Early Doors - Your morning briefing blog

Not for sale

Wed Oct 28 08:56AM

Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has taken the club off the market.

For those of you that had forgotten, Ashley had been trying to sell the club after pumping a significant part of his fortune into it yielded only relegation from the Premier League and bile from the Magpies' fans.

Last season, Newcastle's demise was the gift that just kept on giving for sneering, faceless morning football blogs, and stories like those of a shadowy Nigerian consortium trying to buy the club in exchange for a suitcase full of Rolexes didn't help matters much.

However, after talks to sell the club to local businessman Barry Moat broke down over a trifling £20m discrepancy in valuations between the two parties, Ashley has taken the club off the market and given caretaker boss Chris Hughton the manager's job full-time.

One newspaper this morning has speculated that Ashley has 'rekindled his love affair with the club'. However, what's far more likely is that, with Hughton guiding Newcastle to the top of the Championship, Ashley realises that the club is a much more saleable asset back in the Premier League next season.

Newcastle fans have been denied another underwhelming return to St James' Park from Alan Shearer now that the club is not changing hands.

Shearer had reportedly been in line for a return to the club if Moat had completed his planned £80m takeover.

Former England captain Shearer knew he was walking into a no-lose situation at the end of last season when he took charge of a Toon side in free-fall with eight games remaining. Despite winning just one and losing five of those matches, he managed to keep his credibility intact as he ran back, right arm aloft, to the safety of the pundits' sofa.

Shearer admitted he was keen to jump back into the hot seat and piggy-back on all Hughton's good work, but the caretaker boss has now got his just reward by being given his first full-time position on Tyneside.

Hughton's record of eight wins from 14 games has put Newcastle top of the Championship, and Ashley will be giving him £20m to spend in January.

Hughton may have virtually no experience in player recruitment but, let's face it, he can't be worse than Dennis Wise.

- - -

Alberto Aquilani will be grateful that the pressure is off him a little as he prepares for his Liverpool debut this evening at the Emirates in the Carling Cup.

Had Liverpool lost their match in a row on Sunday against Manchester United, his belated arrival would have been make or break for Rafael Benitez. As it is, Liverpool won and so everything is hunky dory now.

Of course, that doesn't mean that the Italian won't be under the microscope, perhaps more so because he will be facing Aaron Ramsey and the rest of Arsene Wenger's Get Along Gang.

A Champions League veteran will be expected to make his impact in a fixture which both bosses use to stop deep vein thrombosis setting in among the deeper reaches of their squads.

With what could be a tough trip to Fulham at the weekend and a visit to Lyon that could effectively end their Champions League campaign coming in the next seven days, it's even more imperative that Aquilani's second-half cameo goes off without a hitch. No pressure then son.

- - -

Last night's Carling Cup match between Barnsley and Manchester United was marred by eight fans being arrested following the match, but there was trouble before the match had even ended.

United goalkeeper Ben Foster was prevented from taking a late goal kick by two pitch invaders. Unfortunately, any moral high ground was lost when Foster tried unsuccessfully to tackle one of the goons, who got the biggest cheer of the night when he banged the ball into the net.

Sky, less than a fortnight after they repeatedly showed the face of the Liverpool fan who punched that beach ball on to the pitch against Sunderland, continued their good work by keeping footage of the two Oakwell clowns in their match report throughout the night, giving two more hooligans a chance to record and keep their moment of glory. Well done guys.

- - -

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Harry (Redknapp)'s had a big clampdown. Until we went out last week, we hadn't had a night out since I arrived. I was well disappointed - I moved to a London club and didn't even get to go out. Not even for a bit of karaoke" - Spurs striker Peter Crouch must be so grateful to the opportunist who snapped him and team-mate Jonathan Woodgate on the dance floor of some trendy night spot or other.

FOREIGN VIEW: "The excellence of the ridiculous" - Marca's rather poetic take on Real Madrid's humiliating 4-0 defeat at suburban minnows Alcorcon in the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie. Madrid put out a side that featured Raul, Guti, Benzema and van der Vaart.

COMING UP: Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more Carling Cup-based excitement this week, there's a further triple-whammy of last 16 action tonight. Follow LIVE commentary of Arsenal v Liverpool, Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City v Scunthorpe United.

Comments1 - 30 of 62
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From jarharnamme on Wed Oct 28 09:01AM
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Houghton deserves the job. He's been the most patient man in football. Altho Mike Ashley hasn't got a clue as to how to run a football club.
#6 If England played Germany in every fixture then Owen and Downing would always be in the team. Danka.
From jay8my on Wed Oct 28 09:12AM
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L'il Mikey England's hero !!! hahaha !!!
C nut
From nikyates on Wed Oct 28 09:12AM
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Jay looks like Kroenke is moving in for a take over bid at your place...what do you think the effect will be on the club?
From doobie.doobiedoo on Wed Oct 28 09:24AM
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Bobo - why didn't Owen get a full game? I think he could have done with a full game under his belt - for fitness and sharpness!
Huge sigh for Villa scraping through on pens!
From doobie.doobiedoo on Wed Oct 28 09:35AM
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Steve - He's obliged to launch a takeover bid but nothing is certain yet. Hill-Wood has already said Kroenke doesn't want to change any policies at the club. Why would he?
From jay8my on Wed Oct 28 09:37AM
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for someone who doesn't want to change anything Jay, he's working awfully hard/spending lots of money at getting the shares he needs to take control - I never trust a businessman - Liverpool and ManU had Business men come in promising one thing, then doing something else!!
From doobie.doobiedoo on Wed Oct 28 09:45AM
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bouncebackability
From nigelphysick on Wed Oct 28 09:48AM
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gary neville is a twatgland
From nigelphysick on Wed Oct 28 09:49AM
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One major flaw here - ashley HAS NOT pumped millions into this club, he merely 'moved the debt'!
And in transfers, he is showing a big profit!
From cameronwestwood on Wed Oct 28 10:06AM
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Steve - I wouldn't agree with that. He's taken his time in getting these shares. He only owns around 29%. Aresnal dont need to get in debt for anything. You keep making a point about him changing things but WHAT exactly is he going to need to change?? New Stadium? New manager? New flux of young players? New academy? Its all in place Steve. Glaizers, Hicks & Gillete and Lerner all throw money at problems and think its the solution.
From jay8my on Wed Oct 28 10:08AM
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"Go Placidly amidst the Noise and Haste,
And Remember what Peace there is in Silence.
From imanerdo99 on Wed Oct 28 10:23AM
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22} What about his talentless end ?
From nikyates on Wed Oct 28 10:25AM
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Have to agree with Comment 10, Barcelona were absolute the other day when i watched them on TV. I'm a United fan but have to give credit to Barcelona for their good quality, hope SAF does the same to United as well as they sure need a boost
From peterknight47 on Wed Oct 28 10:44AM
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if you want to wipe your a** on your rivals google footballtoiletpaper, you can get Celtic, Rangers, Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, Sunderland, Newcastle, Birmingham and Villa toilet paper
From footballtoiletpaper on Wed Oct 28 10:56AM
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He is one large jar of peanus butter
From loafer_11 on Wed Oct 28 10:58AM
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Sam Allardyce, who thinks he will be his successor at Old Trafford ???
Dream on Sam.
From nikyates on Wed Oct 28 11:09AM
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mike ashley is a @#$% pryck. i bet he puts the club back up for sale once the transfer window re-opens so he doest have to spend anything. He should have dold the club to Barry Moat for 80m cuz the price was 100m BEFORE he sold Martins, Duff & Beye and didnt resign others such as owen and viduka. Its a miracle newcastle are top of the table so well done to Hughton - although i think his luck will soon run out
From deano.baggio on Wed Oct 28 11:15AM
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#35 "cockcheese" is more expressive
From james_ssmith on Wed Oct 28 11:23AM
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Arsenal to be taken over as a going concern with debts well on the way to being repaid and all that talent in the squad. If I had the money I wouldn't think twice.
From james_ssmith on Wed Oct 28 11:25AM
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yo helmethunter you aint nothing but a @#$% yourself...
From gfoggin on Wed Oct 28 11:30AM
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Portsmouth have a transfer embargo against them until they have paid off the debts to other clubs! Another team that will lose 3 or 4 players to the african nations cup! chelsea, portsmouth both unable to work in the transfer market - one will fair much better than the other i think!
From doobie.doobiedoo on Wed Oct 28 11:35AM
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Chrissy Hughton should have been given the Toon job yonks ago. he did a great job at Spurs for 18 years and it was Ashleys mate Kemsley who did the dirty on him and Martin Jol.
Ashley will make more money next season once the Toon get promoted, then the fat slob can go back to the rag trade after selling up.
From nigel.coyne on Wed Oct 28 12:32PM
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greed greed greed greed greed greed ....
From johntikoypelayo on Wed Oct 28 12:56PM
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Dearie me....this blog is flatter than Lescotts forehead...wtf...lets have a fight...WHAT YOU LOOKIN AT BOBO ...WHERE IS THE NEANDERTHAL ? All Gooners are Puffs...fact,.............United aggro,United aggro ...Whoa Whoa..
From imanerdo99 on Wed Oct 28 01:04PM
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Gooners are gonna oui oui,all over Liverpool tonight(did ya see what I did there)
From imanerdo99 on Wed Oct 28 01:23PM
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imanerdo99 Try and get a life outside of ED. It might help you understand the difference between Brazil and Croatia.
From jay8my on Wed Oct 28 01:41PM
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whispers say Gerrard will play tonight! that could be the extra bit of luck they need to win 2 in a row!!
From doobie.doobiedoo on Wed Oct 28 01:42PM
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Steve - Thats brilliant but whats with the . What do u mean by
From jay8my on Wed Oct 28 01:51PM
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Tongue in cheek comment jay!
From doobie.doobiedoo on Wed Oct 28 01:58PM
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