Newcastle United: damned again

By December 10 2010, 9:21 am 3 Comments
Tagged: , ,

Just when you think things are picking up Newcastle United shoot themselves in the foot again! Oh for a foreign owner, even an American one…..ok maybe not. Anyone would be better than the clown Mike Ashley, owner of Sports Direct, synonymous for cheap fast moving branded tat to dress the youth of the UK in tracksuits. The Newcastle brand had just recovered from the beating it received from Ashley sacking Geordie idol Kevin Keegan and being relegated. Now after previous manager Hughton gave us some pride back by beating our deadliest neighbours Sunderland 5-1 and Arsenal away 1-0 he is sacked with us in a respectable 11th . The reason? Not enough experience or trophies won. This despite having a better win record that much more experienced Sam Allardyce, Graeme Souness and Alan Shearer. The replacement? One of Mike Ashley’s Casino buddies, another of the cockney mafia loathed by Geordies, a monkey to Ashley’s organ grinder, a puppet to be controlled, unknown outside of east London, renowned for doing nothing of note at any club and having been sacked three times in three divisions, Alan Pardew. Who you may ask? Well precisely. His track record doesn’t speak for itself because there is nothing there. He has won nothing. He has minimal premier league experience and he hasn’t managed a premiership outfit for several years. Yet he has been given a 5.5 year contract. He knows none of the dressing room, he has no affinity with Newcastle. The fans are completely underwhelmed by him and plan protests to show their disgust. Possibly the first manager to be appointed without a honeymoon. Welcome to Hell Mr Pardew. Did Ashley enjoy taking us down so much the first time he wants to do it again?! How not to manage a sports brand.

  • Andy Reid-McGlinn

    Keegan wasn’t sacked, he resigned after Ashley/Wise signed Ignacio Gonzales on loan as a favour to a South American agent.

    I agree with prety much everything else you’ve said though; more dark times ahead for the Toon, I fear.

  • Norman Ingram

    From a marketing perspective, the damage Ashley is doing to his own brand is astonishing. He sacked one of the most honerable men in football today. The managers job at Newcastle is seen as the poison chalice, Chris took a relegated team, gave them back some self belief, smashed the record for number of points won to gain promotion back to the premier league, all without any funds to buy new players. Chris was denied his own coaching team, went out and begged, borrowed the best he could. Yet he was sacked when the team is mid table.

    Make no mistake, Newcastles results are inspite of Ashley, not because of him. Chris brought some self respect and decency to the club and had grateful supporters endearing them to him for his efforts.

    The brand is once again a laughing stock. Wouldn’t you think he would want to have the club protrayed as a serious business to maximise its value? A successful club attracts good players, more sucess on the pitch means more value etc.

    The fans deserve much better.

  • Andy Reid-McGlinn

    the damage Ashley is doing to his own brand is astonishing

    =========

    Norman, do you mean Sports Direct or Newcastle United?

    If it’s Sports Direct then personally, I don’t see how you can damage a brand that sells cut price sports wear. It is what it is.

    If you mean Newcastle Utd, again I disagree. Football teams aren’t a ‘brand’; that’s language (and thinking) that has come from the Premier League viewing itself as ‘product’. A thorougly embarrassing (and worryingly American) way of viewing the beautiful game.

    The management is a laughing stock, not ‘the brand’.

    PS – Reading scored 106 points when they got promoted in 05/06.

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