Ok Newcastle fans, a question.

[ghostrider]

We all understand the dislike for Ashley and Charnley and co.
Many fans would be as happy as all hell if he walked away, leaving the club financially stable but at least gone from it and never to return or have any influence over it from that time.

I think this would be the consensus from most, right?

Ok then, on that note, what would each fan like to see happen from that point on. I'll give a few pointers but add your own unique wants, hopes, dreams or expectations, just so we can gauge and argue points (in a civilised sort of way) as to a real sense of what would be more viable for the NOW and for the next few decades as a minimum.

Here's what I think would be best to worst scenario.

1. A sheikh or equivalent money no object owner who comes in and sets out the stall for the club, with whatever top manager and crew in place to go for an immediate rags to riches story and catapulting the club into the higher reaches of the premier league, battling it out with the other money no object clubs.

The Good.
Very simple. We have a team of top quality players who will guarantee, or almost guarantee the entertaining football we all crave and also the dream of winning trophies that we all aspire to.
We also do not have to worry about mercenaries destroying the club, because the club can replace as and when required, which leaves us all to enjoy what's put out on the pitch, where we don't give a crap about advertising or what goes on behind the scenes in terms of club finances, because they are now, irrelevant to us.

The bad
We become expectant and even over expectant to the point where a trophy is a requirement per season and possibly two, depending.
We also become plastic fans to those outside of this elite set of teams, regardless of whether any of us argue to the opposite.
That's it really.

The ugly
If it all goes teets up and the Sheikh gets bored, he may leave but still leave the club financially stable.
However, where do we go from there if another equal like minded super rich owner doesn't take over?
It would potentially leave us with a super borrower that is dependent on success or an owner that runs the club back to the level of what the club can realistically afford to sustain itself, from within.

We all know what the super borrower can do in terms of sounding the death knell, but the owner that runs it from within could run a sustainable club...except, it may not play up against the elites and will have to live on hard work and astute management/coaching of ... by now, lesser quality player additions that have to be moulded.


Although it appears like I'm showing one extreme to another in terms of having to pay for success at some stage, I'm really only giving out scenarios for people to look at and decide what would be an option for them.

Realistically speaking ...and the way football has sold itself to the devil ... I would literally opt for the Sheikh, as it stands, bearing in mind that Ashley's walked.
You see, I want exciting football and I want a club that gives me something to get excited about on the bigger stages, seeing how we want to play at the low end of it....or to put it plainly...we, as one of many also ran clubs, just want to be in the race behind the elites, just because.

I'm not having the just because if I have the opportunity to have more from it.


BUT....and think on what I'm saying.
I also want the club to end up back to where it was, should the Sheikh business all fall flat in a decade or two, even if I have to shrug and know that it'll be a long long time before it ever happened again...if ever at all.

As it stands right now, I'd rather be a fan in the lower leagues with this club, if I thought for one minute that all we can expect against the super rich elite clubs, is the scraps from the floor.

What I'm wishing for will totally destroy the club as a real down to Earth working persons club, but sentiment is not something that I'm going to worry about too much if the Sheikh like owner saunters into town.
I'm going to enjoy what's on the pitch as much as I can, whether it's right now under this regime, whilst not worrying about scrapings, or I'm going to enjoy seeing skilful mercenaries kissing the badge until they leave after not getting the expected gold sprinkled birthdays cake.

You get my meaning.

If football's going to go as stupid as it is with no let up, then let Ashley hand the club over to the know nothing about football, all spending owners, to bring in the 300 million players on 1 million a week and fill the country with black and white shirts with a world of black and white fans that were all Newcastle fans all their lives but didn't have a shirt at the time to prove it.

Walk down the street with your Newcastle top on and people will see you as a genuine fan.
Do it after the fantasy kicks in and remember, you're a plastic to the outsider, no matter how much you protest or how many years you suffered under many owners and managers.


There's my thoughts and potentials.

My absolute down to Earth reality would be to have a club that produces players that are idolised and adored and who see themselves as adopted Geordies and who do not hold the club to ransom as well as giving their all on the pitch for the good of the entire club/city and all fans of it.
I think the closest we ever got to that since the 50's was Keegan's first stint as manager.
Unfortunately we had to suffer for it and is basically in with what I said earlier on.

For every action there has to be an equal and opposite reaction.

[waalsendmick]

all I want is the club I love to operate and compete at a level it is capable of operating and competing at.

for that to happen, the commercial side of the club would need to maximise it's incoming revenue, to fund and match the ambition of the football side.

so, if as ash said, every available penny will be made available, I would like the club to make more pennies available by actually running the commercial business correctly, instead of being a free placard for sports direct.

I don't care who owns the football club, I just want whoever owns it, to do it with dignity and integrity.

if our football club owner has 2 major businesses (Mr Ashley has quite a few actually) then, I don't mind the football club being used to better the other business, as long as that is reciprocated.

Newcastle United has never ever benefited from sports direct, but the opposite cannot be said.

I ask our owner, to, balance the books correctly, not selectively.

EDIT - I don't know if that answers your question, because I couldn't be arsed to read the whole thing.

[ex_pat_magpie]

This. Many times over. Especially the dignity and integrity.

[Jammy89]

Good read both of you.

I think Mick sails closer to what i want as well.

Although as you say ghost, a sheikh wouldn't be worst thing

[ghostrider]

all I want is the club I love to operate and compete at a level it is capable of operating and competing at.

for that to happen, the commercial side of the club would need to maximise it's incoming revenue, to fund and match the ambition of the football side.

so, if as ash said, every available penny will be made available, I would like the club to make more pennies available by actually running the commercial business correctly, instead of being a free placard for sports direct.

I don't care who owns the football club, I just want whoever owns it, to do it with dignity and integrity.

if our football club owner has 2 major businesses (Mr Ashley has quite a few actually) then, I don't mind the football club being used to better the other business, as long as that is reciprocated.

Newcastle United has never ever benefited from sports direct, but the opposite cannot be said.

I ask our owner, to, balance the books correctly, not selectively.

EDIT - I don't know if that answers your question, because I couldn't be arsed to read the whole thing.

Nope, it doesn't really answer it because you're being pretty vague with what you're asking for.

You're tending to sway to an argument about Ashley rather than going into a bit of detail about the alternative as to what you would be more than happy with.

I basically want to know your entire acceptance of what kind of owner and what you know the owner can do with this club against what football has turned into.

Be a bit more in depth but do it in terms of Ashley and co gone and having zero input from that point.

[ghostrider]

This. Many times over. Especially the dignity and integrity.

It's fine having dignity and integrity but it doesn't solve any real issues to be fair, in terms of what I'm asking.

[ghostrider]

Good read both of you.

I think Mick sails closer to what i want as well.

Although as you say ghost, a sheikh wouldn't be worst thing

Aye.
I mean, look at the situation as it stands and also remember the postcode we operate under.
It all plays a major role in what we can accept or have to accept as opposed to what we would like to dream of and what potential owner could guarantee them.

[waalsendmick]

I want what I said, whether it's Ashley or the man in the moon. lime I said, I don't care who owns NUFC.

The only reason I refer to Ashley or sports direct is, that is the example we have to work with.

I made it pretty clear what I want.

demanding £100m signings and trophies is delusional, because as a 45 yr old TOON fan, I've never witnessed that.

I want the club I love to give it's best shot using ALL possible / realistic resources.

I want the club I love to be as committed and passionate as I am.

[HertfordshireGeordie]

Pretty simple - I want a team that can compete for a trophy every single year. That either means change the rules so that everyone is on a level playing field when it comes to how much money each team can spend (never gonna happen), or get an owner in here that puts wins ahead of profits.

[toptoon]

I think that the club and team that we would want ideally isn´t possible to have any more because the league has changed so much recently. If your owner doesn´t have money to burn then you´re not going to have any sustained success. I think the most we can hope for is to follow the footsteps of Leicester who appeared from nowhere to win the league.

I have to remain quiet at the moment because I´ve been calling for us to get a decent manager for years. I could never understand why the call was always to spend on players when our manager was sh*t - surely a good manager who can improve the performance of all of the individuals in a squad and the team is worth his weight in gold. Well, we´ve got one now.

I don´t rate Ranieri as a top, top manager but the stars aligned for him at leicester and I hope they do for us. One things for sure, spending wads on players doesn´t guarantee success and if fat lad had just opened up another 30-40 million then I think we´d have been on course to make a good start. We might with what we have too although it´s less likely.

Move over Mike, sell up, and go and sponsor another team.