[Archived] Big Fat Sam

[USABlue]

No.

By using the term 'British', this, to me means Scottish or Welsh. Had he meant English, I'm sure he would have just said English.

I'm affraid I fear the worst.

Thanks.

That's sort of what I was getting at. So who is this owner of Newcastle, could have sworn he was a Yank, guess not. I can't keep up it seems

[SouthAussieRover]

Thanks.

That's sort of what I was getting at. So who is this owner of Newcastle, could have sworn he was a Yank, guess not. I can't keep up it seems

He's an English billionaire apparently:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ashley_(businessman)

Isn't one of his chains responsible for the wonderful merchandise in the club shop?

[neekoy]

I don't have any fear of Hughes going...

Newcastle are a massive club, they will probably get Mourinho i'd say or some one of equal stature and quality, probably Mclown

[LDRover]

How on earth can you be that sure?

Hughes strikes me as an intelligent man who is waiting for an offer from a stable club, with a board that stick by their manager. He'd be a fool to go to Newcastle.

Fair points, however we all know that Hughes will not be with us ad infinitum, he wants the Man United job. My own opinion is that he will never get that job leaving him few other options to 'further' his career at a bigger club with financial muscle. Liverpool will never go for him, Wenger won't be leaving Arse in a hurry and Grant is just a few months in at Chelsea. That leaves West Ham (no chance), Spurs (new boss just in) and Newcastle in the next tier of clubs with serious money and therefore CL qualification potential.

I also think as I stated earlier that he has gone as far as he can at Rovers, I've seen no discernible improvement on the pitch this term (or last for that matter) and the silence from the boardroom is deafening in regard to transfer funds. He may be a fool to go to Newcastle but maybe he'd be a fool to offer up a chance that he may never get again given the malaise currently around Ewood.

[JAL]

I also think as I stated earlier that he has gone as far as he can at Rovers, I've seen no discernible improvement on the pitch this term (or last for that matter) and the silence from the boardroom is deafening in regard to transfer funds. He may be a fool to go to Newcastle but maybe he'd be a fool to offer up a chance that he may never get again given the malaise currently around Ewood.

You've got to question Hughes at this moment in time we dont look like we are moving forward but things can change quickly in football but looking at more talentless South Africans (Davids) doesnt fill me with hope for the future.The coventry game was coming after some of the past two months performances.

[Olveres]

I don't have any fear of Hughes going...

Newcastle are a massive club, they will probably get Mourinho i'd say or some one of equal stature and quality, probably Mclown

Newcastle are a massive club? Really? On what basis are Newcastle a massive club?

Their history? In that case Huddersfield Town are a massive club!

Their on field success of recent years? Oh there hasn't been any! If that's the bench mark we're a massive club too.

Their crowds? Granted they sell out most home games but what a fickle bunch the fans are, why don't they look at the most successful clubs in the Premiership (apart from Chelsea), Man Utd and Arsenal have stuck with their managers and it's paid off big time, Newcastle go through managers the way a hooker goes through punters.

The players they attract? From where I'm setting every "good" player anywhere else ends up at St. James Park and in no time develops into at best an "average" player.

In my opinion Everton are a bigger club, as are Villa.

Any manager with half a brain wouldn't go near the Newcastle job. I hope the only person willing is McClaren and he takes them down next season. I can but hope. Newcastle are a representation of what's wrong with a lot of clubs: success takes time but the wait is usually worth it. They may have been waiting a long time but it may happen. They blew it the season they lost the 12 point lead of Man Utd and how differently the Premiership might have developed had they held that lead.

[rovers1993]

newcastle arn't a big club anymore but they do have the potential to be a massive club.... maybe that is why players and managers are attracted to them because they have the potential to be as big as man utd, barca or anyone in that instance.

[Blackburn Ender]

If Newcastle are saying they will go through the proper channels, that surely means their target is in a job right now.

So, no Mourinho, McClaren, Klinsmann, Shearer.

But Redknapp and Hughes fit the bill.

[bubblerrovers]

Sorry but Newcastle are a massive club if they got near the top of the league they'd attract over 60k if the ground was big enough we'd struggle to get 25k so in my eyes they are a bigger club, more fans more money better team bigger club. MH might fancy a new challenge if can work magic with Newcastle would become a legend and be front runner for the Man Utd job which we all know he wants eventually, never guna move there strait from ewood. MH has taken the club as far as he can with no money. If he goes it's the board and trusties fault for not finding a new owner in the summer. I mean if Coventry and QPR can get new men in what hell is going on???

[Olveres]

Sorry but Newcastle are a massive club if they got near the top of the league they'd attract over 60k if the ground was big enough we'd struggle to get 25k so in my eyes they are a bigger club, more fans more money better team bigger club. MH might fancy a new challenge if can work magic with Newcastle would become a legend and be front runner for the Man Utd job which we all know he wants eventually, never guna move there strait from ewood. MH has taken the club as far as he can with no money. If he goes it's the board and trusties fault for not finding a new owner in the summer. I mean if Coventry and QPR can get new men in what hell is going on???

Hmmm better team: Blackburn 3 Newcastle United 1

[RoyRover]

The job at Newcastle is a poisoned chalice. I don't know what the club expected from Sam in his first season in charge. The team have been a complete shambles for years now and the only reason that they are still in the Premiership is because of Shay Given. I think that the fans had even come to terms with the idea that they are a club with a huge stadium and fans that fill it but that they were going to spend some time being an ordinary side before Sam could make an impact on the team. It's a club going nowhere, with the people running it expecting instant success and that isn't going to happen when you have been as crap as they have been for so long.

[Nelsta]

I'm sorry but Newcastle are not a big club.If you look at there history they have won the same amount of trophies as us.In recent history however they have won sod all.

And the basis why people think they are a big club is crowd size.Fair enough they get 50 odd thousand now.Where as we get around 20 thousand.But on this i would say we have concistently had a crowd of this size regardless of what league we are in..Where as Newcastle in lower leagues at times struggled to get 7 thousand.

Newcastle are just lucky to be based in a city with a lot of people.

[Olveres]

I'm sorry but Newcastle are not a big club.If you look at there history they have won the same amount of trophies as us.In recent history however they have won sod all.

And the basis why people think they are a big club is crowd size.Fair enough they get 50 odd thousand now.Where as we get around 20 thousand.But on this i would say we have concistently had a crowd of this size regardless of what league we are in..Where as Newcastle in lower leagues at times struggled to get 7 thousand.

Newcastle are just lucky to be based in a city with a lot of people.

Exactly. We're surrounded by a lot more teams than Newcastle too who will attract people to them so you'll have Blackburn fans from Bolton and vice-versa. I even met a Burnley fan born and bred in Blackburn which I found rather disturbing. He was about 80 odd though to be fair. Newcastle don't have any other big teams around them who might draw people to them and no one from Newcastle's going to be a Sunderland fan are they?

Until they're prepared to give a manager a few years they'll never achieve anything. If anything they'd be advised to appoint a manager with some charisma, they always seem to do better when they have a charismatic manager, e.g. Keegan, Gullit. Dour managers don't last long at all: Dalglish, Souness, Allardyce.

[philipl]

There is an age difference on here.

The youngsters think Newcastle, Keegan and 52,000 gates.

The more seasoned think anonymous club trolling in the 2nd division for a decade or more with crowds from low teens to low 20s. No different to Leicester, Coventry, Wolves, Stoke, Sheffield Wednesday etc now.

[Craigman]

http://www.oddschecker.com/football/footba...rmanent-manager

I don't like the look of the odds on Mark Hughes, they have been shortening for a while this morning.

[LeftWinger]

http://www.oddschecker.com/football/footba...rmanent-manager

I don't like the look of the odds on Mark Hughes, they have been shortening for a while this morning.

Neither do I. If Redknapp turns them down - it could get messy. We either find money to back Hughes from somewhere - or we lose him I think.

[RevidgeBlue]

There is an age difference on here.

The youngsters think Newcastle, Keegan and 52,000 gates.

The more seasoned think anonymous club trolling in the 2nd division for a decade or more with crowds from low teens to low 20s. No different to Leicester, Coventry, Wolves, Stoke, Sheffield Wednesday etc now.

That was then and this is now. Using the same analogy we'd be a Club trolling round the old 2nd and 3rd Divisions for a quarter of a century with gates of 3k to 7k.

[den]

The sports editor from the local newspaper, said on SSN that he thought it was between two people, - Rednapp and Hughes. Rednapp says this morning that he's heard nothing from Newcastle and that he's recently turned down a massive club and he's happy at portsmouth.

So who does that leave?

[Nelsta]

On setanta news they said if not Redknapp the outside fave is Jol.

[RevidgeBlue]

So who does that leave?

And if Hughes were to leave, who of any calibre would want to come to us now with no transfer budget to work with?

Oh well, I suppose Steve Cotterill is still available.

[philipl]

For Hughes, the crunch is:

Does he want to risk the very high chances of the NUFC career deathknell or is he in a bind at Rovers? Which is the better stepping stone to MUFC? More to the point would it be possible to get out of Newcastle to go to MUFC?

Dalglish, Keegan, Gullit, Souness all effectively saw their careers end at Newcastle. Robson would have liked to continue and Roeder went to Norwich where he is doing a surprisingly good job. BFS is damaged goods now. Is Hughes a better manager than any of those?

Ashley/Mort are not showing any steadier hand than Hall/Shephard

For the Rovers board and Trustees, if Sparky is a Newcastle target:

There are folks on here suggesting Sparky has gone as far as he can with Rovers and is losing his way in the way he eventually lost his way at Wales. Do they think the same?

If a new Manager comes in, they have to find money for his backroom staff and new signings.

Should they make money available to Hughes to head off the risk of his departure? Can they head off his departure or would Sparky spend the money and go anyway making sure of his legacy which at the moment stands at Rovers 1 Coventry 4 (on the you are only as good as your last gig principle)?

[1864roverite]

Sorry but Newcastle are a massive club if they got near the top of the league they'd attract over 60k if the ground was big enough we'd struggle to get 25k so in my eyes they are a bigger club, more fans more money better team bigger club. MH might fancy a new challenge if can work magic with Newcastle would become a legend and be front runner for the Man Utd job which we all know he wants eventually, never guna move there strait from ewood. MH has taken the club as far as he can with no money. If he goes it's the board and trusties fault for not finding a new owner in the summer. I mean if Coventry and QPR can get new men in what hell is going on???

utter rubbish !

NUFC are only a massive club in the City of Newcastle, outside of that area they are a despised ramshackle of a football club. They may have 52000 fans on matchdays buit what else is there to do ? Go shopping, watch Hexham Town ?

I will quantify what Newcastle United are in one short sentence.

They are more entertaining than the muppet show !!!

[tcj_jones]

Fair points, however we all know that Hughes will not be with us ad infinitum, he wants the Man United job. My own opinion is that he will never get that job leaving him few other options to 'further' his career at a bigger club with financial muscle. Liverpool will never go for him, Wenger won't be leaving Arse in a hurry and Grant is just a few months in at Chelsea. That leaves West Ham (no chance), Spurs (new boss just in) and Newcastle in the next tier of clubs with serious money and therefore CL qualification potential.

I also think as I stated earlier that he has gone as far as he can at Rovers, I've seen no discernible improvement on the pitch this term (or last for that matter) and the silence from the boardroom is deafening in regard to transfer funds. He may be a fool to go to Newcastle but maybe he'd be a fool to offer up a chance that he may never get again given the malaise currently around Ewood.

Those are fair points and I agree with most of what you say. I was challanging more your seeming certainty that Hughes would accept an offer - it appeared as if you might know something that the rest of us didn't.

Most of all, I agree that Hughes will never get the United job while he is at Rovers and needs to win trophies elsewhere in order to be in contention. However, I stand by my belief that he is too sensible to go to a club like Newcastle, who have a record of doing anything but standing by their manager.

Maybe Hughes will look abroad to further his career?

EDIT: Whether he is their first choice or not, I feel that Jol will become the new Newcastle manager. I just hope that the poor guy gets more than eight months to turn things around.

[LeftWinger]

For Hughes, the crunch is:

Does he want to risk the very high chances of the NUFC career deathknell or is he in a bind at Rovers? Which is the better stepping stone to MUFC? More to the point would it be possible to get out of Newcastle to go to MUFC?

He has to consider how long Fergie will go on for. I'd suggest at least another 2 seasons after this - and can Hughes prevent Rovers falling behind the clubs with the money in that time.

[philipl]

That was then and this is now. Using the same analogy we'd be a Club trolling round the old 2nd and 3rd Divisions for a quarter of a century with gates of 3k to 7k.

Now is also Rovers winning silverware and Newcastle not.

Today is Rovers 9th, Newcastle 11th and both clubs playing badly.