No warm Tyneside welcome for new Toon boss Kinnear

Sep 28 2008 by Rob Pattinson, Sunday Sun

US fan becomes talk of the Toon

HE might be American born and raised, but he’s still got black and white in his blood.

Meet dedicated Toon fan Peter Williams, the man who has harnessed the support of 20,000 Geordies, from across the Atlantic.

His website savenewcastle.com has become the focal point of fans’ bid to buy Newcastle United for themselves, just two weeks after he built it.

When trouble began brewing at St James’s, the 25-year-old set the site up as a forum for fans.

Now an astonished Peter is watching his first ever online effort notch up hits into the 10,000s.

“I really wasn’t expecting this at all,” he said. “It’s just been incredible.

“The feedback I’ve had shows there are fans all over the world. I really wasn’t expecting it to go as big as this. I set up the website because I believe fan ownership is the best solution for the long term. Then I was approached and asked if the site could be used for anyone interested to register their support, so of course I said yes.

“The whole thing has been gathering so much momentum. We’ve got some major names, like media lawyer Mel Goldberg, so we’re really hoping our bid can go somewhere.”

Peter, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, was approached by Peter Lee, the Midlands-based driving force behind plans for fans to own the club.

The website took just 20 hours to set up. But when Peter isn’t busy with his job as an oil terminal construction project manager, he’s working tirelessly to keep the site updated.

“Alan Shearer is a large part of why I support the club,” Peter said.