September 1st and 2nd will go down in the history of British Football and Newcastle United as a day of infamy. I begin by saying that if Kevin Keegan leaves the club as is presently forecast in the media I will not set foot in the club again, even if someone like Alan Shearer or a world known Football manager is appointed while Mike Ashley remains the owner and Denise Wise remains at the club. Both have to go regardless of what happens now. I also want to know if the Abu Dhabi investment company attempted to buy the Newcastle Club and if so why was the offer rejected. Whatever the outcome of this particular matter there were three other developments which will have a profound effect on the future of the game not just in England and Wales but on the sport in the rest of Europe.
There was nothing to indicate anything of what was to happen as I made my way on Sunday to a seat on the front row a little distance from the centre line. It is an interesting position to experience football, similar to the view of managers and coaches and where you have no perspective ..s and combination of moves. However you feel very much part of the game which is difficult sitting even midway in a stand, let alone towards the back. You also get a different perspective on the rest of the stadium especially those at the rear of top decks very distance. I found the first 40 odd minuets satisfactory as Sunderland held a fired up and exceptionally well organised Manchester Team. Sunderland had the problem of the mix of new and old players and the threat of new signing Shaun Wright Phillips but Sunderland held them well and overall a nil nil score at half time would have been a fair result. Then against the run of play Manchester scored a soft goal and to compound this it commenced to rain and sitting in line with the edge of the roof was little protection. I therefore rushed to get my self and a packet of crisps but still found myself part of a long queue and had to take the coffee with him as the game recommenced. What happened was a great disappointment as instead of taking command the team succumbed to persisted attacks from Man City and it was only a matter of time before a second and then a third goal was scored and it looked as if worse was to follow. I have not witnessed a more convincing demolition by any team this season so far. To make things even worse it commenced to rain more heavily and I was soaked by the time I reached the car with water pouring off my face.
Back home I consoled myself soup, and instead of salad went for the last prepared pasta dish. I spent the rest of the evening on project work and uploading on my space the majority of the photographs taken during recent trip to London creating two 101 sets. I must add those of Oxford and others of London in the near future.
I awoke early on Monday on what appeared to be bright day and put out the bin and box of recycling material. There was a continuing problem with the garage door so I took the precaution of taking out the car and then managed to close the door. I decided to sort this out either later in the day or as soon as practical. There was news on the progress of hurricane Gustav reported on yesterday and on transfer and then the bombshell, the investment arm of the Royal Family of the Arab Emirate state Abu Dhabi had entered into an agreement with the owner of Manchester City to take over the finances and control, and provide finances to enable the team to with the Premiership and the European Cup.
Before commenting on this development I did my research on the Emirate which the largest and most wealthy of the Emirates, significantly more important than Dubai. It has a small resident population which are one the wealthiest on the planet about the size of the cities of Newcastle and Sunderland and has 86% of the land areas of the United Arab Emirates.
If anyone has any doubt that the purchaser of the club have bigger financial clout than the Russian owner of Chelsea then one has to look at three of their recent investments. The University of New York is one the most important private funded Universities in the USA with 40000 students and with study facilities in London Florence, Prague, Madrid, Berlin, Accra, Shanghai, and Singapore with new facilities in Tel Aviv and Buenos Aries. There is now to be a campus in Abu Dhabi city, the first of its kind to be established abroad by any US research university and one which has 31 Nobel Prize winners over the years and well as a host of other research awards.
The second is the decision to build a new motor racing track as part of a theme park called Ferrari World and which is hosting a race in the Formula 1 World series championship
The third is the world renowned Cleveland complex of hospital and health resources known as the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio and which is to provide a world class speciality hospital in Abu Dhabi which will open in 2010.
Closely following on this news came the unbelievable news that the club had been given the funds, in advance of the formal take over in order to place bids for two of the most well known players known to be seeking moves Berbatov who wanted to leave Spurs for Manchester United and Robinho, the Brazilian super star who wanted to leave Real Madrid.
There were then developments where the background is becoming known. The first concerns the role of Manchester United in the sale from Spurs of Berbatov and who had set his heart on moving to Manchester United. It is not possible say precise sequence of events except that Spurs issued a statement that they had not given permission to Manchester United to speak to Berbatov about a transfer and only after the deal was completed just before the end of the transfer period did Spurs issue a statement to say that as a consequence of the deal they would not be complaining about the Man U conduct to the Football Association.
Spurs also issued a statement to say they had accepted the offer of Man City for Berbatov and that it was up to him to agree personal terms. However Sky then reported that the manager of Manchester United had gone to the airport to greet Berbatov who had travelled up in a private jet and was taken to the training camp where he was given a two hour medical and then came to the Manchester United Club to agree personal terms and for the registration as Man U player to be put through the system.
I have sympathy with Berbatov who came to Premiership and performed brilliantly scoring a goal every two games and who in his two seasons at Spurs achieved what few arrivals from other leagues have been able to accomplish. He set his heart on playing for Manchester United because he believed it was the best club in the world and he wanted to play in European competitions and win trophies.
I also have sympathy for Spurs who wanted to keep their match winning player. It is the conduct of Manchester United that should be investigated whether Spurs are happy or not. The responsibility of the Association is everyone involved i.e. the professional players, the clubs but also the supports and this includes those of Spurs.
Then came the news that Real Madrid had decided to cut their losses as Brazilian Robinho had made it plain he wanted to leave to leave the club and Spain and wanted to go to Chelsea. It is understood that when he heard about the offer from Man City which topped that from Chelsea said whatever as long a he could go regardless of the club in question and where it was located. He had threatened to retire from the game if he could not move. I share in the delight of Man City a club that is well run with decent prices and where the fans have been long suffering having faced third division level football for a period and always living under the shadow of Manchester United.
I am also delighted that at last Chelsea will not be able to buy its way into positions and titles without competition but what the development means is that it will be impossible for anyone else to complete unless they are backed by those prepared to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in players, regardless of the financial return. It is reported that Robinho has been offered a contract worth £160000 a week £90000 after tax.
There are now eight of the Premiership clubs owned by non British interests including three American and two Russian all prepared to invest substantial funds. There are now two from the Middle East although Al Fayad at Fulham is firmly British based and one for Iceland or is it Norway. Arsenal who used Emirates money for their new stadium have been the subject of take over speculation but this is the first time someone has come in bought up a minor club albeit with a long tradition and substantial fan base come hell or high water and promised to make them top of the heap within a few years and appears to be doing so for the challenge and the desire to do excellence. I worry about the impact on fans and on the further escalation in seat costs. Some £500 million is said to have changed hands over player transfers.
All this distracted me from Durham Cricket Club as they played Hampshire at the Rosebowl, stripped of all the extra seating and the hospitality facilities in an important Pro 40 match which would end under the excellent floodlighting noted when I attended the 20 20 final
's day. This was to be my area of interest to day but alas it was quickly evident that Durham would lose after Hants won the toss of the coin, decided to bat first and commenced a ferocious assault on Durham's bowling ending their overs with a score of 300 hundred runs. Durham opened badly in an effort to score runs quickly as the weather forecast was of heavy rain. Sadly although the rain came it stopped, enabling a reduced over game to continue and Durham continued to lose wickets without anyone being able to score runs which would make the result close. As with the County Championships they are still in with a chance as they have a game in hand but I fear that the earlier defeats in the Provident Trophy and the 20 20 finals days, coupled with Steve Harmison's recall to England has taken its toll and they no longer look the tight and confident team of earlier in the season. They lost badly and I saw little of the game as a consequence
I had been tempted to stay up to watch Andrew Murray play in a last sixteen in the New York Open but was too tired. He won what may well become regarded as the most important game of his career to-date moving on to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day I shopped at Asda buying bread, salad and fruit. Sardines previously four for £1 were not 2 for £1 although there were cheaper versions available. I also bought a tin of anchovies. A small tin costs 74p. I was prompted to try a tin, usually only eating anchovies stuffed into olives after listen to a special programme about the fish. Apparently those caught in the Bay of Biscay are the best quality although there are 100 versions with a large quantity off Japan and South America. One major restaurant has created a dish of pieces of toast topped with anchovies which you dip into custard. Weird.
I bought a small pack of beef cut for stir fry which had been reduced in price and was excellent value providing two servings. One I had for lunch and the other I froze for another time. Talking of value I was charged £2.50 for a cup of coffee and a packet of crisps at Sunderland who also charge 5.50 for fish and chips and where the chips comprise a small portion of French fries for £190. Durham offers a large plate of proper chips for £1.50. I also bought some more frozen vegetables and pasta meals in the morning but no cheese, salami or ham.
After lunch I decided to sort out the problem of the garage door and to visit the firm which provided the replacement electric mechanism. They are located on an industrial estate near Albany Village Washington. As mentioned previous writing Washington was a new Town created from various villages between Sunderland and Chester Le Street on the way to Durham City. Each community is separated by a major road network and open land and associated with each residential and local shopping area there are individual and commercial enterprise designed to provide local work opportune units. Finding the form was not as difficult as expected as heading for Albany Village, clearly marked after leaving the first A1M turning into Washington, which was he first bonus, the industrial estate was also marked as the village was approached. Before turning into the estate I noted a sign to Bolden and speculated where this road might lead. At the firm an assistant contacted a manager who advised that the problem was battery which cost only a few pence at car store but provided one. On return home the original remote worked so I am yet to use the replacement battery, having no need to go out today. I was pleased with the way I had handled the situation and that the solution had not proved expensive. I have worked hard on project work while keeping one eye on the TV and one ear to the radio. I assumed that after the excitement of the football developments Tuesday would be a quiet day when I could write, commence some house cleaning and more project work In some respects it became even more of an emotional day glued to the TV and Radio as the news broke that Kevin Keegan was leaving the club after a dispute with the owner and then that he has been sacked.
There was nothing to indicate anything of what was to happen as I made my way on Sunday to a seat on the front row a little distance from the centre line. It is an interesting position to experience football, similar to the view of managers and coaches and where you have no perspective ..s and combination of moves. However you feel very much part of the game which is difficult sitting even midway in a stand, let alone towards the back. You also get a different perspective on the rest of the stadium especially those at the rear of top decks very distance. I found the first 40 odd minuets satisfactory as Sunderland held a fired up and exceptionally well organised Manchester Team. Sunderland had the problem of the mix of new and old players and the threat of new signing Shaun Wright Phillips but Sunderland held them well and overall a nil nil score at half time would have been a fair result. Then against the run of play Manchester scored a soft goal and to compound this it commenced to rain and sitting in line with the edge of the roof was little protection. I therefore rushed to get my self and a packet of crisps but still found myself part of a long queue and had to take the coffee with him as the game recommenced. What happened was a great disappointment as instead of taking command the team succumbed to persisted attacks from Man City and it was only a matter of time before a second and then a third goal was scored and it looked as if worse was to follow. I have not witnessed a more convincing demolition by any team this season so far. To make things even worse it commenced to rain more heavily and I was soaked by the time I reached the car with water pouring off my face.
Back home I consoled myself soup, and instead of salad went for the last prepared pasta dish. I spent the rest of the evening on project work and uploading on my space the majority of the photographs taken during recent trip to London creating two 101 sets. I must add those of Oxford and others of London in the near future.
I awoke early on Monday on what appeared to be bright day and put out the bin and box of recycling material. There was a continuing problem with the garage door so I took the precaution of taking out the car and then managed to close the door. I decided to sort this out either later in the day or as soon as practical. There was news on the progress of hurricane Gustav reported on yesterday and on transfer and then the bombshell, the investment arm of the Royal Family of the Arab Emirate state Abu Dhabi had entered into an agreement with the owner of Manchester City to take over the finances and control, and provide finances to enable the team to with the Premiership and the European Cup.
Before commenting on this development I did my research on the Emirate which the largest and most wealthy of the Emirates, significantly more important than Dubai. It has a small resident population which are one the wealthiest on the planet about the size of the cities of Newcastle and Sunderland and has 86% of the land areas of the United Arab Emirates.
If anyone has any doubt that the purchaser of the club have bigger financial clout than the Russian owner of Chelsea then one has to look at three of their recent investments. The University of New York is one the most important private funded Universities in the USA with 40000 students and with study facilities in London Florence, Prague, Madrid, Berlin, Accra, Shanghai, and Singapore with new facilities in Tel Aviv and Buenos Aries. There is now to be a campus in Abu Dhabi city, the first of its kind to be established abroad by any US research university and one which has 31 Nobel Prize winners over the years and well as a host of other research awards.
The second is the decision to build a new motor racing track as part of a theme park called Ferrari World and which is hosting a race in the Formula 1 World series championship
The third is the world renowned Cleveland complex of hospital and health resources known as the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio and which is to provide a world class speciality hospital in Abu Dhabi which will open in 2010.
Closely following on this news came the unbelievable news that the club had been given the funds, in advance of the formal take over in order to place bids for two of the most well known players known to be seeking moves Berbatov who wanted to leave Spurs for Manchester United and Robinho, the Brazilian super star who wanted to leave Real Madrid.
There were then developments where the background is becoming known. The first concerns the role of Manchester United in the sale from Spurs of Berbatov and who had set his heart on moving to Manchester United. It is not possible say precise sequence of events except that Spurs issued a statement that they had not given permission to Manchester United to speak to Berbatov about a transfer and only after the deal was completed just before the end of the transfer period did Spurs issue a statement to say that as a consequence of the deal they would not be complaining about the Man U conduct to the Football Association.
Spurs also issued a statement to say they had accepted the offer of Man City for Berbatov and that it was up to him to agree personal terms. However Sky then reported that the manager of Manchester United had gone to the airport to greet Berbatov who had travelled up in a private jet and was taken to the training camp where he was given a two hour medical and then came to the Manchester United Club to agree personal terms and for the registration as Man U player to be put through the system.
I have sympathy with Berbatov who came to Premiership and performed brilliantly scoring a goal every two games and who in his two seasons at Spurs achieved what few arrivals from other leagues have been able to accomplish. He set his heart on playing for Manchester United because he believed it was the best club in the world and he wanted to play in European competitions and win trophies.
I also have sympathy for Spurs who wanted to keep their match winning player. It is the conduct of Manchester United that should be investigated whether Spurs are happy or not. The responsibility of the Association is everyone involved i.e. the professional players, the clubs but also the supports and this includes those of Spurs.
Then came the news that Real Madrid had decided to cut their losses as Brazilian Robinho had made it plain he wanted to leave to leave the club and Spain and wanted to go to Chelsea. It is understood that when he heard about the offer from Man City which topped that from Chelsea said whatever as long a he could go regardless of the club in question and where it was located. He had threatened to retire from the game if he could not move. I share in the delight of Man City a club that is well run with decent prices and where the fans have been long suffering having faced third division level football for a period and always living under the shadow of Manchester United.
I am also delighted that at last Chelsea will not be able to buy its way into positions and titles without competition but what the development means is that it will be impossible for anyone else to complete unless they are backed by those prepared to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in players, regardless of the financial return. It is reported that Robinho has been offered a contract worth £160000 a week £90000 after tax.
There are now eight of the Premiership clubs owned by non British interests including three American and two Russian all prepared to invest substantial funds. There are now two from the Middle East although Al Fayad at Fulham is firmly British based and one for Iceland or is it Norway. Arsenal who used Emirates money for their new stadium have been the subject of take over speculation but this is the first time someone has come in bought up a minor club albeit with a long tradition and substantial fan base come hell or high water and promised to make them top of the heap within a few years and appears to be doing so for the challenge and the desire to do excellence. I worry about the impact on fans and on the further escalation in seat costs. Some £500 million is said to have changed hands over player transfers.
All this distracted me from Durham Cricket Club as they played Hampshire at the Rosebowl, stripped of all the extra seating and the hospitality facilities in an important Pro 40 match which would end under the excellent floodlighting noted when I attended the 20 20 final
's day. This was to be my area of interest to day but alas it was quickly evident that Durham would lose after Hants won the toss of the coin, decided to bat first and commenced a ferocious assault on Durham's bowling ending their overs with a score of 300 hundred runs. Durham opened badly in an effort to score runs quickly as the weather forecast was of heavy rain. Sadly although the rain came it stopped, enabling a reduced over game to continue and Durham continued to lose wickets without anyone being able to score runs which would make the result close. As with the County Championships they are still in with a chance as they have a game in hand but I fear that the earlier defeats in the Provident Trophy and the 20 20 finals days, coupled with Steve Harmison's recall to England has taken its toll and they no longer look the tight and confident team of earlier in the season. They lost badly and I saw little of the game as a consequence
I had been tempted to stay up to watch Andrew Murray play in a last sixteen in the New York Open but was too tired. He won what may well become regarded as the most important game of his career to-date moving on to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day I shopped at Asda buying bread, salad and fruit. Sardines previously four for £1 were not 2 for £1 although there were cheaper versions available. I also bought a tin of anchovies. A small tin costs 74p. I was prompted to try a tin, usually only eating anchovies stuffed into olives after listen to a special programme about the fish. Apparently those caught in the Bay of Biscay are the best quality although there are 100 versions with a large quantity off Japan and South America. One major restaurant has created a dish of pieces of toast topped with anchovies which you dip into custard. Weird.
I bought a small pack of beef cut for stir fry which had been reduced in price and was excellent value providing two servings. One I had for lunch and the other I froze for another time. Talking of value I was charged £2.50 for a cup of coffee and a packet of crisps at Sunderland who also charge 5.50 for fish and chips and where the chips comprise a small portion of French fries for £190. Durham offers a large plate of proper chips for £1.50. I also bought some more frozen vegetables and pasta meals in the morning but no cheese, salami or ham.
After lunch I decided to sort out the problem of the garage door and to visit the firm which provided the replacement electric mechanism. They are located on an industrial estate near Albany Village Washington. As mentioned previous writing Washington was a new Town created from various villages between Sunderland and Chester Le Street on the way to Durham City. Each community is separated by a major road network and open land and associated with each residential and local shopping area there are individual and commercial enterprise designed to provide local work opportune units. Finding the form was not as difficult as expected as heading for Albany Village, clearly marked after leaving the first A1M turning into Washington, which was he first bonus, the industrial estate was also marked as the village was approached. Before turning into the estate I noted a sign to Bolden and speculated where this road might lead. At the firm an assistant contacted a manager who advised that the problem was battery which cost only a few pence at car store but provided one. On return home the original remote worked so I am yet to use the replacement battery, having no need to go out today. I was pleased with the way I had handled the situation and that the solution had not proved expensive. I have worked hard on project work while keeping one eye on the TV and one ear to the radio. I assumed that after the excitement of the football developments Tuesday would be a quiet day when I could write, commence some house cleaning and more project work In some respects it became even more of an emotional day glued to the TV and Radio as the news broke that Kevin Keegan was leaving the club after a dispute with the owner and then that he has been sacked.
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