Saints sinned against

The trip all the way to Tyneside from the south coast in mid-December to watch their side take on Newcastle would have been bad enough for Southampton fans, even if they hadn't been fleeced for the privilege. Irate at having paid substantially more for their tickets than those home fans in the same section, Saints supporters complained to their club, who in turn passed it on to the Premier League, who have now ordered us to refund nearly £12,000. Quite how this ticket-pricing tactic can be squared with our apparent endorsement of the Football Supporters' Federation's Twenty's Plenty campaign is unclear - and justifying the high price by claiming that it's precisely the sort of thing our fans face elsewhere is not an adequate defence, I'm afraid.

Black, white and ridden all over

Another Saturday, another appalling performance - and against a team supposedly on the same level as us. Still, it could have been worse - you could have cycled the 400 miles from Newcastle to Southampton to witness it. That's precisely what a quartet of fans decided to do (presumably after a few too many in the pub). So spare a thought for the saddle-sore four this evening - and, even better, donate a few quid to the two cancer charities for which they were fundraising, Macmillan and the Robbie Elliott Foundation. If only the team had shared their guts and determination rather than their generosity of spirit...

The generation game

In light of my recent reading matter, Tony Collins' Sport in Capitalist Society, I'll admit I was initially sceptical about this excerpt from Adrian Tempany's book And The Sun Shines Now. With its self-confessedly rose-tinted jumpers-for-goalposts perspective on childhood and football in the 1970s, it begins in exactly the sort of fashion that might be expected to irk Collins - historically naive and misty-eyed reflections on mythical halcyon days before football became "modern". He also blots his copybook with his concluding remark, that football "has never been less about the culture of the people who shaped our football clubs" - Collins would argue that it was never really "the people's game", as it's often made out to be.

However, as the excerpt progresses, it's clear that Tempany has the stats to back up his argument that football has lost touch with a whole tranche of fans. On the one hand, all-seater stadia have made attending matches much safer and more secure for young children - but on the other, ticket prices are now so high they effectively prohibit teenagers from going once their parents are no longer prepared to fork out.

At one point Tempany makes reference to our club to illustrate his point: "the average age of Newcastle supporters at St James' Park in 2002 was 35; by 2012, that had risen to 45. These are the same Geordies, simply a decade older". It's a revealing statistic, and one that rings true when I recall how, as a 14-year-old, I went with a gaggle of friends to stand on the Gallowgate as we thumped Bristol City 5-0 during that record-breaking run at the start of the 1992/93 promotion season. Sadly, that's not something that would ever happen at a Premier League club now, and even further down the divisions ticket price increases have no doubt significantly outstripped inflation in pocket money.

So what's Tempany's solution? Look to the German model, essentially: low ticket prices, standing areas and positive age discrimination. Significant changes that would take considerable time, money and effort to implement - but should German clubs continue to thrive, you'd presume the likelihood of others elsewhere taking them as models for progress will increase.

One stat that leapt out at me was the fact that only one in five children ends up supporting the same club as their dad. I'd imagine the odds are even worse when you don't live anywhere near the club in question. Clearly I'm going to have my work cut out to bring Stan up to wear the black and white shirt...

Quote of the day

"Went to London for dinner. Wish I hadn't. Scumbag football hooligans turn Covent Garden into a disgusting Cesspit"

Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, takes to Twitter to comment on Sunderland supporters enjoying themselves in the capital ahead of this afternoon's League Cup final.

Much as we like to mock the Mackems, on this occasion we're firmly in their camp. Post-Hillsborough verdict, you'd have thought Tory MPs would be rather more reticent to use such inflammatory language - though, as the FSF are keen to point out, football supporters continue to be demonised in certain quarters. In any case, as numerous people have pointed out on Twitter, there was much more littering and mess as a result of the celebrations surrounding William and Kate's wedding and the Jubilee, as well as every year after New Year's Eve and Ascot - presumably that put Mr Halfon off his supper too...

Question time

So, other than the club's reflections on the latest set of accounts, what else was there of note to come out of the most recent Fans Forum?

1. JFK wasn't solely responsible for the programme notes attributed to him - in reality he "was involved in the drafting of the notes but that the overall messaging was determined collaboratively and could be read as communication from the board". Just as we all suspected, in truth - there's no way that, left to his own devices, he could be trusted to produce something scrupulously profanity-free...

2. A request for more information on JFK's departure met with a terse "no further comment to make", while it was confirmed that filling the director of football role he vacated "would be reviewed in the summer" (with the option of scrapping it altogether presumably also on the table).

3. There was an equally terse response to a fans' representative who, quite reasonably, said "he would like to see the Club attempting to improve the tone of coverage afforded by NCJ Media by ending the current ban": "The Club referred to its comments in the previous Fans Forum meeting and had nothing further to add." Nice to know they're open to dialogue, isn't it?

4. When the issue of revenue raised through Sports Direct advertising in St James' Park was mentioned, it was explained that while this doesn't reduce the debt the club owes to Jabba, it does grease his palms sufficiently to allow him to keep the loan interest-free.

5. The club's apparent lack of ambition was, understandably, a hot topic. It was claimed that "the aim for the Club is always to finish as high up the league table as possible, with top ten a minimum requirement this season". All fine and well, but how does that square with making just two signings in the last two transfer windows, both loans, and selling our best player without securing a replacement? The actions of a club setting itself up to fail - and to hang the manager out to dry.

6. As regards Dreamboat, there was plenty of flannel: "In respect of the transfer, the board explained that the Club did not want to sell the player. However, the player was adamant he wanted to leave. The Club made a substantial bid for a replacement but an agreement could not be reached with the prospective selling club. The Club also pursued other options but particular clubs were unwilling to sell. The board explained that the January window is disruptive for clubs and that there are far more options available to it in the summer window." No mention of the fact that the informal agreement struck with Dreamboat in August meant we'd known of the likelihood of his departure months before it happened and so had no excuse for not having a plan in place. At least there was a hint of regret, if not an outright apology - "The board suggested that if it was to be self-critical, it should have had a young player who could naturally step into the squad as it aims to in all positions" - though of course that compounds the failings of our transfer dealings by flagging up the failings of our academy.

7. While it was explained that the Away Fans Fund was "designed to be spent on the clubs' own fans who travel and the designated away end in their stadium", the club wasn't very forthcoming with details on how the £200,000 we received had actually been spent.

8. Following a suggestion in a previous Fans Forum, Gael Bigirimana has been appointed as our Equality Ambassador, a role which involves working closely with the Newcastle United Foundation and Kick It Out. At least it'll give him something to do, given he currently appears to be nowhere near the first team...

9. The Silver Fox formally pledged the club's support for the Football v Homophobia campaign before the home game with Spurs. A very welcome move - only the previous week I had expressed dissatisfaction and bafflement at our silence on the issue.

Quote of the day

"Matchday and commercial revenue is a key driver because that's where the Club can compete with - and outperform - its competitors to enhance its spending capabilities. Ultimately the income the Club generates, particularly, given the restrictions of the Premier League FFP Rules, from matchday, commercial i.e. non-TV income, will directly impact on the strength and quality on the pitch."

The club's board issue a veiled warning to supporters contemplating a boycott over Jabba's continued ownership of the club: do so (whether by simply staying away or by refusing to give money to club catering services and bars, the course of action proposed by Neil Crossley and Time4Change) and you'll be harming the club and the team rather than the owner.

The comment appeared in the statement accompanying the accounts for the year ending June 2013. Commercial revenue was up on the previous season (24.2 per cent to £17.1m), presumably partly due to the contribution of sponsorship from Wonga, though the purchase of a club-branded onesie for me by my work colleagues will also have helped...

Matchday revenue was also up, by 15.9 per cent to £27.8m. Given that this was partly attributed to the additional Europa League matches, which also contributed to the media revenue, then one does wonder why that competition is apparently regarded with distaste. The answer, I suppose, lies in the fact that media revenue overall was down eight per cent to £51m, that this is tied to our league position and that last season's lowly finish wasn't offset by our European adventure. In this regard, it could be argued that we should prioritise the Premier League and that Europe was a distraction (a source of injury and fatigue) that proved costly in terms of our league position. I'd maintain that we should have built a squad that could cope with the dual demands, but I doubt that's the way the powers-that-be would see it.

One positive (particularly in relation to many other clubs) is that we're no further in debt than we were last year - we still owe Jabba his £129m loan, but it's interest-free and there's no timescale for repayment (though presumably that does mean he could suddenly insist on it).

Update: In his post about our accounts on his Football Economy blog, Wyn Grant notes: "The argument that lacklustre spending by Ashley will be justified by the arrival of financial fair play rules is something of a gamble. It still remains to be seen how these complex rules will be implemented in practice or whether they will be subject to a legal challenge." A very valid point - as laudable and honourable as our apparent determination to play by the rules is, we might be left looking like chumps if others flout them and suffer little or no punishment as a consequence.

Crisis - what crisis?

I debated whether or not to bother dignifying this article with a response, but... a hearty round of applause to the Torygraph for giving Little Saint Mick a platform from which to air his jaundiced, ill-informed views on our club and fans.

Where to start? How's about with the observation that we're "eighth in the league". That much is true - as I think is the suggestion that, with the existing squad, the club is "punching at their correct weight". Lower mid-table is where I'd expect us to be - the previous two seasons having been pretty freakish aberrations.

However, he also claims we're "far more likely to qualify for Europe than get involved in a relegation scrap" - again arguably true, but this overlooks the fundamental mistrust with which the Europa League is eyed by the club hierarchy. Our ambitions should of course be realistic and proportional, and European qualification is still achievable - so why not go for it? If the current squad isn't strong enough to compete in the additional fixtures that accompany qualification, then there's a simple solution: bolster the squad in the summer. But the appetite to do so simply doesn't seem to exist.

Owen also has a point in characterising our transfer policy as one of signing players cheaply and selling them on for a significant profit. Dreamboat would of course be a great example. I think most of us would agree, perhaps grudgingly, that if Jabba isn't prepared to put his hand into his pocket and fund the club in the manner of an Arab oligarch, then this is a sensible course of action. What he omits to mention, of course, is the crucial second stage of the model, the one that makes it sustainable: that departees need to be adequately replaced. Again, Dreamboat is a prime example of where we're failing.

Then there are the comments on JFK: "It appears that he was not a successful appointment as director of football". The understatement is laughable. Owen claims that this is a simple mistake now rectified, not something we should be up in arms about - but then when it comes to drawing huge wages from a club to which we contribute financially in return for fuck all, he should know. The aside that "there was a feeling the game had moved on too much for him to be given such a role" hints that he's aware of the flimsiness and ridiculousness of his own argument.

Much of the rest of the article is a lazy reheating of the usual tedious trash about fickle fans with unrealistic expectations and the goldfish bowl of life on Tyneside ("the scrutiny is unyielding"). He harps on and on about us being a "crisis club" once again - seemingly unaware that that's a term bandied about by the media rather than the supporters. A club in crisis sells newspapers. The media uses poor results on the pitch as an angle, when in reality the grumblings of discontent have been constant for some time now. Few of us would say we're in the midst of a "crisis" - we would, however, justifiably observe that our current league position obscures a multitude of problems, including a complete disconnect with an owner who appears to give no regard whatsoever to the people who have made and continue to make the club what it is today.

Quote of the day

"We can keep the passion, but lose the poison. Let's make this a derby to be proud of."

The conclusion of a joint statement from both sides of the Newcastle v Mackems divide, issued via the Football Supporters' Federation. Hear hear.

Bursting the bubble

My enemy's enemy is my friend. So goes the old adage - which explains the curious entente cordiale between Newcastle and 5under1and over the timing of, policing of and away fans' transportation to and from the forthcoming derby on 1st February.

The encounter was initially designated as a "bubble" match, meaning that all of the away supporters would have had to travel to St James' Park on official transport - a move allegedly determined by Northumbria Police. Fans of both clubs united to oppose this curb on individual freedom, with the Football Supporters' Federation throwing their considerable weight behind the challenge too. This led to a statement from the police force saying that they "cannot direct changes" to transport arrangements or kick-off times - which resulted in the Mackems bowing to supporter pressure and scrapping the bubble.

That wasn't the end of the story, though, with both clubs then following their fans' lead and joining together to condemn the police statement as "false and absurd". They went further, vowing to set derby kick-offs to suit themselves, the league and TV companies from now on and to expect the police just to turn up as required. Somewhere, there appear to have been some crossed wires...

Taking the Michael?

Proof positive of Mike Williamson's rehabilitation and transformation from outcast and liability to central defensive rock: he's now honoured and immortalised in song. There's also a campaign urging Woy Hodgson to take him to Brazil as part of England's World Cup squad - far-fetched perhaps, but John Terry and Rio Ferdinand are now out of the picture and stranger things have happened...

Fans Forum not for 'em

Jabba Strikes Back continues. Not content with banning the local press, the club have now barred NUST from participating in the newly revamped and much trumpeted Fans Forum. The inaugural meeting of the forum only took place in September but NUST's permanent place has already been revoked. Their alleged crime? Publishing minutes of the meeting 24 hours earlier than the club's own (delayed) minutes. The pettiness of the decision is mind-boggling. I think we've got an answer to our question of "whether the notoriously cloth-eared Jabba will be prepared to listen"...

As NUST have taken pains to point out, the ban was handed out in the same week that they held a conference on Football Governance and Fan Engagement at Newcastle University Business School, which received coverage on the BBC's Politics Show. Their statement on the ban rightly flagged up the fact that "the Government's Culture Media and Sports Select Committee have recommended that football clubs develop meaningful and structured relationships with supporters" - something that Jabba and Newcastle appear determined to avoid.

Enough's enough

Today's match will see fans protesting against Jabba's reign under the banner "Time4Change". Earlier in the week, the organisers explained the motivation behind and aims of the protest to the Ronny Gill, and it all made good sense to the pair of us here at Black & White & Read All Over, as it has to NUST and the proprietors of .com.

We're perhaps less vehemently opposed to Jabba than many supporters and recognise the positives of his period of ownership - namely getting our finances in order, removing debt (except to him) and maintaining accessibility (as evidenced by the BBC's latest Price Of Football survey results and our taking the lead in the move towards more affordable prices for away tickets).

However, those positives are outweighed by the negatives: the sackings of King Kev and Chris Hughton, the rebranding of the stadium, the sponsorship deal with Wonga, the appointment of JFK and (perhaps most significantly, as the protest's organisers point out) a lack of ambition and direction that has seen us fail to capitalise on an admittedly fortuitous fifth-placed finish. Promises of investment have been repeatedly made and repeatedly broken, with little evidence that we've learned from previous mistakes.

In last weekend's interview on Sky Sports, the Silver Fox saluted the business acumen that makes Jabba a "genius" (a questionable claim, given that Sports Direct's success is largely founded on ruthless and unethical practices such as zero hours contracts), but also said our owner "sometimes can't understand how [football] works and it confuses and upsets him, and when he is upset he does things that aren't brilliant for the football club". We can only speculate as to what Jabba made of being portrayed as some kind of baffled toddler by his employee, but when even the manager is prepared to make such a statement you know it is indeed time for change.

Cost-cutting exercise gets thumbs up

At last, some cost-cutting we can get behind. As was rumoured earlier in the week, it's now been confirmed that we can take pride at being at the forefront of the drive to reduce ticket prices for away fans. The Football Supporters' Federation have been pushing for a figure of £20, but we've actually gone further and agreed a reciprocal deal of just £15 with West Brom. We also have a £20 arrangement in place with Swansea, who've negotiated their own deal with Hull. So much for those who suggested that the FSF's recommended price was fanciful or naively idealistic.

The lustre of the good news story is dulled somewhat when you consider that Premier League clubs were handed £200,000 each to subsidise the cost of introducing reduced away tickets. If it took that - a piddling amount relative to the sums teams in the top flight splurge on transfer fees and salaries - to persuade the club to take action, then it's a bit embarrassing (though not as embarrassing as for all the other clubs who've yet to do anything at all). Nevertheless, the action that's been taken is positive, so in this instance the means by which change was brought about are irrelevant.

Away the lads

After last week's depressing arrests stat, some more positive fan-related news on the PR front: according to the Independent, we're set to offer a pioneering arrangement whereby we charge £20 a ticket to away supporters of any club that reciprocates the offer for our own.

If this does become reality, then fair play to the club for being forward-thinking - even if they, like the rest of the top-flight clubs and the Premier League itself, are only reacting to the pressure applied by the Football Supporters' Federation's Twenty's Plenty campaign, rather than being proactive. The FSF have already hailed the potential significance of our move, one which would do much to protect that increasingly endangered species, the away supporter, by helping to ensure affordability.

An arresting stat

Yesterday I concluded the monthly round-up for September by saying that as a Newcastle fan it would be nice to be able to feel pride rather than acute embarrassment. Today brought news of a stat that's hardly likely to help with that: according to Home Office figures, our supporters topped last year's Premier League arrests table, with 175 arrests over the course of the season, 30 more than our closest "rivals" Man Utd.

That said, more than 100 arrests came in the wake of the derby defeat, and Chief Supt Steve Neill of Northumbria Police suggested that many of those participating in the riots hadn't actually been at the match. So, not for the first time, a bunch of mindless yobs calling themselves supporters give the rest of us a bad name- despite what Neill said at the time.

The data is broken down by location and type of offence here.

A price worth paying?

The BBC's annual Price of Football report has been published and, as usual, makes for interesting reading.

As was the case last year, our club continues to offer the cheapest day out in the Premier League - a day out being defined as the combined cost of the cheapest matchday ticket plus a programme, a pie and a cup of tea. The cost has increased by 20p to £23.20, but the next lowest, for Cardiff, is £28.10, nearly a full fiver more. What's more, it's less than the cheapest day out at no fewer than 18 Championship clubs, 20 League One clubs and 17 League Two clubs.

Liverpool come out at the top (or bottom, depending on how you want to look at it) of the Premier League table with £46.60, though West Ham run them close. As the Hammers' hefty £45.70 indicates, there's little correlation between the status and success of the club and what it charges. A day out at megarich title challengers Man City could set you back as little as £28.10, while the Etihad is also home to the cheapest season ticket, at £299.

Intriguingly, the cost of our equivalent is given as £530, whereas last year it was just £322. There's no specific comment in the article about the reason for the significant discrepancy, but presumably the oddity can be explained. Perhaps we just scrapped our cheapest season tickets? Answers on a postcard. Either way, it means we compare much less favourably to our rivals than we did before - though it's still some way short of Arsenal's eye-watering £985. Talk about a grand day out...

How to make friends and influence people

Over the summer, some fans voiced suspicions that Papiss Cisse's dispute with the club over wearing the Wonga-branded shirt was all just a ruse for the striker to force a move or secure an improved contract. Perhaps he's right in thinking he has bridges to build with supporters, then - bridges he's tried to build by inviting some over to his house for barbeques and games of pool. It's a novel approach, to be sure, and a generous gesture - though the odd sparkling performance and goal would be equally effective...

Quote of the day

"Supporters are the lifeblood of any football club so introducing a new Forum which will enable Newcastle fans to share their views and ideas with the Club's decision makers is a very positive step. "Direct, structured communication is vital to building a strong, sustainable relationship with our supporters and we are looking forward to working closely with them for the benefit of Newcastle United."

Fine words from Lee Marshall, the club's PR and supporter liaison manager, but only time will tell whether this newly revamped forum will genuinely give fans a voice - and, of course, whether the notoriously cloth-eared Jabba will be prepared to listen.

A score and no more

Thanks to .com for alerting us to the Football Supporters' Federation's Twenty's Plenty campaign, which calls for a cap of £20 on tickets for away fans. It's a campaign we're more than pleased to support. After all, fans - and particularly those prepared to travel the length and breadth of the country in support of their team - are the lifeblood of football. Their loyalty should be acknowledged and respected rather than cynically exploited.

Violence made a dark day darker

It goes without saying, but we echo the club's statement condemning Sunday's appalling post-derby violence - though would point out that many if not most of those involved hadn't attended the game and so it's unjustified to tarnish all Toon supporters with the same brush, and that it's overstatement to link events to the incidents of crowd violence at Saturday's Millwall v Wigan FA Cup semi-final and conclude that we're witnessing a renaissance of 80s-style football hooliganism.

Nevertheless, it just served to make it an even more depressing afternoon. A comment from a North-East-based friend in the legal profession made me chuckle, though: "A bad day to be a Newcastle fan. Unless, of course, you happen to be Duty Solicitor"...