Amanda Staveley releases official statement in response to what NUFC fans said of Australia trip


 
 
 
 
 
 

Amanda Staveley has released an official statement.

This is in response to what has been said about the trip to Australia by Eddie Howe and his squad.

A lot of comments, mainly from Newcastle United fans, in reaction to the trip down under and how it played out.

Newcastle United winning 4-2 at Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday 19 May, then less than 72 hours playing and beating Tottenham in a penalty shootout against Tottenham, in front of almost 80,000 paying spectators in Melbourne.

Then less than 48 hours later, also in Melburne, a Newcastle United eleven losing 8-0 to an A-League All Stars team at the Marvel Stadium. None of the 15 players used ever having started a Premier League match and the 10 outfield players who started the game, having an average of 19.

Amanda Staveley giving this official response via her Instagram page to those commenting on the Australia trip:

‘I’ve seen a lot comments about the NUFC Australia trip which I’d like to address.

Besides being a shareholder, I am first and foremost a fan.

As a fan, I understand that this trip was controversial.

However, personal opinions aside, revenue generating trips are crucial to a Clubs commercial success.

The decision to go was taken by management, and ultimately I have to support their decisions.

Nobody wants a fresh team ready for the new season more than me, and we are doing everything we can to support our manager in achieving this.

Mehrdad and I had a a very productive working trip to Monaco with a potential sponsor, and we are looking ahead to the new season.

We are United.’

I don’t know whether Amanda Staveley has ignored this on purpose, but there is more than just the one question to address, of whether Newcastle United should or shouldn’t have gone to Australia.

On the question of whether or not the trip should have gone ahead at all, straight after the end of the season, I think pretty much all Newcastle United fans accepted the pros and cons of both sides of the argument.

On balance, I think most NUFC fans accepting that the making of money and growing the brand argument, was ok, even though it meant Eddie Howe and the very reduced available members of his first team squad had the inconvenience of doing the trip.

The fact that almost 80,000 were inside the MCG and United won against Spurs, making it credible.

However, to then have another game less than 48 hours later, didn’t make any sense in advance.

Then when it played out with a bunch of kids getting hammered 8-0 and Newcastle United humiliated, in front of a very small crowd, easy to see a whole list of cons on having gone ahead with that match and not a single positive from what I can see.

Whatever small additional fee Newcastle United received for playing this second friendly, was surely overwhelmed by the embarrassing negatives that came out of the hammering and the reaction, especially in Australia, to the farce.

That is the question Amanda Staveley has chosen not to answer.

Exactly why did Newcastle United not do the same as Tottenham and play just the one match?