Was discussing this yesterday with a mate. If he does go, which i hope he does. I worry that Ashley will only bring in another Pardew type 'yes' man, who hasn't got the stones to stand up to the owner when required for the sake of the team/club. I couldnt see Ashley employing anybody who would ever try to undermine him/criticise his regime. The football could improve massively with the players we have currently (obviously), but i cant see us ever being much better than an upper-mid table team while Ashley is the owner.
What i am hoping is that Ashley doesn't want to invest heavily in the squad because he is just ticking over, until somebody makes him an acceptable offer for the club. There is simply no way he can enjoy being our owner, knowing that he is universally hated from the fans, so hopefully something will change in the future.