A lot of Newcastle United fans have replied to a post from Craig Hope that includes a link to an article he has helped produce on why the Toon’s match with Liverpool might be moved to a neutral venue.
The Daily Mail reporter, along with Ian Herbert, claims that Liverpool’s final match of the season at St. James’ Park could be moved due to fears of crowds gathering to celebrate the end of Mike Ashley’s time in charge of the club.
They claim that Northumbria Police have flagged concerns about home fans gathering at St. James’ Park.
This is because of the #cans hashtag that has been trending on Twitter relating to the Toon’s potential takeover, though the piece also states that there are fears Liverpool supporters might make the trip as well.
This has drawn the attention of these Toon fans, who do not believe this report.
Are you confused by this report?
Yes
No
I believe this is a made up story…..
— Matthew Stephen Hurst (@1990msh1) June 2, 2020
Absolute nonsense ?
— Josh (@NotSoLocalHero) June 2, 2020
What a load of rubbish. So instead of watching the match on tv at home they are all going to stand outside the stadium instead?
— Graeme Cross (@GraemeCross1) June 3, 2020
This is ludicrous.
Most #nufc fans don’t even drink? #Cans— Craggles (@NUFCJunkie) June 2, 2020
Unbelievable, it’s a joke isn’t it?? Or do the police know it’s not getting announced until after final game, which I very doubt.?????
— ????WHITBY MAG ???? (@WhitbyNUFC) June 2, 2020
@CraigHope_DM you just make this nonsense up right? It’s because it’s Liverpools last game in a title winning season. Nothing to do with a few people tweeting #cans otherwise all our games would be neutral venues
— Rob Irvine (@RobIrvine14) June 2, 2020
Newcastle’s takeover is currently with the Premier League going through the required checks, though the Premier League’s chief executive Richard Masters claimed that there was no timescale for when this decision would be made.
So why is the end of the season suddenly significant?
Certainly, this has confused these Toon fans, who want to know why they would wait until the end of the season to celebrate if the takeover happens.
If the takeover happens why would we wait until the last game of the season to celebrate
— Dayle (@DayleBarron) June 2, 2020
I doubt the fans would wait until the last game of the season to celebrate, assuming it will happen before the last game
— Jack (@jchaytor16) June 2, 2020
The Premier League confirmed that the rest of the season would take place behind closed doors, but as many as six fixtures could be moved to neutral venues, including the Toon’s trip to the Etihad to face Manchester City, as well as this one against Liverpool.
However, what if the Premier League, first of all, accept the Toon’s takeover and then announce it before the Liverpool match – what is to stop Toon fans gathering to celebrate then?
It all seems rather strange, and it remains to be seen if this game with Liverpool is moved to a neutral venue.