quayside

How would you say that Chevrolet compares to Sports Direct as a brand?

So tell us what effect it has had? Do you think more people go into Ashley's stores because of that? Most people who offer an opinion on it think it was cheap, tacky and denigrated a great football club. Just because someone has a different opinion to you doesn't mean they are "f***ing crackers" btw. More people will go into shops they've heard of, yes. Anybody who thinks advertising doesn't work is indeed f***ing crackers. Read my posts before launching into stuff like this, of course I don't think advertising has no effect. My point is that I don't think Ashley's use of NUFC as a promotional and advertising vehicle for has been effective. It is imo another one of many examples of him totally missing the point of this football club and, in fact, misunderstanding what football is about. A premiership club with a unique identity such as ours is the wrong medium for what he has done, not that it makes much difference as he's pretty much nailed the market anyway.

So tell us what effect it has had? Do you think more people go into Ashley's stores because of that? Most people who offer an opinion on it think it was cheap, tacky and denigrated a great football club. Just because someone has a different opinion to you doesn't mean they are "fucking crackers" btw.

Why would we have plastered the advertising around the pitch with foreign SD adverts during European games if he had nothing to gain? Why would the club spend money advertising SD at all if it wasn't for gain? The fact that the club does it doesn't mean I think that it is effective. This is purely my opinion and no one can (not even SD) would be able to quantify the effect the advertising has.

I don't know how typical I am but I had never heard of Sports Direct until Ashley bought the club. Me neither. But at that time Sports Direct was recently floated, underperforming company. Since then Ashley has virtually eliminated all competition in its market place and is several times the size it was in 2007. The debate here is how much NUFC has played a part in that. I think that his involvement in the club and his brazen attempts to promote SD through it are generally viewed negatively and have done nothing to contribute to where SD is today. The growth of SD has come due to factors other than Ashley's involvement with us imo.

Who said we hadn't helped SD in the slightest? I was referring to the advertising and promotion of SD through NUFC not any merchandising arrangements, akthough I don't pretend to know exactly what those arrangements are.

There's two different issues in your post. To clarify (I hope) I think that the advertising you refer to has been a mistaken effort to promote SD's business. I don't think it does anything. The merchandising and whatever outsourcing arrangements the club has with SD (unclear at this stage) are entirely different.

Its no wonder at all. If you are launching a new product, or trying to renew interest in an old one, you have to advertise it with specific targetted advertising and promotion. You can attach some value to the advertising depending on how well that product sells subsequently. But I said that it was impossible to quantify the effect of non targetted advertising of an existing brand, which is exactly the type of advertising that has been inflicted on SJP. And I happen to think Ashley's involvement with NUFC has done nothing for the SD brand in terms of getting people throgh the doors of his shops. Mostly they end up going to a SD store because its the only one left in town, or they buy online because SD is the only supplier of what they want to buy.

My guess is, of course, no better than anybody else's. I think I made it clear that I was expressing an opinion and it can only be that, because (as you say) no one can quantify the effect that a piece of general, non targetted advertising has on an existing brand. I happen to think that Ashley's involvement with NUFC has played no part in the undoubted success of SD in recent years. IMO the success has been to do with him eliminating competitors and buying up brands so that he is pretty much the only major player left in his marketplace.

I actually think Ashley's involvement with NUFC has done very little to add anything to the Sports Direct brand. If anything it has a negative effect, most people you talk to about the club think he's a bit of dick and that what he has done to our stadium is brainless. It seems unlikely that its led to more punters going to his shops. Clearly the advertising space at SJP has some monetary value but its limited imo. Why do you think he bought us then? Or why hasn't he sold us? It can't be keeping the club because it's a gas and he's having loads of fun.... What his original motive was has been widely debated. Theories include his intention being to "flip" it, to use it to promote the SD brand and showing off to mates like Paul Kemsley. Maybe at different points in time it has been all three of those. I just don't think the promotion of the SD brand bit of it has been effective.

I actually think Ashley's involvement with NUFC has done very little to add anything to the Sports Direct brand. If anything it has a negative effect, most people you talk to about the club think he's a bit of a dick and that what he has done to our stadium is brainless. It seems unlikely that its led to more punters going to his shops. Clearly the advertising space at SJP has some monetary value but its limited imo.

No debate that he has taken free advertising for Sports Direct, but how do you arrive at a value for the advertising of more than £250 million? It was some financial expert from Goldman Sachs that was on Talksport about 3-4 months ago talking about footballing finances. He was on about how well Ashley had done purely from a business point of view and how the growth of SD and his own current wealth was rising in a tough time for most other large businesses. All of that is true but is unrelated to the valuation of the advertising at SJP. Lets assume he's had the advertising up for 5 years (Im not sure it has been there that long but anyway) for the value to be more than £250 million that represents £50 million a year. So on that logic the club could earn an additional £50 million a year by letting paying advertisers use that space? Interesting....

No debate that he has taken free advertising for Sports Direct, but how do you arrive at a value for the advertising of more than £250 million?

I thought it was insane to let Perch go at the time, but with hindsight I suppose they had earmarked Dummett as the new Perchinho.

Right now this has the makings of being one hell of a Premier League season. Nothing can be taken for granted.

Even when he has played utter crap for us I have always been impressed with his temperament. He doesn't seem to get phased by anything much. I remember him winning a penalty against the Arse in the famous 4-4, he just walked out of their penalty area back into our half of the pitch with zero emotion. He bosses the line when needed and gets on with his job. That approach doesn't always look good when we are being humped mind, but it's verging on cool when we do well. Would love to see him get his forehead in the right place at one of our set penises, score a goal, and celebrate with a shrug, a clearing of his left nostril and a slow stroll back to our penalty area. I'm not holding my breath on that one though.

£180,000. Residual value

To be fair to Williamson he does always look for a short pass and when he has the ball someone will normally get very close to him to let him do that. Its only when that is closed that he considers the "launch it" option, he knows he can't really play it out so doesn't try.

Don't know what he's earning per week at Chelsea but would we match it? Think we may have the same issue with Remy if we look to sign him permanantly, I would think QPR are still picking up a chunk of his wages whilst he's here on loan.

It can't be mostly that, some have a price freeze which isn't a total freeze as we pay for membership and that hasn't only been added and left at the same price, it's been increased. This isn't exactly the same time period as mentioned in The Mag article but it's close and the prices are increased if you aren't locked in with a 10 year deal. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/8311482/Newcastle-United-owner-Mike-Ashley-sanctions-ten-year-freeze-on-season-ticket-prices.html 2001-02 2008-09 2011-12 Adult Junior Adult Junior Adult Junior The Gallowgate Stand £392 £241 £543 £277 £558 £272 Family Area £299 £125 £330 £110 £345 £100 Not quite sure why I did this but anyway...... In 2006/2007 we had a total attendance of 1,222,716 at all league and cup home games. Matchday revenue was £33.6 million. In 2011/2012 we had a total attendance of 979,653 at all league and cup home games. Matchday revenue was £23.9 million. NB. We had 8 more home matches in 2006/2007 due to UEFA and League cup matches. The average matchday revenue per spectator in 2006/2007 was £27.48 and in 2011/2012 it was £24.40. So whilst season ticket prices have not gone down the average amount paid per spectator has. Obviously there are some distorting factors in there, such as the cup games that are not covered by season tickets and how they were priced, but I can't be arsed to go into that

Cheaper tickets, surely. Must be mostly that. We did have a UEFA run in the 2006/2007 season, and didn't in 2011/2012 but that's only going to explain a minor part of it. Generally matchday income has been lower under Ashley, I haven't checked this out but I'd be surprised if there has been a drop in attendance of the size that would explain that sort of fall in revenue. So I think it can only be down to those that do go to matches paying less to do so. Anyone got any other theories?

He's a liability right now, gives us nothing. If we'd have had a mobile, physical striker who had some sort of presence even when not scoring goals I honestly think we'd be well placed in the league by now instead of mid tableing it.

He comes from a chairman not too dissimilar from Ashley. Not sure about that. Kenwright hasn't got much money and tries to do his best for Everton. Compare and contrast...... Think he means whelan Ah ok, thanks mate. Don't understand the relevance of Whelan to what Martinez says these days but what the hell.

He comes from a chairman not too dissimilar from Ashley. Not sure about that. Kenwright hasn't got much money and tries to do his best for Everton. Compare and contrast......