I wouldn't do itFormer Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd has blasted Ashley over his plans to sell the stadium naming rights.
Freddy said:
“I suppose nothing surprises me about the current regime, so news they are ready to sell the naming rights isn’t exactly a shock.
“I appreciate we are living in a commercial world, but there are some things money can’t buy.
“St James’ Park is one of the most famous stadia, not just in Europe but in the world. You can go anywhere and everyone knows St James’ Park is the home of Newcastle United. The two are synonymous.
“I just can’t imagine St James’ Park being called anything else. Whatever next? Why don’t they just go the whole hog and change the name of the club itself?
“Fans will be horrified, angry and upset about this. They’ve had to put up with a lot in recent months, but this is just another blow.”
Well, quite, but let’s not forget that Freddie Shepherd described Ashley as “an excellent custodian of Newcastle United’s heritage” when he sold his shares to him a few years ago. Not his best call eh? (more…)
Big tests aheadNew Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton hopes to get at least some of Mike Ashley’s £20m cash injection to spend on players.
Amidst Mike Ashley’s popular announcement that he would be inflicting himself upon Toon fans for another season and a half, there was also the news that he’s putting another £20m of his own money into the club. Ashley didn’t actually say where the £20m would be spent but it is speculated that the money would go towards new players and improving the scouting network.
Apparently Hughton – after talks with Ashley and Llambias – is already drawing up a list of targets for the January transfer window, although he was keen to just concentrate on our upcoming games for the moment. Hughton said:
“The most important thing first and foremost is that we have to work with what we have.
“We can’t bring in anybody until January other than loans.
“I’ll identify what I think we need when that time comes, but the most important thing is getting the results in the games before then.
“There are two remits really – the here and now, and then what happens when the window opens when we’ll sit down and look at it then.” (more…)
Anusol Arena? Pizza Hut Park?Of course, Mike Ashley’s recent announcement that Newcastle United will be seeking bidders for ‘naming right’s’ to the stadium formerly known as St James’s Park is somewhat ‘controversial’ to say the least. Indeed, many very strong views have been expressed already, including in this ‘blog. Petitions have been prepared, there have been rumblings of more demos and the mood is even more fractious than usual.
There is also another question that comes to mind, to the mind of this writer anyway; who on earth would want to step into what could be one of the most controversial deals in the history of corporate sponsorship? Until now, the naming rights for the stadiums of larger clubs have been restricted to new builds such as the ‘Reebok’ in Bolton, the ‘Emirates’ in North London, the ‘JJB’ / ‘DW’ in Wigan and several others. So far, so uncontroversial. However, large established names with large historic grounds such as Manchester United with Old Trafford, Liverpool with Anfield etc have so far resisted the temptation to sell naming rights despite their owners being under great financial pressure with debt and the spiralling inflation prevalent at the top of the football world. Of course, a biggest part of this is that their names have attained an iconic status within football over a very long period like, dare I say it, the big elephant on the hill that is St James’s Park itself. Certainly, it would be seen as sacriligeous and far too controversial in many quarters, and would probably be more trouble than it is worth. (more…)
Here we go againMike Ashley has taken Newcastle United off the market after 5 months and appointed Chris Hughton as permanent manager until the end of the 2010/2011 season.
Emotions were running high when this was announced last night but I wanted to try and analyse the situation a little more objectively in the cold light of day.
It looked like Barry Moat might actually have been in with a chance at one point. According to the press, he’d had a £40m up-front plus £40m at the end of the season deal rejected and had come back to Ashley with a £60m-£20m upgrade to that, having been led to believe by Ashley that it would be accepted. Ashley however did not accept it and decided to take the club off the market amongst a lot of familiar-sounding rhetoric.
The rhetoric sounds familiar because it’s pretty much what he said the last time he took the club off the market. He stressed his commitment to the future of Newcastle United then too and he put some money into the club, but then we were relegated and the club was up for sale once again. So I have no reason to believe that Ashley’s aim is to do anything but maximise the club’s appeal so that he can put it up for sale yet again. (more…)
Untouchable surely?Of all the loathsome, inept and baffling decisions made and actions taken by Mike Ashley and his useless merrymen running the show on Barrack Road, he’s finally gone where I thought he could never go.
Having announced the decision to take the club off the market and install Chris Hughton as permanent manager, the official site has put out a statement to that effect.
Almost as an afterthought, and so matter-of-factly it brings tears to a grow man’s eyes was this ridiculously callous snippet –
“The club aims to maximise its commercial revenues; this includes renegotiating its club sponsor and kit deal, which expire at the end of this season, as well as welcoming offers for the stadium naming rights for next season.”
So if you weren’t entirely sure just how badly the current incumbent had misjudged what this little toy of their’s mean to us, nor just how ignorant they are to the traditions within football that really matter to a supporter, then you do now. (more…)
