Championship 2009-10

Post by **PeteC** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:03 am

Singapore group plans Magpies bid

Mike Ashley is willing to sell for £100m - £34.4m less than he paid for the club

A Singapore-based group which includes former Liverpool midfielder Steve McMahon is ready to table a bid for Newcastle, BBC Sport has learned.

The Profitable Group claims that it would keep Alan Shearer on as manager if successful.
However, Newcastle say they are yet to be contacted by the group.

Current owner Mike Ashley put the club up for sale for £100m following the Magpies' relegation from the Premier League last season.

Keith Harris, chairman of investment bank Seymour Pierce, has been appointed to broker a deal, which he expects to be completed by the end of June.
He said on Monday that he had already been in contact with "two or three" interested parties.

It sounds like interest is being roused from investors given the state of the club and the initial potential it could return to a viable and responsible owner.

The Profitable Group, for whom McMahon is commercial director, is the first company to declare its interest in public.

According to its official website, the group "exists to increase the wealth of its clients, its employees and its owners, through the provision of strategically selected investment opportunities."

BBC Sport's Gordon Farquhar said he had spoken to a representative of the group who said he had been a fan of the club for 40 years, and insisted they did mean business.
"He says they're absolutely serious and hope to have more news in the next couple of days, although they haven't spoken to Mike Ashley yet," he said.

"The group website names Kenny Dalglish as their UK operations advisor and former Liverpool midfielder Steve McMahon is a director.

"Their concept for the club involves hugely increasing supporter involvement through a trust system on the lines of that in place at Barcelona.

"Alan Shearer is their number one choice as manager, they'd look to increase capacity of St James' Park and put a footballing man in the boardroom."

Time is of the essence for Newcastle, who remain without a manager as they prepare for life in the Championship.

Shearer, who took charge of the Magpies on a temporary basis at the end of last season, has presented his future plans to Ashley, but the owner is unwilling to appoint a full-time manager because prospective buyers are likely to want to make their own appointment.

Season ticket-holders are due to receive their renewal notices this week, but many may be unwilling to commit themselves as long as the unpopular Ashley remains owner and fans' favourite Shearer is not guaranteed a job.

Post by **Big Boy** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:40 am

Pete,

I think you're getting confused again

The Champions league is contested by the best teams in Europe. Champions League and Newcastle don't really go together.

The second tier of the English league is known as the Championship - that's where Newcastle sit next season.

Post by **PeteC** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:12 am

Thanks BB. Mods, please change the thread title to "Championship 2009-10". Pete

Post by **Tony_S** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:09 pm

What do you get for your 100 million ??? yes the Stadium is Grand but what other assets are there ?? The players are overpayed (even for the Premiership) so will have to be sold off at huge losses.

If they appoint Alan Shearer (a manager with no experience and no tatical awareness....listen to him on MOD) then they will drop even further and maybe even be relegated.

This is not a carbon copy of Leeds but I think it will have a similar outcome.

Kaka's fee will be repaid but 100M for Newcastle is far in excess of its worth.

Post by **PeteC** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:31 pm

I guess the supporters a thinking with their hearts then rather than their brains as they seem to be demanding Shearer is retained.

Pete

Post by **Wanderlust** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:35 pm

Tony,
I don't know about that actually. The 100 million would be a fair price really, and the new owners would not be taking any loss on player sales, as they did not buy them in the first place; basically whatever they can get for some of them will be extra transfer funds available. Times will be tough for them, but once new ownership is in place the fans will be there every week in their thousands, buying replica shirts etc, and the (hopefully) lower wage bill will mean that the club could well become profitable again. They will also have the two years of Premier League parachute payments, which amount to a fair amount as well. The biggest problem is that I don't think Shearer is the man for the job; he might well keep the fans onside as he is such a legend, but his ability and experience as a manager must be questioned, and the last thing they need is to have to change managers again if he fails.

Post by **Tony_S** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:05 pm

Wanderlust wrote:I don't know about that actually. The 100 million would be a fair price really, and the new owners would not be taking any loss on player sales, as they did not buy them in the first place; basically whatever they can get for some of them will be extra transfer funds available.

The players will be on the balance sheet as 'Tangible Assets' and their value along with any 'Fixed Assets' ie.the Stadium is what the 100M valuation will be based on.

If a player is signed for 10M over 4 years then after 1 year he may be valued at 7.5M (2.5 reduction each year). If that player is sold for 2.5M then there is a loss to the club of 5M which will then reduce the value of the club.
My point was that the players are probably overvalued within that 100M valuation and when sold could represent a huge loss and therefore produce a big reduction in the balance sheet

Post by **caller** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:27 am

Shamelessly nicked from elsewhere, I bring you the new Newcastle away kit (wheres a drum roll when you need one!) -

I mean, sooooooo funny. They will win every away game as everyone else will be wetting themselves with laughter!

A true classic (not).

Post by **Tony_S** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:28 am

caller wrote:Shamelessly nicked from elsewhere, I bring you the new Newcastle away kit (wheres a drum roll when you need one!) -

I mean, sooooooo funny. They will win every away game as everyone else will be wetting themselves with laughter!

A true classic (not).

SHOCKING

Looks nearly as bad as Arsenals old away strip they had some years ago.

It must have been designed by some GAY guy

Post by **chelsea** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:57 pm

It must have been designed by some GAY guy

Well the team played like a bunch of poofters last year, so perhaps they all had an input.

Post by **Big Boy** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 1:23 am

Even the away kit normally has some connection with the club's colours - where has the yellow in Newcastle come from?

Post by **redzonerocker** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:12 am

Big Boy wrote:Even the away kit normally has some connection with the club's colours - where has the yellow in Newcastle come from?

the cowardly surrender by their players of their place in the premiership??

maybe chinatown right next door to st james park might have had an influence??

Post by **Big Boy** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:01 am

Former Plymouth manager Ian Holloway has at long last admitted that he was wrong. After a series of mistakes, Holloway is trying to clear his bad name at several Championship clubs before he returns with his new club, Blackpool this season.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/argyle/ ... ticle.html

To the clubs damaged by Holloway, Blackpool Football Club are now the arch-enemy - bring it on

Post by **BaaBaa.** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:13 pm

PLYMOUTH TAKEOVER

Post by **Big Boy** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 11:34 pm

I did mention it before, but on a different thread. It was one where we were discussing the future of USA football, and I mentioned the Japanese consortium ran the biggest youth academy in the States - LA Chelsea.

The intention being that Argyle becomes the front door to the UK for both Japanese Internationals and USA youths who are good enough to make the grade (the Japs were refused work permits last season).

The Japs will also be finishing the development of the ground, ready for when the Green Army join the elite of the Premiership in 2014 (according to the Japanese 5 year plan).

The only problem as I see it is that they are keeping on Paul Sturrock as manager. He's been a brilliant servant to the Green Army for many years, but Sturrock's health is not so good these days, which I believe resulted in some very poor decisions last season.

I've written this without reading BaaBaa's link yet - sorry if it's already been said