Below are the minutes for the latest fans forum, I think you will all agree that Steve McClaren comes across very well and seems to be very positive going forward. We just need a couple of good signings in and things will look much brighter.
1. Introduction
Lee Marshall (LM) welcomed all attendees to the meeting and meeting protocol was outlined (no live tweeting or recording, production of official minutes to be approved by the group).
As scheduled, six members’ tenures have come to an end at this meeting and all were thanked for their time and contribution to the Forum. The club will be arranging to send each departing member a small token of appreciation for their time and contributions to Forum debates. Due to work commitments, Adam Smith (AS) will be replaced and a women’s representative will also be sought.
LM stated that all vacant seats will be advertised shortly.
The club’s pre-season schedule was summarised, with details given of a ticket on-sale date for the home fixture with Borussia Mönchengladbach.
LM confirmed details of the club’s annual open day for supporters. The open day at St. James’ Park – which will include an open first team training session – will provisionally take place during the school holidays on Tuesday 4th August.
2. Steve McClaren
The club’s head coach, Steve McClaren (SMc), was introduced and was formally welcomed by Fans Forum members.
SMc addressed the group and thanked them for their welcome.
SMc: “There’s a great determination with myself and the board and the people behind the scenes to take the club forward.
“The key thing was Mike Ashley’s interview before the West Ham fixture. What he said must have given everyone at the club an enormous lift. Certainly I said that for whichever head coach came into the club, what a fantastic situation. That’s what I’ve sensed going around and meeting people.
“We’ve needed to get things in place. It’s taken a while to get my staff in place because they’ve been here, there and everywhere. We didn’t want to rush that because the people around you are important. It’s important to get the right people.
“I think we’ve got a great coaching team. They are the right people to work with the players. Our culture is that we’re here to improve them. If we improve them, everyone will benefit.
“We’ve got quality people in and from day one, we’ve come in and just worked how we normally work. We set the culture and the environment. We want everybody to get up in the morning and want to come to work. That’s they key thing – they enjoy the work, it’s beneficial, they get
coached, they get taught and they get made better – as far as they want to go. We have the staff to do that.
“We set the ground rules. There are two agendas which run parallel. One is the present squad and present staff. Two is adding to that and looking at how we are going to improve the situation. That for me has been what we’ve been doing; identifying what’s present and what do we need to take us forward.
“The present staff have been fantastic. They’ve been really good. The players have come in and we’ve set out our culture, our rules. Discipline is the key to it.
“We’ve stressed from day one the kind of discipline we expect from players, as well as the discipline that they expect from us. We ask them to be professional; to do the right thing every day. Everybody knows what’s right and what’s wrong and we ask them to come in and do the right thing, to be professional.
“If we create that environment, people – players – will follow. It’s about setting up, getting the players in and identifying what success is. We want to win something and get into the top eight. That’s been stated by the owner and that’s our objective. How we get there is our job. You start right at the bottom in terms of what you create, the culture and the climate, what rules you set, the discipline, how you work, the professionalism, the character.
“My first job at the training ground is to create that culture of professionalism. That has to be the first success, then we’re building on that with recruitment – which is being worked on day and night relentlessly. Despite what you may read or hear, that’s what has been happening.
“Through the years, I’ve learned through experience that things will happen. That’s football. They don’t always happen when you want them to happen but if you hold your nerve, they happen how you want them to happen.
“Getting back to work has been great. Getting the players on the grass has been great. Saying to everybody, we’ve got nothing to hide. We’ve got an open door policy. We think that what we do is very good for the players and very good for their improvement.
“In the longer term, we have got to think strategically about how we develop this team into a top eight team that is going to win a trophy.”
Paul Loughlin (PL): “There has been a lot said over the last few months about the current squad of players. What’s your view on that current squad and how much potential do you see?”
SMc: “We’re trying to raise the standards. The key thing is talking to the players one-on-one. The majority of people who say things about players don’t have the benefit of knowing what goes on behind the scenes.
“I’ve been asking why is it that fans – who are the most important people – are questioning some of the players’ attitudes, ability, talent and things like that. It’s asking the players that question – why. They get to answer that. We believe with a change of culture and approach, we can change them. Will we change them enough so that they’ll improve and come with us to get back in your good books? That’s down to them entirely.
“We want to give the leaders, the senior players more respect and more authority within the group. That helps young players.
“The best thing we can do is have one-on-ones with the players. You, as fans, are questioning players but believe you me, I’m also questioning them one-on-one and saying ‘this is being said
of you, give me some background’. From that, we assess if they can change and if they can get better.
“We’re assessing what we have at the present moment and if it can take us forward. If the character, attitude, ability, mentality can help us to win a trophy and take us into that top eight. That’s a totally different level to where we are at the moment. Can the present squad do it? We go through each player and we’ll assess. Is he a winner? Is he with us? Can he go with us? That’s what we’re assessing.”
PL: “Has there been a lot of buy-in in terms of ethos and culture from the players? There have been positive things written about the impact of that so far.”
SMc: “We’ve said the players have a fresh start. We’ve written a lot of things down too and stated we’re here and this is where we want to go, but you’ll only judge us on the actions every day. It’s small steps. Is there a buy-in? Yes, but let’s see in 2-3 weeks when we assess the players and it becomes more apparent.”
Vishal Vedhara (VV): “It’s refreshing to hear about the new culture and that action is being taken.”
SMc: “You have a perception and an idea and previously I’ve gone for revolution and it hasn’t worked. It’s evolution and identifying what needs to be done. Every place needs something different so the last three weeks have been asking what this place needs and then trying to give it.
“As staff we’re here to help and we’re telling the players that they’ll improve, they’ll be a better team for all fans to enjoy.”
VV: “We want to see passion. That’s what’s been missing.”
SMc: “Speaking of passion, when Steve Black had his first chat with the players, he frightened them half to death. Everybody knows him and his reputation and it has been well received. He’s good at his job and has done it in every sport. He has told the players that we are here to help.”
Liam Hall (LH): “There has been a lot of negativity, lots of fans who have fallen out of love with the club. What would you say to them?”
SMc: “We can’t just say ‘come on, fall back in love’. I can write things down and we can say it here but you’ll only believe it when you see the action. That’s the job we’ve got to do, to show that passion and attitude.
“That last game against West Ham last season, the team was never going to lose that. The attitude, the passion wasn’t just on the field, it was also off the field. I’ve watched the whole game three or four times and we’ve clipped it down to 8-10 minutes to show the players. Within that clip, it shows their attitude and passion. That’s what you want to see. That’s the platform every time we turn up, that’s the least we expect.”
Brian Parkin (BP): “Did you have an idea of the positions you want to strengthen before you arrived, or is it from scratch on the training ground?”
SMc: “I’ve talked to the current staff and board but I also know the players so we’ve got a good idea of what we need.”
VV: “Most previous managers/head coaches have a brand of football. What is yours?”
SMc: “We’ve put the statement up that we want to be respected in football as an attractive, attacking, but effective team. That’s what we’ve always done. It’s trying to get a balance; a product out on the field and a product from individual players. “Everyone is different. I’ve talked to Peter Beardsley and he tells me the crowd like to see the team getting the ball forward, not passing backwards. We might have to adjust a little bit. I’m talking behind the scenes, talking to staff, talking to you (the Fans Forum), reading things and finding out what kind of football you like to see.”
BP: “You always hear in the media that we’d rather lose 4-3 than win 1-0. Not for me. I’d rather win, whatever the football is like.”
VV: “Fans want football which will get them off their seats.”
Phil Patterson (PP): “We want to see players who care for the club and not hiding.”
Steve Hastie (SH): “We’ve never expected to come from behind when we’ve conceded first. We need a winning mentality and attitude.”
SMc: “We’ll swap sides of the table and I’d say exactly the same thing. That’s what I want to see. Words are easy but I do. We want people to try, not to hide and people who can take the ball and want the ball all the time.
“That’s why Steve Black has been brought in. It’s easy to constantly tell the players to do something but we need the right characters in the team, the right mentality. When you cross the white line, everyone has talent but you have to have courage. At top clubs, the shirt is heavy and you have to have the personality to wear it. I’ve seen it – players are fantastic at some clubs but at others, they can’t handle crossing the white line.”
3. Communication
Following SMc’s recent email which was sent directly to supporters, the club outlined changes to how it will be communicating with supporters.
Direct communication to supporters will be a key element and emails will be sent on a regular basis from key individuals within the club.
As part of the club’s new strategy, it will communicate with supporters directly so they get the news before anyone else does.
The club will also be delivering more content via official channels, more short clips from the training ground, when the team are away, the academy etc. and giving fans an insight behind the scenes.
Dave Abbott (DA): “Have you considered making access to the entire website completely free?”
The club is looking at options and is continuing to review everything it does digitally.
Steve Cole (SC): “Can the club expand on why only Sky Sports and the Daily Mirror spoke to Steve McClaren first?”
Alongside Sky Sports and the Daily Mirror, SMc also gave interviews to the club’s media channels followed by local written media and BBC Newcastle. The club felt that this was the most appropriate way in which to announce SMc’s appointment to fans and best control and re-enforce the positive messages the club wished to deliver to them.
VV: “The club should be mindful of the negative impact that could have if journalists are unhappy.”
The club emphasised that it meets all of its obligations to the written media under Premier League regulations.
4. Supporter items/open questions
PP: “Motivation can be key and Steve Black could be a great appointment in terms of instilling belief into the players and making them feel confident to show their ability.”
The board noted that they have spoken at length about what they want in potential new players and character is key to that.
Dave Abbott (DA): “We had a lot of injuries last season. Have there been any changes?”
SMc: “It’s one of the first things we look at and we talk to the doctor and the medical staff. We’ve got very good staff behind the scenes. We’ve gone though training methods, what we do and seeing how we can avoid injuries. The doctor was one of the first people I spoke to.
“We want players to be available every Saturday so that’s our target. If a player gets injured, we need accurate diagnosis, good treatment, good rehab and to get him back as soon as possible.”
BP: “The club has admitted to making mistakes. Can you clarify what these mistakes were and what measures have been put in place to ensure that they don’t happen again.”
The club stated it did not wish to dwell on the past and stated its objectives are clear. With Steve and his staff now in place, the focus is now very much looking to the future.
SH: “Are we back to square one in terms of player recruitment since the new head coach came in?”
The club stated that its targets have been refined in some cases following conversations with Steve about his style of play and the specific expectations he has for each position.
LH: “Other teams on a similar level as us are reported to be making bids for players that we’re linked with. Why aren’t we?”
The club suggested that view was based on the presumption that it wasn’t doing the same and that what the media writes is often not necessarily the reality behind the scenes. In terms of the calibre of player and level of fees, the club is confident it is very competitive within its grouping.
The club affirmed that while its business principles still apply, there is the possibility to consider players that may command a higher transfer fee than previously considered. The club’s view moving forward is to pursue quality over quantity and the club is confident it can attract those type of players.
Taylor Payne (TP): “From fans, there’s a lot of residual frustration about last season. Why did the failures occur – was it the model, personnel or finance?”
The club stated that a combination of factors occurred but repeated it did not want to dwell on the past.
To club did however underline that its final position and being in a situation whereby it needed to secure its Premier League status on the final game of last season was wholly unacceptable.
TP: “What has been done to make sure that doesn’t happen again?”
The club stated its objectives have been revised and are clear. In addition, the appointment of a new head coach and new staff who have their own philosophy gives the club a platform from which it can move forward.
Sharron Lee (SL): “What can the club do to attract new players?”
The club’s view is that Newcastle United has always been attractive to new players. In addition, the appointment of the new head coach is a big step forward. Privately, Steve McClaren has been a big draw for players the club has been speaking to both at home and abroad. The club has no concerns about attracting players.
SMc: “I’m excited because the objectives are clear and you can sell that to players coming in. We want to win something. We are going for something.
“I’m excited because of the plan I’ve seen. We don’t just go short term with this transfer window, we look at the next window and the next one. We have a great opportunity in the next three windows if we get the recruitment right. I can understand if there is negativity but if I was a supporter and I knew what I know in such detail, I’d be very excited about the future.
“Talk is cheap. We have to make it happen.”
PP: “The statement from the owner seemed to lift the club but supporters still know we haven’t signed a player. The mood will change when the first player is brought in.”
The club is working hard to ensure the players who come in are the right players whether it takes a week, two weeks or more but understands there will be scepticism until that happens.
SMc: “As a coach coming in, I want to know what we’re doing and who we’re going for. It doesn’t always work. You need the right people and it has to be at the right time.
“I’m very chilled about it because I know what’s going on behind the scenes. Eventually, we’ll get there. I wouldn’t have come here if that hadn’t been the case. I know what we can do and what we intend to do. We’re in control of things and they’ll happen in their own time. There are clubs around the world chasing the type of players we’re interested in and that’s the challenge for us.”
BP: “Fans are waiting for something to happen. Do the club give false hope to fans ahead of important season ticket renewal dates?”
The club stated that it does not and emphasised the need to maintain a consistency of messaging via its direct communication to fans.
PL: “Will Mike Ashley (MA) be involved in that communication following his interview?”
The club explained that MA has made a statement and the objectives are clear. It is now up to the club to deliver on his statement.
SMc: “Would the club have been different if he hadn’t spoken?”
PP: “The atmosphere was negative and flat until we listened to MA’s interview. The place lifted and it went from negative to positive. That went from the stands to the players and we were never going to lose the game.”
VV: “Hardly any owners do speak so we should hear from Steve and get behind him.”
The club underlined that SMc will play an important role in communication but that fans will get an insight from right across the club to share that responsibility.
TP: “In terms of grassroots football, why would boys clubs be actively encouraging their best young players to join other academies rather than Newcastle’s?”
LM asked members who visited Academy for their views.
DA referenced Newcastle United players in the England youth teams and stated: “We have a better base of young players now than we’ve had for years.”
The club stated it has worked hard to develop good relationships with boys clubs and those relationships are now as good as they have been for many years. The general feedback is very positive.
SH: “What stage is the club at with the new training ground?”
The club outlined that planning has been approved, tenders had been out and prices had been supplied. In order to proceed, contracts needed to be signed well in advance but because of the position the club found itself in towards the end of the season, the decision was taken not to commit at that time.
Along with the head coach, the club is now identifying the best time to start work and is mindful of disruptions mid-season.
VV supplied a question from a supporter in Australia in relation to club finances and the use of funds across different bank accounts.
The club states that NUFC and all divisions within the football company operate a number of bank accounts and it is the consolidated balance of all accounts that is disclosed in the year end accounts. All funds are in current accounts with our bankers (Barclays) and form part of our working capital.
VV: “Based on the success of the England women’s team at the World Cup in Canada, are any plans to associate more with NUWFC?”
The club is continuing to work with NUWFC and further details for the 2015/16 season will be confirmed shortly. LM stated that the Newcastle United Foundation was capitalising on the success by inviting girls to take advantage of its coaching in the community.
No further questions were tabled and following the Q&A segment, LC, SMc and BM left the meeting as scheduled.
5. Meeting minutes
The club invited members to feed back on the production of meeting minutes and how the club conveys messaging from the Fans Forum.
TP: “The minutes can lose the nuances of conversations, tone and atmosphere. People pick up on it in a negative way and feed back that the club sound robotic.”
VV: “The club could condense the minutes in future but should keep it consistent at the moment.”
BP: “Making them shorter would probably leave more questions than answers.”
DA: “Lots of supporters I know read the minutes, especially on long away games.”
Forum members agreed that rather than producing a smaller executive summary, the club should continue to produce extended minutes. Instead, the club should add to the minutes with smaller, digestible stories on the website to convey key messages and raise the profile of the Forum.
The club will also send a personal, direct email with a summary of the Forum to bring it to bring it to fans’ attention.
The club also confirmed it will add members’ email addresses to the system behind the website so that they receive fan emails directly.
VV: “A fan from Australia found me, saw what I do and managed to send me a fairly complex financial question which has now been answered, so it does work.”
SC: “Our members have asked me to lobby for a permanent seat on the Fans Forum, on the same basis as NUFC Fans United. London Supporters Association has been going since 1962 and is the longest running democratically constituted supporter group that the club has.”
The club will consider adding the group permanently.
DA: How will the club replace members who are scheduled to leave the Forum?
The club confirmed that vacant seats would be advertised this summer and that new members will be appointed as previously (supporters fitting the criteria required to take a particular seat will be selected at random from applicants). The seats will be advertised via the club’s digital channels and if possible, via external media given the public interest in the Forum.
VV: “After Steve’s attendance, there should be a lot of interest so the club has a good opportunity to raise the profile of the Forum. Mentioning vacancies in the news stories and email would be useful.
6. Department updates
Media/nufcTV SH: “Could nufcTV be open to season ticket holders or members? Could there also be a Forum section in the programme with questions between meetings?”
The club is already discussing changes to its digital operations and will suggest the programme article.
TP: “Fans buy membership primarily so they can buy away tickets and the current benefits aren’t useful. If there was an extra incentive, you would see the numbers spike rather than paying separately for nufcTV.” Members agreed that adding nufcTV to the membership scheme would be a very positive step.
Ticketing
Following a ticketing sub-group meeting, a ticket Q&A and a St. James’ Park Visitor Guide are in production for 2015/16.
Stephen Tickle (ST) stated his view that the sub-group meeting was very beneficial and is open to future meetings.
LH: “Can the club give an update on season ticket renewals after what has been reported recently?”
The club stated that despite what has been reported, renewal rates are strong and are similar to this same stage last season. The club is pleased with the take-up by existing and new season ticket holders.
LH: Are we getting new season cards during the summer?
ST confirmed that new season cards have been delivered and will be issued to supporters shortly. All season card holders will get a new card.
TP: “I’ve been asked by a fan to ask what the thinking is behind 100 loyalty points for York City?”
ST stated that the club had decided on that initial starting point because seating was so limited at Bootham Crescent (less than 300) in addition to around 1,500 standing spaces. The club has to anticipate demand and the 100-point mark is a safety net to protect regular away travellers. The level will drop quickly in coming days.
LM confirmed a discussion had taken place to gather feedback from other staff members in order to set an appropriate first level.
DA – away supporter representative – felt the first level was a good idea given the limited space and the high level of interest supporters had shown in the York City fixture above most other pre-season matches.
BP: “Do the club regularly review the loyalty point scheme? I ask this as fans who may have built up a lot of points over a decade ago are still able to get tickets for popular games such as Sunderland away even though they may not attend many, if any, games today.”
The club does review it but explained there will always be some supporters who benefit from it and some who don’t.
DA felt that if a supporter wanted to push up their loyalty points, there should be ample opportunity across at least 19 away league games per season. DA responded to an email from a supporter with the same opinion. DA explained that many supporters who travel to all away games had to go through a long period of queuing for tickets overnight in order to obtain them, which in turn pushed up their points total.
SC: “Will the club be inviting others to enter into reciprocal ticket price deals again?”
The club confirmed it had already discussed deals with a number of interested clubs and that it was likely to continue into the 2015/16 season. Feedback from supporters has been excellent.
Gareth Beard (GB): “Will the club be providing free away trips for NUDSA in the 2015/16 season as it has in previous seasons? Very few disabled supporters are able to benefit from reciprocal prices between clubs.”
The club confirmed that this will be discussed shortly and that the club will work with NUDSA during that process. Again, feedback from supporters on the trips had been very positive.
SC: “I know of supporters who were adversely affected by the delayed kick-off against Leicester City last season and they have not had any contact from the club.”
The club asked SC to refer those supporters to LM.
Retail/kit
LH: “The new kits include the sponsors’ old logo, why is that?”
The club explained that it was simply due to the advanced lead-time required for new kit (usually by October in the previous season). In short, the logo did not change until a long period of time after the production process had commenced.
Facilities
PP: “How will the Rugby World Cup matches in October affect Premier League games?”
Eddie Rutherford (ER) confirmed the club was scheduled to be away from home for that weekend’s round of fixtures. The club has invested in additional provisions including new pitch lights to concentrate on areas that may take greater strain. ER confirmed his view that the pitch will be fine.
DA: “Have there been any changes to stadium during the summer?”
ER confirmed that £47,000 has been spent on the PA system and new speakers have been added. 12,000 seats in paddock areas have been replaced and a number of corporate areas/boxes have been refurbished.
Safety and security
LH: “Celtic have been granted permission to introduce ‘safe standing’. Can NUFC do the same?”
Steve Storey (SS) stated that permission had been granted by the local authority but that it had not occurred similarly within the Premier League.
7. AOB
Next meeting date: TBC.
I wouldn’t say Atlas have top class strikers but they gave or so called defence the run-around,god help us when the
Pl strikers come to town,they will have a party
icedog(Quote)
Sham – not quite, but I’ve got close enough to see it mate. I’m worried by the fact that we haven’t tested QPRs resolve with a substantive bid on Austin. The papers reckon we are on to Matip – yet the lad himself last week said he was staying in Germany. We are close on Mitrovic – by miles away if the lad doesn’t want to come.
My other worry is that McClaren is still playing the likes of Willo & Anita rather than looking to get rid of them. These players should not be in McClarens long term plans – and IMO he should be using the pre season games to look at players who have a possible future with us.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Yet McClaren says we are ‘close’ on one of the transfers. Can only be Mitrovic unless we have missed something…
Stuart79(Quote)
It looks like its another bloody m/f player we are going to sign ffs
icedog(Quote)
Banega from Seville 9mil
icedog(Quote)
Don’t forget we will likely lose a midfielder or two this window. Sissy or Tiote or both – so incomings in that area make sense too. Although we’d all be more assured if we saw a top CB and STR come in asap too!
Shamrock(Quote)
So LENS flys in to sign for the scum in “his” private jet,its all right for some
icedog(Quote)
Sham – it should be Anita & Abied we loose from midfield and keep our better ones. Defo should be getting the CBs & CFs we need as well.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Kim:
You in Bristol? Just assumed your in NE.
I was in Bristol for 7 yrs before moving to the Forest. Lots of my work in Bristol still though, am currently on a loft conversion in St George.
Hope op went well 🙂
You Yew(Quote)
I think McClaren is going 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-3 with the midfielders he’s bringing in – Banega/Wijnaldum/Colback as box to box midfielders in front of our back 4.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Absolutely fantastic effort by Stuart Downing. Signing for Boro when he could quite easily have stayed in the PL but lure of hometown club was too much! Just brilliant. Well done, Stuart and well done Steve Gibson for paying for him.
Stuart79(Quote)
It’s all getting very tiresome with the new signings or should I say lack of. Have we bid for Austin? A 20 year old from the Belgian league humming and harring? Just go for some top players, pay the bloody money and get it done. Listening Charnley?
georgio(Quote)
Been trying to check the press abroad but can find nowt about the toon seems to have gone quiet on the toon front apart from that m/f player
icedog(Quote)
Just watched some of the highlights from last night. First few minutes Willo hoofing twice, Krul kicking into touch, Willo giving a goal away. Worse than last season.
georgio(Quote)
GEORGIO thanks for that into really cheered me up NOT
icedog(Quote)
Ice – cheer up – it’ll HAVE to get better. This Banega bloke is a bit from the blue. 34 caps for Argentina. Probably just another rumour.
georgio(Quote)
It cannot be any worse
icedog(Quote)
So toon have offered Mis twenty seven grand a week after tax
icedog(Quote)
Javier Hernandez to West Ham talk gathering pace…
Shamrock(Quote)
SHAM I think he’s a canny player,fox in the box type
icedog(Quote)
Ice I don’t trust a word printed on whatcultures site. They
make up most of their content up out of thin air from what I have seen. When I did the unfounded transfer rumour article, they were the biggest culprits.
Shamrock(Quote)
Yeah I like Chicharito (or something like that). Reckon Perez could emulate him in that respect. Be nice to see some power up front.
Shamrock(Quote)
<<<<<<<<<<< sees that de bore been flaping his chops about,i aint seen any1 say we ganna crash the top 4 or win the league off 1 signing blooming hilly billy he is.
KIMTOON
hope ya op went well 😉
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
The big MO has definately lost us… Back to sqaure one 😕
Stuart79(Quote)
STUART????
icedog(Quote)
lost me anyways 😕
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
so the Mitrovic hold up is all down to MONEY
surprise surprise
Greedy sod not satisfied with £4M a year, wants more, even though he is unproved in the EPL and still only 20 years old.
I’ll bet there are performance bonuses included in the deal too.
Can’t see wor lot increasing their offer significantly though.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Boots – I read our offer is 27k pw after tax – double what he’s earning now.
Just been reading De Boers comments too. Well he can go **** himself can’t he!!. What’s his gripe with the toon like?. I reckon that’s casts quite a bit of doubt about us signing any Ajax players this summer though 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
BB seems its his dad that’s wanting more dough greedy git,bit like when Taylors dad was his agent,arsehole
icedog(Quote)
Sharply – I guess De Boer is telling it as he sees it. Maybe he just doesn’t rate him as much as others.
Ice – The big mo meaning momentum!
And if we have only offered £27k/ week I’m not surprised he’s stalking. That’s a ridiculously low amount for someone who will cost £12m! If they rate him at that price he’s worth more than that. That’s less than the average PL player earns…
Stuart79(Quote)
Stu – De Boer rates the lad he just states our reaction to the signing is OTT. But what the hells it got to do with him?! – gobshite.
As for the wages thing. I think I probably agree with you to be honest. We will want him to lead the line & score us the goals to keep us in the league – seems on the low side, unless it is heavily incentivise.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Alright Lads, What a day, chasing around for a new fish tank since my sprang a leak last night, a bad one at that. Can’t believe the ****** sprang one this week of all weeks. Anyway got a good deal ex display 🙂 But me knee is burning hot now as on feet most of day 🙄
Still no player added then and I see we were our usual defensive selves last night 🙄 Have to get in some Cb’s pronto.
You Yew@84 Yep mate Bristol born and bred but followed Toon since the late 70’s. I’m in Ashton gate near City ground. Used to follow City everywhere years back until I ran out of patience with the various owners and lack of ambition. Still keep an eye out for their progress though. I know St George well mate used to live there as a kid for a while on church road in a newsagents.
kimtoon(Quote)
What Has De boer been moaning about then?
kimtoon(Quote)
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/charlie-austin-made-mind-up-9665618
Fair points here by Donald. What is holding it up?
Stuart79(Quote)
STUART
Are you for real? Don’t you understand the key things regarding a transfer? We’re long past the days when one NUFC asks QPR how much for Austin, they say £15m, we say £10m and either they agree a compromise or walk away…then if they agree, they ask the player if he wants to talk and if he does, they negotiate the same thing with wages. LONG past those days…
Austin will barely be involved! His agent will be trying to negotiate the best deal for his client and sometimes that means waiting it out to see what happens in the market. Might Spurs be interested? Will Man Utd take a punt if they don’t land their top targets? City were going to sign Delph recently so it’s not beyond the realms of possibilities.
Plus, Austin and his agent may be waiting to see how clubs work in the transfer market. Does Austin want to join NUFC if we have a terrible defence?
Or maybe it’s just paper talk?
It’s way WAY more complicated than several fans on here like to portray it. That article in the Chronicle is just dumb.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
The £27K is take home pay, so that works out about £3M per year.
I can see how it’s not enough, compared to the likes of Sterlings, which is double that and more.
But surely he has to prove himself in the EPL first.
That’s what a stepping stone club does.
His father needs a kick up the ****
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Sharpy17 believe me their is not one Ajax player that we would want at the minute ,so **** de Boer . The twats sold us Anita ffs , THE only teams we should be doing buisness with in Holland at the minute is Feyenoord and PSV they have all the decent players in the Eredivisie at the minute.
Axel(Quote)
As for the wages for Mitrovic i would say that is a good deal for him , he is still only 20 and unproven in the big leagues. To be honest i would rather have Dost from Wolfsburg he has proven himself in the Bundesliga already.
Axel(Quote)
I’m not gonna worry about the Mitrovic guy. Yet again it’s a decision based on money, not football. There are quite a few clubs around the world as attractive or more attractive than us for a 20 year old promising striker like him. Sad but true. So it will come down to which one can give him the contract he wants.
If he joins, then great. if he goes to one of about a dozen clubs that are probably in for him, then **** him. I don’t care.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Oh right, TDS. How many years did you play professional football? I’m pretty sure Don Hutchinson knows how it works a bit more than you to be honest.
Not sure whether you’ve read the article or just the headline. He actually says that clubs will know whether or not a player wants to go or not before a club even bids. Reckon he knows more than you.
But there’s one thing for sure – if you don’t bid for a player you don’t get him regardless what days were in. Unless you know something we don’t? Do you not have to bid for players now? Do they just use telepathy now and agree a fee?
Stuart79(Quote)
Just seen this http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/topics/de-boer-mocks-reaction-of-newcastle-fans-to-georginio-wijnaldum
****** 👿
kimtoon(Quote)
Axel – there’s been a couple of reports suggesting we were after Joel Veltman.
As for Mitrovic Ive had a change of heart. I think 27k is a fair offer this season – as he is unproven & only 20 … it doubles his current wage to be fair. If he does well then let’s review and improve next summer. But if he turns out to be another Riviere and we’ve got him sat on £40-50k pw then we’ve learned nowt.
Sharpy17(Quote)
TDS – I’m not too sure you’ve been living on planet earth for the last few days… It’s well publicised that Mitrovic is stalling because ideally he wants a CL club to play for. We’re offering him more money than Porto can afford and yet he’s still holding out for them. As already said on this blog recently, that’s quite a refreshing attitude and that’s why I would be quite happy to see him at NUFC.
Stuart79(Quote)
Sharpy – There are players who you know are better than others and Mitrovic and Rivière I believe are not comparable one iota. There’s about £8m difference and that’s a fair wedge. Add to that he has a good reputation so I can’t see him being another Rivière. As for his salary. You can’t compare his current wages and say doubling it is ok. If he was on a grand a week in Belgium it wouldn’t make it ok for us to offer him two grand a week. We should pay him the going rate for a £12m player and a player who we believe will score 15 goals + in the PL. How much will we have to pay Austin?
Stuart79(Quote)
But apparently Porto have just sold a player for €35m to Athletico Madrid so I imagine that’s enough to buy and pay for Mitrovic.
Stuart79(Quote)
Don Hutch says in local rag that who ever is in charge of getting players over the line Austin for one should be sacked it does not take this long and should have been done weeks ago,I think he should know how it goes better than us
icedog(Quote)
Shamrock: just got back from Milwaukee and the match was actually quite enjotable. I will write down some of my thoughts on here as others on NUFC.com, Eds and The Chron have already written so much.
I started out at a tailgate done by Milwaukee Barons, people lobbying for an MLS franchise. There were about 300 in there at various times, with fans coming and going during the 3 hours of the event. The crowd was lively but not boisterous which surprised me since it was a burger and all you could drink for $20.
I headed off to the stadium and as is typical of these new grounds – everywhere has great views, there is a massive, and I mean massive TV screen broadcasting live and showing replays. I took my seat in the 5th row up the 1st base line and met up with the ToonUSA Chicago people who I had never met before. One couple were staying at the Pfister, Milwaukee’s old style and poshest hotel and said they had had a beer with Steven Taylor and a nice chat with Sissoko (NUFC were staying there). One of the lads was doing a few interviews earlier with players at the training session and writing a match report for a fanzine and I talked with him for the 1st half and then he headed up to the press box. I told him to give Lee Ryder a kick for me. He said that at the training that everybody was relaxed and very accessible. Maybe they are turning over a new leaf after all under Stevie Mac.
Now to the action in brief, mainly because it has done everywhere else. The NUFC net in the first half was as far away from me as it could be so I was half watching the field and half watching the big screen. We started brightly, then Laschelles gave away a stupid penalty, which was probably his first serious act as a NUFC player? I said to the fanzine journo that Laschelles was thinking about taking up quidditch instead.
Then there was a great goal by Atlas – an instinctive volley on the corner of the box. I think Mikey went walkabout and left him free. From then on we hardly touched the ball. Atlas were doing a high press and our defenders and defensive mids were trying to pass it about from defence to attack. For a good 15 minutes we were penned back and Timmy would be required to hoof it with quite a few slices out of play. De Jong was playing like a defensive mid in this part of the game.
At one point Altas were passing around with ease and we couldn’t get a touch and the Mexicans started with “Ole’s”. After about 10 of these Colback intercepted and knocked it to Cisse who burst upfield with Sissoko, a quick interchange of passes and in the net from Mousa. That shut the Mexicans up, the half-time whistle blew and the whole crowd of 22k seemed to go to the massive walkway that is chock full of concession stands selling all kinds of heart blocking stuff, foam fingers, and beer – you know Americans, this is as much a part of the game experience as the game itself.
After half time we dominated and Atlas didn’t get a kick. I was sat about 40 yards from Darlow and he didn’t even use his hands once. His role was go redirect Willo’s back passes and he did this very well. He looked very assured. Speaking of Willo, I have seen him slated again but when I saw him up close in the second half he didn’t put a foot wrong. How we didn’t score I will never know but maybe that highlights our need for a Centre Forward. Aarons was very lively for the short time he was on. And so the game ended with a loss but the way we played in the second half left a nice feeling of perhaps McClaren can get something out of this lot.
After the game quite a few of the players were doing a warm down for about 20 mins directly in front of us and McClaren came over to the Chicago lot down at the front. It was weird that the main contingent of fans were situated at the opposite end of the field and had gone home. A few other fans saw what was going on and joined us. Some autographs, some selfies and a lot of smiles ensued – Sissoko must have been there for at least 20 minutes.
I then went back to the hotel and had a beer in the bar and met a couple of Yanks who had driven from New York just for the game and were off back next morning. One of them said he had only begun supporting NUFC 2 years ago and watched every game. He did it as a sort of anti-Manu and Chelsea who his mates had picked in college as their teams. I said he was mad. Meanwhile a couple of lads in their 50’s with Geordie accents next to them started buying the bar shots of tequila. Half an hour later one fell off his stool 10 minutes before time was called.
All in all it was very enjoyable and the team and Steve seemed genuinely happy to interact with the fans.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
PS: NUFC warmed up before kick-off for more than 30 minutes, had the subs warming up on the sideline at half time and, as I said, had a 20 minute warm down. Please let this mean we now have competent fitness people and physios and they are taking injuries seriously.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Cheers, Eric. Are you off to the next game now?
Stuart79(Quote)
ERIC cheers for that,hope you didn’t hurt yourself when you fell off the chair 😆
icedog(Quote)
Stu – I disagree mate. Riviere was scoring goals in France which is arguably a better league than that of Belgium. As for good reputations – Riviere has a better goals ratio than Falcao. That’s not a bad reputation to come with mate. As for the £8m difference – well as you say, a player is only worth what someone will pay. Look at what Liverpool paid for Suarez & Carroll, or what Chelsea paid for Torres & Costa. Also bear in mind that we are the only club to have met the asking price – Roma & Porto don’t see him as a £12m player. We aren’t offering him £2k pw, we’re offering him £27k – and I’m suggesting we incentivise that this season and then offer an improvement should he do well. Offer £27k with incentives that could take it up to say 40k – if he scores 15 goals this season it automatically triggers a clause that improves his wage.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sorry Sharpy but you know as well as me, that football doesn’t work like that. It’s just ridiculous to expect the lad to perform well and feel great being on half the wage that the likes of Rivière is on. Just because we cocked up with Rivière doesn’t mean we should then pay all our new signings a pittance (relatively speaking).
As for the comparison with Rivière, it’s clear the club see him as a better player or they’d only be offering €6m for him. Please, please, please don’t use Riveire as an example as he’s absolutely **** poor!
Stuart79(Quote)
So basically we have to pay people what they’re worth and what the going rate is for a player of that talent in line with our wage structure. I would hazard a guess that the likes of Janmaat, Taylor and Gouffran are on about £27k a week. What would that say to the lad?
Stuart79(Quote)
Ashley loves his incentivised contracts, so I’m sure all that will already be factored in by now.
The issue appears to be the basic salary, which is by no means bad or low.
I doubt he will get better elsewhere, and soon the penny will drop.
Plus, how many CL matches is he likely to play in next season ?
5 or 6 maybe ? is that really a deal breaker ?
Ridiculous
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Stuart – the £27k is take home after tax and NI deductions, so more like £60k.
A hell of a lot more than Saylor et al
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
BB – To be fair I can’t believe a CL club can’t afford to pay someone £27k a week. That’s below the average PL wage. These sorts of incentivised contracts with a low basic just don’t work in football these days because there’s so much money in the game. In the real world they might work but in football, never.
Stuart79(Quote)
Eric – tremendous mate. Thanks for that – it’s always better to get a fans perspective than a journos I reckon. Were there any surprises mate of is it still a CB & CF we need?
Sharpy17(Quote)
It wouldn’t be that much. 45% tax and NI of mainly 2% as the primary threshold will be WELL exceeded. 😉
DJG(Quote)
I’ve never known a salary reported after tax. Although that would explain why it looks low. £60k a better salary and something Porto might not pay but have got a shed load of cash now.
Stuart79(Quote)
Ice 🙂 I learned a long time ago not to do shots of tequila. I gave mine to the young lad from NY next to me.
Stuart, I would have gone to the next games if I had enough notice. Have already been to Thailand and back to England this year.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Stu – I’m using Riviere as an example BECAUSE he’s turned out to be **** poor mate. He’s 20yr old earning 27k – an improvement on his current contract and if he scores 15 goals this season we better it again – I honestly think that’s fair mate – double it again next season for arguments sake – £54k at 21 – fair crack I reckon.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Yes Sharpy it’s fair in the real world. Unfortunately this is the football world. How many players do you think we’d sign if we offered them a lower basic salary than every other club but offered them the same incentives as every other club too? You’re salaries don’t seem to be taking into account the rise in income for PL clubs. We can’t keep offering low wages with the amount of money in the game, incentivised or not. Nobody else will so we either keep up or fall behind.
But anyway as BB says this is after tax so it’s a fairer offer of about £50-£55k a week gross. That’s more like a PL strikers salary.
Stuart79(Quote)
ERIC
I got a litre of Tequila earlier this year in the duty free from Spain. I prefer it to Whisky and Vodka. It’s expensive in England though. Usually for a 50cl bottle as well! Ripped off well and truly here.
DJG(Quote)
Sharpy: The big surprise for me was that Steve played the starters for a good twenty minutes of the second half and they completely turned it around. So much so, that Willo had so little to do that actually looked like a real footballer.
The funny thing was that we created about as many chances as the Mexicans in the first half and couldn’t put them away. De Jong looked rusty, which is understandable.
We created a lot of chances in the 2nd half as well, but as usual there wasn’t any end product. Some nice work by Aarons and Perez in the box but the final ball just wouldn’t run for them. The majority of the NUFC fans were at that end and there were a lot of oohs and aahs as it just wouldn’t go in. No singing though 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Its certainly a fair salary offer for a striker who is yet to prove himself in the EPL.
Austin has already passed that test, and will undoubtedly demand a lot more than £60k we would offer him, which maybe explains our reluctance to bid for him.
At the end of the day, we will still be looking to sell the player on at a profit.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/07/15/the-return-of-siem-de-jong-is-as-important-to-newcastle-as-any-n/
Here we go… Like a new signing! I thought it wouldn’t be long. Once he gets through 20 games we will judge.
DJG(Quote)
Stu – I know you’re right mate, I just hate how much these kids are getting paid – and how little our players in particular deserve it for the ***** they’ve dished up in recent seasons.
Trust me though mate, if you find my opinion frustrating – imagine how my boy feels when it comes to his pocket money 😈 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric – that’s my concern mate. Will Steve look to keep Willo based on him playing ok in pre season friendlies against lower quality opponents (no disrespect meant) – I bloody hope not.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric, good write up with nice bits of humour. You should have given me the heads up man, it would have made a great article! Don’t worry what’s going on on other sites – if it has your own opinion and style then it’s more than worthy of being up there shoulder to shoulder with anything the other sites have to offer. I liked the bit where you mention Lascelles not using his hands once in the 2nd half! 😆
Shamrock(Quote)
Shamrock, not saying I will do a write-up, but I am going to the Sac game this Saturday. If no one else from this site is there and you want a few words, I can do my best. The Toon supporter’s group is sat at a corner of an end-zone, so it may be that the perspective is not that great. I will do what I can if you so desire or no one else has volunteered. I see Sunderland lost to Republic FC last night…It would be nice to see a Toon victory over the same team.
NorCal Toonfan(Quote)
ICEDOG 121
that Don Hutch needs to shut his yapper
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Norcal that would be great mate. I will sling you MY email so I can post it for you unless you already have access to the dashboard?
Shamrock(Quote)
I saw Darlow close up and he is much bigger than his stats say on google. That said he was 6-1 and 12 and a half stone. That must be out of date because I have seen pics of him next to 6-2 Lascelles and he is an inch taller and he must have been on the weights as well because he looks like a rugby player now.
As I said, I didn’t see him make a save but he fits the bill for the modern keeper. He will hopefully give Timmy some competition and will command his box more as well as have better distribution. I like Timmy for the most part but he is a bit of a light weight for a modern ideal for a keeper. The Mackems saw this trend and hired that giraffe to keep goal.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
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brisvegas(Quote)
Sorry if somebody has already quoted it, but couldn’t help enjoy Gouffran’s master of the understatement:
“[McClaren] wants us to pass the ball and that will suit the players we have. It is a very good idea ❗ .”
No ****, [Car-dew] Sherlock.
Lionel Speed(Quote)