This Is The End. No Really, It Is...
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.
Travelling back from West Brom on Saturday evening, at 1am as I reminded myself why I dislike away games in Birmingham so much, I felt more positive about Newcastle United than I had done for months.
It wasn't excitement, it wasn't even really any great optimism, it was just, for the first time in ages, I'd seen a Newcastle performance full of character, determination and resolve. In these dark, miserable times, it was something to cling on to on the way back up the A1.
Yes, Tim Krul's magnificent league debut as a second half substitute meant four excellent saves to keep Newcastle in the game, but Newcastle could also have won it.
That might imply a degree of good fortune, but Newcastle also looked the better side, played the better football and, I thought, looked far more threatening in open play.
The defence is a problem, particularly at set-pieces, but you would hope that can be improved on the training pitch. The biggest worry is the size of the squad, the lack of creativity and a lack of pace.
Which brings me back to the takeover - although it is impossible not to eventually whenever you are talking about Newcastle United.
The transfer window shuts at the end of the month and Newcastle need more players, everyone knows it and everyone can see it.
If they don't they won't go up, plain and simple, because an injury to any player in any area - with the exception of goalkeeper - means they are scratching around for a replacement.
If the club doesn't go up, it becomes even harder to sell because, as we already know, few people want to buy a Championship club spunking cash.
To sign new players you need a manager, which means Newcastle need to appoint one, whoever the owners are.
If Ashley is going to sell, the new owners will want the time to make that happen. If he isn't going to sell, he needs the time to make that happen so something has to give this week.....surely!
It's either time tubby Mike sells up or fronts up to the fact he is going to have to invest some more of his own money to give the Magpies a realistic chance of promotion, and with it, a better chance to sell the club next summer in the Premier League for double what he is asking for now.
This is common sense. Then again, when has that mattered to the Ashley regime!
Oh yes, I'll be doing my first webchat of the season from 12:30pm on Monday
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Luke Edwards - is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.
If tubby stays in charge it will be the same as last season, but more so.
I wouldn't be surprised if Hughton is left in charge indefinately.
Ashley has always had one agenda; get playing costs down as much as possible.
I knew at the end of the season that Shearer wouldn't get the job, because all Ashley wants is a yes man, not someone who actually wants to build a football team.
He has to go or we are finished.
"The defence is a problem, particularly at set-pieces, but you would hope that can be improved on the training pitch."
Can it, though? I'd argue against that after four seasons of hitting the first man on attacking corners and panicking at every aerial ball lofted into our box.
By the way, Mike Ashley isn't "tubby" he's just plain old fat.
I fear the worst again. He isn't selling and will bring back Kinnear, if he's fit. Otherwise, it'll be some other disgrace of an appointment.
I didn't watch the 1st half on Saturday as protest, but curiosity got the better of me for the 2nd half.
What really niggles me about it all, is that Colin Calderwood, a man who has failed epically in the lower leagues, still calls the shots.
We were on top on Saturday and he decided to take Carroll off in favour of Joey Barton....
all of a sudden, Newcastle are on the back foot again and hanging on. That is until the clock said 91 minutes 30 seconds. Then, we bring on a striker who barely even touched the ball. Why not bring Ranger on instead of Barton and try to win the game?
This lack of bravery and tactical knowledge is something that irritated me regularly last season and appears as if it will continue this season too.
Our only hope is that, if West Brom are the best opposition we'll face, we might have half a chance...
You have a point Gary! Also agree with Little Lord, Newcastle were on top until the substitution but I guess the main thing for them at the time was to avoid defeat. I'd have brought Barton on for Nolan, who can only run for the first ten minutes of each half and then's he's knackered!
Luke,
By the time you read this David O'leary will probably have been appointed manager.
I actually don't have a major issue with O'leary himself I think he's done ok where he's been but he will have no money to spend and more players will be leaving.
We have a squad of 20 and need 18 on a match day, what happens when 3/4 more have left and we have injuries ect....?
It just doesn't make sense for Ashley to keep the club. He will have to put more cash in the club to just subsidise it let alone buy players.
Massive risk, if we don't get promoted (which we won't without buying any players) what then?
What percentage do you put on a new owner? 50/50? Or is that optimistic?
I still think it is 50-50. If he didn't still want to try and get rid, O'Leary would already be manager. It's got to the stage now where I just want a decision to be made one way or the other.
Luke,
Do you actually believe that Ashley is actually thinking about keeping the club?
He would have to invest more cash and he's already said he's not going to do that.
I think he's desperate to sell and is doing everything to make that happen.
As for a time scale. It probably doesn't matter to him but if the interested parties were serious about buying us they would be wanting to push a deal through asap.
In there lies the problem I think. I'm not too sure that the interested groups are actually that interested in buying us!
What's ya gut feeling Luke?
I think the interested parties are wary of making the plunge because they know their investment will be dreadful one if Newcastle don't go up inside two years. Ashley, of course, knows this as well. He is a gambler at heart and he has to decide whether to just get rid for what he can now, or whether to keep hold of it and hope they go back up, which will cost him in the short term as he is going to have to bankroll the club for at least one season in the Championship. The stupid thing is, if he had just done that in May, Newcastle would have had an excellent chance of going up. My gut feeling is that he will take it off the market at the weekend. I hope I'm wrong because this mess isn't going to be cleaned up with two weeks of the transfer window remaining.
We will not go up this season. We've lost our 2 best defenders and now there's talk of Steven Taylor and Duff leaving.
No players of equal or better quality will come here before Spetember and anyone selling will know how desperate we are, meaning the price tag will suddenly see a sharp increase.
But, with a frugal owner, I don't expect any better than the likes of Nolan or Ryan Taylor signing.
I won't be there tomorrow and that really hurts, but until something positive happens, I won't invest another penny in the club.
Howay man Luke!
You said this was the end game this week and nothings happened!
Well apart from us signing a defender on lon till January.
Keith Harris did say that there would be players leavin to get money in and reduce the wage bill but he also said 1 or 2 would come in.
What's gannin on?
Hi Luke,
probably reflect what many other ex-pats are thinking, when is the Chronicle/Journanl going to do some real work.
I get more facts from the Sun/Mail/Mirror these days. What happened to the hard hitting journalism promised earlier this year.
Bottom line is Ashley will drag this out until transfer deadline is through, and has asset stripped the club.
We will then be left with 'loan-deals" to shore up the paper-thin squad. Looked to me as if several of the squad know this as well. Cannot believe that we have dropped so low that Smith and Barton (who was useless) are wearing the arm-band.