Whatever happened to the NUST?

toonsy

Would NUST have been a success? Remember them? The Newcastle United Supporters Trust? Well where are they now? There was once a time where you couldn’t get away from them, so what happened?

Well in short they are still ticking along, no doubt awaiting the next chance they have to steal a bit of the limelight.

They didn’t quite achieve their mission of owning the club outright, in fact they never really got anywhere near it despite taking membership fees with the aim of doing so. Fair play to them for trying though, but the practice of it was never going to work.

The whole introduction of the NUST was one monumental balls up, and I am sure they will admit that. They lacked a strategy and tried to run before they could walk whilst dishing out ridiculous claims over how the club was being run, including claiming Mike Ashley was making £7 million a month from the club.

Fair play to them and all that, as they appear to have taken a step back and had a bit of a reshuffle, but their diminishing presence is something that seems to have gone un-noticed.

Anyway, and I’m getting to the point now, bear with me, would it have ever worked? If they had pulled it off, do you think we would have the club we all want, the club we all yearn for, a club that is competing towards the top of the table? Or would have it ended in disaster?

I realise that this is probably a bit deep, and maybe a bit of a random thing, to be thinking about as we prepare for the derby match on Sunday, but it’s one of those ‘what if’ things that regularly float through my head.

I personally feel that the club would have failed had NUST taken control in the height of all the troubles of two years ago. They displayed a naivety that would have been hurtful to the club in the long run. I realise that the notion was born out of a love for the club, but in this instance, and as the song title goes, love will tear us apart.

Mike Ashley is not everyones cup of tea, and still isn’t, and probably never will be. But in some cases you have to say that it is a case of better the devil you know. We’d have gone from one clueless owner to a group of clueless owners who would have run the club with their hearts rather than heads.

It’s all done now of course, and the NUST seems to have settled down a bit since then, but what do you think would have happened if they somehow got in?

Would fan ownership really have worked at Newcastle?

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

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136 thoughts on “Whatever happened to the NUST?”

  2. Nice article Toonsy. This was just made for Stardust. 😀

    Personally, I’m glad they didn’t get in. Bunch of romantic dreamers with no proper business plan or backing. They would have scuppered the club in my opinion, but I guess we’ll never know now.
    Wonder if they returned any of the ‘deposits’?

    Wasn’t there someone on .org or .com who was a member? I remember someone constantly jumping to their defence at the time.

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  3. I think it was a non-starter in the 1st place, though I do think it was started with good intentions after the big fall out. When the No1 aim was to get rid of MA at any costs, I myself was interested at the time and was prepared to put my money where my mouth was, but as each statment came out I grew more worried that they didnt actually know what they were talking about. In the end they became a total laughing stock, and looking back on it now they had no chance what so ever of buying all or part of the club.
    I know they are still going as I get an odd email from them but to be truthfull they get deleted unread 🙄

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  4. I think there is obviously room for better relations between the club and the supporters, and perhaps this is where the NUST or some other fan body coluld come in. But with any kind of ownership …don’t think so, it wouldn’t work.

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  7. Munich I thought that aswell when it was clear that there was no chance of them getting the club, but I think they blew a big chance when they snubbed the chance of a meeting with Owl Heed. I think it would have been of great benefit to the Club and the Fans if they could have worked something out 😉

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  8. Morale Officer longtime no see in a way thats a good thing as it means the morale has been good, but you could still pop on every now and again to give us a bit of craic and some of your wisdom 😆

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  9. agreed Big Dave… I couldn’t quite work out where they were trying to focus their strategy…bit chaotic like.

    Regarding owl-heed and Mike Ashley, I hope that the relationship between the board and the fans can be improved, but it aint gonna happen any time soon. Pity really, mistrust is rife, and it aint MA’s style to communicate.
    Whatever happened to our new Press Officer, has she said anything of interest yet ?

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  11. Munich I thought the new Press Officer was a good thing at the time but tbh I dont think she has made any difference if infact she is still at the club 😆
    I allways thought that MA could have made such a big difference to the club even after the KK fiasco, if only he had of arranged a question and answer type meeting with a few supporters or reps for the fans. As I do believe that he did have good intentions for the club, but he has just went about it all the wrong way.

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  13. agreed 100% mate. Things could be a lot more harmonious between the fans and the owner. Maybe we should send the Morale Officer in there on a mission ?

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  17. Bowburn is very defensive of them, and there are a few people who advocate the idea despite the fact that it has never really worked.

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  19. I imagine the NUST spontaneously combusted under the weight of their own self worth…

    Or just got bored when Ashley wouldnt budge and probably realised they couldnt sustain the football club once they bought it from the fat man anyhoo. 🙄

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  20. Despite the fact they were trying to raise £100 mill but every man and his dog knew that it would cost double that to take over the club 😆

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  23. I think what the NUST failed to grasp is that the average punter doesn’t give a **** about the company finances and has no interest in what goes on at the club past what is happening on the pitch. It’s a recent phenomenon that fans are talking about how much money a club is worth, how much it’s spent, etc…
    I can’t remember a time pre Ashley when the finances of NUFC were so widely talked about. The last time was probably Sir John Halls failed first attempt to take over using his Magpie Group. The next was probably when we floated and everyone wanted to buy a share in the club.
    If everything was fine on the pitch and we were playing in europe, no one questions the finances, hence why the Halls and Shepherd got away with murder for so long.
    The NUST thought everyone was like them and was interested in finance, which just so happens to be THE most boring subject in the world.
    Perhaps NUST should re-position themselves as an official representative of the fans with regular meetings with club officials. At least that way we wouldn’t get that fanzine gadgie being rolled out in front of the Sky camera’s everytime sky want to hear what the fans think.

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  24. Who ever posted about ***** going to spurs could be bang on. The two clubs that approached Everton are Chelsea and Spurs apparently.

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  25. Anybody else slightly concerned that most of our competitors are signing decent players? Whether you think they’ve over paid for some of these players, they’ve still brought them in, and we haven’t.

    This is it for us now. Mid table mediocrity. What a future.

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  27. at last found fault,but cannot be fixed for 24/48 hrs 😥 talk-talk have said there is a “crack” in one of outside lines after ££££££ of phone calls,got crack in my heed banging it off wall 😡

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  29. It’ll do for this season. In fact I’d be more than happy with that.

    However, unless you have a crystal ball, the future is as yet untold. A couple of years ago I never contemplated relegation, and that happened. Who knows?

    Can you e mail me the lottery numbers please?

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  31. You’ve got crack ice? Divvent go that far, it’s only your internet connection! it’ll be fixed man! 😀

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  32. Not worried in the slightest, We easily have enough in the squad to stay up this season as it is, The real business should take place in the summer when we dump the championship players and loan out the youngsters and hopefully replace them with 5 or 6 decent players.

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  33. AYE batty nicking my wire,after i fixed his wallpaper for him too,K.K. face all over his house noo.
    ROSS lol 😯

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  34. I thought he decorated the shelter a few months ago, but then again he has money to burn 😀 with all the bets he has been getting up and all the scrap he has been nicking

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  35. It would have been nice to get more feedback at the time of KK’s departure, but the prolonged legal battle between the parties precluded any sort of Q and A session with fans.

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  36. DAVE said he was up till 12.30am and still not finished,slow for a young fellow,but hes trying not like that richie sitting aboot on his ****

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  37. Oh when the Mags, go marching in,
    Oh when the Mags go marching in,
    I want to be in that number,
    Oh when the Mags go marching in.

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  38. Ice he was up till 12.30 but he only started at 10.30, he is slow but not that young, thats why Richie is still young he sits about alot 😆

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  39. Bothroyd just tweeted:

    “Ok I’m a Cardiff player I’m focused on getting promotion with the Cardiff faithful …. That’s all I no !!!!!”

    and

    “Newcastle is a great club but I’m really happy at Cardiff”

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  47. BATTY told dave you were on till 12.30 last nite,he said you didnt start till 11,so you done nowt 😆

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  50. me and batty were worried about ya last night, thought ya buggy batteries must have died up Pontype Pyke so we went up looking for ya 😉

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  54. Good evening gentlemen, Neville here! Would anyone like to profer a score tomorrow. I think we will beat the Rokerites 2-1! I think the right half Barton, and the inside forward Lovenkrands will score.

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  56. Evening Neville, one agrees with your score prediction, but one would prefer to predict it forthis coming Sunday 😉

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  60. Good evening Richie, Oh I have the wrong day! Thank you so much. Being retired everyday is the same now. Yes it would be more appropriate if we won on Sunday 2-1!

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  61. Thanks Dave and Richie! Excuse me for asking but how do you get those little yellow guys? Can you borrow them from the top of new message?

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  62. RICHIE nee good ganning up there m8 batty got it half stripped doon,did you tak your white stick with you

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  66. Oh sorry, I have just realised that may sound racist, it was not. I meant the smiling faces. Sorry for any offence as none was intended!

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  69. Totally buzzing about the game, feeling confident even with out a couple of plays (Carroll and Tiote) If we show up with passion, guts, desire and commitment I don’t see why we won’t get anything out of this derby.

    About the derby, this only happens two times a year and is one of the most if not the most passionate derby in the world!!

    Come on the toon!
    Howay the lads!!!!

    Hello Hello we are the geordie boys
    Hello Hello we are the geordie boys
    You’ll know us by our noise
    We’re ganna win **** all this season
    We’re ganna win **** all this season
    But we’ll still follow united
    Hello Hello we are the geordie boys (8) 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  72. Ha ha I managed to get one by the double click!
    This is a very good site, I do hope that all of you are very happy on Sunday! As a win I feel sure will relax our team, and keep us in the finest division.

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  74. Well I will bid you goodnight gentlemen, I am quite pleased that I can talk to fellow fans again, I don’t get to games as much now, and this internet is great! I used to go on the Doctors site, but people started to argue then it closed. Now it just seems like there is no soul there, it is not the same. Goodnight and I trust I can speak to you all again, thank you.
    Yours Faithfully

    Neville

    ps Toon Army!!

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  75. Good evening Mr Batty, sorry I am slow to reply I am none to quick on the keyboard. I am in my 90th year.

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