Some may say, including me, that Mike Ashley has made a string of egotistical decisions whilst in ownership of the club and although we can criticise this, has it actually been to the detriment of the club? He inherited large debts from the former running of the club and the monetary shamble The Toon could have ended up in was avoided through Mike Ashley’s investment. The long-sighted, the long term, the objective fan may well allow Ashley his advertising campaign at Newcastle United because he may see it as a just reward for the purchase of the club that saved it from turmoil. It is a view I can accept and can advocate willingly.
The departure of Andy Carroll, Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Jose Enrique saw the club bring in in excess of £40m and their replacements, including the much-praised Yohan Cabaye and club top-scorer Demba Ba, were assembled for less than a quarter of that. It was labelled as “having failed to replace” when the season began, but now Newcastle are sitting pretty in a CL spot it is earning the tag “shrewd” by the same media outlet, The Guardian.
Ultimately, Newcastle are acting wisely; Derek Llambias announced little under a month ago that United have cut their annual losses from £37.7m in 2008/09 to £4.7m last season and he fully expects The Toon to “be close to breaking even,” this season. The recent revelation of changing the name of St James’ Park is in a bid to attract investors into buying naming rights and if it brings in £10m a season, Llambias points out that it “will give (Newcastle) another player,” every year.
Most importantly however, it sees the club move into line with Uefa’s financial fair play rules which are set to implement in the 2013/14 season and limit clubs to spending within their means. The rules also allows Uefa to prevent clubs from participating in their competitions if they do not abide and with Newcastle United attempting to return to European football, Ashley’s egotistical, yet financially sound plans, no longer seem like such a betrayal of tradition and legacy.
The club is riding the crest of a wave that could just as easily drown them in the return to the PL after the international break and therefore, the ties against the Manchester giants and Chelsea will need the full attention of the fans. The off-the-pitch happenings, whether supported or not, cannot be allowed to threaten what is a remarkable start to the season.
The shadowed news that Mike Ashley looks set to enhance Pardew’s muscle in the transfer window, on the back of their sensational start does everything to prove that success does come at a price, whether it is the short term acquisition of a player or the long term aim of securing the club’s future.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles like this visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.
A very sound summary of what is happening at Newcastle and this is the way it should be for all clubs. Fans have to be realistic and realize football is a business to make profit NOT A CHARITY!
UEFA’s move is long overdue and it will be very interesting to see the impact it may have.