Truth & Rumors > Soccer
Galaxy owner may buy Newcastle United
Galaxy owner Philip F. Anschutz reportedly is a front-runner to buy Newcastle United, one of the English Premier League's most historic and best-supported soccer teams. According to media reports in England, Anschutz, along with fellow Major League Soccer owner and investor Clark Hunt of FC Dallas, are at the head of a pack of prospective buyers seeking to take control of the 116-year-old team. The purchase price is said to be in the neighborhood of $225 million, which is what current owner Michael Ashley paid for the team in July 2007. A spokesman for FC Dallas on Monday night shot down the reports linking the Hunt family to any English Premier League team.
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Alison Preston
Daniela Hantuchova



Comments (20) Add A Comment
Haven't Newcastle fans suffered enough? Of course, they seem to revel in their misery, so Anschutz might be perfect. And remember a ways back, when people talked about Arena as a great manager who could get a job in Europe. Maybe this is the path!
kopper
Total Comments (1546)
They have the money to be successful IF they bring in the right people to run the club.
Kulatan
Orlando , FL
Total Comments (31)
Someone has to buy Newcastle United but how are the fans going to react? They might not be so favorable to another American buying into the Premier League.
Good point Kopper. If Arena can't get a job in Europe now with his benefactor possibly buying the team then he never will. Maybe this is where Becks lands too after he admits he wants out of MLS.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN
Brooklyn, NY
Total Comments (18072)
By the way I am joking. I'm not good at implied sarcasm so I might as well admit I am joking.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN
Brooklyn, NY
Total Comments (18072)
I got it, Hova. I almost made that joke too, but I didn't want to break my self-imposed moratorium on commenting about Beckham (not counting this one).
kopper
Total Comments (1546)
Yeah I almost didn't want to do it either but I couldn't resist. Truth be told I could see that happening though.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN
Brooklyn, NY
Total Comments (18072)
And maybe this is LD's ticket as well, although he's training with Bayern for 10 days. I suspect it's very much a tryout. We'll see where that goes.
kopper
Total Comments (1546)
Fans want to win. Now that Liverpool is at the top of the table, no one is whining about their owners anymore, and I am guessing the same would be true in this case. I would love to see this as a backdoor for some player swapping between the EPL and MLS. Have some Newcastle Reserve or young players over here, since the seasons only minimally overlap.
The Special One
Minneapolis, MN
Total Comments (295)
that actually would be really cool to see. it would definitely be a boost to the MLS.
what Newcastle needs most however is a good front office who knows what they're doing and can find the right player and coaching personnel.
CUtigerssoccer
Marietta , GA
Total Comments (882)
Just a thought, but maybe Anschutz should concentrate his efforts fixing LA, and establishing his other MLS clubs as viable and profitable before he starts looking to taking over other clubs across the pond.
BGB
Total Comments (168)
Yeah that Bayern thing is just a training session. I know he and Klinsi are tight but after two failed tries in Germany, I am not sure why he would want to go down that road again.
Not hating on Landon but he might want to try another league.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN
Brooklyn, NY
Total Comments (18072)
I for one think Anschutz is a good owner. Yeah, yeah, the Galaxy have issues. You don't become successful, like Anschutz, by bailing at the first sign of problems. He is sticking with soccer in the States, even carried the MLS for many years. He has commitment. I look to my Dolphins for perspective: Huizinga is a great man and a very good owner. Maybe he, or his hirling, made mistakes in recent years . . . and maybe some has been bad luck. But he seems to have nailed it with Parcells, who is rebuilding that franchise the right way. Or again, look at Belichick. I can't stand him, but he has built a winner. I wonder if Cleveland is sorry they gave up on him.
Sometimes you need time. Americans want stuff fixed NOW. It doesn't always work that way.
At any rate, Anschutz seems to be a stand up guy.
BlueWhiteLion
Total Comments (449)
Depends on how you want to judge him as it relates to the Galaxy. As a Galaxy season ticket holder for the last several years, I can tell you that I'm not renewing next year based on the generally poor experience that AEG provides. Not just on the field but in all aspects of the operation.
On the financial end, AEG has done fine as they own one of only a few profitable MLS teams. It's become obvious that AEG has identified the Dynamo as their competitive franchise and the Galaxy as their moneymaking, travelling side show.
LucaBrasi
Total Comments (386)
Blanca, on one level, I sincerely believe you have a better angle on it. I don't live there, and only pick up info off the web. Dubious, indeed. But allow me to offer that the position you hold might be a bit more cynical? Is it possible that there are two different experiments going on, two different ways of building a team . . . (comparing Houston vs. LA). The two ways are not necessarily "trophy vs. money." I think perhaps "more midlevel players" vs. spending money on David Beckham, and growing a team. I would also think that over all they have the league in mind: what will grow it. DB certainly is. I for one like DB and have watched the Galaxy a lot, NOT just for him, but to see how they do. I have been disappointed in many things, but I have not soured. I see AEG as trying to figure out how to make this work. Leiweke's proposal to divorce DP from salary cap seems a good idea to me.
I mean, I am not really an apologist for David Beckham, but bringing him here broke a huge psychological barrier on several fronts. Now they are experiencing the problems that came with that risk, but that is life, that is business. Good leaders will work it out.
BlueWhiteLion
Total Comments (449)
Blue, you're probably right, it's somewhat difficult to be 100% objective under the circumstances. I would bring up two points:
#1 AEG has not only failed on the field, but the general experience has gotten extremely poor. This next comment may fall under your previous point, but even at the games it FEELS like all AEG wants is to get folks in the door once, as opposed to trying to build an experience that will encourage people to come back regularly and actually become loyal fans.
#2 I would almost be more concerned if this is in fact "an experiment". That's really pushing all your chips in to the center if that's the case, because if this fails as badly as it looks like it might from a quality perspective, MLS faces some tough realities.
LucaBrasi
Total Comments (386)
My sentiments exactly. I guess he is not content owning just one joke club(one of the nicest, least offensive ways I could think of to describe the Galaxy and Newcastle).
Mattjv
Tempe , AZ
Total Comments (144)
I don't see how they'll make money off Newcastle. EPL teams are not an investement. The only upside is that they get the stadium and lands around it which they can develop (I believe Sheppard wanted to do this before). MLSE (owners of the Maple Leafs, Raptors and Toronto FC) were kicking tires last year in English football and they reached the conclusion that there isn't any money to be made when you consider the cash you have to put up. With CBA's and such, North American teams are designed to be profitable if you win and manage it correctly. Over there, if you put even a nickel's profit in your own pocket, they'll burn you in effigy. You'd think more people would learn from Hicks and Gillett, it's a different world over there.
Red Devils99
Total Comments (953)
i really don't know the business side of soccer, but i will make this observation: having one "joke" club, does not exclude one from having success elsewhere. MLS and the BPL are totally different systems. AEG has business in all kinds of fields, and probably experiences ups and downs.
Blanca, your voice about the "experience" is probably one they need to hear, if they are not already.
However, as for me, I don't regard LA as a joke. That doesn't mean I don't see all their problems with GM, with Ruud, very green players, etc. But really, I am not ticked off at all. In fact I love it that they brought Beckham. It was bold and no one saw it coming . . . when it came, that is. They figured "maybe in 3 or 4 years." Anyway, I still think there is something to work with there. Getting higher quality players by an infusion of cash, and developing some already promising guys . . . they are bound to get it together. In some ways, look at their last couple games: yes, they lost to Chicago . . . but when you see how the Fire WERE at that point in the season, it is a respectable game that they played. Problem is, they had that looooong drought of winless in 12 games (or whatever.) My point is, they still have a lot of work, but their image is worse than their reality. Losing LD, if that happens, will hurt though. big time.
BlueWhiteLion
Total Comments (449)
Just when you thought the football gods were done kicking Newcastle fans...this T&R decides to kick them. WOW. I am actually typeless...don't know what to say.
Zizou10
Total Comments (3397)
NO... NO... NO... Newcastle has suffered enough, thank you. before the L.A. Galaxy thrusts its presence upon the EPL and Europe, they should prove they can manage their own club first.
NM_Magpie
Total Comments (14)
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