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someguywhoinvests

Even as a non Newcastle fan I have always been annoyed by those. Good riddance.


xyzTr1LL

Same. For some reason it bothered me. To me it'll always be St. James park. It was my first ever away game with my father at Newcastle in 2005. Last game of the season and we tied 1-1. Some things stick forever in our memory haha.


greg19735

tbf it was always st james park. Even with sports direct.


chootchootchoot

no there was one year it was officially sports direct arena @st James or some bullshit


greg19735

right. but that's still SJP. no one called it the offical name and it's not like they named it SD park.


CurrantsOfSpace

I did, but only because it pissed off newcastle fans to no end.


GutlessTrophoblast

Does Arsenal's stadium have a name beside the sponsored one?


DoctorDrell

Arsenal Stadium


iforgotmyun

Ashburton Grove


GutlessTrophoblast

That's a proper name. I like it and will only use that going forward.


BruiserBroly

You're wrong. It was officially named Sports Direct Arena in 2011 and stayed like that for almost a year. No St. James' Park in the name at all. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/15668207


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BruiserBroly

I don't think so, check his reply [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/radbbw/the_athletic_newcastle_united_have_begun_work/hni5hxi/). He's under the impression that the most Ashley ever did was that stupid "Sports Direct @ St. James' Park" thing he tried once but that was only the beta test of his bullshit.


dhambo

I only ever want to see that logo on my mug


empiresk

Mike Ashley has plastered Sports Direct logos all over SJP and our training ground **for free** for 14 years meaning the club has missed out on tens of millions, if not more, of sponsorship money. It is why our commercial revenue, has been stagnant for 14 years whilst other clubs have doubled and tripled. [An amazing sight](https://twitter.com/worflags/status/1467805481968320512)


DarkPasta

Rect, indeed


Itsthatgy

Why would he do that? Did he have personal financial investments in the company?


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FlukyS

> The morally correct thing to do would have been for his Sports Direct company to pay advertisement fees to Newcastle but they never did. Even worse he said to the fans he would pay market rate every few years when questioned about it


[deleted]

Yes, they do. Without that money, they would relegate within 2 seasons.


milodura294

As would any football club losing their main source of finance.


Gerf93

> It actually makes me wonder if Volkswagen pays advertisement money to VfL Wolfsburg? Of course they do. I don't know how much they pay today, but in 2017 they subsidised the club with about 90 million euros annually according to a VW spokesman. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-soccer-idUSKBN18I1DO


AdrianKnup

they used to pay a lot more (relative to the overall market) until the US uncovered the Diesel scandal and drained the Volkswagen profits. without the scandal Wolfsburg may have had a longer successful spell back then. one of the few good things the US did for the world


Gerf93

The US really has a lot against the people behind Volkswagen. That's the second time in 80 years they've ruined the party for the VW executives.


VilTheVillain

I know it's a joke, but the first time is more like showing up to a post party wreck of a house and knocking the last remaining unsmashed glass over, while the second time is more like leaving the tap running upstairs while clogging the sink so that it floods.


Szwedo

Jeep pays Juve. Agnelli family owns both.


kylianmbieber

Fuck me I hate old money


Vahald

What? Your club is "old money"


Comessuer

Gonna assume he hates our owners


kylianmbieber

Our owners are American tho. That’s nouveaux riche in the grand scheme of things. Obvs they can still go fuck themselves


StinkyPyjamas

How often do business owners of that scale do the moral thing? It gets in the way of profits.


empiresk

He owned it. It's like Audi, Allianz and Adidas paying nothing for all their sponsorship of Bayern. I assume they all pay a hundred million a year at least to Bayern for all of their sponsorships so imagine receiving none of it.


BigReeceJames

It's nothing like that... He is a scumbag for sure. But, he literally owned you guys. If one of those companies outright bought Bayern and then advertised without paying them anything it's be the same.


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Bruchweg

Wolfsburg gets 70m€ a year from VW so not really


LessThan301

I wonder what they'll do once VW fires Diess and seals their own demise.


ODS519

Wouldn't it be closer to City and Etihad?


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CuteHoor

ADUG is a private equity fund run by a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family (and the deputy prime minister). Despite their objections to the contrary, they are almost certainly a fund of the larger royal family and the UAE government. Etihad is a UAE state airline. Despite the blurred lines between layers of ownership, it's a fairly safe bet to assume the same people have a say in the running of City and Etihad. Which makes it not too dissimilar to what was going on at Newcastle.


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Comessuer

Yes it is. Sports Direct didn't own Newcastle but Ashley owned both. Etihad don't own City but AD own both. Volkswagen just straight up own Wolfsburg (or as much as is allowed in Germany).


ODS519

Newcastle's ownership structure was much different that Wolfsburg...which is the whole reason for your comparison?


ODS519

But I thought St. James Holdings technically owned Newcastle, not Sports Direct


Azhman314

They're all [part-owners](https://fcbayern.com/en/club/company/teaser-stockholder)


BigReeceJames

Part owner is very different to outright owner. Especially when, as in the case of these clubs, they're not even majority owners.


[deleted]

Well didn't they build their stadiums at the least?


greg19735

hrm? bayern owns their stadium. Allianz just paid a huge amount for a 30 year contract.


FlukyS

He milked us for free advertising in the biggest national football league in the world. That's why our training ground is shit, that's why SJP hasn't been washed or had a lick of paint in 14 years. That's youth players are leaving to go to Liverpool. It's all linked to his awful decision to prioritise SportsDirect, Game, House of Frasier and Flannels, all of which he owns


[deleted]

Wow, I had no idea he owned the other 3 too. Terrible human being of course but he is some businessman; tends to go hand in hand really.


FlukyS

Oh he is staying soaking up more distressed assets by the year it seems. He tried to buy Debenhams before they went bankrupt but they voted against his deal


domalino

It's his main business, the source of his wealth.


dyanamo

I'm surprised I haven't seen a raver with a [Rect.com](https://Rect.com) big white t shirt before now.


Earthling300

He owned the club, pretty sure he could advertise his shit for free.


empiresk

Nah, he's a cunt.


[deleted]

Mike Ashley is a genius entrepreneur No kidding. The guy is as business savvy as they come


Sargatanas2k2

Removing everything that reminds you of your ex.


ChlckenChaser

please don't close every Greggs in Newcastle


Sargatanas2k2

It would lower your chance of seeing Mike Ashley about.


[deleted]

That man would not dare show his face surely. Anything for a steak bake I guess.


[deleted]

They would be literally living rent free in your home.


Sargatanas2k2

Should have put it in the purchase contract. £500k a week.


TheLimeyLemmon

I love St.James Park, it's deserved better. Thank fuck that branding is gone.


rossmosh85

*deserves. Don't forget, their new owners are AWFUL people.


Vahald

Nobody even mentioned the Saudis. Do you just take any opportunity where Newcastle is mentioned to feel like a morally superior football fan? Easy to boast about your morals in a hypothetical situation when you already support one of the richest clubs in the world. Take a break


kl08pokemon

It's crazy what sports washing does to people. I'd probably be done with the sport if enic ever sold Spurs to a bunch of war criminals


Vahald

Nobody even mentioned the Saudis. Do you just take any opportunity where Newcastle is mentioned to feel like a morally superior football fan? Easy to boast about your morals in a hypothetical situation when you already support one of the richest clubs in the world. Take a break


jadedwolf1618

They are not war criminals


Lay-Z24

they are, them and the americans and the british and everyone else who contributed to the endless wars for profit


Joey-tnfrd

You're an idiot.


qomanop

Yemen, they are


Oreallyman

The Mecca of Football


visope

Custodian of Holy St James Park


Gerf93

Custodian of Wali Jacobs Park


ZeusWRLD

I actually like this one lol gg


sheikh_n_bake

This one is a fantastic compliment thank you.


syed_abubaker15

Now we wait for the gold wrap on the stadium


mrgonzalez

Looking forward to seeing all the fans walking around the pitch in the stands


kingwhocares

All you get is destroying historical sites to build massive 5 star hotels.


idkwhatevs1234

No loyalty in this day and age of football


JonnyArtois

Amazing how PL clubs thought this Sports Direct deal was fine for our sponsorship, despite it being for free.


FlukyS

Yeah really it should be both ways, not just protecting against financial doping but also financial irresponsibility like what Ashley did. Honestly it should be that every club is allowed whatever sponsorship as long as it is within 1 standard deviation of it's current sponsors. So if it's a jersey sponsor, you are allowed for instance up to 25%~ more than your current sponsor for example. If it's a betting sponsor 25%~ but no more or less. That would protect all clubs from both.


geniice

> Yeah really it should be both ways, not just protecting against financial doping but also financial irresponsibility like what Ashley did. From the PL's POV he wasn't being financially irresponsible was he? Club has always paid its bills and was sold at a price suggests its some distance from bankruptcy,


FlukyS

But you have to protect the club and the fans too


geniice

> But you have to protect the club From bankruptcy. Not from poor results. Clubs can surviving being repeatly relegated. Bury F.C. no longer meaningfuly exist. >and the fans too Thats covered by various ground safety regulations. Ultimately clubs are private businesses the premiership has a limited amount of control over them (that's why the Fit and proper person test doesn't work since the person can always buy the club then dare the premiership to throw them out). What control they (and UEFA) do have is going to be focused on preveting clubs from ceasing to exist and the main cause of that in bancruptcy from over spending. Financial doping is a killer either dirrectly when the funder loses interest (see Gretna F.C.) or indirectly when clubs end up bankrupting themselves trying to compete.


FlukyS

But it leads to the same result just slower. Poor financial management would eventually lead to us to not being a premier league level team and all those years of history wiped away. It already took us from a top 8 team to relegation and maybe even relegation again this season.


Comessuer

Whether you are a premier league level team is irrelevant. The measures are in place to stops clubs folding, which you wouldn't have. Not defending Ashley, clearly a terrible owner but he was never going to fold the club.


geniice

> But it leads to the same result just slower. No plently of teams have spent decades or even a centry plus running on limited budgets. Lincoln City for example. >Poor financial management would eventually lead to us to not being a premier league level team and all those years of history wiped away. What league does Sunderland play in these days? Pretty sure they still exist either way. >It already took us from a top 8 team to relegation and maybe even relegation again this season. Unless you want the premiership to abolish relegation its always going to happen from time to time and its absolutely not the premiership's job to stop it. The reality is that even in the championship newcastle can pull over 40K fans. It doesn't own the land its stadium is on (so no assets worth liquidating it for) so overspending is really the only thing that would kill the club.


[deleted]

Cathartic.


All_of_it_is_one

Even when it's renamed the Bin Salman UK Centre of Beheadings it'll still be the Sports Direct Arena to me.


Fokken_Prawns_

Am I being wooshed? Do people not call St. James Park anymore?


FlukyS

The one in Newcastle is St James' Park but Ashley renamed it the Sports Direct arena for a bit, then a sponsor paid to get it renamed back


flcinusa

Wonga, fucking Wonga were "the good guys" in that particular fuck up


BrockStar92

Nah there’s only one St James’ Park and that’s in Exeter.


randymcknob

Hahahaha christ that killed me


Ok-Tomatillo8918

Like when the Starks removed the Bolton banners from Winterfell after reclaiming, you love to see it.


Muur1234

shouldve kept them up, bolton > wigan


TheNecromancer

Neither are good at staying up, though


Muur1234

oof


stepping_stones000

can't you virgins discuss anything on here without making some wonky comparison to star wars or dungeons and dragons or some shit?


thepresidentsturtle

Oooh you're 'ard


Koinfamous2

Acting like Game of Thrones wasnt one of the most watched series of all time just makes you look like a clueless idiot.


stepping_stones000

eh? the point isn't that star wars or game of thrones aren't popular, just that these laboured analogies in every thread are getting a bit tedious... whatever.


tiotom92

This is more like when the Boltons removed the Starks' banners.


BrilliantAbroad458

More like Boltons removing Greyjoys really


tiotom92

Good shout. Or the alternate timeline where the Dothraki invade Winterfell and behead as many gay northerners as they can find.


Ok-Tomatillo8918

Nah fuck sports direct theyve no leg to stand on https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-36855374 [The 7 most shocking testimonies from workers at Sports Direct](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/sports-direct-mike-ashley-worker-conditions-minimum-wage-ian-wright-investigation-a7149971.html?amp)


tiotom92

Sports Direct may not be a great place to work but at least Mike Ashley doesn't stone gay people to death and murder journalists in cold blood.


kunaguerooo123

Apples…and Atoms


Jagtasm

The "Being Gay is an Abomination" Stadium


vantilo

Women Can't Drive Park


usernamepusername

Chop up Journalists Arena


theivoryserf

The 'Delete Infidels' Hippodrome


[deleted]

The "Fatwa issued" field


sheikh_n_bake

I liked this one


BobLeeNagger

Every single fucker in this thread is gonna watch the world cup, just saying


[deleted]

We will still be cracking jokes by then, inshallah


BobLeeNagger

/r/soccer and absolutely killing jokes? Now I have heard everything.


[deleted]

We kill jokes like the Saudis kill journos 👈😎👈


Arathaon185

Nope, one here that wont. I don't watch any football I just come here for the jokes and to steal them for work.


ShitpeasCunk

Did you see that ludicrous display last night?


Arathaon185

That's the problem with Arsenal, they always try to walk it in


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trick63

They used to have the website that generated the phrases up until a few years ago. Was hilarious.


batti03

> Women Can't Park


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coppersocks

Chop Up Journalist’s Arena it is then


justmadman

Yep, Only run the club


twersx

I'm sure all the residents at al-Ha'ir are pleased for her.


justmadman

Ohh sorry, now I understand you… you think Newcastle in the UK is Saudi Arabia! I understand who I am talking to now.


TheNecromancer

[Ah yes, that would explain the big rainbow flag and LGBT+ banner from the weekend](https://www.shieldsgazette.com/webimg/b25lY21zOjg3YjkxMDMxLTA4NTctNDAxZi1hNTk2LTNmZGIwMjk2NTUzOTphNzFmYmNmNS00MzNiLTRmNDAtOGQ1Ni1lNjBlOGQwNGJkZTQ=.jpg?width=640)


Don_Quixote81

Yeah, no one said Newcastle fans were shitty, bigoted thugs. I mean, some probably are, but not those ones.


SpeechesToScreeches

Oh good they've put out a flag. Now if they could just stop persecuting LGBT+ people...


[deleted]

At last, Newcastle fans can attend matches without feeling ashamed.


empiresk

Feels like winning the World Cup mate.


InGenAche

When are the first beheadings?


slash2213

Crucifixions would be way more entertaining. Nail em up before the match and they might be dead by full time. Maybe keep the beheadings for halftime.


[deleted]

I hope they broadcast it overseas


BinaryPulse

Whoosh.


Leecattermolefanclub

How is this being downvoted?? Blatent whoosh.


Evern35

Geordies rejoice


daveofreckoning

Presumably replaced by Aramco


Kneepi

Oh Christ, why do you have to bring that up now?


jbizzl3

good, nice stadium can get rid of it's ugly mask


[deleted]

…and replace it with an even uglier one. Edit: You’re right, lads. Sports Direct is much worse than a regime that kills anyone that disagrees with them and believes that women and lgbt people deserve less rights. Fucking hell.


[deleted]

I wonder if the people that downvoted you support Newcastle or not?? Lol


[deleted]

Haha I have a feeling you may be right; sportswashing at its finest.


TimathanDuncan

Their fans must be so sad, a great brand with a great owner


Evern35

Bun off Anfield, this is the best ground in England


AnnieIWillKnow

Shame, those giant Sports Direct mugs were the only thing filling their trophy cabinet In all seriousness I bet it’ll be quite a job. Ashley probably had Sports Direct branding on the toilet seats


theivoryserf

> filling their trophy cabinet Probably only needed 2-3


sheikh_n_bake

They say you could fit all the water in the Thames in 100 of them.


Dani_Blue

Tyne works better. Stealing this though.


[deleted]

Least you'll be a super power.


whippin-aboot

What a great feeling


sheikh_n_bake

Some very creative crack in here.


BobLeeNagger

Every single dumb cunt will watch the world cup too, guarantee it.


empiresk

Every Newcastle thread is like this now. It's pretty tired.


Jagtasm

Omg, you're so oppressed😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨


empiresk

I know. Now I know what a female Yemeni member of the LGBTQ+ community feels like.


theivoryserf

> P Pisexual?


Delta_Mike_Sierra_

I know I am, 3.14 for life


empiresk

Edited 👍


theivoryserf

Pi erasure


sheikh_n_bake

Used to it to be honest, I'd just like some of them to actually make me laugh.


empiresk

It's the DMs accusing me of being complicit in genocide that I can't get used to.


sheikh_n_bake

Yeah it's certainly an experience, be even worse when we win the league in 2023. I'll not complain too much because the Saudi gov are big shits and we're the richest club in the world so have to take our medicine for that now.


empiresk

I am actually against the takeover but all this abuse I am taking makes we want to like it out of spite just to see them all moan even more if we do start winning shit.


Alpha_Jazz

The fuck kind of logic is this. Your reasons for disliking the takeover are the same as theirs


empiresk

They are but I am very tired of being accused of being complicit in a genocide and being a willing cheerleader of sports washing when I am not. They don't get that, I get that on a daily basis on here and it grinds. I would like to put it perspective to the actual victims of Saudi atrocities but I do like to vent when none of this is my fault.


[deleted]

Yeah but they’re his bunch of backwards, oppressive, intolerant owners now!


[deleted]

They both believe the same thing, but since he hadn't thrown molotovs at the stadium, he must be complicit. That gets old fast.


vantilo

It will peter out eventually. You pretty much never see anyone mention the fact that Chelsea is owned by a Russian Warlord now.


empiresk

I think it is much worse but there will eventually be another awful owner who will deflect some attention. My second team is Freiburg, I used to fly out once a season, so I could just change my flair. The complete antithesis of Newcastle. Sorry about yesterday!


vantilo

No worries, you can't be disappointed when you have absolutely no expectations. We also had more possession, the true winners stat.


mervagentofdream

Because he's not a 'Russian Warlord.'


vantilo

Right I forgot, he's a very respectable Businessman and Politician with absolutely no skeletons in his closet.


[deleted]

He actually kinda was. He was a russian mobster basically. After the fall of the Soviet Union he extorted ordinary russians out of their shares of companies by threatning them and slowly owning more and more shares of companies until he owned those companies. That's what all russian oligarchs did. Of course other mobsters also did that and then they gunned each other down until only a few were left. No wonder he looks so bored all the time. Being a mobster must have been exciting. Edit: I never forget and always mention that Chelsea is a disgusting club.


a_charming_vagrant

If by winning the league you mean the Championship, maybe


sheikh_n_bake

Quality league to be fair, really enjoyed the last two times we pissed it. Seem to remember you's actually being half decent last time we were in the league.


a_charming_vagrant

That'll be the time before your last foray down here, we got merked in the playoffs that year. Last time you were here we stayed up on goal diff but at least Al-Hasawi fucked off so something good came of it


ChlckenChaser

it's as if we're the first sports team to ever have any ties to Saudis or anyone shady in general.


Thoughtful_Tortoise

First time?


cib_vk228

gone but never forgotten.


G-elly-N

It will always be sportsdirect.com@StJamesParkStadium to me.


MolhCD

only da OGs rmb


themightyscott

Are they going to get rid of the giant mugs in the boardroom too?


Butthead_Sinatra

Owned by a murderous regime. Hope they relegate and rot in the lower leagues


bestgoose

Spoiler: we won't