August 2009 Archives

To give an idea as to how difficult it is to sort out the lies from the truth in football I'd like to point out that the club, via Sky Sports News, have finally confirmed they are in takeover talks with Barry Moat.

The ridiculous thing is, that although it may have been pitched as breaking news on the dedicated 24 hours sports channel on Tuesday this is a story, as regular readers of this blog will know, The Journal broke almost two weeks ago.

There is no doubt Sunderland are enjoying their time at the top of the North East football tree and who can blame them, but it is about time they broadened their horizons.

When the Premier League season gets underway this weekend, Sunderland travel to Bolton Wanderers. It will be an early barometer of how far the Black Cats have come over the summer with Steve Bruce in charge.

Bolton are a club who can no longer compete with Sunderland in the transfer market thanks to the backing of American billionaire Ellis Short, yet they still finished comfortably above them in the league last season.

I'm not sure of the rules yet, but we are playing the takeover end game this week. Given everything that has happened this summer - or rather hasn't happened - it will probably amount to a club statement on the insipid official website proclaiming Mike Ashley has taken the club off the market.

This will be followed by a plea in the official programme for the Reading game from the "misunderstood" owner for unity and another chance to get things right at St James's Park. Yawn, yawn, wretch, wretch.

But there is a chance, and it may only be a slim one, that Newcastle United will finally have new owners in the next few days and Alan Shearer will be in the dugout by the time the Royals arrive next weekend. While that chance remains we must try to stay positive.

England's hopes of regaining the Ashes may have nose-dived following a dreadful opening day's play at Headingley, but the fourth Test of the series will be a successful one for Durham whatever happens.

For those unaware of events at Chester-le-Street this season, Durham are currently top of the Liverpool Victoria County Championship and have a wonderful chance of retaining the title they won for the first time last year.

And their position as the dominant force in County Cricket has been underlined by the fact they have three of their players starring - if that's the right word - for England against Australia in this match.

Is this the sliver of light at the end of the darkest of tunnels? Is this the knight in shining armour riding over the hill to the rescue?

Having apparently done little more than raise expectations and then crush them, Seymour Pierce, the bank in charge of the sale of Newcastle United are set to recommend that a bid fronted by local businessman Barry Moat is accepted by Mike Ashley.

Isn't it tragic the Newcastle United Sir Bobby Robson leaves behind are a disgrace, a bad joke, a disaster waiting to happen. In other words a club totally unbefitting of a great man who did so much for them as a manager and cared so much for them as a supporter.

I was at a wedding in Holland - an interesting experience summed up by the strange ritual of a simulated rowing race in time to the music on the middle of the dance floor during the post-nuptial celebrations - when I heard the news about Bobby.

I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear for a man who was a hero of mine as a child and who I had the fantastic good fortune to work with and, eventually socialise with as well. A legend in every sense of the word, not just in Newcastle, but across the country. He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten I'm sure.