Eddy Chibas

I heard that Ashley's PR machine, and his goon squad, were serving glasses of Kool-Aid and sandwiches brushed with fecal paste just the other day. That post confirms the rumor. Edit: and his goon squad at Sky

Reckon Ashley would have delivered that news (to the manager with a personal stake in this takeover) with a hint of satisfaction.

His biggest failing was never putting a proper professional management coaching/player scouting structure in place. His never ending reliance on clowns and deadbeats and in the case of some just conmen. He employs those people across the board, presumably because he's all of those traits himself. Ashley was well known for his fake closing down sales, during Shitdirect's infancy, to crush local independent stores. Serial conman attracting likeminded dealers (to Sports Direct United). No surprise.

Hypothetical musing, based on a worse case scenario ie. points penalty (lets say 10 points). Listed point tally, taking into account a penalty and which ever season it effects is levelled off against the actual tally based purely on results. If a ten point penalty cancels out the results based tally, dropping the club into bottom three and the next division....... then Ashley cops the full brunt of the relegation clause.

300m upfront (eliminating the financial risk attributed to relegation, and any penalties associated with HRMC.... also factoring in the FA, if they wish to set a precedent) with the remaining 50m payable upon Champions League qualification would be interesting also.

Binding the HMRC investigation to the clauses, therefore holding Ashley accountable beyond the completion of the season (if relegation is avoided), is entirely justified. They need to cover their arse, beyond the current campaign, depending how serious the investigation becomes. My reading, Ashley is attempting to skip town, free from any liability (as a result of the club's alleged practices, under his watch). The guy has some cheek. I'd say the Champions League clause was the only one which remotely interested him. A $50m backslap for him if the club fulfilled it's potential, a position which Ashley has no interest in attaining. It's a nice pay-off to receive, off the back of your successor's hard work (and future investment into a rundown asset).

This was raised by TheTimeWaster, so it will most likely be lost in a fast moving thread which has been flooded with anger which is 100% justafied. The basic summary of TimeWaster's post, with added context. I've felt this way for quite some time, donned the tin hat and expressed it before. *The current status quo is a dream scenario, for MA. Merely exist with no ambition, ShitDirect occupies pride of place at a rundown but nonetheless a boutique address, 50k (40k in the Championship, where NUFC is the box office attraction so SD still retains some visibility, during a hiatus year from the Prem) roll up every week and shovel their coin into the club's coffers. He must be pissing himself laughing. *Tumble down a couple of divisions, mass boycott (which is extended for the remainder of his ownership). 20k'ish attendance, hopefully less. *This is the end game, to get rid of Ashley, if the PCP bid is doomed. Providing this shitshow (if it falls through) the popular notion, based on conventional business wisdom, is that the club is really only saleable while it merely exists in PL as a non-competitive entity. We are viewing that scenario pan out - the optimal time to sell, genuine buyer apparently have conducted business in good faith. So far it's a wreck because of Mike Ashley's questionable ethics. They, meaning Stavely/PCP, have done all they can imo to push this deal over the line - fair offers have been lodged, all have been ignored. Under the current status quo the guy is nigh on impossible to deal with. Back-to-back relegations (where his s*** tat brand will have no visibility, empty husk of a stadium) is unchartered water for him. Sports Direct United aka the advertising space for his dearly beloved baby (ShitDirect) is affected, at an unprecedented level. League revenue & matchday revenue is reduced to a trickle, parachute payments don't travel so far because they are no longer recycled or reset (owners of Yo-Yo outfits, hoping to milk the system, are no longer rewarded). Tbh when it comes to the Scorched Earth scenario, under the proviso this all falls through, I would like to see the dice rolled and how things pan out if Ashley is thrown into unsailed & sharky waters and he becomes desperate. Ashley is an unorthodox & volatile operator. An extreme situation may be required eliminate the virus.

I think Staveley has too much to lose (her business reputation, as a wheeler & dealer) by throwing around bids from La La Land without providing any proof of funds. Should have purchased corporate box tickets too lol. Buying a corporate box first (borrowing another cunt's line, from a years back) to show Ashley that they're serious, is akin to rolling up to brothel and paying a viewing fee first (to assess the goods on offer) and that fee is non-refundable.

Inclined to believe her side of the story, purely based on Ashley's prior form. I think this shitshow (if it falls through) severely damages the notion that the best chance to shift Ashley is when the club is just existing in the top flight. They, meaning Stavely/PCP, have done all they can imo - 350m in installments, and he knocked it back. Under the current status quo the guy is almost impossible to deal with. Agree with TimeWaster's scorched earth stance, on the previous page. Back-to-back relegations (where his s*** tat brand will have no visibility, empty husk of a stadium) is unchartered territory for him. Would like to see the dice rolled.

I don't mind it either. He's been given a free ride, a compassionate and listening ear by his buddies in the press for way too long. There was the "grassy knoll bidder' tactic, to try and bluff Stavely into raising their probable view & valuation that the club is a renovator's delight (a mansion gutted by the current owner) which is at odds with Ashley's set figure based on what he wants as a walk-away profit & the club's commercial potential. And then chucking his toys out of the pram, in a huff. I think he & Bishop have played games, so it's satisfying to see her punch back through a reputable outlet and a reporter with the credentials to match (unlike his goon squad at Sky).

He certainly is Aye hopes still there, but Ashley, his natural nasty streak will kill this bid i fear. From Dave Whelan (who slighted Ashley, mistaking him for hired help) to NUFC supporters, he seems to relish going to battle with & going above and beyond to shit all over his foes. So yeah, the nasty vindictive streak of his id an obstacle imo. As an aside point, as a bonus of being profitable (and an offshoot of Sports Direct). I truly believe he relishes being regarded The Man who has effectively trampled all over a city's crown jewel, at least as a competitive sporting entity.

I'll be wearing a shirt, with "The Dynasty: 2007-2017 January Spreadsheet Champions" on it, with pride. Gallowgate Flags should run with something like that, complete with the 30m (profit) figure.

Would like to view how our academy's budget compares with other Category 1 academies - particularly if the club is merely coughing up the bare mininum, in order to meet the standards (to retain Cat 1 status) set in the charter. I think there was a cash injection after we were knocked back when the grading system was introduced (in 2011?). Just wonder if our expenditure has stagnated in comparison with other similarly graded clubs, after securing Cat 1 at the second attempt, and by how much.

Ashley was never going to be backed into a corner, and accept any liability for having run an asset into the ground (rejecting the relegation clause), whilst commanding top dollar for it. The apparent collapse of the sale doesn't surprise me, business as usual. I hope Ashley's Newcastle United tumbles down the divisions - scorched earth mentality I have, when it comes to this PL marketing branch of Sports Direct.

Ashley likes to gamble . He may think its a gamble worth taking . If we stay up he wins . Money in the bank a new t.v deal. The club may then be worth more money in the summer . He may be a c*** but not so sure he's stupid. TV money (from the current season) is paid into club bank accounts, in monthly instalments..... or there's another bulk payment towards the end of the season? Not sure what the exact payment structure is. So any potential sale drawn out another few months, due to Ashley rolling the dice on the club's future, means he could theoretically skim from those payments and service more of the debt owed to himself and inflate his profit made from a sale (if he sticks to the mooted 350m? price, *or suddenly shifts the goalposts and increases it in the event of surviving the drop). *something I wouldn't put past Ashley.

I think Guardiola will make a move for Salah, in the Summer. Adds to his plethora of attacking options, but it's a Guardiola thing to do ie. armed with an open cheque book, kill off any momentum being built by an emerging rival.

The Man Citeh fan I know (the one who adopted them as his team, at the age of 20) was crowing on about, or hoping this is the game which eliminates the current advantage we have over the bottom 3 (goal difference). He's predicted 6-0. I told him that I hope to see the day when he kicks more holes in his bedroom wall (which he has done before when playing Fifa Online), if Sheikh Mansour sells up.

...... and I hope we never again achieve promotion, if Ashley is still here beyond the Summer (in the event of a relegation).

Half expect to read about a transfer rumour, and the possibility of Ashley cashing in, every time this lad's thread is bumped.

Just imagine Mike on the phone to Charnley who informs the groundsman tomorrow to cut the logo into the grass. Nice one. "You guys (the fans/supporters) don't understand how fucking horrible we can be" Derek Llambias

Barton's stance was understandable, and that of the team's leadership. Last thing they, and there wasn't exactly a pro-Ashley/front office sentiment (ie. always clashes over bonuses and such), would have wanted was a rat or mole in the lockeroom relaying info and chatter, a rat with a tongue attached to Mike Ashley's arse.

"Legality and complexity" (i.e. bickering over specific contract terms) is the majority of the work in any M&A project. The actual valuation/bickering over price stuff doesn't take as long as you'd think. I don’t doubt it. The point is never has it been reported that a price had been agreed in principle and we all know how Ashley operates. He’s not a rational, professional human being who can be trusted to behave in a predictable fashion. He’s previously stood up potential buyers after flying over to the middle east to meet them. I genuinely believe it’s more about how any deal makes him feel powerful and like he’s “won” than even strictly a magic number he has in mind as a minimum price he can agree to. People have focused mainly on there being an apparantly eager buyer who could transform the coub’s fortunes rather than on the man child at the other side of the table who’s just out to push people around at his behest like he always does. I for one wouldn’t be at all surprised if Ashley calls this off out of the blue if PCP don’t bend over backwards far enough to accomodate his idiocies. This rationale, and breakdown of Ashley, is why I don't pay much attention to posts & articles which adopt a conventional business wisdom approach when theorizing why a deal will be done at such-n-such a time etc etc (because it makes the most business sense for MA, as a seller).

Marcus Tavanier sure dodged a bullet, when Boro's academy took over his development (after he was released by us). Now big clubs are circling, apparently. Being released by us at an early age was some stroke of luck for him.

I remember reading that Iheanacho picked up a knock in the pre-season - his debut I think. And there was a lingering issue with his toe, on the back of that knock. Fitness-wise, sounds like he's been behind the 8 ball.

...... and to think that if it wasn't for a 'fortunate' toe injury (Obertan - broken toe) Ben Arfa, aka arguably the most talented Frenchman of his generation who criticised The King's football philosophy, would never have got a chance under Pardoo in the first place.