging. Those poor little footballers with their horrible lives…. Big nasty club with their human rights infringements.
    I think the club has done the right thing. Hope this is the last we hear of it.

  9. Kamar @9

    You have just reiterated what I was saying. We all know Ashley is a shrewd businessman, and like you I think his blue print for the club is good and hopefully is a success. But as I posted, my problem is not Ashley, its Llambise. If Ashley was to appoint a David Dein type, who was at Arsenal, as CEO then I think you would see a different NUFC. And where he and us want the club to be would be achieved much quicker.

  10. Well they do say that the psychological make up of Chief Executives I.e. Big cheeses & serial killers or psychopaths are pretty much the same…

  11. Yeah Hugh…I think it’s something to do with total lack of emotional attachment to others & the consequences of your actions

  12. We won’t be the only club doing this…it was always gonna happen.
    A bit like a law to stop mongs on phones driving, a few spoil it for everyone by going to far.
    Man’s inhumanity to man.
    :)

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