Ashley ends 120 years of history by changing St James Park to the Sports Direct Arena

M5

bucketybuck wrote: »

Anybody remember the Eastlands stadium?

Eastlands was about 6 months old, SJP 119 years old and all the history and tradition that goes with it, there is no comparison!

M5

@McNallyMirror

I for one will still call it St. James' Park in all my reporting

Hopefully this is the start of the second rejection

That_Guy

You couldn't make this shít up.

https://shop.nufc.co.uk/cgi-bin/live/ecommerce.pl?site=theclubshop_nufc&state=products&dept_id=99&sub_dept_id=01

That_Guy

Final thoughts before I get some sleep.

With the recent positivity of the half price season ticket incentive and the free open day training session, this is PR suicide by Ashley.

Tallaght Saint

Horrible news.

No Al Calcio Moderno!

Where To

It will always be SJP to me. Wasn't gonna bother going to the chelski game, changed my mind now :pac:

That_Guy

where do i go from here wrote: »

It will always be SJP to me. Wasn't gonna bother going to the chelski game, changed my mind now :pac:

I'm over for it myself mate. Should be a very interesting atmosphere. I'd just hope that people won't boycott. Support the team and not the regime.

Where To

That_Guy wrote: »

I'm over for it myself mate. Should be a very interesting atmosphere. I'd just hope that people won't boycott. Support the team and not the regime.

Lot of tickets already sold for that game anyway, onlt level 7 and a few in upper gallowgate left

Bodhisopha

Mike Ashley knows best. He's worked wonders at that club.

Paully D

Newcastle fans need to look at the bigger picture IMO.

Your sponsorship deal with Northern Rock runs out at the end of this season IIRC, and Ashley is doing this to get the name in the public domain and show potential suitors what they could get if they purchase the advertising rights. It's a fantastic way of making money for doing virtually nothing really and in my opinion every club these days should look to do it. At the end of the day the extra revenue could be the difference between signing another player, offering a higher wage to someone of quality, etc.

The team is 3rd in the league, Ashley got rid of the older players who had too much say in the summer and replaced them with younger and cheaper players (which he was given both barrels for) who are worth a lot more, there's a great team spirit, he's done a great deal on season tickets, everything's going well.

Of course Newcastle fans will look for any excuse to give stick to someone who pumped over £100m of his own money into the club to save them from financial trouble when Hall and Shepered had ruined them, but once a few good results come in everything will calm down and this will all be forgotten about.

Also, you've got to laugh at the likes of McNally saying he'll refuse to refer to the stadium by its now proper title, funnily enough he doesn't still call Wigan's stadium the JJB or Manchester City's the City of Manchester :rolleyes:

That_Guy

Bodhisopha wrote: »

Pardew and Graham Carr know best. They've worked wonders at that club despite Ashley not releasing all the money that was promised for transfers from the Carroll sale.

Fixed that there for ya.

NufcNavan

LOL @ anyone who boycotts going to SJP over this.

That_Guy

NufcNavan wrote: »

LOL @ anyone who boycotts going to SJP over this.

I don't think they will. It won't hinder me from heading over for games but I'll be damned if I'm gonna call it the "Sports Direct Arena".

Paully D

That_Guy wrote: »

Fixed that there for ya.

So Pardew and Carr sanction deals, negotiate terms etc do they?

A much more realistic view would be that Pardew tells Carr to go out and look for a winger/striker/keeper etc, Carr finds one he thinks will fit in well and then it's over to Ashley and Llambias to get the deal sorted if they approve.

He seems to get a lot of stick for not releasing all the Carroll money to spend. This does not just happen at Newcastle. For example, Sunderland haven't spent all the Darren Bent money which we were told would happen, Arsenal spent very little of the money they got for Fabregas and Nasri despite Wenger saying they'd be replaced, etc. Football clubs release stories to the press that football fans want to here at the time, you'd be better off not taking it at face value.

Ashley has spent very wisely since he took over at Newcastle. He has you back on a firm financial footing which didn't seem possible when he took over. It seems you want him to go out and splash £35m just because he said it would happen when appeasing fans in January. He knows what he's doing when it comes to money and isn't just going to spend for the sake of it. That's what got you the likes of a crippled Owen on £100,000 + a week.

NufcNavan

That_Guy wrote: »

I don't think they will. It won't hinder me from heading over for games but I'll be damned if I'm gonna call it the "Sports Direct Arena".

Obviously mate. Just feel that people are making too much of an issue of this. Sponsorship is a major part of modern football. Everyone knows it's still SJP.

It will only be a big deal of the fans make it out to be. I just hope that they do not turn against the club once again and create a negative atmosphere, and potentially ruin the great start we have made this season.

efb

Secular Society Ted!
When will Anfield be renamed the Jobs Centre Plus Arena...?

markesmith

As a Spurs fan I think it's a good move. I mean, the Gooners moved from the Library tot he Hemorrhoids, Spurs are looking to move to a larger stadium (they'll probably rename it as well) - it's good for the game. If it gives a few more million for the transfer kitty, who cares? You're doing well in the League btw

Jayob10

Never understand why fans get so upset about this. Its money for nothing.

My own team Liverpool are going to be doing something similar I believe and I have to laugh at some of our supporters cursing it. The club will make a fortune from it. You can then choose to call it what you want.

Its win win as far as you are concerned.

What would be worse is if nobody wanted to be associated with your club.

Paully D

NufcNavan wrote: »

Obviously mate. Just feel that people are making too much of an issue of this. Sponsorship is a major part of modern football. Everyone knows it's still SJP.

It will only be a big deal of the fans make it out to be. I just hope that they do not turn against the club once again and create a negative atmosphere, and potentially ruin the great start we have made this season.

I'd agree with you here. I have to say I'd be delighted if Sunderland were to sell naming rights, more revenue would be great and at the end of the day the fans will still call it what they want, just as they will call your stadium St James' Park.

I know people will say there's more history at Newcastle's ground and you'd be right as it's much older, but I really don't see why people are getting so worked up about this. Lets be honest here, the stadium has changed so much over the years that any history or tradition went with the multiple extensions to the ground which the fans were more than happy to accept as it meant more revenue coming in so you could get a bigger slice of the financial pie, so why is everyone even bothering to get worked up about it at this stage? It's the same thing in essence.

Far bigger clubs than Newcastle have sold and will continue to sell the naming rights to their stadiums.

I think the Newcastle fans would be better off not making a big deal of this and my reason is this: potential companies/organisations that might be interested will turn away if there's restlessness caused from this because they won't want their brand associated with that. No sponsor = Sports Direct becoming Newcastle's stadium and shirt sponsor for the next few years!

du Maurier

*Facile comment alert*. Football is well past a transitional change with regard to the new import of talent in a player. Which was quite a shocking thing when we initially got wind about a players' salary etc. ie Ibrahimovic, Eto, Ronaldo to this day.

Clubs will go the same way. It's all about branding and finance. To exist today, sentiment holds no sway. A club's history is nearing to a moot point.

As Charles Grodin said in Midnight Run, or just to paraphrase, "It's all about the ****in money".

bassey

Who would ever support a football team who's history and tradition can be bought, sold and changed? What's the point? What are you actually supporting other than a bunch of players?

Coming from a Newcastle fan this sickens me.

M5

Paully D wrote: »

So Pardew and Carr sanction deals, negotiate terms etc do they?

A much more realistic view would be that Pardew tells Carr to go out and look for a winger/striker/keeper etc, Carr finds one he thinks will fit in well and then it's over to Ashley and Llambias to get the deal sorted if they approve.

He seems to get a lot of stick for not releasing all the Carroll money to spend. This does not just happen at Newcastle. For example, Sunderland haven't spent all the Darren Bent money which we were told would happen, Arsenal spent very little of the money they got for Fabregas and Nasri despite Wenger saying they'd be replaced, etc. Football clubs release stories to the press that football fans want to here at the time, you'd be better off not taking it at face value.

Ashley has spent very wisely since he took over at Newcastle. He has you back on a firm financial footing which didn't seem possible when he took over. It seems you want him to go out and splash £35m just because he said it would happen when appeasing fans in January. He knows what he's doing when it comes to money and isn't just going to spend for the sake of it. That's what got you the likes of a crippled Owen on £100,000 + a week.

You have pointed out all the positives of the deal, what you are neglecting to realise is that the club wont get a cent for this, much like the Andy Carroll fee the money will disappear and we will get some BS story on how it has already been invested. Did sunderland say "every cent will be reinvested"? The sponsorship of the ground will not be touched by any company, much like the @SJP debacle where there was no interest. Mark my words the "sponsors" of the ground and the jerseys will be Sports Direct as MA wants to raise the profile of that brand in Asia.

If the money was definitely going to be invested and they had not previously lied about the situation then things might be different. Its unfortunately typical of the current ownership that they lie through their teeth. Any move by them is now rightly viewed with suspicion.

Giruilla

Sad day for Newcastle and the whole football league if this does happen.

HalloweenJack

How many people call Landsdone Road the "Aviva"?

The real fans will continue calling it St. James' Park, it doesn't change anything for them. So the media might start calling it whatever, it doesn't change the stadium or the atmosphere or the fans.

"A rose by any other name..." and so on.

stovelid

Any shirtless geordies crying outside the ground yet.

Blazer

On one hand I'm disgusted by it as it shows a complete lack of respect for the fans.
Ashley was just starting to turn the fans over to his side and then blows it all by renaming the Stadium.
On the other hand I know it's a business and money must be brought into the club to finance it and keep it going.

However a lot of people here well actually 99.999% of us aren't even from the city who's club we support let alone the country so we don't have the same attachment to the stadium as what the homegrown supports do so it's perfectly understandable that the Stadium they've associated it with their hometown for the last 119 years is suddenly renamed and they're upset about it.
I'm sure most of them would accept it being renamed if a sponsor was bought it but renaming it "Sports Direct Arena" is tacky and ill judged.
Fair enough bring a sponsor in and then renaming it.
I wonder if the people on here slagging the Newcastle fans would be just as upset if Old Trafford was renamed the "Glazer Arena" or Anfield renamed something else....you can bet your @ss that it's supporters would be pissed and rightly so.

geeky

I love it that, just at the point when fans are starting to think Mike Ashley wasn't as bad as they thought, it's like he sat down to figure out how he could make people hate him more than ever... bravo.

That_Guy

Newcastle City Council have released a statement.

http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/news-story/statement-re-renaming-st-james-park

Cabinet Member for Quality of Life, Coun Henri Murison, said: “The name of St James’ Park has been synonymous with Newcastle United football club and the city for more than 130 years.

“It is recognised around the world and the decision to change it, without consultation, will upset the overwhelming majority of fans who loyally support the team week in and week out.

“While I understand the commercial reasons for renaming sports venues when they relocate, this is not the case in this instance, and some things are beyond profit when they mean so much to people.

“The football club is part of the beating heart of the city, and while the council values its relationship with the club, it has no plans to change any existing wayfinding signs which bear the name St James’ Park.

“As far as the fans and Newcastle City Council are concerned, the home of Newcastle United will always be known as St James’ Park.”

Kess73

Jayob10 wrote: »

Never understand why fans get so upset about this. Its money for nothing.

My own team Liverpool are going to be doing something similar I believe and I have to laugh at some of our supporters cursing it. The club will make a fortune from it. You can then choose to call it what you want.

Its win win as far as you are concerned.

What would be worse is if nobody wanted to be associated with your club.

I think it is easier to accept when a brand new stadium is involved, than when an older ground gets a brand new name.

I agree totally with you on the financial side of things, and that supporters can still call it by the old name if it is an old ground renamed. But there can be a lot of sentimental value to a name sometimes, and the depth of that feeling can be lost on non locals at times. I would imagine that is what is going on in the heads of a lot of Geordies since the news broke.


The extra revenue and all the good that it can potentially bring to a club is the obvious and logical thing to consider, but as with a lot of things in life, the heart often rules the head on things that seem logical to others.

amacachi

I'd be digusted if Arsenal did something similar with The Emirates.


I don't see the big deal tbh. If Ashley wants to take money out he's going to take it out one way or another, better to not harm the team while doing so.
On the other hand, I may be way off the mark here but hasn't Ashley ploughed a fair amount of money into the club for no return? Think there was an article posted about it here a coupla years ago.

Paparazzo

They're renaming the stands now too.

That_Guy

Gregg's wlll have to wait. He's already got a disgusting Sports Direct logo up on that stand.

onemorechance

It will take more than St. James blessing to keep Newcastle up here:

1 Manchester City 11 5 0 0 16 2 5 1 0 23 8 +29 31
2 Man Utd 11 5 0 1 18 9 3 2 0 10 3 +16 26
3 Newcastle 11 4 2 0 10 5 3 2 0 7 3 +9 25
4 Chelsea 11 4 0 1 15 9 3 1 2 9 6 +9 22

TherapyBoy

Paully D wrote: »

Newcastle fans need to look at the bigger picture IMO.

Your sponsorship deal with Northern Rock runs out at the end of this season IIRC, and Ashley is doing this to get the name in the public domain and show potential suitors what they could get if they purchase the advertising rights. It's a fantastic way of making money for doing virtually nothing really and in my opinion every club these days should look to do it. At the end of the day the extra revenue could be the difference between signing another player, offering a higher wage to someone of quality, etc.

The team is 3rd in the league, Ashley got rid of the older players who had too much say in the summer and replaced them with younger and cheaper players (which he was given both barrels for) who are worth a lot more, there's a great team spirit, he's done a great deal on season tickets, everything's going well.

Of course Newcastle fans will look for any excuse to give stick to someone who pumped over £100m of his own money into the club to save them from financial trouble when Hall and Shepered had ruined them, but once a few good results come in everything will calm down and this will all be forgotten about.

^^ Agree

As long as it's money coming into the club in some manner I really don't mind. If it's going towards paying the guy who cleans the toilets I'm happy. Ashley isn't who I want really at the top of NUFC but I can't deny that he's put a lot of money in, and a Newcastle United with small debt playing in the 'Dr. Pepper Arena' & winning games is more attractive to our next club owner.

I'll never call it anything but St. James' Park.

Degag

flahavaj wrote: »

I wouldn't really mind if Old Trafford was renamed. I'd still call it OT and it would always be OT to me. I'd say United could get an absolute fortune out of any such deal.

I'd be disgusted. I probably wouldn't support them anymore.

Degag

Degag wrote: »

I'd be disgusted. I probably wouldn't support them anymore.

:pac:


not sure if serious

Degag

rarnes1 wrote: »

:pac:


not sure if serious

Not really. But i would be pretty sickened.

daithijjj

Newcastle council refuse to change St James' Park street signs to Sports Direct Arena.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Newcastle-Sports-Direct-Arena-row-council-refuse-to-change-St-James-Park-street-signs-and-fanzines-lead-protests-article829128.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

That_Guy

onemorechance wrote: »

It will take more than St. James blessing to keep Newcastle up here:

1 Manchester City 11 5 0 0 16 2 5 1 0 23 8 +29 31
2 Man Utd 11 5 0 1 18 9 3 2 0 10 3 +16 26
3 Newcastle 11 4 2 0 10 5 3 2 0 7 3 +9 25
4 Chelsea 11 4 0 1 15 9 3 1 2 9 6 +9 22

Do people honestly think we're going to challenge for a top 4 place this season? Seriously?

This whole "we haven't played anyone yet" bullshít is just that... bullshít. We're 18 points better off than we were against the teams we played last season. We'll get hockied by Man City and Man United. What does it prove? Nothing.

EDIT: Beside the topic of the thread anyway.

Duke Leonal Felmet

To supporters of such deals.

I presume you would also support a decision to rename a club itself. Manchester Pepsi United at the Adidas Stadium sound good? Heck, imagine how 'competitive' they would be then!

CSF

Jayob10 wrote: »

Never understand why fans get so upset about this. Its money for nothing.

My own team Liverpool are going to be doing something similar I believe and I have to laugh at some of our supporters cursing it. The club will make a fortune from it. You can then choose to call it what you want.

Its win win as far as you are concerned.

What would be worse is if nobody wanted to be associated with your club.

Spend every 2nd week in that stadium for decades and you'll start to understand what it means.

amacachi

That_Guy wrote: »

Do people honestly think we're going to challenge for a top 4 place this season? Seriously?

This whole "we haven't played anyone yet" bullshít is just that... bullshít. We're 18 points better off than we were against the teams we played last season. We'll get hockied by Man City and Man United. What does it prove? Nothing.

EDIT: Beside the topic of the thread anyway.

Yeah don't want to go too far off-topic but if yous get injuries after playing a load of the top teams it'll be an amazing slide over the next 12-15 matches.

M5

amacachi wrote: »

Yeah don't want to go too far off-topic but if yous get injuries after playing a load of the top teams it'll be an amazing slide over the next 12-15 matches.

yeah we have had a simple run of handy games :rolleyes:

amacachi

M5 wrote: »

yeah we have had a simple run of handy games :rolleyes:

Well 2 out of 11 games to start the season have been against the expected Top 6 while 5 of the next 9 are, I'd probably say that it's a slightly harder run coming up.

M5

amacachi wrote: »

Well 2 out of 11 games to start the season have been against the expected Top 6 while 5 of the next 9 are, I'd probably say that it's a slightly harder run coming up.

We got more points than any of the top 3 managed in the same fixtures last year, they are obviously not that easy

Your also talking about a recently promoted side, they are all top sides to us

Washington Irving

New sponsor Wonga buy the stadium naming rights and decide to revert back to St.James Park. Never heard anyone refer to it as the Sports Direct Arena anyway, but still good to see

Newcastle stadium reverts to St James' Park in sponsorship deal
Newcastle's stadium name will revert to St James' Park after the Premier League club agreed a four-year sponsorship deal with a loan company.
Wonga will become the club's main shirt sponsor from next season, replacing Virgin Money, and will also invest £1.5m in the club's academy.
The firm also purchased the stadium naming rights and decided on a return to the traditional name.
The stadium had been called the Sports Direct Arena since November 2011.

"We listened over the last three days and we saw what really matters to the fans," a Wonga spokesman said.
"Football is an emotional sport and it is obviously really important to them.
"We listened to what they wanted and that is why we did it."
Prior to the announcement, Football Association general secretary Alex Horne expressed some concern that the deal was with a loan company.
He told BBC Radio 5 live's Breakfast : "We are talking to the leagues about it, but on the one hand it's a legislative issue. If these companies are charging the wrong rates of interest then legislation should help us out. The leagues have clear rules about certain inappropriate advertising for children.

"We are talking to the leagues on Friday about it. If you consider it as in the category of things that are inappropriate for children like gambling and alcohol, it feels like it is in that category to me."
Ian Lavery, MP for Wansbeck, is a season ticket holder at Newcastle but has said he will now not set foot in the stadium.
"A city like Newcastle and the region should not have any ties with an organisation like Wonga," he said.
"This business makes profits off the back of deprived people who are desperate and who are the most vulnerable in society."
Mark Jensen, editor of Newcastle fanzine The Mag, said he believes the renaming could have been done to deflect criticism from the club.
"It's a clever move and clearly has been done in part to deflect some of the criticism of the business they have agreed the sponsorship with," he said.
"The fans will be over the moon that the name will be back to what it's always been, but there will be mixed emotions on the subject as it's a sad indictment of today's society that a company like that is doing so well."
Wonga sponsors two other British football clubs. It has deals with Scottish Premier League side Hearts and Championship team Blackpool.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19887267

homerjay2005

amacachi wrote: »

I'd be digusted if Arsenal did something similar with The Emirates.

you mean rename the renaming done already?

while i would hope this post was meant to be funny/sarcastic, something tells me that it was not, the stadium is actually called Ashburton Grove.

Fans will always call it by its original name so naming rights are no issue imo. If the club benefits from the cash that's all that matters.

Handsome Bob

rarnes1 wrote: »

Fans will always call it by its original name so naming rights are no issue imo. If the club benefits from the cash that's all that matters.

I think getting the name back 'officially' will be a big deal toon fans to be honest.

MagicMarker

Not to mention taking off that ****ing advertising on top of the stadium.