A poor opening run of only two wins in the opening thirteen league outings saw Newcastle in deep problems at the wrong end of the table, with the team suffering from the worst injury crisis in the club's history, forcing Roeder to recruit players from the youth academy, notably David Edgar and Matty Pattison. Fan protestations against the club's board came following a mid-November defeat against Sheffield United with the club staring relegation in the face.
The return of senior players saw the club fight back up the league, but a 5–1 FA Cup hammering at home to Championship side Birmingham City left fans and players stunned. A UEFA Cup campaign following success in the Intertoto Cup[3] had looked like the club's form of salvation, but the team crashed out to an agonising defeat on away goals at AZ Alkmaar. Following that the team ran out of steam, and manager Glenn Roeder resigned the week before the end of the season[4] with the team left in mid-table obscurity. Things, however, did seem to look up with new manager Sam Allardyce and wealthy new owners confirmed in the off season.
Billionaire businessman Mike Ashley began his quest to purchase Newcastle in the spring of 2007, successfully acquiring Sir John Hall's majority stake in the club.[5] Chairman Freddie Shepherd remained defiant that he was not going to sell the club, and, despite a takeover being inevitable, appointed Sam Allardyce as manager following his departure from Bolton Wanderers in April.[6] However, following Mike Ashley claiming a further majority stake hold, Shepherd was forced to sell his stake to Ashley and end his ten-year tenure as chairman.[7]
Ashley brought in lawyer Chris Mort as chairman, Tony Jimenez as vice-chairman and Derek Llambias as managing director.
4 November 2006: A section of Newcastle supporters stage a protest after 1–0 defeat to Sheffield United. Many call for the resignation of chairman Freddy Shepherd and other members of the board.[18]
14 November 2006: Paul Winsper resigns as fitness coach.[19]
16 December 2006: Newcastle United named overall winners of the Intertoto Cup.[20]
19 March 2007: Allegations of Emre using racially aggravated abusive and/or insulting words during the match with Everton are found not proven by the FA.[23]
2 April 2007: Newcastle United unveil plans for a new £300 million development that would increase the capacity of the stadium to at least 60,000.[24]
30 April 2007: Michael Owen appears in a match for Newcastle United following a 10-month absence through injury.[25]
23 May 2007: Businessman Mike Ashley becomes the largest shareholder in Newcastle United after buying Sir John Hall's 41.6% share for £55 million. He then launched a formal takeover bid.[30]
^Ameobi was born in Zaria, Nigeria, but also qualified to represent England internationally and has represented them on U-21 level. However, he later opted to represent the country of his birth and made his full international debut for Nigeria in November 2012.
^Boumsong was born in Douala, Cameroon, but also qualified to represent France internationally and made his full international debut for France in June 2003.