Poll Newcastle takeover

[rurikbird]

Just a little poll for my information: in a hypothetical case if it was LFC rather than Newcastle being sold to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign state fund, would you as a fan be OK with it? I framed it as a yes/no question without any gray areas because I think in reality there aren’t any - once your being bought, you’re not in a position to dictate conditions and moral standards and any illusions to the contrary are just a way of talking yourself into acceptance. So yes or no to Bin Salman owning LFC?

 

[kingjulian]

The answer to this question depends on how competent our current owners are ...

So far they have not shown a reason to suspect that they are not...so I can drum up the moral standards and say no.

If you asked me towards the end of G&H period, the answer would have been a resounding yes.

 

[rurikbird]

So let’s say if the current owners are FSG you would say no, but if it’s Hicks/Gillette you might say yes?

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

I'd get over it, it's nice to have good owners, but at the end of the day, I'd rather win than not win, and more money helps you do that.

 

[darkstarexodus]

So let’s say if the current owners are FSG you would say no, but if it’s Hicks/Gillette you might say yes?

That's about where I stand.

I would regretfully accept oil money if that was the only route to success but as present I can't see a need to take that path.

I enjoy holding the moral high ground but not at all costs.

 

[rurikbird]

That's about where I stand.

I would regretfully accept oil money if that was the only route to success but as present I can't see a need to take that path.

I enjoy holding the moral high ground but not at all costs.

Honestly, I think Newcastle fans are going from the frying pan into the fire. Ashley is the worst owner currently in the EPL, but at least he didn't kill anyone (as far as we know); this association might do the club more long-term damage than Ashley ever could. There is always another option.

 

[Hansern]

A bit of topic, but the new owners appaz want Benitez back as manager.

 

[Frogfish]

Honestly, I think Newcastle fans are going from the frying pan into the fire. Ashley is the worst owner currently in the EPL, but at least he didn't kill anyone (as far as we know); this association might do the club more long-term damage than Ashley ever could. There is always another option.

So where then do Saudi Arabia stand in relation to say Russian owners or other Middle Eastern owners?

 

[juniormember]

Honestly, I think Newcastle fans are going from the frying pan into the fire. Ashley is the worst owner currently in the EPL, but at least he didn't kill anyone (as far as we know); this association might do the club more long-term damage than Ashley ever could. There is always another option.

What kind of long term damage would it do to them?

 

[gkmacca]

Aside from the corrupt and disgusting regime aspect of it, I don't want Newcastle to have lots of money and start being successful. It would be like a luckless sitcom character winning the lottery. It would wreck the comedy.

 

[Dreambeliever]

It’s without doubt a no.

Newcastle are going to become the best team in the world.

They will be over 50 times richer than anyone else.

 

[StevieM]

It’s without doubt a no.

Newcastle are going to become the best team in the world.

They will be over 50 times richer than anyone else.

I’m not so sure it’ll be that easy even with all that money.

It’ll take £££billions and years for them to have an impact.

I guess they might save some money and speed things up if they invite people to attend transfer negotiations at their local Saudi Embassy.

 

[MomoWASright]

It’s great having all that money but who the fuck would willingly move up to Newcastle? It’s fucking miserable.

 

[Mamma Mia]

It would be fucking great if they came second for a couple of years while we win titles.

Just for the Fume lols

 

[MomoWASright]

I could live with that

 

[FoxForceFive]

This ties in with some worrying noises from journos about FFP being removed for a few years in order to allow club owners to pump money into clubs, primarily to offset losses following the pandemic, but obv richer clubs can just buy whoever the fuck they want.

 

[tombrown]

This ties in with some worrying noises from journos about FFP being removed for a few years in order to allow club owners to pump money into clubs, primarily to offset losses following the pandemic, but obv richer clubs can just buy whoever the fuck they want.

S'OK - City are banned from Europe and Newcastle wont qualify, so they'll struggle to attract the really top names; they'll may get the players to get them into top 4, then FFP will be re-enacted and they'll stick

 

[Mors]

If they do take over newcastle, then surely they'll use exactly the same swerves as cheaty and psg to get round ffp. I'd fully expect them to have the Saudi new oil aramco as their shirt sponsor within the first 12months, and they'll say that 500mill a year is market rate for newcastle shirt sponsor, even if fun88 are currently giving them about a fiver, and didn't they have wonga on it before that?

 

[gkmacca]

I’m not so sure it’ll be that easy even with all that money.

It’ll take £££billions and years for them to have an impact.

Not it won't. Look at Wolves. The right contacts, lots more money, and they're off. Add much more money, and the barcodes would be flying.

There will be fat-gutted bald-headed Geordies declaring they're kings of the world after about three months. They're too excitable to be given such power, and such hope.

Look at the last time, when Keegan was there, they did okay-ish for a season (no better than us, really, except they immediately dubbed themselves 'The Entertainers') - and, despite not winning anything, they immediately started talking about how there would be a European super league and how they'd be at the top of it, blah blah blah. Geordies are either flouncing out at the 70 minute mark, utterly dejected because they're a goal down, or else crowing over the whole football world like deluded evil geniuses because they've won a few games. They should be kept well away from success, for their sake as well as ours.

 

[StevieM]

Not it won't. Look at Wolves. The right contacts, lots more money, and they're off. Add much more money, and the barcodes would be flying.

There will be fat-gutted bald-headed Geordies declaring they're kings of the world after about three months. They're too excitable to be given such power, and such hope.

Look at the last time, when Keegan was there, they did okay-ish for a season (no better than us, really, except they immediately dubbed themselves 'The Entertainers') - and, despite not winning anything, they immediately started talking about how there would be a European super league and how they'd be at the top of it, blah blah blah. Geordies are either flouncing out at the 70 minute mark, utterly dejected because they're a goal down, or else crowing over the whole football world like deluded evil geniuses because they've won a few games. They should be kept well away from success, for their sake as well as ours.

Remind me what Wolves have won or been remotely close to winning?

Newcastle didn’t win anything the last time they had a half decent team either.

I’m sure their fans will get all deluded about what might happen and I’d expect a few hundred million and a decent manager might get them knocking on the top 6 door - but it’ll probably take a lot more than that to sustain a top 4 position given the competition.

 

[gkmacca]

Remind me what Wolves have won or been remotely close to winning?

.

Remind when I replied to any statement other than 'have an impact'?

 

[StevieM]

Remind when I replied to any statement other than 'have an impact'?

Perhaps I might have been clearer by “Impact”.

I was replying to Dreamie suggesting they would be the “best team in the world” - that sort of impact - which I presume means winning Leagues and European trophies.

I agree entirely with you that they could do “a Wolves” very quickly - but that isn’t what I meant.

 

[tomasjj]

I like Newcastle.
I met some lovely girls from there, mind that was in Liverpool.

 

[Donavan Ried]

With the pandemic and everything could be that the oil rich teams are going to make some real head way in the next couple of years has their cash flow will not take a hit

 

[Rosco]

A bit of topic, but the new owners appaz want Benitez back as manager.

Well he did his best to pave the way for them in Liverpool so he's owed a favour.

They won't even mind that Steve Bruce has had Newcastle higher in the league than Rafa ever did.

 

[mark1975]

It’s without doubt a no.

Newcastle are going to become the best team in the world.

They will be over 50 times richer than anyone else.

Good that we can always rely on you for the most exaggerated, over the top response.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

@Dreambeliever - x10, not x50.

Considering where we are on the list, it says a LOT about our manager, our recruitment policy etc

 

[Hansern]

The new Newcastle owner will be the 4th richest though, with £8B.

 

[Brizzle]

If it means Newcastle bumping United or Arsenal further down the pecking order I think that would be hilarious. Or if they even become the new home for those after a payday rather than Man City.

 

[rurikbird]

What kind of long term damage would it do to them?

Hard to say specifically before it happened, but let's take LFC as an example. What makes this club special, what attracts people like Klopp and some of the best players in the world is something that can be loosely defined as values – what this club stands for, what it represents, in good times and in bad. This has been commodified to some extent ("This means more" etc), but it only works because it is true or at least because a large number of people (including those on the inside) believe it to be so.

Suppose this club is taken over by literally the worst person you can imagine, someone whose whole purpose in buying it is to subvert the values of your club and the goodwill built by all its history to fit an justify his sinister agenda. If this association is short and fleeting, it probably won't do too much long-term damage – but the longer it lasts, the more the cognitive dissonance between your stated values and the reality will grow. Loyal fans will try to turn a blind eye to it and downplay it as long as possible, but at some point everyone will still be faced with a choice: defend the indefensible or turn against their own club. Look at Man City – their fans have been driven to their bonkers, conspiratorial state despite having objectively the greatest team in the history of the club to enjoy. Instead, they think the world is against them, a clear sign of the cognitive dissonance in action (they don't want to make the choice, so they have to invent third parties to blame and deflect, logic and facts be damned). And for all their on-the-pitch success, there is a reason why Etihad is half-empty and quiet – not enough fans feel this is genuinely their team; they treat it like consumers – basking in the good moments and totally disappearing at the first sign of trouble.

The difference here is that for all their arrogance and corruption, City's Qatari owners are far from the worst people or owners in the world, whereas Bin Salman and his regime come close to that description. I think Newcastle's moment of reckoning will come much sooner and in a sharper focus than it ever did for Man City or Chelsea fans. Soon they might wish for the good old Mike Ashley again.