“May you live in interesting times” – ancient Chinese curse.

Trying to work out what is going on at NUFC is difficult at the best of times. In the days of Shepherd and the Halls, there was a steady flow of leaks which seemed to emanate from Gallowgate, some of which were even true from time to time (I got the impression Roeder and Souness in particular had more moles than a witch’s backside). Since the advent of Ashley and his cronies, hard news about the club is thin on the ground and you might get more insight from reading chicken entrails than reading the local and national media.

Clearly there’s been a change of direction at the club. Or maybe there’s just been a strong sense of direction for the first time in years. Chris Mort our matey London lawyer came and went - it now seems he was brought in as a troubleshooter to smooth the transition between Shepherd and Ashley. In his time we’ve seen some major changes: Allardyce out and Keegan back in; a new emphasis on the academy and recruitment of young starlets; a new structure to the club’s scouting set up and transfer dealings, more attention paid to the fans, a singing section, and so on. To my mind Mort has made a difference, and there’s more of a progressive feel about the club these days.

Of course some things never change, so as soon as we get rid of one of our resident nutters to West Ham, we get another one. Apparently these days Joey Barton is a changed man - well he’s bound to be after he’s gone 10 rounds in the shower with Mr Big and no soap. More seriously, it’s difficult to call how the club will deal with him, with rumours abounding of pay cuts and ultimatums. Certainly, based on the number of second chances he’s had and the booze problem evident from his court appearances, I hope the club thinks long and hard about that one.

Notwithstanding another conviction for assault on Ousmane Dabo – to which he’s now pleaded guilty - they might like to ask themselves whether sinking 10 pints and 5 bottles of lager rounded off with a McDonalds (and never mind kicking seven bells out of a complete stranger) is an appropriate regime for a so-called professional athlete (and if I recall correctly, one recuperating from injury). Tony Adams shows that getting a second chance sometimes works but then again Gary Charles shows that it sometimes doesn’t. Which way Barton goes is up to him but is his football good enough to justify the risk?

Which leads me to my last point about a change in direction: the current emphasis on value for money. It’s been heartening to see various poor value players shown the door in the close season, including my hobby horse Stephen Carr (with Babayaro surely the worst value fullback pairing in our history?). However we’ve yet to see what players come in the door – and there surely have to be some new first team signings – and fans are understandably nervous, having been used to profligate big money signings in the past and no evidence of anything similar so far. We’re told – again, not directly – that new signings will need to be young, with years of service ahead and a resale value.

It’s here that the new regime will show its true colours. What class of billionaire do we really have? Is it Roman Abromovich, money no object? Or is it Mr Cheap-as-Chips? My impression is that Ashley has something of a track record with buying exclusive brands like Lonsdale and squeezing money out of them with a ‘pile em high, sell ‘em cheap’ philosophy. Coupled with season tickets rises and rumours of cost cutting at the club, could Ashley be trying to recoup the money he’s put in to pay off the club’s debts whilst starving the club of much needed investment?

Time will tell, but I don’t think so. Ashley may lack direct football experience, but squeezing his bulky frame into a XXL toon top and sharing his time with the toon army must have taught him that you don’t get something for nothing at our club. I’m sure the football men around him, not least Kevin Keegan, will have given him a similar story. People know when they’re being taken for mugs, and if my family are anything to go by, it’s happened for too long now for them to put up with it for much longer. Certainly they were on the brink of cancelling their tickets with Allardyce particular brand of anti-football following hard on the heels of Souness and Roeder’s efforts. Keegan has given them fresh hope but we need to see progress (although I remember overhearing a toon fan saying once “I can cope with the despair, it’s the hope I can’t handle!”).

My guess is that there will be a new direction in player recruitment but one that is more about not buying another Luque or Kluivert rather than keeping the wallet shut. Moreover, our pursuit of Modric and Woodgate shows we will pay for quality, but not at any price. Unlike Amy Winehouse, perhaps we’re also learning to say no. I think we’ll see plenty of investment this close season; not in established superstars (we probably couldn’t get them anyway) but in a mix of good value squad players and up and coming talent. Younger fans brought up on a diet of expensive signings and big wage budgets may be disappointed, but Rome wasn’t built in a day and having bumped along the bottom since Sir Bobby, we’ll have to build the club up again. Whether that’s fast enough progress for some folk, we’ll have to see.

Plainly we live in interesting times. More interesting by the day.