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Lets all admire Newcastle


kiddybloke

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Despite all the ‘problems’ if DOL wanted to rebuild his reputation he could do a lot worse than taking that job. Even if he was there for six months but did well, he might find that some people might consider him more seriously. Instead he’s waiting for the ‘perfect’ job; money, job security, big club, etc. And that isnt going to happen.

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Man City to make £50m bid for Newcastle United supporters.

Premier League billionaires Manchester City have today launched an

audacious bid for the entire fan base of recently relegated Newcastle

United.

The unexpected move has come as part of City’s plans to be the best

supported club in the world, and the so-called ‘Best Supporters In The

World have provided a logical starting point.

The move will see each of Newcastle United’s 50,000 ‘regulars’ offered

£1,000 to change their allegiances to Manchester City.

“Our competitive advantage is our financial position, and we will buy

anything and everything we feel will help us improve this football club.”

Said City boss Mark Hughes.

“Securing the Newcastle United fans offers us a great opportunity to

improve our position as the best supported club in the league,”

“They have just the sort of experience we’re looking for, in that they’ve

enjoyed fleeting periods of great expectation followed almost immediately

by abject failure, which will be useful to us in the next two years.”

Unlimited funds

Hughes continued, “We’ll happily pay top dollar for supporters who will

blindly follow their team and defend them as the greatest in the world in

the face of over-whelming evidence to the contrary.”

“And in that respect, the Geordies really are second to none.”

The Newcastle fans, who will not be subjected to a medical, are expected to

have a ‘fully clothed at all times’ clause inserted into their Man City

contracts.

A Newcastle spokesperson said that although the move has come at a bad time for them,

the entire fee will be used to rebuild the supporter base into a slimmer, better looking unit

which they hope will be “the envy of the Championship”.

:P

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United sale is on verge of collapse

THE sale of Newcastle United appeared to be on the verge of collapse last night as Mike Ashley prepares to take the club off the market for the second time in less than a year. With talks between Tyneside businessman Barry Moat and Ashley’s camp stuck in a disheartening stalemate, there is a growing sense of desperation surrounding the attempt to sell the club.

The Journal understands there have even been attempts to attract fresh interest by offering the club for a down payment of £20m with another £80m due to be paid to Ashley in 12 months’ time.

Although Seymour Pierce – the bank put in charge of the search for a buyer by United’s owner – are ready to recommend an offer from Tyneside businessman Barry Moat as their preferred bid after months of sluggish negotiations, Ashley remains reluctant to sell for anything less than the £100m he initially asked for.

Moat is backed by anonymous American investors, but he has still not put together a package able to satisfy Ashley’s strict financial demands because the club’s wage bill means Newcastle’s operating loss this season could be as high as £30m.

That has led to growing tension between Seymour Pierce and the Ashley camp. The bank are convinced they have got the best deal they could in the present financial climate and are frustrated by Ashley’s stubborn stance.

That raises the very real possibility of the sale being cancelled after Ashley took a similar step when he could not find a buyer back in December. Sources have already tried to play down Moat’s interest and are privately briefing he does not have enough money to go through with any deal.

Moat, though, is continuing to try to break the deadlock and attended a series of meetings with Newcastle’s managing director Derek Llambias yesterday in the hope of reaching a compromise. Those talks will resume this morning.

If Moat’s bid is not accepted, it is understood there are no serious alternative bidders. That would force Ashley – who is on holiday in Hawaii – to pull the plug on the sale and look to install a manager as quickly as possible to try to make the best out of the wreckage of the first-team squad which failed to keep the club in the Premier League last season. Who would want such a task remains to be seen and the prospect of Joe Kinnear or David O’Leary taking the helm instead of fans’ favourite Shearer will sicken many already thoroughly disillusioned by this long-running farce.

Indeed, Ashley would have to invest some more of his own money to keep the club ticking over financially, while any new manager serious about getting Newcastle back into the top flight will ask for some sort of transfer budget to strengthen a squad which is alarmingly short on cover in every department.

SALE COLLAPSES?

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Ashley wants 100m up front for a club losing 30m a year..

Saying that, 20m and 80m in 12 months certainly seems dodgy. I'd have thought Ashley would be desperate to get rid though, if he goes all summer without selling he'll lose another 30m.. and the value would have plummeted further.

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Its more complicated than that too. As I understand it:

Asking price for the club: £100m

Newcastle United debts: £140m (£100m owed to Mike Ashley, interest free, £40m owed to Barclays bank)

The club is also haemorrhaging something like £5m a month. If you buy it, its gonna cost about a quarter of a billion quid. At least while Ashley is in charge Newcastle cant go into administration as they essentially owe money to themselves, but once he gets out and the £100m debt is still there?

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So, if he sells it, the club are immediately risking administration.. unless they find a buyer who can pay off Mike Ashley straight away?

That's just.... well.... I don't know quite what that is...

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So, if he sells it, the club are immediately risking administration.. unless they find a buyer who can pay off Mike Ashley straight away?

That's just.... well.... I don't know quite what that is...

Yep. Which is why he appears to be very choosy about who he sells the club to. A couple of years ago he would have just been able to sell the debt to a bank and be done with it, but I think everybody knows that during the current economic climate, banks wont touch that kind of debt with a barge pole.

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