New NUFC home and goalkeeper shirts finally released into the wild!At last! A definitive picture of Newcastle United’s new home kit on display at the friendly against German lower league side, Chemnitzer, earlier today.
The Magpies lost 1-0 incidentally with Chemnitzer’s Anton Fink striking what was to be the deciding goal for the home side after only ten minutes.
As you can see, both the outfield players’ shirts and the goalkeeper’s shirt are no different from the shirts we revealed in this story way back in January of this year, as well as this one back in June, the only difference being the new sponsor’s design on the front.
As to whether Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct will be undercutting the club’s official outlet once again when the kit is released at the beginning of next month remains to be seen. (more…)
Al-Kazemi: Has a few bob.A report has come into my eyeline from the Kuwait Times (via site user, Stephen C.) saying that the chairman of Kuwait’s al Arabi Football Club, Jamal Al-Kazemi, is:
“Seriously thinking of buying the British Newcastle United football club.”
The report goes on to say that:
“He has finalized all conditions that enable him to acquire the club by next week. The actual negotiations with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley will be clear.”
Next week! Oooh er! Sounds a bit more positive than Ashley’s player negotiations!
However the story then takes a slightly absurd turn when the writer of the piece then added something of his own, writing:
“Ashley has wanted to sell the club since 2009. He bought the club known as “Magpies” in 2007 for £134.4 million and it is said that he is willing to sell it for less than £80 million.”(more…)
Cheap and nasty.There has been something of a rehabiltation of the reputation of Mike Ashley at Newcastle United recently.
This, of course, has been due largely to the club’s generally upward trajectory in terms of it’s League position in recent seasons under Chris Hughton and Alan Pardew, as well as some successes in the transfer market since Ashley and Llambias cast their their three casino aquaintances adrift and let Chris Hughton bring in a proper chief scout, a move which has been highly beneficial for the club so far.
Less obviously, perhaps, there has also been a relentless PR campaign run through the media on all levels. Like the current coalition government, much has been said to demonise the previous administration, presenting Ashley as some kind of messiah type figure who made tough choices to save the club from certain liquidation as a great benevolent gesture to the people of Tyneside. But, according to the narrative, this has been a thankless task, with Geordie ingrates not showing the suitable appreciation of his selfless largesse. Admittedly, this isn’t the most difficult thing to do when the targets are the likes of Freddy Shepherd and Douglas Hall. According to a peculiar logic, much has also been made of what Ashley’s alleged financial “backing” of the club in terms of making a £140 million loan to himself, which is repayable on demand by the club, to save himself from paying high interest rates on his own Newcastle United debts. The term “clearing” the club’s debts has been used so often that many fans are still oblivious to the fact that the club is now actually far more in debt than it was when Ashley assumed control of the club in 2007. (more…)
Old codger Steve - Feeling the strain.The forgotten man of Newcastle United, Steve Harper, has spoken out on his thoughts for next season at Newcastle United, claiming that as many as half a dozen players might be leaving, and making an heartfelt appeal for more players in the squad for our upcoming season in European competition.
As to whether this should include any younger, more sprightly goalkeepers to rival him him in the goalkeeper’s pecking order, he didn’t say, though he did have a good old moan about how pre-pre season training is getting ever harder as he gets older. In other goalkeeping news, it seems that Frankenstein’s monster Fraser Forster may well be coming back to Newcastle after all to report for pre season, with a much mooted deal for Celtic still unsigned. But I digress…
Getting back to the Easington shot stopper though, he was speaking to North East news website, “News Guardian” in a video interview on launching a charity “swimathon” called “Reason to Swim” for the Percy Hedley Foundation at Northern Counties School in Jesmond.
Firstly, on his preparations for the season so far, the old codger grumbled:(more…)
Graham Carr: A harder road ahead?You may have noticed that Newcastle United’s chief scout, Graham Carr, was very much in the news recently, and much of this was centered around him being given an eight year contract by the club’s managing director, Derek Llambias.
Usually, when a club renews an agreement with it’s chief scout, it hardly gets a great mention. However at the new Newcastle United rounds of interviews were arranged by the club’s press department, it “trended” on Twitter and was even covered in the national press. It was as if the club had renewed the contract of it’s manager. So what was behind this?
Graham Carr is now 67, with a long career in both coaching and scouting behind him, including scouting at other large, high profile clubs such as Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. So why now, in the autumn of his career, is he attracting so much attention? what is it that has made him emerge like a Butterfly from a Chrysalis on Tyneside? (more…)
