Happy Face

I'm like Bobby Robson at the match like. "Pass it man Jonas" "That's Carrol mate" "Get in there Ameobi sonnaaaa!!!" "That was Harewood mate"

Personally, I think this kind of comment is way off the mark. Newcastle were in a god almighty mess. We needed relegation to sort the club out. I don't think we have changed as much as I would like but as previously mentioned we have an upwards momentum at the moment. Our aim for next season should simply be 17th. Stay in the league. From then our target should be an increased number of points year on year. A gradual, slow building process that keeps us financially stable, based on a good transfer model-something along the lines that Sir Bobby employed. Good young players in, and let them develop with a few senior heads around them. That is a sustainable approach- We are not ready for European football and won't be for some time. Perfectly put, in my opinion, and not even a mention of the name, ASHLEY. For those people on nhere, they shoul;d really underatand this post. It perfectly summarises the club at the present stage therefore implying Ashley IS steering the club in the right direction. Well done It's some of the worst claptrap I've read. We needed relegation? So it was all a plan to go through 4 managers in a season.? Income had to be halved. You think without the capitulation to villa on the last day we might not have been able to sell those 9 overpaid wastes of space on top of the others that had already gone in January....or would it have been better to waited until May to sell Given and Nzogbia, maybe have brought in a Routledge at that time to ensure we got one more point and finishd 17th 2 years ahead of schedule on the 'slow building process'. You want to replicate Sir Bobby's transfer "model" that saw us spend £26m on dross like Cort , Bassedas, Viana and Bramble? Bobby never had a "model". you can't try before you buy. Some work out some don't.

Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction? He never took over in 1956. Happy.............you missed the point again. I will try again. What is past is past. You cant change that. History is history. You can moan, whinge, complain and protest until the cows come home but it will do no good. However, you could give the bloke the benefit of the doubt and see what he is trying to do and support him and the club. You can change the future. It doesnt mean you have to like him personally but you can appreciate the policies he is putting in place which quite clearly, is to try an avoid what happened under the shepherd regime. I thank him for that because if we continued down that path, we would oprobably have ended up another Portsmouth or Leeds. Thankfully, by putting in astute financial plans and re-building towards the future, Ashley and crew are steering us on the right path, whether you like it or not. Astute financial plans If he came out and told us what his plans were, where he sees the club being in five years time and how he intends to get us there - then we might have reason to give him the benefit of the doubt. That he won’t implies that there’s something he doesn’t want us to know, or that he doesn’t have a plan and is just making it up as he goes along, or he just can’t be arsed to let us know because it’s his club and none of our business. In the three years since he bought the club I’ve only heard Mike Ashley utter two words, and they were f*** Off in Goal III. no we wouldn't. we'd say talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words, just like we did in freds last years and we would have if mckeag,westwood et al had to have a public face. edit.... no one would give a s*** about his public relations if we were doing well. fred/hall got away with loads when we were doung well. If his intentions are good, let’s hear them. Why hide good news? as i said earlier, doesn't matter what he says, people would just return with "actions speak louder than words" etc. So if he came out and said ‘my plan is to spend just enough on the squad to avoid relegation for the next five years and use the extra PL income to claw back my losses’ everybody would just say it didn’t matter because actions speak louder than words would they? Why would he do that like? Why would you want him to? I’m just illustrating that words count, not as much as actions but count they do. When it comes to intentions words are the only option, and I think a lot of supporters would like to know what Ashley intentions are. All the contemptuous wall of silence achieves is uncertainty and confusion, and who does that benefit? But he's said before that he intends for us to be Arsenal. Don't mean shit. If he's going to say anything it's going to be his best intention. He's not an evil Spurs fan intentionally presiding over our demise. He wants to bring success. He's just incompetent.

Give the daft twat a round of applause - he did the right thing one whole year after he should've. Who put Newcastle down? Who's behaved like a clown? Ashley, Ashley. Who keeps us happy with his scraps? Who's overseen our collapse? Ashley, Ashley. Who treats our club like a bar? Who makes Lovenkrands a star? Ashley, Ashley. Who robs Newcastle of their might? Who tries to sell us without a fight? Ashley, Ashley.

Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction? He never took over in 1956. Happy.............you missed the point again. I will try again. What is past is past. You cant change that. History is history. You can moan, whinge, complain and protest until the cows come home but it will do no good. However, you could give the bloke the benefit of the doubt and see what he is trying to do and support him and the club. You can change the future. It doesnt mean you have to like him personally but you can appreciate the policies he is putting in place which quite clearly, is to try an avoid what happened under the shepherd regime. I thank him for that because if we continued down that path, we would oprobably have ended up another Portsmouth or Leeds. Thankfully, by putting in astute financial plans and re-building towards the future, Ashley and crew are steering us on the right path, whether you like it or not. Astute financial plans If he came out and told us what his plans were, where he sees the club being in five years time and how he intends to get us there - then we might have reason to give him the benefit of the doubt. That he won’t implies that there’s something he doesn’t want us to know, or that he doesn’t have a plan and is just making it up as he goes along, or he just can’t be arsed to let us know because it’s his club and none of our business. In the three years since he bought the club I’ve only heard Mike Ashley utter two words, and they were f*** Off in Goal III. no we wouldn't. we'd say talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words, just like we did in freds last years and we would have if mckeag,westwood et al had to have a public face. edit.... no one would give a s*** about his public relations if we were doing well. fred/hall got away with loads when we were doung well. If his intentions are good, let’s hear them. Why hide good news? as i said earlier, doesn't matter what he says, people would just return with "actions speak louder than words" etc. So if he came out and said ‘my plan is to spend just enough on the squad to avoid relegation for the next five years and use the extra PL income to claw back my losses’ everybody would just say it didn’t matter because actions speak louder than words would they? Why would he do that like? Why would you want him to?

Me. Ashley surprised me. Credit where it's due.

Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction? He never took over in 1956. Happy.............you missed the point again. I will try again. What is past is past. You cant change that. History is history. You can moan, whinge, complain and protest until the cows come home but it will do no good. However, you could give the bloke the benefit of the doubt and see what he is trying to do and support him and the club. You can change the future. It doesnt mean you have to like him personally but you can appreciate the policies he is putting in place which quite clearly, is to try an avoid what happened under the shepherd regime. I thank him for that because if we continued down that path, we would oprobably have ended up another Portsmouth or Leeds. Thankfully, by putting in astute financial plans and re-building towards the future, Ashley and crew are steering us on the right path, whether you like it or not. Macca, again you're being pathetically grateful for the tiniest of mercies. I'll try again. What is past informs the the future. This is not a hollywood movie. People don't learn valuable life lessons and change. You can put your faith in the inherrent goodness of human nature over and over and be walked over again and again. As you can see above I've given this bloke the benefit of the doubt in the past. but as George Bush said, Fool me once, shame on — erm - shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again. What the fuck on you on about now? People dont learn valuable lesson and change?? What a load of nonsense. If anyone in life makes a mistake and doesnt accepot responsibility for it and changes, then you are more or less setting yourself up for another fall. We are talking abut a bloody business here. A business that was clearly failing. A business that could no longer exist within its own financial commitments. A BUSINESS SETTING ITSELF UP FOR A FALL. Ashley took over that business and made a lot of mistakes and admitted to them. He had to deal with the financial black hole left him by the previous regime. He appointed the wrong managers (including KK) and probably acted on bad advice on how his plan failed resulted in relegation last season. It was relatively clear that this season was armeggeddon for us both on and off the field. Everyone recognised that, hence the protests, the chanting at games, the attempt to sell the club and the NUST stance. We could have gone the same way as Leeds as continued into freefall. Cleartly, salary costs had to be reduced, players had to be sacrificed and transfers fees brought in to assist the reduction of the debt. He could have sold more players, that has been well reported. But, he didnt. He kept a very high wage bill, certainly for this division and probably more than many in the PL, supported the manager in January with money to sign players and got rid of some deadwood in Geremi. We are reaping the fruits at the moment. The depths have been hit and everyone is surprised at whewre we are today. We appear to have a reasonable squad, certainly capable of surviving next season in the PL with the addition of a few new realistic faces. He has continually supported the club financially, something which Shepherd and cronies failed to do and he has obviously set a business plan together for the club, within its means and not overstated. Is Ashley styeering the club in the right direction? I think anyone who is not biased against the man would have to admit that he is and doing a bloody good job under very difficult circumstances. He has the backing of a good management team in Hughton etc and the players. That will do for me. We could after all have a disorganised rabble like NUST or the bloke who tried to buy the club in the summer runni9ng things with fucking Shearer as manager. Then, we would definitely be in a whole lot of shit............IN MY OPINION. I'll not go round the argument again. We've done it to death and are boring people. We're all on the same side. Fingers crossed your faith in Ashley gets repaid in spades.

Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction? He never took over in 1956. Happy.............you missed the point again. I will try again. What is past is past. You cant change that. History is history. You can moan, whinge, complain and protest until the cows come home but it will do no good. However, you could give the bloke the benefit of the doubt and see what he is trying to do and support him and the club. You can change the future. It doesnt mean you have to like him personally but you can appreciate the policies he is putting in place which quite clearly, is to try an avoid what happened under the shepherd regime. I thank him for that because if we continued down that path, we would oprobably have ended up another Portsmouth or Leeds. Thankfully, by putting in astute financial plans and re-building towards the future, Ashley and crew are steering us on the right path, whether you like it or not. Astute financial plans If he came out and told us what his plans were, where he sees the club being in five years time and how he intends to get us there - then we might have reason to give him the benefit of the doubt. That he won’t implies that there’s something he doesn’t want us to know, or that he doesn’t have a plan and is just making it up as he goes along, or he just can’t be arsed to let us know because it’s his club and none of our business. In the three years since he bought the club I’ve only heard Mike Ashley utter two words, and they were f*** Off in Goal III. no we wouldn't. we'd say talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words, just like we did in freds last years and we would have if mckeag,westwood et al had to have a public face. edit.... no one would give a s*** about his public relations if we were doing well. fred/hall got away with loads when we were doung well. If his intentions are good, let’s hear them. Why hide good news? What difference would it make what they said? I can't believe Ashley could say anything that would convince you...or me. He could do plenty.

Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction? He never took over in 1956. Happy.............you missed the point again. I will try again. What is past is past. You cant change that. History is history. You can moan, whinge, complain and protest until the cows come home but it will do no good. However, you could give the bloke the benefit of the doubt and see what he is trying to do and support him and the club. You can change the future. It doesnt mean you have to like him personally but you can appreciate the policies he is putting in place which quite clearly, is to try an avoid what happened under the shepherd regime. I thank him for that because if we continued down that path, we would oprobably have ended up another Portsmouth or Leeds. Thankfully, by putting in astute financial plans and re-building towards the future, Ashley and crew are steering us on the right path, whether you like it or not. Astute financial plans If he came out and told us what his plans were, where he sees the club being in five years time and how he intends to get us there - then we might have reason to give him the benefit of the doubt. That he won’t implies that there’s something he doesn’t want us to know, or that he doesn’t have a plan and is just making it up as he goes along, or he just can’t be arsed to let us know because it’s his club and none of our business. In the three years since he bought the club I’ve only heard Mike Ashley utter two words, and they were f*** Off in Goal III. no we wouldn't. we'd say talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words, just like we did in freds last years and we would have if mckeag,westwood et al had to have a public face. That's all I've ever said too. Actions speak louder than words. I'd be happiest to never hear another peep from Ashley or his spokesperson or the unnamed source at the club about what a good job they're doing. I'll never believe a word they say now and I'll judge them on their actions alone. Since "taking the club off the market" (which is a ridiculous notion as all clubs are potentially "for sale") those actions deserving credit consist of bringing in some players in January that weren't all free. That looks to have been enough to secure promotion (touch wood). Let's see how they go next season before we start sucking any cocks.

Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction? He never took over in 1956. Happy.............you missed the point again. I will try again. What is past is past. You cant change that. History is history. You can moan, whinge, complain and protest until the cows come home but it will do no good. However, you could give the bloke the benefit of the doubt and see what he is trying to do and support him and the club. You can change the future. It doesnt mean you have to like him personally but you can appreciate the policies he is putting in place which quite clearly, is to try an avoid what happened under the shepherd regime. I thank him for that because if we continued down that path, we would oprobably have ended up another Portsmouth or Leeds. Thankfully, by putting in astute financial plans and re-building towards the future, Ashley and crew are steering us on the right path, whether you like it or not. Macca, again you're being pathetically grateful for the tiniest of mercies. I'll try again. What is past informs the the future. This is not a hollywood movie. People don't learn valuable life lessons and change. You can put your faith in the inherrent goodness of human nature over and over and be walked over again and again. As you can see above I've given this bloke the benefit of the doubt in the past. but as George Bush said, Fool me once, shame on — erm - shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.

I thought if you were commenting on the atmosphere at games and the sentiments towards Ashley then you'd be someone that was going to games. Talking to people in the pubs afterwards and that. Not a soopafan dig or owt, bu you've got no basis for asking question 6. Well,let me tell you this. Living on the other side of the world doesnt make me any less of a fan than those who have season tickets to SJP. That comment is just blatantly ridiculous. In fact, I probably get to see more NUFC games televised here than you do over in the UK. You might want to remember that there are many other fans on this forum who are in the same situation as me and probably wouldnt take your comments lightly. You might like to know that I have had a heavy involvement with NUFC matters for many years and have plenty of contacts through the club over those years. Most of your replies to my questions were quite interesting and whilst I agree with some and disagree with most, this is a forum of opinions for world wide supporters of the club and you should be wary of making comments regarding other fans opinions, even if they do live far away. With regard to question 6, I think the majority of posters on this forum will readily admit that protests against Ashley have diminished over time at games, whether they like it or not. Furthermore, I cannot think of a single fan whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after a difficult period, Newcastle United are currently top of the CCC. I would say that you are certainly in the minority. I never for one second suggested it made you any less of a fan. I'm just saying people in and around the stadium have a clearer picture of what the feeling is toward Ashley in and around the stadium. I don't see how that could be at all contentious. nothing to get defensive about. There's not been any 'protests' since the Hull game last seasonff. I don't agree that there's been any diminishment in the hatred of Ashley since the opening game against West Brom. Your last sentence is absurd. Yoiu could as easily say I cannot think of a single rape victim whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after being visciously raped, they are still alive. First of all, I dont think Ashley really cares anymore what the minority think, despite comments by Llanbiase recently. The team is performing and getting results and despite all the past problems, there is still 40 odd thousand turning up at SJP for every home game which is way way above his wildest expectations at the start of the season. This is going round in circles. It's not a minority Secondly, the comment regarding being happy with our current situation as a football club compared to a rape victim is non sensical. How the hell can you make such comparisons is beyond me. I know Bill Shankly once said that football is a matter of life and death but violation of a human body as a comparison to the demise of a football club is just plain idiotic. Do you write for the daily mail? Have a sense of humour man. I was highlighting how pathetically grateful you come across for the smallest of mercies with the most extreme analogy. I was joking about the holocaust with the lads at the match the other night too. I am basically a positive person and I dont like to dwell on the past. What is done is done and as someone else said previously on trhis thread, it is time to move on which appears to be what the club is trying to do, without over committing itself financially. To be unhappy to be top of the CCC at this present time after a couple of years of total mayhem is just plain daft. Again, pathetically grateful. You sound like a cuckolded husband thanking his wife for letting him smell her battered gash after she took on the local rugby team. I actually have read some comments from posters on this forum who would be happy to stay in the CCC because we are winning games, although I can say I dont agree with them. Too much negativity and hatred is blinding too many people on here and it is well and truly time to back the club, from top right through to the tea lady, if we are to get back to where we once were under SBR. It will take a few years but if we are financially healthy and have a committed youthful playing staff eager to impress, then I can see the club back up there with the likes of Everton, Villa and even Spurs. Where we were 3 years ago Where we were 3 years ago???????? 1..On the brink of financial meltdown under Shepherd!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2. Having aging, overpaid, injury prone unmotivated superstars like Viduka, Owen, Luque, Boumsong, Dyer, Insomnia and Martins failing to produce week in, week out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3..A succession of failed managers like Allardyce, Souness and Roeder in charge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I would really love to be back in those days of being threatened with relegation year after year. 2005/2006 5 Tottenham Hotspur 7 Newcastle United 11 Everton 16 Aston Villa And before you say it, I tend to put the past behind me and look to the future. Being top of the CCC allows me to think the future is better than what is was. You obviously are up set at being top of the CCC? Maybe that could be because Ashley and Co. are proving you wrong? Maybe you live too much in the past? Maybe you wish you were a supporter of MiddlesBrough instead of NUFC and be happy to have failed to achieve a top 6 position in the CCC therefore failing to achieve an opportunity of immediate promotion back to the PL? Maybe you are just a pessimist? My username is descriptive of my general outlook mate. We've not finished this low down the league in 18 years man. Mmmmmmm that cherry you just picked was tasty. To quote Macca I can't see how it's cherry picking to reply where we were in relation to them in the seasons before Ashley arrived. Even in 06/07 we were only 2 spots off Villa. If he gets us back to those kinds of positions then he'll have got us back where we were before he arrived. Then he can start looking to improve things and I'll give him credit. Not until then though. The season before Ashley arrived Roeder had scraped 13th (to his credit i suppose) with one of the worst squads Ive seen in many many years, Babayaro, Carr, Moore, Taylor, Duff, Parker, Emre, Miler, Oba and Shola. Not to mention the likes of Huntington, Edgar, Gooch etc. Who was responsilbe for this?? Still not acknowledging that at the time, whislt Everton, Spurs and Villa hadnt a chieved a great deal, they were in a much better position financially to expand and invest which they have done and it shows. Had we carried on investing to keep up with them where eactly would we of been financially?? Who can say. Maybe in as much debt as we are now (£146m+)? But with double the turnover. and double the outgoings ? is it better to be indebted to the owner than outside creditors ? 1. Again, who can say. 2. Undoubtedly to the owner...like at villa. how much do villa owe lerner compared to how much we owe ashley ? I think that's exactly the point. Lerner's done a good job. Ashley hasn't.

I thought if you were commenting on the atmosphere at games and the sentiments towards Ashley then you'd be someone that was going to games. Talking to people in the pubs afterwards and that. Not a soopafan dig or owt, bu you've got no basis for asking question 6. Well,let me tell you this. Living on the other side of the world doesnt make me any less of a fan than those who have season tickets to SJP. That comment is just blatantly ridiculous. In fact, I probably get to see more NUFC games televised here than you do over in the UK. You might want to remember that there are many other fans on this forum who are in the same situation as me and probably wouldnt take your comments lightly. You might like to know that I have had a heavy involvement with NUFC matters for many years and have plenty of contacts through the club over those years. Most of your replies to my questions were quite interesting and whilst I agree with some and disagree with most, this is a forum of opinions for world wide supporters of the club and you should be wary of making comments regarding other fans opinions, even if they do live far away. With regard to question 6, I think the majority of posters on this forum will readily admit that protests against Ashley have diminished over time at games, whether they like it or not. Furthermore, I cannot think of a single fan whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after a difficult period, Newcastle United are currently top of the CCC. I would say that you are certainly in the minority. I never for one second suggested it made you any less of a fan. I'm just saying people in and around the stadium have a clearer picture of what the feeling is toward Ashley in and around the stadium. I don't see how that could be at all contentious. nothing to get defensive about. There's not been any 'protests' since the Hull game last seasonff. I don't agree that there's been any diminishment in the hatred of Ashley since the opening game against West Brom. Your last sentence is absurd. Yoiu could as easily say I cannot think of a single rape victim whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after being visciously raped, they are still alive. First of all, I dont think Ashley really cares anymore what the minority think, despite comments by Llanbiase recently. The team is performing and getting results and despite all the past problems, there is still 40 odd thousand turning up at SJP for every home game which is way way above his wildest expectations at the start of the season. This is going round in circles. It's not a minority Secondly, the comment regarding being happy with our current situation as a football club compared to a rape victim is non sensical. How the hell can you make such comparisons is beyond me. I know Bill Shankly once said that football is a matter of life and death but violation of a human body as a comparison to the demise of a football club is just plain idiotic. Do you write for the daily mail? Have a sense of humour man. I was highlighting how pathetically grateful you come across for the smallest of mercies with the most extreme analogy. I was joking about the holocaust with the lads at the match the other night too. I am basically a positive person and I dont like to dwell on the past. What is done is done and as someone else said previously on trhis thread, it is time to move on which appears to be what the club is trying to do, without over committing itself financially. To be unhappy to be top of the CCC at this present time after a couple of years of total mayhem is just plain daft. Again, pathetically grateful. You sound like a cuckolded husband thanking his wife for letting him smell her battered gash after she took on the local rugby team. I actually have read some comments from posters on this forum who would be happy to stay in the CCC because we are winning games, although I can say I dont agree with them. Too much negativity and hatred is blinding too many people on here and it is well and truly time to back the club, from top right through to the tea lady, if we are to get back to where we once were under SBR. It will take a few years but if we are financially healthy and have a committed youthful playing staff eager to impress, then I can see the club back up there with the likes of Everton, Villa and even Spurs. Where we were 3 years ago Where we were 3 years ago???????? 1..On the brink of financial meltdown under Shepherd!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2. Having aging, overpaid, injury prone unmotivated superstars like Viduka, Owen, Luque, Boumsong, Dyer, Insomnia and Martins failing to produce week in, week out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3..A succession of failed managers like Allardyce, Souness and Roeder in charge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I would really love to be back in those days of being threatened with relegation year after year. 2005/2006 5 Tottenham Hotspur 7 Newcastle United 11 Everton 16 Aston Villa And before you say it, I tend to put the past behind me and look to the future. Being top of the CCC allows me to think the future is better than what is was. You obviously are up set at being top of the CCC? Maybe that could be because Ashley and Co. are proving you wrong? Maybe you live too much in the past? Maybe you wish you were a supporter of MiddlesBrough instead of NUFC and be happy to have failed to achieve a top 6 position in the CCC therefore failing to achieve an opportunity of immediate promotion back to the PL? Maybe you are just a pessimist? My username is descriptive of my general outlook mate. We've not finished this low down the league in 18 years man. Mmmmmmm that cherry you just picked was tasty. To quote Macca I can't see how it's cherry picking to reply where we were in relation to them in the seasons before Ashley arrived. Even in 06/07 we were only 2 spots off Villa. If he gets us back to those kinds of positions then he'll have got us back where we were before he arrived. Then he can start looking to improve things and I'll give him credit. Not until then though. The season before Ashley arrived Roeder had scraped 13th (to his credit i suppose) with one of the worst squads Ive seen in many many years, Babayaro, Carr, Moore, Taylor, Duff, Parker, Emre, Miler, Oba and Shola. Not to mention the likes of Huntington, Edgar, Gooch etc. Who was responsilbe for this?? Still not acknowledging that at the time, whislt Everton, Spurs and Villa hadnt a chieved a great deal, they were in a much better position financially to expand and invest which they have done and it shows. Had we carried on investing to keep up with them where eactly would we of been financially?? Who can say. Maybe in as much debt as we are now (£146m+)? But with double the turnover. and double the outgoings ? is it better to be indebted to the owner than outside creditors ? 1. Again, who can say. 2. Undoubtedly to the owner...like at villa.

I thought I'd posted this on here but it was TT. Just one more post that shows how utterly deluded I was and wanted to keep faith in Ashley.... http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?showtopic=20866&hl=keegan Once the facts came out at the tribunal all that reasoning was blown completely out of the water of course.

I thought if you were commenting on the atmosphere at games and the sentiments towards Ashley then you'd be someone that was going to games. Talking to people in the pubs afterwards and that. Not a soopafan dig or owt, bu you've got no basis for asking question 6. Well,let me tell you this. Living on the other side of the world doesnt make me any less of a fan than those who have season tickets to SJP. That comment is just blatantly ridiculous. In fact, I probably get to see more NUFC games televised here than you do over in the UK. You might want to remember that there are many other fans on this forum who are in the same situation as me and probably wouldnt take your comments lightly. You might like to know that I have had a heavy involvement with NUFC matters for many years and have plenty of contacts through the club over those years. Most of your replies to my questions were quite interesting and whilst I agree with some and disagree with most, this is a forum of opinions for world wide supporters of the club and you should be wary of making comments regarding other fans opinions, even if they do live far away. With regard to question 6, I think the majority of posters on this forum will readily admit that protests against Ashley have diminished over time at games, whether they like it or not. Furthermore, I cannot think of a single fan whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after a difficult period, Newcastle United are currently top of the CCC. I would say that you are certainly in the minority. I never for one second suggested it made you any less of a fan. I'm just saying people in and around the stadium have a clearer picture of what the feeling is toward Ashley in and around the stadium. I don't see how that could be at all contentious. nothing to get defensive about. There's not been any 'protests' since the Hull game last seasonff. I don't agree that there's been any diminishment in the hatred of Ashley since the opening game against West Brom. Your last sentence is absurd. Yoiu could as easily say I cannot think of a single rape victim whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after being visciously raped, they are still alive. First of all, I dont think Ashley really cares anymore what the minority think, despite comments by Llanbiase recently. The team is performing and getting results and despite all the past problems, there is still 40 odd thousand turning up at SJP for every home game which is way way above his wildest expectations at the start of the season. This is going round in circles. It's not a minority Secondly, the comment regarding being happy with our current situation as a football club compared to a rape victim is non sensical. How the hell can you make such comparisons is beyond me. I know Bill Shankly once said that football is a matter of life and death but violation of a human body as a comparison to the demise of a football club is just plain idiotic. Do you write for the daily mail? Have a sense of humour man. I was highlighting how pathetically grateful you come across for the smallest of mercies with the most extreme analogy. I was joking about the holocaust with the lads at the match the other night too. I am basically a positive person and I dont like to dwell on the past. What is done is done and as someone else said previously on trhis thread, it is time to move on which appears to be what the club is trying to do, without over committing itself financially. To be unhappy to be top of the CCC at this present time after a couple of years of total mayhem is just plain daft. Again, pathetically grateful. You sound like a cuckolded husband thanking his wife for letting him smell her battered gash after she took on the local rugby team. I actually have read some comments from posters on this forum who would be happy to stay in the CCC because we are winning games, although I can say I dont agree with them. Too much negativity and hatred is blinding too many people on here and it is well and truly time to back the club, from top right through to the tea lady, if we are to get back to where we once were under SBR. It will take a few years but if we are financially healthy and have a committed youthful playing staff eager to impress, then I can see the club back up there with the likes of Everton, Villa and even Spurs. Where we were 3 years ago Where we were 3 years ago???????? 1..On the brink of financial meltdown under Shepherd!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2. Having aging, overpaid, injury prone unmotivated superstars like Viduka, Owen, Luque, Boumsong, Dyer, Insomnia and Martins failing to produce week in, week out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3..A succession of failed managers like Allardyce, Souness and Roeder in charge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I would really love to be back in those days of being threatened with relegation year after year. 2005/2006 5 Tottenham Hotspur 7 Newcastle United 11 Everton 16 Aston Villa And before you say it, I tend to put the past behind me and look to the future. Being top of the CCC allows me to think the future is better than what is was. You obviously are up set at being top of the CCC? Maybe that could be because Ashley and Co. are proving you wrong? Maybe you live too much in the past? Maybe you wish you were a supporter of MiddlesBrough instead of NUFC and be happy to have failed to achieve a top 6 position in the CCC therefore failing to achieve an opportunity of immediate promotion back to the PL? Maybe you are just a pessimist? My username is descriptive of my general outlook mate. We've not finished this low down the league in 18 years man. Mmmmmmm that cherry you just picked was tasty. To quote Macca I can't see how it's cherry picking to reply where we were in relation to them in the seasons before Ashley arrived. Even in 06/07 we were only 2 spots off Villa. If he gets us back to those kinds of positions then he'll have got us back where we were before he arrived. Then he can start looking to improve things and I'll give him credit. Not until then though. The season before Ashley arrived Roeder had scraped 13th (to his credit i suppose) with one of the worst squads Ive seen in many many years, Babayaro, Carr, Moore, Taylor, Duff, Parker, Emre, Miler, Oba and Shola. Not to mention the likes of Huntington, Edgar, Gooch etc. Who was responsilbe for this?? Still not acknowledging that at the time, whislt Everton, Spurs and Villa hadnt a chieved a great deal, they were in a much better position financially to expand and invest which they have done and it shows. Had we carried on investing to keep up with them where eactly would we of been financially?? Who can say. Maybe in as much debt as we are now (£146m+)? But with double the turnover.

A couple of selected quotes that show how deludedly optimistic I am even when everyone else thinks otherwise... http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,52509.msg1313093/topicseen.html#msg1313093 http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,48533.msg1138530/topicseen.html#msg1138530 In each case there came a point where the evidence was overwhelming that my optimism was unfounded. That point came a long time ago with Ashley.

I thought if you were commenting on the atmosphere at games and the sentiments towards Ashley then you'd be someone that was going to games. Talking to people in the pubs afterwards and that. Not a soopafan dig or owt, bu you've got no basis for asking question 6. Well,let me tell you this. Living on the other side of the world doesnt make me any less of a fan than those who have season tickets to SJP. That comment is just blatantly ridiculous. In fact, I probably get to see more NUFC games televised here than you do over in the UK. You might want to remember that there are many other fans on this forum who are in the same situation as me and probably wouldnt take your comments lightly. You might like to know that I have had a heavy involvement with NUFC matters for many years and have plenty of contacts through the club over those years. Most of your replies to my questions were quite interesting and whilst I agree with some and disagree with most, this is a forum of opinions for world wide supporters of the club and you should be wary of making comments regarding other fans opinions, even if they do live far away. With regard to question 6, I think the majority of posters on this forum will readily admit that protests against Ashley have diminished over time at games, whether they like it or not. Furthermore, I cannot think of a single fan whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after a difficult period, Newcastle United are currently top of the CCC. I would say that you are certainly in the minority. I never for one second suggested it made you any less of a fan. I'm just saying people in and around the stadium have a clearer picture of what the feeling is toward Ashley in and around the stadium. I don't see how that could be at all contentious. nothing to get defensive about. There's not been any 'protests' since the Hull game last seasonff. I don't agree that there's been any diminishment in the hatred of Ashley since the opening game against West Brom. Your last sentence is absurd. Yoiu could as easily say I cannot think of a single rape victim whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after being visciously raped, they are still alive. First of all, I dont think Ashley really cares anymore what the minority think, despite comments by Llanbiase recently. The team is performing and getting results and despite all the past problems, there is still 40 odd thousand turning up at SJP for every home game which is way way above his wildest expectations at the start of the season. This is going round in circles. It's not a minority Secondly, the comment regarding being happy with our current situation as a football club compared to a rape victim is non sensical. How the hell can you make such comparisons is beyond me. I know Bill Shankly once said that football is a matter of life and death but violation of a human body as a comparison to the demise of a football club is just plain idiotic. Do you write for the daily mail? Have a sense of humour man. I was highlighting how pathetically grateful you come across for the smallest of mercies with the most extreme analogy. I was joking about the holocaust with the lads at the match the other night too. I am basically a positive person and I dont like to dwell on the past. What is done is done and as someone else said previously on trhis thread, it is time to move on which appears to be what the club is trying to do, without over committing itself financially. To be unhappy to be top of the CCC at this present time after a couple of years of total mayhem is just plain daft. Again, pathetically grateful. You sound like a cuckolded husband thanking his wife for letting him smell her battered gash after she took on the local rugby team. I actually have read some comments from posters on this forum who would be happy to stay in the CCC because we are winning games, although I can say I dont agree with them. Too much negativity and hatred is blinding too many people on here and it is well and truly time to back the club, from top right through to the tea lady, if we are to get back to where we once were under SBR. It will take a few years but if we are financially healthy and have a committed youthful playing staff eager to impress, then I can see the club back up there with the likes of Everton, Villa and even Spurs. Where we were 3 years ago Where we were 3 years ago???????? 1..On the brink of financial meltdown under Shepherd!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2. Having aging, overpaid, injury prone unmotivated superstars like Viduka, Owen, Luque, Boumsong, Dyer, Insomnia and Martins failing to produce week in, week out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3..A succession of failed managers like Allardyce, Souness and Roeder in charge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I would really love to be back in those days of being threatened with relegation year after year. 2005/2006 5 Tottenham Hotspur 7 Newcastle United 11 Everton 16 Aston Villa And before you say it, I tend to put the past behind me and look to the future. Being top of the CCC allows me to think the future is better than what is was. You obviously are up set at being top of the CCC? Maybe that could be because Ashley and Co. are proving you wrong? Maybe you live too much in the past? Maybe you wish you were a supporter of MiddlesBrough instead of NUFC and be happy to have failed to achieve a top 6 position in the CCC therefore failing to achieve an opportunity of immediate promotion back to the PL? Maybe you are just a pessimist? My username is descriptive of my general outlook mate. We've not finished this low down the league in 18 years man. Mmmmmmm that cherry you just picked was tasty. To quote Macca I can't see how it's cherry picking to reply where we were in relation to them in the seasons before Ashley arrived. Even in 06/07 we were only 2 spots off Villa. If he gets us back to those kinds of positions then he'll have got us back where we were before he arrived. Then he can start looking to improve things and I'll give him credit. Not until then though.

Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction? He never took over in 1956.

I thought if you were commenting on the atmosphere at games and the sentiments towards Ashley then you'd be someone that was going to games. Talking to people in the pubs afterwards and that. Not a soopafan dig or owt, bu you've got no basis for asking question 6. Well,let me tell you this. Living on the other side of the world doesnt make me any less of a fan than those who have season tickets to SJP. That comment is just blatantly ridiculous. In fact, I probably get to see more NUFC games televised here than you do over in the UK. You might want to remember that there are many other fans on this forum who are in the same situation as me and probably wouldnt take your comments lightly. You might like to know that I have had a heavy involvement with NUFC matters for many years and have plenty of contacts through the club over those years. Most of your replies to my questions were quite interesting and whilst I agree with some and disagree with most, this is a forum of opinions for world wide supporters of the club and you should be wary of making comments regarding other fans opinions, even if they do live far away. With regard to question 6, I think the majority of posters on this forum will readily admit that protests against Ashley have diminished over time at games, whether they like it or not. Furthermore, I cannot think of a single fan whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after a difficult period, Newcastle United are currently top of the CCC. I would say that you are certainly in the minority. I never for one second suggested it made you any less of a fan. I'm just saying people in and around the stadium have a clearer picture of what the feeling is toward Ashley in and around the stadium. I don't see how that could be at all contentious. nothing to get defensive about. There's not been any 'protests' since the Hull game last seasonff. I don't agree that there's been any diminishment in the hatred of Ashley since the opening game against West Brom. Your last sentence is absurd. Yoiu could as easily say I cannot think of a single rape victim whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after being visciously raped, they are still alive. First of all, I dont think Ashley really cares anymore what the minority think, despite comments by Llanbiase recently. The team is performing and getting results and despite all the past problems, there is still 40 odd thousand turning up at SJP for every home game which is way way above his wildest expectations at the start of the season. This is going round in circles. It's not a minority Secondly, the comment regarding being happy with our current situation as a football club compared to a rape victim is non sensical. How the hell can you make such comparisons is beyond me. I know Bill Shankly once said that football is a matter of life and death but violation of a human body as a comparison to the demise of a football club is just plain idiotic. Do you write for the daily mail? Have a sense of humour man. I was highlighting how pathetically grateful you come across for the smallest of mercies with the most extreme analogy. I was joking about the holocaust with the lads at the match the other night too. I am basically a positive person and I dont like to dwell on the past. What is done is done and as someone else said previously on trhis thread, it is time to move on which appears to be what the club is trying to do, without over committing itself financially. To be unhappy to be top of the CCC at this present time after a couple of years of total mayhem is just plain daft. Again, pathetically grateful. You sound like a cuckolded husband thanking his wife for letting him smell her battered gash after she took on the local rugby team. I actually have read some comments from posters on this forum who would be happy to stay in the CCC because we are winning games, although I can say I dont agree with them. Too much negativity and hatred is blinding too many people on here and it is well and truly time to back the club, from top right through to the tea lady, if we are to get back to where we once were under SBR. It will take a few years but if we are financially healthy and have a committed youthful playing staff eager to impress, then I can see the club back up there with the likes of Everton, Villa and even Spurs. Where we were 3 years ago Where we were 3 years ago???????? 1..On the brink of financial meltdown under Shepherd!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2. Having aging, overpaid, injury prone unmotivated superstars like Viduka, Owen, Luque, Boumsong, Dyer, Insomnia and Martins failing to produce week in, week out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3..A succession of failed managers like Allardyce, Souness and Roeder in charge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I would really love to be back in those days of being threatened with relegation year after year. 2005/2006 5 Tottenham Hotspur 7 Newcastle United 11 Everton 16 Aston Villa And before you say it, I tend to put the past behind me and look to the future. Being top of the CCC allows me to think the future is better than what is was. You obviously are up set at being top of the CCC? Maybe that could be because Ashley and Co. are proving you wrong? Maybe you live too much in the past? Maybe you wish you were a supporter of MiddlesBrough instead of NUFC and be happy to have failed to achieve a top 6 position in the CCC therefore failing to achieve an opportunity of immediate promotion back to the PL? Maybe you are just a pessimist? My username is descriptive of my general outlook mate. We've not finished this low down the league in 18 years man.

"On a large enough time line, the survival rate for everyone will drop to zero." You could argue Plymouth are 'going in the right direction' in the shortest term just because they won their last game, but we all know they're still shit and will be relegated. It's all about timescales. The timescale used for the purpose of the thread is since Mike Ashley arrived. And in that time he's halved the turnover at the club, doubled the debt and dropped a league. I don't see how there can be any debate either on the pitch or off that we're worse off. Which obviously is not what the original question was asking. There was no question in the opening post. Just some drivel saying you'd be surprised to find that he IS taking us in the right direction. I certainly was surprised to hear it, as it's not true for the reason I've stated above. Well - again very obviously - I was referring to the question in the thread title, 'Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction? What comes across from your posts is that you're worried that the initial reaction against Ashley that came in the wake of Keegan's departure and the fiasco of last season, seems to be flagging. Whenever a post comes up that's even slightly complimentary about what Ashley is doing, you feel the need to jump in and 'correct' the poster, by re-visiting past events and reminding people of how hostile most fans were towards him at the time. Serious question - are you a member or some other more high-up representative of NUST? It does feel like you're drumming up support for a cause, because you're not really listening to other views. It's getting a bit tiresome. No. I'm a member of NUST and went to one meeting when they were in South Shields. That's as much as I've had to do with them. I haven't even voted yet. I'm not worried about attitudes to Ashley mellowing any more than I worried about attitudes to Shepherd mellowing after all his indiscretions. If anything I hope it happens because that really would mean we're going the right direction. As it is though, attitudes aren't mellowing amongst anyone I know at all, just Ashley and llambias claim they are...and some choose to believe it....even though Llambias recognises he still can't go for a drink in Newcastle.

Quiet Friday afternoon and that, I wondered what Barton has cost us in context (actually not in context at all, using an arbitrary transfer fee, that doesn't account for their salary or what we recouped in outbound transfer fees, or whether they'll play more games. Either way though).... Luque - £9.5m, 21 appearances (£452,380.95 per game) Marcelino - £6.7m, 17 appearances (£374,117.65 per game) Cort - £7m, 22 appearances (£318,181.82 per game) Owen - £16m, 71 appearances (£225,352.11 per game) Viana - £8.5m, 39 appearances (£217,948.72 per game) Bassedas - £4.1m, 24 appearances (£170,833 per game) Boumsong £8m, 47 appearances (£170,212.77 per game) Coloccini - £10.3m, 62 appearances (£166,129.03 per game) Maric - £3.6m, 23 appearances (£156,521.74 per game) Barton - £5.8m, 38 appearances (£152,631.57 per game) Goma - £4.7m, 33 appearances (£142,424.24 per game) Smith - £6m, 67 appearances (£89,552.24 per game)

"In my three seasons here I know the fans like me and I love that. That is more important for me than anything else, more important than trophies and cups.” http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2010/03/19/jose-enrique-hopes-for-long-united-career-61634-26064695/ A trophy or a cup would be nice like.

High street retailer Blacks Leisure isn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet for Mike Ashley, its largest shareholder, who’s just launched a bid to buy the company. Ashley’s Sports Direct has offered 62p a share to buy Blacks, equivalent to about £26m – but shareholders apparently won’t get out of bed for less than 100p, i.e. £43m. Blacks rather snottily dismissed the offer as ‘wholly inadequate’ today, and argued that investors would be much better off if its proposed fundraising (previously blocked by – you guessed it – Sports Direct) was allowed to go through. It’s almost like they think Ashley is trying to pick them up on the cheap... Sports Direct has been circling Blacks (owner of both Blacks and Millets) for a few years now, and with a stake of just under 30% (having resolved its row with the administrators of Kaupthing), it’s the company’s biggest individual shareholder. But Ashley's not in any mood to line his fellow investors’ pockets: this 62p-a-share offer is a measly 3% higher than the pre-bid closing price. Sports Direct points out that it’s still higher than the share price has been all year – but investors would be excused for considering this to be a pretty miserly premium. The Blacks board clearly thinks so too, judging by its rapid rebuttal. The other big bone of contention between the two is that Sports Direct was responsible for blocking a £20m fundraising last month, which was intended to finance the last phase of Blacks' turnaround plan. This, the latter says, ‘would have led to a substantial increase in shareholder value’ – since CEO Neil Gillis would have been able to refinance his expensive overdraft and spend some dosh re-fitting some of his more dilapidated stores. Instead, it argued today, with this offer ‘Sports Direct is attempting to transfer that potential shareholder value from shareholders to Sports Direct.’ The good news for Blacks is that it does have a plan B: a different type of fundraising called the ‘gazette route’. This only requires the backing of 50% of shareholders, so it doesn’t matter if Sports Direct refuses to play ball. Since other investors seem willing to participate (perhaps on the basis that Blacks’ share price is now so low that the only way is up), that means Ashley isn’t in the strongest negotiating position. So if he wants to get his hands on Blacks, he’s going to have to dig a lot deeper than this. (Although Blacks is unlikely to mind if he doesn't.) http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/channel/HumanCapital/news/991548/mike-ashley-gets-short-shrift-blacks-leisure/?

You think we never take to southerners? What about Rob Lee or David Kelly or Kevin Keegan or Hughton, who's name we've sang to the heaven's? It's not that we don't trust southerners, more that we don't tolerate complete ineptitude wherever it originates. OK then, seeing as you've made that statement ; would you like to go back through the threads after KK left the club and see how much abuse those who thought Venables might be a good appointment got ? The idea of Venables as a caretaker manager was rubbished largely NOT because of his record/shady dealings etc., but because he was a COCKNEY. I know ALL about the likes of Rob Lee etc AND Supermac - they were PLAYERS and therefore transient in the eyes of many fans - the manager is something different and look how many people have said that only a Geordie should manage NUFC INCLUDING Shepherd. Whether some of you like it or not - OR are prepared to admit it - there is a large slice of our support that do not want a cockney in charge of NUFC, and would rather have a foreigner instead ; even if they weren't quite as suitable. Incidentally, for the person who thought David Kelly was a southerner - he would be a bit p---d off with you - he's from the W.Midlands and proud of it despite his love for NUFC..he's a Baggies fan... If you're the one using it for evidence you're probably the one who should find the posts and quote them. I'd say most people wouldn't want Venables cos he loves a short term pay-day when a club's staring at relegation. ...and south of Durham is Cockney.

I thought if you were commenting on the atmosphere at games and the sentiments towards Ashley then you'd be someone that was going to games. Talking to people in the pubs afterwards and that. Not a soopafan dig or owt, bu you've got no basis for asking question 6. Well,let me tell you this. Living on the other side of the world doesnt make me any less of a fan than those who have season tickets to SJP. That comment is just blatantly ridiculous. In fact, I probably get to see more NUFC games televised here than you do over in the UK. You might want to remember that there are many other fans on this forum who are in the same situation as me and probably wouldnt take your comments lightly. You might like to know that I have had a heavy involvement with NUFC matters for many years and have plenty of contacts through the club over those years. Most of your replies to my questions were quite interesting and whilst I agree with some and disagree with most, this is a forum of opinions for world wide supporters of the club and you should be wary of making comments regarding other fans opinions, even if they do live far away. With regard to question 6, I think the majority of posters on this forum will readily admit that protests against Ashley have diminished over time at games, whether they like it or not. Furthermore, I cannot think of a single fan whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after a difficult period, Newcastle United are currently top of the CCC. I would say that you are certainly in the minority. I never for one second suggested it made you any less of a fan. I'm just saying people in and around the stadium have a clearer picture of what the feeling is toward Ashley in and around the stadium. I don't see how that could be at all contentious. nothing to get defensive about. There's not been any 'protests' since the Hull game last seasonff. I don't agree that there's been any diminishment in the hatred of Ashley since the opening game against West Brom. Your last sentence is absurd. Yoiu could as easily say I cannot think of a single rape victim whom isnt pleased, surprised and elated that after being visciously raped, they are still alive. First of all, I dont think Ashley really cares anymore what the minority think, despite comments by Llanbiase recently. The team is performing and getting results and despite all the past problems, there is still 40 odd thousand turning up at SJP for every home game which is way way above his wildest expectations at the start of the season. This is going round in circles. It's not a minority Secondly, the comment regarding being happy with our current situation as a football club compared to a rape victim is non sensical. How the hell can you make such comparisons is beyond me. I know Bill Shankly once said that football is a matter of life and death but violation of a human body as a comparison to the demise of a football club is just plain idiotic. Do you write for the daily mail? Have a sense of humour man. I was highlighting how pathetically grateful you come across for the smallest of mercies with the most extreme analogy. I was joking about the holocaust with the lads at the match the other night too. I am basically a positive person and I dont like to dwell on the past. What is done is done and as someone else said previously on trhis thread, it is time to move on which appears to be what the club is trying to do, without over committing itself financially. To be unhappy to be top of the CCC at this present time after a couple of years of total mayhem is just plain daft. Again, pathetically grateful. You sound like a cuckolded husband thanking his wife for letting him smell her battered gash after she took on the local rugby team. I actually have read some comments from posters on this forum who would be happy to stay in the CCC because we are winning games, although I can say I dont agree with them. Too much negativity and hatred is blinding too many people on here and it is well and truly time to back the club, from top right through to the tea lady, if we are to get back to where we once were under SBR. It will take a few years but if we are financially healthy and have a committed youthful playing staff eager to impress, then I can see the club back up there with the likes of Everton, Villa and even Spurs. Where we were 3 years ago

Fair enough, I'll be glad if my fears are proved wrong on that. Hope it wasn't just that boro wouldn't meet QPR's fee. I admit I was very happy with the signing of Routledge as I thought once we'd signed Pancrate that would be it for the RW. Bit worried about his constant niggles, but I think he's a decent signing. Williamson too. Aye. January wasn't as bad as I'd feared. I find it incredible the amount of good will it's fostered among a few people on here though. Apart from that one window where ashley put about £5m in (but kept wages unchanged) I'm not sure what exactly he's done that's put us on the right road. In August/September having cleared out 9 first team regulars he brought in 3 players on loan and one free signing. That neglect is what led to us taking the dip we did at christmas and forced him to dig a little deeper. If anyone, Hughton deserves credit for doing a great job with no support whatsoever until our promotion push started to stall.