Source: Telegraph
Newcastle in plea to fans not to desert club
Derek Llambias, the St James' Park managing director, has written to season ticket holders calling for them to maintain their backing for the club which is already haemorrhaging supporters.
"We would urge every Newcastle United supporter to stick with us because they are vital to taking the club forward in the future and putting the disappointments of the last few months behind us," Llambias wrote. "Yes, mistakes have been made this season but the board remains fully committed to re-establishing Newcastle United as one of the leading teams in the Premier League.
"I know how much you enjoyed seeing the club challenging at the top end of the table and competing in Europe on a regular basis and we all want to see that again.
"It may take a little time to achieve, but your continued support will be crucial in helping us get there."
Llambias, who runs the club on behalf of owner Mike Ashley, has written to fans planning to cancel three-year discounted season ticket deals that began last summer.
"All we are asking for is that supporters pay back the money they saved on this season's ticket when they signed up for the three years and we will terminate the contract," Llambias added.
"We think this is the fairest way to do things if people do want to cancel their direct debits. We appreciate the economic climate has changed considerably for a lot of people and this is the compromise we have reached."
Michael Ord, a Newcastle United Supporters Club committee member, said: "The club's customer relations are very poor, and this is just another example.
"When fans committed to a three-season deal for a discount, things looked very much brighter than they do now.
"I think the reasons for not wanting to see through the three-year contract are two-fold.
"The product on the pitch is not good enough, and just like any business, if that is the case people will stop buying it.
"Secondly, fans have always lived on the hope of improvement at St James' Park. That hope is now extinguished for many.
"The only remedy to that is for investment to be made in the team."
Newcastle's fall from grace under the Ashley regime has meant that the average attendance figure is set to fall below the 50,000-mark for the first time since the Gallowgate stadium was re-developed at the turn of the millennium.
Former Newcastle manager Jim Smith, who was unable to steer the Tyneside club away from relegation from top-flight football two decades ago, is convinced a similar fate will be avoided this season thanks to the likes of Michael Owen.
"I think all the upset and changing of management has had a massive effect but it's nothing compared to when I was in charge," Smith said.
"One of the biggest problems at Newcastle is there's so much expectation that when things go wrong the crowd can sometimes go against you.
"Beating relegation is all about confidence, getting a couple of wins on the trot and everybody believing in themselves. Hopefully, they will survive."
"The biggest thing that costs teams at either end of a division is an inability to score goals, and that was our big problem. But they've got some quality forwards at Newcastle now."
