maze

I hear you. On the other hand, as mentioned in a few threads, the most important thing for Mike Ashley is Sports Direct and seiling kits. Local fans, and 'stereotypical' Toon fans, are actually important and free advertising 'vehicles' for marketing SD. If most people stopped buying the kits, stopped wearing the kits, that might have an indirect negative effect on Ashley's goals. I don't buy into the 'show support and love for the club' because the club is more like an ill-runned investment, and Ashley is showing you all that he does not care the slightest about anything else than money. Agree to an extent, but it's symptomatic of the problem I suppose, FWIW I'm not hammering people for going to the game. But I feel like buying that abomination of a shirt is not conducive to showing Ashley anything in regards to the negative feeling towards him. Each to their own of course Yeah. I guess what I'm trying to say is: the fans need to find an effective way to riot in order to force him out.If that includes boycotting and not buying/wearing kits - I don't know.

I hear you. On the other hand, as mentioned in a few threads, the most important thing for Mike Ashley is Sports Direct and seiling kits. Local fans, and 'stereotypical' Toon fans, are actually important and free advertising 'vehicles' for marketing SD. If most people stopped buying the kits, stopped wearing the kits, that might have an indirect negative effect on Ashley's goals. I don't buy into the 'show support and love for the club' because the club is more like an ill-runned investment, and Ashley is showing you all that he does not care the slightest about anything else than money.

I know. I just typed "Alan Pardew Palace" into google. I'm not on twitter so I don't know what's been said there!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/crystal-palace-news-ian-holloway-2218241

Some of you guys talks as if Newcastle is guaranteed to stay in the EPL, or even guaranteed to get promoted the next year post relegation... So those £20 million figures or something you talk about are only valid under certain circumstances - circumstances which are well on their way to disappear as they are in the hands of a clueless Kinnear, leading an even more clueless Pardew' who's trying his hardest to convince 11 players to stand up for a regime that's at best decribed as <insert fitting words> …

Yes please. His goals will keep this club up.

I think it's a trust problem. When Ashley has left people to their own devices it's come back to bite him in the arse in some way. - Allows Allardyce to sign players he wants, ends up stuck with utter rubbish on high wages - Lets Chris Mort set up a "system", ends up with the manager quitting (rightly) with the others in the system completely despised by the fans and s*** at their jobs - Gets Llambias to run the club, despised by the fans, extremely hesitant in the transfer market to the point that Ashley apparently has to step in to push through purchases in January, fails completely to increase non-football revenues & signs a sponsorship contract that pisses off everyone I don't know if Pardew was Ashley's mate before getting the job or Llambias' mate. If it was the latter then it's another reason that Ashley might not trust people to do their jobs, if it's the former then it's probably why he's still here despite being demonstrably out of his depth. For some bizarre reason it looks like he trusts JFK hence why he keeps turning to him despite him being a lunatic. Ultimately Ashley's either going to have to bite the bullet and find someone to run the club that he doesn't know and initially trust but who can actually do the job and who knows how football works or he's going to have to be a lot more hands-on in running the club. I think you're very close to the mark. Generally in his business dealings he works with people who he has known from the very start, or has known over time and promoted. It's clearly a fkn nightmare getting people in he feels comfortable with, and then when he does they turn out to have gained his trust by basically bullshitting just how good they are in a field he knows practically sod all about. I saw Sir John Hall on TV the other day for the unveiling of the gates & thought he's exactly what the club needs at this point, Ashley should beg him to come in and run things, then I realised that Ashley hates him and Shepherd for not disclosing some of the debts that needed to be repaid when the club was sold, etc. It doesn't matter if you get the right people to run the club, when the owner is a prick who's not commited in supporting them.The only solution is for Ashley to dell the club to someone else. Don't fool yourself into thinking otherwise.

Glad I'm not the only one baffled. As much as I love the football club, and genuinely feel like it's a huge part of my life, I can't help but to feel a sense of apathy. Like many of you, I don't watch the games. I check the end result, and I'm always expecting the worst.I am at the point where I almost can't be arsed checking the 'rumours thread', and if I do, it is only to get a laugh at who Newcastle are linked with. If anything, Newcastle has gone backwards since Ashley bought the club. Never in my life have I felt so distanced from the club, and really come in touch with how the club is really just an investment for one person, rather than a club for the people and the supporters. And in that business sense - the only language Mike Ashley understands - I wish it all just goes straight to hell. I absolutely just wish him the worst. I do. I am not going to elaborate that last part. The club is just rotten from top to bottom. The way you witness Newcastle don't have players willing to bleed for the club, wanting to perform their best. It just baffles me how Newcastle has gone from something to nothing. Especially when I consider my 'life span' as a supporter. Coming in with Shearer's transfer from Blackburn till today. It's such a huge contrast. Considering all this, I just wish the majority of the fans took a stand... 'enough is enough'... I know a lot of you have season ticket, and that there is just 'something' that makes you stick up with this shit. Mike Ashley has given in to pressure before, when he tried to offload the club, why not turn the protests and the turmoil up a notch or ten. Do whatever you can to force him out and look like a dick in public - let them play for empty seats at home. Bet that would given him some very negative publicity.

So did Hicks and Gillett, they were still forced out by fan pressure. Then why arent the fans putting more pressure on Ashley to leave? You got nothing to lose, do you? It can't possibly get any worse than this,ey? Relegation you say.... Been there before. I'd say make Ashley's life as miserable as possible. At this point, he is the one in danger of loosing the most. The club is well lost anyway... I agree and if your a season ticket holder shoot the b****** down and it gets the press sniffing and it snowballs,if we get relegated so what we will come back from it .We have nothing too lose here and the devil we know is worse than the devil we dont this time. Honestly, I'm just curious as to why there hasn't been some greater turmoil and protests to what's going on? The Liverpool fans contributed a great deal to force out the previous owners. From what I've read (in my SBR book and on here) the geordie people are VERY proud and passionate about the city and the club?

So did Hicks and Gillett, they were still forced out by fan pressure. Then why arent the fans putting more pressure on Ashley to leave? You got nothing to lose, do you? It can't possibly get any worse than this,ey? Relegation you say.... Been there before. I'd say make Ashley's life as miserable as possible. At this point, he is the one in danger of loosing the most. The club is well lost anyway...

Bit early ( ) But I think Newcastle will get relegated this season.

Hughton seemed willing enough, I'd rather have him. I'm very happy for Hughton that he got the job at Norwich, and seems to have done some very good transfer deals this summer. Just goes on to prove that with the right setup, and trust, one of the managers Newcastle once had, have the ability to build something decent/good. Which of course will never be the case under Ashley's regime. Also, Hughton had the ability to raise some much needed togetherness and fighting spirit amongst the squad members - something Pardew fails utterly at achieving. Then again, we had Nolan, Barton and Carroll which stood up and fought when we needed them the most. Their football may not have been the prettiest to watch, but I feel they could be relied upon as opposed to some of the players we have today.

Actually, a very good article. And your comment suggest Ashley has done exactly that, lowered your expectation to a non-exsistent level. I get the point you are trying to make. Clearly, Newcastle do not have a filthy-rich sheik owner. I'm not sure what we got actually... Mike Ashley may be a billionaire on paper, but he sure as hell has nothing to do in Premier League.

£10million for Cabaye ......

Please.Be.True.

This owner He's got nothing to do anywhere near an EPL club.

http://images.scribblelive.com/2013/8/9/6f0c43aa-adad-4845-8ff4-3eb2defaee40_300.jpg

Bring back Demba Ba!

Joke In Ear.

That's the way to handle your investment, Ashley! Wahey And I thought last season was bad... hah!

28!?OMG! SELL SELL SELL!

He's had a poor season, yes. But it would be totally madness to sell him. I'd only sell him if the other option was going bankrupt - which it is not. In an ideal world, selling a member of the first team squad would involve an immediate replacement (and hopefully an improvement). However, everybody knows Ashley and co, they still haven't replaced Best and Lovenkrands, nevermind Demba Ba. You can say what you want.... but it is hurting to see Demba Ba not being used as a first team player at Chelsea, when you know how much he meant to Newcastle.

I'd never sell Cissé. Then again, I never trust Mike Ashley & co. I'd like us to become a top 5 side playing attractive football. Then again, Mike Ashley & co is happy with just avoiding relegation.

Ince can play on the left, centre and right, although i wouldn't really like to see him through the middle myself but he has played there. http://ballsdot.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/gallery/mickmccarthy/mick-mccarthy.gif