Re: Newcastle United FC

by donttreadonred Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:12 pm

Immaculate_Mole wrote:14 questions that are putting forward to the board who have agreed to answer how they answer them is another question entirely.....

1. Where has the money that was pledged to be reinvested in the squad after the sale of Andy Carroll gone?

2. Why is there such a lack of communication with the fans from Mike Ashley and his board?

3. In 2009 you outlined your plans for the club at a fans forum. Can you give us an update on how you see our position now against that plan and if it has changed? What is the long-term plan for Newcastle United?

4. Can you justify why it took seven months to pursue a striker before failing at the eleventh hour to secure a signing?

5. Public opinion on Tyneside from large sections of fans is that they no longer trust statements coming out of the club after several empty promises. What assurances can you give fans that they can believe what the club tells them?

6. Given that level 7 was deserted in some parts at the Fulham game, is there any reason why those who want to sing can’t all be sat together rather than upsetting fans who don’t want to sing, which appears to be the problem in the Strawberry corner? What has caused the club to fundamentally change its stance to standing in the stadium?

7. Many fans clamoured for a marquee signing on the striker front. Are those days gone and can we expect more continental-based players coming in in January, if any?

8. Are you concerned about the 10,000 drop in attendance and that fans are either not renewing season tickets or have headed to support local non-league teams instead?

9. Is Ashley considering putting the club up for sale?

10. Newcastle United has the third highest attendances in the country, Sky TV and income from merchandising, plus a lower debt position than many in the EPL. Why in terms of player recruitment can Newcastle not compete with smaller clubs like Stoke, Fulham and QPR?

11. Are you aware of fans’ disgruntlement with the away ticketing policy given the Toon Army are amongst the most loyal fans in the UK, and will you consider reviewing the policy?

12. Alan Pardew said he was 100% convinced he would get a new number 9. What changed?

13. Why was Joey Barton allowed to leave for free and join a club that could be considered to be a rival in the Premier League?

14. Many fans now consider us to be a “selling club” after the departures of Nolan, Enrique, Carroll and Barton. How do you respond to this?

When are they going to be posting the answers to the questions? I'm VERY interested in seeing just how forthcoming they are with some of the questions, as it seems that they have not sidestepped the "hard topics" at all. Kudos to the NUFC management for recognizing that they couldn't just sidestep these questions without it being considered a slap in the face to the supporters. The true public relations challenge will be to answer the questions in a manner that will actually satisfy the supporters. For the record, I don't think it can be done. However, if they answer the questions fully and honestly, I will respect them more than if they had just put out the same statement that, "We tried, but just could not get it done in time." The true test, however, will come in January. More than for the sake of the team's performance, they need to fill these needs to avoid alienating the fanbase further. It's time to break the bank. I don't care if the player is not worth the price tag associated with him. Look at the Andy Carroll situation. The act meant more a the time than the actual benefit. Liverpool splashed the cash to show they weren't writing off the short term for long-term rebuilding/gains. It's past time Newcastle opened the coffers for a high quality player to send the message to fans and other teams that they want to improve and they want to win.

by Great Leader Sprucenuce Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:31 pm

Well they agreed a set amount of questions for Evening Chronicle readers(Local paper if you dont know) and the questions were put together by the Evening Chronicle in terms of popularity by that i mean how many times a certain question was asked and these were obviously the top 14 asked.....

As i said how they answer them is a true test and they will be answering them some time at the beginning of next week i will post all the answers here....

As for January i agree they need to go out and get the players we need it was been rumoured in the North East that we are after a Back up CB, Full back and Centre forward but as this window showed its a case of believe it when it happens.....

As for the breaking the bank i dont necessarily believe we need to break the bank for a CF if you look at one of our targets Papiss Demba Cisse....

We offered 10million for him but Freiburg wanted 13 and refused to go there that is the issue if we paid it we would have our Carroll replacement.....

Breaking the bank isnt necessary but paying above our value to get the player is a must....

Alot of the time we miss out on players because the selling club wants 2 or 3 million more, yes maybe we can get away with paying under the market value for midfielders and defenders but you cannot with strikers.....

Especially strikers with track records.

by donttreadonred Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:42 pm

Immaculate_Mole wrote:Well they agreed a set amount of questions for Evening Chronicle readers(Local paper if you dont know) and the questions were put together by the Evening Chronicle in terms of popularity by that i mean how many times a certain question was asked and these were obviously the top 14 asked.....

As i said how they answer them is a true test and they will be answering them some time at the beginning of next week i will post all the answers here....

As for January i agree they need to go out and get the players we need it was been rumoured in the North East that we are after a Back up CB, Full back and Centre forward but as this window showed its a case of believe it when it happens.....

As for the breaking the bank i dont necessarily believe we need to break the bank for a CF if you look at one of our targets Papiss Demba Cisse....

We offered 10million for him but Freiburg wanted 13 and refused to go there that is the issue if we paid it we would have our Carroll replacement.....

Breaking the bank isnt necessary but paying above our value to get the player is a must....

Alot of the time we miss out on players because the selling club wants 2 or 3 million more, yes maybe we can get away with paying under the market value for midfielders and defenders but you cannot with strikers.....

Especially strikers with track records.

Sorry. I didn't mean to suggest that they necessarily have to spend an ungodly amount of money. I just meant they need to not play "moneyball" and try to buy below market value in this particular situation. The sabermetrics/"moneyball" style works for many positions but not for a #9, star striker. NUFC got lucky signing Cabaye for the midfield for less than what he was worth, IMHO, and they found hidden gems in Tiote and Ben Arfa (if he can stay healthy). The judgment on Santon should be suspended until he can prove his worth in the BPL. I think you got my point that they need to be willing to pay above market value for what should be their main target.

by Great Leader Sprucenuce Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:49 pm

donttreadonred wrote:
Sorry. I didn't mean to suggest that they necessarily have to spend an ungodly amount of money. I just meant they need to not play "moneyball" and try to buy below market value in this particular situation. The sabermetrics/"moneyball" style works for many positions but not for a #9, star striker. NUFC got lucky signing Cabaye for the midfield for less than what he was worth, IMHO, and they found hidden gems in Tiote and Ben Arfa (if he can stay healthy). The judgment on Santon should be suspended until he can prove his worth in the BPL. I think you got my point that they need to be willing to pay above market value for what should be their main target.

Yh agree completely with this, especially the parts i underlined.

by Great Leader Sprucenuce Thu Sep 08, 2011 2:43 pm

Pardew: "Hatem is earmarked for return in Forest game"

"7 months is a long time but we put targets in front of the board then it's down to finances,Ruiz bid was genuine, we bid for 4

For those who dont know the Forest game is on the 20th September

by magpie Thu Sep 08, 2011 2:46 pm

Immaculate_Mole wrote:Pardew: "Hatem is earmarked for return in Forest game"

"7 months is a long time but we put targets in front of the board then it's down to finances,Ruiz bid was genuine, we bid for 4

For those who dont know the Forest game is on the 20th September

Finally, I've been dying to see Ben Arfa play.

by BeautifulGame Thu Sep 08, 2011 3:47 pm

Immaculate_Mole wrote:Pardew: "Hatem is earmarked for return in Forest game"

"7 months is a long time but we put targets in front of the board then it's down to finances,Ruiz bid was genuine, we bid for 4

For those who dont know the Forest game is on the 20th September

How does Newcastle fans view Pardew.Do u think he has been a better manager than Hughton or atleast as good as him.Or still viewed as a puppet of Ashley and still against him?

I remember Newcastle fans organizing protests against the decision to sack Hughton before the Liverpool match last year.And also a lot of negativity about Pardew from media too when appointed and bizarrely given 5 year contract.

From outsider's point of view he seems to have done a decent job so far despite all the difficulties and losing players like Carroll and Barton without replacement.

by Great Leader Sprucenuce Thu Sep 08, 2011 4:02 pm

BeautifulGame wrote:
Immaculate_Mole wrote:Pardew: "Hatem is earmarked for return in Forest game"

"7 months is a long time but we put targets in front of the board then it's down to finances,Ruiz bid was genuine, we bid for 4

For those who dont know the Forest game is on the 20th September

How does Newcastle fans view Pardew.Do u think he has been a better manager than Hughton or atleast as good as him.Or still viewed as a puppet of Ashley?

I remember Newcastle fans organizing protests against the decision to sack before the Liverpool match last year.And also a lot of negativity about Pardew from media too when appointed and bizarrely given 5 year contract.

From outsider's point of view he seems to have done a decent job so far despite all the difficulties and losing players like Carroll and Barton without replacement.

Of course he is the puppet of Ashley atleast that how it seems......

But he's done a good job losing only 8 from 28 games, done amazingly well to keep the dressing room together despite the sales of Carroll, Enrique, Barton and Nolan and was able to bring in some good players for a profit.....

Signed Cabaye, Santon,Ba Marveaux and Obertan are all good signings imo.....

There is'nt much he can do when the board does'nt back him he supposedly wants a striker, fullback and back up centre defender in January lets see if he gets them ( i doubt it but we live in hope)

Technically Barton was replaced as Cabaye has taken his role in the team as Ben Arfa has replaced Nolan and Obertan has replaced Routledge and Santon has replaced Enrique.....

I am actually happy with Pardew, its Ashley and Llambias that need to GTFO.

by Art Morte Thu Sep 08, 2011 4:44 pm

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew on the failure to sign a striker during the transfer window: "The criticism that's going to come from not getting a striker in has some validity to it because seven months is a long time. But I can only say that from my point of view, we put the targets in front of the board and then it comes down to financial decisions, and that financial decision didn't take place."

by magpie Thu Sep 08, 2011 5:08 pm

BeautifulGame wrote:
Immaculate_Mole wrote:Pardew: "Hatem is earmarked for return in Forest game"

"7 months is a long time but we put targets in front of the board then it's down to finances,Ruiz bid was genuine, we bid for 4

For those who dont know the Forest game is on the 20th September

How does Newcastle fans view Pardew.Do u think he has been a better manager than Hughton or atleast as good as him.Or still viewed as a puppet of Ashley and still against him?

I remember Newcastle fans organizing protests against the decision to sack Hughton before the Liverpool match last year.And also a lot of negativity about Pardew from media too when appointed and bizarrely given 5 year contract.

From outsider's point of view he seems to have done a decent job so far despite all the difficulties and losing players like Carroll and Barton without replacement.

I think he is a bit out of his league. He seems like a good guy, he seems to have the same concerns as many of the fans, but I don't see him being anything more than mediocre.

by Great Leader Sprucenuce Sat Sep 10, 2011 1:05 pm

Board answer fans questions......

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2011/09/10/newcastle-united-board-answer-your-questions-72703-29396067

by magpie Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:06 pm

Immaculate_Mole wrote:Board answer fans questions......

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2011/09/10/newcastle-united-board-answer-your-questions-72703-29396067

Waste of *bleep* time, most questions are "answered" by repeating the question as a statement.

Why didn't we sign a new #9? Because the deal with the new #9 never materialized (ie, Because we didn't sign one).

by Great Leader Sprucenuce Sat Sep 10, 2011 11:18 pm

magpie wrote:
Immaculate_Mole wrote:Board answer fans questions......

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2011/09/10/newcastle-united-board-answer-your-questions-72703-29396067
Waste of *bleep* time, most questions are "answered" by repeating the question as a statement.

Why didn't we sign a new #9? Because the deal with the new #9 never materialized (ie, Because we didn't sign one).

Yep i read the first question and then gave up because it was obvious it was all full of BS lying statements.....

Was expected tho tbh.

by aford92 Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:21 am

Are these "answers" anything other than what was expected? Just lies, excuses and bullsh*t.

I appreciate the fact that Ashley has gotten rid of a fair amount of the clubs debt, but at the same time there are clubs in worse debt than us that spend more money than us and unless you are in an insane amount of debt you should be willing to spend more than normal for a player if you just received over £50m in transfers. It may be true that the £50m has stayed in the club, but it's pointless keeping it in the club if it's sitting around doing nothing.

Breaking "the clubs strict transfer policy" obviously shouldn't be done lightly but if we are you are in desperate need for a certain position you should do it. It's not like we were asking for a superstar that would cost the earth. Judging from reports we were close to signing Barnetta, Gameiro and Cisse but Ashley wouldn't part with a bit more money to secure them.

If he's not going to use the £50m to buy more players, use it to get rid of the majority of the clubs remaining debt. We can't be in much more than £50m of debt now. At least then it's actually helping the club rather than sitting round doing nothing.

by donttreadonred Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:37 pm

It may not be lies, but it surely doesn't answer the intent of the questions. THe first answer comes off as contemptuous towards the fact that people are asking the question. To say that "We didnt promise to spend all the money in this window. Money will be available going forward, for the right player at the right time,"
{Q1: Where has the Andy Carroll money gone?} is unbelievable.

First of all, they may not have promised it, but they did promise a replacement for Andy Carroll. As it is in the best interest of a club to score goals, it's usually good business to have a striker that can do that consistently. If one is not currently in the squad, it's generally a good idea to use the money from the selling of such a striker to purchase another. Anything else is borderline irresponsible.

Secondly, If money is available, the right time to buy a striker was about three months ago, at the start of the window. They had four months to identify targets for the summer. Apparently they sat around with their head in the sand. (For the mods, I did change this from a slightly more vulgar, if accurate, expression.) To claim that the efforts to highjack Bryan Ruiz's transfer to Fulham was a legitimate effort to sign a new #9 is an absolute joke. Even if it was a genuine effort, it demonstrates nothing but utter incompetence in transfer dealings. If it was nothing but a PR stunt, it is absolutely disrespectful to the supporters.

I'm usually not in favor of supporters attempting to drive transfers, but given Newcastle's board's inability to motivate itself at the expense of the quality of the squad, I will make an exception.

by magpie Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:52 pm

donttreadonred wrote:It may not be lies, but it surely doesn't answer the intent of the questions. THe first answer comes off as contemptuous towards the fact that people are asking the question. To say that "We didnt promise to spend all the money in this window. Money will be available going forward, for the right player at the right time,"
{Q1: Where has the Andy Carroll money gone?} is unbelievable.

First of all, they may not have promised it, but they did promise a replacement for Andy Carroll. As it is in the best interest of a club to score goals, it's usually good business to have a striker that can do that consistently. If one is not currently in the squad, it's generally a good idea to use the money from the selling of such a striker to purchase another. Anything else is borderline irresponsible.

Secondly, If money is available, the right time to buy a striker was about three months ago, at the start of the window. They had four months to identify targets for the summer. Apparently they sat around with their head in the sand. (For the mods, I did change this from a slightly more vulgar, if accurate, expression.) To claim that the efforts to highjack Bryan Ruiz's transfer to Fulham was a legitimate effort to sign a new #9 is an absolute joke. Even if it was a genuine effort, it demonstrates nothing but utter incompetence in transfer dealings. If it was nothing but a PR stunt, it is absolutely disrespectful to the supporters.

I'm usually not in favor of supporters attempting to drive transfers, but given Newcastle's board's inability to motivate itself at the expense of the quality of the squad, I will make an exception.

Very, very well put. I especially agree with avoid fan-driven transfers, but this wasn't fans just wanting a specific character or face, we NEED a striker, we NEED a #9 so badly but we got nothing. Now we are hoping that Ben Arfa, Obertan and the Ameobis can sink enough to compensate. It doesn't excuse anything, though.

by Great Leader Sprucenuce Sun Sep 11, 2011 6:42 pm

Thing is we wont be relying on the likes of Obertan and Ben Arfa to score goals , we will be relying on them to create goals.

Sure we will hope they will pop up with important goals but we cant expect them to score consistently.....

We will be relying on the likes of Demba Ba and Best to get us goals, until we are able to sign Carroll's replacement but hopefully goals can come from on all over the pitch.

Because if we want top 10 we will need that to happen until we get a proper #9.

by RedAndWhiteArmy Mon Sep 12, 2011 6:08 pm

Nile Ranger has been arrested for drink driving Neutral

by magpie Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:46 am

Immaculate_Mole wrote:Thing is we wont be relying on the likes of Obertan and Ben Arfa to score goals , we will be relying on them to create goals.

Sure we will hope they will pop up with important goals but we cant expect them to score consistently.....

We will be relying on the likes of Demba Ba and Best to get us goals, until we are able to sign Carroll's replacement but hopefully goals can come from on all over the pitch.

Because if we want top 10 we will need that to happen until we get a proper #9.

True that.

Ugh, I cannot believe we drew against QPR...

by Art Morte Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:47 am

I cannot believe QPR didn't score, they had a hatful of opportunities..

SWP looked good, looks to be a very good signing for QPR.

by Great Leader Sprucenuce Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:13 pm

magpie wrote:
Immaculate_Mole wrote:Thing is we wont be relying on the likes of Obertan and Ben Arfa to score goals , we will be relying on them to create goals.

Sure we will hope they will pop up with important goals but we cant expect them to score consistently.....

We will be relying on the likes of Demba Ba and Best to get us goals, until we are able to sign Carroll's replacement but hopefully goals can come from on all over the pitch.

Because if we want top 10 we will need that to happen until we get a proper #9.
True that.

Ugh, I cannot believe we drew against QPR...

We did'nt draw against QPR against because of lack of a number 9 tho we draw against QPR because.....

1. We played bloody awful
2. No link between midfield and the forwards, the quicker Ben Arfa gets back the better
3. Wingers are bloody awful, we may have an abundance of them but they are not good enough i only trust Sammy Ameobi in the long run and possibly Haris Vuckic( Both are far from ready atm)
4. Both full backs are also awful, Santon has to come in for R.Taylor ASAP and we also have to buy another full back to replace Simpson

I would buy between now and August 31st......

Striker, Winger,Full Back and back up CM and CB and sell none of the top players.....

But unfortunately iam not Ashley Sad

by RealGunner Fri Sep 16, 2011 4:26 pm

Newcastle United's Italy defender Davide Santon has been sidelined by a knee injury picked up in training and will miss the Premier League trip to Aston Villa this weekend.

"Newcastle United can confirm that Davide Santon sustained an injury to his right knee during training on Thursday which will keep him out of Saturday's match against Aston Villa, the club said on their website.

"The player had a scan on Thursday afternoon and will undergo treatment over the weekend and will be reviewed by a specialist early next week."

Newcastle scotched suggestions their new signing, who was set to make his debut at Villa Park after moving from Inter Milan in the transfer window, joined the club with a problem.

"Davide was injury-free when he completed his pre-signing medical examination and scans. The injury he sustained on Thursday is not connected to his previous injuries," United said.

The 20-year-old left-back was signed on a five-year deal to replace Spaniard Jose Enrique who moved to Liverpool. British media put the fee at five million pounds.