Naming Rights

So the once Iconic and feared St. James Park is no more. Instead travelling teams will be getting excited of an away day at the SportsDirect Arena. Doesn't quite have the same fear factor somehow does it?

Newcastle claim they need the money to maintain a good start to the season and to rebuild in the summer. In short they have blaimed the fans for wanting new players for the selling off of their identity.

Now to be fair all the current players and coaching staff have to be applauded for the job they have done this season. Even if they lose their next two games against the Manchester clubs, they will still be in great shape. Lets be honest when they lost Joey Barton many worried for their Premier League survival. I myself felt losing Barton for nothing wasn't the sensible thing to do. Come January though Alan Pardew will need one or two additions that is also true.

My first problem with the selling of their name to raise funds for players is where has the money received for Andy Carroll, Jose Enrique and Kevin Nolan gone. Those deals accumulate over £40m yet seemingly as little as around £15m has been spent on new players. Where will the extra £8m-£10m this deal generates disappear to. There is around £20-£25m transfer kitty already if the promises when Carroll was sold are true.

My second argument comes in the shape of UEFA's financial fair play scheme which teams have to show working profits isn't likely to be enforced while a Frenchman sits in charge and French teams are spending crazily. Considering Manchester City estimate around £40m a year for 10 years for their naming deal with Ethiad it would look on current form a team placed 3rd in the Premier League had short changed itself.

My final moan is another of footballs iconic venues is no more. I know they haven't changed a brick but St. James Park should not be anything but that. You couldn't imagine Liverpool not playing at Anfield or Manchester United not playing at Old Trafford. Some teams need a new stadium I understand that but it can be a curse in the long run.

How formidable was The Dell Southampton's old ground yet they have endured relegations and sold off many promising youngsters and they still have not got to the heights they did. Highbury was a fortress of a place and then Arsenal move to the Emirates and have not won a trophy since. That's fine but why can't the new stadiums be "the New Dell" or "The New Highbury". What would have been wrong with calling it St. James Park SportsDirect Arena. Did that not occur to anyone. OK it looks a mouthful but it actually kind of fits. It fits better than what has been agreed put it that way.

Also in the pipeline we hear are Chelsea who are considering ending an association going back to 1905 with Stamford Bridge. That's right soon you will be taking them on at the Samsung Arena or The Adidas Stadium. Sounds tragic but it it the reality of recovery from the billionaire owners inflating salaries and the cost of running a club that now we are seeing more of these venues that all have their own identities losing out as teams struggle to stay afloat. That could spell bad news for Everton and Goodison Park. Surely we won't see the Chang Beer ...........