Simon Jordan (left) has responded to David Hopkinson's comments earlier this week.placeholder image
Simon Jordan (left) has responded to David Hopkinson's comments earlier this week. | talkSPORT, Newcastle United
Newcastle United plan to become a global powerhouse by 2030 despite PSR pressures thwarting their Saudi-backed investment.
Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has doubled down on his claims that David Hopkinson cannot achieve global dominance at Newcastle United by 2030.
In his latest talkSPORT tirade, the 58-year-old also compared Eddie Howe to Unai Emery, suggesting the Magpies - unlike Aston Villa - struggle to cope with the added European demands. An underwhelming campaign sees Newcastle sitting 10th after last night’s win with 13 games remaining.
A spirited performance in North London lifted the mood around Tyneside following a sombre 72 hours. Losing at home to Brentford ramped up pressure on Howe, with some fans calling for the manager’s head.
Admittedly, beating a poor side does not prove Hopkinson’s bold vision correct but Newcastle will hope a corner has been turned towards salvaging a stuttering campaign. The Toon CEO went on national radio last week to reiterate his bold vision for the Magpies.
What did David Hopkinson actually say
“The No.1 thing I talk to the ownership about is ambition,” Hopkinson told talkSPORT, having said the same two months ago to supporters at The STACK. “That’s the magic word here. We have total alignment on that.
“This is a club that, by 2030, will be consistently contending for the top prizes in global football. We have a lot of wood to chop between here and there. When I see Newcastle United, everywhere I look, I see opportunity.”
Simon Jordan shuts down Newcastle United plan
In true Jordan fashion, he rained on Newcastle’s parade by pointing towards financial measures. The ex-Palace chief also pointed at the Magpies failing to cope with Champions League football.
“The backstory to Newcastle is, again, they find themselves in a Champions League season,” he said. “When they're in the Champions League, they don't do quite what they have done previously in leagues before.
“When they qualified for the Champions League first time round, they had a rip-roaring season, everyone adopted them as one of their second clubs. The season when they're in the Champions League, their league form suffers. The same thing seems to apply here.
“What is the ceiling for Newcastle? What is the opportunity for Newcastle? What is the task for Eddie Howe? What's he being told to achieve? I know we had these wonderful soundbites the other day from their chief executive about what they're going to achieve by 2030.
“They're not going to achieve that because I don't see how they can. Unless there's going to be a strategic change in the revenue opportunity for this football club and the opportunity to build massive increases in the income that they get, how are they going to go toe-to-toe with those who are already there, those that are already in front of them, those that already have better players, those that already have bigger stadiums, those that already have bigger revenues? Wishing it doesn't make it so.”
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Eddie Howe and Unai Emery comparison
Jordan made the fair observation that Aston Villa have coped better with the added fixture congestion. He added: “There is a caveat to that argument, which is that Aston Villa. If Newcastle were sitting third in the Premier League, there wouldn't be a titter about Eddie Howe and the sustainability of his position.
“So there is an element of, what players have they bought? What has he got from these players? What has Unai Emery got from his players? Is the Aston Villa squad better than the Newcastle squad? If it is, why is it? Because that's a recruitment dynamic. If it isn't, then what is Emery bringing to the mix that Eddie currently isn't bringing?
“They're both playing in Europe, they've both got big expectations upon their squad and they've both got a situation where they cannot build their revenue to catch the tails of Arsenal, and Liverpool, and Man City, and Man United, and to some extent, Spurs. And Chelsea, of course.”
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