Not a single serious bidderAfter a summer of discontent at Newcastle United, with the club having been up for sale since May, we’ve failed to attract a single serious buyer.
It seems Moat was all mouth and all the other ‘bidders’ were either publicity hunters, time-wasters or chancers who only expressed an interest in the hope of purchasing way below Ashley’s £100m asking price.
A few weeks ago I posted an article which quoted the Telegraph’s ‘source close to the club’ as follows:
“No one has come up with any money – no one.
“Barry Moat and the South Africans have one thing in common – they are all talking but they have no produced any money.
“There will be some preliminary conversations late in the week and I would think Barry Moat will have some provisional discussions with them although I can’t underline provisional enough.
“Until someone comes up with the money Mike Ashley has got to stay in control of the club. He has got no choice.” (more…)
Rudolfsen - on the radarAccording to The Chronicle, Newcastle United are tracking a 21 year old striker from Norway.
The striker is a lad called Joakim Rudolfsen and he plays for Norway’s famous third-tier Mo IL side. Apparently he was first spotted by Dennis Wise and has continued to be tracked by Norman Wooster, our Scandinavian scout.
Apparently Rudolfsen recently scored a hat-trick in 14 minutes against Asker and has scored 18 goals in 18 games this season already.
The Chronicle speculates that Hughton might make a move for the striker in the January transfer window, but I doubt it myself. Rudolfsen is the sort of striker who looks like an investment for the future and I’d be surprised if that interests Mike Ashley at the moment.
Even though Rudolfsen would only command a nominal fee I think Hughton’s concerns in the January transfer window will mainly be related to the current campaign. (more…)
New top manChris Hughton will be appointed as permanent manager of Newcastle United after the weekend’s visit from Doncaster.
Apparently Chris Hughton has been offered a £250,000 a year deal which is believed to be the same package that David O’Leary turned down in August.
I have no idea why O’Leary turned down the manager’s job at Newcastle United of course, but I would guess he feels he’s worth more than £250,000 a year even as an out of work manager coming into a Championship club.
£250,000 doesn’t seem a lot to me. Okay, hang on, £250,000 a year is a fair wedge of money to me and I could certainly afford a new hat on that sort of money, but I’m talking about in relation to players on our books who’ll be earning £2,000,000 a year. But I suppose market conditions dictate salaries and some players are simply valued higher than their managers.
Anyway, I presume Hughton’s happy with the deal and is looking forward to taking charge of the club even if it is only for the rest of the season.
Hughton talked about the team and our current rough patch yesterday, saying: (more…)
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…)
