Top-10 dreams have made way for relegation battle – what actually is United’s plan?
ments by Joe Dagrosa (inset) this week. The American investor’s Kapital Football Group are looking to close a deal for a European club and have a long-standing interest in Newcastle.
But he said that the pandemic and general deflation in football incomes meant they would expect a 25% reduction in prices quoted for clubs before Covid caused a realignment.
When Dagrosa returned to United to enquire about the price he was told it hadn’t changed, something he hinted when he told Offthepitch: “In the Premier League, for instance, we’d see a tendency in the second half of the season certainly start to return to some semblance of normalcy. That hasn’t happened.”
Ashley’s three options are: retain the club and risk his asset devaluing further, lower the price or look at options to force through the PIF sale. So far, all of his focus is on the third. ****
While United struggle on the field, Ashley remains out of the country pursuing business interests elsewhere.
The Magpies owner is in the Gulf at the moment and met the CEO of a Uae-based marketing group with interest in Saudi Arbia.
Mohammad A Baker, the deputy chairman of Gulf Marketing Group (GMG), wrote on Linkedin: “It was a pleasure to meet Mike Ashley, Founder and CEO of Fraser Group and owner of Newcastle United Football Club.
“Thank you for visiting us at Gulf Marketing Group.”
The GMG “introduces brands into the Middle East” and is understood to be a key partner of Nike in Saudi Arabia. Ashley’s interest in that growing market tallies with his desire to do business in Saudi Arabia – especially if the takeover can finally be pushed through.
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A decision is “imminent” in Amanda Staveley’s case against Barclays, according to the bank.
The financier (inset) is looking for £819million in damages, which prompted questions on whether she would then look to pursue a deal for Newcastle on her own.
But it’s understood that she would be unlikely to do that, even if she won full damages. Saudi Arabia and the Reuben Brothers are seen as key partners and the deal was structured “perfectly” to take the club forward, according to sources close to the consortium.
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Newcastle will face a battle to keep hold of Freddie Woodman, who spoke this week about wanting to play first team football when he returns from his spell at Swansea.
United have Karl Darlow and an increasingly restless Martin Dubravka – who wants to return to the side – in their first team squad but Woodman has made it clear he wants to keep playing.
Arsenal are one of the teams looking at Woodman, whose reputation is high after impressing through the England age groups.
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Ravel Morrison revealed this week that Newcastle United were desperate to sign him when he was forced out at West Ham.
A £500,000 offer was tabled when Sam Allardyce froze him out at the London Stadium – which Morrison confirmed this week. He said he had wanted to stay with the Hammers, who rejected the deal – sending him out on loan instead.
The former Middlesbrough loanee is now a free agent and hit the headlines when he spoke to Rio Ferdinand in a revealing podcast this week.
It is understood Alan Pardew was the driving force behind the transfer and convinced United’s board they could turn him into a £20 million player.
NOT for the first time, Newcastle United are in serious trouble. The fact that another deeply disappointing season is heading for a relegation battle, unless there is a dramatic response soon, is not really a surprise anymore.
A campaign that started reasonably brightly has seen optimism and hope faded away quickly and now with just 14 games left, those emotions have been replaced with anger and fear as the future is once again uncertain.
They should be all right in terms of staying up, but would you put your house on it? Absolutely not.
As Newcastle left the field at Stamford Bridge on Monday night there just seemed an air of inevitability about it all and this seems like an alltoo-familiar mess.
Each week that goes by, Steve Bruce seems to be firefighting and the only thing that changes is which explanation is reeled out to explain it all. As with everything else at United, it’s usually something everyone has already encountered before.
For all the talk of criticism from the media, pundits or even supporters on social media, some of the harshest words have actually come from within St James’ Park.
Both Bruce and influential defender Fabian Schar have used expletives to describe some performances this season. The head coach and his squad have not delivered what was spoken of last summer and it seems that they know it.
Was the top 10 ever realistic? Probably not but let’s go back to Bruce’s own words at the start of the campaign, pledging that the club was for something other than another 13th-placed finish.
“Now going forward we can’t just accept that. It’s not about finishing above six or seven teams,” said.
“We can’t be happy with 13th. It’s my job to make sure we try to be higher.”
On another occasion, he said: “If someone said at the start of the season (last season) ‘would you be happy to finish with seven teams below you?,’ we’d have taken that.
“But that’s not enough. We want to push for the top 10 on a regular basis and not look over our shoulders.”
Looking over our shoulders is exactly where we are going into the closing stages
he of the season.
Who would be a manager when it comes to talking expectations in the North East? Nobody wants to hear a David Moyes-esque summary of what the season holds like the Scot’s grim verdict on Sunderland’s final season in the top flight in 2017. But what should a manager say at Newcastle under the current ownership model though? Kevin Keegan knew he couldn’t deliver under Mike Ashley and walked. Chris Hughton described the club as a different place to the Entertainers era and was eventually sacked.
Alan Pardew got Newcastle into Europe and set the bar too high for himself, Steve Mcclaren muddled through before being shown the door while Rafa Benitez said it would be “miracle” to stay afloat under the current regime.
Bruce has improved the club’s cup record and kept Newcastle out of the bottom three since October 2019 and for that he received some credit.
But even then the Magpies are struggling to serve up anything close to what was mentioned back in July when the season kicked off in earnest.
Heading into tonight’s game away to a Manchester United side desperate to revive their fading title hopes, Newcastle have managed to win seven games from a possible 24, not even a third.
For a team now in their fourth season since promotion, relegation shouldn’t be on the minds of any fan with March just around corner.
There’s no doubt that Covid, the congested manner of the campaign and injuries have played a part in their decline but over the course of a season, every team has
We want to push for the top 10 on a regular basis and not look over our
shoulders Magpies head coach Steve Bruce earlier
this season
the
either suffered already or will run into problems. Newcastle aren’t special in that sense.
The main problem at St James’ Park this season has been uncertainty on tactics. There have been more shuffles than a deck of cards and it hasn’t helped.
We’ve watched Bruce and his coaching team try seven different formations in the Premier League so far.
Talk has been plentiful of ditching the five-man defence that Rafa Benitez often relied on, but still Newcastle have gone back to it 10 times this season. It’s not even retreating to go back to a winning formula as it has ended in victory just once.
A 4-4-2 formation has been Newcastle’s most successful system with three wins, while the recently introduced 4-3-1-2 formation has served up two wins already.
Those victories have coincided with the arrival of coach Graeme Jones so fans pray there is some hope moving forward.
Newcastle haven’t done themselves any favours either at times.
Putting aside that Callum Wilson (left) has hardly had any service yet still managed 10 goals, you just have to look at how Andy Carroll has been utilised this season.
The target man has made 18 appearances this season, many of them as sub, but not once have Newcastle really played to his strengths.
Dwight Gayle was handed his chance at Chelsea for the first time from the start on Monday, but barely got a kick and was pushed out wide.
The one player that has had a lot of opportunities is Joelinton, but how many times are United going to try to justify that huge price tag before accepting he needs serious help around him, either at the training ground or during games?
Bruce feels hard done by in terms of media criticism yet it feels like his advisors are doing him few favours by pointing out every scrap of negativity.
After the defeat to Manchester City on Boxing Day, straight after the accusations of hysteria, the head coach was reminded that he was not being judged on games against the Citizens, Liverpool, Man United, Chelsea or Spurs; it’s the games against teams in their own minileague which would matter.
If Newcastle had got things right on the field in key games such as Brighton at home, Sheffield United away, both Leeds fixtures and Crystal Palace at home, they would be safe now.
Going back to the uncertainty around tactics, at times it looks like the players haven’t grasped what is being asked of them or was the message conveyed by the coaching staff not clear enough.
Chelsea was another example of that as they were set up to prod and probe but ended up defending for their lives and were out of the game by half-time.
Are they confused by too much talk of playing the Benitez way? Bruce has brought it up repeatedly in the press. He even referred to his predecessor as the “Mighty Rafa” recently as more questions were asked about the team’s direction.
There should be no excuses after £35 million was spent last summer, with the arrival of Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser, Jeff Hendrick and Jamal Lewis all arriving. Bruce has also had time and patience from those above at boardroom level.
Newcastle should not be in a situation like this, they should not be fourthbottom and clinging on to survival by their fingertips.
Instead, the same tired, old excuses keep coming. Covid, injuries, hysteria and a suggestion that the players were brainwashed into Benitez’s style of play, we’ve had it all.
It may sound like a crazy idea, but executing a solid game plan and leaving Old Trafford with a point or more on the board might just attract a few positive headlines.
TARGETS AND TACTICS CHANGE BUT MAGPIES’ SURVIVAL STRUGGLES REMAIN SAME AS EVER