Number one super guyPoor old Chris Hughton deserves a fair bit of credit for quietly taking over a job he doesn’t want and just getting on with it.
Ashley’s dumped him in it a few times now but Hughton simply remains unruffled, appearing to treat his frequent calls to stand-in as manager of one the most media-exposed teams in the country with no more alarm than he’d treat a hole in his sock.
According to The Chronicle, Hughton had this to say about the club sale saga at the club’s Benton training ground:
“I think the sooner there is a line drawn on the situation the better for everybody.
“I think that’s what everybody wants.”
That’s about as close as he gets to a complaint. If the man was any more relaxed he’d be horizontal. He puts me in mind of Hong Kong Phooey actually, although that’s probably more to do with my insane, laterally-articulated brain than anything else. (more…)
Dix - Nee politics at Reading game. Newcastle United’s honourary Vice-President, Malcolm Dix, says he does not expect fans to wash their dirty linen in public during our home clash against Reading on Saturday evening. Speaking to Tyneside rag, the Chronic, he said:
“For 90 minutes I think the fans will divorce the politics from the club and get behind the 11 players who are picked for the Reading game.
“This club is ultimately about what happens on the pitch.
“I think there was a good team spirit displayed at West Brom and it’s a start we can build on against Reading.
“If Newcastle can win well it can lay the foundations for a good season, one we all hope that we can return to the Premier League in.
“The game is also in front of the TV cameras and judging our crowd over the years, it’s usually the sort of occasion in which the fans get right behind the lads.”
Dix, an accountant who was an important part of the John Hall Politburo at Saint James’s Park in the ‘nineties added: (more…)
Newcastle draw Huddersfield in the Carling CupNewcastle have a home draw against League One’s Huddersfield in the second round of the Carling Cup.
Huddersfield are currently managed by Geordie Lee ‘Jigsaw’ Clark who played for us between 1990-1997 and 2005-2007, the latter period including time as first team coach and reserve team manager under Glen Roeder.
I don’t think it’s fair to once again mention the ‘Sad Mackem Bastards’ T-shirt Lee Clark wore to the 1999 FA Cup final whilst he was a Sunderland player, so I won’t.
According to The Chronicle, Mike Ashley and Barry Moat are both due at a dinner in aid of The Newcastle United Foundation at St James’s Park on Saturday, although they’re apparently forbidden to discuss anything to do with Moat’s alleged bid for the club (why?).
Bobby at Fulham in 1966, seeing off some fearsome oppostion! After six years of fine service to the Midlands club however, Bobby returned to Fulham in 1962, his departure caused by a wage dispute with the bigwigs of Albion. Bobby had just welcomed a second son into the world with Elsie, and financial security was very much at the forefront of Bobby’s mind. Though he loved playing at West Brom, these were the days when being a top class international footballer was little different from being a bus driver.
Back in West London, his salary was immediatedly doubled, and Bobby could at last enjoy some form of financial security. This was largely due to his Fulham team-mate, Jimmy Hill and his great work as president of the PFA (Professional Footballer’s Association). In 1961, Hill managed to get the ‘maximum wage’ for footballers abolished. Just before it’s abolition, it stood at (eat your heart out, Christiano Ronaldo) £20 per week.
Though far less ‘pacy’ with his advancing years, Bobby’s superb skill and technique were still there in his Fulham encore, so he played a further 192 games for Fulham over five years, eventually retreating into a more defensive role. (more…)
What's gannin on Mike?Still nothing on the takeover and some reports have indicated that Ashley has not set a deadline for completion, although I think it’s reasonable to assume that some sort of deadline will eventually be set to allow him time to do some work on the transfer market if he has to keep the club.
As we know, the press often claim to have ‘sources’ giving them the inside story on these things, but there seem to be lots of contradictory opinions about this takeover and I doubt the validity of these ‘sources’ even more than usual given the strict non-disclosure agreements signed by Ashley and the bidders.
For example, depending upon what you read, Barry Moat is either the only bidder with a hope of taking over Newcastle United or he’s way out of the running and instead two unnamed bidders are much more in contention.
As to the manager situation, for all we know a lot of that could be a ploy by Ashley to make it look like he’s serious about staying on if necessary, sending a message to potential bidders that they’d better not wait until the last minute in the hope that he’ll lose his nerve and accept a low bid.
Then again, he certainly will need a manager if he doesn’t sell, so sounding out various managers is no bad idea anyway.
What I’m really saying is that I think a lot of what the press are writing is a load of old toot and we may as well just wait for something official. (more…)
