Are they saving the club?A look at Newcastle United’s financial situation to see what Mike Ashley really has done for the club.
One of the things we often hear is that, even if he has no other redeeming features, at least Mike Ashley is sorting out the finances at Newcastle United.
It has become something of a mantra for the pro-Ashley fans but let’s have a look at the figures and see if that mantra is justified.
Before I do that though, I need to disclaim a few things. I’m not a financial expert. I do know a bit about running the books for Limited Companies but obviously nothing the size and scale of Newcastle United.
Additionally, the figures I’m quoting below are from financial reports filed at Companies House which I paid to access via a popular online supplier, so I’m merely trusting that they’re correct.
A First Look At The Books
The following table of figures is taken from the last five years of reports filed by Newcastle United Ltd, which are currently complete up to the 09/10 financial year (Newcastle run July – June for their financial years):
Club needs to wipe its noseObertan transfer to Newcastle United confirmed by Pardew, Valencia interest in Coloccini and Pardew intimates that European football may be beyond us.
It looks like the alleged interest in Gabriel Obertan I reported yesterday is indeed true and the deal should be finalised next week sometime. Alan Pardew confirmed it himself, saying:
“All being well, the deal will be pushed through next week. He’s not really had the chance to shine at Old Trafford but he has pace to burn and will bring some much needed sharpness to our side.”
Can’t say I know much about the player beyond what I’ve researched for articles on this ‘blog, but I hope he does indeed shine at Newcastle and I wish him the best of luck.
According to Fabricio Coloccini‘s agent Fernando Lombilla, Valencia are very interested in the player. Lombilla said:
“Valencia are insisting on signing Coloccini, but Newcastle have just named him captain, which is something that hasn’t happened before.
“So it’s very complicated. They love him in England and he even has a song they sing about him, which lasts a few minutes.(more…)
Do they care about fan protests?The Joey Barton escapade continues to rumble at Newcastle United with some fans asking whether or not some sort of protest would help.
It is very difficult to avoid this Joey Barton situation at the moment. A good 90%+ of the Newcastle United coverage for the last few days had been about him and his infernal Twitter machine, which has depressed me and made me wonder if it was worth chewing through the leather straps to get on here and post this morning.
Ironic, then, that I’m going to post about it too.
Joey seems to have induced an air of protest amongst many Toon fans, such as that suggested by my esteemed fellow writer. But I must say I have my reservations and since we don’t have such things as editorial policies on this ‘blog, I’ll bore you with my views on the subject.
I think any protest needs to be designed as an effective step towards some clear end result or it merely serves as a disjointed expression of anger. Some people might feel better from the emotional release it affords but it may not achieve anything towards the actual goal. (more…)
City fans inspired by Lech PoznanA group of fans have hit upon a way to protest against Ashley, without damaging the team. It has garnered a fair support so far with the likes of United for Newcastle (NOT to be confused with NUSC) taking an active role in spreading the word and it may be worth considering if you’re interested in protesting against the board.
Recent events have shown that our owner and “provider”, Mike Ashley, appears to be very worried about a little known thing such as “player power”. The general gist of this is to show Ashley that his priorities are woefully wrong and that it is us, the fans, who truly hold the power.
It was the fans who kept singing despite being 0-4 down at home to Arsenal that gave the players that extra strength to kick it up a notch. It was the fans who showed up time and time again to matches in the Championship, giving us the third highest average attendance of the season in English Football and it was the fans who signaled to Mike Ashley after relegation to sell up – admittedly, there were no offers but the point remains that we got our message through to him.
The statement on the Facebook page reads as follows:
I’ve had enough, we’ve had enough. So what do we do now? Try something new: (more…)
Done and dusted, just aboutNewcastle United’s Wayne Routledge only needs a medical to complete a move to Swansea. Meanwhile, Joey Barton’s situation continues to dominate the NUFC headlines.
Unfortunately, besides the Barton furore there’s little else happening at the club just now.
It seems that Wayne Routledge has agreed personal terms and has all but signed for Swansea City now, assuming he passes the medical. A club statement from Swansea City read:
“Swansea City is pleased to confirm that personal terms with Newcastle winger Wayne Routledge have been agreed.
“It follows on from an agreement with Newcastle over an undisclosed transfer fee and the 26-year-old is expected to arrive in Swansea for a medical before signing a three-year contract.
“The former England Under-21 international will be joined by Middlesbrough striker, Leroy Lita, who is also due to have a medical before completing his transfer.”
Apparently Routledge is due in Swansea today for the medical and Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers hopes it will all be wrapped up in time for their game against Celtic tomorrow. Routledge is signing on a 3 year deal and whilst the fee is officially ‘undisclosed’ it’s thought to be worth about £2m, which I’m sure will be reinvested in the club*. (more…)
