Football’s crazy ins and outs are talk of the Tyne and Tees

Oct 22 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

Middlesbrough are looking for a new manager while Newcastle United appear to have found theirs more by default than design. Chief Sports Writer Luke Edwards reports.

We still do not know for certain whether Mike Ashley really intends to stay, but the appointment of Hughton on a permanent basis is a rather less than subtle hint that he does.

Either that, or it is one last brazen attempt to pressurise Barry Moat into stumping up the £80m lump sum he wants to sever his ties.

Sources close to the sale process insist Moat remains in the running, nothing has changed and the club remains on the market, but they sound like distorted reassurances.

We have had too many of these over the summer months, too many broken deadlines and false dawns to believe anything will come from yet another week of negotiations with banks and accountants.

Moat maintains he has submitted an offer, Ashley steadfastly refuses to accept it. A divisive deadlock ensues. That, to coin one of Hughton’s favourite phrases, means we are where we are and he will be given greater authority as manager in the resulting stalemate.

Tellingly, supporters will also be split and it is no coincidence there have been reports of United fans fighting among themselves as tempers frayed during the 2-1 defeat at Scunthorpe on Tuesday night.

It is difficult to know which direction to turn, or what stance to take. Newcastle fans are loyal to the club’s crest and, to a lesser extent, those who play for it.

Above all else, they want Newcastle United to achieve promotion this season and, in that goal, they share common ground with an owner who knows his financial position worsens the longer the club stays in the Championship. Both need results to be good on the pitch.