Could a ‘Proxy War’ Stop Saudi Takeover of Newcastle United?

30 Responses

1. Premier League sold it’s soul a long time ago.. Football nowadays is all about the money.. As a fan it would be nice if it wasn’t, but the powers that be have made it that way .. my point being that you can’t now put the onus on the fans to protest against political issues .. All we want as football fans is what’s best for our club in producing “football”..Why now should NUFC be the fall guy …

2. After seeing the fiance of Jamal Khashoggi (who was literally butchered on the orders of Mohammed bin Salman) being trolled on Twitter by Newcastle United fans, I am disgusted and as a Newcastle United fan, ashamed. This takeover hasn’t even happened yet but already it is turning some fans into monsters.

3. What will happen to Sheffield utd if the Saudi’s are deemed unfit and what of Abramohvic

4. All we want to do inside St James Park is watch classy football!
   We wont be Bomb Making… We wont be praying to Mecca…
   We wont be traveling to the match on Camels.
   So lets just keep politics & idealistic arguments out of it.
   Ive never met anyone from Saudi Arabia in my life…
   But I’ve been putting Oil, Petrol & Diesel fuels in my cars for over
   Fifty years… like everyone else in the (UK) So have we got to stop
   Driving now to keep our consciences clear… Don’t think so.

5. I’d also like to say Darlo Dave hit the nail on the head and didn’t have to hit it again cause it sunk right in, especially with the point of the powers that be made it so and I’ll stick my neck out here but I’m gonna guess they did so for money in their own pockets

6. Look ! regardless of politics and religion this deal will go through, and you can fake that, to the Bank.
   I mean the UK government want to keep it’s relationship with the Saudi’s as quiet as possible,
   Why ?
   Well being Saudi Arabia’s armourer, we supply the Euro-fighter, helicopters (missiles, bombs} Aircraft guidance ground systems, not to mention small arms, vehicles, etc
   That’s a lotta trade,
   In which case, the deal will go through, both quickly and quietly, it’s not a case of it being illegal, however it’s become a major issue, the Saudi’s
   presently bombing the population of the Southern Arabian
   Penninsula back to the Stone Age, from where they recently emerged,
   Soh ! be careful about decisions made in the seventh century that you
   may regret like awarding succession to the founder of Islam without checking to see how many don’t like the idea and to just make it a family affair and end up agreeing to nominate Ali.

   a.

7. Chuck, the best stories I’ve read about this takeover were in your local newspaper, the New York Times, they’ve been much better than the non-stop drivel they write in the Chronic anyway.

   So you think that the Magpies will become pawns in the game of British arms sales to KSA? that just makes it worse. I was watching a video of a woman being beheaded in the street yesterday, I don’t really want to think about things like that when I’m watching my team play every Saturday.

   Meanwhile, over here, I don’t think people realise how many people are really dying with CoVid-19 as the Goverment’s figures are so very low. Even they are saying it’s over 20,000 now like Italy and Spain but it could be double that once all the deaths outside of hospitals are thrown in, excess death figures are looked at and so on, which would take us closer to the US total, a country with four or five times the population.

8. I’m not sure whether the Premier League considers beheadings, human rights abuses and such to be improper.

   Have the criteria changed since 2007? This was the BBC’s summary of the rules back then: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6923831.stm

   It’s mainly to do with conflicts of interest and financial crimes.

   There’s also the precedence set by Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at Sheffield Utd to consider when it comes to Saudi owners in general.

9. Aye Hugh, that’s why I wrote that the biggest threat to the takeover comes from beIN / beOUT piracy case, not the human rights campaigners.

   I’m not sure about that BBC link but Section F (page65) in this PDF version of the 2019/20 Premier League handbook is correct and up to date.

   As for Sheffield United, I’m no expert on their situation yet so correct me if I’m wrong but whilst their owner is a member of the al-Saud family, he isn’t a sovereign wealth fund headed by the al-Saud who is now the de facto ruler of KSA.

10. Yup ! the UK is now officially the No 2 worlds arms seller following the USA ,
    With figures reaching above 14 Billion quid, of course the majority ending up in the Middle East,
    And a certain amount sold illegally.
    Now the fact NUFC are presently about to be sold to the Saudis, may create a problem for both sellers and buyers,
    Actually the problem is more about both the amount and type of arms involved, but there’s no doubt that the UK is heavily involved in the areas arms sales and is also involved in ground control systems, naming and guiding Saudi aircraft to targets, though where they can still find targets remain a mystery, as most of Yemen remains as a pile of rubble.
    Well they got {Amnesty Int. cable tv illegal broadcasting and the Anti= Flogging people involved.}
    And where does NUFC stand, well most fans are nervous and had you been involved with the club for the last decade, would understand why,
    I have no idea who may be responsible, people with political reasons and those who see both potential problems that may arise with NUFC one of , if not, the wealthiest club in the EPL.but have no fear it’s as good as accomplished, being the UK want’s nothing but a mention for history]s sake and a quick sale, which is better than a long drawn out
    issue that could bring to light details of the country’s arms sales.
    In which case , go ahead and pick the signings you would like to see .as the future of NUFC is assured .

11. Worky, thanks for the link. I found the latest rules on page 121 and they look much the same as the ones from 2007.

    I would have thought the beIN / beOUT thing would be a matter for the Arabian courts rather than the PL’s test of a fit and proper owner. At least that’s how it looks after reading those regulations.

    I think Chuck’s right. I think this will go ahead. The PL’s idea of a fit and proper owner is based on a very limited set of criteria.

12. The price of oil has literally hit rock bottom and could stay there for some time, they can’t even find enough places to store it and that’s a big problem for the KSA. It would just be so Newcastle United if they were taken over by the Saudi oil Sheikhs just before they went bankrupt!

13. I wonder if there’ll be jokes about players and managers ‘getting the chop’ etc if the Saudi’s take over?

14. Chuck, Obama, and now Trump have sold ridiculous amounts of arms to the Saudis, far more than other Presidents. Obama may may put forward a better and more eloquent front for the US than Trump, but they’re both two cheeks of the same arse really.

15. I was amazed at the recent price of a barrel of oil (-$6,)
    When as a major oil seller has to add an additional $6 to each barrel, just to break even and take it.away sounds like my kinda oil sellers, but seriously the Saudis have to keep producing. un-fortunately they don’t have extra storage facilities,
    Soh ! what to do ?
    Yeah ! the kingdom has to change or die, which we have all read about
    and become a state of farmers and manufacturers or something .other than exporting oil, we can see the writing on the wall there .
    Though I often buy boxes of fig and date biscuit’s, obviously manufactured in a state of the art factory but I can see it’s an expensive
    but up to date system,
    I guess NUFC will have to spend a whole bunch of money, before it all runs out, kidding pf course.
    Nah, there’s no way we can go wrong here that a decent experienced top management group can’t take care of and will realize how much
    authority Ashley wielded, fact is he controlled everything and there’s no one happier to see him finally p**s off.

    minus $6.

16. Aye Chuck, the news that the oil price went into minus figures on your side of the pond reached the news over here. The official price has been bouncing along the bottom well under $20. I did see a news video with an oil storage broker who said that global storage capacity could be less than 1% and that was a few days ago.

    The takeover isn’t just about diversification; as you mentioned yourself, it is also a major sportswashing exercise. Picture the scene, ecstatic Geordies at SJP in their home made keffiyeh’s holding up their inflatable camels as a giant KSA flag is unfurled in tribute to the so called ‘kingdom of cruelty.’ The takeover hasn’t even happened yet but already Geordies are being brainwashed on social media. They are being told that Jamal Khashoggi was a member of al-Qu’ida, and that his fiance is a “Hamas & Nazi supporter” among other things and worst of all, I have also seen fans who are starting to repeat the lies, acting as free disseminators of Saudi propaganda.

    As for dates, they look like animal droppings to me, which has tended to put me off them in the past.

17. Ah what the hell ! there are worse things to worry about, Brexit , Boris, Donald , the crashing markets, the price of oil, Covid 19……………
    on the other hand it will certainly make a lot of people happy that finally,
    the club can at least attempt to regain the stature it held with both fans and competition .

    It’s not as if we had anything close to bragging rights over the last dozen years, being it was as if we weren’t relegated, or live under the threat of it, the club just failed to support enough spending to compete within the top ten, resulting in a team playing an ugly defensive style.
    Along with a bunch of re-tread managers, you know the story, those that play strictly an almost programmed strategy, seldom scoring from a decent technical burst, but sticking to getting it in the net from set plays.
    Right now there are very few I would like to keep, though they are for the most part decent journeymen, but enough with journeymen we need stars, which attract other stars and these next few years could be an adventure for the fans, and of course the Saudis, who although they did in poor Khashoggi have I believe behaved decently since, apart from bombing the shit outta Yemen and it’s good revenue for Britains Armourers,

18. )Oh ! does that mean something that the US sells more arms than everyone else, I mentioned the UK sells over fourteen billion’s worth of arms and was second to the US , which is around double that amount, however the UK also provide The Typhoon fighter, which in general has had poor sales, but not to worry you have people in Saudi Arabia who provide service for both the aircraft and it’s arms and provide everything

    else attached to whatever mission, (perhaps the reduction of rubble in general through bombing the rubble that already exists ) or whatever.

    Hey it’s gonna be some day for the fans, if the club play again this year
    it will be especially interesting to se a Sunderland vs NUFC game at St. James’with each club wearing the Keffiah (ghutra), red for the Mackems, black for the Geordies, who knows it could set a fashion trend.

19. Chuck, are you trying to wind me up again or did you really mean all that?

20. Erm, just write whatever is current, with a difference, sometimes with an attempt at humor that’s not usually recognized, as such.
    And righ now it pleases me to have owners who are willing to spend money on the club and hopefully end up within the top 5 too 8 place, it would be nice to think we can win the league within the next few years.
    but I don’t think so.
    Anyhow it will be good to see a competitive side, one that believe they can beat any team, that also plays an attacking football, as opposed to ten men behind the ball and from the gossip, it sounds like they (the new owners) are not about to waste time, meaning I believe that the first batch will be arriving any day soon.
    What does bother me is the fact I read a statement from those same Saudis, that they intend to use the fact they are a member/owner of an EPL club, as an aid in some way, to apply for a tv broadcasting license
    and get the idea we may be a part of the Prince’s overall strategy to ,make Saudi-Arabia into a modern day nation, with god knows how much to spend, actually the figures are available, and causing major problems, within the family.
    If they are successsful with the tv broadcasting thing, hopefully they can
    do a number on Murdoch and Sky Sports.
    And as for Saudi being a rouge State, they can be whoever they want , as I got no dog in the fight.

    As we can’ t expect a completely new team, being it takes a couple of big names to attract more, but more likely those soon to be over the hill
    and looking for a big payoff types and there’s plenty to choose from, due to the economy
    In which case, I’m sure there are those we had looked at prior to the sale who are young and could make it in a future top side, those plus the Local Longshank bro’s, and whoever is good enough to make the side,
    Yes sir, this is possibly the best time in history to buy being most clubs have lost big buck’s due to the economic conditions, which in turn blame the Pandemic plus this summer (or is it winter) window .
    Though I expect there to be a bunch of big names looking for that big check, before retiring.

21. Exactly what kind of negotiations are these, I mean who takes months to complete a deal, ah well !
    I suppose to finally see the ass end of this clown from the rag trade, I guess it’s worth it.
    One would think that if they thought it likely a deal could be reached, the Saudis, should be better prepared than they appear to be.
    Certainly in regard to appointing a manager and who for what price are they willing to pay for the bait (the big time players) that are needed to attract those unsure as what to expect, with one player close to retirement offering himself AND his manager, talk about balls ?
    Anyhow I’m not only positive about the sale but having that Manager in place soon could probably help speed up the process.
    I don’t want Bruce, he’s just not up to parr with most of the PL managers, better he goes to the championship maybe to Sunderland .
    He was too good to play for NUFC then, but not up to par as a manager
    now, tough !
    Pochettino anyone,?
    And for nineteen big ones a season, waste of money, even though the Saudis have nothing but money and tell me what has the man won, nada !
    I believe it was the spurs GM who put this side to-gether, and I don’t believe he agreed on a whole lot with POCH. the problem when that happens, which NUFC had better avoid, though I support a high quality top level management team something we never had under Ashley.. who thought he had everything covered.
    At this stage I would rehire Benitez and to-gether they could fix whatever needs fixing from the youth system to the first team, after all that’s what the fans would like to see, a winning side that also operates smoothly and if Benitez gets too demanding, (we understand he likes to spend also) a good reason to use a running one year contract, which would also keep him on his toes.
    Been listening to Poch, who has yet to get over his firing, there he was living in the big city , with all of its temptations including a decent side, a perfect situation, that he failed to capitalize on , tough!,
    And I ‘m sure there are enough fans out there that agree /

    poch

    b

    w

    not for me, I mean what has he won, nowt !!!

    w

    o

22. So, Chuck, you are full of righteous fury about things the British did, or didn’t do many years ago, but you turn a blind eye to Saudi atrocities which are being committed today because you want to see their money put Newcastle United in Europe?

23. Well , one Saudi family member killed, if you care to investigate the Saudi history you may find they have been killing each other for generations, the rest, those scraping a living in Yemen are being killed by the number, by British built aircraft, directed by British personnel
    and using British arms to do the job, hey if you don’t believe it just ask Boris, on the other hand perhaps like Donald no one has told either one of them yet.
    Of course it would be unfair of me to even mention how many were killed during the history of the British Empire, through wars, genocide and other means, must be in the millions, most of which never got a mention .
    If you object to the fact the Saudis are devastating Yemen, a country that is living in a different century, then make Her Majesty’s Government aware of it , as if they don’t know
    So don’t give me that crap that about “Righteous Fury”you know perfectly well about the atrocities committed by the British military, which no one has any idea how many poor bastards were wiped out attempting to defend their territory from the predatory British Empire.
    So ! if you object to the war at the end of Arabia, then tell your local MP to stop supplying the Saudis with the latest in weaponry, cause I’m afraid I can’t help you.
    And yes like a majority of fans I’m looking forward to seeing a new side , a competitive side after over a decade of rubbish, though I don’t necessarily want another Man City, just a side that can compete within
    the EPL.

    f

    fury

    o

    And these so called wars are for the most part supplied the means for her Magesties Government and every so often the Royals visit the Gulf States, to pick up their expensive tokens of co-operation, an alignment forged during WW1, did you know that The British navy had a fleet of warships on permanent station in the Persian gulf until the nineteen sixties and who was it they were protecting ?
    So first take a good look in the mirror, before accusing people, of murder or genicide, being your people were guilty of both for generations.

    i

    i

    it’s about religion

    y

    i

24. Still awaiting positive news from two very different sources, no not Brexit , the Saudi takeover and whenever I will become aware of somewhere that is designated as a testing center, for this persistent virus, still hanging around like a bad smell and though I hear our fearless leader mention the fact daily, that all you gotta do is go and have it done because it’s available, wrong !!!!!

    My other bitch is about, whats happening with the managerial role, being I don’t
    really see Bruce as having either the experience or tactical nous to manage a top
    rated side of players, perhaps our new top management group (whoever they are) can come up with someone that fits the role.)

    Pochettino,?
    IMO Nah ! I mean what’s he ever won ?
    Why ?
    Because it’s putting a team together that really counts and usually it’s done in combination with the GM or whoever has the final say in the matter and the manager who should have almost a similar final say, being he has to combine them into a team.
    And face it Pochetinno had a good side, possibly put together by Levy, but although a fair enough side still has nothing to show for it and it sounds like many of the players were/are unhappy at the club.
    And of course there’s the fact few people want to move from the big city to Newcastle, ah ! the attractions of London.
    Yeah with so many ego’s around it’s tuff to manage any PL club, but with the names being bandied about as possible signings for NUFC I would imagine it’s a job for someone who can handle it. therefor I ‘m in favor of nominating our ex manager, talking about Benitez, who was a man with a plan, from youth system to first team, someone who will not be intimidated by big name players.
    But ? who knows what will happen and as long as we can compete with the top sides in the PL, that’s all I ask for.
    But don’t think this upcoming sale will please everyone, that will never happen and that’s how I like it .

    y

    y

    s

25. Well at least we didn’t facilitate 9/11, Chuck, the Saudis did that. Years later, Barack Obama and Joe Biden did a deal with our next owner, Mohammed bin Salman, to shut down the FBI investigation on the Saudi Government links to 9/11 in return for the Saudis piping down over the Iran nuclear agreement. This was because Obama wanted the Iran deal to be his greatest legacy, and it’s also one of the reasons why it doesn’t really matter who wins your election in November, it’s just a question of which veneer you prefer. KSA is also the biggest sponsor of Islamic extremism over here in the UK, and Toon fans are already being used as apologists for the Saudi regime, reposting lies posted by Saudi astroturfers on social media sites to rebut posts questioning the current takeover. They’re doing it for free as well.

    Your comments about UK history are irrelevant, we are not being taken over by a UK state wealth fund headed by the Queen, what is more relevant is ask the question, should football clubs be owned by state wealth funds at all? Never mind one which is in the Premier League of human rights abusers.

26. Worky,
    Yeah ! 9-11 was done by our allies the Saudis and Egyptians, both of which are on the pentagons list of those who buy their armament here and from you guys , being the UK armament manufacturers are almost fully integrated with their US cousins .
    We sell them pavement busting bombs, you Guy s deliver them. providing both ground guidance , flight plans and maintenance., hell that’s not news !
    Yeah it’s mostly about “money” but throw in the Sunni vs Shia religious animosity and you got a competition between Saudi and Iran, of course with the present price of oil (which will make a comeback), but never be as important as it once was , the reason the Prince is using Saudi funds to change the country from one that sells oil, into a modern country that manufactures, but what ? personally I like their fig and date biscuits .
    But “Fig Newtons” don’t exactly make an economy. therefor “Sportswashing”
    championship boxing , football, hey sports !
    Though Covid 19 appears to have put the kibosh on everything, crazy, like no other disaster, apart from The Spanish Flue and to a lesser degree Saars.
    The signs are apparent, fires, rising oceans etc signs that if we don’t stop messing with the planet, it won’t last as a habitable place to live, probably before the end of this the twenty first century, just imagine the problems that we (well not me in any case) I should be outta here by 2030 or earlier .
    And by that time NUFC will have won both a European championship and topped the EPL and perhaps Mike Ashley will be broke and some of you may see him in the unemployment line, but anyhow the next few years are going to be tough, as there has never been such a turnover of wealth and world leaders should take serious note that any kind of warfare including Germ-warfare obvious cannot be controlled nor tolerated, but with the quality of to-days world rulers, who the hell knows.

    /

    though Covid 19 appears to have taken care of most stuff for the time being

    anyhow there’s plenty of dosh to do it and

    y

27. I kinda agree with you when you state it doesn’t matter who wins the US presidential election, I had hoped for either Bernie or the Senator from Mass. Though she may end up as VP, as Joe has claimed he will pick a woman VP
    And though Trump is still in the race, hopefully some of those who voted for him by now realize what a dangerous idiot he is and to give him another shot at ruining the country would be the last straw.
    Whatever happened to common sense. both in regard to elected officials and the electorate in general, who appear to get dumber by the year and tend to elect those in that same category.
    And the fact it’s another possible plague only involving money and trade this time, which can be just as bad as this life threatening plague we are undergoing.
    Funny I’m trying to remember the last time I believed that the future will be better for mankind, as it certainly ain’t looking that good to-day.
    As for uncle Joe, possibly the worst choice of all. not very bright, but looks like he has fixed his accuser of any hope of ever getting a hearing over the accusation of sexual abuse, you know how that goes.
    So, the best we can hope for is a quiet uncontroversial four years mainly consisting of taking care of domestic problems as neither uncle Joe or Margaret
    are exactly aware there’s all kinds of other countries with all kinds of different social approaches out there, not justTweedle dum or Tweedle dee, meaning Dems and Republicans.

    l

28. Did a bit of browsing to see who the club are interested in signing, aware that this season will be different, now that our dear leader has agreed to sell and it’s only a case of getting the right papers stamped, government nonsense.
    I mean who’s gonna to raise any objections to whatever the Saudi’s want, only an idiot and parliament is full of them , but this deal is done bro.
    Pochetinno anyone, not for me ,especially since there’s all of the rest to choose from.
    It appears from his most recent statements that he is still in love with Spurs, well screw him, here’s a guy unemployed being offered nineteen million and still doesn’t want the job.
    As for our present manager, (the last of the re-tread British managers ) no, no, no.
    Look Bruce is a decent guy, but not much of a manager. on the other hand he has not much of a team and was possibly hired because no self respecting manager would take the job on.
    He will be ok managing in a lower league.
    Now I do like Benitez, both as a judge of players and tactically sound, who it seams would at least want the job and has his own idea’s about what should be done in regard to both the youth system and has a certain amount of respect from both players and ownership, which is useful when attempting to recruit what appears to be a completely new side, the only difference being, he now has the scratch to do it with.
    And if it turns out he is incapable of forging NUFC into a top four side with top money available , then fire his ass and get someone who can.,
    So screw Pochettino and his unwillingness to leave London, though I certainly understand why , crowd adulation by the fans is no answer, it’s still not the capital.
    As for who we should sell and who we should sign, that will happen and no doubt cause argument between fans , though it’s the side playing attractive football and
    competing against the top clubs that interest’s me.
    Hell ! I never thought I would see the day when the Geordies would have the kinda wealth it takes to return to their former self, a top ten side in the worlds toughest league, though someone has to keep an eye on what the Saudis are up to besides football.

29. these human rights lot that comes on here make me sick always chirping on about another country affairs that have nothing to do about football and this new word sport washing well little mind little things all that lot the do-gooders leftwing Antifa all camped in London all the remoaners are too also all those raggy rents a protester there too, all doing nothing just waiting for a big headline with there wooden sticks and cardboard headline on it what cess pit London has become

30. Thomas,
    I’m not quite sure who you are angry at ?
    Other than the fact this blog is not about football but it does reflect the club and future of NUFC, just seen from a different perspective.
    The prospect of having enough money to produce a decent side, capable of a top six to eighth place finish, rather than a cheap- ass
    re-cap manager playing ten men beside the ball and scoring from an odd set play and hoping to avoid relegation, is a place no EPL side should have to face, which is the reason I would like to see the deal go through, nothing to do with politic’s !

    p