[Football] Saudi consortium to take over Newcastle

[GT49er]

Liars and chisellers, the lot of them. No doubt as the Investment Minister, Grimstone was on a nice tidy little earner to help broker the deal between PIF and the EPL.

"I made it very clear to Mr Hoffman (UK Ambassador to Saudi) that my only role was to facilitate the passing of ideas between the PIF and EPL and that in no way did I seek to prejudice the EPL’s complete autonomy in this matter."

"The passing of ideas..." He really must think everyone is stupid.

Pretty impressive trick to pack a wedge of ideas into a brown envelope, I suppose?

 

[Sea Cider]

It’s by no means the crime of the century but the club as being run a yo-yo club or bottom 5 EPL side. No investment in the future. No passion for the game. No growth plan. No hope.

Reducing it to ‘live Ashley wasn’t losing money’ is missing the point. Newcastle are naturally a top 10 side and the owner (who really is a grade a ****) had no ambition to realise this. No Newcastle fans seriously wanted an unsustainable club.

Yes - the Saudi thing is unpalatable but a lot of good football fans are now getting the football they deserve.

Meanwhile it’s useful to look at our own fans. The Potter Out Campaign was alive and kicking at the height of our most successful period ever in our history with our best manager all time manger at the helm. People like Lenny moaned and moaned just as much as Newcastle fans were moaning at Ashley and tried to use their influence to turn fans against Potter. We all have our share of entitled fans who have absolutely no perspective whatsoever.

Oh sure, then let's get all clubs with either historical success or large fan bases taken over by corrupt, morally bankrupt foreign petro-states because they 'deserve' good football.

What absolute bollocks.

 

[JBizzle]

I see today that the Saudis are looking at naming rights for St James's Park...

"Newcastle’s new chief executive, Darren Eales, has promised that the club’s fans will be consulted regarding any potentially contentious commercial decisions including prospective naming rights for St James’ Park."

Luckily for them, they now know that Newcastle fans will accept anything for a bit of cash. "The LGBT+ Bloodbath Arena"? Yes please! We can change them from the inside! We can buy more players! The PIF are legends and ARE NOT RELATED TO THE SAUDI STATE!

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

The Bone Saw Stadium.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

It could be argued that by accepting or even celebrating the takeover Newcastle fans have given up the right to complain about this sort of stuff.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

It could be argued that by accepting or even celebrating the takeover Newcastle fans have given up the right to complain about this sort of stuff.

They willingly, for the most part, sold their soul. As long as they got rid of their not so bad owner (sign of entitlement) and replaced him with an unscrupulous, evil and murderous regime, then that was all hunky dory.

 

[Mellotron]

Newcastle are naturally a top 10 side.

What's this based on? Certainly not any objective reality. They've done absolutely f*** all for over 50 years.

 

[Mellotron]

I think they've lost any moral high ground. If their complaints about Ashley were purely - and admittedly - about chasing success, fine.

Any issues with Ashley's morals now look utterly ridiculous, and completely hypocritical.

 

[BBassic]

Fish'll be along in a minute to demonstrate sportswashing works, first hand.

 

[jakarta]

There is a separate thread regarding the re-naming of St James' Park - please feel free to fill your boots...

 

[Hugo Rune]

What's this based on? Certainly not any objective reality. They've done absolutely f*** all for over 50 years.

Not trophies at all. Just attendance averages and the fact that they are a single city club.

 

[Weststander]

It sums up football supporters in the modern game in this country (and France/Italy).

Supporters will do literally anything to win trophies, scrambling over human rights abuses/dead innocents, to get their hands on silverware ultimately.

Mansour/Citeh is an identical scenario, but the good people of nsc and wider football world have only ever had a passing interest. I don’t know why Newcastle are singled out over PSG and Citeh?

It took France’s Mediapart and Germany’s Die Spiegel to uncover the Citeh lies.

 

[BBassic]

It sums up football supporters in the modern game in this country (and France/Italy).

Supporters will do literally anything to win trophies, scrambling over human rights abuses/dead innocents, to get their hands on silverware ultimately.

Mansour/Citeh is an identical scenario, but the good people of nsc and wider football world have only ever had a passing interest. I don’t know why Newcastle are singled out over PSG and Citeh?

It took France’s Mediapart and Germany’s Die Spiegel to uncover the Citeh lies.

There's probably a bit of recency bias going on, isn't there?

2008 seems like aeons ago but I imagine there was some outcry back then as well. I'm certainly no fan of any clubs being run by sketchy petro-states.

I think what sticks in the craw for me with regards to Newcastle particularly is the mental gymnastics being performed to make out that they've not sold the soul of their club to a horrendous, murderous regime. Because they also own a bit of Disney. And Uber. Or something.

EDIT: The difference being that their involvement with Disney, for example, is relatively benign. A 5% stake in The House of Mouse doesn't get you a seat around their boardroom whereas a 100% stake in a football club gets you a vote at the table where decisions are made around the future of our national sport.

EDIT PART TWO: Similar concerns exist for me around the influx of Americans into the league and their ability to vote on decisions around the game.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

It sums up football supporters in the modern game in this country (and France/Italy).

Supporters will do literally anything to win trophies, scrambling over human rights abuses/dead innocents, to get their hands on silverware ultimately.

Mansour/Citeh is an identical scenario, but the good people of nsc and wider football world have only ever had a passing interest. I don’t know why Newcastle are singled out over PSG and Citeh?

It took France’s Mediapart and Germany’s Die Spiegel to uncover the Citeh lies.

I was in the family stand when city won the title at the Amex. It sickened me that our fans were being so 'sporting' to their supposed achievement. It's there only time I've ever removed myself from a football match part way through as my rants were becoming unsuitable for the location and starting to upset a lot of people around. Personally, I think these kind of owners are sickening.

 

[Mellotron]

Not trophies at all. Just attendance averages and the fact that they are a single city club.

I think that meant a lot more a few years ago. Now the game is so global (ie the vast, vast majority of Man Utds/Chelsea etcs fans live nowhere near the club) I don't think it has that much pull. Globally, I would argue they're (until takeover at least) a pretty small club.

 

[Mellotron]

I think what sticks in the craw for me with regards to Newcastle particularly is the mental gymnastics being performed to make out that they've not sold the soul of their club to a horrendous, murderous regime. Because they also own a bit of Disney. And Uber. Or something.

Yeah it's such a bollocks argument. I don't sing songs about the employees of Uber/Disney, and wear their shirts etc.

Your relationship to your football club SHOULD be totally different to your relationship with a faceless global corporation. Embarrassing that that needs to be pointed out.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Mansour/Citeh is an identical scenario, but the good people of nsc and wider football world have only ever had a passing interest. I don’t know why Newcastle are singled out over PSG and Citeh?

When Qatar and Abu Dhabi start bombing hospitals in impoverished neighbouring states, murdering journalists, and imprisoning UK-based students for using twitter, I'll certainly extend my disdain to those other clubs' supporters, if they fail to any stand.

 

[Weststander]

When Qatar and Abu Dhabi start bombing hospitals in impoverished neighbouring states, murdering journalists, and imprisoning UK-based students for using twitter, I'll certainly extend my disdain to those other clubs' supporters, if they fail to any stand.

The UAE are part of that coalition carrying out mass murder in Yemen.
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/united-arab-emirates

Dissidents are sent to prison after 5 minute trials.

Homosexual acts carry a 10 year sentence.

Females committing adultery face sentences up to being Stoned To Death.

Overseas workers including maids are raped, with zero chance of recourse.

Women can be raped and beaten by a husband, the males protected in statute.

 

[Acker79]

Just saw this clip. Seems to be related to a comment Howe made about Klopp, in trying to google to find out, it seems a bit of a back and forth between them* happened and it completely passed me by.

*by back and forth I mean they were asked by journalists about the things the other did/said about what they did/said about what they said about what the other did etc

Still, Auclair's comments seemed fitting for this thread.

 

[The Fish]

I think that meant a lot more a few years ago. Now the game is so global (ie the vast, vast majority of Man Utds/Chelsea etcs fans live nowhere near the club) I don't think it has that much pull. Globally, I would argue they're (until takeover at least) a pretty small club.

Saying we're a pretty small club is definitely fishing for a nibble. Don't want to get into a big club debate because it's endlessly tedious and no one fanbase will agree with another about what the criterion are. But 'pretty small' is a bit of a silly thing to say, before or after the takeover.

According to the tracker (#TrustTheTracker) you are two point behind where you should be given the teams you have played so far. We all have players missing. Basically you are under-performing. You might improve. Let's hope not.

We did improve. Even without Isak and ASM back. Howe is some boy.