Selling the soul of your club to be successful

[SuperGerryHarrison]

I just want to be proud of my club.

SAFC represents us across the world, one of the few things that highlights our small corner of the globe.

Success at any costs, selling out soul to the highest bidder, no, not for me.

I get the appeal of massive wealth, new shiny baubles, instant gratification, winning things. I just think when it’s all washed up you’ll feel unsatisfied - like completing a game with a cheat code, except your cheat code brings untold misery to millions in places most don’t know exists.

I rather do it properly, I’d rather be known as the club that always has exciting teams and cracking young players - a team the neutrals respect and admire. A team that might not eat at the top table every season, but will win something and will do it in the right way.

 

[CissesUnderpants9]

People don’t want promotion. Why bother then?

Very good question

 

[ksafc77]

I want us to play at the highest possible level. I’m not that bothered who owns us tbh, just want us to do well on the pitch. That’s all that matters to me.

 

[CissesUnderpants9]

I do want promotion but I want the club to grow through developing talent, We have seen what happens when you buy over-the-hill players looking for a last pay deal, I've never been so excited as I am now.

How long are you prepared to wait for promotion ?

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

Only because the football authorities have allowed our game to become a Sports Washers playground

Nobody can convince me there is any glory in the mags selling their arses to the Saudis then winning anything simply by recycling their blood money - there is no achievement in that and football is supposed to be a sport.

If our strategy pays off and we build the club on the best youth development strategy, an effective talent identification network, cutting edge coaching and the occasional buy of the likes of LND then we will have achieved something worthwhile

And in the meantime I’m enjoying watching the lads try - even when we get beat - at least now they don’t just give up

Meanwhile it should not be beyond the wit of the FA to limit the resources a club has at its disposal to a link to how much they raise from fans and how much they earn from winning things…having some murderous dictator just come in and tip money into say Doncaster Rovers until they win everything reduces it to a bogus competition that eventually people will lose interest in

And breathe

Very simple solution. Outlaw owner inputs, with the only exception being a one-time input to avoid insolvency.

 

[wisemensaysteve]

How long are you prepared to wait for promotion ?

Until we develop a team that is good enough to compete, better than having owners who only want us for their image or digging another financial hole we can't get out of.
On a separate note, I see a few people who think KLD should bankroll the club to get us promoted, how many of our fans would be willing to invest enough hard-earned cash into financing the cost of buying success, I wonder if they would be prepared to buy quadrupled Season tickets?

 

[Safc98]

Until we develop a team that is good enough to compete, better than having owners who only want us for their image or digging another financial hole we can't get out of.
On a separate note, I see a few people who think KLD should bankroll the club to get us promoted, how many of our fans would be willing to invest enough hard-earned cash into financing the cost of buying success, I wonder if they would be prepared to buy quadrupled Season tickets?

I see people complain about an extra £5 for a ticket but call the owner “cheap” for not spending £50m in January

 

[Lankester Merrin]

That is exactly correct. However, think back to the last European League proposal? It was stopped by fans of Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd. They took a moral stand against it. It was fans saying we can stop this as it's wrong. The moral vacuum that is the Newcastle fanbase would welcome a European Super League with open arms. I am still amazed how there is zero uncomfortableness about their ownership. They contrast so clearly with those big club fans who stopped the Euro League.

With Newcastle their owner was the worldwide pariah after having Khashoggi murdered so it really is on a different level. Maybe Putin will be looking to invest in a few years.

I think it will be a different model to the former European Super League. They will just use clubs owned by gulf states, and set it up outside of EUFA. If clubs like Chelsea or Barcelona want to stay within EUFA that is fine. It will be a breakaway league

The LIV golf series is the model. Clubs won't necessarily compete in their home leagues any more.

 

[Rokeroar]

Ideally I'd prefer us not to be owned by murderers or owt like that, but aye give us all the money and all the trophies.

People love using buzz phrases like 'sold your soul' but they're completely meaningless and everyone knows it whether you admit it or not. If we were all down Wembley after winning the FA Cup final you'd be getting pissed, having one of the best weekends of your life and it'd never even enter your thoughts about who owned the club and what they did for money.

Just see everyone coming up with all sorts of nonsense reasons why you're not jealous - Man City fans are now plastic (they aren't), Man City fans were quiet and weren't bothered when they beat us in the League Cup (just actively not true) and Man City fans now only feel relief rather than happiness (aye the turn around on the final day of the season last year or the Aguero goal to win the league looked like it gave them no joy at all), we all want to win trophies and are jealous of those who do. There's nothing wrong with admitting that.

I’m sure the Aguero moment was amazing for them, cos it was the first time in 30 odd years.
Might get boring after the 4th or 5th time though.

 

[Coeus]

With Newcastle their owner was the worldwide pariah after having Khashoggi murdered so it really is on a different level. Maybe Putin will be looking to invest in a few years.

100% they're on entirely different levels, it just starts me on a process of when a club stops being the club it originated as. A different discussion really.

 

[Luna17]

I think majority of fans of all clubs will have a dream of a local made good wealthy fan take them over and deliver success.
A nation/ oil takeover is not a good situation, I do feel sympathy for many long time supporters of Man City and nufc as deep down I think a lot of them hate ehat had happened to their clubs

football does go in cycles though, so things might be very different in 10/20years

I've come to terms with the fact I'll never see Safc in competitive action in Europe before I die.

Saw the Vasas and Sporting home games back in 73 but would have loved to have a trip away in to Portugal, Belgium or Holland with a few pals. Hey ho, still got plenty of cracking memories supporting us (plus a canny few shit ones).

I want us to play at the highest possible level. I’m not that bothered who owns us tbh, just want us to do well on the pitch. That’s all that matters to me.

Oh no, you'll have the "righteous brigade" on here after you now

 

[L1lyBrown]

I remember getting promoted, stuffed by Arsenal in our first game and thinking, here we f***ing go back down.

Chelsea 4-0, not Arsenal

 

[Deleted member 45378]

I think the perfect fan experience in my lifetime is Leicester City. Been shite but won a few cups, came from nowhere to win the league, had a QF run in the Champions League, and are probably gonna return to being shite with some unbelievable memories.

I think it must be boring to be a Man City fan, you should win every game so when you don't it's annoying and when you do it's more like relief than joy.

In short, nah I wouldn't want a Saudi/Qatar/UAE state ownership, even leaving aside the morality aspect.

Do you not think the perfect fan experience would be supporting a non league team let's say some one that only takes 100 away fans . They would become almost like family and players actually playing because they care ,not what they agent tells them to do or going on strike ....and imagine if you can navigate through the fa cup rounds I think I'd rather have that as a fan then supporting a team where the moneymen have raped the game like a man city ....

But saying all that I was born in Wearside so that's my team for life ....anybody who says they would rather be in championship rather than prem league don't want what's best for safc

 

[Flea Market Trader]

For many many years mostly as a young lad I would have took anything to be up at the top end of the league and winning cups each season. As I have grown older I appreciate the small things in life which are actually the big things really. Any success we have will be well earned and hard fought for. What that happens, which isn’t very often it feels just that much better. It has to right.

 

[DrewC]

I think the perfect fan experience in my lifetime is Leicester City. Been shite but won a few cups, came from nowhere to win the league, had a QF run in the Champions League, and are probably gonna return to being shite with some unbelievable memories.

I think it must be boring to be a Man City fan, you should win every game so when you don't it's annoying and when you do it's more like relief than joy.

In short, nah I wouldn't want a Saudi/Qatar/UAE state ownership, even leaving aside the morality aspect.

What will happen to our friends up the road when the Saudi’s get bored of them? My guess is lock up your horses it’s going to be ugly when Rome falls…

 

[Sallycinamon]

Can’t stand foreign ownership in our game, especially American and Middle Eastern, what interest do they have in football? What are their motives? Too much outside influence for me. There’s no morals left in society, let alone football, though so anything goes these days.

 

[forever changes]

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Imagine having anything to do with this lot man, it's grim being so rich when this is the trade-off, can't believe more of the unwashed are not up in arms about it, they can't all be as thick as they seem surely? That labour MP who was desperate to get Ashley out is very quiet these days too...

Money and the prospect of the bit of success they craved under Keegoon has turned the whole f***ing lot of them, from staff, players, supporters, Newcastle LGBT fraternity and local MPs into a soulless and vacuous club/city

 

[PJH]

The first couple of years of trophy wins would be fantastic. Because when was the last time we had that kind of feeling? Then it'd be expected and less thrilling. Then it'd just be about trophies that elude. Like Man City and the Champions League. And PSG for that too. First win of that would spark the fire again, then it just wouldn't be the same. Winning means more when its rare. It'd just be great to be a side always in with a chance of winning, and winning the odd time, than to be a side never in a chance or the side that wins it 9/10.

There's no way to be at the top all the time without some kind of bankroll funding. Just hope it's not murderous state money or dubious state money or plaything for uber rich.

 

[forever changes]

How long are you prepared to wait for promotion ?

As long as it takes ? It’s what supporting is. How long are you prepared to wait ?

 

[CissesUnderpants9]

As long as it takes ? It’s what supporting is. How long are you prepared to wait ?

i had been hopeful we would be back in the premer league in the next 3 to 4 years mind, but i sometimes wonder if others wouldn't be that bothered if it took 13 to 14 years.