Newcastle United Football Club now has new owners. A Saudi led consortium – Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has ended the 14-year controversial reign of Mike Ashley. They now own 80% of the famous club.
Newcastle United FC was originally formed back in 1892. It was once one of the biggest names in the Premier League, or the First Division, as it was then back in the famous club’s heydays.
Some of the greatest players in English football have played for the Magpies, including the likes of:
- Alan Shearer
- Chris Waddle
- David Ginola
- Jackie Milburn
- Kevin Keegan
- Les Ferdinand
- Malcolm McDonald
- Paul Gascoigne
- Peter Beardsley
- Terry McDermott
Newcastle fans are delighted from a football standpoint, in view of what the riches of the consortium led by financier Amanda Staveley and the billionaire Reuben brothers could mean in terms of buying world-class players and acquiring a top coach. However, there is also some concern about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, as voiced by club legend Alan Shearer.
Things have already started to change with confirmation of the expected sacking of manager Steve Bruce. It was a bitter, sweet pill for the 60-year-old to swallow. The sweetness was in managing such a famous football club and the bitterness the feeling of never being accepted by the fans who expected him to fail and labelling him as useless, a fat waste of space, and cruelly, a tactically inept cabbage head.
So, the race for a replacement manager has begun, and one of the names being connected with filling the vacancy was the “special one” himself, Jose Mourinho, rated by Sportingbet as the 6th greatest English football manager. That was admittedly, after his short stay as Tottenham Hotspurs’ manager, but in terms of success and silverware, he is nonetheless right up there.
But Mourinho himself, who is currently the manager of Roma, the Italian Serie A club, has already distanced himself from a possible move. He admitted to an emotional connection with the club, having worked under Magpies’ legend Sir Bobby Robson in the 1990s. But, he says he is perfectly happy where he is and is 100% focused on the job at hand.
Speculation has also turned to one of Roma’s former coaches, the 48-year-old Portuguese, Paulo Fonseca. He is currently the bookmakers’ favourite, and according to some reports, talks have already been started. Another name that is in the running is that of Antonio Conte.
But we’ve been here before. Remember the fuss and furore about the possible new manager at Tottenham Hotspur?
All will be revealed in time – however, it’s likely to be sooner rather than later.
