Simon Jordan outlines massive problem facing Newcastle United after David Hopkinson outlines 2030 ambitions
Simon Jordan was absent from the studio on Wednesday when Newcastle United CEO David Hopkinson spoke to talkSPORT.
The Toon chief gave a really good 20-minute interview with Jim White from St James' Park on Wednesday, where he outlined how the goal is for Newcastle United to win the Premier League by 2030.
It was a bold claim, and while it was good to hear that we have that ambition, there weren't likely to be many people listening who thought that it was a realistic goal.
This season has shown just how far off Newcastle are from being able to compete on four fronts every season. Our squad is disintegrating week on week as the pressure of all the extra fixtures takes its toll, and it's simply not strong enough to compete.
Simon Jordan admired David Hopkinson's ambition but feels it's unrealistic
Naturally, Simon Jordan has had his insights after the fact, after returning to the studio, and while he admires David Hopkinson's ambition, the former Crystal Palace owner has provided some home truths about the reality of the situation.
“It's an ambitious vision that's unlikely to be reached. I don't think you should have anything wrong with setting out your best stall, your best in class mentality, operating at the highest level, making sure your commercial department is on it, across it and at it, making sure your recruitment department buys the best players.
“But then you've got to ask the question, when Man City want to go and buy a player in our window and buy the best player, the best winger, the best centre-back, how are you going to get them there? Because A, you can't compete with them on wages. B, you can't compete with them on transfer fees. And C, you can't compete with them on legacy because they've won things. So how do you bridge that gap? I'm not wanting to be negative.
“The only way is to whack up your turnover or change the rules. And if you don't build new stadiums and if you don't show the commitment, because the one thing the Saudis can do is back up all the purported ambition by building a new stadium.”
Simon Jordan was wide of the mark with this stadium talk
Jordan would then go on to talk about the new stadium plans, but this is where we didn't necessarily agree with what he was saying.
“If you built a new stadium that was 75,000 (capacity), you'd be able to generate a whole new raft of opportunities. All of a sudden, that would be a £100million injection (per year) into the football club. Then you're starting to catapult yourself into the region of being able to touch these other guys that are there.
“This is not London where you can't get planning permission for anything. In Newcastle and parts of the world like that, they can't help you fast enough. They're looking for areas that they can increase new revenue. Look no further than the stadium.”
Ignoring the fact that David Hopkinson said that they were looking at a 68,000 capacity stadium, not a 75,000, Newcastle City Council and various other organisations tied to the city aren't exactly bending over backwards to accommodate a new stadium, which is partly why there has been no movement.
