'Get on with it': Simon Jordan issues blunt statement to Newcastle United owners as fans await stadium news
Last night, before kick-off in the Champions League, Prime Video caught up with Newcastle United CEO David Hopkinson and asked if there was anything he could tell fans about the future of St James' Park.
Hopkinson remained very coy on the subject and insisted that no decision on whether to revamp St James' Park or build a new stadium had been made, and when pushed for a timeframe, he skirted the question.
Newcastle fans have been waiting years for an update after having been teased several times about imminent news, and yet we remain as far away from answers as ever.
The Saudi Arabian PIF, who own the majority stake in the club have been terrified of breaching any financial rules since it took over the club in 2021 due to the intense scrutiny the takeover brought on it and the club, and it has held back so many big developments.
Simon Jordan urges Newcastle to get on with building a new stadium
Simon Jordan acknowledged that in his rant on talkSPORT today, but went on to say that it's time they stopped playing fair and just did what they wanted to do.
"(They) have played by the rules in terms of not pushing the envelope or created any issues about their ownership model and how they should be able to do precisely what they wanted.
"In the same way that they did when they tried to influence (the) government to influence the purchase in the first place, which we all know happened with Boris Johnson.
"So the one thing they can do to enhance Newcastle United Football Club and give them the opportunity to be at the top table, which doesn’t take anything away from PSR, is build a new stadium.
"Get on with it, build a new stadium."
It's time to throw caution to the wind and spend some money
Ignoring his dig about the PIF lobbying parliament, Jordan has a very good point. We've played by the rules since the takeover, and it has been wholly to our detriment, while the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City break the rules on a daily basis and get away with it.
We don't even need to break the rules to do what we want to do in this case, but we're so petrified that they will make up a new rule to catch us out that we're tiptoeing around every decision.
At a certain point, we're just going to have to throw caution to the wind and do what needs to be done and deal with the consequences afterwards. Surely by now we have enough ammo to throw back in a counter-suit with all the things other clubs have been able to get away with.
