Not worth the paper it's written on

On Friday we Newcastle fans awoke to the news that Cheik Tiote had put pen to paper and signed a new 6.5 year contract. I for one was over the moon at the news. Tiote has been phenomenal for Newcastle this year, his 35 yard wonder-goal against Arsenal crowning his debut season for us. Stats show that with Tiote in the side we have won 42% of the games we have played while without him we have only won 12.5%.

However, some cynics have pointed out that it doesn't matter how long a contract he has signed, he'll be off in the summer if we get a decent offer for the Ivory Coast international. It's hard to argue against them, as Andy Carroll is an all too recent reminder that players are loyal to whoever pays them the best wages.  Even youth players display little loyalty, with Ryan Donaldson putting a comment on his facebook how "anyone would do the same" as Carroll, just after the deadline day deal was completed.

All too often now players are orchestrating moves to ensure that their bank balances are well padded, with little consideration on how long left they have on their contracts. Cristiano Ronaldo signed a five year deal at Manchester United but was pulling on the Real Madrid shirt just over a year later. Glen Johnson was happy to sign a new deal committing himself to Portsmouth but a little over 8 months later he signed for Liverpool. In 2008 Stuart Downing put pen to paper at Middlesbrough in a deal which should have seen him contracted to his local club until 2013, but just a year later became Martin O'Neill's first summer signing of 2009 at Aston Villa.

Its really hard not to take the news of these players signing with a pinch of salt. As much as I would love to see Joey Barton and Jose Enrique committing themselves to Newcastle United for another 3-5 years each, it's difficult not to be cynical. I am in no doubt that even if Enrique signed a new deal and then Chelsea, Liverpool or Inter put in a bid for Jose that he would be on his way regardless of how long was remaining on his time here.

Newcastle fans have just been sent out their season ticket renewals. They have an option to secure their season ticket at a guaranteed price for the next 10 years. I'm not naive enough to believe that footballers have anything like the loyalty to a club that the fans have, but its disconcerting to have to decide whether to commit to your club long-term when you don't know if the stars who earn more in a week than we do in a year are prepared to do the same.

We are considerably richer than yow!!!!

Awww it's the stuff dreams are made of. Non-league minnows Crawley Town taking on the might of Manchester United at the Theatre of Dreams, a potential giant-killing on the cards and the biggest game in memory for their players and fans. We all love a David and Goliath fixture don't we?

However, the romance of the cup is soured somewhat if you look at Crawley Town's recent history. For me they are nothing more than, ironically, a poor man's Manchester City. As a Newcastle United fan I have watched, with undisguised jealousy, as Manchester City have used Sheik Mansour's considerable wealth to buy challenge for a Champions League place. For me it's like watching Michael Carroll, the 2002 £9.2 million lottery winner, as he publicly spent vulgar amounts of money unashamedly.

Crawley Town are the Blue Square Premier League equivalent of Manchester City. Back in 2006 the club were on the brink of extinction as they went into administration, with a debt of over £1.8 million. However they managed to stave off several attempts to wind-up the club with various rescue-packages, the latest being in February 2010 and they now sit in second place, and are on an 11 match unbeaten run in the league.

In July 2010 the Crawley Town co-owner, Bruce Winfield announced that all the clubs debts had been cleared by a consortium of investors. The club now have enough money in the bank to pay all fees upfront, and they are currently buying themselves out of non-league football. Matt Tubbs and Richard Brodie were the joint top scorers in the Blue Square Premier League and so Crawley Town bought both of them. Sergio Torres dropped down two divisions to join the club for a suggested fee of £100,000 and club captain Pablo Mills reportedly turned down league club offers of a contract to join them.

9,000 residents of Crawley are making their way to see the team play at Old Trafford. There are unabashed reports of the tickets being bought by people from the South East who support not the non-league Red Devils, but the global franchise which is Manchester United and who want to see their heroes. This can be backed by looking at the attendance figures for Crawley's home games which see an average of 1,800 through the gates. I'm sure that the Crawley Town directors won't mind as it all adds to their massive payday.

The West Sussex team spent more than all the teams in League 2 combined in the summer. Other teams in the Blue Square Premier simply cannot compete with that kind of spending and now, with a reported pay day of £1,000,000 from their day out at Old Trafford it is now unlikely that any club in League 2 will be able to compete with them financially next year.

Sit down, shut up!

It's the time of year when the season ticket renewal packs start hitting the doormats again and this week saw Newcastle United announce through a press release their plans for the coming season, and the longer term. Initially the noises were good. A pledge to freeze season ticket prices from next season for the next ten years. An extension of the family area. A young person's area for fans aged 18-21. A direct debit scheme to make the price affordable over a 12 month period. As for the most important thing in most people's minds, the prices, the club stated "Over 18's season tickets are being raised in price by £15..." but that covers a 12th man membership which is now to be automatically included. Excellent!

However what the club failed to make clear was something that affects directly about 3000 fans, but indirectly affects the whole ground. 

3 years ago, Mike Ashley decided to set up a "singing section" for fans who wanted to make a noise at the game. This area was situated in the "Leazes corner" and fans were moved from the Sir John Hall stand Level 7 and could join this area from other parts of the ground. This area has, arguably, been consistently the loudest part of the ground for fans who want to stand and sing. It was also the most affordable seat in the ground at £390 for an adult season ticket which made it an attractive prospect for the fans who had the least disposable income to spend. 

Lets not kid ourselves, St James' Park is no longer the fortress of noise and hostility that it used to be. The Tyne-Wear derby and the Arsenal comeback game are exceptions rather than the rule for blistering atmospheres at St James Park. There are pockets of fans, especially in the back of the Gallowgate and in the "Strawberry Corner" who like to make a noise, but the "Leazes Corner" has tried its utmost to create some kind of away-game atmosphere for the home fans. 

But the singing corner is being disbanded. The family section and the young person's section is being extended directly into that corner, and with away fans allocation being increased to 4000, it means that the fans who sit (sorry we stand) in that corner are being forced to move. It's hard to understand why a 4000 allocation is needed for away fans, especially when the likes of Fulham, Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn regularly only bring 2 men and a dog to away games. How wonderful are 3000+ grey seats up in the gods going to look?

It's impossible to not believe that Mike Ashley is disbanding his idea of a singing corner for no other reason than he has been getting dogs abuse from the fans based there for the past 3 years. Songs like "Get out of our club"and "I don't care about Ashley" and banners which read "Cockney rapist" have emanated from the Leazes corner. Ashley probably believes that by splitting up the most vocal fans will stop the negative chanting about him. However all it does is further alienate the owner from the fans. Some plans are being mooted by fans to develop a new "singing corner" in the Leazes corner Level 4, but how viable this is going to be remains to be seen, as Ashley has the final word on whether it will be allowed. 

However, not only are the "Leazes corner" regulars being displaced, but what wasn't disclosed in the press statement was that the people who are being moved now have to pay a higher price for their ticket. Those who bought a season ticket for the Championship season are getting a 10% discount on next year's ticket, but even with that, to move to any other part of the ground will see a season ticket price increase by at least £120 a year. So while other fans are getting a £15 increase, the most vocal fans, the fans who probably have the least money too are getting a £120 increase. It makes the decision to renew that much harder. Already one friend of mine, a lad who has had a season ticket for the last 12 years, has said that he cannot renew his ticket, he just cannot afford the price increase. 

The fans of Newcastle United have tolerated a lot from Ashley in his short tenure here, but they will not continue to be shafted by the owner. Mike Ashley is playing a dangerous game. Forget about players, they come and go, the lifeblood of any club is their fans.

Andy Carroll's massive payday

The transfer window slammed shut (mind your fingers) at 11pm yesterday. 15 minutes before the deadline an announcement was made that Geordies all over the world weren't letting themselves believe. Andrew Thomas Carroll, local lad, brought up through the academy at Newcastle and wearer of the coveted number nine shirt had signed for Liverpool for £35 million pounds.

When the day started there couldn't have been many Newcastle fans who would have predicted the Carroll would be helicoptered down to Melwood to sign for Liverpool. Over the past fortnight Harry Redknapp (him of the twitchy face) seemed to be trying his best to unsettle Carroll, much to the disdain of the Newcastle forumites.

When the bids started coming in the roller coaster started. Emotions went up and down, not dissimilar to a penalty shootout as a £25 million bid from Tottenham was received. Harry Redknapp steps up to the penalty spot, took a run up and joy abounded! The shot was saved and the bid was rejected. Saggy face would not be happy at that. Then a bid was reported from Liverpool. £30 million. Nerves started jangling. Up stepped Kenny Dalglish, but the shot went wide over, Geordies celebrated. Then Kenny stepped up again, slammed his £35 million penalty shot at the goal, but it's rejected. The shot is saved! Again the Geordie faithful go wild. But what is this, the referee is signaling that the penalty needs to be taken again, Andy Carroll has turned in a transfer request, and it's been accepted, Kenny starts his run up and this time the £35 million bid is in the back of the net. Just like in many matches I've seen involving Newcastle, we are out of the game on penalties.

Immediately a blame game started. Mike Ashley, who has to be one of the most odious, despicable men in football, in my opinion, has just sold our golden chalice. However £35 million plus add ons is mental money for a 22 year old who has only had 6 months in the Premiership. The biggest problem, though, is the re-investment of the money into the team. Ashley has still to convince me that he gives two tosses about NUFC, and until I see money being spent to improve our team I will remain unconvinced.

Andy Carroll, though, has taken a lot of flack today. I am probably not the only person who cannot understand how a lad who was born only a couple of miles from St James Park, who is on, reportedly, £40,000 a week and who is wearing the number nine shirt at Newcastle could possibly want to move away. Especially a local lad who at the end of last year signed a new contract with Newcastle, and spoke about spending the rest of his life at the club.

Money talks. Liverpool have reputedly doubled his money. Ashley was not prepared to renegotiate a new contract with Carroll at this time, and why should he. Just a few months ago Carroll was offered, and accepted a lucrative new contract. Why should Ashley, who is trying to trim the wage bill, break the wage cap to keep a 22 year old happy?

Carroll has spoken to both the Newcastle and the Liverpool press today, and given different lines dependent on whether he is speaking to the North East fans or the North West fans, both of which I could have predicted before they were printed. To the Liverpool fans its all about how pleased he is to be there, how wonderful it is to have the Liverpool number nine shirt, how he wants to win things with Liverpool. To the Newcastle fans he is saying that he didn't want to leave, his arm was twisted, he was driven into a corner.

Well Andy, answer this, if you didn't want to leave why did you try and re-negotiate on a contract you signed just a short while ago? If you didn't want to leave why did you hand in a transfer request? If you didn't want to leave why did you agree personal terms with Liverpool? If you didn't want to leave why did you sign a contract with Liverpool? No-one forced you to, no-one held a gun to your head. You saw the cash on offer and you chose, like so many footballers do, to go where your bank balance would be fed better.