From Football365

>>MAGPIES GO FOR COSTS

Newcastle are set to return to court to thrash out an #80,000 costs claim from six fans after a bitter legal battle. United are to ask for a costs hearing following the successful outcome of their courtroom clash with season ticket holders who challenged a bid to move them from their seats at St James' Park to accommodate corporate clients. The campaigners were left facing a bill for #198,000, #80,000 in excess of the insurance cover they had arranged, after the Court of Appeal ruled against them last month.

That's approx 2 weeks wages for Shearer. Why don't the club just pay up as a goodwill gesture and get this damn business out of the way before the start of the season? Or is that too easy?

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

Answers

perhaps i'm naive but i can't help agreeing with Steph. given how much ill-feeling this has cost, and negative publicity it has generated, surely 80 grand is a small price to pay as a 'goodwill gesture'. alas i suspect listed companies can't simply give 80 grand away without upsetting their share holders.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

Stevo is spot on. Whatever we believe is the right thing to do, it would be difficult for a public company to just waive an #80,000 debt/entitlement. However, this is where management simply have to put their thinking caps on and come up with a fair and equitable solution.
Unfortunately, this requires both the will and the creativity to do something positive about it. So, it seems highly unlikely.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

I agree in principle with Steph on this one as well, but at the same time, when that dozy mare Jane watserface from SOS keeps putting the boot in....as she did again over the weekend in the papers, you can understand the club getting their backs up and claiming what after all is theirs by right - the SOS did lose the case and appeal after all.......

I'm convinced if that silly tart shuts up, then so will the club....if she keeps bad mouthing them....they are gonna dig their heels in!

This kind of behaviour and bad press does the club no good at all, but then they way she goes on doesn't help the issue either.

MESSAGE to you Jane watserface and that Kevin Miles idiot......you lost....live with it...if you don't want to set foot inside SJP again then by all means don't......but don't keep racking up old muck....draw a line and finish it.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

I have to disagree with his Clarkness on this one. As being unfounded, simplistic and childish. Although I do agree with everyone else

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

Agree with you ITK about Jane gobsh*te. She was on the local news again saying how she wasn't going to set foot in SJP again but intended to go to the OT game. Presumably her pals at the NOTW will supply the ticket.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

Just what is it you disagree with syme? I was simply trying to explain the realities for a public company in this situation.

I'm convinced they COULD scrub the payment, but would need to come up a defensible rationale for doing so - to do this would firstly require the will to do it, and then some highly creative thinking. QED.

I'm curious as to what there is there to disagree with so vehemently - do you believe that a plc COULD just arbitrarily wipe the liability?

I can assure you my friend that my assessment of the situation is not "unfounded, simplistic or childish".

Out of interest, I happen to agree that the SOS crowd are making it very difficult for the Club to soften its stance, even if were so inclined.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

Definitely time to call it quits. I reckon it shouldn't be too difficult to sort something out, if, as Clarky says, the club show even a modicum of willingness to compromise, because the vast majority of shareholders are also supporters and probably ST holders as well, so they'll be just as keen to be shot of this as the rest of us.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

Looks like Syme was a little typsy last night...either that or his bird binned him....

Isn't there some negative spin on this? I heard that the club were doing this so that the amount could be independently determined and they can then make a decision about what to do about it.....at the moment the SOS crew keep complaining that the amount is being fiddled by the club so if the club withdrew the demand for payment then the SOS crew could say that it was because NOTHING was owed.....if this independent group determined that there IS an amount to pay and THEN the club withdraw the demand for payment then they have proof that they've actually done something....

Or am I out there with the daisies?

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

Can't give out a signal that dissatisfaction with the club should be pursued through the Courts.
Can't give money away - the initial case was covered by the insurance and if those costs went up because the intransigent eejits took it to appeal then that's tough-titties.
Arbitration from a third party will clearly, fairly and transparently decide whether the costs are excessive.
If you play with matches you're going to get burned (or get very good and end up building scale models of the Houses of Parliament).

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

a plc can pay off something like that - just so long as it makes it public. the board is there to make those sort of decisions - its not dissimilar to an out of court settlement to an aggrieved former employee claming unfair dismissal or what have you. if i was a share holder, i'd want it sorted quickly. bad feeling is more likely to affect share price than a measly #80k.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

Gav
You're definitely not out there with the daisies, what you're saying makes good sense if it really is the reason. Smacks too much of somebody at the club with a bit of common though, and history doesn't bear that out.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

Definately a good idea Gav, too good for NUFC tho' I think.

On the other hand if the third party find the costs to be considerably lower then the club will strung up as robbers, take your pick, which path do you want dragged down?

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

I wouldn't take one of my loved ones to court no matter what they did. I have no respect for the SOS for dragging my club into the courts. They should pay up and piss off.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

The club needs some good PR and then some. This jane girl looks intent on ruining everything that she represents. this smacks of sour grapes and ill will. What would have happened if she had won, would she be so arrogant and uptight about it. I am surprised the club didn't put some sort of gag order on her to keep her yap shut. Wait for the book " My battle with the club I love" bollocks. Let 'em sweat it out for a while then see how high she jumps.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

Syme it'll be in the stinking rag NOTW (pteh) if they thought it would sell, people are bored with it.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000