Jimbo

It's got Mick Wadsworth in!! Thats better.

Best Wishes dude.

Which makes Allardyce's decision to leave him out and play N'Zogbia even more misjudged.

That was Emu dude

MIKE ASHLEY dramatically broke his silence over the turmoil on the Toon and defiantly declared: "I had to act and now I'll do it MY way!" Newcastle's' billionaire owner insists he is ready to step out of the background to run the club the way HE wants to from now on. On Tuesday he will jet back from a Far East business trip to join forces with chairman Chris Mort as they strive to bring success to St James's Park. And there will be times when he swaps his trademark Newcastle shirt and returns to civvies as he plots the way ahead in the wake of the departure of boss Sam Allardyce. Today, in an exclusive News of the World interview, Ashley outlines his New Year vision for Newcastle including the qualities he's looking for in the club's next manager. He said: "I want a team that will go all out to try to give Chelsea a walloping, that'll try to stuff Tottenham and that will be brave and bold enough to attack Man Utd. "To date I have invested £250m to try and make it happen. "And I'm not the only one who could see it wasn't working with things as they were. "So when my chairman told me it was time for a change I knew it had to happen. "I just knew it was time for me to become involved. "After all I bought this club to make it a success and the harsh truth is there wasn't much prospect of that. "I bought this club to have some fun and I wasn't having much fun at all. So I did what I should have done in the first place and decided it was time to run the club the way I wanted. "I must admit that when I bought this club my gut instinct was to bring in my own team to run it straight away, including a new manager. "That's no reflection on Sam, that's just the way I have always done things. "But for once in my life I ignored my intuition and, looking back, that was a mistake. "My instinct had never let me down in the past, in fact it's been one of my biggest strengths, one of the major reasons behind my success. "Yet I went against that better judgement after buying Newcastle. "Now is the time to put away my Newcastle shirt. I'm not saying I will never go back on the terraces but now I have to be in the boardroom — I have to be hands on." Ashley was left desperately disappointed with the return on his massive investment. A procession of poor performances, ropey results and off-field problems was a shocking reward for his massive outlay. It was not Ashley's vision for the sleeping giants of English football. Passion He added: "I want a team that is going to be admired up and down the country because of our brilliant, attacking football. "Like they did when Kevin Keegan was in charge here. "In those days everyone in the land loved to watch Newcastle in action. I certainly did. "And I am determined it will be like that again." That sort of stylish, buccaneering football has only been rarely glimpsed at St James's Park this season and Ashley makes no apologies for demanding Newcastle play the way the loyal Toon Army desire. He added:"People might mock me for that and reckon that's all pie in the sky. "But this is a football club, remember — it's about passion, about dreams, about glory. If it's not, then why bother? "Make no mistake I bother, I care and so I will try my hardest to make this club successful. "And I know I don't stand alone — I stand at the head of the Toon Army. "Remember this is a club with a real passion running through it — not least from all those Geordie fans. "And I share that passion." Yet Ashley has still taken a battering over events last week with Allardyce elbowed after just eight months in charge of the Magpies. But those pundits who would have you believe Ashley's a mug punter who does not know what he is doing should beware. After all this is a guy who built his Sports Direct business empire up from nothing. A man who at just 41 years of age boasts a fortune of £1.6billion — put it another way that's one thousand six hundred million pounds. Some mug, then! Yet Ashley is big and brave enough to accept some of the blame, even though he sees positives in his controversial decision to take a back seat so far. He explained: "My thinking was to come into Newcastle United and examine the club from every angle and from every aspect. I wanted to see how it ran, how it worked, what the staff could offer and what the supporters were all about. "I wanted to understand what made this club tick, I wanted to find its soul. "I have done that now and taken a lot of flak along the way. "People have complained I have been in the background too much, not done enough. Are you sure? "Let's get this straight. I paid £140million to buy this club. "I've also paid off £100million worth of debt so today this club doesn't owe a buck to anyone. "And I also gave Sam funds for new players. "Yet I've been hammered by certain people and for what? "Yes, wearing my Newcastle shirt and sitting with the fans. "The critics were suggesting in some way that this was just a cheap trick that would boost sales of shirts in my own stores. "But anyone who knows anything about Newcastle knows all the fans already have their shirts so it's all nonsense, just unbelievable. "And do you know something? I don't regret those days with our supporters at all. "I might own the club but they are the heartbeat and I had a lovely time with them. "And I guarantee that you haven't seen the last of me out there with the lads and lasses. "I will do it again from time to time. That's because among the fans he felt at home but when he sat in his own directors' box he was condemned as unconventional. He explained: "I can't stand this self-imposed etiquette in the boardroom and directors' box. "You're supposed to wear a suit, a shirt and tie and behave like a headmaster. "Why? It's like one of those , snobby, snooty golf clubs where they have rules for this and that. It's nonsense and I won't go along with it. "I want to go to football and enjoy it. "I want to celebrate when my team scores, when my team wins. "It's a game of drama and emotion — of highs and lows, of highlights and heartbreaks. And I want to live it. "So from now on it's all down to me. Dream "I am here because I want to be here and because I want to win trophies. "That's it — period — to get trophies in the cabinet and have a ball doing it. I can't see anything wrong with that at all. "Buying a football club is something I've always wanted to do so it's living a dream. "I always said I bought this club to become part of its passion. "I'd like to think I've done that. Now I want to channel that passion into bringing success and I just can't wait until it happens."

Billionaires plaything, or the next Leeds United, I know which one I'd prefer to be.

Newcastle United will make a sensational offer to Kevin Keegan to return as manager after Harry Redknapp turned the job down yesterday. The club plan to link the former England and Newcastle boss in a dream partnership with Tyneside hero Alan Shearer in a bid to erase the damage done to Mike Ashley's reputation by Redknapp's shock about-turn. Redknapp decided to stay at Portsmouth rather than switch his allegiance to the club which sacked Sam Allardyce last Wednesday after barely eight months in charge. Now Ashley, Newcastle's billionaire owner, will attempt to appease supporters by turning to Keegan, who became a legend on Tyneside following his time as a player there in the Eighties and as United's most successful post-War manager in a five-year period in the Nineties. Keegan, 57 next month, has been out of football since quitting as Manchester City manager in March 2005 but, in a recent interview, he refused to rule out a return to management. Keegan said: "I am 56 but you never say never in anything. If it doesn't happen in the next two or three years I'll be 60 and then it might be too late to return." Shearer, whose name was chanted by Newcastle fans during last night's crushing 6-0 defeat at Manchester United, has intimated that he would be interested in taking a managerial role at his hometown club if approached, and he would relish the opportunity opportunity of working alongside the manager who paid a club record £16million for him when he moved from Blackburn to Tyneside in 1996. Yesterday a Newcastle source confirmed that the club would prefer to appoint an experienced manager, adding weight to demands for a Keegan-Shearer package. "Chris Mort [the club's chairman] and Mike Ashley have a good relationship with Alan Shearer," said the source. "They are well aware of the many qualities he could bring to the club but in the present situation we feel that an experienced manager with a proven track record is required. "The most important thing is getting the right man. There is no time frame on the appointment. It is vital that Newcastle get it right this time and it will take as long as is necessary to do that." The source also suggested that Redknapp's reluctance to move to the North-East from his £8million home on the Dorset coast at exclusive Sandbanks was behind the Portsmouth manager's change of heart. "Harry raised the subject of being able to fly to the North-East," said the source. "We have always believed that the manager would be somebody based full-time in Newcastle. "That was a major stumbling block and it was clear if we talked about the issue there was no point in going any further. "Managing Newcastle is a massive job and a huge responsibility. It requires total commitment." Keegan, who is currently running his Soccer Circus coaching school in Glasgow, was instrumental in establishing Newcastle as a Premier League force. He took them to within four points of the title in 1996 when they finished runners-up to United, having looked almost certain to win their first championship for nearly 70 years when they held an 11-point lead over their nearest rivals at the end of February. It was a disappointment that, coupled with behind-the- scenes disagreements with the then club chairman Sir John Hall and his executives, led to Keegan's shock resignation the following season. Doubts over Shearer's willingness to work as a No 2 have been expressed by former Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson. Writing in The Mail on Sunday, Sir Bobby, who managed the club for five years until he was axed in August 2004, said: "I know most Geordie fans would like Kevin Keegan to come back so Alan could learn from him. But I don't see Shearer as anyone's No2. If anybody came in, they would have to help Shearer rather than the other way round. "Make Shearer the boss or there is no point in having him." Other names in the frame are current bookmakers' favourite Mark Hughes, but sources close to the Blackburn manager suggest he would rather bide his time before making his next move, which could be to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. There is also support for Gerard Houllier, who has been working for the French FA after a successful stint as coach at Lyon. The former Liverpool manager, who knows the English game well after his stint at Anfield from 1998-2004, is close to Ashley's friend, property developer and former Tottenham vicechairman Paul Kemsley.

I thought it was well documented in the press that Shearer is on holiday in the Caribbean this week.

He's a great great player, but today we made him look very good unfortunately

Nothing less than anyone expected surely ??

Fuck off

Fuck all wrong with Owen's goal in my opinion, lines man bottled it.

The man has not put a foot wrong since joining the club in my opinion.

Exactly, if we'd have sacked Allardyce after 14 matches like I first suggested, we wouldn't be in this mess

McClaren can fuck right off !

U2 - With or Without you Pearl Jam - Oceans Nirvana - In Bloom The Jam - Town called Malice Mother Love Bone - Crown of thorns.

Agreed, I've always thought he was a very good coach, although a little too fond for the Buckfast.

The sort of managers we should have been trying for at least. 100% agreement, but I suspect Hughes and Shearer are ahead of them on Morshley's list.

A gun if we appoint him !

Its disapointing that the whole Redknapp thing has been done in public, but behind closed doors we don't know who (if anyone) has approached the club, CV's from managers might have been dropping on Mort's doormat all week.

I hope we go for Houlier or Van Gaal or Lippi.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...ted/7180147.stm Redknapp rejects Newcastle offer Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has turned down an offer to succeed Sam Allardyce as Newcastle manager. Redknapp was Newcastle's number one choice but he has vowed to stay at Fratton Park More to follow.

To be fair its probably dificult to type with hand cuffs on.