After a disappointing result against Swansea, our home form is a real concern. Just when Newcastle have the chance to get some daylight between themselves and the bottom three, they fail to produce the performance needed. We all know we need reinforcements and it is easy to become frustrated as this season is becoming a real slog; so let’s look at our main relegation rivals.
In reality, everyone from Everton down are still in the relegation rivals. But which 6/7 teams are our main rivals and how are they looking? I personally feel it is between us and the seven teams below, with the likes of Palace and West Ham recently showing that they have the firepower to hoist themselves out of danger.
Here’s the current league standings and a look at the 7 teams I believe to be in the relegation scrap with NUFC – including their recent form and next 5 fixtures:
SWANSEA (20th)
Currently bottom of the table, the Swans don’t look in good shape which made it all the more irritating we didn’t beat them at St. James’s after doing so at the Liberty earlier in the season. They have struggled to score goals and have failed to invest in replacements for star players Llorente and Sigurdsson. They have Liverpool and Arsenal in their next two games and are already only on 17 points; hopefully if they are cut adrift it would be one team Newcastle can finish above and a step for us towards being safe. I think Swansea will go down.
WEST BROM (19th)
Former Toon boss Alan Pardew finally got his first win in the league with the Baggies at the weekend which will give them some momentum. They are still in the relegation places however and have three wins all season, half that of Newcastle. They play Everton and Man City away next so like Swansea could still be adrift and further behind us if we can get something against Burnely. I would be a worried West Brom fan and feel they are in worse shape than Newcastle; certainly with Pardew at the helm.
STOKE (18th)
I watched Stoke against Manchester United last night and although it is a game you expct them to lose, they looked very poor. The have been a shambles at the back and now have the worst goal difference in the league which is worth a point. They have some easier games coming up with 5/6 being games against the bottom half. The next month or so will define their season and with it being so tight they could get themselves out of trouble. Paul Lambert is a poor appointment though and won’t unite their restless fans. With the other two sides in the relegation places struggling, if we can stay above Stoke it would really help our chances – however their upcoming fixtures look very favourable. It does put huge pressure on Paul Lambert to start well, mind..
SOUTHAMPTON (17th)
The Siants are a funny one as on paper they hae some excellent players and now a huge wedge of cas from the Van Dijk sale. But their new manager has not hit te grond running and must be under severe pressure. They are behind Newcastle and host Spurs and then Brighton next, which will be a huge game. With that little bit of quality, I think they will be ok.
BRIGHTON (16th)
Similar to Huddersfield, Brighton have stalled following a good start and are in the mix with Newcastle to go down. They looked a very poor unit at SJP, which made it all the more irritating we didn’t capitalise. They play Chelsea but they have massive games against West Ham and Southampton which Toon fans have an eye on. I think they have a little bit more than Huddersfield and a solid home record may just keep them away from the trap door come May.
HUDDERSFIELD (14th)
I think Huddersfield are a real risk to go down. Just a point above us, teams seem to have worked them out a little and the momentum they had at the start of the season is well and truly gone. It will be a huge game when we host them at SJP and could well decide who stays up and who goes down. Like Stoke, I think we need to target Huddersfield and their results as a main competitor, if we can climb above the terriers and stay there we should be ok. That defeat in Yorkshire earlier in the season looks even more costly now…
BOURNEMOUTH (13th)
The Cherries have had an up and down season but the win over Arsenal shows they have the quality to get key points on the board, especially at home, which is something we struggle to do. Wilson is a good striker for them and his goals and the momentum they now have, I expect them to stay up. They play West Ham away next who are on a good run themselves and if they pick something up there it would pull them away, otherwise they then go to Chelsea and could be back in the mix again if results go against them.
Who do you think will go down and do you expect us to get embroiled in the relegation scrap come May?
With the likes of Swansea bidding £25m for Gameiro and WBA budding £15m for Cairney it looks about as likely as the sun exploding in two minutes that we will stay up.
Who gives a **** anyway!
Stuart79(Quote)
Bidding on players and signing them are too very different things.
They can bid £500m for Ronaldo – doesn’t mean he’ll end up at Swansea or WBA.
Let’s see how our rivals ACTUALLY strengthen their squads come the end of Jan before we start worrying too much.
Sharpy17(Quote)
The bookmakers have Swansea ; West Brom ; Stoke ; Brighton ; and Huddersfield finishing below us.
Got to hope they are right.
sidekick(Quote)
So jabba has given go ahead to make 3 signings budget 6 mill wtf
Icedog(Quote)
😆 😆 😆 joke, total joke. What an absolute **** take of Rafa that is not to mention the fans.
kimtoon(Quote)
Where is that confirmed? I cant see anything except a talksport article. The same talksport who said the club would be sold by the 6th.
shamrock(Quote)
Takeover talks ended. Ashley confirms. Were doomed
Toonfan(Quote)
KIM and me said he wouldn’t sell the club it was all a con trick from the start
Icedog(Quote)
I bet that’s coz her new offer still included the relegation clause – he’s not prepared to entertain that so she’s said **** it then.
The mug had a genuine & realistic opportunity to sell there, but coz he wasn’t prepared to budge they have walked.
Or is this his latest ploy in his games – go public in a final throw of the dice to get what he wants.
The man is a ****, and I think Rafa will now stay to keep us up – because he has better integrity than to walk, but will then leave in the summer … unless Amanda comes back in the summer, but he won’t stay past the end of the season if Ashley stays imo.
Sharpy17(Quote)
It’s the end of the season ticket scam he ran to,hope nobody renews their tickets
Icedog(Quote)
Stoke will determine the places in the next few games. We need a few stalemates from them so the other teams around us (and them) do not pick up 3 points.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
This latest nonsense is just that. Playing the media like mugs. Ashley is also treating her like a mug too. She should just walk away. Never, ever believe anything he says.
Stuart79(Quote)
Poor Toon. Ashley will not leave until he sucks up the last drop of blood from it.
funrafa(Quote)
It is ironic that the Ashley spokesman say that Stevely has been pissing HIM about. I am sure it is because he thinks it is a lowball offer but just as importantly that there is a relegation clause. My guess is that they will be back if we stay up.
I also think we will sell Gayle and get a replacement. The problem is that if we get relegated we have no one to sell, unlike last time. Maybe Shelvey and Ritchie.
Even so, with the remainder of the squad we would again be favourites for promotion, even sans Rafa.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Ashley’s living in cloud cuckoo land of he thinks it’s worth more than £250m-£300m currently. It’s a yo-yo club in serious danger of going down – again! What does he expect? Basically she has offered what it’s worth. He’s gambling. You’re right – she probably will be back if we stay up or even if we go down as that will alter the price.
There’s just no way anybody would buy the club while in this situation as I’ve been saying for the last month.
Will be interested to hear her side now.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart might disagree but I think we have a squad in limbo. We are too good for the Championship but not good enough for the Premier League. The players we bought in the summer would all do well in The Championship.
The wildcard is Rafa who might be able get us the few extra points we need. We only really need a point a game which is what we have now (1 point under after next weekend).
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Stuart: I think Stavely would switch her attention to Stoke if they stay up and we go down. They have an individual owner the same as us. I think she wants a PL club and us and Stoke are the most viable if either stays up.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric, the problem is not Amanda offering low. The problem is Ashley HAS NO INTENTION TO SELL!
As long as Toon stays in PL, he will have 100million plus TV money, no mention the free marketing for his SD products. Why does he want to sell? He is not short of money. He has enough money to buy back SD shares from open market recently.
Amanda won’t come back. She probably already figured it out that Ashley is just wasting her time. Why wasting time again?
The only way to get rid of Ashley is go down and stay there. Ashley can’t take advantage of it and then he will release it.
funrafa(Quote)
That’s what I would do anyway. Our ground has 20k more capacity than Stoke but matchday revenue is becoming less significant.
I have no idea why Spurs are spending so much and Chelsea want to spend 1 billion on a new ground. Imagine the cost of season tickets to pay for it. It could be the NFL model where they sell the corporate boxes for a fortune. To the City of London boys and Mayfair Arabs? Still, even in the US most of the cash comes from TV and Commercial.
Most of the NFL teams blackmail the councils to pay for a lot of a new stadium with the threat of moving to another city. I just don’t get how it makes sense unless Chelsea can somehow leverage the value of their real estate. I doubt the old White Hart Lane land is THAT valuable given its relative location.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I feel numb right now. I wish It was possible to hire a sorrowful man… Nothing else to say.
Dubai Toon(Quote)
I just don’t think Stoke give her or her investors the same return or potential. Call me a cynic but I don’t think this is over yet. It should be as she should just tell him to do one but I think she wants it and if we stay up she will be back in. Whether she will pay him what he wants o don’t know…
Stuart79(Quote)
Craig HopeVerified account
@CraigHope_DM
Mike Ashley will now only sit down for takeover talks with interested parties who make a deposit of cash to prove they are serious about buying NUFC.
Are you serious?! This guy is really beyond my imagination. 😆
funrafa(Quote)
Hope the tax man hits jabba for 300 mil or more
Icedog(Quote)
Having thought about it, I don’t know what to think !!!! 😈
Has he been pissing around all along?
Was there ever a serious offer from Stavely? 100 million under his price with no give is not really that serious.
Did a relegation clause scupper it?
Why is he not providing funds to avoid relegation if he is waiting for the new TV deal and wants to keep Rafa?
How will this affect Rafa and the squad’s morale?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
How will the SJP crowd react against Burnley? We need that win.
Have until the FA Cup weekend to get a striker – 10 days. Would not play then but hopefully against Burnley. Clutching at straws!
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Can see the ASHLEY OUT campaign ramping up before Burnley. Rafa will probably try to calm things down but it may have got to the tipping point with Fatty now. There isn’t a Pardew for the fans to take their anger out on so Ashley will bear the full brunt of this – as he should.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I think to say Ashley has been pissing around from the start is an insult on Mandy personally.
I think she could have spotted that with her experience in business. He might be able to hide it in an email or whatever – but let’s not forget they met in person.
I think they could have found an agreed price, but this relegation clause is the deal breaker.
Ashley has said Rafa can have whatever money the club generated – I’m guessing this £6m on 3 players will be the latest instalment of the Sissoko fee.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy: I think you are being generous to the Fatman. Remember he is the one that sacked Hughton for Pardew and kept Arrogant Alan when we were in free fall. He also handed the keys to SJP to an accountant and the failed Nuneaton Manager who proceeded to hire Ugly John and wait for the sacked Derby County Manager. You only have to look down the road to see where we might be heading if this carries on.
Although I do think our squad would be too good for the Championship with a half decent Manager but Ashley would probably hire Kinnear again.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
So, Sharpy, in summary, I think you are giving the Fatman too much credit.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
If ROY Kinnear wasn’t dead I wouldn’t put it past Ashley to hire him as the next Manager.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
You might come back and say Charnley hired Rafa and whilst technically true Rafa came to him and Charnley was desperate to save his own skin.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
meh, told you
kimtoon(Quote)
Just playing the devils advocate here… maybe the offer was a pisstake and they tried to lowball Ashley. Ashley doesn’t have to give the club away simply because we are desperate for him to sell.
I find it funny that everyone seems to find the offer knock back as a personal attack from Ashley. I know this maybe hard to take for some people…but not everything is about you.
PCP may be playing a large part in the deal not proceeding. . I don’t like the way Ashley has run things but he has the right to ask for a sum of money that will cover his investments made.. Whether he gets it or not is another matter.
I want him gone as much as anyone but some of the emotion needs to be taken out of the equation as this is a big business deal and emotions have no place in them.
Aussie(Quote)
NUFC is like an episode of the twilight zone. I wasn’t old enough to see it when it first came out but I saw some of the B&W reruns. It is not just Ashley, although that compounded it. It has always been this way with bizarre decisions, and twists and turns.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Or, as Sharpy said a Mexican standoff. The last scene of The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. But who is the Good and who is the Bad we will have to wait and see. We know who the Ugly is but Carver is at West Brom now. They scored from 2 corners this weekend. I told you, Twilight Zone – didn’t him and Pards go like more than a year without us scoring from a corner?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Aussie: there have been a lot of people on here not trusting the Fat Tw@t and saying it would never happen for months. Whether PCP were serious or not, to them Ashley was always just dicking around.
I was hopeful until the Legend Mick Quinn weighed in and then I had a sinking feeling that maybe Ice, Stuart, Kimtoon and others were right.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
By not informing Amanda and her PCP group and going directly to media to announce the deal is broken, it is definitely an insult to Amanda and her co.
funrafa(Quote)
Yep. Fucken press are a joke. I was basing my take on thing off Raffas words and general demeanor. Still the comments are from a “close source” so they may need to be taken with a grain of salt.
Aussie(Quote)
In its current predicament the club is probably only worth £250m. It’s pretty close to going down and with no new signings it’s likley we will go down. If Rafa leaves I’d say it’s. Definite we go down. If I was Rafa I would hand my notice in this morning.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stu, I’m thinking he has too much loyalty to do that but my god he’s being pushed way too close to that cliff edge.
I honestly wouldn’t blame him if he did though and to be frank Ashley does not deserve a top class coach running his club. The man has zero regard for legends of the game or the pedigree of their CV’s for that matter.
How can any of us seriously expect a top coach to remain and by the way this has nothing to do with the takeover. This is purely based on not giving him the proper tools to work with, this is an ambitious man for heavens sake . He knows what this club could achieve given the funds and tools to do it, he’s not getting them so what is the point .
Ihave said it before but every sportman/ institution starts every campaign with the aim to win/achieve something. Be it Football, rugby, tennis ,golf, Olympics, snooker or darts, else why bother.
Zero commitment
Zero Ambition
Zero money/funds
What’s the point, please someone enlighten me cause I’m struggling to see why after 10 long miserable years we are even bothering .
kimtoon(Quote)
I hope the club gets relegated this season.
I remain hopeful Manchester City will beat us.
Stem(Quote)
PCP would of carried out DD and looked at everything including THAT HMRC stuff, they know the value of the club why would they offer more. Stu is right £250m is about where it’s at, Ash is throwing his toys out the pram cause he couldn’t make a killing.
Last point, that statement from his sources was beyond disrespectful to PCP and Staveley and if what I’m told about middle East business man and if they are our secret buyers then that statement has blown any return bid out the water, but he knows that anyway, that’s why he did it.
So long as tv cash pours in he don’t give a ****, he only has to keep us safe above the drop zone, nothing more than that.
What’s the point.
kimtoon(Quote)
Rafa really should resign this owner really is a piece of ****
Stem(Quote)
There is no point in supporting NUFC while Ashley owns the club. His only ambition is to try and stay in the league until the tv deals are so large he can make £150m profit. Supporters need to stop buying tickets.
Stuart79(Quote)
Rafa – none of us know what’s been said or offered. But if they Ashley’s lot have said there’s no deal while the relegation clause is in there – then technically they were told.
I’m as disappointed as anyone. But the terms were laid out & PCP entered into negotiations. To me the major sticking point seems to have been the relegation clause – and I get why they want that in.
But it seems that’s been a no from the kick off.
So for me they either walk away that as a deal breaker – or they should have a plan B if they are buying a football club.
Let’s be right, they aren’t buying a project club, and even when they come in there are no guarantees we become a stable PL or top 6 club overnight.
Sharpy17(Quote)
The very fact that Amanda Stavely is still waiting to get a response from her bid says everything g you need to know about the idiot.
Stuart79(Quote)
” Exhausting, frustrating and waste of time ” all via a tweet from a source close to him !
If that’s not disrespecting a potential buyer/buyers then I don’t know what is.
An official club statement should of been issued along the lines of. Unfortunately at this time a deal cannot be reached on the sale of NUFC. Therefore the deal is now off and we go forward and look to give the manager funds to ensure our status in the pl.
That’s how DECENT business people act Sharpy .
kimtoon(Quote)
The current league position and squad value make a huge difference on the valuation of the club, Sharpy. If we stay up the club has a higher value in the summer as any buyer is starting from a base where they can actually invest and make a difference while having tv money in again.
Stuart79(Quote)
Sharpy if he knew the offer was unacceptable and PCP knew and they were not still negotiating then why has it taken until now to say it’s off ?
We are way into the window, Rafa’s been led down the Garden path , like last summer, this should of been announced at end of December if the price was outright rejected. That it wasn’t means one of two things
1. they were still negotiating , which means she has been given the brush off via social media
or
2. He knew and they knew it was off when offer refused buit he has deliberately waited as long as possible to string everyone along and avoid spending AGAIN.
Either way it’s a joke, that I saw coming weeks ago.
kimtoon(Quote)
Who’s the source close to him Kim?.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Stu – what value would you say the club would be if we stay in the league & also have the PL money to spend?.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I seem to be in a small minority in stating that the Stavely /PCP offer was ridiculously low.
Like I have previously stated , if I was Ashley I would have demanded no less than £400m.
One or two on here were not happy at my suggestion that being relegated this season along with the sale of 10 players and the £18m still due from Spurs for Sissoko would have resulted in Ashley getting more than the PCP offer.
You may not have agreed with me but it seems Ashley did.
sidekick(Quote)
George CaulkinVerified account
@CaulkinTheTimes
Follow Follow @CaulkinTheTimes
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As things stand, Amanda Staveley and PCP haven’t walked away from Newcastle, in spite of the inflammatory Ashley-approved Sky statement. As far as her camp are concerned, she’s still the only game town
note the word inflammatory there.
Guy has zero class, how could anyone do business with such an pig
kimtoon(Quote)
Kim – you better than anyone on here should know that a deal can collapse at any stage for any reason.
I don’t believe Rafa has been lead anywhere. He knew nothing was finalised & none of us have been given the impression that it was even close – unless you’re daft enough to listen to the likes of Micky Quinn.
To address possibility 2. A negotiation is between 2 parties, so if they collapsed a while ago – Staveley could have confirmed that too. I think the negotiations were in place up til yesterday or whenever it was announced.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Oh come on, this is another journo stirring **** up & dramatising to whip up hysteria.
Inflammatory is HIS words – not theirs.
What has actually been said here – “Exhausting, frustrating and waste of time ”. Do we not think that Staveley has maybe also found the process exhausting & frustrating – I know I bloody have!!.
If it doesn’t come to fruition – then it’s arguably been a waste of time too.
We are all big boys & girls. There’s been no name calling, insults or derogatory comments there from what I read.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Then £300m would be a minimum provided Rafa was still there. Probably more but that will depend on the new TV deal which is to be announced in Feb I think. The caveat to that is if we go down it’s worth about £100m.
Stuart79(Quote)
Sharpy, I was referring to transfer funds not takeover with the garden path stuff, hence why I mentioned summer.
If they were still negotiating then she found out it was off via social media ! Crass statement from him via a source close to him according to SSN, not me.
Various press outlets informed by her side that it was the first they knew it was off.
You are right I do know full well deals collapse .Last year when that cow asked me for an extra £10k after 16 long weeks I sent her an email which Said ” Hi, I am sorry but I cannot proceed with the purchase of your property any longer. I do hope you are able to get the extra money you feel you need to move on. good luck going forward ” kim
I was furious but refused to get nasty and it left the door open to further negotiations. instead I got a venomous email back from her when her request backfired. After that I wouldn’t entertain dealing with her.
He has done the same thing, but he doesn’t care as he never really wanted to sell anyway imo. It’s been a handy distraction from transfer business and gotten stacks of publicity though. 😉
kimtoon(Quote)
Sharpy, Caulkin is probably the only journo worth listening to or reading. Generally he is spot on and rarely gives daily updates and only does so when relevant or true in my experience.
Don’t dis George, I love the guy. 😀
kimtoon(Quote)
Anyway, away to the vets,chat later.
kimtoon(Quote)
Sorry but how would anyone on this blog truly know the value of the club. Neymar is worth 100+m and our club is only worth 250 ??
There are no direct quotes and yet the gullible are getting wound up once again.. come in spinner..
Aussie(Quote)
Stu – I’d agree that it would worth over £300m. I don’t agree that it would be as little as £100m if we go down like.
Sharpy17(Quote)
i agree with one pundit who says jabba wants Rafa to leave and off the wage bill as he has a cheaper manager lined up,that sound just like jabba
icedog(Quote)
Kim – all I know is that officially the club & Ashley have said nothing – this is ‘a source close to’ – and I stopped believing those sources along time ago. Micky Quinn apparently had 3 sources that told him about the takeover – they were hardly reliable.
If Ashley is THAT bad – what does that say about Rafa sticking round when in reality he could pick his club. If Ashley is THAT bad – but Staveley is still ready to deal with him, but could buy any other club – what does that say about her?.
I’m not slagging those 2 off, I’m simply pointing out that 2 very intelligent & already successful people in their own right have yet to find him that intolerable to walk away – maybe he is bad (no question) but not quite as bad as the pantomime baddie the media have built him up to be.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Jim White
✔
@JimWhite
Takeover talk confusion @NUFC tonight – Mike Ashley’s people deny any deal exists, I understand PCP’s £250m formal bid made in November remains on the table.
This is why anything on social media should be taken with an absolute pinch of salt.
Last night it was a ‘source close to’ and today it’s ‘Ashleys People’.
That could either be the same person – or both could be a totally fictitious, invented by people who want views or hits or whatever the correct term is for people reading whatever you’ve wrote on these sites.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Are you serious? It’s got debts of £144m
Stuart79(Quote)
Ask someone to look at the accounts and explain them to you…
Stuart79(Quote)
Stu – I know, but I still think NUFC worth be worth more than £100m even if relegated.
Sharpy17(Quote)
How much would it cost to get promoted? How much revenue would be lost for just one season in the PL? What if you don’t come straight back up?
Sunderland can’t find a buyer for £100m and Villa went for £80m.
Stuart79(Quote)
Ok Stuart, look into the accounrs and tell me the true value! Because any business value is based purely on the commercial numbers.
No one from the club or the buyer has mentioned an amount. Everything has been speculation from the press. But true to form, when it suits your agenda and beliefs, you take it as gospel.
Sad stuff..
Aussie(Quote)
Oh yeah – you also have to service a £144m debt unless you want to pay it all off in one go. That effectively means you’d be buying a Championship club for £244m even if you paid £100m for it.
Stuart79(Quote)
Please point me in the direction of where I’ve said the reports are “gospel”
Stuart79(Quote)
I still don’t understand why this is playing out on twitter. It makes everyone look stupid. Make a formal statement, have the attorney that Ashley put in charge of finding a buyer address the media, e-mail PCP directly and say he deal is off.
But twitter FFS, is he going go break up with his girlfriend in a text next.
I know Trump puts out incendiary information on twitter but that is not normal.
Can’t anyone just open a twitter account? Couldn’t I just open an account with the name JustinBarnes1 and start spouting ***** as a supposed insider at NUFC?
I reiterate, Twitter FFS. Then you can get “followed” and trolled. I wouldn’t be surprised if Troysta gets on and starts woo hoo-ing and requesting the reinstatement of Pards.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I mean, have you seen some of these wtitter feeds? It is like a conversation being conducted by a bunch of sweary sleep deprived pre-teens. Why would you make an important club announcement there? Now that shows disrespect to PCP, the fans and yes, even the media. Could have called Simon Bird at The Mirror. Aren’t they supposed to be the Clubs official media partner. And aren’t The Chronic linked to the Mirror. Could have given Ryder the scoop of his journalistic career.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Take jabba with you and get him done
Icedog(Quote)
Eric – it’s not playing out on Twitter – this is what I’m trying to get across.
There are a lot of people talking on Twitter who speak like they know, but they don’t!!.
We have to stop buying into this nonsense or we are all going to drive ourselves crazy!!.
Sharpy17(Quote)