Christmas Tree

Don't know about you lot but I am so excited about the game today. Started to get going last night with a real game being played again but this morning.......fucking hell, bring it on. Ashley may have stolen the clubs dignity and dry humped our loyalty but he can't touch my matchday excitement. Here we go, here we go, here we go.... Also think Barton will score and get man of the match.

Bobby

Where at if you don't mind me asking? lets just say south Tyneside.

Journal THE sale of Newcastle United appeared to be on the verge of collapse last night as Mike Ashley prepares to take the club off the market for the second time in less than a year. With talks between Tyneside businessman Barry Moat and Ashley’s camp stuck in a disheartening stalemate, there is a growing sense of desperation surrounding the attempt to sell the club. The Journal understands there have even been attempts to attract fresh interest by offering the club for a down payment of £20m with another £80m due to be paid to Ashley in 12 months’ time. That desperation is reflected in an increasingly exasperated Alan Shearer, who cannot believe the situation remains as shambolic now as it did when Ashley put the club up for sale back in May. Although Seymour Pierce – the bank put in charge of the search for a buyer by United’s owner – are ready to recommend an offer from Tyneside businessman Barry Moat as their preferred bid after months of sluggish negotiations, Ashley remains reluctant to sell for anything less than the £100m he initially asked for. Moat is backed by anonymous American investors, but he has still not put together a package able to satisfy Ashley’s strict financial demands because the club’s wage bill means Newcastle’s operating loss this season could be as high as £30m. That has led to growing tension between Seymour Pierce and the Ashley camp. The bank are convinced they have got the best deal they could in the present financial climate and are frustrated by Ashley’s stubborn stance. That raises the very real possibility of the sale being cancelled after Ashley took a similar step when he could not find a buyer back in December. Sources have already tried to play down Moat’s interest and are privately briefing he does not have enough money to go through with any deal. Moat, though, is continuing to try to break the deadlock and attended a series of meetings with Newcastle’s managing director Derek Llambias yesterday in the hope of reaching a compromise. Those talks will resume this morning. If Moat’s bid is not accepted, it is understood there are no serious alternative bidders. That would force Ashley – who is on holiday in Hawaii – to pull the plug on the sale and look to install a manager as quickly as possible to try to make the best out of the wreckage of the first-team squad which failed to keep the club in the Premier League last season. Who would want such a task remains to be seen and the prospect of Joe Kinnear or David O’Leary taking the helm instead of fans’ favourite Shearer will sicken many already thoroughly disillusioned by this long-running farce. Indeed, Ashley would have to invest some more of his own money to keep the club ticking over financially, while any new manager serious about getting Newcastle back into the top flight will ask for some sort of transfer budget to strengthen a squad which is alarmingly short on cover in every department. Infuriatingly, if Ashley had decided to give it one more year as an owner immediately after relegation in the hope the Magpies will make an instant return to the Premier League, many of those problems could have been remedied by Shearer over the summer. Instead, everyone has been stuck in limbo and the club has been allowed to drift without proper leadership on or off the pitch, with Shearer a frustrated spectator. Newcastle’s manager-in-waiting has been aware of Moat’s interest for several weeks and had remained hopeful throughout the due diligence phase that he would be successful. Moat was the chairman of Shearer’s testimonial committee and had already assured the 38-year-old he would be appointed manager as soon as he received the keys to St James’s Park. Indeed, the former Magpies skipper turned down the manager’s job at Southampton last month as he was confident Moat would eventually complete a takeover at United this summer. That hope is now hanging by a thread with Ashley ready to look elsewhere for a manager as he does not want to give Shearer any assurances regarding transfer budgets and player retention. Meanwhile, Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie has confirmed they are interested in signing Australian striker Mark Viduka following his release by Newcastle.

Me and a mate have managed to get hold af a lovely big allotment so the garden extention is not needed and the hens will get a much bigger home. Even some rabbits for the kids I think . It's pretty overgrown but is in a lovely spot.

Thanks for the reply, going to get the land registry bit done asap.

Cheers for the replies. Bit more research needed before the chickens roam free. That site looks a good Laz.

Cheers for the advice lads but the situation is that it appears not to be the farmers land, purely a boundary if you like put in place by persimmons when they built the estate, hence it seems to be no mans land! I am sure there is no law saying I have to erect a back fence, therefore if my fence was to dissappear, potential new hens would have a nice bit of land to roam!!

We live on a fairly modern estate (15 years) and the back garden is seperated from a farmers field in the following way. Our fence, 8 foot wide gap of trees planted when the estate was built and finally the farmers barb wire fence. Firstly, there seems no clear indication as to who owns this tree lined stretch. Secondly, these trees need pruning and sorting out as they well overhang into the garden keep reseeding themselves. Is there anything to stop me taking down my fence and adopting / maintaining/ snaffling this piece of land.

Cheers fishy

Think I'll definitely give it a go, was mainly worried about smells drifting into neighbours gardens but I keep Reading that as long as they are kept clean, smells are not a big issue.

More worried about the smell drifting into neighbours gardens?

Dont suppose anyone has any experience of keeping chickens to share. Are the hard work? Do they stink? Will they make a racket?

Chronny

Probably, but im in the whatever it takes camp.

I think this is exactly what is needed, ie the media attention focusing on them and their lack of communication rather than the likes of Steve Mcmahon. Hopefully the big boys will pick up on this and even if Ashley is thick skinned, the likes of seymour pierce wont want their reputation damaged with talked of badly treating potential bidders.

From todays Ronny FANS and civic leaders were today united in telling Toon owner Mike Ashley "enough is enough". The club is in a deepening crisis, with no manager, no new owner and just 10 days to go until the start of the season. Despite repeated claims from managing director Derek Llambias that a sale is imminent, a deal is yet to be done, with the Singapore-based Profitable Group yesterday withdrawing its interest. And a usually reliable source close to another bidder has made contact with the Chronicle saying they are extremely frustrated in their efforts to negotiate a deal. Those involved are said to be angered at the way they have been treated, the time it is taking to get access to the accounts and the lack of communication from the club. The group is unwilling to go public until they get some answers, which the source claims they were seeking from Derek Llambias today. A source at Seymour Pierce confirmed a meeting was taking place today but could not say who with. He added they had been in constant dialogue with all bidders and any suggestion they or the club had been unhelpful was not true. We have also been told Ashley is currently abroad but no-one would confirm this. While the saga of the club’s ownership drags on, manager in waiting Alan Shearer has been left in limbo. BBC colleague Gary Lineker today said he expects Shearer to be on the Match of the Day sofa, rather than in the Magpies’ dug-out come the start of the season. What is for sure is the club’s income has been dented so much by demotion to the second tier, a major cash injection is needed simply to balance the books, with the bulk of United’s big money stars still on the payroll. That has led to rumours it is on the brink of administration, which would lead to a 10 point deduction. It is difficult to know who to believe such is the shambles surrounding the whole process. A spokesman for the Newcastle United Supporters Club, set up amid angry protests at Kevin Keegan’s St James’s Park exit, said: "Our position has been consistent throughout this sorry affair – Mike Ashley should go now, he has mishandled the sale much in the way he has handled the club. "Newcastle United is not a stack of chips on a poker table to be gambled with, it’s a living entity that provides jobs and hopefully enjoyment to people in the future. "What we are calling for is an end to the uncertainty, secrecy and rumour mill. It’s cards on the table time for all concerned and that includes the potential bidders for the club." The Mag editor Mark Jensen said: "All fans are just waiting for a positive sign to rally behind and in this case, that has to be a new owner or Alan Shearer or another credible candidate being named as manager. "There is a huge responsibility for Mike Ashley, the likes of Derek Llambias, and whoever is looking to buy the club to make that happen. What is happening at the minute is just damaging everyone from Ashley, the potential new owners and the fans." Civic leaders say the United crisis has far- reaching consequences. City council leader Coun John Shipley said: "The success of Newcastle United as a football club is fundamental to the economic success of our city. "We are one of the few cities with a stadium right in the centre and that generates a lot of income on a matchday, while the club can also attract significant corporate hospitality income. "The spin-off the benefits to the wider city are hugely important and matter a great deal and that is why it is very important that the future ownership and management is sorted out as quickly as possible. Inevitably, there are deep financial issues that come as a result of relegation but the city needs bold action to be taken, otherwise there is a serious risk of drift." Toon fan and MP for Newcastle East and Wallsend Nick Brown said: "If you ask anyone about Newcastle, the first thing they will say will be either Newcastle United or Brown Ale. "That is how important the club is to the city and it is absolutely vital that Mike Ashley sells the club to a consortium that not only has the wealth to buy the club but is able to invest enough in it in future years. "It is of overwhelming importance that the club is returned to the Premier League for the benefit of the city and the supporters of Newcastle United." Six questions for Mike Ashley 1. ARE you going to sell the club and if so, how many serious bidders are still active? 2. IF you fail to find a buyer for Newcastle United, are you going to place the club in administration? 3. WHEN are you going to appoint a full-time manager? 4. ARE you sorry at the state of the club you have put up for sale? 5. IF you had your time again, what would you do differently with Newcastle United? 6. EXACTLY how has the situation come to this, and at what point did things start to go so disastrously wrong? UTTER contempt – two words with which Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias must be familiar. That is how the men in charge of Newcastle United have treated the fans and more than 100 staff they have contributed to making redundant after their mismanagement led to relegation. It is how they have treated three great Newcastle icons, Kevin Keegan with his appointment and subsequent sacking, Alan Shearer a man they hailed as their greatest signing left not knowing where he stands, and Sir Bobby Robson – nowhere to be seen at a tribute dinner or match in his honour. It is also, if information being passed to the Chronicle is to be believed, how they are treating serious bidders keen to do a deal but frustrated by a lack of co- operation. Ten days to go and everyone is still waiting to know who will be in the boardroom, the dugout and on the pitch for the first match. A demoralised squad, many of whom don’t want to even be here, gearing up for a difficult opening game at West Brom. This should be a time to be United, to pull together in the same direction and strive for an immediate return to the Premier League. Instead we have a club in crisis, owned by a guy who doesn’t care. We need answers and we need them now. RIGHT here, right now, the Great Betrayal has got to stop. Mike Ashley, the deaf mute of football who refuses to hear the wailing of a tortured Geordie clan or offer up either explanation or apology for the shocking, run- down state of Newcastle United, had better repent and come clean. He must address those he has abused with an honesty he has never demonstrated. He must clear the air. Tell it as it is. No longer hide behind the veil of secrecy he has drawn around himself. Ashley is nothing short of an absolute disgrace, displaying total contempt for the ordinary man in the street – dismissing him as a horse dismisses an irritating fly with the swish of its tail. Common courtesy is beyond him. He feels he owes nobody a thing and that he can do as he likes, when he likes, in the way he likes. Well, he can’t. He is only passing through St James’s Park. He may be the landlord but they come and go. United are forever. History will judge him more harshly than anyone who has strode the corridors of power before him. He is the ultimate wrecker of dreams. Not once this dreadful, barren, hopeless summer has he explained a solitary thing to those who care. Who wait in vain. A Third-World dictator would at least pass public sentence before the firing squad got out the blindfolds. Here we are heading into August – just days away from United’s first game out of the top strata since Kevin Keegan spectacularly rescued them in the mid- 1990s. Yet we know not a thing about what is going to happen to our cherished club. Is it near being sold? Or is the secret plan to jettison it into administration and so start the season with a 10-point deduction? And what happened to the two consortiums managing director Derek Llambias told us in a rare loose-tongued moment had bid the asking price of £100m? The silence is deafening from Ashley, a man who promised a more open regime after past misdemeanours. A man who emblazoned King Kev on the back of his black-and- white striped shirt before hounding him out of town. The same man who called Alan Shearer his best-ever signing and then ignored him as though he had swine flu. All we’ve wanted throughout summer months is to be kept informed of what was club policy within SJP. We never expected minute details of any takeover bids, which are laced with legal requirements over confidentiality. All we hoped for was a general explanation over progress, the future of Shearer, the reasoning behind a total transfer black out, what the short-term plans were etc. Darn it, one good reason why Ashley bought the club in the first place might not have gone amiss because he has never told us and I’m blowed if we can fathom it. I have travelled the area as part of the Supporters’ Club roadshows talking to fans in Blyth, Holystone, Brandon and the like, and all, without exception, have nothing but contempt for United’s arrogant and indifferent owner. Former players have approached me bewildered and angered, managers have been inquisitive, unable to believe what they see from far afield. Even other chairmen have asked me: "How does Ashley get away with it?" And I’m not talking about Dave Whelan at Wigan! What is baffling is not only why Ashley wanted United in the first place, but what has been behind club policy ever since. Appointing Dennis Wise and Tony Jimenez. Messing about KK who has a history of not tolerating such behaviour. Bringing Joe Kinnear out of retirement. Treating Chris Hughton, three times caretaker boss, like a yo-yo. Trying to sell the club twice and taking it off the market once. Wearing shirts with first Alan Smith, then King Kev and, very fleetingly his wow signing Fabricio Coloccini on the back. All class acts! No wonder Geordies are asking how Ashley ever became a millionaire if these are examples of his visionary decision making. We have put up with enough. We have been a laughing stock long enough. If we are condemned by the incompetence or indifference of this man then let him have the guts to tell us we don’t matter and he doesn’t care. THE LONG SILENCE MUST END RIGHT NOW!

Daily Express TYNESIDE legend Alan Shearer is ready to turn his back on his beloved Newcastle United in disgust at the way owner Mike Ashley has failed to sell the club this summer. Shearer is furious that Ashley is holding out for £100million and has so far not managed to offload the Magpies despite interest from various consortia, all of whom have fallen short of the asking price. Shearer was expected to be named permanent boss at St James’ Park shortly after the club was relegated last season, but he continues to wait in the wings. With the new Championship season set to start in a fortnight, Shearer’s close friend and former Newcastle team-mate Rob Lee said: “I speak to Alan every day and he’s frustrated to say the least. He’s coming to the end of his tether now. He’s waited for ages and been told that things were due to happen, but nothing has and he’s very frustrated. “He organised all the pre-season games at the end of last season but he also had targets in mind that he wanted to bring in to the club. Now it looks like he will miss out on them. “I’m amazed he hasn’t already told Newcastle that he doesn’t want the job any more, but there will come a point where he says, ‘You’re too late’. “He still wants the job desperately but you can’t expect someone like that to wait forever. He’s not daft and they’ve had ample time to sort something out. “Only half the stadium has been sold as season tickets and for a club the size of Newcastle that is bad. They’re in danger of being in the same situation as Leeds, who are stuck in League One and can’t get out. “It could take a long time to sort themselves out, but nothing can happen unless the club is sold. Some of the players don’t want to play in that division, but they’re being paid £50,000 a week and you can’t sustain that. “It is a horrendous situation and the longer it goes on the worse it will get for Newcastle. “If things don’t change in the next three weeks they could have a very bad season.” It seems inconceivable Lee would speak out without first having spoken to his former team-mate, and several Newcastle players look set to leave if Shearer is not re-appointed, including Steven Taylor, Habib Beye, Damien Duff and Sebastien Bassong.

The only people who have any chance of extracting any info either by good means or bad are the press. Lee Ryder keeps quoting a "united source" and the quotes a shitty one liner. Why doesnt he get a few paragraphs from the squealer. They claim to be in the know then just produce dribbles of nowtness. Again it is also surprising that the locals on the nationals are not doing a bit more to find a squeeler or shame the fuckers.

But originally they were all up for sale, in fact I remember an agency being appointed to tout them all. A lot of what has been written lately has to do with the club looking unattractive due to the high wage bill. Surely therefore reducing the wage bill would make the club more attractive to potential buyers. I can not understand why any of these so called journalists can not dig a bit deeper or at least put some pressure on the likes of lambias through there columns. There fucking keen to have a go at us lot. Why not a few articles regarding the two bids of 100 mill derek etc etc. Lazy desk ridden wankers.

From today's Journal While no-one believes nowt these days and rightly so, you do have to think it would not be in Ashleys interests to block players from leaving. This in-fact goes against earlier statements that everyone is for sale.

The 10 richest divorcees in the UK Divorce is an ugly business. But if you are separating from the super wealthy there are some consolations. We have trawled the Sunday Times Rich List to find the ten people who have made the most money from divorce. 1. Slavica Ecclestone, £734 million Divorce from Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has made Slavica the richest divorcee on our list. When she met Bernie on the F1 social circuit she was already a successful model, and they married in 1985. Her daughters have commended her for being thrifty – she even makes her own jam – but with this much money she probably won’t have to stray from a life of jet-setting and exclusive hotels. 2. Irina Abramovich, £130 million After splitting from business tycoon Roman Abramovich in 2007, their divorce settlement granted her a reported £155m. The former flight attendant also received a yacht, and the Fyning Hill estate in West Sussex, equipped with a go-kart track and rifle range. Although her fortune is down £25m this year, she still occupies the 406th spot on the Sunday Times Rich List. 3. Pamela Morgan Bell, £80 million Morgan Bell is thought to have sold the stake she received in her ex-husband’s company as part of their divorce settlement. She no longer appears to be a significant shareholder in Redrow, the Welsh housebuilder started by Steve Morgan. However, together with other assets, she is now worth at least £80m. 4. Patricia Kluge, £80 million Kluge has wisely invested the money she received from divorcing businessman John Kluge in 1991. At 60, her investments include property and a 2,000-acre wine estate in Virginia, part of which she has recently allotted to 24 expensive homes. 5. Guy Ritchie, £50 million The former Mr Madonna vowed not to take a penny of his ex-wife’s wealth in their divorce (already having accumulated his own fortune from his films), but Ritchie received somewhere between £30m-£50m from the material girl last year, making him the only male divorcee to break into our top ten. 6. Linda Ashley, £50 million In 2003 when she divorced Mike Ashley, the sportswear millionaire and football club owner, she received £50m in the settlement. Now living in North London, the Swedish-born mother of three manages various property-linked business interests. 7. Beverley Charman, £48 million Although her millionaire ex-husband John Charman resisted giving her £48m in their divorce settlement, she has retained that fortune and sits at 1,152 on the Rich List this year. Charman’s ex-husband has argued that the “housewife” from Kent only deserved half that amount. 8. Alisa Marks, £40 million The former fashion journalist and ex-wife of Stephen Marks, of French Connection, gained a cool £40m – and their London residence – from their divorce settlement. Marks was forced to sell some of his stake in the company, which he founded more than 30 years ago, to finance the outcome. 9. Sally Croker-Poole, £40 million When she married spiritual leader Aga Khan in 1969, the former model became Princess Salimah and converted to Islam. After 25 years of marriage, she received a multi-million pound settlement, which she added to by selling £17m worth of jewellery in 1995. Among the sale was the Begum Blue, a 13.78-carat heart-shaped blue diamond. Crocker-Poole now dedicates her time to helping underprivileged children worldwide. 10. Lady Sandra Sorrell, £30 million A £3.25m Georgian townhouse, £2m in bank deposits and two parking spots at Harrods topped off the £23m cash payout Sorrell received from her divorce settlement. After 33 years of marriage to Sir Martin Sorrell, she cited his obsession with work as one of the reasons for their split. She is a former chairwoman of Special Olympics Great Britain.

:icon_lol: :icon_lol: :icon_lol: :icon_lol: Sunday Express