Fans raise hell and cause Ashley to surrender

[Jimbo 133]

Louise Taylor The Guardian, Monday September 15 2008

Article history

Derek Llambias chose to watch Newcastle United's latest undoing slouched in a seat adjacent to an exit with a supercilious smirk playing round his mouth and minders hovering close by. The club's managing director seemed to have perfected the impression of a man running scared while affecting not to care but at least Llambias actually turned up, which is more than can be said of Mike Ashley and Dennis Wise.

 

On a day when true leaders would have faced the music, Newcastle's thin-skinned owner and his director of football passed up the chance to confront a Toon Army still incandescent at events prefacing Kevin Keegan's resignation.

 

Granted, Ashley put the club on the market last night but, having insisted it will not be a "fire sale", the billionaire sports retailer could find himself stuck with Newcastle for some time. There is talk of an interested Chinese property developer but the global credit crunch allied to Ashley's desire to at least recoup his £250m investment may delay things.

 

In the meantime, relegation could be a real possibility if the club is left rudderless. All the organisation on view on Saturday derived either from Hull City or protesting Newcastle fans. When it came to skilled choreography, Michael Owen and co never looked like producing a move remotely as eye-catching as the sight of thousands of supporters sweeping around the south-west corner of St James' Park and temporarily barricading the main reception where, just eight months ago, they had serenaded King Kev's second coming.

 

Displaying a certain selective amnesia - remember how the replica-shirt-wearing, pint-swilling Ashley spent several months as "wor Mike, the toast of the Toon" after ousting the then-reviled former chairman, Freddy Shepherd? - those fans variously bellowed "Cockneys out" and "Walking in a Keegan wonderland". One suspected that, had Shepherd suddenly appeared, he would have been lifted on to willing shoulders, garlanded with flowers and feted as a returning saviour.

 

Romantics cling to the hope of Keegan's restoration under a new regime but, given his insistence on the removal of Ashley's muckers, Wise, Llambias and Tony Jimenez, that seems a forlorn notion. Moreover, for all his virtues, Keegan perhaps does not represent the best way forward for a club too sentimentally attached to handing the job to someone born within spitting distance of the Tyne or boasting a past association with the club.

 

The usually perceptive Sir Bobby Robson was peddling such an approach yesterday when he advocated Steve Bruce but if Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal can all thrive under foreign coaches why should Newcastle be any different? With the team in disarray, whoever takes over - and now that Paul Ince has apparently withdrawn, Newcastle's shortlist comprises Gus Poyet, Didier Deschamps and Tony Adams - cannot be appointed quickly enough.

 

Their first act could be to strip Owen of the captaincy. While Hull fans chorused "Are you Grimsby in disguise?" Owen sulked rather than got on his team-mates' cases. Tellingly, when Chris Hughton, Newcastle's caretaker manager, offered tactical advice, Owen's face turned thunderous.

 

In mitigation the striker, who worked hard enough at his own game, could hardly be blamed for Danny Guthrie's petulance. The ill-disciplined midfielder was sent off in the 90th minute for twice kicking Craig Fagan. Refreshingly, Phil Brown, Hull's animated manager tended to receive thumbs-up signals when he, sometimes unceremoniously, told players to do things differently. Their captain, Ian Ashbee, was an equally galvanising central-midfield leader.

 

In the 34th minute Hull's impressive Marlon King opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Nicky Butt felled Peter Halmosi. Wise's failure to buy a left-back was one of the reasons Keegan resigned and watching the gifted but horribly out of position Charles N'Zogbia offer his ersatz interpretation of that role it was easy to see why. N'Zogbia was badly at fault for King's second, allowing the striker to cut inside him and curl a fabulous left-footed shot beyond Shay Given.

 

Xisco - signed against Keegan's wishes on transfer deadline day - applied an unexpected gloss to a generally shocking debut by tapping home the rebound after N'Zogbia's late shot ricocheted off a post. But Brown was not about to be denied revenge for the beating-up he took while watching Sunderland here in the 1970s.

 

No shrinking violet, Hull's manager - who seemed highly amused by the content of a congratulatory text from Keegan's predecessor, Sam Allardyce - and his players had been involved in lively exchanges with a Geordie wedding party staying at the team's Northumberland hotel on Friday night. Although he dismissed the incident as "a storm in a teacup", Hull checked out of Slaley Hall shortly before 10pm and diverted to alternative accommodation.

 

A controversial last-minute decision it may have been but at least Brown possessed the leadership qualities to make that call.

 

Man of the match Marlon King (Hull)

[Ketsbaia 0]

She'd flick her fucking bean clean off if that happened.

[trophyshy 6502]

She'd flick her fucking bean clean off if that happened.

[Tom 13918]

She knows nothing about football.

[The Fish 9340]

But plenty about winding people up enough to get people talking about her article... which is kind of the point in her editor letting her wind you up.

[peasepud 59]

Anyone ever seen her?

 

My moneys on a specky ginger fat bint, a bit like Ugly Betty but without the looks.

[Matt 0]

But plenty about winding people up enough to get people talking about her article... which is kind of the point in her editor letting her wind you up.

 

Maybe if she was writing for a fanzine or presenting on Talkshite. I wasn't aware the Guardian had become a wind-up outlet.

[Ketsbaia 0]

But plenty about winding people up enough to get people talking about her article... which is kind of the point in her editor letting her wind you up.

 

She gets away with it because the Guardian sports editor is a Mackem too.

[The Fish 9340]

But plenty about winding people up enough to get people talking about her article... which is kind of the point in her editor letting her wind you up.

 

Maybe if she was writing for a fanzine or presenting on Talkshite. I wasn't aware the Guardian had become a wind-up outlet.

Papers exist to sell papers.

[Asprilla 96]

But plenty about winding people up enough to get people talking about her article... which is kind of the point in her editor letting her wind you up.

 

Maybe if she was writing for a fanzine or presenting on Talkshite. I wasn't aware the Guardian had become a wind-up outlet.

Papers exist to sell papers.

[Fop 1]

But plenty about winding people up enough to get people talking about her article... which is kind of the point in her editor letting her wind you up.

 

Maybe if she was writing for a fanzine or presenting on Talkshite. I wasn't aware the Guardian had become a wind-up outlet.

 

 

Have you ever read the Guardian? It's all it does, only in a different way to the Mail et al.

[Park Life 71]

Anyone ever seen her?

 

My moneys on a specky ginger fat bint, a bit like Ugly Betty but without the looks.

 

 

She's sexy.

 

She's right of course if this morass continues we will flirt with relegation.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

She used to write for a Sunderland fanzine apparently so thats where her style is from, wants a good kick in the ovary's I reckon.

[wykikitoon 17344]

Slag

 

Hope someone with aids bangs the fuck out of her arse and splits her in two

[Asprilla 96]

Slag

 

Hope someone with aids bangs the fuck out of her arse and splits her in two

[trophyshy 6502]

Slag

 

Hope someone with aids bangs the fuck out of her arse and splits her in two

 

[catmag 336]

Slag

 

Hope someone with aids bangs the fuck out of her arse and splits her in two

 

Fucking hell man - no need. If you don't like what she writes then don't read it. You always know whats coming when her name is at the top of an article.

[Guest alex]

Anyone ever seen her?

 

 

She's sexy.

 

'No' in other words

[LeazesMag 0]

Anyone ever seen her?

 

My moneys on a specky ginger fat bint, a bit like Ugly Betty but without the looks.

 

 

She's sexy.

 

She's right of course if this morass continues we will flirt with relegation.

 

of course she's right.

 

She's spot on.