Finally, and I mean finally, the media, both local and national, are starting to comment on the shambles that is the NUFC hierarchy. A great piece in the Times today calling the behaviour of Ashley and co bulls**t. I am not sure if it is free but the link is below: http://blogs.thetimes.co.uk/section/the-game/105123/time-for-explanations-after-newcastles-summer-of-nothing/ I would also advocate sustained pressure on the journalists, especially the local ones, as this is far a more effective vehicle to express dissatisfaction than lone fragmented voices (unless of course you are either happy with the progress or are willing to play the waiting game). Below is my twitter account: https://twitter.com/hillier73 Read my comments to Douglas and note his absence of reply. I think enough is enough.
The article from The Times. Time for explanations after Newcastle’s summer of nothing There is a common misconception about those encumbered with the glorious, barbed birthright of supporting Newcastle United and it is encapsulated in one tedious word: ‘expectation’. It is a failure of language and of comprehension, one which ignores an exasperating history of unfulfilled potential, the bursts of momentum, betrayal and mismanagement and deep rumbles of yearning. You hear it a lot. “Blimey, expectations are so high up there, aren’t they?” the battle-scarred say with a shake of the head, as if yet another cock-up can be explained away by the frustrated desire of fans and not their own inadequacy. And it is true that, even now, after all the countless nicks to the soul, the rhythm of a North East week is still shaped by football, creating its own form of pressure, but expectation does not cover it. This is not an attempt to analyse or speak for those who follow Newcastle – much of this will apply elsewhere – just a brief aside en route to a wider point and a small plea for context. There is no assumption of success at St James’ Park, because how can there be? Hopes rise and fall as the team do the same but, amid all the near-misses, the only reasonable expectation is that if things can go wrong, they can be relied upon to do so. Which is not to say that a sense of ambition is misplaced. When your stadium holds 52,000 people, when your club’s turnover is in the world’s top-20, it does not seem outrageous to wonder why your team cannot compete. As Kevin Keegan once said in these pages “I want people to dream about their football club. They should, we should all be dreamers at heart,” and daring to believe from time to time is part of the Newcastle way. They do not expect trophies, because a lifetime tells them different (it would be nice, obviously). The last few years have demonstrated a remarkable tolerance for torture and still they turn up or others come forward to turn up in their place. Perhaps they expect a bit of pride, that the ethos of a region built on heavy industry is reflected on the pitch. It does not seem like such a lot to ask. What should not have to be endured, what they should not have to expect, is the deluge of bulls*** which has drenched Gallowgate this summer. After two or three years of sustainability, self-sufficiency and stability, making a decent fist of being a serious, sensible proposition, it was almost as if Mike Ashley could no longer restrain himself; about time for another jab to the groin, another reason for loathing to replace dreams. Mistakes are excusable (I would say that, because I make them all the time), but repeating them is less so and treating your customers like dunderheads is simply contemptible. The return to Newcastle of Joe Kinnear, a man indelibly associated with their relegation in 2009, who tarnished the reputation of a great institution even as it plummeted, was a breath-robbing act of disregard and one which feels like self-sabotage. If the idea was to destabilise the manager and chief scout, then it worked. If the idea was to create a vacuum at the top of the club at the very time when reconstructing confidence should have been underway, then it worked. If the idea was to decimate the efforts of Derek Llambias to promote an alternative narrative at Newcastle – solidity and team-building – and one which fans could understand and relate to, then it worked. If the idea was to thwart painstaking plans to sign new players, then it worked, because it is not as if the targets Newcastle approached during the close-season were the product of Kinnear’s knowledge. Plans were in place, ready to go, which is not the same as saying they would be implemented, but even so. If the idea was to let conspiracies breed, then it worked. If the idea was to save a bit of cash, well, that one was a triumph, wasn’t it? The worst aspect of all this is not a dearth of activity in the transfer market, but an ingrained disrespect, both to those who pay to watch the team and to some of those paid by the club. Had a bad season? Ransack departments, slash costs, lose good people, with little understanding of the mayhem it causes. Stick Joe in there, that’ll sort things out, he’s a good bloke is Joe, he’ll show ‘em. Risible. And, by Christ, don’t bother explaining any of it. By all means, let Kinnear take the airwaves to spew out that familiar blend of inaccuracy, exaggeration and mispronunciation, to muddle things further, to cast everybody onto the back foot, but do not speak yourself. Ashley may have a ‘do-things-differently’ mantra, but not to the extent of behaving like a human being. Why is football so allergic to just talking, normally? After all those decisions, the treatment of Keegan and Alan Shearer, the toxic presence of Dennis Wise, the sale of Andy Carroll and sacking of Chris Hughton, the renaming of St James’, Ashley’s tenure had reached the stage of truce. People got it, sort of. They may have been more dismay when Wonga were named as sponsors and at other junctures, but at least there was a structure. It has been swept away. That Alan Pardew was required to release a painful statement explaining Newcastle’s summer of nothing was another piece of obfuscation. Should it not have been the man who controls the budget to talk about “the options that were available within our financial means?” Should it not have been Kinnear, the “senior executive in charge of all football-related matters,” who explained what he had been doing? So transparent it barely existed. You cannot blame Kinnear for being appointed in the first place or for stumbling in a task he was always ill-equipped for. It is vaguely tragic. What you can blame him for is the triumphalism and bluff that accompanied it, his claims to know more than supporters, the rhetoric about being able to open doors to any manager (the locks must have been changed). He asked to be judged on his signings and so he has. If there is a meagre consolation – and it can only be that – it is that Ashley must be aware of what an error he has made and if there is nobody willing to tell him directly, it will filter back to him. The theory that Kinnear was next in line as manager is something Pardew has spoken about publicly, but the likelihood of that has surely waned. There is talk in the building that Kinnear may even be eased out. He should be. The responsibility is Ashley’s but, as always, others will be left to squirm in the spotlight and deal with it. Pardew was right when he said Newcastle “did the majority of our business in the January window,” – two or three players of quality were being targeted this summer – but he has stated his views repeatedly and on the record. He wanted and pushed for additions. The tone jarred. The reason Newcastle made five signings eight months ago was largely because the gamble of walking away from deals the previous summer had been exposed. The hierarchy admitted their mistake in signing only Vurnon Anita and attempted to rectify it; at the end of the season they addressed the squad and promised to learn from the episode. This summer: one signing and it is not even permanent. For Pardew, it creates a multi-layered problem. Should Newcastle have done better last season? Undoubtedly. Should they do better this time? Unquestionably. He knows that his relationship with supporters needs to be repaired, but his employers have forsaken an opportunity to grasp positivity and it is not easy to generate it from a standing start. When matches resume, he, not Kinnear or Ashley, must find it. There is a more subtle pressure. Through various disputes, Newcastle have retained influential players such as Fabricio Coloccini, Papiss Demba Cisse and, most recently, Yohan Cabaye and, although the cases are not identical, Pardew has played his part. He has cajoled and encouraged, telling them he shares their ambition. Players want to improve, they want competition, they want to challenge and they need to be pushed. Where is that ambition now? If there is disillusion in the dressing-room it can be reflected in performances and, ultimately, it will be Pardew’s reputation that suffers for it. He will not walk away – a caveat is gross interference on Kinnear’s behalf – because he still has a chance, enjoys the job and has a tie to it, but he is being forced to manage with one hand behind his back while he walks on eggshells. And, no, I don’t understand that image either. A director of football was something Newcastle talked about last season. There needed to be proper delineation between Pardew and Graham Carr, the chief scout, and Llambias was not a man steeped in the sport, but Kinnear’s arrival unleashed a maelstrom on Tyneside. The wrong candidate in the wrong post at the wrong club in the wrong city and, as a consequence, everything has regressed. There is fertile ground for the whispers about Ashley’s motivation to sprout, because he offers no counter-argument and it leaves supporters bruised and baffled, put through the wringer one more sapping time, and finding it that bit harder to summon pride. Contrary to stereotype, expectations are scarce at Newcastle, but there is a tipping point and there are some; no more bulls*** and better. Better than this.
"There's no such thing as bad advertising" Ooh that Mike Ashley is 'avin a laff inte? Yeah, but his stuff is cheap. <sportsdirect.comtheuksnumber1>
Re: Mark Douglas, did anyone - you in particular, Hillier - read his follow up article? It was very interesting, a different take that went some way to defending Mike Ashley and rubbished any hopes of a buy-out, indicating that Ashley hasn't even considered the possibility of leaving; http://www.thejournal.co.uk/sport/sport-opinion/agenda-what-now-newcastle-united-5838737 Claims that "sources" don't feel the stick Ashley has gotten is fair. What's so interesting about the article from The Times blog above is that it helps underline precisely why the stick is fair. I'm also not convinced the club isn't for sale. Fair enough, it probably isn't now and won't be until the end of the season - at least not officially, no matter whether public knowledge or not. But too much looks like exit-strategy to me. Building the value of the squad (buy cheap), not spending on older players with no value (Gomis would cost £8m and be worth £8m or less in 9 months), not investing in this window, increasing stakes as much as he is able in Rangers, keeping the financial footing sound (why are we bothered about European rules, when we don't - under Ashley - aspire to even get into Europe?), ensuring there's operating profit, repaying debts that just don't need repaying (does Abramovic prioritise his debts being repaid, or the purchase of another stack of talent) and so on.
No I did not read that article so thank you for that. I do get the feeling the animosity in the national media is building - It's just a pity the local rags aren't following. Today from the Telegraph: Joe Kinnear must leave Newcastle after transfer window failure... if only Mike Ashley would go too Mike Ashley does not strike me as the sort of man who worries about whether people like him or not. Neither does he seem the type of businessman who listens to criticism, but even he must be tempted to get rid of Joe Kinnear. From the moment Kinnear revealed he was taking up the position in a clumsy interview on Sky Sports News back in June, the 66-year-old has done nothing that suggests he has the skills needed to be successful as Newcastle United’s Director of Football. Regardless of the thinking behind it – sources close to Ashley have stressed he wanted somebody he liked and trusted – Ashley must realise he was wrong to bring Kinnear back into football after almost nine years out of the game. If Kinnear’s interviews are an indication of his communications skills – rambling, confrontational and littered with inaccuracies – it is no surprise Newcastle failed to make any permanent signings this summer. When fans and pundits questioned Kinnear’s credentials we were described as stupid. As head of recruitment, with overall responsibility for the football side of the business, we were told to judge Kinnear on his signings. As he only managed to make one, a loan deal for Loic Remy, a player Newcastle had been set to sign in January before the striker bolted to QPR for more money, the evidence is in and it is damning. Regardless of official club statements released in manager Alan Pardew’s name this week, Newcastle failed to do what they set out to over the summer and the squad is weaker now than it was in May. The buck stops with the man who boasted he had more knowledge of the game than any who dared to suggest he might struggle. Shame Kinnear didn’t back his brash words with deeds. Pardew stressed after the 2-1 win over QPR that assured top flight survival back in May that he wanted to bring in new players. He asked for a centre-back, a winger and two strikers, not just to freshen things up, but to give the squad the strength in depth and competition for places a club of Newcastle’s supposed stature should have. He repeated himself all pre-season and, even as deadline approached, Pardew was still strenuously arguing his need for “one or two offensive players.” He knew the squad was small and he knew too many senior players did not have a serious rival for their jersey. Kinnear, though, failed to deliver. It was not solely his fault, Pardew and chief scout Graham Carr disagreed over some targets, but there were enough identified for Kinnear to have clinched at least one. Kinnear has done little more than upset supporters, embarrassing them in interviews just as he did during a short stint as manager in 2008/9. He tried his best, I’m sure, but while Kinnear was a good manager in the 1990s with Wimbledon, a wily operator and revered motivator, he does not appear to have the personality or ability to be of a Director of Football. He got the job for one reason, and one reason only. He is Ashley’s mate, but few believe he will be any more capable when the January window opens than he has been in his first three months. He should go now and Newcastle should cast their net wider than Ashley’s local pub for his replacement. Ashley, though, is stubborn and, given the constant excuses about a lack of money to spend, despite a record shirt sponsorship partnership with Wonga and a new television deal windfall, maybe Kinnear has done what Ashley intended. By not signing players , extra money is swelling the club’s coffers and, should he wish, be used to pay back another chunk of the £100m+ worth of interest-free loans Ashley used to clear debts and cover the cost of relegation to the Championship in 2009. Ashley took £11m back last year and is entitled to another £18m in this one if he wants it. The club’s media department deny he has taken the second repayment, which makes the lack of spending on players even more bewildering. If he has taken money out, he is perfectly entitled to do so, but even then there should have been a budget for new players given the health of the business – a vibrancy former managing director, Derek Llambias, highlighted a few months before resigning in protest at Kinnear’s appointment. Ashley has always been a reluctant spender, instinctively preferring to cut costs wherever possible, but in doing so he is danger of completely draining Newcastle of ambition and hope. As things stand, his targets appear to be restricted to staying up and making sure he does not have to spend any more of his own money on a project that went sour years ago. Many would like to see Ashley go with Kinnear, but he has been open to the idea of selling for five of the six years he has been owner and has not been able to find a buyer. In fact, if appointing Kinnear was a mistake, it was merely the latest in a long line. The biggest of which was also the first - Ashley’s decision to launch a takeover without conducting due diligence. Ashley does not enjoy being Newcastle’s owner, although for all of the bitterness generated by his uninspiring leadership, he has done rather well out of it. His sport shop’s logos, Sports Direct, cover St James’ Park, as well as the club’s training ground. It is extra exposure that helped the retail chain plunder huge profits and fuelled its expansion into Europe. Ashley even changed the name of the famous old stadium to the Sports Direct Arena for a while, but he has never paid a penny for advertising space that is potentially worth millions. Ashley would sell today if somebody offered him a chance to recoup the money he has put in, but all he can do is wait for someone to recognise Newcastle are possibly the last English club worth buying. A one-club city, in a football obsessed part of the country, which already has one of the biggest stadiums in the country and a history of under-achievement just waiting to be altered by a generous benefactor. Ashley bought Newcastle United in 2007 because he saw that potential, although it’s doubtful he ever wanted to help them achieve it. The suspicion has always been that one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs only ever wanted to sell it for a profit to somebody who does. He and Newcastle’s depressed supporters are still waiting for that person to appear.
