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Newcastle United have angered fans with plans to rename their ground the sportsdirect.com@St James’ Park Stadium until the end of the season.
The Championship club said last month they were looking for offers for the naming rights to St James’ Park, their home for 117 years.
Sportswear retailer Sports Direct is controlled by Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, who has said he is committed to the club after failing to find anyone prepared to meet his 80 million pounds asking price.
“We will showcase Sports Direct until the end of the season,” managing director Derek Llambias told the BBC.

“I’m sure we’re going to get a sponsor in for next season.”
He said, however, that the existing St James’ Park name would remain as part of any future renaming.
Supporters gave the announcement a frosty reception on the Newcastle Chronicle website.
“The idea of turning the history of St James’ Park into something that resembles an e-mail address absolutely beggars belief,” said Mark Jensen, editor of United fanzine The Mag. (Four Four Two)

In some ways you have to hand it to Mike Ashley (or Mr Odious and Obese as we coined him at COS Towers), just when you thought it couldn’t become any more of an object of derision and hatred he manages to up the bar that little bit more.

The idea of renaming a stadium, not a new one but the one that has been the club’s home for over a century, is disgraceful enough as it is, but to then do so in such a despicable and frankly amateurish attempt at self promotion just beggars belief.

I mean I was seriously shocked when I read this article. At first I thought it just had to be a joke. The name of the ground is essentially nothing more than a pseudo email address constructed in a half arsed way to attract attention to Mr Ashley’s business empire.

Once again I feel nothing but pity and support to the masses of loyal Toon Army members who have had to put up with this loathsome slug like creature. If only someone could come alone and bury him in a mountain of sea salt!

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Chris Hughton has been named as the permanent manager of Newcastle, while the Magpies have also been taken off the market.

Hughton has been rewarded with a contract until the end of the 2010/11 season after guiding the Magpies to the top of the Championship.

At the same time, the club confirmed Barry Moat’s takeover bid has fallen through after he failed to match owner Mike Ashley’s £80million asking price.

Ashley has now taken Newcastle off the market and will put a further £20m into the club this week as the Magpies push to win promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt.

A statement on the club’s official website explained Newcastle’s long-term plan – including renaming St James’ Park.

It read: “Whilst confirming these two matters, Newcastle United now aims to move forward on and off the pitch.

“The club aims to maximise its commercial revenues; this includes renegotiating its club sponsor and kit deal, which expire at the end of this season, as well as welcoming offers for the stadium naming rights for next season.” (Sky Sports)

My my, Mr. Ashley has had a busy morning. Deciding to take the club off the market and confirming Chris Hughton as a permanent boss whilst no doubt simultaneously downing packets of Lard can’t be easy.

On a serious note I am not sure any of the Toon Army faithful will be dancing on the ceiling Lionel Ritchie style with this news. Clearly the club is doing just fine in the Championship but that is surely the least the club should expect and whilst the appointment of Hughton as the permanent boss gives the club a little more stability I don’t see it really meaning much long term.

Mr Odious & Obese (Ashley) has almost ruined the club and now with an upturn of form in the second tier he would hope to fool anyone stupid enough to fall for it, that the club is in a fine state. In an ideal world the Geordie side will win the title and then a very rich man will buy the club from the idiot who runs it now and then they can resume their Premier League status with a glowing future ahead, however the reality is that the longer Mike Ashley remains at the club the more likely they are to fall even further from grace.

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Forget Barry Moat. X Factor judge Cheryl Cole admits she would love to be the next Geordie messiah and buy her beloved club, Newcastle United – and then put her husband Ashley at left-back!
The Championship leaders are the subject of a £100m sale as desperate owner Mike Ashley aims to quit the club at the earliest opportunity possible after putting them on the market in May following their Premier League demise.

Despite the prospective deal dragging on of late, local Tyneside businessman Barry Moat remains the firm favourite to takeover at St James’ Park with icon Alan Shearer primed to return to the managerial hot-seat in place of caretaker boss Chris Hughton.
But the gorgeous Girls Aloud popstar – worth a reported £10m-per-year – insists she would lead a consortium bid – if she had the necessary funds.

On Monday’s Real Radio, host Craig Beck asked Cheryl, 26: ‘You must have got a bit of cash. You don’t fancy buying Newcastle and putting Ashley at left back?’

Double act: Cheryl Cole would get her husband Ashley to play at left-back if she could buy Newcastle
‘You know what – if I had that kind of cash I actually would. I would at this stage,’ she replied.
‘I always think of Newcastle as home, that’s my home. That’s where my family are, and where my old friends are.
‘I don’t go back as often as I would like, but I always go up there for Christmas.
‘I go back as often as I can – there is nowhere in the world like Newcastle.’ (Daily Mail)

If there could be a more polar opposite to Cheryl Cole than Mr. Obese & Odious then it could surely only be conceived in the very boughs of hell. On a serious note it is good to see the club atop of the Championship and managing to do so with Mike Ashley still around and selling top stars left, right and centre is a real achievement. Now if only someone could team up with Mrs Cole to form a consortium, how about Scarlett Johansson?

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BUSINESSMAN Geoff Sheard has revealed he is the front-man rather than the money-man in a bid to buy Newcastle United.

Sheard was unsuccessful in his attempts to purchase Sheffield Wednesday last season after failing to prove he had the funds to conclude a deal.

But Sheard insists he is not working on his own behalf and that a mystery American company are behind the push.

“It’s not me who is buying the club – that should be made very clear. I have put together a package for a group who want to come in and take over the club,” said Sheard.

“That’s what they want to do, given the opportunity to do so. Talks have been going on for a couple of week now.”

The Americans, thought to be based in New York, are one of two groups interested, along with Tyneside businessman Barry Moat. (Northern Echo)

Mike Ashley, or Mr. Odious & Obese as I have come to affectionatly refer to him, has run the club into the ground, got Newcastle relegated by pressing the self destruct button more times than a selection of self destruct button makers, and is now in the process of selling off any player of any quality in order to get some cash back into his grubby bank account.

Frankly the ‘mystery’ company trying to buy the company could have links to a terrorist cell and still be considered a viable alternative to Ashley. The current owner has set a succession of deadlines for bidders in an attempt to get a higher price for a club he has almost ruined. If he had any dignity, which we know for a fact he doesn’t, he would give the club away for free and seek exile in Borneo.

I really feel great sympathy for the club’s loyal following and the way they have been treated in the past 18 months is diabolical. With any luck this will be the knight in shining armour come to slay the very fat dragon!

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Come on Mike, surely it’s time you left?

Alan Shearer will finally be appointed as manager of Newcastle United if Mike Ashley can be persuaded to accept an offer for the club by a consortium fronted by a prominent Tyneside businessman.

Seymour Pierce, the investment bank employed by the Newcastle owner to sell the club, is set to recommend that Ashley accepts a bid led by Barry Moat, who served as chairman of Shearer’s testimonial committee.

Moat, who has a corporate box at St James’ Park and has been a significant contributor to the club’s academy, is the public and local face of a group that is thought to have backing from the United States.

Along with a rival consortium, Moat has been involved in painstaking negotiations with Keith Harris, Seymour Pierce’s executive chairman, as well as a detailed study of Newcastle’s finances. Harris, however, has now settled on Moat as his preferred bidder and will make his recommendation to Ashley within the next 48 hours. (Times Online)

Good news has been in short supply for Barcodes fans so lets hope this deal gets done. Personally I don’t know why Mike Ashley doesn’t just sell to any bidder because regardless of the financial loss he will sustain he will not want to be sitting in the stands for the new season because the abuse aimed at him will only get worse, and quite rightly so.

It’s a crying shame the way the club has been run aground by Odious & Obese and his cronies and if this deal is done swiftly enough and Big Al returned to the managerial post then the club could well spark at the right time, just as the new season is getting under way.

I think the current squad has what it takes to bounce back, but not if the club has this cloud hanging over it. There is a lot of deadwood at the club but the main issue is the way the club is managed from top to bottom and until that is fixed (and by fixed I of course mean a root and branch resignation from anyone in Ashley’s regime. Come on Mike, it’s high time you fell on your sword!

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Mike Ashley, the Newcastle United owner, is examining the possibility of retaining possession of the relegated club for at least another year.

The Times has learnt that Ashley has set the two consortiums still involved in substantive negotiations to buy the club an informal deadline of Friday. They have already missed an earlier deadline of July 31.

However, while Keith Harris, the executive chairman of Seymour Pierce, the investment bank charged with handling the sale of the club, stated last night that “something positive” could happen by the end of this month, it is understood that Ashley views the beginning of Newcastle’s Coca-Cola Championship campaign this weekend as a crucial date.

Once it has passed — although a sale would still be possible — the chances of a deal being completed will diminish rapidly, with the closure of the transfer window at the end of the month preventing a prospective new owner from buying or selling players.

If he cannot secure a sale at or near his asking price, the sportswear retailer intends to recommit himself for another 12 months in the hope that a return to the Barclays Premier League will be achieved at the first attempt. (Times Online)

Mr Odious and Obese, Mike Ashley for the un-intelligent, seems to have the staying power of a Cockroach during a Nuclear war, with a personality to match. Quite what the Newcastle United fans have done to deserve such a leader is beyond me and I can only hope that the long suffering fans get what they deserve, and that is a new owner and King Kev back at the helm.

After pressing the self destruct button more times than the person who makes self destruct buttons, Mr. Ashley has lowered the clubs value to such a degree that he can hardly manage to give the club away let alone make some kind of profit on it.

Things could go from bad to worse at St James’ Park unless things get sorted sharpish, given the horrendous Pre-season form the chances of the club bouncing back to the top tier are not as good as some bookies will have you believe and even less so if Chris “how the hell did I become the boss” Hughton remains in post.

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Yes, we felt the need to dredge up this emotional, slightly unhinged, clip!

Kevin Keegan could make a sensational return to Newcastle if a Dubai tycoon succeeds with a £100million bid for the troubled club.
And managing director Derek Llambias last night insisted the club could have new owners within the next WEEK.

The latest twist in the Toon saga emerged as Newcastle drew 0-0 with Leeds in front of just 16,000 fans at St James’ Park – and 5,000 of those were supporting the visitors.

It was a far cry from the days when the football-mad Geordies would turn up in their thousands just to welcome a new player.

Such was the ]gloomy air around the eerily-silent ground, club officials even had crowd cheers played through the Tannoy system when the players came out.

But an upbeat Llambias claimed to be dealing with several interested parties, including Sirous Mahjoob who wants to install Keegan – and NOT Alan Shearer – as manager. (The Sun)

Well I guess it was time for a bit of good news for the loyal Toon Army supporters but unfortunately this isn’t the first false dawn of the summer and whilst it’s all well and good that a takeover is within sight as this has happened umpteen times already.

I hope for the clubs sake that they do finally get rid of ‘Obese and Odious’ (Mike Ashley to his remaining friends) because until they do they are doomed to spiral ever downwards.

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