Shock, horror – billionaire found with cash in his pockets

I think the internet is broken.

It might be full or it might have just achieved its goal of dumbing down the population to a level where they now automatically believe everything they see online.

Either way I’m sure that like me you just can’t quite believe some of the stuff you see out there these days.

Top of my list of “come on, you can’t be serious” today was the fact that a multibillionaire was caught red handed with a huge, massive, monstrous wad of 50 pound notes in his pocket.

The shock and horror of it all!

Actually it didn’t look any more than about 800 quid, which is no more than your average punter’s monthly salary, but the fact that Ashley has money in his pocket appears to be newsworthy.

Hot on his heels of “Billionaire Has Cash” is the revelation that Bradford City reserves lost 5-0 to Burton Albion.

So what’s so amazing about that?

Haris Vuckic was playing for Bradford, and it appears to have all been his fault.

Personally I rate Vuckic, and I believe that he just came along at a time when we were overrun with midfield talent, so never got a run at the first team. The main point of this particular story though is that the club should not give out long term contracts to players because it means we are stuck with them for a long time!

Genius!

I kind of thought that was the whole point of long term contracts!

Elsewhere that old classic of Graham Carr not being able to spot talent popped up again, with the writer actually trying to convince us that Andros Townsend was a complete donkey.

Cherry picking facts is always a good laugh but it does work both ways. Overall I think that Carr (and as a result Newcastle United) came out ahead. Let’s not forget the likes of Tiote, Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Santon, Elliot, Anita , Debuchy, Haidara, Sissoko, Mbabu, Perez, Jaanmat, Ba, Cisse and goodness knows however many more that were brought in on Carr’s watch.

Sissoko alone debunks the idea that Carr didn’t know what he was doing. In for 1.8 million, out for 30.

What we really need to ensure is that we don’t forget that Pardew had an amazing knack for sucking the talent out his superstars by playing them out of position. I’d lay the blame at Pardew’s feet long before slagging off Carr.

Lets’s face it. If Pardew had signed Shearer, within 6 months he’d have had him playing right-back.

The shocker for me today though was the news that Rob Elliot has been offered a new 4 year contract. This just days after Tim Krul was only given a one year extension and packed off on his hols to Ajax.

I’ve nothing against Elliot, and it’s great to see that he stepped up the way he did, but  I still rate Krul as our number 1 keeper and just can’t get my head around this particular move.

Is Rafa giving Tim a chance to recover and prove himself on loan? Is he just getting a high salary off the books? Is he just concerned that Tim recovers, leaves and we get nothing for him?

I don’t get this one at all! Krul is one of the few players currently with Newcastle United that I consider anywhere near being a club hero.

Oh well – let’s see what the internet  brings us tomorrow!

83 thoughts on “Shock, horror – billionaire found with cash in his pockets

  1. I don’t get the Krul moves either. He’s definitely our number one keeper when fit. Maybe that’s part of the problem – how fit will he get again? Someone must have doubts and Rafa did rush out and buy Sels . . .

      (Quote)

  2. Krul has missed half of our league games over the last two seasons , having missed 8 games in 2014/15 season with an ankle injury then 30 games last season with a serious knee injury.
    He still has not played this season for Ajax and is hoping to be back in action in October but I do not expect him to be ready for first team football till the end of the year.
    I do not know if Ajax are paying his full wage or paying part of it but either way NUFC were lucky to find him another club willing to see if he can get back to full fitness and and to get back to his best form.
    However , Krul has had recurring shoulder , ankle and knee injuries over the years and sadly I can not see him being injury free for long periods in the future.

      (Quote)

  3. I think last year that Elliot was at least Krul’s equal as Timmy’s distribution was **** as usual and he had become prone to mistakes. The only real mistake I remember Elliot making was standing there Harper-eque as the Stoke goal sailed past him (maybe he flapped at a few high balls but most ‘keepers do, including Krul). Given that Elliot is probably on about half what Krul makes, even with his new deal, I think it is logical that he is given a new contract. Depending on how Sels goes, it should be between them as 1st choice with Darlow 3rd. The fact that Krul was only given a 1 year extension means they are looking to sell him when he proves his fitness. It makes sense for NUFC but I am not sure why Krul accepted it.

      (Quote)

  4. I prefer Elliot to Krul, just.
    Rob, you are right that Carr did bring in some talent but some of the players character left a lot to be desired imo. Quite clearly the club was sold as a stepping stone and therefor treated as such by the players. That’s not Carrs fault as he was obviously carrying out orders. As for sissoko, he may of gone for £30m but it doesn’t make him worth it, I don’t believe we unearthed a gem by any stretch.
    Vuckic is a tidy player but too injury prone, we’ve been lumbered with too many sick notes in recent times.
    Ta for the thread Rob.

      (Quote)

  5. It also makes sense that they bought Selz. Firstly, our two main ‘keepers were definitely out for the first part of the season. Next, Darlow looked OK after a dodgy start but he always looks like he has a mistake in him. They probably notice that in training so wanted an upgrade. Lastly, as Sidekick pointed out Krul has had injury problems but so has Elliot. He was out with that thigh problem and then had an operation on it since he was going to be out with the ACL anyway. I think they recognize he is a good ‘keeper but couldn’t trust his fitness.

    This is all speculation of course, but it is a Blog after all.

      (Quote)

  6. Vuckic has done very little in the lower leagues and in Scotland so why would he be good enough for NUFC?

      (Quote)

  7. Eric , can you remember my is Elliott a keeper article, where I compare Tim and Robs stats a while back? They were pretty much level but Rob was found to be a better distributor of the ball, which I had suspected anyway. Rob gets it for me, just. I thought Darlow looked assured after a shaky start, and I am still not at all sure on Sels, the guy flaps a bit for me .

      (Quote)

  8. Here’s a theory about Ashley’s wad of cash – he might be keeping it as emergency money or as cash for Pubs where a lot of people expect him to get a round in? Alternatively, it could even be tip money as there are many tabloids all too willing to write stupid stories about a billionaire only giving a taxi driver or bellman a 2 pound tip. He might have had the big bills on the outside like Kramer in Seinfeld. There are many explanations and not just him showing off that he has loadsamoney.

      (Quote)

  9. Yes Kimtoon I remember that and I agreed with you but even more thought Krul was making a few mistakes. I had a chat with my 21 year-old nephew who thinks Elliot is **** and I said he was crazy. Elliot saved us in a lot of games and his reflexes are as good as Darlow’s but I think his positioning and calmness are better.

      (Quote)

  10. Carr got us a few decent players, but he also brought in so many players with no character or work ethic that we consistently flirted with and eventually did get relegated. Regardless of managers, the £30m spent on the weak willed prima Donna’s Thauvin and Cabella was criminal.

    All in all I’d say he has been a failure because the proof is in the pudding. Up until a couple of months ago he had assembled a bunch of Crocks, players with no work ethic or players that did not want to be here. Not to mention it was severely lop sided. It was a right old mess and it was him that put the squad together.

      (Quote)

  11. He was a star player for Rangers. The press were all over him

    Eric Sykes:
    Vuckic has done very little in the lower leagues and in Scotland so why would he be good enough for NUFC?

      (Quote)

  12. Rob: in the Scottish lower division. Now he plays for Bradford reserves so I think my point stands. I don’t really agree that it was news that they had lost 5-0 so agree with you that there is a load of **** on the internet – who knew 🙂 Try reading twitter comments if you want your head to explode (I am not even on twitter but I often see news feeds saying “twitter reacts” to such and such).

      (Quote)

  13. Surely its the manager’s job to motivate and get them going, not the scout’s.

    Ben Arfa and Sissoko both showed that they could be brilliant when they felt like it.

    Ben Arfa has gone on to work hard and show what he can do and no doubt Sissoko will be a star at Spurs.

    Work ethic can be maintained , improved or lost depending on the manager.

    The

    Shamrock:
    Carr got us a few decent players, but he also brought in so many players with no character or work ethic that we consistently flirted with and eventually did get relegated. Regardless of managers, the £30m spent on the weak willed prima Donna’s Thauvin and Cabella was criminal.

    All in all I’d say he has been a failure because the proof is in the pudding. Up until a couple of months ago he had assembled a bunch of Crocks, players with no work ethic or players that did not want to be here. Not to mention it was severely lop sided. It was a right old mess and it was him that put the squad together.

      (Quote)

  14. Rob I agree it’s not the scout that motivates but the manager. But in this case the scout was a board member and the board was setting g the purchase policy, not the manager. If the manager cannot identify targets then It’s the boards and scouts job to a) get the right players for the right positions (which he failed to do as we were too stocked in central midfield and massively lacking everywhere else except in goal) and b) get players with the right mentality and players that can cope with the physical demands if the PL. It’s only my opinion but overall he failed massively.

      (Quote)

  15. Since it is slow because of the break here are some quotes from an article in The Chronicle on Steven Taylor. The bloke is delusional, in a twilight zone or his Agent has been filling his head with rubbish. Even The Chronicle, who have defended him for years, suggest his fitness had something to do with it although they don’t go as far as to say that he was *****:

    “Steven Taylor has claimed Newcastle United being a ‘business club’ was the real reason he left the club in the summer. The centre half left the club at the end of last season after 21 years at United, but injury and increased competition for places restricted the former England under-21 captain to just 25 starts in three years.

    Taylor was offered a new pay-as-you-play deal at the club but the 30-year-old claims the fact he wasn’t signed for a transfer fee, and thus wasn’t a financial asset, was the real reason he left on a free transfer.

    “Newcastle United is a business club,” said Taylor.

    “You can bring in players who are worth money, but I didn’t cost anything. You have to get assets to keep the value.”

      (Quote)

  16. Eric I’m not really sure what point he is trying to make tbh? It makes no sense. He cost nothing therefore the club would not offer him a new deal? If he had cost £5m the club would have offered him a new deal?

    End of the day you get a new deal if you a) are vital to the squad or b) have potential to make the club money in sales.

    Interestingly, Liam Ridgewell was on about 20k per week at Timbers last season. If Saylor is on a similar figure, then that’s not too bad considering.

      (Quote)

  17. The Ashley story is just the latest in a petty, long running vendetta against Ashley and his company.
    Good grief – a bilionaire has a lot of money in his pocket. Well how decadent!
    Does the press go similarly berserk and sarcastic when David Beckham comes out wearing his watch costing an obscene amount of thousands or his miserable wife sporting her £5000 Luis Vuitton handbag?
    At least Ashley has worked hard for his money unlike those two.
    For goodness sake Press – get a life!

      (Quote)

  18. Interesting that Saylor was offered a pay as you play deal, but obviously chose to leave because he probably knew he wouldn’t earn much pay given his track record.

      (Quote)

  19. Sikovash:
    The Ashley story is just the latest in a petty, long running vendetta against Ashley and his company.
    Good grief – a bilionaire has a lot of money in his pocket. Well how decadent!
    Does the press go similarly berserk and sarcastic when David Beckham comes out wearing his watch costing an obscene amount of thousands or his miserable wife sporting her £5000 Luis Vuitton handbag?
    At least Ashley has worked hard for his money unlike those two.
    For goodness sake Press – get a life!

    Strange comparison, yes you can argue Becks and Posh came by their wad easily, but we must not lose sight of the fact that much of Ashleys millions are made on the back of cheap labour, often working in terrible conditions aboard and at home. He says he is changing the way SD operates and treats it’s staff, I watch with interest and give him every chance to facilitate that change.

      (Quote)

  20. End of the day SD is in the middle of a right old **** storm because of the way it neglects it’s staff in order to line the pockets of those up top even more than is morally justifiable. He then goes on some PR tour of the factory presumably to show the workers and press that he cares and then in front of the hoards of zero hour, no benefits staff he pulls out a massive wad of notes. Comedy Gold. I mean, does nobody risk assess his PR activities? Yes he’s a billionaire and that money was small change to him, but in that setting – at that time? ?Somebody called him a walking cartoon the other day. Perfect description.

      (Quote)

  21. hi all,
    just to let you all know,we didnt get to see eric burdon last night.
    when the tickets were purchased,we were supposed to see eric,pre concert in the bar,
    and would be allowed to drink in there if we didnt want to see the support acts.

    this package cost my daughters over £300.
    then a day before the event,they changed the times,no longer would we meet eric in the bar pre concert.
    but would have a brief meeting with him after the show.

    my eldest daughter,tried to get a discount,or just pay for the concert tickets,with no meet
    with eric.
    anyway,she finally got to speak to the manager at the newcastle civic hall.
    who indeed gave us a full refund.
    so we were very lucky.
    because by law,as long as the event goes ahead,they can change any part or timings etc,
    and you are entitled to no refund.

    so do beware when you book tickets for these type of events.

      (Quote)

  22. Villa, that’s deplorable behaviour, aren’t they in breach of consumer law doing that? It’s a real shame you didn’t all get to meet him, bit of a con really. Hope the gig itself was enjoyable.

      (Quote)

  23. VILLA that’s a **** mate,yous looked forward to it so long,bunch of bloody crooks mate but what can you do,nowt,sorry for yous old lad

      (Quote)

  24. kimtoon,

    mate,
    if you read the rules of all these events.it seems they can change what they like.
    the only reason we probably got the refund,was because it was a part of my up and coming 65th birthday present.
    when i said a full refund,that was all of it.
    so we never even came to watch the show.
    but in saying that,we since found out that the A1 up to newcastle have a load of roadworks.

    so it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
    at least the daughters can get me another present. 😆 😆

      (Quote)

  25. icedog,

    its not been a lucky year for concerts for us.
    we had tickets to see AC/DC in manchester this summer.
    only for them to pick axl rose as singer.
    at least the band allowed anybody to have a refund if they wanted it.

    so we didnt go to see them either.

      (Quote)

  26. Took my then 12 year old son to the Lowery, manchester this time last year for his first live concert. King Crimson. He loved it. 3 drummers!

      (Quote)

  27. Didn’t know King Crimson were still going Prem !

    Villa, can’t believe you didn’t even get to the gig 🙁 Still as you say you can have something else from them. Are there not any decent acts coming to the NEC you fancy seeing? My daughter was up there year or so back watching Rammstein, least I think it was the NEC.

      (Quote)

  28. kimtoon,

    there is the NEC,
    and in the middle of the city,the NIA.

    both good arenas.
    yes there will always be great acts at both.the last time we went was alice cooper at the NIA.
    which is a fifteen minute taxi drive from my house.
    so,ill stick to local events from now on. 😉 😉

      (Quote)

  29. a villa fan:
    kimtoon,

    remember mate,
    you got double the points we did last season.
    thats how bad we were.

    We still couldn’t beat you when it mattered though mate

      (Quote)

  30. right all,
    will catch up has the season unfolds.

    for your club,you are rising up the table.
    for our part,we still think we are in pre season training.

    night all. 😉

      (Quote)

  31. FFS: I said Pards might, MIGHT be saved because they had signed Benteke and Remy. However, I placed a caveat that Benteke was streaky and history had shown Remy was an injury waiting to happen and Pards might be gone before they could save his job as he had only won 2 of 24 in the league. GUESS WHAT !!!! Remy is out for up to 2 months.

      (Quote)

  32. well imo the next two games will go a long way to prove we are good enough to go up if we can come away without being beaten in them two games we are cooking with gas

      (Quote)

  33. dead right Ice! Win those two and everybody will start to believe it’s not just hype. It’ll bring problems with parked buses and all but we can deal with that now.

      (Quote)

  34. Ice – it’s a testing month this one and I would hope that Rafa has had some quality time with most of the players during this break.
    The good news is that Mitrovic & Gayle will be back from injury and I think all of our players are coming back from international fit & health.

    Derby have struggled to get going so far, but they have good players, and any Pearson side will be tough to beat.

      (Quote)

  35. I see the ticket allocation are selling out every game as well.

    All these gobshite that slag our fans off for being deluded, and thinking Newcastle have a God given right to be in the top half of the PL – our fans are showing the football world what Rafa fell in love with.
    50k still turning up at SJP – thousands travelling the land to watch their club playing championship football.
    Best fans in the land man!!!.

      (Quote)

  36. I think that maybe Rafa will only make 1 change from Brighton – Gayle for Gouffy. I have this feeling he will not start Mitro yet and the newer signings were away at internationals so he won’t have had time to coach them and plan out strategies and systems with them.

      (Quote)

  37. You defend Carr for a number of signings, many of whom were probably “identified” by him as soon as they were by blokes in the pub watching tele and then slate Pardew for the underperformance? By all means look at the two angles but try to apply the same standards to everyone, surely?

    I just can’t believe it’s getting on for almost two years since Pardew left, we’ve had THREE different managers in that time since and people are still obsessed with him!

    Back to the present, looking forward to the game tomorrow, expecting another improved performance and another 3 points will do nicely. For some reason despite their awful start I also fancy Leeds to hold Huddersfield for us..

      (Quote)

  38. Newkie: we had a caretaker and a clown after Pards who still runs his mouth about NUFC and seems obsessed with signing our ex-players. He is also in another of his death spirals which he did here and he was constantly defended on this blog. Pointing out these facts is not an obsession.

      (Quote)

  39. Eric – as far as I’m concerned we’ve virtually had clown managers for the entirety of my 25 years as a toon fan. Two or three exceptions at most. He’s probably signing ex players because he was the second longest serving manager in the league before he left, so he knows some of them quite well. Considering he made all our players s*** it’s surprising that so many of them are willing to join him isn’t it… 🙄

    One of the reasons I cba coming here is because it was still dregged up, first time back in a while and here we are yet again.

      (Quote)

  40. Newkie: there is always a lull during the international breaks so some peripheral stuff gets talked about. I will admit I am probably the major culprit for bringing up Pards but he keeps coming up on the Newsnow newsfeed. I suppose I could just not read the articles 🙂 Anyway, I have said all I have to say about him.

    Looks like a line could be drawn under the Carr era with the possible departure of Tiote. It seems Carr is still a scout but doesn’t have nearly the influence he did as evidenced by the lack of signings from France and Belgium and the sports agency Mondial.

      (Quote)

  41. I always thought Carr was about average, but most of his higher profile players have moved on and we are left with those who still have something to prove like Mitro, MBemba and Lascelles.

      (Quote)

  42. Where have you been hiding Newkie? Really appreciate a lot of your comments so get back on the horse mate!

      (Quote)

  43. Carr is a terrible scout. His agency does all the work for him. His player’s have ripped the heart and soul out of the team and the real reason the club got relegated.

      (Quote)

  44. If people are judging Carr on the financial matters and making a profit then his done alright I suppose. However we lost 50 million for getting relegated and Carr and McClaren are equally as guilty probably more Carr. Carr is dog ****

      (Quote)

  45. Terry: if you throw in MCClaren as Carr’s work then he was certainly a terrible scout and a lot of the blame for relegation lies at his door. I also agree with what you are saying about him being influenced/manipulated by Mondial but it seems that all Directors of Football are being played by Agents these days.

    Just judging the players alone on winners and losers I would say he was average. The ***** managers had a lot to do with how some of his picks performed, as did the way they were sold the club as a stepping stone.

    Rafa now has final say on players which can only be a good thing with his history. However, if we don’t get results at Derby and QPR we are bound to hear get some naysayers.

      (Quote)

  46. Georgio – cheers mate – nowhere too exciting unfortunately, part sulking/recovering from the horror that was last season and part life in general just getting in the way, buying a house, mortgages and all this nonesense 😥

    I’ve managed to catch our matches but not much else but hopefully be back on a bit more regularly!

      (Quote)

  47. Terry:
    Carr is a terrible scout.His agency does all the work for him.His player’s have ripped the heart and soul out of the team and the real reason the club got relegated.

    Which is why I appreciate Rafa’s insistence on building a real team, full of players with heart who want to be here and aren’t looking at us as a stepping stone.

      (Quote)

  48. The squad looks much better suited for the Championship now. Rafa has already transformed it. It’s hard to believe he’s only been with us a few months! I look forward to many good matches this season. The money grabbers and under-performers are all gone now. I’m thinking mainly of Sissoko, Wijnaldum, and even Janmaat to some extent who was very average to poor defensively. Now we have competitive, willing players all over the pitch. Long may it last.

      (Quote)

  49. It’s still early days and we are bound to have a few shaky moments and bad results u til the squad has completely adapted. I hope people don’t overreact if we lose a couple this month.

      (Quote)

  50. Rafa has transformed us from a poor Premier League squad to an above average Championship squad, whilst at the same time putting money in the bank and keeping Penfold in a job. No wonder Ashley loves him..

      (Quote)

  51. MM: I still don’t get what you are saying about the squad having not been upgraded much. We almost stayed up last year with a **** manager, our so called star players slacking off and a few bad decisions. We got rid of the ones who didn’t put a shift in for mega money and loaned the ones that didn’t play through injury or because they didn’t settle.

    We have replaced these players with some PL players and a few high quality Championship players as well as a couple of well thought of foreign players like Selz and Lazaar. We have also bought defenders and a couple of strikers which we were all calling for last year. We even kept a couple of the younger recent Carr buys in MBamba, Lascelles and Mitro who have undoubted potential.

    I don’t see how you can say we haven’t improved a lot especially since the players we sold were all accused of only playing for themselves/the TV cameras.

    All that said, we will now probably lose to Derby 🙂

    Watching Shalke-FC Bayern at the moment. It will be interesting to see how much Acellotti deviates from Pep in their playing style.

      (Quote)

  52. MM Yes you’re right it’s good to have Rafa here and player’s that want to fight for the team’s cause. It is something that has been missing for along time. However Carr should of done much better. I think the Sissoko and Widjnuldam money saved his job.

    Eric I am including McClaren as well mate. Depressing times under him but the main problem was Ashley and he got what he deserved for being so stupid. However his changed his way’s. Hired a professional Gaffa and giving him the main say on player’s. Which he should of done in the first place.

      (Quote)

  53. Vuckic is now 24 and has been at Newcastle for 7 years. I’m pretty sure he didn’t sign an eight year contract, so he has had a contract extension(s) somewhere along the line (God only knows why). Soon he will be 30 and ‘a promising talent’, like Shola Ameobi or Steven Taylor. 🙄

      (Quote)

  54. Are there actually other games being played tomorrow outside of Manchester?

    It is a big deal, but seriously, every paper has had about 12 stories a day about it.

      (Quote)

  55. HTL. Could really do with another away win today to help fully catch up from the poor start and put distance between a promotion rival. Saying that Derby have started the season poorly, I reckon they are there for the taking if we turn up and play well enough. A repeat of the Brighton match would be nice and would put some of the doubts to bed. Villa is the game I would really like to win though. 😈

      (Quote)

  56. Well it looks like Rafa has all of his forwards available for selection today – in fact I don’t think there are too many missing for us today, so we could see something close to what Rafa sees as his best 11.

      (Quote)

  57. Watching Aussie rules football for the first time ever – Adelaide Crows V Northern Melbourne. Got to say it’s brilliant. End to end full on action. What a sport!

      (Quote)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *