West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Sports & Entertainment => Topic started by: KURUPTION-81 on September 14, 2008, 10:29:05 AM
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Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has said he is prepared to sell the club after weeks of turmoil at St James' Park.
Ashley has come under criticism for the way he has run the club, notably the way he allowed Kevin Keegan to leave.
Keegan left his position as manager on 4 September, claiming he had no control of transfer dealings at St James' Park.
"I am putting the club up for sale. I hope the next owner is someone who can lavish the amount of money on the club that the fans want," said Ashley.
Ashley missed Saturday's home defeat to Hull as Newcastle fans staged a number of protests in and outside the ground.
The protests criticised Ashley's ownership of the club and after just 15 months in control of Newcastle he has decided to sell his stake.
Ashley issued an emotional 1,644 word statement on Sunday in which he spoke of his pride at owning the club.
"I bought Newcastle United in May 2007," said the statement.
"Newcastle attracted me because everyone in England knows that it has the best fans in football.
"When the fans are behind the club at St James' Park it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It is magic. Newcastle's best asset has been, is and always will be the fans."
Since taking control of the club Ashley has made a point of standing with the fans, rather than sitting in the director's box.
He also always insisted that he would listen to the fans as part of his running of the club.
And it was this 'special' relationship with the fans that partly led him to pursue Keegan as a replacement for previous manager Sam Allardyce.
Ashley eventually got his man, with Keegan returning to the club in January 2008, but his second tenure as manager lasted just eight months.
Keegan left citing boardroom differences much to the annoyance of the 'Toon army.'
Most of that annoyance was directed at the club owner and his executive director (football) Dennis Wise resulting in Ashley's special bond with the fans disintegrating.
"I am not stupid and have listened to the fans," the statement added.
"I have really loved taking my kids to the games, being next to them and all the fans.
"But I am now a dad who can't take his kids to a football game on a Saturday because I am advised that we would be assaulted.
"Therefore, I am no longer prepared to subsidise Newcastle United."
Ashley bought Newcastle for £134.4m last year and has poured millions more into the club.
In the statement Ashley revealed just how much he has spent in his tenure but insists he didn't buy Newcastle to make money and will not leave them in the lurch.
"I paid £134m out of my own pocket for the club," he said.
"I then poured another £110 million into the club not to pay off the debt but just to reduce it. The club is still in debt.
"Even worse than that, the club still owes millions of pounds in transfer fees. I shall be paying out many more millions over the coming year to pay for players bought by the club before I arrived."
He added: "I have put Newcastle on a sound financial footing. It is reducing its debt. It is spending within itself. It is recruiting exciting new players and bringing in players for the future.
"This will not be a fire sale. Newcastle is now in a much stronger position than it was in 2007. It is planning for the future and it is sustainable."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/7615618.stm
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i'd buy em and disband them becausie soccers gay
go giants
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maybe everyone on dubcc can buy it and like Me, you , Sik and a few others can sit on the board of directors chair.
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i'd buy em and disband them becausie soccers gay
go giants
they dont accept homosexuality as currency over here...shame you have bucket loads
and lol@newcastle aint like keega is the martyr theyve painted him as
i mean his plan was to buy beckham lampard and henry ::)
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i'd buy em and disband them becausie soccers gay
go giants
they dont accept homosexuality as currency over here...shame you have bucket loads
and lol@newcastle aint like keega is the martyr theyve painted him as
i mean his plan was to buy beckham lampard and henry ::)
homo currency??
that an attempt at humor?