Newcastle Falcons - Premiership 2024 - 2025 - The Diamond Era

Geordie wrote:Just arrived this summerr...

Yeah hes another unknown. An uncompromising loosehead...but has had his injury issues. Which one are we getting? Hopefully the first one.

king_carlos wrote:

As said in the Prem thread, I really fancy Sale for this season. Compared to others in the Prem their squad looks settled, has plenty of quality and they've recruited smartly.

I reckon Nayacalevu could be an inspired signing. He's not young now but he's still such a dangerous runner and off loader at 13. With a couple of playmakers elsewhere in the backline and very good finisher on the wings, I just fancy that Nayacalevu could mesh really well with the rest of the back line. Especially if their forwards can get Warr and Quirke front foot ball. Which they often do. Their second and back row are stacked with good carriers who also have sky high numbers for hitting rucks.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

Geordie wrote:Just arrived this summerr...

Yeah hes another unknown. An uncompromising loosehead...but has had his injury issues. Which one are we getting? Hopefully the first one.

He can play both sides. Keep him fit and he's a major asset.

king_carlos wrote:Luan looked good for Tigers at LH, then in his very brief chance at TH he looked diabolical. Just absolutely destroying his opposite number. I felt Edinburgh got a very good prop there. Then he just struggled to stay on the pitch. Given Falcons financial restrictions, I think it's a smart signing. He wont be demanding the wages he might've first going to Edinburgh but he's an experienced prop who covers both sides. I doubt Falcons would get a prop with that ceiling if he didn't have the injury issues. Hence Davison and Brantingham both departing. It's a tough gig for Diamond.

Welshmushroom wrote:Wasnt sure but isnt this Sale's only pre season friendly?  In which case they probably had to get the first team out to make sure they are match fit for the opening round.

Welshmushroom wrote:I wasnt specifically talking about him though.  My point is if you look across the board at backs at 34's the injury records increase by a massive amount.  The stats dont make for great reading.  And often its the most played backs in the prior 10 years that have the worst records for this.  

Now he may end up being one of the outliers but the odds are against him.  As i said if Sale can get 15 games out of him then great.  All I'm saying that's a big if.  

Keep in mind as well Clubs must have these stats too which is why clubs dont fall over themselves to buy 34+ year old centres as a rule of thumb.  

Geordie wrote:Well this gives me hope we'll actually win a game this season.  

Geordie wrote:We've signed Ethan Grayson on a short term loan until the end of 2024...

Geordie wrote:Hes got a contract in the US legaue mate...hes heading back there in January

formerly known as Sam wrote:

Geordie wrote:Hes got a contract in the US legaue mate...hes heading back there in January

Might well have a get out clause for a Prem club.

Feel for Wilkinson, think he'll be good for Newcastle when he gets back.

Cumbrian wrote:Club is up for sale then.  Too much to hope for a crazy billionaire to help us plunder the top 14?  I'm sure Jack Willis, Junior Kpoku and Henry Arundell can be convinced to head north...

Local businessman Semore Kurdi, who purchased a 40 per cent stake in Newcastle in 2011 before becoming the majority shareholder a year later, has begun a process to offload the North East club after several approaches in the summer.

Telegraph Sport understands that Kurdi, who took over the club from previous owner and current director David Thompson, enlisted advisory firm A&W Capital to assist and advise on the sale ahead of the Premiership season, and recently issued an investment memorandum – a document which provides a comprehensive overview of a company – to potential suitors. A&W Capital’s founder and chief executive, Matthew Wheeler, is understood to have advised private equity firm CVC Capital Partners in its acquisitions of stakes in the Premiership and the Six Nations.

For the past financial year, Newcastle Rugby Ltd – which includes figures for both the Gallagher Premiership team Newcastle Falcons and Newcastle Thunder rugby league club, of which Kurdi has since relinquished control – filed accounts which showed turnover dipping from £12.2 million to £11.2 million, with an operating profit falling from £2.5 million to £2.4 million.

Newcastle also had net liabilities of £20.6 million, but more than £20.3 million of that was due to Kurdi who, in 2022, “confirmed his willingness not to call on this debt, to meet the day-to-day working requirements of the group and to continue to invest in the long-term future of the group”, according to the club’s financial statement.

Ahead of this season, Kurdi – alongside Thompson and his son, Matt, who is chair of rugby at Newcastle – slashed the playing budget to less than £4 million, more than £2 million shy of the Premiership’s £6.4 million salary cap – in an attempt to make the club more financially sustainable. The knock-on effect saw a string of talented youngsters – Guy Pepper, Louie Johnson and Phil Brantingham – leave Newcastle. Telegraph Sport has revealed in the past month, too, that Jamie Blamire and Pedro Rubiolo will both depart Kingston Park at the end of this season, joining Leicester and Bristol respectively.
It is understood that Newcastle, alongside the other nine Premiership clubs, passed the league’s latest Financial Monitoring Panel checks, with the next assessments due in March.

A source said: “Semore wants to be responsible in finding the next owner. It could take 18 months.” Another source suggested that Kurdi values the club at around £18 million but Newcastle would not verify this figure when approached for comment.

Newcastle went without a sole league victory in the 2023-24 season and are bottom of the Premiership. The arrival of Steve Diamond as consultant director of rugby did, at least, break the 25-match losing streak, when the club beat Exeter at Kingston Park in October.

Newcastle will not be the first Premiership club to explore sale options this season. Last week, Exeter chairman Tony Rowe confirmed that the search for new investors into the Chiefs had begun with a view to safeguarding the long-term future of the club.

“We do have to look at things,” Rowe told The Cornish Times. “I’ve already told the members the club can’t continue as a members club. The challenge has been, what with Covid and the lockdown, having to play behind closed doors, we were losing nearly a million pounds a month.

“I’ve bought the hotel off the club, which has enabled the club to keep afloat, but the reality is that beyond this, if we were to have another financial crisis, where’s the club going?

“We’re chatting to people and looking for investment and the end result will be, as I said, the club will eventually not be a members club. Turnover now is in excess of £20 million and that’s too big to be a members club.”

Geordie wrote:I see they won.

Don't care anymore...20years gone don't care anymore..not England either

Back to Karate