As the pantomime season draws ever closer, so the continual one that is the running of Newcastle United continues to rumble on. After being told in previous weeks that the club was very close to being sold and that fans would know what was happening after the recent Chelsea game – the mystery that surrounds the club is still as deep as ever. It now appears that Mike Ashley is struggling to sell the club, which is not surprising given the current economic climate. As a result of this, Joe Kinnear’s rolling contract as interim manager has been extended and looks set to run until the end of the season. The January transfer window is fast approaching and it’s been suggested that Kinnear has been told by Ashley that he will have to generate his own funds to bring in new players. Michael Owen continues to be linked with a move away from the club, as have the likes of Shay Given (Spurs) and the mercurial Charles N’Zogbia (PSG, Dortmund) All three players look good bets to leave the club. One suspects that it will be a decision which is not left to Kinnear, but one which will be made by DoF, Dennis Wise.
Speaking of ex-Chelsea man Wise, he’s reappearance in recent weeks, has not gone unnoticed on Tyneside. There is a feeling that after the Keegan affair, those running the club (bar Mike Ashley) have decided it’s safe to come out of the woodwork. One question which remains though – why is Dennis Wise still at the club? Is he there to sign players, or is he merely there to oversee further trimming of an already thin squad? As it stands at the moment, Newcastle are the only club left in the PL which has a DoF setup. When other clubs have decided that it’s nothing short of a disastrous structure in English football, what makes Newcastle United think so differently?
John Ferguson Burn
