ARSENAL  -  NEWCASTLE  UNITED  2 : 1

photo: dailymail

Newcastle United Limited today filed its annual accounts for the year end 30 June 2011.

2010/11 was a landmark year for the Club financially, achieving close to break-even for the first time in its recent history, whilst at the same time retaining and building a strong squad which is currently sitting sixth in the Premier League.

The overall operational loss for the year after amortisation was just £3.9m, compared to a loss of £33.5 million in 2009/10 and £37.7 million in 2008/9.

Promotion to the Premier League resulted in a 69 per cent increase in turnover, from £52.4 million in 2009/10 to £88.4 million in 2010/11, principally the result of a three-fold increase in TV revenue.

Ticket sales revenue rose 16 per cent, from £20.9 million in 2009/10 to £24.3 in 2010/11, largely the result of an increase in corporate hospitality income associated with the Club's return to the Premier League. Just under a million fans visited the stadium in 2010/11, the third highest attendance in the country.

The Club has worked to bring its wages-to-turnover ratio down to a long-term sustainable level. In 2008/9 wages accounted for 82.7 per cent of turnover, rising to 90.5 per cent in the Championship season 2009/10. For the year 2010/11, wages accounted for 60.6 per cent of turnover.

The net cash spend on player transfers to June 2011 was a receipt of £5.4 million, which includes the fee for the sale of Andy Carroll to Liverpool FC in January 2011. The Club has since spent a further £25 million in cash on players and wages.

The Club has a strict policy in respect of player transfers, with the emphasis on paying and receiving full transfer fees up front rather than accepting dated payments over a number of years. When Mike Ashley acquired the Club in the summer of 2007, he inherited outstanding deferred transfer payments totalling £36 million for players past and present. Under the new policy, the Club is now owed £5 million.

Thanks to the financial support of the owner Mike Ashley, the Club has now cleared all of its third party debts, which stood at £76 million in 2006/7 and incurred finance costs of £6.5 million. The debt to Mike Ashley remains £140 million, which continues to be provided interest-free by the owner.

The Club secured a new two-year shirt sponsorship deal with Virgin Money in January 2012 and announced plans to sell full naming rights to the stadium in order to maximise potential revenue streams.

Newcastle United's Managing Director Derek Llambias said: "The Club's financial results for the year end June 2011 are extremely strong. We can now count ourselves amongst very few clubs across the UK and Europe who are operating at close to break-even.

"What is particularly pleasing is that we have achieved this whilst also ensuring we have a strong squad sitting firmly in the top third of the table and currently pushing for a European place.

"Some of the key financial principles we set in place when Mike bought to the Club back in 2007 are now beginning to reap rewards. Most notably, our adherence to a strict transfer policy which avoids, or limits wherever possible, the acceptance of dated payments for players bought or sold. We believe it is a far healthier financial model to settle full transfer fees for players up front, not dated over a period of years.

"We have dealt wisely in the transfer market and reinvested the income received from player sales into improving the squad. Our net cash spend on player transfers to June 2011, which includes the sale of Andy Carroll, was a receipt of £5.4 million, with a further £25 million in cash spent on transfers and players' wages since June 2011.

"We have also worked hard to address an inherited wages-to-turnover ratio which was unsustainable. Wages now account for just over 60 per cent of turnover and we feel this is a healthy and affordable level.

"A further significant achievement has been to clear all of the Club's interest-bearing debt, which in 2006/7 was costing £6.5 million a year just to finance the debt. Mike Ashley continues to provide loans totalling £140 million interest-free, for which we are extraordinarily fortunate. Once again, Mike has not taken any money out of the Club."

The full annual accounts, including the financial statements of the Group and the Independent Auditors' Report for the year have been submitted to Companies House today.

photo: nufc.co.uk

Ryan Taylor je produžio ugovor sa Newcastle United-om na još dve godine, što znači da će među crno-belima ostati do 30. juna 2015. godine.

photo: nufc.co.uk

Manager sunderland-a Martin O'Neill izjavio je, da je neko od članova stručnog štaba Newcastle United-a, tokom poluvremena na utakmici Newcastle - sunderland, ušao u prostorije sudije Mike Dean-a, kako bi izvršio pritisak na njega. Takođe, O'Neill je izjavio da je Newcastle United u drugom poluvremenu imao naklonost sudije Mike Dean-a.

Alan Pardew i John Carver su demantovali da je iko iz štaba Newcastle United-a ušao u prostorije Mike Dean-a. Čak je i Mike Dean izjavio, da niko nije ulazio u njegove prostorije.

Dakle, ovde neko laže. Ko, to treba da utvrdi Fudbalska Asocijacija Engleske, jer ovo su ozbiljne izjave.

photo: zimbio.com

NEWCASTLE  UNITED  -  sunderland  1 : 1

Rezervista Shola Ameobi golom u sudijskoj nadoknadi drugog poluvremena, spasao je Newcastle United poraza od sunderland-a, postavivši konačan rezultat 1:1. Prethodno je Nicklas Bendtner u prvom poluvremenu, sa bele tačke doveo goste u vođstvo.

Alan Pardew je na kišni i prepuni St James Park izveo sledećih XI: Krul, Santon, Coloccini, Williamson, Simpson, Gutierrez, Tiote, Cabaye, R.Taylor, Cisse, Ba.

Prvo poluvreme za zaborav. Igrači oba tima su se više takmičili ko će koga jače i žešće da udari, nego što su se fokusirali da postignu gol. Već u 24. sekundi utakmice, Lee Cattermole je sa leđa faulirao Tiote-a, zbog čega je i dobio žuti karton.

Iako je Newcastle imao blagu terensku inicijativu, gosti dolaze u vođstvo sa bele tačke. Naime u 24. minutu meča, Mike Williamson je u svom šesnaestercu potpuno nepotrebno povlačio za dres Michael Turner-a, što je sudija Mike Dean primetio i pokazao na belu tačku. Siguran izvođač sa bele tačke bio je Nicklas Bendtner, šutirajući u donji desni ugao gola golmana Krul-a, za 0:1, minut 24. Krul je "pročitao" gde će Bendtner šutirati, bacio se na pravu stranu, ali ipak nije imao šanse da odbrani taj udarac, jer je travnjak bio klizav a udarac isuviše precizan.

Ryan Taylor je oprobao svoj udarac levom nogom ali mu je neko izblokirao udarac. Isti igrač je pokušao i iz slobodnog udarca, ali je prebacio gol protivnika.

Do kraja poluvremena Fabricio Coloccini je glavom uputio udarac prema Mignolet-u, koji mu je odbranio udarac, dok je Demba Ba u 44. minutu posle jednog kornera, glavom uputio udarac sa pet metara, ali se lopta od prečke odbila u polje.

Na drugoj strani, strelac jedinog pogotka u prvom delu igre Bendtner, je sa ivice šesnaesterca iz okreta, šutirao u donji levi ugao gola golmana Krul-a, ali je Krul to odbranio.


Poluvreme: 0 : 1


Odmah na početku drugog poluvremena, Alan Pardew iz igre izvlači Davide Santon-a, dok u igru šalje Hatem Ben Arfa-u.

Ta izmena je probudila svrake i Ben Arfa je sa nekoliko solo prodora po desnoj strani lomio kičmu gostujućim defanzicima, ali falio je završni pas, kako bi Newcastle United i izjednačio rezultat.

U 57. minutu meča Tim Krul dvostrukom odbranom diže moral celoj ekipi. Prvo je odbranio udarac Seb Larsson-u a zatim i McClean-u.

Minut kasnije, Stephane Sessegnon dobija direktan crveni karton zbog udaranja laktom Tiote-a.

Hatem Ben Arfa je imao jedan odličan solo prodor, posle kojeg je šutirao sa ivice šesnaesterca sa desnog boka levom nogom u bliži ugao, ali mu Simon Mignolet brani udarac.

U 72. minutu, umesto nezapaženom Pappis Cisse-a u igru je ušao Shola Ameobi.

Deset minuta kasnije upravo Ameobi-a u svom šesnaestercu ruši Fraizer Campbell i sudija Mike Dean pokazuje na belu tačku. Uprkos tome što je na prošlom derbiju Ameobi postigao gol sa bele tačke, Demba Ba je izveo jedaneseterac, šutirajući u donji levi ugao gola golmana Mignolet-a, koji ga je "pročitao" i odbranio mu udarac.

Do kraja utakmice igrači Newcastle-a su vrištali za još jednim penalom, posle pada Ben Arfa-e u šesnaestercu gostiju, ali Mike Dean nije ponovo pokazao na kreč.

U 88. minutu utakmice Alan Pardew poseže i za poslednjom izmenom, ubacujući u igru Peter Lovenkrands-a dok iz iste vadi Ryan Taylor-a

Baš kada se činilo da će sunderland odneti sva tri boda, u drugoj minuti sudijske nadoknade Yohan Cabaye šalje odličan centaršut sa levog boka na drugu stativu, gde se na tri metra od protivničkog gola sam kao duh našao Shola Ameobi, koji samo postavlja nogu i lopta je u mreži za 1:1, minut 92. Ekstaza na St James' Park-u. gosti u neverici...

Ostalo je još taman toliko vremena da se Mike Williamson iskupi za napravljeni penal, ali se on spetljao u gostujućem petercu, propustivši priliku da uputi udarac ka golu protivnika i tako donese pobedu svom timu.

Sudija Mike Dean je meč produžio za pet minuta i posle njegovog poslednjeg zvižduka, Lee Cattermole je nasrnuo na njega, zbog čega je i on dobio direktan crveni karton.


Konačan rezultat: 1 : 1


NUFC: Tim Krul; Danny Simpson, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini (c), Davide Santon (Hatem Ben Arfa 46); Ryan Taylor (Peter Lovenkrands 89), Yohan Cabaye, Cheick Tiote, Jonas Gutierrez; Papiss Cisse (Shola Ameobi 72), Demba Ba
Subs n/u: Rob Elliot, James Perch, Danny Guthrie, Gabriel Obertan

safc: Simon Mignolet; Phil Bardsley, Michael Tunrer, John O'Shea; Kieran Richardson (Wayne Bridge 85); Sebastian Larsson (Jack Colback 73), Lee Cattermole (c), Craig Gardner, James McClean; Stephane Sessegnon, Nicklas Bendtner (Fraizer Campbell 72)
subs n/u: Craig Gordon, Matt Kilgallon, David Vaughan, David Meyler

Man of the Match: Shola Ameobi

Sudija: Mike Dean

Gledalaca: 52,338 (2,650 sunderland-ovih majmuna. U loži Mike Ashley, Derek Llambias i Peter Beardsley sa suprugom)

P.S.
Prštalo je kako na terenu tako i pored njega. Prvo su se sukobili John Carver i Martin O'Neill zbog grubih startova gostujućih igrača a zatim i Alan Pardew i Martin O'Neill u sudijskoj nadoknadi, zbog načina na koji je Pardew proslavio izjednačujući gol. Posle 27. kola, nalazimo se na šestom mestu sa 44 boda, pet više od Liverpool-a i sa utakmicom više. Za petoplasiranim Chelsea zaostajemo samo dva boda. Ostaje žal za propuštenom prilikom da se sa dve pobede (Wolves i sunderland) vinemo na peto mesto, ali i ovako je dobro. Samo da ne gubimo utakmice. Sledećeg ponedeljka putujemo u London na megdan zahuktalom Arsenal-u.

 photo: nufc.co.uk i dailymail