Jimbo

Words fail me....

Seemingly there was a medieval version

Didn't realise you could do that !

There are many, many elements to the make up of a good, or even great manager, and I must admit I have huge reservations about Shearer with many of them, I don't doubt for a second he knows what needs doing in terms of the structure of the squad and the character of the current personnel both on and off the pitch, but other than that, tactically, judgementally, I have some huge reservations about Shearer as manager, the lack of alternatives weigh in his favour, but that is hardly an endorsement of faith.

Great memories, but how utterly depressing given our current situation.

"We want him to be the manager 110%," Llambias told the Newcastle Chronicle. "He's very good at what he does and he's a straight-talking guy – we like that. He'd be the perfect appointment.

Southampton

Goooooooooooood Evening Madam

BBC Newcastle 'confident' of takeover Newcastle expect a deal to sell the club will be completed by the end of June, according to the man responsible for brokering the arrangement. Keith Harris, chairman of investment bank Seymour Pierce, also revealed there were "two or three" rival parties vying to buy the club. "I'm confident there will be offers to consider in quite short order," Harris told Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek. "It's a decent guess that there are two or three interested parties." Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, who bought the Magpies in 2007, first put the club up for sale in September 2008, having invested £250m. He [shearer] is a good commercial addition, certainly in terms of generating interest among the fans Keith Harris Ashley has presided over a disastrous period in the club's history, culminating in relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the 2008/09 season, and he has become deeply unpopular with fans. Ashley briefly took the club off the market in December after struggling to sell, but Harris claims the club is now much more attractive to prospective buyers - at least some of whom he suggested were based in the United Kingdom. "There is real and decent interest, and this is not necessarily from far-flung parts of the globe," he said. "Newcastle had an awful season and got relegated so that has an implication for the value of an asset of a decrease to make it more attractive." Newspaper reports on Sunday suggested that former chairman Freddy Shepherd was looking to repurchase the club but Harris stated that he would only find out the identity of the bidders next week. There has also been much speculation about the future of manager Alan Shearer, with suggestions that he was not Ashley's first choice for the role. However, Harris stated that Shearer could be a valuable asset to any prospective new owner. "Shearer is obviously a very charismatic figure in the area and Newcastle need some local interest," said Harris. "He is a good commercial addition, certainly in terms of generating interest among the fans. "Whether he is the right man to lead the club back into the Premier League is something other people will express a view on, especially if there is going to be a change of ownership." In May, Ashley apologised to fans for his part in the mistakes that ultimately led to relegation. The decline began with the departure of popular boss Kevin Keegan in September, amid rumours of disputes over the club's transfer policy. Keegan's exit prompted mass protests from supporters with fans demanding Ashley - as well as controversial director Dennis Wise - quit St James' Park. Ashley then appointed Joe Kinnear as manager but he soon had to stand down from his position because of health problems leading to assistant Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood taking charge of team. As results continued to worsen, Newcastle turned to Magpies legend Shearer to turn things around but they won just one of his eight games and were relegated. However, Harris believes that any buyer with a long-term vision for the club could be richly rewarded. "It is a huge club," he said. "In attendance terms, last year it exceeded Liverpool with an average attendance over 48,000. "If you walk around the infrastructure of the ground, the training ground, the academy, what you realise is for somebody willing to take a view over two or three years this is a club that belongs in the top seven of the Premier League. It's very attractive."

But on the flip side the sale might also stop our better players from leaving.

2-3, does he fucking know or not ??

Twitter Newcastle news: http://www.twitter.com/NUFC_News

Alan Shearer is in danger of being frozen out at Newcastle United as the club descends into chaos. Owner Mike Ashley has made it clear that fans' favourite Shearer is not his first choice as manager to revive the club after their disastrous relegation from the Premier League. Alan Shearer The Mail On Sunday can reveal that even if the former striker had succeeded in keeping Newcastle up in his eight games in charge, Ashley would have risked yet more anger from supporters by offering the job to Steve Bruce instead. And with negotiations about the transfer budget and Shearer's personal terms having broken down, it is increasingly unlikely that the pair will be able to form a working partnership. The only hope for fans desperate for Shearer to take over is that Ashley finds someone willing to buy the club from him for a knockdown price of £100million or less. Even then the new owners might not choose to stick with Shearer. While the difficult search for a buyer continues, the football club itself is rudderless because the uncertainty about the future, not to mention a recent raft of redundancies, means no-one is taking important decisions about such issues as contract renewals. 'It is an unbelievable situation,' a source revealed. 'The players are due to return for pre-season training in less than a month and nobody knows what's going on. Time is running short and the club needs to get somebody in quickly to sort things out.' But there appears little prospect of Shearer and Ashley resolving their differences or of new owners being found quickly. Financial Mr Fixit Keith Harris is more optimistic about arranging a deal now that Ashley has decided to cut his losses by dropping the asking price. But the servicing of a £40m debt, as well as another £60m in players' contracts, pushes the figure to double the £100m Ashley is now willing to accept and there are not many potential purchasers around. Ashley's best hope appears to be an Omani-based consortium, who have expressed an interest in the club, but now the issue is not just who might accommodate him but how quickly it can be done. The supporters are already voting with their pockets; season-ticket sales are almost non-existent, adding to the financial mess which will make Newcastle an even less attractive proposition. This is Ashley's second attempt at putting the club on the market. Last time there were no takers and unless Harris finds a wealthy benefactor very soon, the sports goods entrepreneur may be forced to limp on as owner. But whatever regime emerges, it is increasingly unlikely to include Shearer.

ALAN SHEARER is ready to quit Newcastle and take over at West Brom. The Toon manager's relationship with the club has reached breaking point after owner Mike Ashley put the club up for sale after they had crashed out of the Premier League. And, last night, Shearer emerged as the shock favourite to replace Baggies boss Tony Mowbray, who is expected to move to Celtic this week. Once Mowbray's departure is confirmed, negotiations will begin with the Shearer camp. And Sport Of The World can reveal that the former England striker will listen favourably to any offer. The Toon legend has been left frustrated by Newcastle's failure to confirm him as manager and give him the time and resources to revive the club's fortunes. Two rival consortiums are interested in taking over Newcastle but any sale won't be concluded until July - after Newcastle's players return for pre-season training. A source close to Shearer said: "The delay is damaging. It has been frustrating for Alan. He will not commit career suicide."

Ched Evans from City would be my choice, he looked an absolute beast when he was on loan at Norwich, although it seems other clubs are sniffing round him.

News of the World: TONY PULIS will fight Blackburn and Sunderland for £3million Newcastle striker Alan Smith. Stoke boss Pulis wants to bring in proven Premier League players this summer but Smith, 28, would have to take a massive cut on his £60,000-a-week wages. The Potters are also targeting Manchester United forward Fraizer Campbell and Manchester City hitman Ched Evans.

Nice one !! Star Wars Force Unleashed though

The future of Newcastle United should become a lot clearer on Sunday when advisers to the owner, Mike Ashley, are scheduled to meet with a group of local investors seeking to buy the football club. By Duncan White Published: 6:21PM BST 06 Jun 2009 Ashley wants to sell the club as quickly as possible and, with four separate investors looking through the finances, hopes that a deal can be struck within a fortnight. He bought the club for £134 million in 2007 and has spent at least another £100 million reducing the club's debt, but is now believed to be ready to accept an offer in the region of £100 million to facilitate a quick sale. Whoever takes over will not face large liabilities, but will need to reduce dramatically the bloated annual wage bill of £75 million if the club is not to start operating at a loss. It has been reported that the Newcastle-based group had Middle East backing, but the interest of potential investors in Dubai seemed to recede dramatically last week. Sunday's meeting should determine whether these local investors, whose identity has yet to be disclosed, have sufficient funds to complete a takeover. In the interim, there has been no progress on Alan Shearer's efforts to be appointed manager on a permanent basis. Shearer is on holiday in Portugal after Ashley refused to meet his wage demands and will now have to wait for the club to be sold before re-entering into negotiations.

0-1 Barry.

Cum on England !

Don't judge the game by the demo !

Kazakh Schoolgirls

The Mirror: Shearer still waits for nod By Simon Bird 6/06/2009 Alan Shearer will not walk away from the chance of rescuing Newcastle United - despite another week of behind-the-scenes crisis meetings. A group of North-East businessmen, backed by Middle Eastern money, have met owner Mike Ashley and are preparing a £90million bid. They have asked to carry out due diligence, a process where the books are examined ahead of a buy-out, and hope to be able to appoint Shearer as their boss.

I picked up the first version last month, although it was pleasing to the eye I thought it was shite in terms of depth.

A consortium made up of wealthy local businessmen, and backed by Middle East investors, has asked for due diligence on Newcastle United, and they are hoping to put together a £90 million package to buy out Mike Ashley. The group, who have already spoken to Alan Shearer, wants the former captain as their manager and are prepared to meet his £3million-a-year wage demands. Shearer has gone to Portugal for a short break. He still wants to be manager despite not hearing back from owner Ashley yesterday as expected. The former England striker had hoped that yesterday would bring news from Ashley that the banks had agreed to the necessary funding to enable the owner to appoint him as manager— even though the club is up for sale. Sportsmail understands the hold up is due to delays in the buy-out and Ashley’s reluctance to hand over control at a cut price after failing to secure a £300 million sale last year. Yesterday’s deadline passed without any update and, even when Shearer returns on Monday, there may still be no news. Any frustration Shearer is experiencing is being well-hidden but if another week drags by then the 38-year-old is bound to be concerned at the delays. Meanwhile, Jose Enrique is set to leave Newcastle and join Atletico Madrid during the summer. Enrique said he was happy to stay at St James’ Park despite seeing the club suffer relegation from the Barclays Premier League last season. The Spanish defender still has three-years left on his deal, but Atletico are set to make a £4m offer as they seek a replacement for Mariano Pernia, who is set to leave the club. Enrique, 23, was a regular in the Newcastle team last season, but will be tempted to play top flight football next season and is poised to make a move back to Spain.