Owen confirms his departure

The Guardian has reported what has been known for weeks - that Michael Owen is leaving the club. However, some comments made by Owen still surprises many Newcastle fans.

Owen - in high demand?

Owen's contract expires at the end of the season, and we know that there is no way that Newcastle would offer him a new contract because of his high demand for wages.

"I can't see me staying at Newcastle. I'm still a Newcastle United player but only for a matter of weeks. I don't think they are going to offer me a contract and I would prefer to play in the Premier League or a top division somewhere else. The Premier League is where I feel I belong … so if it was to be a good English club, that would be my preference, but I have had quite a lot of interest from abroad, so I wouldn't rule that out."

The report further states that 5 years ago, to sign Michael Owen would have sparked a stampede among top clubs of the world, but currently, with Aston Villa distancing themselves from comments of signing him, and the only club to have shown interest in Hull City, it shows how much his star has fallen.

Owen made his name as an 18 yr old at the World Cup, scoring that stunning solo goal against Argentina. Since then, he has lost that pace that made him famous, and in a game where all round strikers are much more cherished than pure finishers, a doubt has been cast upon him as his all round game is pretty poor. A further sign on how far he has fallen was that Alan Shearer, who played alongside him on the England team, decided to axe him in the run-in to avoid relegation.

Hopefully Owen will find a new club, and we will be waiting in anticipation for news to come out of Hull.

Comments Welcome.

All Quiet on the Sale Front

Over the past week, we have heard no news about the sale of Newcastle, with the last piece of information that we know is that due diligence for the 4 consortiums began last thursday.

There could be much progress going on, because usually when a takeover is about to finalize, companies tend to avoid commenting on the situation. We do hope that a takeover is about to happen and end this period of drama at Newcastle, and that Derek Llambias communicates to the players the situation.

The news that came out of the club yesterday that Taylor and Beye may wish to find a new club due to the turbulence at the club is one of the most terrible news we have heard so far. With the inaction that is going on at the club, we are afraid that other players, such as Krul and Carroll, who have voiced their intention to stay, will end up at another club.

Furthermore, without having a manager to lead the club, Newcastle is still saddled with a huge wage bill, and few clubs have shown interest in our players. If we do not pull our act together, it may result in us staying in the Coca Cola Championship longer than usual, and with the huge wage bill, we do have to pray that we do not end up in administration.

Comments Welcome.

Beye and Taylor considering futures

The Chronicle has reported that Beye and Taylor, 2 of our players who have committed their future to the club after relegation, are reconsidering their futures amidst the chaos at St James' Park.

Habib Beye

At the end of last season, when Newcastle were relegated, Taylor and Beye immediately committed their future to Newcastle and were determined to drag Newcastle back into the Premiership.

However, since then, there has been inaction at Newcastle, and a source close to Taylor has come out and highlighted the pressing issues at St James' Park

"Steven sat down with Alan at the end of the season to chat about things, and it was positive despite relegation. Steven was basically saying to Alan ‘If you’re staying, I’m staying’.

"Things have changed a bit since then and, with Alan still not being handed the job and pre-season training so close, Steven is going to have a look at his position.Obviously he would love to stay and work with Alan, but he is upset by what has been happening in the last few weeks."

Taylor has 2 years left on his contract, while Beye has 1, and there has been interest from Arsenal, West Ham and Stoke City for their services, and should both of them go, we will be seeing a radically different back 4 from the one last season.

I am surprised at how much inaction there is at Newcastle. It's tough being a Newcastle player these days, but with the multi million pounds wages some players are receiving, yet doing a terrible job on the field, its even tougher for the fans. We hope that Alan will be appointed soon, and it can't come soon enough.

Comments Welcome

Another club fires off a warning

The Daily Mail has reported that Sheff Wed has made it known on the difficulty of getting back up into the Premiership. Somehow our relegation has resulted in more coverage on the sale and promotion bid instead of our transfers.

Lee Stratford, the owner of Sheff Wed, has stated the difficulty in obtaining promotion.

"Newcastle have made similar mistakes to Sheffield Wednesday but on a far greater scale, they have got it wrong big time and they deserve what's happened because of the way they've been run."

"Now, if they don't spend £50million to buy an entirely new squad, there's every chance they'll get relegated again. They could have a nightmare season. There's no way those players want to play in the Championship. Even with a whole new squad it's a risk. They'll have players they won't be able to move on and it creates disharmony inside the dressing room.

"They're also about to discover something they might remember from when they were young. It's called contact."

We agree that Newcastle could have a nightmare season, and that we should heed the warning of Stratford, for he is a Sheff Wed fan and saw his team plummet our of the Premier League 9 years back. Currently, we hope that we can move out of the Mike Ashley nightmare that has enveloped the club for the past 2 years.

At least we know we have a backbone that can be built on next season, and one of the positive things that came out from Mike Ashley's reign is that we have youngsters we can build on.

Comments Welcome

Club in a state of flux

There's not much news in the Chronicle today, except that Newcastle has ordered 2 different brochures for their corporate sponsors, one featuring Alan Shearer, and one without.

Alan - will he be appointed

The Evening Chronicle reported that the top management will give the Tyneside-based advertising company the instructions on which version to print in 2 weeks. That means the decision to appoint Shearer may be in 2 weeks, and if the brochure that is released is the version without Alan Shearer, chances are we will have to wait till the sale is complete before our hunt for the manager begins.

Steve Wraith, editor of fanzine Players’ Inc, said the following about the whole episode

"Essentially, this shows the club is very much like a soap opera and that has been well documented over the last four or five years. Things never surprise you. Every time there is a story about Newcastle United, it is rarely a good one but as a supporter I just hope there is light at the end of the tunnel and Alan Shearer will get the job."

"As far as the club is concerned, anyone can see that bringing him in will solve a lot of problems but Mike Ashley has said he wants to sell the club and clearly that means he doesn’t want to make these decisions any more."

"We are in an awful situation and while the bread and butter of the club are the fans, clearly corporate hospitality and brochures like this are important."

"The club is going to take a big hit financially on that side of things so it is important to get in as much money as possible because at the end of the day we are not selling Premier League football any more, we are selling Championship football."

Anyone can see that with this incident, that Newcastle remain in a state of flux. And anyone can see that with the appointment of Shearer, things will only get better, but Mike Ashley is treating our football club like a business.

It has been 4 weeks since we were relegated, and all we know is that we have 4 possible buyers. We pray that the sale will be completed soon so that we can get on with the new season

Comments Welcome

Sam not pursuing Newcastle players

The Journal has reported that Sam Allardyce, the current manager of Blackburn, has distanced himself from any speculation that he will be pursuing Newcastle United players.

Sam Allardyce - manager of Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers have just sold Roque Santa Cruz for £18million, and with the increase in transfer funds that Sam has, he has drawn out potential targets to strengthen his squad, but worryingly, none of the potential targets are from Newcastle, even though he has signed many of them.

This is due to the difference in wage structure at Blackburn and Newcastle, with many of our players being paid more than £50k a week. The difference in wage structure is so evident as beforehand, Wigan's chairman Dave Whelan came out and said the amount that Michael Owen received in his wages is extraordinary.

This is become a worrying trend, as no clubs are interested in our players who earn more than £50k a week. The only interest shown so far has been in Bassong, and he is one of the lowest wage earners at Newcastle.

Just to show how Big Sam was out of his depth at Newcastle, and how he laden us with a huge wage bill, we take a look at his purchases who are still at the club.

• Alan Smith - £6million, £60k p/w
  

• Joey Barton - £5.8million, £64k p/w
  

• Mark Viduka - free transfer, £80k p/w
  

• Cacapa - free transfer, £50k p/w

• Jose Enrique - £6.3million, £50k p/w

• Habib Beye - £2million, £50k p/w
  

• Geremi - £2.8million, £60k p/w

Out of all the players, only Habib Beye can be considered a quality buy. The total of the transfer fee of the rest is £20.9million, and the total wages is £364k p/w.

Sam Allardyce was really out of his depth at Newcastle, and is partially responsible for ladening us with that many wage wastrels.

Comments Welcome

Hull pursuing Nolan and Owen

Another Sunday, another report by News of the World.

Nolan and Owen - together next seasaon?

News of the World has reported that Owen and Nolan are being pursued by Hull City.

For Nolan, Phil Brown is a huge admirer of him as they have worked together at Bolton. The report also states that Nolan is desperate to leave Newcastle after relegation, and is said to be ready to sign a 3 year deal with Hull City.

As for Owen, it is said that he was offered £40k a week, £20k a game and £10k a goal. The chairman of Hull City, Paul Duffen stated,

"We're interested in Michael Owen on the right terms. He's a fantastic footballer. He's had a few injury problems but we would have to be interested in him. If the right deal can be done then we would definitely be keen to sign him. We are an ambitious football club and we want to show that. It would be an enormous move for us but the deal can be done if it is on the right terms."

We do not trust the Nolan report one bit, especially since this report comes from News of the World, and we do know that Nolan has come out and stated that he wishes to stay at Newcastle. We do hope Owen finds a new club, and it could be Hull City, considering that no other club has come forward with an offer for him. Let's just hope that Phil Brown admires his leadership capabilities and makes him captain.

Comments Welcome

Clark pushing for Shearer's appointment

Lee Clark, a Geordie favourite, has come out and said that Alan Shearer is the ONLY man for the job.

Lee Clark in his younger days

Lee Clark spoke to the Evening Chronicle, stating that Shearer is the only man for the job.

"We’re back to where we were in the early 1990s now, and then Kevin Keegan built something up that could last for a long period of time.Alan is the man to get that up and running.“It’s about rebuilding and getting an infrastructure."

Lee Clark broke into the first team back when Newcastle was in the old Division 2, and has helped Newcastle gain promotion back into the Premier League in 1993. What Lee has said is extremely sensible, because right now, we do not only need to restructure the squad, we need an influential figure like Shearer to restore the reputation of the squad after Mike Ashley. And there are so many players that wish to come to Newcastle because of Shearer.

We have heard so many former players coming out and stating that Mike Ashley should sell as quickly as possible and that Alan Shearer should be appointed manager. We hope that both these situations will happen as soon as possible.

Comments Welcome.

Nolan commits future to Newcastle

Another Toon star has come out and said that he wants to stay and help Newcastle's promotion push.

27 yr old Kevin Nolan

The Evening Chronicle has reported that Kevin Nolan, a £4million signing from Bolton Wanderers back in January, has stated his desire to help Newcastle push towards Premiership.

His agent spoke to the Evening Chronicle,

“Kevin is fully committed to Newcastle next season.He is looking forward to going back to training and helping the club challenge. He’s aware of the fixtures and up for the challenge.”

Nolan last played in the Championship back in 2001 at Bolton, when they were promoted via the playoffs. He has stated that he hopes his experience will be able to help Newcastle gain promotion.

There has been many snide reactions by Newcastle fans about our players committing their future to Newcastle. Yes, many of them have not been good enough, and many are on high wages. We do not doubt Nolan's reason for staying, although it would be good if he took a wage reduction, and Nolan looked like his former self towards the end of the season. We hope he will regain his form, and help us in our promotion push.

Burnley not interested in Duff

The Shields Gazette has reported that Owen Coyle has distanced himself from talks about a move for Damien Duff.

30 yr old Damien Duff

Coyle dismissed suggestions that he was interested in Damien Duff, stating that he would rather invest in younger talents that are able to develop than experienced professionals

"I read a report linking us with Damien Duff, but he would be nowhere within our reach. I have always targeted younger players, among others, in the hope they can improve"

We know that Damien is on £70k a week, and that is way out of the wage structure of many clubs, not just Burnley. Over the past 2 seasons, he has looked a shadow of his former self, who used to tear down the wings at Blackburn and Chelsea.

Many clubs who were recently promoted bought big but in the end went into a spiral - Bradford City anyone? Possibly Coyle's method of targeting youngsters would work, we will wait and see. But one thing that further mentioned in the report is for sure. The upper management at Burnley will never make the same mistakes as Mike Ashley did.

"When you see clubs falling apart, Newcastle for example, most people would lay the blame at Mike Ashley's door. He has probably mis-managed the club in a sense, and that has drifted down to the players. There is a lot of disharmony there. It is about getting the belief and the stability at the top, getting a positive way of thinking, getting people who surround the players, and make them feel good about being there."

We haven't had much stability since Sir Bobby was sacked, and we hope that finally, Newcastle can enter into a period of stability after Ashley sells up.

Comments Welcome

Michael Owen's Wasserman brochure

The Daily Mail has the full scoop on Michael Owen's Wasserman brochure.

Owen - When was the last time he scored?

The Daily Mail has the full 32 pages of the Wasserman brochure, detailing Michael's past achievements, and reasons why signing Michael Owen will be excellent for the club.

The link to the article can be found here

It is Owen's last week at Newcastle, and it's safe to say that many Newcastle fans are glad to see the back of him. As the club captain for the last season, it is surprising to see him leaving on a helicopter, and he has not come out and made any statement on the club's relegation. Instead, all we have heard about Michael is this brochure. An example of everything that has gone wrong at this club.

Comments Welcome

Mackay warns Newcastle

Malky Mackay, the manager of Watford, has warned Newcastle that they will be in for a shock when they start of the new season in the Championship.

Watford boss Malky Mackay

Teamtalk.com has reported that Malky Mackay has said that Newcastle will be in for a "culture shock".

"It's been a while since they've been at this level so it will certainly be different for them. But having said that, with the size and the strength of the squad they have there, on paper they should certainly be very strong. What they do need to do quickly is appoint a manager who can then stamp his personality on it, whether that is Alan Shearer or someone else."

We do hope that Newcastle's squad will be ready for the challenge of the Championship. However, as Malkay said, the size of the Newcastle squad is huge, but as for the strength, we will really have to pray that they do their best. And Mackay has highlighted the most important part of the troubles at Newcastle - we need a manager. and there is no one, Mike Ashley included, that knows when the new manager will be appointed

Comments Welcome.

Newcastle head to Ireland without a manager

The Chronicle has reported that Newcastle may be heading to Ireland without a manager.

Alan Shearer - When will he be manager?

The Chronicle has reported that Newcastle will be taking a trip west to Ireland, and probably facing off against Shamrock Rovers and Portadown, and it is believed that the matches will take place a week before the opening friendly against Darlington. This means that it is likely Newcastle will head off to Ireland by the 5th of July. Worringly, Chris Hughton is the most likely candidate to take charge of Newcastle during that period of time should no manager be appointed

With preseason starting on July the 1st, this gives him approximately 10 days to prepare the team for the first preseason friendly. Furthermore, if Mike Ashley does not want to appoint a manager before the sale of the club goes through, it would mean that it will take approximately a month before a manager is appointed. This would most likely result in 2 different methods of training, and more importantly, and insufficient time for the new manager to figure out the first team.

We hope that a new manager will be appointed soon, and we wish the team all the best as they return from their summer breaks for preseason training.

Comments Welcome.

Harper pays tribute to Sir Bobby Robson

The Evening Chronicle has reported that Steve Harper has paid tribute to Sir Bobby Robson for turning the club around.

76 yr old Sir Bobby Robson

Sir Bobby Robson took over from Ruud Gullit when Newcastle was at the bottom of the Premier League back in 1999.

Steve Harper, who was the club back then, saw the whole turnaround process.

"He turned the club around. He came in at a time when we were struggling. We were bottom of the league and I just remember him coming in and how infectious he was. His character and personality was tremendous and the lads really responded well to it. You could see the determination in him when we lost our first game against Chelsea to what he will tell you was a dodgy penalty. You could see the fire in him that day and his determination to succeed and just by seeing how upset he was by it."

"Then in his first home game I had recovered from an elbow injury I’d had. He put me in and I remember it well against Sheffield Wednesday. They actually started the game quite well in the first 10 minutes or so. But the atmosphere inside the place was unreal and when we got the first goal the place just took off. To win 8-0 at any time is fantastic, but to do that in your first home game was great."

"Sir Bobby took the time that was needed to sort the place out and we steadily moved up the league for a few years. Then we finished third, fourth and fifth which seems a million miles away now. But it shows you what he achieved. Those Champions League nights were very special."

I started supporting Newcastle just before Ruud Gullit's ill fated reign, and I clearly remember how Sir Bobby Robson turned our club around. He brought Newcastle out of our the relegation zone, and into the Champions League.

Furthermore, he had an excellent hand in the transfer market, something that has not been seen in Newcastle since his days as manager.

"He was very good in the transfer market. He brought in young and athletic players who were quick. It made us a very good side. People fear pace, and with Bellamy, Dyer, Jenas and Robert we certainly had that. We were great on the counter-attack and that worried a lot of teams."

We pay tribute to Sir Bobby Robson, and we hope that his testimonial will fill out the stadium. We hope that we would find someone as passionate and influential to lead Newcastle once again.

Comments Welcome.

The Evening Chronicle has reported that Mike Ashley would have to fork out a whopping £10million in player bonuses

Newcastle Owner Mike Ashley

With the end of season bonuses coming into effect, and installments on buys from yesteryear such as Duff and Martins due, the total bill come June 30th would be £10million. This would slightly reduce the value of the club, and Ashley may be desperate to sell the club before the payment.

One thing that is really unfathomable is how a relegated squad gets £10million in bonuses. If I didn't do my job, chances are I will be sacked from my post. This is the crazy world of football. We do hope that this is a good omen, that the scrooge will sell up quickly in order to get the bang for his buck, and we can concentrate on the new season ahead.

Comments Welcome.

Bassong on his way out

Sky Sports has reported that Bassong is holding talks with 2 clubs, and could be on his way out of Newcastle

22 yr old Bassong

Bassong told Aujourd'hui Sports,

"I have started to negotiate with two English clubs,"

It is believed that there are 4 clubs in the running for Bassong's signature: Arsenal, Man City, Tottenham and Aston Villa. However, we do not know which clubs has Bassong opened negotiations with.

We do hope that Man City are in the running as there is going to be crazy money being thrown around that way. However, for Bassong's development, we hope he signs for Arsenal, as he will be playing Champions League football, and we all know that Wenger is excellent with youngsters.

Of course, if he were to stay with Newcastle that would be the best.

Comments Welcome.

Preseason Friendlies

The schedule for Newcastle's preseason friendlies are out.

18th Jul - Darlington (away)
21st Jul - Huddersfield Town (away)
29th Jul - Leeds (home)

Lee Clark, one of Newcastle's former players, is currently the manager of Huddersfield Town.

Leeds should prove interesting because many people are comparing us to Leeds due to our relegation and financial plight. Hopefully by the time we face Leeds we would have cleared out some of our high earners, and that Jermaine Beckford is wearing the Black and White.

Now that we have some preseason friendlies to look forward to, we hope that we will start clearing out some of our high earners. We know that Viduka, Cacapa and Owen are definitely leaving, but we do hope that some others like Jonas and Colo follow them out too.

Comments Welcome.

Keegan to take charge at Southampton

The Daily Mail has reported shocking news that Keegan is poised to take up the reigns at Southampton.

Former Newcastle Player and Manager - Keegan

The Mail has reported that Keegan met up with Leon Crouch and Matt Le Tissier as the latter two try to take control of Southampton. Crouch has stayed silent about the alleged meeting, and that has sparked rumours that Keegan will take over the role of manager at Southampton.

Southampton entered administration in February, and were relegated to League One at the end of last season. Due to their outright relegation, Southampton will start League One on -10points.

Southampton is a classic example of a club having a huge fan base, and a huge rivalry down south, but are in the doldrums of League One. We do hope that Newcastle look at the examples of Southampton and Leeds and not make the same mistakes, that means shipping out as many players as possible to reduce our wage bill, and getting Mike Ashley out, Alan Shearer in because that will definitely boost our season ticket sales.

It's a shrewd move by Southampton, with Keegan having led Newcastle to promotion to the Premier League in 1992-1993, Fulham out of Division 2(the current League One) in 1998-1999 and Man City to the Premier League in 2001-2002. If there is anyone that has the knowledge of getting clubs promoted, it would be Kevin. Say what you want about him, but he has proved that he has the skills for it.

A return for Keegan instead of Shearer perhaps?

Comments Welcome

Newcastle one step closer to sale

The Daily Mail has reported that Newcastle in one step closer to finalising the sale.

Mike Ashley

It is reported that one of the groups has put together the cash for a buyout offer of Newcastle. We know that the due diligence process for the groups started yesterday, and with one of the groups putting the cash forward, it is good news for NUFC fans.

We do not know which of the 4 groups has come forward with the package, but hopefully it will not be Freddie Shepard, who insulted many Geordies during his time as Chairman of Newcastle. We pray that the sale will go through soon, as we await for any potential announcement of Alan Shearer being appointed.

Comments Welcome

Fixture List for Coca Cola Championship

The Football League has published the fixtures for the upcoming Coca Cola Championship Season.

Newcastle will start off with games against West Brom at the Hawthorns followed by a home game against Reading. We'll also travel to Selhurst against Crystal Palace in August, and end the season with an away game against Reading.

One of the toughest starts to the season, considering that we were relegated with West Brom last season, and Reading finished 4th last season.

We know that West Brom and Newcastle will be shaped much differently by the time the start of the season arrives. We pray that a manager will be appointed soon so that we leave behind all the melodrama and focus on gaining promotion back into the Premier League. As we await the possible good news that comes out from Newcastle tomorrow, we will be crossing our fingers that Alan Shearer will be appointed manager soon enough.

Comments Welcome.

Wed Wizzkid - Kazenga Lua Lua

Today, we will be covering Kazenga Lua Lua, the brother of our former player, Lomana Lua Lua

18 yr old Kazenga Lua Lua

Kazenga Lua Lua, 18, was born in DR Congo, and moved to Newcastle shortly after he was born, as his brother obtained a contract with Newcastle. He soon follow the same route as his brother, joining the Newcastle Youth Academy and currently plays for the reserve team. His favoured position is that of a right winger.

He has played 9 times for Newcastle, all of them as substitutes. Unable to break into the first team, he went on loan to Doncaster Rovers in March 2009, and has made 4 appearances for them, 2 of them starts. Having played in the Championship, he sounded a warning that the Championship was more physical and it would be difficult to climb out of the Championship.

We know that he is staying with us next season, and given the possible exodus of players before the start of this season, we are looking forward to him starting a few games for Newcastle next season.

Comments Welcome

Owen has lost his drive

The Daily Mail has reported that Dave Whelan, Wigan's Chairman, has come out and said that Owen has lost his drive to play football.

Wigan's Chairman Dave Whelan

Dave Whelan has said that Owen may have lost his drive to play football at the top level, something that many Newcastle fans have seen and felt over the past season

In response to the news of the 34 page brochure handed out by Owen's agents, Whelan said,

"We haven't received the brochure, and we wouldn't be interested in him, anyway. His wages are too expensive, for one thing, and, for another, you have to ask whether he still has the urge, the bottle and the drive."

"He's looking a bit injury-prone these days, and he does love his horses. His wages will come down, but it would still be a hell of a lot for us to pay someone more than £25,000 a week."

We know that definitely Owen will not be heading to Wigan, because for someone's wages to fall from £110k to £25k a week would be nigh impossible. We also do know that Owen will not be playing for Newcastle next season, because he will be released from his contract at the end of the month.

Whelan, for all his sniping at Mike Ashley due to the rivalry between JJB and Sportdirect, has also said something that is very sensible,

"His (Roberto Martinez) knowledge of football is immense, and even if we go down next year, there's no way Roberto will be leaving this club. I want him here for the full three years of his contract, minimum, and whatever happens, he will be staying with us, that is for sure."

That is something that hasn't happened in Newcastle for a very long time. We do hope if Shearer is appointed, the new owners will stick with him through thick and thin. Because stability is what we need now in Newcastle

Xisco wants to prove himself

Both the Sun and the Daily Mail have reported that Xisco has absolved himself from any blame to do with Newcastle's relegation

22 yr old Xisco

In the report, Xisco has said that he feels that coming to Newcastle was the right decision.

"When I signed from Coruna I thought I knew what Newcastle was - an historic team with great fans, players and a lot of money."

"But there were many problems. First it was like a small snowball, then the problems rolled and rolled, got bigger and bigger and then when it was time to wake up it was too late. We did not have time to recover."

What Xisco has said is a reflective image of what has happened at Newcastle since the sacking of Sir Bobby Robson. We have been lumbering from one problem to another. And with Mike Ashley siding with Dennis Wise instead of Kevin Keegan, it just shows the incapability of our owners.

The only reason why Xisco should take blame for Newcastle's relegation was him taking up £50k of our wage packet. And the person who should have taken all the blame for this should be Dennis Wise, who went over Keegan's head to sign Xisco for £5.8 million and paid him £50k a week.

We do hope that Xisco stays and proves himself, at a reduced wage of course, and he has stated that he wants to play, be it for Newcastle or another team.

"I now have to wait for a call to see if they want me there next season or if they want me to go on loan. It has been a difficult season and I don't want to repeat it. I cannot afford another year like it. I need to play."

We do hope he stays if he is willing to reduce his wages, and we do hope he can get some playing time to prove himself. However, if he is unwilling to reduce his wages, we should try to sell him, although right now there doesn't seem to be any demand for our wage wastrels.

Comments Welcome.

Fraizer Campbell waiting for Newcastle's Approach

Surprising news coming out of the North-East today, with Fraizer Campbell being linked with NUFC.

21 yr old Fraizer Campbell

Chronicle reports that Fraizer has his head turned by NUFC's reputed interest in the January transfer window, and is waiting for the whole mess at NUFC to be sorted out. Currently on duty with England U-21 at the U21 European Championship, he will decide his future at the end of the Championships.

A source close to Frazier has said,

“Fraizer has heard that Newcastle United are sniffing around. And he is intrigued to see how things pan out up there. He is well aware that there is some uncertainty at Newcastle at the moment. But he is waiting to see what the outcome of that is because this is such a crucial move in his career.”

Fraizer has made 11 appearances for the U-21, scoring 3 goals, and has achieved much with Royal Antwerp and Hull City (while he was on loan), scoring a total of 36 goals in 67 appearances.

Currently, Hull has announced an interest in young Frazier's services, but with Fraizer waiting till the end of the European Championships to decide his future, it gives time for NUFC to sort out the takeover bid and possibly snatch him from under the noses of Hull.

After all, chances are that Hull are likely to head down next season, while once the takeover completes, there should be a high chance that we will be promoted.

Comments Welcome.

David Edgar's contract is expiring

The Chronicle has cast new doubt over David Edgar's future at NUFC.

22 yr old David Edgar

David is a youngster who has came through Newcastle's Youth Academy, and his contract expires on the 30th of June. With no manager at the helm, and Ashley not willing to pour money into the club, we risk losing David on a free transfer. Birmingham City have already expressed their interest in David. However, following NUFC's relegation, this may be the chance that David needs to stake his place in the first team.

The fact that we are about to lose David on a free transfer just shows what damage Mike Ashley has done to our club. David has always given 110% when he plays, and was willing to fill in all along the back four. He was an excellent squad player for us last season, and with the Championship being tougher and more physical than the Premier League, we hope that David stays with us as he is an alternative to Bassong should Bassong leave the club.

Comments Welcome

Shearer's appointment to be named soon?

Journal has reported that Shearer may be named NUFC manager before the end of the week.

Shearer - Waiting Game Over?

The Journal has reported that Alan Shearer will be appointed if all 4 potential owners agree that Shearer's appointment would be okay with them. Derek Llambias is back on Tyneside, which could be for the takeover to be complete.

Llambias has stated:

"There could be some movement regarding Alan Shearer at the end of this week or early next week,"

"The data room will be open on Wednesday, which will allow the groups who have proved they have the money to buy the club to look at the books. Nobody has been able to do that yet because the data room hasn’t been opened."

"We will not be making any decision on Alan as manager, that is not up to us, that is down to the groups who are buying the club. If they want to appoint him, then it’s up to them. We will speak to them about it. If they do want Alan then something could be done in the next few days. That’s where we are at this stage and everything is on going."

A source close to Shearer has stated that Thursday is the day that something will happen on Tyneside,

"Alan has been told that Thursday could be a very big day in terms of his and Newcastle’s future, so it seems things are starting to move in the right direction."

"He has been incredibly frustrated by the delay because he wanted to get straight into things as manager and start preparing the club for a bid to make an immediate return to the Premier League. Everything has been on hold for the last few weeks because Alan has been left in limbo while the club is being sold. That process looks to be coming to an important stage – so this week could be an exciting one."

We eagerly await Thursday to arrive, and we hope that it will finally be a news of Shearer being appointed as manager. Hopefully he will be given a substantial amount of transfer funds if all 4 consortiums would up their bids, as it would allow us to capture the 3 main transfer targets we have: Jermaine Beckford, Per Ciljan Skjelbred and Chris Gunter

Comments Welcome.

Per Ciljan Skjelbred

The Evening Chronicle has reported that Per Ciljan Skjelbred still wants to sign for NUFC despite our relegation.

Per Ciljan Skjelbred - A Norwegian Geordie

It is reported that Per Ciljan Skjelbred, a transfer target last summer, is still interested in joining NUFC despite interest from Premier League clubs such as Fulham, Tottenham and Sunderland. This kid is on Alan Shearer's radar, and he wants desperately to sign for NUFC despite it being in limbo right now, and is prepared to wait for the whole Cashley-gate to be sorted out.

A source close to Skjelbred stated that:

"He is unconcerned about Newcastle’s relegation, as he’s certain they’ll be back up in the Premier League after only one season in the Championship.And he is hoping to get to play for Alan Shearer, who is one of his heroes. There was talk of a move to Sunderland, but he has his heart set on Newcastle. If he doesn’t go to Newcastle, he is unlikely to sign for their greatest rivals."

If this person is hellbent on joining the Geordies, and is as good as the reports say he is, I say we should sign him up. Chronicle puts the value of the transfer at $5million, but Skjelbred would only take home approximately £8k a week. if you compare that to Geremi, that's £2.5million less per year. If Mike Ashley could go behind Keegan's back to sign new players, he should definitely secure this signing right now.

The report further mentions that NUFC has missed out on 5 players. I am unable to fathom which of the 5 players we have missed out on, as our 2 known targets, Chris Gunter and Jermaine Beckford, are currently still at their clubs.

Comments Welcome

Llambias denies Curbishley will be appointed

Llambias has come out and stated that Curbishley will not be the next NUFC manager.

Alan Curbishley

The Journal has reported that Llambias has come out and quash rumours that NUFC will make a move for Alan Curbishley. The report states that a move for Curbishley, thus snubbing Shearer, would anger most NUFC fans. However, the move for Shearer still does not seem to be likely, and Shearer has realized that the chances of him being appointed as manager rests with the new management that will be taking over.

We were hoping that a manager will be appointed soon, be it Curbishley or Shearer or any other manager that has the good of NUFC as his first priority. Right now, we are losing out on some signings that we need to strengthen our squad as there is no leadership at the helm.

We pray that Ashley and Llambias are considering Shearer as manager, because right now this report gives off a vibe that Curbishley will not be appointed as manager to prevent a fans backlash, but the timing of this coincides with the renewal of NUFC season tickets. Furthermore, when have we heard Llambias ever talking to the fans? We hope it ain't so, but it may be an elaborate ploy to sell more season tickets so that Mike Ashley gets a higher value for the club.

Comments Welcome.

American Consortium favourite to purchase NUFC

The Independent has reported that the undisclosed American consortium is favourite to purchase Newcastle.

Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias - On their way out?

The Independent reports the yet undisclosed American consortium is favourite to purchase NUFC and a preliminary agreement can be announced this week. The management at NUFC has been preparing its accounts, possibly for a quick takeover.

So far, there have been 4 parties that are known to be bidding for NUFC - Freddy Shepard led consortium, Singapore-based Profitable Group, the American Consortium and a S.Africa consortium. We await good news from the management at NUFC, and that means Mike Ashley selling up. Should the American owners come in, we hope that they would be like Randy Lerner, the current owner of Aston Villa, who has done an excellent job as the owner. We need an owner like him after battle scarred years of Mike and Freddy.

On a side note, the report also mentions that Derek Llambias had his BMW repossessed by a local car hire firm. Hopefully that will be the last car he will be getting in the North-East.

Comments Welcome

Oba wants to stay

Chronicle has reported that Obafemi Martins has come out to state that he wants to stay at NUFC despite relegation.

Obafemi Martins - Our no. 9

Obafemi Martins spoke to Chronicle Live from Nigeria, stating:

"I hope I am not sold. If the club decide to sell me I have no choice but to go. But my aim is to stay and help get Newcastle promoted next season. I love living in Newcastle and there are few better places to live and play. I know the club is for sale and that is hard for the fans. Yet I hear there could be some light at the end of the tunnel eventually."

Evening Chronicle further pointed out that Oba is on "astronomical" wages, and that he has 2 years left to run on his contract, and that it will not be lost on NUFC fans that he wants to stay because of his high wage packet.

However, one must realise that there is a high demand from Italy, including Fiorentina, that wishes to purchase Obafemi Martins, and chances are the salary that he will draw will be approximately similar to his wage here at NUFC. This kid may genuinely want to stay but some of us are prejudging him.

The finances of the club may dictate the need to sell Oba, and in recent times Oba has been compared to a headless chicken by some fans. We would like Oba to stay, and hopefully he will take a reduction in his wages. After all, he has shown dedication to NUFC in the past few years, and this is what we need to get ourselves out of this hole.

Comments Welcome.

Michael Owen reaches new depths

The Guardian have reported that Michael Owen's agents have been distributing a brochure of Michael, talking up on his football skills, and also his skills off the pitch.

Owen - "Good Looking" and "Charismatic"

According to the report, the document, titled "Wasserman Brochure", was released by his agents in an attempt to find a new club for Michael Owen. In the brochure, it states that:

"Were it not for an unhappy spell at Real Madrid and two injury-scarred years at Newcastle, he would be spoken about in the same breath as Torres and Ronaldo and valued in the priceless figures that only match-winning goalscorers ever justify."

We agree that Michael was a very special striker when he burst onto the stage with his solo run in the 1998 World Cup, but ever since he left Real Madrid, he has been a shadow of the striker he was. At Newcastle, Michael has scored 30 goals in 79 games. That's a good return for a striker, however the fact that he has only started 79 games over 4 seasons shows that his injury problems overshadowed his scoring ability.

The report further states that Owen wishes to play Premier League football, and states that his is good looking and charismatic. I've never heard of any agents using the phrase good looking and charismatic in talking up a footballer. If the phrase was used to attract clubs who wishes to sell more shirts, I say purchase a footballer from China. He will sell more shirts and probably be on lower wages than Michael Owen.

An ow(e)n goal scored by his agents.

Comments Welcome.

Alan Curbishley to be NUFC Manager

News of the World has reported that Alan Curbishley is in the running to be the next NUFC manager.

Alan Curbishley

News of the World has reported that Mike Ashley will be appointing Alan Curbishley as NUFC manager should negotiations not work out between Ashley and the prospective buyers. The report states that Mike feels that NUFC would be a better prospect with a manager in place.

Most BPL fans know of Alan Curbishley, with him being the former manager of Charlton Athletic and West Ham United. He resigned from West Ham at the start of September 2008, right before news came out of Keegan's dismissal as NUFC manager.

We have to take this article with a pinch of salt, as last week it was announced on News of the World that Alan Shearer will be taking over as West Brom's manager, and that is incredulous to say the least. At least this week's report keeps common sense in the frame of the article, and it is actually possible that Alan Curbishley will be our new manager.

Should Curbishley be appointed as our manager, it would mean that Alan Shearer will be shut out of the post for NUFC manager. We hope that whatever the case is and whoever the manager is, we hope that either Mike Ashley or the new owners will appoint a manager quickly, as time is ticking away to the start of the new Championship season.

Comments Welcome.

NUFC Season Tickets

Today, a statement has been released by NUFC on the prices for the season tickets for the 09/10 season.

The Toon Army

The statement released by the website stated that prices will be reduced to the level of the 07/08 season.

"NEWCASTLE United has reduced season ticket prices by an average of nine per cent for the 2009/10 campaign.

The Club has also made a commitment to its young supporters with the Junior price concession age raised from 16 to 18.

The hugely popular Family Enclosure has been expanded to include the whole of Milburn Stand Level Seven seats which are available at a special price of £300 for adults and £100 for juniors.

That means our young fans can follow their team for as little as an incredible £4 per match!

And in light of the Club's relegation to the Championship and the current economic climate, the Magpies have taken the move of reducing the majority of season ticket prices back to those paid in 2007/08."

This is good news for all NUFC fans, with the current economic crisis looming and for most of Britain suffering the worst downturn since WW2, the reduction in prices have provided a respite for most fans.

Comments Welcome

Profitable Group under the microscope

The Guardian has reported that one of the potential owners of NUFC, the Profitable Group, faces questions over its business dealings.

Dan Strumos, Client Service Manager

The Profitable Group promises 250% returns on several of its investments, which on any level seems unbelievable. A respondent interviewed by the Guardian stated:

"These companies purchase protected land and then make proposals for development. They then resell the land to investors at 10 times or more profit in Asia and Canada, giving the impression that planning permission will be achieved"

In response to the statement, Dan Strumos, the Client Service Manager of the Profitable Group stated:

"These accusations are false. Our headquarters are in Singapore and that would be the last place on earth for corporate shenanigans because the penalty for it is death."

As a NUFC singapore fan club member, I am beginning to be a little worried about the Profitable Group. The response from Dan Strumos is false because corporate shenanigans is not death, which roughly shows the miscommunications between the different regional offices. And the dealings seem a tad shady.

We do want Ashley out of this club, but we do not want to jump out of one mess and into another. However, the problem is that the decision is not left up to us fans, and knowing Ashley, he will sell to a buyer that would probably bring NUFC down even further.

Comments Welcome.

Blackburn interested in Newcastle Trio

The Daily Mail has reported that Blackburn is interested in Kevin Nolan, Nicky Butt and Alan Smith.

Current Blackburn Manager Sam Allardyce

Sam Allardyce has focused his sights on Newcastle's Kevin Nolan, Alan Smith and Nicky Butt. Kevin Nolan moved from Bolton to Newcastle for £4million in January 2009, while Alan Smith was a £5million purchase by Sam Allardyce during his tenure at Newcastle.

We believe that the total value of this transfer would be about £4million, and would result in a total wage savings of £150k per week. Besides Kevin Nolan, who has shown glimpses of his ability in the last few games, we feel that the other 2 should be shipped out to reduce our wage bill.

The most pressing issue would be to appoint a manager, cause currently the fire sale seems to have no end in sight, and if this keeps up, we may not have a team to field at the start of the season.

Comments Welcome.

40th Anniversary of the Inter Cities Fairs Cup

It is 40 years to the day where NUFC won our last trophy, the 1969 Inter Cities Fairs Cup

Bobby Moncur lifting the cup

The 1968/69 Inter Cities Fairs Cup is the last major trophy to be won by NUFC. The finals were played over 2 legs, against the Hungarian side Újpesti Dórza. NUFC won the first leg 3-0, and the 2nd leg 3-2 after coming back from 2 goals down. In the 2nd leg, Toon captain Bobby Moncur turned the match around at the start of the 2nd half by scoring within a minute of the restart.

We would like to pay tribute to these heroes who brought back the last trophy for NUFC.
And no disrespect to them, we hope that the record of Bobby Moncur being the last NUFC captain to lift a major trophy would be broken in the near future.

Comments Welcome.

Chris Hughton to take over pre season

The Evening Chronicle has reported that Chris Hughton is favourite to take over, once again, as Newcastle caretaker manager.

Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood

The Evening Chronicle states that as the current administration are unwilling to invest any more money into the club, NUFC's preseason would most likely be handled by members of the coaching staff whose contracts has not expired. This means that Chris Hughton is likely to be the caretaker manager. Paul Barron, our goalkeeping coach, likely to be his assistant.

We hope for the sake of the club and for the sake of the fans that Chris does not become the caretaker manager for NUFC once again. Chris has brought us a solitary win in his 10 games that he has been in charge, and that win came against bottom of the table West Brom. Chris has looked terribly out of his depth as caretaker manager and we hope that this managerial situation is resolved quickly so as to prepare for our promotion out of the Coca Cola Championship.

Games that Hughton was in charge of:
13th Sep - NUFC 1 - 2 Hull City
20th Sep - West Ham 3 - 1 NUFC
24th Sep - NUFC 1 - 2 Tottenham
27th Sep - NUFC 1 - 2 Blackburn
07th Feb - WBA 2 - 3 NUFC
22nd Feb - NUFC 0 - 0 Everton
01st Mar - Bolton 1 - 0 NUFC
04th Mar - NUFC 1 - 2 Man Utd
14th Mar - Hull City 1 - 1 NUFC
21st Mar - NUFC 1 -3 Arsenal

Comments Welcome

Profitable Group states interest

Profitable Group have issued a statement on their official website stating their interest in purchasing Newcastle United Football Club

The Singapore Based Profitable Group

The statement read:

"The Profitable Group can confirm that it has expressed an initial interest in acquiring Newcastle United. A preliminary discussion with the representatives appointed to handle the sale of the club has been held but contrary to some reports no direct talks have been held with either the Owner, Mike Ashley, or the Chairman, Derek Lambias.

The Group consider the leaking of The Group's interest in this matter unfortunate, and as supporters of Newcastle United seek only to serve in the best interests of the cluib, the fans and the local community.

The Group will not be making any further comment at the present time."

Now, we know that Profitable Group are one of the companies that wish to purchase NUFC, and the statement by Derek Llambias yesterday has underlined the problem that has been facing NUFC in Mike Ashley's reign: the failure to communicate.

For the good of the club, we hope that the sale will go through soon so that we can concentrate on the season ahead.

Comments Welcome.

Freddy Shepard plots return

Freddy Shepard has met up with Alan Shearer to discuss what will happen should Freddy Shepard succeed in buying the club.

Former NUFC Chairman Freddy Shepard

The Guardian has reported that Freddy Shepard is leading a consortium and planning a return as the chairman, and his interest is serious enough for Alan Shearer to meet up with him.

According to the report, should Freddy Shepard reclaim his place as Chairman, he will appoint Alan Shearer as the manager as NUFC try to obtain promotion back into the BPL.

One stumbling block is that Ashley and Llambias doubt that Freddy Shepard has £100million they request and are cautious about this deal.

Freddy Shepard has made many offensive comments about Newcastle and our fans, and is not very well liked up in the North East. His previous tenure brought about the managers such as Ruud Gullit, Sam Allardyce, Graeme Souness, but we cannot deny that one of the more successful managers was also appointed by him, the great Sir Bobby Robson.

The NUFC fans are now really located between a rock and a hard place.

Comments Welcome.

Another Legend comes out and blasts Ashley

John Anderson has come out and said that Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias have run the club into the ground.

John Anderson in his younger days

The Chronicle has reported that John Anderson has come out and stated that the mess at NUFC needs to be sorted out quickly, if not it would mean a longer stay in the Championship for us.

"It needs to be sorted very, very quickly. They (Ashley and Llambias) have made a complete mess of the club from top to bottom from day one. They don’t have a clue. They need an owner, they need a manager, they need to get pre-season sorted out. The first-team is back for pre-season on July 1 and then it's only a few weeks to the start of the season. It needs sorting very, very quickly."

It is a very frank assessment of the club, and with the start of pre-season fast approaching and with the rudderless ship sinking to new depths by the day, Ashley and Llambias have to wake up and stop smelling the flowers, and for once in their tenure, care about the fans.

NUFC fans have gone through much worse, such as the close relegation to the old third division, but at least back then, with Keegan coming in under Sir John Hall, at least the fans knew that the club was going forward. Right now, we are sinking to new depths and we do not know when this whole Cashley farce will end.

John added:

"People have said they will fly back out of the Championship, but other big clubs have gone down and not got out of it."

Just to name a few clubs that have gone down and never come up: Norwich, Southampton, Charlton, Leicester, and the case that has been covered quite extensively in the newspapers of yesteryear, Leeds United.

Many have likened us to do a Leeds United, and right now there are many contradicting reports on the financial state of NUFC. One thing is for sure: with our large wage bill, and with contracts not having a relegation wage drop clause, chances are our wage bill will still be larger than most Premier League clubs and is unsustainable in the Championship.

Comments Welcome.

Bassong to quit Newcastle

The Chronicle has reported that Bassong wants out of NUFC.

22 yr old Bassong, in action against Mackems

A source close to Bassong told the Chronicle:

“Sebastien is devastated by the madness at the club and wants to go. He cost the club hardly anything and feels he has justified his transfer fee. Compared to the rest of his team-mates he has been earning peanuts, picking up £5,000 a week while some of the players who have been earning five-figure salaries and hardly kicking a ball."

“He loves the fans – but who can blame him for wanting to leave?

“The club is unsure who will be the owners next season, there is no manager and, as much as he enjoys working with Alan Shearer, there are no guarantees that he will be the manager next season. Sebastien is a top-class professional, is never in any trouble and just wants to develop his career. He came to Newcastle on trial and they weren’t even sure if they wanted him at first, so he has played way above their expectations.”

We know that Alan has slapped a £15million price tag on him, and reports have rated Bassong as a £10million defender. However, there are many NUFC fans that tag Bassong as priceless and do not want to see him leave. After all, he was the best player for us in a bad bad season.

The source continued by saying that Bassong was upset by the attitude shown by his team mates:

“Sebastien was suspended and gutted about having to sit in the stands. But after the game he was mortified by some of the scenes in the dressing room. He said that only three or four of the players looked genuinely upset about the club’s relegation."

“More worryingly, while the fans were still chanting outside, some players were talking about their holidays.”

It really sounds exactly like the performance we have shown on the pitch, highly paid players with no commitment. We can be sure that Bassong was extremely upset about our relegation, alongside Steven Taylor and Habib Beye. We pray for the good of the club that these 3 will be here next season to lead us out of the Championship.

Llambias denies Profitable Group interest

Derek Llambias has come out today to deny the rumoured interest of Profitable Group.

Steve McMahon - Is he or is he not?

In the article featured in The Journal, Derek Llambias has said that Newcastle are in discussions with three or four groups, but the Profitable Group (what a name) is not one of them.

“We know who this Profitable group are because we had some dealings with them last summer regarding some business in the Far East, but there has been no contact since. We have never spoken to the Profitable Group about the sale of Newcastle United since we put the club up for sale.

“They have claimed they have met Mike and myself to discuss things and they haven’t.

“There are three or four interested parties who we are talking to but these aren’t one of them.”

Llambias further added:

"Anyone who starts shouting from the rooftops about their intentions should set the alarm bells ringing. Talks with three groups who want to remain anonymous for now are ongoing. They don’t want to be known just yet. That is how we are trying to do business. That is the proper way to do it, not by talking through the media.”

We do hope that Llambias, for once, is telling the truth, and not leading us on like he has always done. The worst case situation right now would be for Llambias to issue such a statement in order to drum up interest for NUFC such that the highest bidder wins.

There is a lot of distrust between the fans and the board, and as inactivity continues here at NUFC, we do hope that negotiations resolve so that we will be able to start clearing out the deadwood at our club and prepare for the new season ahead.

Stay tuned for the latest on the soap opera that Cashley has created here at nufc-fanzine. Comments welcome.

Wed Wizzkid - Tamas Kadar

Every Wed we'll feature an up and coming youngster, either one that is at Newcastle, or that Newcastle is or should be interested in. For this week we will be featuring Tamas Kadar.

Tamas Kadar - 19 yr old left back

NUFC signed Tamas Kadar from Zalaegerszei TE in January 2008. He has not represented NUFC yet, but has made an appearance each for the Hungarian U19 and U21. He has been called up for the Hungarian national team, but has never represented the team.

Tamas Kadar has been touted as the next NUFC left back, especially if we manage to get Damien Duff's 70k per week wage off our books. Likewise Jose Enrique should be gone by the start of the season as Athletico Madrid has shown interest in him and he has responded in kind.

We do hope he has a full recovery from his broken leg suffered in the reserve match at Sunderland earlier this year and hope that it will not affect his future performances.

Comments Welcome.

Coloccini's puts himself up for sale

Maxifoot.fr has reported that Coloccini's agent has offered his services to Olympique Marseille, who finished 2nd in Ligue 1 this season.

Coloccini - One of our 3 main centre backs

Maxifoot reports that Didier Deschamps, the new manager of Marseille, is interested in recruiting a centre back, and according to the report, the agents of Coloccini have offered his services to OM. Reports put the pricethat OM would be willing to offer is between €3million and €5 million.

Coloccini has just joined NUFC from Deportivo La Coruna in summer 2008, and started the season as NUFC's first choice centre back. However, by the end of the season, he was the third choice centre back, behind Seb Bassong and Steven Taylor. He has represented NUFC 34 times.

Comparisons have been made between him and Titus Bramble, and that is not necessarily a bad thing, as Titus was a good defender, but prone to mistakes about 5 times per game. Likewise, Coloccini could have a good game for 89 minutes and make a fatal error.

The main point is, Coloccini wants to go, and he has never lived up to the hype, especially in the 2nd half of the season. We should let him go, and hopefully we will be able to recoup the outlay that we spent on him.

Comments Welcome

Wolves interested in Nicky Butt

The Daily Mail has reported that Wolves are interested in our 34-yr old midfielder, Nicky Butt.

Our 34 yr old midfielder

It is no surprise that one of the promoted teams wants Nicky Butt. Nicky possesses a wealth of experience and even if he does not start every game, he would be able to provide leadership and guidance to the others at the club. Furthermore, being in a relegation battle this season, he possesses the know-how to help the promoted club avoid relegation.

Alan has mentioned that he intends keep Nicky Butt at the club in order for NUFC to gain promotion back into the Premier League. However, with Mike Ashley putting up every player for sale, us fans will not know what to expect.

Comments Welcome.

Robert Martinez is Wigan's new manager

Reuters has reported that Robert Martinez has been appointed Wigan's new manager.

Robert Martinez - ex Swansea Manager

Dave Whelan has announced that Robert Martinez, former Wigan player from 1995-2001, has taken charge of Wigan. This piece of news has been expected for weeks after Steve Bruce left Wigan to join Sunderland.

This means that we have one less option for the choice of our manager, as Robert was the choice after Alan Shearer in the hearts and minds of NUFC fans. We have to get Shearer in quick, if not there will not only be an incapable chairman at the helm of this rudderless ship, but one that will not have a manager at the start of the new Championship season. We hope the Profitable Group or even Reliance Telecommunications, who showed interest last summer, would be able to save NUFC.

Oh, on another point, Gary Speed is in the running for the Swansea post! We wish him the best of luck!

Comments Welcome.

Group states interest in purchasing NUFC

UPDATE: The group concerned with this venture is the Profitable Group. More about the company can be found here

Chronicle has reported that a Far Eastern Group based in Singapore has declared its interest in purchasing NUFC from Mike Ashley.

Mike Ashley - not fit to wear NUFC colours

This news comes one day after Mike Ashley listed publicly for offers to be sent by email. According to the report, the group will keep Shearer on as manager, and currently has links to other Premier League clubs.

We hope that this news is true as we all know that with the email bidding, fake offers can be sent in raising the hopes of NUFC supporters before sending them back down to earth, like how Bernie Madoff killed off our hopes last season.

If this news is true, it would be excellent for NUFC, as firstly Cashley will be out of our club, secondly, with existing ties with a current Premier League Club, a possible link can be established between NUFC and that Premier League Club, providing some players on loan, and lastly, Alan Shearer will become the new manager of Newcastle United. We have no other choice other than Alan that is better right now, and definitely we hope that if he takes the job, he will do a Keegan (not walk out on the club but get us promoted).

Comments Welcome.

O' Neill dismisses Owen link

Martin O' Neill has come out and denied that Aston Villa has made a £50,000 per week offer for Michael Owen. AVFC has issued an official statement that Martin O' Neill has not offered any contract to Michael Owen.

"Martin O'Neill has this evening dismissed stories suggesting Villa have offered Michael Owen a two-year contract."

Newspaper reports have linked Michael Owen to Aston Villa and Everton, with some reports suggesting that Owen has to take a pay cut to about £70,000 a week in order to join one of the clubs. However, with Martin coming out publicly and stating that he has not made an offer for Michael, the only viable destination for Michael would be to Everton, where David Moyes reportedly is weighing up an offer for him.

Owen finished as the top scorer of Newcastle last season, with 10 goals, but suffered a goal drought for the 2nd half of the season, not scoring since Jan 11. His goals would have come in handy as we fought relegation.

One thing is for sure: Owen will not be at NUFC next season as he is a free agent.

Comments Welcome.

John Beresford blasts Mike Ashley

The Sun has reported that John Beresford has called Mike Ashley and blasted him over the phone, telling him that he has made Newcastle a laughing stock.

John Beresford, Toon Legend 1992-1998

"I would love to know who is advising Mike Ashley and the Newcastle board, because, at the moment, the club is a laughing stock. The Newcastle fans are proud people. But if Ashley keeps giving everyone ammo to fire at the club, the situation is just going to get worse.

The season was like a slow car crash with no brake being applied. But now people are just laughing. Can anyone imagine Manchester United asking people to e-mail them bids for the club? Newcastle are in no-man's land right now. Sometimes I just want to ring up Ashley and say 'Look, I don't have any business knowledge but do you need a hand? Do you want some advice?' He clearly does, because at the moment things are just going from bad to awful. He needs to get out quickly, though, of course, it doesn't always happen like that.

Everyone I speak to in football keeps asking me 'What the hell is going on at Newcastle?' You just couldn't make it up. I've heard people comparing the situation to what happened at Leeds but I think it's worse than that. The club is plummeting like a stone. When you think it can't get any worse, it does. They need some finality for the whole Ashley saga. But I fear for them, I really do."

Yesterday, we reported that Newcastle was up for sale at £100million and that interested parties should email their bids to NUFC. What has happened that was many Sunderland fans have emailed us, with many making bids of £10 and £20. If there was any case of schadenfreude, this is definitely one.

What John Beresford has said definitely makes sense, and NUFC have been lumbering from one disaster to another. Over the past 12 months, there was the Keegan debacle, hiring of JFK, Chris Hughton as the interim manager, Shearer as the interim manager, relegation, and when we all thought that Mike Ashley has come good by apologizing, he puts the club up for sale yet again.

Many newspapers have labelled this akin to an eBay sale, and I feel that labelling this as an eBay sale is an understatement. At least with an eBay sale, we do know that auctions will end within a period of time. We do not know when Mike Ashley will sell NUFC, but we do hope it will be soon.

Comments Welcome.

Michael Owen has to seek lesser goals

Times Online has written a great article on Michael Owen, our former captain.

Our Former Captain, Michael Owen

Owen, whose contract expired this summer, has attracted the interest of Aston Villa and Everton. In his article, Matt Dickinson stated that Owen's chances of a recall to the England national team ranked alongside Alan Smith and Joey Barton. Alan and Joey have a total of 20 caps between them.

Does Owen deserve such criticism? Most Newcastle supporters feel that Owen has disappointed greatly as a captain and as a striker. But one question remains: would Owen have scored more if he received the provided service from our midfielders? As such, did we bring him down?

I can say that I am happy that Owen is out of the club, because he did a really bad job as the captain of NUFC, and I am happy because with the wages that we save, we would be able to purchase more players. We wish Michael the best in his further career, and hope that the wages that we save would be put to good use.

Comments Welcome.

Link to Matt Dickinson's Article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/matt_dickinson/article6459119.ece

Bruce Interested in Bassong

Tynetalk.co.uk has reported that Steve "I'm a Geordie but I'd will never manage them" Bruce, the current manager of the Mackems, that he is interested in purchasing Seb Bassong.

Seb Bassong, our find of the season

Bassong joined NUFC from Metz in July 2008 after Metz was relegated to Ligue 2. He has represented Metz 87 times, and has also represented the French Under 21 before making his Newcastle debut against Coventry in the League Cup on 26th August 2008.

Ever since Newcastle was relegated to the Coca Cola Championship, Sebastian Bassong has attracted interest from many clubs, including Arsenal. Shearer has slapped a £15million price tag on him, but with Shearer no longer the manager of Newcastle, and Bassong being silent on NUFC's relegation, anything can happen right now.

We do hope Seb stays on at Newcastle, because then we would have a center back pairing that is better than most Championship clubs. And to do so we need to get this rudderless ship that is NUFC straight, and that should begin by praying that Mike Ashley sells up and gets out. and hopefully Freddy Shepard doesn't come back in to manage the club.

Shane Ferguson interests Bundesliga clubs

17 yr old Shane Ferguson has attracted the interest of several Bundesliga clubs, among them Hertha Berlin, who finished fourth in the last season.

17 yr old Shane Ferguson

Shane Ferguson signed for Newcastle in July 2007, and he primarily plays as a left winger. He has never made an appearance for the first team, but has represented the reserve team, with his first appearance coming in the Tyne-Wear reserve derby on 1st September 2008.

Shane has just made his bow for the N. Ireland team over the weekend when he came on as a substitute in N. Ireland 3-0 loss to Italy in Pisa. With that, Shane Ferguson has represented his country at all levels.

We have heard about Shane Ferguson in the past, but with the recent batch of youngsters who have come to the club, he has fell out of the spotlight. However, Richard Money, our great academy director, has stated on NUFCtv that he expects Shane to make an appearance for the first team soon enough.

"Shane is a terrific talent and is a really good lad as well"

We hope that Shane makes his appearance for a first team soon, but with the club going through turbulent times, we do hope that he makes his first team appearance for NUFC, and not for a Bundesliga club.

Comments welcome.

Ashley States Asking Price

The Times has reported that NUFC has issued a statement from the board that NUFC is for sale for £100million.

"The board of Newcastle United can today confirm that the club is for sale at the price of £100million. Interested parties should contact Newcastle United at admin@nufc.co.uk (or Keith Harris at Seymour Pierce) for further details. The club will not be making any further comment at the present time."

We hope that this sale goes through quickly, because right now we are approximately 1 month behind other championship clubs in preparing for the new season ahead. But at £100million, would any consortiums be interested in us, considering that other championship clubs can be purchased for less. We do hope that Mike Ashley would stop driving the club into the ground and complete the sale quickley. Even if he sells the club at a lower price.

Comments Welcome.

Shearer to take over West Brom - What?

News of the World has reported that Shearer is the favourite candidate to replace Tony Mowbray at West Bromwich Albion.

Currently, Tony Mowbray is in pole position for the Celtic job, vacated by Gordon Strachan on the 25th of May. And NOTW has reported that once Tony Mowbray is confirmed as Celtic's manager, negotiations will begin with Alan Shearer. NUFC will not receive any compensation as Shearer is no longer contracted to the club. This means that if discussions between WBA and Shearer go well, Shearer may be the manager of WBA in less than 2 weeks.

We hope this piece of news is not true, but with Mike Ashley ruining the club with his antics and a sale of the club that would only be completed by the middle of July at its earliest, we have to expect the worst. No manager is bigger than the club, but without Shearer, who are our viable options? Martinez would be highly likely to take over at Wigan, and besides that there aren't any managers that would do great at Newcastle. Or maybe a return for JFK?

Comments Welcome.