Happy Face 29 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 "First we had a terrific pre-season trip to Dublin when we all lived together 24/7 and bonded really well. "I have been on many such mini tours and could tell this one was different. There was a new togetherness. Then the crunch came when we played a friendly at Leyton Orient. "There was an understanding I would play the midweek games, while Tim Krul and Fraser Forster would alternate on the Saturdays, so I was not between the sticks. "I was actually at Newcastle races but I was being texted to say we were one down, 2-0 then 3-0 and so on. We eventually lost 6-1 and that brought things to a head. "We held a team meeting when a few players got a few things off their chest. We cleared the air. We wanted to know who was in and who was out. "It was stated quite openly if anyone wanted to go they could. We would not blame them, in fact we would help them get away. We needed to know who was with us. "I was staying put. This is a great club, my club, the only place to be. I have spent half my life here. "In the end what we were left with was a bunch of level-headed, honest players. The egos had gone. "A few very, very good supporters of the club insisted perhaps in the long run relegation would turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps they were right." http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcas...72703-26108538/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AS 206 0 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'd love to know what Obafemi Martins said during that meeting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'd love to know what Obafemi Martins said during that meeting... Brrrap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 Surprised me that Harper, who's been here so long is implying that relegation was in the clubs best interests. Looks like everyone's on board with the Ashley revolution at the club....course, these players would all still be sat on the bench otherwise so perhaps they mean it's been best for their careers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney 0 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'd love to know what Obafemi Martins said during that meeting... Brrrap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 (edited) In response to Harper's comments: I really wish i had had more time to look at the financial figures because from a pure business point of view, what has been happening to the cost base at Newcastle (obviously revenue is a bit of an unknown) mirrors exactly what other business's have been trying to do during this recession. They have also lost revenues and like us have been drastically cutting costs and changing their mix of labour. Its sort of an analogy for whats happened to us, so everytime i read this i think there may be something in it but dont have access to the right data. There is so much bullshit in the media and on the forums, its hard to know whats true and whats not. Just back of fag packet style, if we had stayed up, we would have been forced to offer contracts around parity with existing contracts for new players, old 'shit labour/workers' that had put us in 17th would have stayed on. There would have been no scope for changing the strategy, direction, labour mix (age, price, experience, goals) etc. Once the business is back in the black, then you have the freedom to start again. With us apparently losing 500k a month, the 40m upswing in revenue may do that next season. If we arent losing that (i smell bullshit everywhere), then the upswing will definitely see us in the black. A steadying of the financial ship is a must for the long term health of the club. Thats an unavoidable fact of life for us. The question is whether this is true, i dont buy HF's analysis as i think what he has really been saying is 'the implication of your financial lies is that we are now more in debt than ever before'. However, my problem with that is nufcfinances.org was written by a man who told me company debt was just like having a mortgage. I never looked at that site again after that. He could have over or under estimated the debt by a long way, a fact confirmed by an accountant. There is a case that relegation for only one season, which allows (gives a good excuse to) the business to drastically reduce costs, is exactly like the recession with many companies still making profit or at least being 'going concerns' but shedding labour to allow more flexibility for the future. My business instincts always said that if we only went down for a season, perhaps it would do us some good. Something along these lines. We have revenue of 100m and costs of 107m in the year 200X Then we have revenue of 50m and costs of 60m in the year 200X + 1 Then we have revenue of 100m and costs of 60m + investment in +2 Then we have improved the long term financial stability of the club. The question has to be what cost base would we have had this year if we had stayed up? Could we have re-jigged the squad in such a way to reduce costs and keep us moving in the right direction without risking investments in prem players who turn out to be shit and just more burden on the cost base? I could be wrong like. Edited March 25, 2010 by ChezGiven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 6441 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Surprised me that Harper, who's been here so long is implying that relegation was in the clubs best interests. Looks like everyone's on board with the Ashley revolution at the club....course, these players would all still be sat on the bench otherwise so perhaps they mean it's been best for their careers. they were given the opportunity to put up or shut up by the sounds of it. clearing out the egos was needed, but this is surely the most extreme way of doing it? Like torching your car to get a new paint job, to use my preferred analogy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Every cloud has a silver lining or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 6441 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Every cloud has a silver lining or something like that. Mike Ashley is so fat he bends light? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeazesMag 0 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Surprised me that Harper, who's been here so long is implying that relegation was in the clubs best interests. Looks like everyone's on board with the Ashley revolution at the club....course, these players would all still be sat on the bench otherwise so perhaps they mean it's been best for their careers. I can't agree that relegation was in the clubs best interests, but in retrospect, if the comments about the 6-1 defeat are true, then the aftermath of that most certainly has been. This is what I was most bothered about this season, the spirit at the club, it sounds like some people have shown good leadership here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 Surprised me that Harper, who's been here so long is implying that relegation was in the clubs best interests. Looks like everyone's on board with the Ashley revolution at the club....course, these players would all still be sat on the bench otherwise so perhaps they mean it's been best for their careers. they were given the opportunity to put up or shut up by the sounds of it. clearing out the egos was needed, but this is surely the most extreme way of doing it? Like torching your car to get a new paint job, to use my preferred analogy. I prefer my Fritzl analogy. She was lucky to get locked up and abused for 20 years because now she has a film deal. Huzzah for Josef. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaldstott 0 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Surprised me that Harper, who's been here so long is implying that relegation was in the clubs best interests. Looks like everyone's on board with the Ashley revolution at the club....course, these players would all still be sat on the bench otherwise so perhaps they mean it's been best for their careers. I can't agree that relegation was in the clubs best interests, but in retrospect, if the comments about the 6-1 defeat are true, then the aftermath of that most certainly has been. Agree, but you wouldn't have had one without the other. If we had stayed up there would still be a number who earned too much money, spent too much time injured and weren't as good as they thought they were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'm not sure the situation would have got any better if we had stayed up, just would have delayed the inevitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walliver 0 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Why was he at the races and not watching his team mates play? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeys Fist 39007 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Why was he at the races and not watching his team mates play? Taking Carrolls bird for a day out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asprilla 96 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 We haven't had decent team spirit here since Keegan's days IMO. Even under Robson we seemed like a collection of talented individuals rather than a team. There does seem to be some spirit there now though. The road is long with many a winding turn as they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney 0 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'd take robsons individuals over this lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asprilla 96 Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 I'd take robsons individuals over this lot Me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 14126 Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Why was he at the races and not watching his team mates play? Taking Carrolls bird for a day out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakehips 0 Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 I'd take robsons individuals over this lot 'Ali' Carroll will take the lot of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 70 Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 I'd love to know what Obafemi Martins said during that meeting... "I'm 23 you know". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyshinton 59 Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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