Pardew hopes fans understand reasons for St James’ Park rename.

Posted on November 17th, 2011 | 14 Comments |

Pardew: Fans can still have some traditions.
Pardew: Fans can still have some traditions.
Newcastle United’s Silver Supremo, Alan Pardew, has come out and defended Mike Ashley’s decision to rename St James’ Park the “Sports Direct Arena.”

Speaking in an interview in the run up to Newcastle United’s away match against Manchester City, he began by reassuring “traditionalists” who may be upset that it would still be the same place, that at least the Gallowgate End would still be there, and we could still have our tradition of walking to the Stadium (shouldn’t that be “Arena” now?) saying:

“For the traditionalists amongst our fans, I think it’s something they are upset at.

“But it is still in the same place and it’s still the Gallowgate End and we still have your tradition of walking to the stadium from the centre of town. It’s there where it is.

Emphasising the financial gain should anyone eventually decide to take over from Sports Direct, who have once again generously agreed to allow their name to be used at no cost to “showcase” the benefits of being being mired in controversy and local emnity, he then continued:

“On the other side of the coin, of course, commercially, it will attract a big sponsor, we hope, and give us extra revenue to go forward.

“I can understand the arguments on both sides. For me and the playing staff, of course, it is our home and we love playing there.

“We have done very, very well there this season and we hope to continue that and really, it hasn’t affected us too much if I am honest.

He then concluded with a hope that fans will “understand” that the club needs to “move on,” saying that we will still be in our seats, enjoying the memories of the stadium when it was called “St James’ Park”:

“Well I just think it’s like anything, people are not particularly keen on change you know.

“You get comfy in what you see, what you know around you and lots of things change. Sponsorships on the shirts, you know, Barcelona have a sponsor when they never really had one before.

“Clubs have to move on and I hope our fans understand that. But as I asy, they’ll still be in their same seats roaring us on.

“The memories of that stadium are still there, and that’s important. When you move grounds, that’s a little bit different.

Thankyou Alan, that was most enlightening and helps us to understand the situation far more clearly now.

A link to a video of a fuller version of the interview, in which the silver one also looks forward to the Manchester City game is available here.

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Posted on by workyticket in category: Alan Pardew and Interviews and NUFC fans and Sports Direct and St James's Park and St James's Park renaming rights and Workyticket , with tags:
Comment on this post

14 Responses

  1. Well put Alan, that chocolate company should have employed pardew when they renamed marathons to snickers, with explanations like that I bet there wouldn’t have been half the fuss

  2. de mong wants to clear his guilt by meeting HBA a year later when HBA just happens to be in the manc area.
    So it seems it’s true that criminals always feel compelled to return to the scene of a crime.

  3. Hi,

    I’ve renamed myself aslo. Well, not ‘aslo’ because that would be silly.

    Actually, I shall herebyandeverafter be known as Sports Direct Sprout.

    Which is what matters.

  4. I did contempalate the monikers “Hugh de Paint”, “Workybiscuit”, and “Clitflicker”, but my mother slapped me.

    She am a bitch, mo’ fo.

    Which is all that matters.

  7. In Pardew we trust. Well, we trust him to give it his all against Manchester City and I believe he will.

    Which is all… uh-oh, don’t get me started!

  8. Are you sure Worky that Sports Direct don’t cough up a penny in advertising as there doesn’t seem that many sponsors (soon even less without Northern Rock/Virgin)possibly enough for a premiership club.

  9. Kamar says:

    November 18, 2011 at 8:57 am

    “Are you sure Worky that Sports Direct don’t cough up a penny in advertising as there doesn’t seem that many sponsors (soon even less without Northern Rock/Virgin)possibly enough for a premiership club.”

    I wrote “little or nothing” as I wouldn’t put it past Ashley to pay some kind of peppercorn sum Kamar. If Ashley is asking for £8-10 million just for naming rights that’s completely unrealistic and even with both bundled together it’s highly ambitious. Throw in the controversy surrounding the move and sponsors will run a mile, especially if they consult the numerous sponsorship consultants I’ve quoted in previous stories who have all derided the plan, which they will. Either that or they will have their own consultants who will tell them exactly the same thing.

    Just like the last naming rights offer, it’s almost as if they want it to fail.

  11. Relax folks, i have the perfect solution !
    Following Sandro Rosell’s sell out of the once proud Barcelona club to that questionable, wealthy, oil rich, gulf state.
    Talking about the signing of a deal for the jersey’s naming rights.
    Surely then our owner will jump at the chance to take on the UNICEF badge for NUFC.
    Well at least till the end of the season, doncha think ?

  12. I heard a rumor from a reliable source. The jokes might just be about to come true. My monies on the virgin arena.

  14. pardew defends this regime too much for my liking , he’s a football manager ffs.
    you would have thought being a football man , he would understand where the fans were coming from.
    true to form though he comes out defending abbott and costello.
    sorry but i cannot trust this man , regardless of the start we’ve had , i wouldn’t trust him as far as i could throw him.