Is the grass always greener ?

kimtoon


Happy new year to all our bloggers old and new.

As we go into the New Year, could we see a new owner, manager and players on the horizon ? There has been talk on and off over the last couple of weeks on this blog about the prospect of a new owner for Newcastle United. The general consensus being it will most likely be a Chinese buyer if it happens.

I have long thought that should we go back up to the Premier League that Mike Ashley would cash in before the next disaster struck us. In recent times he has taken a back seat, rarely if ever attending our games. I don’t believe he has attended a single game this season though I stand to be corrected on that. He has stated that he is leaving all club affairs to Lee Charnley to administer, though I have little doubt that he is still pulling some of the strings in the background. If we take the Rafa as new manager situation, many believe this was a deal struck between Ashley and Rafa with Lee left to sort out the relevant paperwork. Let’s face it, Lee’s form on getting the right man in isn’t that hot is it?

So, assuming we return to the promised land, do we see Ashley cashing in ? There seems to be an increasing interest in owning English clubs from our Chinese friends. Would there really be an interested party in China that fancied owning a club outside of London? And more importantly would it be a good idea for all concerned? Now most of our regular bloggers will know that I like Ashley about as much as a bout of hemorrhoids, but – and here’s the rub, should we really think of swapping him for a Chinese investor?

Which side is NUFC on right now?

Whatever my misgivings about Ashley are, we do pretty much know where we are with him. We understand how ruthless he can be and downright nasty at times but although he changed us to ‘Sports direct at SJP‘ for a while he has never attempted to change the colour of the strip. Would the Chinese consider doing something like that considering their liking for Red for instance ? I don’t think they have anything in particular against the black and white stripes but I do know they see red as very lucky. Someone would have to point out how lucky it is for Sunderland.

Another factor would be the manager. Would they want to keep Rafa? You would think so but then you never know. How much time would a manager be given if, say, an awful lot of money was invested in players? Would we see a revolving door of managers and a return to instability???

We may be in the championship in part due to this owners lack of ambition and tenancy to try and do things cheaply – but in fairness he has hired Benitez and let go of the reigns of late. I’m thankful for that much and although I would never of thought i’d say it, is it a case of better the devil you know?

Kimtoon

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80 thoughts on “Is the grass always greener ?”

  1. Kim thanks for the thread. Very interesting discussion to be had from this I think. For me, I’d rather see how this Rafa/Ashley relationship grows in the PL. My gut feeling is that things will start going right, within reason. If after a year in the PL it looks like Ashley has not changed after all, then I’d be more open minded to a change of ownership.

    My only caveat would be if a gaziolionaire came in with a track record of successful sporting investment and development…

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  3. Happy New Year Kimtoon lass! Great article. It’s just about impossible to predict what Ashley will do. The Rafa hiring is by far the best thing he has ever done for us after so many bungled attempts to get it right. I suspect he might want to wait and see how we do in the Prem under Rafa. For me top half of the table would be brilliant. Let’s hope we see some excellent football, a much deserved promotion and some top signings in the summer. All the best to everyone.

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  4. Alan:
    What else are both of you asking Santa for next Christmas?

    Now that would be telling 😉

    Cheers Sham, yep I’m inclined to stick with the fatman and see what develops like you said.

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  6. The good things Ashley has done in the years he’s been here can be counted on one hand.
    He will not invest when we need to. He’s already said as much.

    Get shot if the offers good for the club

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  7. Would love to get a new, better owner but they may be a rare commodity. We already know that wealth isn’t that great a predictor of how good an owner will be. Ashley is wealthy but proved to be a complete pillock when it came to running a football club. He finally gave up and handed it over to Rafa with some input from Lee Charmless. I think Ashley will be around for some time yet. The big question is whether he will support Rafa to the extent required to give us a good chance to excel in the Prem. That’s very doubtful given Ashley’s previous approach which amounted to “hide in the weeds somewhere between 10th and 15th and collect all that nice TV dosh.” Hope you’re enjoying your new digs Kimtoon mate. 😀

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  8. Kim I see Ashley as a disaster waiting to happen. Yes, his hired Rafa but how long until he does something really stupid and hire a director of football ? Rafa will walk and the fan’s will go ape ****.

    Great article.

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  10. another good!n kim,if we think back jabba said,i will sell the club when i win something,does that mean winning the ccc title??,ime sorry i just dont trust him,will a man change habits of a life time we all know he shuns the press at every turn so i dont think it would give him much pleasure winning anything he expects things the cheapest way,i just pleased has it written into his contract what he will be given over his three years or jabba would wriggle out of his “word”

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  11. Ice, yes he did say that, I had forgotten that mate. Maybe winning the ccc will be good enough in his eyes.

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  12. Kimtoon, excellent thought provoking article mate.
    The toon fans are absolutely bricking it that the toon get promoted at the first time of asking, so consequently are fully behind Rafa as he tries to make a success out of a lopsided journeymanlike squad. Rafa will try to do it without spending too many millions, which is commendable if youbare Mike Ashley, but at the same time a pity when you have so much money available. Why not Rafa, why take the chance when you can see the deficiencies in the squad ? Still, in Rafa we trust, let him get on with it he knows what he is doing.
    In the mean time, Ashley is happy because it looks like Rafa is getting it right without depleting his bank account, which is filled with parachute payments, gate receipts from 50 k sell outs, etc etc. Great idea by Charnley to spend the money on Rafa instead of average signings.
    In the mean time, the money people looking in know what is happening on Tyneside. They can see that the Toon are one of the few big clubs left who are not in foreign ownership. Ashley can’t lose, he’ll be back in the Premier League, however the ambition to succeed will be severely dampened by the sheer cost of it all. We have 8 massively moneyed clubs who are streets ahead of everybody, Ashley will not take up the fight. That leaves us with mid to lower table mediocracy and a fight to win the table ahead of Stoke, West Brom, Bournemouth etc with the away days at Old Trafford , Anfield, Chelsea etc to look forward to. The only way that Ashley will sell up is if someone offers him ballistic amounts of money whereby he falls off his barstool in fits of laughter. Until then he will just see the toon as an investment and an easy way of making a few millions. Dear me, despite everything he still has 52K full houses at SJP, this is an absolute doddle. The Geordie Nation will turn up no matter what !

    This season will be massive, the Chinese are undoubtedly looking in and will strike. My money is on them buying Sunderland, as they will be a lot cheaper, the owner wants to get shot, they are losing squillions, and are ripe for the picking.

    Ashley is laughing all the way to the bank, Rafa take heed though, the next step of the master plan is in your capable hands, spend the money wisely, and get the momentum going again, we have too many players gone flat on your watch, Mitro and Prez especially…

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  13. Terry, you have got it spot on there, a leopard never changes its spots.
    Either the toon fans will make it happen, or Ashley will make it happen. A toon implosion is on the horizon, that is 100% sure.

    Hope that gets rid of the negativity on here.

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  14. Delusional Jawdee:
    Kimtoon, excellent thought provoking article mate.
    The toon fans are absolutely bricking it that the toon get promoted at the first time of asking, so consequently are fully behind Rafa as he tries to make a success out of a lopsided journeymanlike squad. Rafa will try to do it without spending too many millions, which is commendable if youbare Mike Ashley, but at the same time a pity when you have so much money available. Why not Rafa, why take the chance when you can see the deficiencies in the squad ? Still, in Rafa we trust, let him get on with it he knows what he is doing.
    In the mean time, Ashley is happy because it looks like Rafa is getting it right without depleting his bank account, which is filled with parachute payments, gate receipts from 50 k sell outs, etc etc. Great idea by Charnley to spend the money on Rafa instead of average signings.
    In the mean time, the money people looking in know what is happening on Tyneside. They can see that the Toon are one of the few big clubs left who are not in foreign ownership. Ashley can’t lose, he’ll be back in the Premier League, however the ambition to succeed will be severely dampened by the sheer cost of it all. We have 8 massively moneyed clubs who are streets ahead of everybody, Ashley will not take up the fight. That leaves us with mid to lower table mediocracy and a fight to win the table ahead of Stoke, West Brom, Bournemouth etc with the away days at Old Trafford , Anfield, Chelsea etc to look forward to. The only way that Ashley will sell up is if someone offers him ballistic amounts of money whereby he falls off his barstoolin fits of laughter. Until then he will just see the toon as an investment and an easy way of making a few millions. Dear me, despite everything he still has 52K full houses at SJP, this is an absolute doddle. The Geordie Nation will turn up no matter what !

    This season will be massive, the Chinese are undoubtedly looking in and will strike. My money is on them buying Sunderland, as they will be a lot cheaper, the owner wants to get shot, they are losing squillions, and are ripe for the picking.

    Ashley is laughing all the way to the bank, Rafa take heed though, the next step of the master plan is in your capable hands, spend the money wisely, and get the momentum going again, we have too many players gone flat on your watch, Mitro and Prez especially…

    Thanks DJ, All your points are valid. As I say in the thread, we are all to aware of his way of operating. Your point about the big clubs is especially relevant, we cannot compete with them and most likely will be stuck in the mediocrity of mid to lower level without a huge cash injection which as you say he’ll never sanction . Trouble is, it’ll take a very very rich and ambitious new owner to get us competing with the big guns and I just don’t see that happening .

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  15. Kimtoon, the is a seriously active Chinatown on Tyneside with loads of money flying around. You never know what might happen, but my money is on Sunderland heading that way.

    Ashley’s master plan is not deviating, he’ll have the toon back in the prem next season, Rangers back in the SPL, both clubs playing in front of full houses, but with the fans whingeing like flock at both clubs.
    Would I prefer to be lower third to midtable in the EPL, seeing my team every week on MOTD, well away from the radio commentaries of the dreadful Championship. Or tediously and drudgingly turning over small clubs with big mouth fans giving it large in the Championship. No problems for me, EPL every time. We just need to be reminded of Ashley’s long term ambition…kerching…

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  16. Still waiting on Troy getting himself all coherent to tell us life was better under the legendary Super Alan Pardew… still time yet before kick off… Eric Sykes will put him in his place though..

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  17. Kimtoon, by the way all the best for the new year, and good luck with the new hoose bonny lass.. Keep up the good articles and keep the faith. The toon are in convalescence at the moment, heading slowly in the right direction.

    Funny how the much maligned (and rightly so) Anita and Gouffron are such big players this season for Rafa, although they are both out of contract soon. They may not be the best, but you have to respect the loyalty to the toon, at the end of the day they both played a massive part in us getting relegated. There again, to quote Kimtoon, the grass isn’t always greener, just ask Sissoko and Janmaat. The only one with owt about him is doing ok at Liverpool, but only cos hes a fair weather player who looks good surrounded by internationals.

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  18. Thanks DJ, Have a good new year.
    I have always liked Anita at RB, hasn’t done much wrong in that position imo. Goofy is revitalised under Rafa, he’d just become stale under the hapless previous managers.

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  23. Shamrock:
    So Brighton are rested for todays game and we are not. Expecting a tough day.

    Aye mate that’s typical , still at least we’ve had 24hrs more rest than Blackburn, just need to show we have now.

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  24. Hoping Bristol City can beat Reading and Leeds get beat by Rotherham too . We need Hudders to have a bad away day at Wigan. Don’t think Brighton will find the away game with Fulham a walk in the park tbh.

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  26. Kim I really dont want Mike Ashley at the club but the Chinese consortium seem’s way too risky. No Thankyou. They seem like cheapskate’s too and we’ve had enough of that already.

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  27. Stem:
    Kim I really dont want Mike Ashley at the club but the Chinese consortium seem’s way too risky.No Thankyou.They seem like cheapskate’s too and we’ve had enough of that already.

    Yes, it’s a difficult situation, we need an owner who really see’s the bigger picture and has real ambition to take us forward.

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  44. Kimtoon:
    is Mitro injured then, anyone know?

    no mate hes fit left at home,Rafa says Murphy has trained better than him,so read into that as you wish

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  51. 71% possession in 1st half but no goals. Need to make this count in second half like. I think Anita has been really good so far

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  52. Dubai Toon:
    71% possession in 1st half but no goals. Need to make this count in second half like. I think Anita has been really good so far

    toon had 13 shots on goal,home team nil shots on goal

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  63. gonna be one of them days I reckon, watch us sink to a sucker punch after having two ruled out, would be typical

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  67. now they decide to come forward more, looking for the late sucker punch. Got to pick them off if possible.

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  69. Well done jack you useless **** , great free kick to give away you cost us the points here. They will not let us in now they will park the effin bus now.

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  74. Bristol city contrive to give up a 2 goal lead 2.2 v Reading now and Hudders also winning along with Brighton and Leeds.

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  75. What a pile of *****… Colback gave them that game… cannot believe we couldn’t beat third from bottom championship side. Very very disappointing… gutted at that result. Specially since Brighton won again.

    I think we can say goodbye to top spot now. We are fighting for second…

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