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Unbelievable

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Everything posted by Unbelievable

  1. Agreed, great post. One question though : "I think for the majority of our fans this will be last chance saloon for Mr Ashley." Or else what? We'll have demonstrations and boycott (sorry, boycoutt) the club shop? I don't think this statement changes anything really. Mike Ashley will still sell the club if a high enough bid comes in at any stage. All this means is that Ashley isn't paying Keith Harris a riduculous wage to make phone calls to Dubai every day anymore. Yes, there has been several flaws in the Ashley regime (and the complete lack of communication between the board and the fans is ridiculous - yes, 99% of what gets said should come from the manager, but it's nice to get a soundbite from the top every month or so to share their vision for the club or whatever ... seriously, bring back Chris Mort!), but I do believe Ashley is a shrewd enough businessman to realise that the only way he won't make a massive loss on this club would be to invest. And I know loads of people are bemoaning a perceived lack of investment, but we did break our transfer record for a defender by signing Coloccini. It will be in everyone's best interests to pull together. So, yes, love Ashley or hate him, but we're stuck with him and we need him. And he needs us. To answer your question, I do believe the majority of fans are willing to give Ashley another chance given our current predicament, not despite of it. If he doesn't take it, I think what will happen will be far worse for the club than demonstrations and boycoutts, namely apathy will set in big style, resulting in significantly lower crowds and the club losing even more ground (financially and otherwise) to the top clubs in the country and those willing to invest to get there. We as Newcastle United supporters have been spoilt in the last two decades, but whenever I speak to my Geordie friends I sense there is a growing feeling of frustration with the club. The reason there was such a massive outburst after the events at the end of the transfer window was twofold in my opinion. Firstly, it was clear to all and sundry the club had once again managed to shoot itself in the foot in spectacular style; another season was effectively over before it well and truly started, even though there had been promising signs of a reversal of fortune. Second, Ashley and his management team to which we had not exactly endeared ourselves yet had unwillingly soiled the reputation of one of our few club legends. It was an emotional reaction to a surprising turn of events. Things have changed since then. Time is a great healer as they say, but instead of massive upset has come progressive indifference. Events on the pitch in the past half season have done little to buck this trend. I think Ashley has made a mistake by distancing himself from the club as he has done. He could have come out and hold his hands up, attempt to correct the situation by making changes to his management team and saying he was willing to listen to offers if a worthy new custodian came in. As it was, he more or less left us to our own devices and I don't think it has limited the damage as it could have done if he had been more active in trying to resolve the issues that had led to the events leading to Keegan's departure. We will give Ashley another chance because there isn't really an alternative as most people are "locked in" by season tickets. Whether people will be willing to renew if there aren't significant changes made between now and renewal time remains to be seen, especially in the current economic climate. It is in everybody's best interest that Ashley has learned from his mistakes and corrects them, because if he plans on continuing as he has done people's interest in the club will dwindle, and along will the club itself.
  2. I wouldn't ask him any question before I'd ascertained myself he had finished his cup of truth serum..
  3. I am pleased nor disappointed about this "news", as the club's mouthpieces have had us warming to the idea for a while and I have to admit it's better to have Ashley speak out some form of commitment to the cause than to have the club left in its recent limbo any longer. However, I sympathise more with the 30% of posters who say they are unhappy about this latest development than with the 70% who are. Everything depends on your perspective I suppose. I am content (happy is putting it way too strong) with this newest twist given our dire situation and the fact it is seemingly impossible to flog the club in the current climate at a price deemed reasonable to Mr Ashley. I am however disappointed by the fact they haven’t been able to find a buyer capable of really moving us forward, and this announcement slams the door shut for that to happen in the foreseeable future. We are stuck with Ashley whether we want it or not, and we may as well give the man another chance to prove his worth and pull together in support of the club (and that includes the present owner), because it doesn’t seem like there will be a hero saviour who will magically right all the wrongs anytime soon. Having said that, over one and a half year in Ashley’s tenure I am still waiting to be convinced by him and it’s fair to say my initial “waiting to be convinced” has gradually transformed into an unhealthy scepticism. Ashley has made huge mistakes, ranging from getting the due diligence wrong and not having money available to invest as a result, lousy communication with the fans (“it’s a FACT”, silence), terrible appointments (a management team unable to work together for the best interest of the club), running at the first sign of trouble and a lack of expectancy management. He will not get a clean slate but he has bought some time with this, and I think for the majority of our fans this will be last chance saloon for Mr Ashley. He will have to prove in the next months he has learned his lesson and is willing to invest in order to move the club forward, not just sideways. For me, this entails attracting a level of manager capable of moving us back to the top half of the table consistently (not Joe Kinnear!) and backing that manager by bringing in the players he wants on a transfer and wage budget that has been agreed beforehand. Despite not addressing some key weak areas in our squad and falling out with each other, there have been some decent acquisitions in the summer, so it’s a matter of building on what’s there and making it work with the right manager in charge to oversee the on-the-field progress. Making a football club successful is a long term proposition. Ashley has not made the best of starts, but since we’re stuck with him he gets my support for one more chance to move this club in the right direction. Although I am still sceptical he will duly deliver and promise to continue to voice my criticism when I see fit (i.e. when the club’s management is deserving of it), I dread to think what will happen if he doesn’t.. It’s up to you Mr Ashley to turn this ship around.
  4. This might still end up in double digits if Pool want if enoigh you know..
  5. Depends how much they (Liverpool) want it. We're just bending over and taking it. 10 men getting raped, that's all this is about today. What's more worrying is 52000 showed up to watch it..
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