Foghorn LeghornFormer Newcastle United owner Freddy Shepherd has been having his say on Keegangate, as is his wont in such situations these days, and of course that called for a comparison with his time at Newcastle and how things were so much better back then.
Freddy said:
“There are no winners [I say no winners, you listening to me boy] in this case. There are only losers – the club and its fans. Kevin Keegan and Mike Ashley are just passing through – it is the institution of Newcastle United that is damaged by this episode.
“During my time at Newcastle, when a manager left we always managed to sort it out amicably and agree on a settlement.
“And when Ruud Gullit left he agreed to waive all his rights to compensation. Gullit is the most honourable man I have ever met in football.
“Things weren’t going well and he came to me and told me he had lost the fans. He told me he wanted to go quietly and didn’t want a penny paid into his bank account. There aren’t many men of that calibre in the game. He showed he had true class and integrity [and I aint no chickenhawk, chickenhawk that is].” (more…)
Llambias: no. NUST: Yes We CanEver since Mike Ashley first put Newcastle United up for sale there have been rumours of various fan buy-out schemes for the club. The latest of them was probably that Graham Roberts nonsense, which I took a particular dislike to and refused to waste electrons on. However, it seems that the results of the Keegan tribunal have prompted a second stream of enthusiasm for these schemes.
The Newcastle United Supporters Trust is launching on Wednesday 7th October at the Newcastle Civic Centre and it claims to have £20m in pledges with which it hopes to buy a stake in the club.
The NUST is also backing the ‘Yes We Can’ campaign, which has the support of City financial institutions and has used new pensions legislation to entice 483 x £20,000 of investment (nearly £10m) and has a further 202 members committed to signing up.
Neil Mitchell, Chair of NUST, said:
“Realistically, we’re looking to buy a stake in the club, though we don’t think buying it outright is unrealistic in the long term. With the takeovers at an impasse, we’re looking to raise funds to help a new buyer. We want to give supporters a voice, something they’ve not had in the past.” (more…)
Chris Hughton: Showing his balls.Newcastle United manager, Chris Hughton has picked up a second successive Championship ‘Manager of the Month’ with Newcastle United on the eve of taday’s clash with the Robins of Bristol City.
The ex ‘Spurs and Republic if Ireland legend beat off WBA’s Roberto Di Matteo, Preston’s Alan Irvine, and Gareth Southgate from the toxic waste dump down the road for the prize.
Speaking about the award to Sky Sports News, Hughton gushed:
“It’s very pleasing, but it’s very much an award for this group of lads and the staff I’ve got working with me. It’s very much a team award.
“I’m certainly enjoying it at the moment. It’s very difficult not to when you’ve got a group of lads performing as they are, and we’re at the right end of the table.
“But I know there are going to be difficult times ahead of us. There are times when we’re going to be stretched and perhaps we’re going to get the injuries that other teams have already had this season. (more…)
Dead or alive?As I awoke today my head was still spinning – I am gut wrenchingly saddened at what we have become, as many are aware I have a particular stance re the whole Keegan affair – ultimately that he shouldn’t have walked – many are vehemently against my stance.
I awoke needing to write, to quantify why I sit here uncomfortable with the views of the majority – well the majority of the most vociferous anyway.
I always awaited this verdict to finalise my views – I had advocated he shouldn’t have walked – so I expected big things to break, big shocks, serious undermining if he won……… I never expected a technical K.O.
As we all know in September last year – Kevin Keegan walked out of Newcastle. As the tribunal stated he was constructively dismissed. Keegan was victorious and released his statement about the club he loves.
Again I squirm and sit uncomfortably. “A club he loves?”.
Newcastle United is more than a business, more than a company – its a living breathing collective of individuals and energy all who come together to play their part in helping each other succeed in the game we all love – surely that’s what we all want? Personalities come and go, just as players, the seasons, games, referee decisions and results come and go – but the club and the love for the club remains. (more…)
At least £6.6m downI must admit when I first read the Keegangate tribunal report I was staggered that Keegan had actually claimed £25m from Newcastle United. But as the Keegan-bashers grasped at that one remaining thing to hit him over the head with (I’m thinking about articles like this one in the Daily Mirror) I began to think about it some more and have now come to the conclusion that Keegan was actually robbed in all this.
First and foremost we have to bear in mind that Keegan has done nothing wrong. The tribunal ruled that he was constructively dismissed and was forced out of a job he didn’t want to leave.
So what would you estimate that has cost him? First of all it’s cost him the £8.6m outstanding on his contract, which is easy enough to calculate because it’s all down in black and white on the contract. Then there’s his claim for ‘stigma damage’. I do think that’s a fair claim because, let’s face it, this isn’t going to have Premier League teams jumping over themselves to employ him. It doesn’t matter that he’s innocent in all this – mud sticks. (more…)
