Smith - Toon enforcer?Predictably, a lot of the chat has been about the suggestion that an Iranian tycoon called Sirous Mahjoob is bidding for Newcastle United and may (re)install Kevin Keegan as manager.
Much doubt has been cast on whether this chap actually exists in the first place, let alone whether or not he’s bidding for the club. In general it’s the red-tops and Sky that seem to have been running with this story, although few of the broadsheets and local papers have touched it.
But let’s see what other news is around.
According to The Chronicle, Alan Smith has been laying down the law to players following the 6-1 defeat by Orient. Yesterday he said:
“Some people have made it public that they want to go, while others have got their head down.
“That is entirely up to the individual.
“We won’t have a go at anybody if they want to go.
“But they must cross that white line and give 100% when they wear a Newcastle shirt.
“We won’t have any qualms if they walk away if they get a better offer elsewhere.
“Every player in the dressing room last night, whether they want to stay or go, gave 100% and we cannot have any complaints.” (more…)
Signpost for S********d (Recently that is….) Just how sneaky and devious can the Makems really be? For instance, could they have infiltrated Iranian media to spread malicious rumours and create a second take-over hoax?
I imagine the search keys ‘Sirous Mahjoob’, ‘Toon takeover’ and the F5 key have been seriously hammered today. And yet we seem to be no further forward on whether this is legit.
The current opinion is the The Sun picked the story up from the Iranian media and ran with it and since other papers and sites have piggy-backed off it. The story isn’t given much credence because for a start, there is no extensive knowledge of this guy despite furious trawling of the internet. Also, the rumour contains the suggestion that they’d want KK back which sounds a bit far-fetched. (more…)
Third coming or nonsense?The Sun is reporting (also on Sky) that some gadgie called Sirous Mahjoob might take over Newcastle United and install Kevin Keegan as manager. Again.
In the ‘news’ as scribed by The Sun, Llambias said:
“We are dealing with several people and giving most of our time and attention to the sale.
“You must remember that some parties make offers but when it comes to putting up proof of funds they are a long way from sealing a deal.
“But I can say we are very close to completing a deal and it could happen next week.”
Which is good news I suppose. Llambias then goes on to say why it’s foolhardy to employ a permanent manager at the moment:
“It’s Catch 22 – anyone who signs a deal will want their own choice of manager.
“Look what happened when Mike took over, Sam Allardyce was already in place and he didn’t want him.”
Then there’s a report from someone said to be a spokesman for Sirous Mahjoob: (more…)
