Mike Ashley - 3 years at the helm.Between the vast swathes of speculation in these last few weeks, I nearly managed to forget that a certain anniversary is about to be upon us.
That is an anniversary to mark Mike Ashley having owned Newcastle United for three years! Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun eh?
Technically, Ashley completed the sale three years ago this coming Sunday, but with me being faced with the very real possibilty of having a stinking hangover from Saturday night, and the fact the nearly all of us will be wrapped up in the World Cup by then, I thought it would be best to, errr, ‘celebrate’ this milestone prematurely and get it out of the way. To say Mike Ashley’s reign on Tyneside has been a turbulent one would be a wee bit of an understatement. His tenure includes having had five different managers in three years, two failed attempts at a sale, and one very big falling out with Kevin Keegan, and that is the one thing Ashley will probably find the hardest to come back from, plus countless others that I have probably either forgotten or haven’t got enough time to write about. (more…)
Coloccini: Will be resting up this summer.Diego Maradona has finally swung the axe and reduced Argetina’s preliminary World Cup squad down to size, with our very own Fabricio Coloccini missing out on the chance to board the plane to South Africa.
In a way it speaks volumes for just how Colo has performed season, as getting called up along with 29 of the best of your fellow countrymen whilst playing in the second tier of English football is quite an impressive feat. You have to wonder whether Colo would indeed be on that plane had we still been playing Premier League football in the season just passed. Colo will be 32 by the time the next World Cup rolls around, so it is debatable whether the Argentine will get another shot at playing in a tournament of such magnitude again. But don’t worry too much Colo, I still want curly hair too, as I’m sure many others do. (more…)
A deal for Shaun would benefit all parties.There has been a train of thought recently regarding Manchester City wide man Shaun Wirght-Phillips and the possibility of a move to Tyneside on a free transfer in the summer.
Certain other sites have mentioned that the winger could be snapped up on a free transfer as his contract expires, which is poorly researched and incorrect as he still has two years to run on his current contract. Quite possibly it could be a misunderstanding with regards to some recent contract negotiations that have broken down between the player and Manchester City regarding a pay rise for the player. At nearly 29 years old, and with the vast swathes of cash available for new signings at Man City, Wright-Phillips has found himself falling down the pecking order for starting positions at Eastlands, so could a loan deal suit us, the player, and his club? Let’s look first from our perspective. (more…)
Spanish hitman heading for the exit?It looks like Xisco will be touted around clubs this summer in an attempt by Newcastle to unload him and his wages onto someone else.
The prime candidates to secure the Spaniards signature will be Racing Santander, especially now their controversial La Liga survival has been confirmed. Xisco has been on loan there all season but has struggled to make an impact scoring only three times in his twenty-three apearances for the club. Manager Chris Hughton will be looking to offload him to free up some wages as his current wage is just ridiculous for someone who hasn’t really done much in the game, and we all know who we can blame for us signing Xisco in the first place. (more…)
McCarthy, pictured left.With the new season still a distant dot on the horizon Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has today decided to have a pop at Newcastle United.
The former boss of our unwashed friends from down the road, and current professional look-a-like for Sesame Street character, Sam The Eagle, has questioned the credentials of Newcastle United for the forthcoming season.
It’s thought among neutrals and bookmakers that The Toon may just be alright next season, and should survive rather comfortably, something which a lot of our fans don’t neccesarily agree with. It’s also been mentioned that the Premier League will be a lot stronger next season with the inclusion of us and West Brom adding to the overall quality of the league. Not so reckons Sam Mick, who appears to have a different viewpoint to the bookmakers. (more…)
