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Newcastle United Supporters Trust today revealed plans to ask supporters to pledge their own money as they try to get a stake in the club.

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Here is the statement in full:

“We’ve all read the great Sir Bobby Robson’s views about what makes a football club. As an aside, what would we give to have Sir Bobby at the helm right now? I’ll never tire of his great description of what it’s all about. So where are we now as we approach the end of the season in the middle of a relegation battle that just shouldn’t be anything to do with us? We’ve watched a run of defeats against Sunderland, a record number of consecutive league defeats, pathetic performances on the field week after week.

“But more than that, off the pitch is there any light at the end of the tunnel? We have a hierarchy who run the club like a branch of Sports Direct, are happy as long as we finish in the top 17, believe mid table (we wish!) mediocrity is worth more than cup success and are happy to treat the club we love as a marketing and advertising tool for the owner’s main business interest.

“Is it any wonder that we’ve reached a tipping point and fans who have loyally supported the club for a lifetime are now refusing to go, cancelling season tickets and taking to the streets in support of boycotts and protests. Who would disagree with the banner at Leicester stating that we don’t expect a team that wins everything, but we demand a team that tries? It’s the whole philosophy and culture of the club that is wrong and that starts from the top.

“What are we going to do about it? Let’s move on from moaning and complaining and criticising each other when we express our own genuinely held views about how to let the club know how we feel. Let’s start to do something about it. We can’t expect a knight in shining armour to gallop to our rescue, there’s no guarantee that a kindly benefactor is out there waiting to step in and save our club. What we can do is get together, pool our resources and get out there to find the people who will work with us to make this club great again and bring us back some good times.

“Why can’t we be the biggest truly community club, owned by and run by the people who care the most, you the fans? Sir John Hall isn’t everyone’s favourite ex-owner but he brought to the club a vision and ambition to awaken the Geordie nation.

“He wanted to create the concept of Sporting Club Newcastle, embracing basketball, ice hockey and rugby, with football at St. James’ as the jewel in the crown.

“Now it didn’t all work but didn’t we have a great time during the Hall/Keegan years and beyond. We had a vision and ambition, Alan Shearer and Sir Bobby came home and we challenged the top of the premiership, we tried to win cups and we didn’t accept that anybody was better than us. Where has that spirit gone?

“The Supporters Trust wants to get as many fans as possible on board.

“We want to raise the funds to buy a share in the club.

“We want to work with the right kind of partners to make Newcastle United the best community club in the country;­ a club that will work with local football clubs and schools to develop local talent and keep that talent in the North East, a club that will work with supporters on fans issues like ticket prices, safe standing and subsidised away travel for example, a club that will work with our MPs, the city council and local businesses to play its part in regenerating our area rather than simply billboarding a national sports retailer, a club that says we can compete, we will compete, we don’t reward mediocrity, we strive for excellence and to be the best we can be in everything we do.

“We know that at the moment we don’t have a willing seller, we don’t have the money or the expertise in place to buy a share in the club even if Mr Ashley wanted to sell but we have a vision and we have ambition and we believe the fans of Newcastle United, whether you’re still going to games or not, have the power to bring about change.

“Do you want to be part of it?

“We know there will be pitfalls along the way. The naysayers will tell us it can’t be done. But if it works we’ll have a fan voice on the Board of Newcastle United, elected democratically by all of us working with new owners who have ambitions we can all buy into.

“The Trust is currently taking advice about how to create the right structure to give fans the chance to raise the money needed. It will be done through a separate holding company, protected by legal articles, safeguarded by a special bank account and advised and assisted by specialists who will help us to do it properly.

“There’s much to do and nobody thinks it’ll be easy. We’ll put more details out as soon as we can but right now we want to hear from everybody who wants to be part of this. Now is the time to buy into the idea, the concept, the vision that a club can truly be owned by people who care about the club and want the fans to play their part as true custodians of Newcastle United.

“Later we want you to back that up with your money, real investment in an exciting project that will make a real difference.

“Money talks and without raising money we’ll never be able to influence what happens at the club.

“We won’t ask you to do that without having the information you need to make an informed decision.

“But now is the time to start the discussion, have the arguments, tell your mates about it and have your say. Tell us what you think.

“It’s time to move on from the moaning and complaining about the current hierarchy and do something about it. So again........do you want to be part of it?”