Simon Jordan blasts Newcastle 'fairy tale' and expects PIF to sell up sooner rather than later

It doesn't matter how many times we're told that the PIF is fully committed to Newcastle United; there's always going to be that element of doubt.

There's a feeling amongst the fanbase that the financial restrictions in place that block Newcastle from challenging the 'Big Six' have disillusioned our majority owners to the point where they are contemplating throwing in the towel.

That would only make sense if the restrictions, such as FFP/PSR/SCR, weren't already in place when the PIF took over. Unless they were under the impression they could somehow get around the rules - which is possible but only if you're already one of the established elite, it seems.

Recently, Richard Keys was spinning a yarn that an offer was incoming, and PIF were selling. Since then we've had multiple messages from the club insisting that PIF are going nowhere, although there is now an idea that they are open to selling up to 25% of their stake to help fund the stadium and training ground projects - that's not the same as selling up by any means.

Simon Jordan has been ranting again

Now, talkSPORT gob on a stick, Simon Jordan has gone on a rant trying to hold Tottenham Hotspur up as a cautionary tale while claiming that Newcastle could be sold in the near future as PIF pulls out of sports.

"Do Spurs have the position in terms of financial landscape that Newcastle wish to inhabit? Because it wasn't so long ago that Spurs were one of the big four big five clubs that were determining the course of the destiny around the Premier League.

"They have a £500million, £600million turnover. So, they have all the ingredients to be a big football club. They just haven't been able to achieve it for a multitude of reasons."Do I think he [Tonali] goes to Tottenham? No, I don't. I think he'll go to a club that's more imminently successful than Spurs. And that's not decrying or devaluing Spurs.

"The challenge for Newcastle is is how do they get to where people's perception of them [is] in terms of the mind's eye of the ownership. For want of a better expression, I think the Saudis have shot their bolt. I don't think they're going to spend lots and lots of money on sports per se now.

"And I think if they were going to do it, I think you might find the Saudis are going to sell this football club. I wouldn't be surprised to see that happening in the immediate or near future, or relatively near future.

"So you look at it and say, what do Newcastle become? We've had this, I think, frankly ridiculous set of observations from their chief executive.

"First of all, he didn't want to commit himself to Eddie Howe, which opened up a whole raft of controversies. Then he rode back from that. And then he talks about the 2030 project. Well, we know what the 2030 project is. It's about Saudi building itself into a whole raft of other things in his own country. But they index everything they do to the 2030 project.

"Now he's talking about Newcastle winning the league by 2030. Not even if you are the lion, the witch and the wardrobe could you believe that fairy tale? Because there's no possible way you're going to be able to achieve it irrespective of what Leicester did 10 years ago."

Is Simon Jordan talking from his derriere?

Nobody outside of the PIF and Newcastle United can really know for sure just how committed our owners are, but the messaging has been consistent that they are sticking by their investment in this instance, all the while they are diversifying and, yes, taking a step back from sport.

Jordan's claims aren't entirely baseless, and we will never understand what David Hopkinson was thinking when he laid down that 2030 gauntlet publicly. That should have stayed within the club walls as an internal target. Now it's out in the wild; he just looks crazy.

Do we expect the PIF to be our owners for the rest of time? Absolutely not. But we do expect them to at least see us through the next few years and deliver us the training ground and stadium they promised.

Unless this is the reason everything is delayed? No. I'm not going down this negative rabbit hole.