Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:40 am
Oh dear!
Trouble in Sam Allardyce's Newcastle paradise
By Rob Stewart
It should have been a match made in heaven when one Britain's wealthiest entrepreneurs and one of football's most esteemed English managers came together at Newcastle United.
Frustrated: Sam Allardyce watches Newcastle in action
Mike Ashley had built his £1.9 billion fortune by reviving fading brands in the sports retail world while Sam Allardyce had built up his own reputation by leading Bolton to punch above their weight in the Premiership.
The pair, therefore, seemed ideally matched for the task of invigorating chronic under-achievers Newcastle, who have been without a major domestic trophy since 1955 despite massive investment in new players.
Surely, nothing could go wrong with such resources after Allardyce and Ashley were brought together this summer by the latter's £134 million takeover.
Ashley publicly expressed support for Allardyce, who was appointed by the previous regime, as the takeover gathered pace, but the honeymoon had hardly passed when cracks began to appear in their nascent relationship. The root of their differences has been financial, although there appear to be inter-personal issues as well.
Allardyce is frustrated at his inability to manoeuvre in the transfer market due to the lack of boardroom thrust, which has led to targets being missed. It is understood he has been handed just £10 million to spend on new recruits this summer rather than the £50 million mooted when Ashley first appeared on the Tyneside radar.
Newcastle's most significant outlay so far - the £5.8 million paid to Manchester City for Joey Barton - was made when Ashley was merely the majority shareholder and Freddy Shepherd was still the chairman.
Ashley sanctioned that move but since then there has been a harsh reality check at St James' Park, where Ashley's people have voiced alarm after scrutinising the club's books.
Reducing a debt that is estimated to stand at £80-plus million has been identified as a priority by the new command, no doubt mindful of events down the A1 at Leeds. Chris Mort, the 41-year-old City lawyer installed as chairman by Ashley, said: "The debt's too high and it's something we'll look to address quickly." Allardyce's cause cannot have been helped by the fact that Ashley has seen the share price in his Sports Direct business plummet in recent weeks. This is bound to worry Newcastle's supporters.
Allardyce, whose unsettled midfielder Kieron Dyer has had his house pelted with eggs by dissatisfied supporters, has put himself on a collision course with Ashley because he has not been afraid to speak his mind, even if it has led him to implicitly express exasperation with Mort and Ashley.
"They know very little of the football side and it's for me to provide enough information to help them understand why I'm doing what I'm doing and where I'm going," Allardyce said.
However, Ashley will not be rushed into short-term fixes. "Building a squad capable of competing at the highest level will take time but we are confident in due course we can take this club to a higher level," Mort said.
"We have not set specific targets for Sam and we are not going to make wild promises for the future. However, we have been impressed by how Sam has set about his business."
Despite a feeling that tension is rising between Allardyce and Ashley, the former Bolton manager is still able to toe the party line.
"I would like to say how proud and privileged I am to be manager of such a major club," Allardyce said.
"All my energies are focused on building Newcastle into a trophy-winning side.
"Under new ownership, yet with the same ever-magnificent support that has helped Newcastle be a special club for so long, we can, together, move onward and upward."
Meanwhile, Allardyce rubbished reports that striker Obafemi Martins would have to be sold to finance defensive reinforcements.
Trouble in Sam Allardyce's Newcastle paradise
By Rob Stewart
It should have been a match made in heaven when one Britain's wealthiest entrepreneurs and one of football's most esteemed English managers came together at Newcastle United.
Frustrated: Sam Allardyce watches Newcastle in action
Mike Ashley had built his £1.9 billion fortune by reviving fading brands in the sports retail world while Sam Allardyce had built up his own reputation by leading Bolton to punch above their weight in the Premiership.
The pair, therefore, seemed ideally matched for the task of invigorating chronic under-achievers Newcastle, who have been without a major domestic trophy since 1955 despite massive investment in new players.
Surely, nothing could go wrong with such resources after Allardyce and Ashley were brought together this summer by the latter's £134 million takeover.
Ashley publicly expressed support for Allardyce, who was appointed by the previous regime, as the takeover gathered pace, but the honeymoon had hardly passed when cracks began to appear in their nascent relationship. The root of their differences has been financial, although there appear to be inter-personal issues as well.
Allardyce is frustrated at his inability to manoeuvre in the transfer market due to the lack of boardroom thrust, which has led to targets being missed. It is understood he has been handed just £10 million to spend on new recruits this summer rather than the £50 million mooted when Ashley first appeared on the Tyneside radar.
Newcastle's most significant outlay so far - the £5.8 million paid to Manchester City for Joey Barton - was made when Ashley was merely the majority shareholder and Freddy Shepherd was still the chairman.
Ashley sanctioned that move but since then there has been a harsh reality check at St James' Park, where Ashley's people have voiced alarm after scrutinising the club's books.
Reducing a debt that is estimated to stand at £80-plus million has been identified as a priority by the new command, no doubt mindful of events down the A1 at Leeds. Chris Mort, the 41-year-old City lawyer installed as chairman by Ashley, said: "The debt's too high and it's something we'll look to address quickly." Allardyce's cause cannot have been helped by the fact that Ashley has seen the share price in his Sports Direct business plummet in recent weeks. This is bound to worry Newcastle's supporters.
Allardyce, whose unsettled midfielder Kieron Dyer has had his house pelted with eggs by dissatisfied supporters, has put himself on a collision course with Ashley because he has not been afraid to speak his mind, even if it has led him to implicitly express exasperation with Mort and Ashley.
"They know very little of the football side and it's for me to provide enough information to help them understand why I'm doing what I'm doing and where I'm going," Allardyce said.
However, Ashley will not be rushed into short-term fixes. "Building a squad capable of competing at the highest level will take time but we are confident in due course we can take this club to a higher level," Mort said.
"We have not set specific targets for Sam and we are not going to make wild promises for the future. However, we have been impressed by how Sam has set about his business."
Despite a feeling that tension is rising between Allardyce and Ashley, the former Bolton manager is still able to toe the party line.
"I would like to say how proud and privileged I am to be manager of such a major club," Allardyce said.
"All my energies are focused on building Newcastle into a trophy-winning side.
"Under new ownership, yet with the same ever-magnificent support that has helped Newcastle be a special club for so long, we can, together, move onward and upward."
Meanwhile, Allardyce rubbished reports that striker Obafemi Martins would have to be sold to finance defensive reinforcements.
