Awarded £1.5m costsKevin Keegan is to be awarded costs after winning the tribunal for constructive dismissal against Newcastle United.
The full disclosure is as follows:
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1. Introduction
In paragraph 54 of our Award dated 1 October 2009, we identified a number of consequential issues the determination of which we postponed in order that the parties could provide us with written submissions on those issues. We have since received detailed written submissions from the parties and, in this Supplementary Award, we set out our determination on those issues.
2. Award
First, we conclude that there is no basis for altering our award of £2m plus interest in favour of Mr Keegan. Clause 14.8.1 of the Contract is not subject to mitigation, as the Club agreed at the hearing. It is subject only to Clause 14.8.5 which does not apply here since Mr Keegan is not employed by ESPN. (more…)
Hughton unfazedChris Hughton is calm about the fact that Newcastle United have only taken 2 points out of the last 12 and went down to Scunthorpe last night.
Talking about last night’s game, Hughton said:
“The game plan was to come here and do well.
“On the balance of play and chances it’s a game we should have won, but we have to do better.
“They were able to turn us at times, they were always a threat and had a lot of energy in the side and at the clinical moments they got the goals.
“We didn’t defend moments well enough and that enabled them to get the goals that they did. On the balance of play it’s a game that we should have won.
“I think this is a pressure on us. We are a side in this division that everybody expects to do well and certainly our own supporters expect us to do well and that’s the pressure that we carry with us in every game. That’s a pressure that we’ve got to live with.”
Yes, that plus the pressure of working with a squad that’s down by 7 players on last season’s squad, which was itself already stretched. (more…)
Shake on it?Well it seems the big fella has followed his words with actions and verbally offered Chris Hughton a permanent contract as Newcastle manager. It’s a pity the offer will be clouded slightly by his ramblings in The Sunday Times, which leaves us under no illusions who is really ‘the boss’ around here.
As for Hughton, it’s arguably an offer that he deserves given where we are in the table, recognised by the league when receiving his Manager of the Month awards. Moreover in being able to do this with the cr*p state of affairs he’s had to put up with.
Many will argue he’s the wrong choice and point to failed previous attempts by Richard Dinnis and Glenn Roeder to successfully move their decent caretaker record into a permanent role. Chris will now potentially have time to prove or disprove those fears as real or not.
Hughton told the Chronicle today:
“I am honoured to be offered the job, we are still in negotiations, it is something we hope will get resolved.
“I’ve always felt that the manager’s situation was an issue, but not the most important one. “Getting results has been the most important thing.(more…)
"It's my money so I'll have the final say on transfers"Mike Ashley is now prepared to take £80m for Newcastle United but will there be any takers?
Amidst another petulant stab at the fans in yesterday’s Times, Mike Ashley announced:
“Barry Moat has been driving me mad for two years. If he wants to buy the club, he’s got a one-off opportunity to come up with the cash – £80m upfront.”
So one question is: can he or anyone else find the money? Another might be: is Newcastle United worth £80m?
The Times speculates that Barry Moat has agreed to pay the £80m that Ashley’s asking, but not ‘upfront’. Apparently Moat wants to pay £40m now and £40m at the end of the season. It’s anyone’s guess as to why Barry Moat wants to do things like this. Perhaps he has only been guaranteed the second £40m from his backers if Newcastle gets promoted, although that would be a huge risk for Barry Moat to take because if we didn’t manage promotion and the funds didn’t materialise then Moat is stuck with an outstanding £40m debt that, it seems, he won’t be able to pay. (more…)
Mike's been there, seen it, got the t-shirt!No honestly, I really do. I mean he’s clearly absolutely crackers. What, you think all of this apparent contempt towards Newcastle United fans and his bad behaviour is all down to arrogance and spite? No man, he’s nuts. How else do you explain his actions and this reckless and continual ‘p*ssing on his own chips’?
I mean for the big G’s sake Mike, where do you pick up your PR finesse from? It’s out of this world, really it is. You’re clearly on a different planet. He generally says nothing for such long periods that you’d expect when he does that he’d say something that would have a big impact. Well he does, but not for the right reasons. Even following the tribunal result and the monumental cause and effect, there followed no explanation, no excuses, no apology, nowt. I’d heard rumour while at work today that he’d been speaking to The Sunday Times and then I read the brief summary piece that .com did and both found what he had to say astounding and myself agreeing wholeheartedly with their response.
