crodonilson
He/Him
Newcastle fans wont be complaining if it brings a hundred million pounds into the club coffers for player purchases in January. Also it will always be St James' Park to the fans so can't see what all the fuss is about.
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Does this man have no shame - St James Park renamed (Merged)
- Thread starter Falkor
- Start date
On one of the journalist podcasts I listen to (sunday supplement and the guardian football weekly thing) one of them made a comment a week or two back along the lines of "Newcastle are doing well, I wonder what Mike Ashley will do to ruin that this year".
I don't have a problem with sponsoring of grounds names. I saw the headline and thought 'didn't he do this a while back?' then remembered it was a 'St James Park sponsored by sports direct' kind of thing (I remember something about an '@').
It should be clear to any half intelligent person that changing the name of a stadium after 119 years would upset fans. I can kinda see why he'd do it now, with them going well in the league, he perhaps thought he had some goodwill with the fans, and with the international break, initial hard feelings may lessen by the time they next play, but it was the wrong time. As others have said, their opening fixture list has been kind to them, but they haven't beaten anyone in the top half of the table (they've drawn with likes of tottenham and Arsenal, with the latter being on opening day when arsenal were faltering), and are just about to face Man City, Man Utd, and Chelsea, which could see them drop down the table. People won't look at the fixture list and think 'well, perhaps they had a generous start and now it's balancing out to where is probably fair'. They'll note that the fall started after Mike Ashley changed the mood at the club by insulting tradition and the fans for his own commercial gain. Instead of getting behind their team, the fans were attacking ashley through chants and protests (I imagine something like that may happen at their next game).
As for whether the change to sportsdirect is permanent, I imagine it depends on what offers come in, if they are good enough he'll let someone else have the naming rights, but given how he wouldn't be budged on his evaluation when putting the team up for sale, I don't imagine the rights will be cheap. So it may stay sports direct arena as long as ashley is there.
I don't have a problem with sponsoring of grounds names. I saw the headline and thought 'didn't he do this a while back?' then remembered it was a 'St James Park sponsored by sports direct' kind of thing (I remember something about an '@').
It should be clear to any half intelligent person that changing the name of a stadium after 119 years would upset fans. I can kinda see why he'd do it now, with them going well in the league, he perhaps thought he had some goodwill with the fans, and with the international break, initial hard feelings may lessen by the time they next play, but it was the wrong time. As others have said, their opening fixture list has been kind to them, but they haven't beaten anyone in the top half of the table (they've drawn with likes of tottenham and Arsenal, with the latter being on opening day when arsenal were faltering), and are just about to face Man City, Man Utd, and Chelsea, which could see them drop down the table. People won't look at the fixture list and think 'well, perhaps they had a generous start and now it's balancing out to where is probably fair'. They'll note that the fall started after Mike Ashley changed the mood at the club by insulting tradition and the fans for his own commercial gain. Instead of getting behind their team, the fans were attacking ashley through chants and protests (I imagine something like that may happen at their next game).
As for whether the change to sportsdirect is permanent, I imagine it depends on what offers come in, if they are good enough he'll let someone else have the naming rights, but given how he wouldn't be budged on his evaluation when putting the team up for sale, I don't imagine the rights will be cheap. So it may stay sports direct arena as long as ashley is there.
mejonaNO12 aka riskit
Well-known member
But from my understanding its not going to bring in ANY extra revenue.
It's Mike Ashleys company so he is just paying HIMSELF. He I'd basically just moving the money from sports direct to Newcastle. It's the same as you moving 200 quid from a Lloyds account to a natwest account and then claiming your 200 quid better off.
Man city did it with their stadium. It's just to get round the new prem rules about making sure you are getting an income into the club rather than relying on sugar daddies
sten_super
Brain Surgeon
He's not even doing that, apparently. There's NO money in it for Newcastle - he's using the Sports Direct name to 'showcase' the market penetration that a stadium name can have. While I don't really have a problem with him selling naming rights, I don't think it's very clever (in the sense that it's clearly going to alienate the fans) to name it after your own company at no cost.
I don't think that's right. It's not moving it from one of his accounts to another of his accounts, it's simply changing the reference for the transfer from 'gift' to 'for services' so it can be spent on players and wages.
As it stands, he can say "I'm giving newcastle £50m to spend on players". He takes £50m of his own money and it becomes the club's money. Yes, he owns the club, but as far as the accounts are concerned the money is now the clubs.
Under the new financial regulations he can't do that. They can't use donations, they can only use money that has come through commercial avenues (ticket sales, sponsorship deals, etc). So instead, he is now taking the £50m to pay newcastle to name the stadium 'sports direct'. The club now have in their accounts '+£50m - sponsorship' and can now use the money to buy players, pay wages etc.
seagullsovergrimsby
#cpfctinpotclub
It creates a paper trail to keep the Premier League happy. Stadium naming rights justifies paying players £100k a week.
theonesmith
Well-known member
- Oct 27, 2008
- 2,335
True, but...
As a director, he has already put perhaps hundreds of millions into the club. Thus, any income in through sponsorship could allow him to take money out of the club (that he has already put in and might otherwise have to write off) in the form of a "Director's Loan". Tax free, of course.
St James' Park
Been changed to 'SportsDirect Arena'
Wouldnt be happy if I was from Newcastle
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/nov/10/newcastle-st-james-park-sports-direct?newsfeed=true
Been changed to 'SportsDirect Arena'
Wouldnt be happy if I was from Newcastle
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/nov/10/newcastle-st-james-park-sports-direct?newsfeed=true
Tony Meolas Loan Spell
Slut Faced Whores
When are the fixtures out?
Goldstone Rapper
Rediffusion PlayerofYear
Surely naming the stadium after the company will raise brand awareness and therefore revenue for Sports Direct, which might lead to more money from Ashley being pumped into the club?
34064 Fighter Command
New member
Funny how we all think John Madjeski and Dave Whelan are great Chairman, yet seem to think Mike Ashley isn't ..................
Why? They financed and built stadiums and then named them after themselves. Ashley contributed nothing to the building of st james park, and is flying in the face of 119 years of history to change the name to push his business.
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
A fact rarely aired or acknowledged. And now he's wanting to recoup some of it, shock horror.
No bugger wanted to come in and buy the club when it was up for sale and in the Championship, so it was purely down to Ashleys cash that they stayed afloat and solvent. Now they're enjoying the fresh clean air near the top of the Prem, thanks in no small part to Ashley.
I'd say he's within his rights to get some money in through the sale of the name. As others have said, fans will always know it as SJP anyway.
Falkor
Banned
- Jun 3, 2011
- 5,673
- Thread starter
- #36
Why did no one buy it though, 500mill price tag on the club in the Championship.
He is within his right to sell the name thing is though he wont, why not keep it as St James Park then advertise for a sponsor, why change the name then say were looking for a ground sponsor, i guarantee that next season Sports direct will be on the front of there kits also as the Northern Rock thing is up.
NUFC1892
New member
It is nothing short of embarrassing, it seems that whenever we're doing well and there is nothing pissing the fans off that Ashley gets bored and goes and pulls a stunt like this. We've had our ground called St. James' Park for 119 years of our history and it was called St. James' Park before that when Newcastle West End FC played there, and this fat f***ing tosspot goes and renames it after his company that sells cheap Donnay socks and other hideous clothing for about 2 pound a piece. It's embarrassing and a huge slap in the face to the city, the fans and of course the club. We could win the league under his ownership and he'll still go down as the worst person associated with our club because of the lack of respect and class shown, he's a f***ing **** and I can't wait until the day him and Llambias sell up, can't come quick enough. We're making no money off this either by the way, infact the club paid to have the huge signs erected in and around the ground! I don't believe for one minute a company will come forward and take the stadium name and shirt sponsorship - we'll see in the Summer 'Sports Direct' on the front of our shirts.
That's what our stadium looks like ATM, the fact it's now officially renamed is a further kick in the teeth.
That's what our stadium looks like ATM, the fact it's now officially renamed is a further kick in the teeth.
pasty
A different kind of pasty
Like others have said - I don't see the problem. The ONLY people that will call the stadium the Sports Direct Arena are the media. Everyone else connected to football will know it as St James Park, and probably always will.
And before some smartarse asks the question - Yes, I would have still felt the same even if The Goldstone naming rights had been sold years ago. In fact lets face it, unless somebody specifically asks you "where do your team play", how often do use the name of the stadium? I'm not sure I've ever used the name "American Express Coummunity Stadium" unless specifically asked the proper name of our ground.
And before some smartarse asks the question - Yes, I would have still felt the same even if The Goldstone naming rights had been sold years ago. In fact lets face it, unless somebody specifically asks you "where do your team play", how often do use the name of the stadium? I'm not sure I've ever used the name "American Express Coummunity Stadium" unless specifically asked the proper name of our ground.
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Bradford City's ground = Valley Parade
I have NO CLUE who is currently sponsoring it (I believe its changed hands a few times now). I have and will always know it as Valley Parade though.
Point PROVEN.
I have NO CLUE who is currently sponsoring it (I believe its changed hands a few times now). I have and will always know it as Valley Parade though.
Point PROVEN.
34064 Fighter Command
New member
The fact that Madjeski put Autotrader all over Reading's shirts and Whelan called Wigan's ground the JJB Stadium wasn't about pushing their own businesses then