I can’t believe these comments from fans reacting to Newcastle United owners new 5 year plan | OneFootball

I read an interesting article on The Mag the other day, ‘Saudi Arabia PIF renew commitment to Newcastle United – Five year plan on and off pitch’, which highlighted a media exclusive reporting on a renewed push from the Newcastle United owners, with a five year plan to make massive progress on and off the pitch.

I couldn’t believe some of the comments from Newcastle United fans in response to the article. Here’s a taste:

“Seems the main commitment is to rob us of our hard earned wages. It’s a toss up between us and Man Utd for the worst owners in the Premier League and that takes some doing”.

“I just do not understand the mentality of people who seem to think that there’s something inherently virtuous in a slow build”.

“We have more than doubled the expenditure and sold our two brightest prospects. One of who is denying us a Champions League place which could cost us fifty million. Our new owners are not very bright to be honest”.

“It sounds pretty unrealistic. I think there’ll be a couple of major sales this summer, re-do the squad and go again.”

“I’m sorry, but this is pretty uninspiring stuff from the £700 + billion PIF. A further commitment – to what?”

“A 5 year plan is corporate speak for jam tomorrow”.

Quite ridiculous really.

Last autumn, the Newcastle United owners injected a further £35m into the club via a single-share issue. That was the seventh injection of capital since the club was bought in October 2021, taking post-takeover investment to £337.9m (on top of the £305m purchase price).

That seems like a hefty commitment to me.

A new stadium on Leazes Park is planned, training facilities have improved immeasurably and the women’s team is making significant progress.

This weekend, along with tens of thousands of other Newcastle United fans, I’m travelling to London to watch NUFC in another League Cup Final. Had it not been for some exceptionally bad luck in injury time at Stamford Bridge in December 2023, this could have been a third consecutive Wembley Final under head coach Eddie Howe.

To not progress out of a Champions League group that pitted NUFC against Paris St Germain, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund was extremely disappointing. Let that sink in. Even reading that sentence back, it’s incomprehensible how some of our fan base behave.

Profit and Sustainability rules are a curse as far as the PIF is concerned. The richest club owners in the world and yet they have to wheel and deal. Whilst commercial revenues have grown exponentially under their stewardship, it is still only half of that which our League Cup Final opponent generates.

I get the frustration to an extent. In the immediate aftermath of the 2021 takeover, I think most of us expected marquee signings and rapid progress.

Under the restrictive regime the Newcastle United owners find themselves operating in, it has to be a slow build, although the progress NUFC has made in three and a half years cannot be understated.

As we head to Wembley, the question is inevitably asked. Win on Sunday and miss out on the Champions League, or vice versa. A reasonable retort is why do we have to choose?

However, to the extent we do, let’s set about accumulating trophies. Tomorrow’s one-off encounter with Liverpool makes it possible to get that first one in the cabinet. Doing that would pave the way for a European trophy to be added to the collection in just over 12 months. What price we keep adding to the haul if we can do that?

The League Cup might be considered inferior.

My recollections of it growing up are early season hope, quickly extinguished with disappointment. Frankie Worthington spoiled my first ever League Cup match at St James and trips to the likes of Odsal and Bramall Lane around that time yielded the same excruciating outcome.