GUEST BLOG - Be careful what you wish for?

by Andrew Norton

Andrew is a Man City and Chesterfield FC fan who’s been living in Newcastle for the last 20 years, and he’s raising his two sons to support their local team, Newcastle United. If that’s not quite enough to earn him legendary status among Toon fans, he’s also agreed to write a guest blog for us, and here it is!

Be careful what you wish for?

Actually, don’t. As football fans, it’s all about wishing and hoping. There are ups and downs, all experienced and felt relative to the size of your club. However, I do subscribe to the saying “It’s the hope that kills you” but we’ll save that till after the wishing is done.

I am a fan of everyone’s (maybe now second-) favourite Premier League petro-dollar franchise, Manchester City, for around 30 years of my 38 so far on the planet. I will share with you the rollercoaster of supporting them for that time, slightly less than half of which has been under the auspicious ownership of Sheikh Mansour and his billions of investments.

My first season as a Sky Blue was 1990-91, and City finished in the nosebleed-inducing heights of 5th place in Division 1. Not the entry to Europe that it is now, but in a Liverpool-, Everton-, and soon to be Manchester-United-dominated period, I thought I could relax and bask in the glorified future City were going to have, especially in the next few years.

Anyone who knows about City for the remainder of the 90s will giggle at my childish prediction. Failing so miserably while your more auspicious neighbours dominate domestically (and eventually in Europe) does hurt, and you do get used to the failures, and start to wear them as a badge of honour. At least Newcastle haven’t had to worry about playing second fiddle to Sunderland since a couple of years in the mid-1930s.

Two relegations in three seasons and then the last gasp Paul Dickov Wembley equaliser in the third-tier (you know, where Sunderland now reside) playoff final in 1999 was the turning point to... well... not a meteoric rise, but a few years later – two promotions, a relegation and another promotion – saw us get to a comfortable stage of mid-Premier League monotony with the occasional relegation battle, and the even rarer push for Europe.

Enter our first billionaire.

Even City couldn’t get that right first time. Where do you even start with Thaksin “Frank” Shinawatra? Don’t worry... long story short; he is a Thai telecoms tycoon who formed a political party, won a landslide election in 2001, was re-elected in 2006, then overthrown by military coup in 2007. He then happened on a middling Premier League club and tried to turn their fortunes around, before his own were effectively frozen as all sorts of his past deeds came out in the public eye. He did bring us Sven, and some cult heroes like Elano, and club legend Vincent Kompany arrived under his ownership.

Then from the ridiculous to the sublime. Absolute craziness ensued as we became the (then) richest club in the world once the Abu Dhabi brigade arrived and gazumped Chelsea to sign now-disgraced Brazilian forward Robinho. Obviously he was not a good signing overall, but what a statement! Overnight, City became a new pariah of money ruining football, and agents of moderately talented footballers began sharpening their knives, and clubs added zeroes to players’ values, just for when City came calling. You know the rest. A decade of dominance domestically beginning with “Aguerrrrrrooooooo”, and the elusive Champions League so close last season.

So, now Newcastle United have money, what can you expect?

I’ve mentioned the bile and hatred. While our owners are far from squeaky clean, and mention of their less palatable dealings are mentioned in the press from time to time, the public at large doesn’t have nearly as much of an axe to grind with Abu Dhabi as with Saudi Arabia. Social media, while around in 2008, was not the cauldron of opinion it is now, so this may have played a part. Saudi Arabia as a nation is much more of a world presence in many areas compared to the UAE.

Journalists can write their columns, fans of other clubs can squawk out of jealousy. (And it will be jealousy – the clubs you should overtake in league position will be wishing it were their club who had the money, and the clubs you wish to rival will be worried about theirs.)

… but now that the dust is beginning to settle, what should you hope for?

Obviously, January will be a big window for Newcastle United. It’s increasingly hard to sign good quality, then. In City’s first January they signed Shay Given (sorry), Wayne Bridge, Nigel de Jong and Craig Bellamy - four great signings that had points to prove, and were a great bedrock for coming seasons. If Newcastle can add quality that helps them avoid relegation, that would be a great start.

Once word gets out that you are spending, then you may have a couple of years with some mercenaries, while you find your feet with bigger money signings. In the years that followed, City seemed to have a repeating price tag of £25 million; David Silva, Yaya Touré, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez, Joelon Lescott and Edin Dzeko all signed in the subsequent two years for around this fee. Some of this list did not add up to that fee; some were worth far more over the years.

Newcastle will be on the lips of agents worldwide, and they are in the minority when it comes to liking the fact that more clubs have serious money in football; more potential landing spots for their clients to earn big.

Anyone will be available, but at an elevated price, of course. If you want the pick of the players in the teams around you, their boards will slap huge fees on them. If you want the squad players of the top clubs looking for more first team action, and a wage increase, those clubs will make it hard for you.

Going big on a statement signing is not hugely advisable, unless it is followed by a quick rise and other big signings to follow. I sincerely hope the right balance can be struck for the Toon to affect change required, and also keep fans happy. I’ve heard talk – probably jokingly – of winning the Premier League in five seasons, which given Leicester doing it in 2016, means anyone with money and good management does have a chance. What I would remember is that this money, if spent well over the years, means you would join the top table - which has gone from Manchester United and Arsenal in the 90s, to add Liverpool turn of the century, then Chelsea with Abramovich, Spurs with their capital city status and then City’s Middle Eastern money – and not form your own table. The aforementioned clubs will be concerned for their future statuses and each will be strategising how to deal with a new threat.

One thing is for sure, things are going to get very interesting, and it’s great to have fans buzzing about the nearer and further prospects for Newcastle United.

- Andrew Norton