da 888： Mike Ashley cannot do right from wrong in the eyes of the Newcastle faithful and while I agree that the timing of renaming St James’ Park is a little off – the reaction to it has been some way over the top. The Toon army have every right to feel disappointed at a decision, but some of the drivel served up in the press lacks logic and only serves to continually to drive a wedge between the Newcastle board and the supporters. Yes it is sad to see any form of selling out in football, but I don’t remember seeing such an outcry in the media when the likes of Arsenal, Sunderland and Man City moved away from their respective homes.
da pixbet： We need to wake up to the cold reality in football that things have changed somewhat and the goalposts have moved on significantly in the past few years. As well as the ever increasing cost to run a football club, new initiatives are being brought in to ensure that clubs are financially sound, with penalties inflicted on those who aren’t. I am sure Newcastle supporters would be distraught if the club weren’t able to play in Europe on the account that their financial books didn’t add up. It is why Manchester City have forged this stadium sponsorship and the likes of Chelsea are seemingly looking to follow suit to ensure their revenues increase. The bottom line is the decision is not to rip Newcastle of its soul, but simply to make sure the club remain competitive in the league. Hardly negative now is it?
I’m not a Newcastle fan myself, but I am sure if the opportunity was presented to me to either have a sponsor endorsed name to a stadium, or see the club pack up sticks and move to a brand new arena somewhere else, then surely the former would be the choice of most supporters. The surroundings haven’t changed, fans will still refer to it as St James’ Park and yet you have the added bonus of an extra £10m a year in your transfer coffers as a result. It may well be perceived as a crass way to obtain money, or as an esteemed journalist claimed ‘selling the club’s silver’, but it is the way the football is going now as the financial pinch hits everyone. As Llambias put it, if a club like Chelsea and all their successes over the years are needing to do it to compete, then why should Newcastle be any different. I agree with these sentiments, although I truly believe that the board should have conducted this whole affair in a slightly different manner.
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