Match Day Thread Official stadium name change; Sports Direct Arena

I'm actually not that angered, not because I like the idea, in fact I think it's ludicrous, but Mr Ashley has made me take so much of this **** that I actually can't really care anymore...

 

Me too

 

I'll wait till it's officially confirmed for some reason call me a cynic if you like but I'm sure the press tell untruths

 

A statement from the club said: “Newcastle United have today announced plans to license the full naming rights to the club’s stadium following consultation with international branding experts.

The board are committed to generating additional commercial revenue from advertising and sponsorship opportunities.

“The original naming rights proposal, launched in November 2009, invited sponsors to link their brand to St. James’ Park, but this did not prove commercially attractive.

”As such, the club will now seek a sponsor who will be granted full naming rights. Until such time the stadium will be renamed the Sports Direct Arena

 

Well there's a whole bunch of quotes from Lambias in here mate:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15668207.stm

 

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This is just the richest part :

back to that 2009 announcement, following which NUFC MD Derek Llambias was asked if the name St James' Park would always remain as the official stadium name.

His reply was simple:

"Absolutely. In our reign, absolutely."

 

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nope can't see them i'll wait till mike personally rings me for the go ahead

 

This **** is real? What the actual ****?!?!?

Why. Why ****ing why. Sports Direct Arena? What a ****ing STUPID name. As if the stupid **** hasn't plastered his **** hole of a ****ing company all over the ground, he's gonna go ahead and do this

Why? Because we're 3rd and happy and everything's going well? Just couldn't help but want to meddle just a little bit.

What. A. ****ing. ARSE.

 

This whole thing has made me sad, not angry. Really disappointed! Just... Meh! Sad!

119 years tradition down the ****ter!

 

I know a lot of clubs have done it, but really? Sports Direct Arena? It just sounds NAFF man

 

Before the Mackem jump

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2557...-consider-selling-naming-rights-to-stadium-of

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...hley-for-this-insult-says-Steve-Harmison.html

By Steve Harmison, Former England cricket international and Newcastle fan

10:55PM GMT 09 Nov 2011

CommentsComment

St James’ Park means everything to me, it is a magical place. It is a special place for every single Newcastle United fan. Players come and go, managers come and go but Newcastle United and St James’ Park stay the same.

Football sold itself out a long time ago. Tradition doesn’t count for anything anymore, it’s all about money.

I can only liken it to changing the team’s colours from black and white to red and white and making us look like Sunderland. That’s how big a deal it is. You do wonder whether they would do that if the money was right.

It is a very sad day and it’s such a shame because the team are doing well, Alan Pardew has done a wonderful job and everything was going in the right direction.

I’m not anti-Ashley, I never have been. He, along with [managing director] Derek Llambias, has got the club into excellent shape. Financially we’re stronger than we have been for years, but this will explode in their faces.
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It will be ugly again for a while.

Newcastle have been moving in the right direction for 18 months or so and we are starting to see the benefits of that on the pitch, I just hope the controversy this sparks doesn’t derail the team.

It’s going to be very hard for every Geordie to accept the change, you can’t just wipe away all that history and not expect people to be angry about it. It feels like they have changed something fundamental to the identity of every Newcastle supporter.

Having said all that, we have to look at the wider picture, which is what Mike and Derek are doing. They need to generate more money and this is one of the few remaining avenues open to them.

There is only one way people will forgive and that is proof the extra money it generates goes into the team. We received £35 million for Andy Carroll in January and how much of that has Alan Pardew seen? Not as much as he should have done, that’s for sure.

If fans see the benefits in the transfer market, they will be able to move on. If Newcastle can hold on to their best players in the future and bid alongside the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool for players, then the decision will make some sense.

We still won’t like it, but if it’s going to mean we can compete with the big boys again financially then it will be a necessary evil. But we want to see concrete evidence the money is going to be used in the right way, not just vague assurances. If it stays as the Sports Direct Arena the only person benefiting is Ashley.

Giving Pardew a war chest of £20-30 million in January would be a start. This money has to be given to the manager, only then can I begrudgingly accept it makes sense. At the moment it feels like an insult.

 

No because apparently Ashley is willing to commit to a 10 year contract for both stadium and shirt sponsorship.

I think I am just in denial about this because I just feel empty in side.

 

Sorry I don't get how or even if it had why it would matter.

 

St James' Park forever!

 

Really don't see anybody calling it anything other than St James' Park though. Most PL teams will start renaming their stadiums over the next decade I imagine, the really annoying thing about this is that he could have at least called a press confrence and explained it properly before doing it. He just seems to take pleasure in springing surprise bags of **** in the fans' faces.

Haha

 

It just gets ****ing worse man.

Sports Direct Arena??? Really???

 

a week after everyone has signed up for a season ticket and about three weeks till we play our next home game must have been planned for a while.

 

Amen