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[Adam]

Rise in season ticket prices is a fucking joke like.

[Colocho]

Rise in season ticket prices is a f***ing joke like.

 

Why? Everything else is increasing in price.

[Guest Heneage]

But its business sense "Luxuries" tend not to.

[Adam]

Rise in season ticket prices is a f***ing joke like.

 

Why? Everything else is increasing in price.

 

28% rise don't think so.

[Dokko]

Not really, no. Why would he work so hard to repair the inner workings of the club just to sell it to someone who may not share the same views as him? I mean, if he bought the club, paid off the debt and then sat on his ass, I'd be as concerned as you. I think he's working towards imitating the way things work over at Arsenal.

 

So hard? What's so hard about the work he's put in to this club since joining?

 

Really?

 

Since he's came in all he's done is employ asset strippers to survey the club, get the stupid debts off its back and try and make it self sufficient. One, it's one step further down the strip that we need. Two, it's showed no ambition to want to change things on the pitch. Three: The club is being gutted out ready to sell like you would with any cheap property; buy and sell, and why not? He didn't make 2bn by just thinking these things.

 

You are saying he's not sat on his arse? I really cannot see what he's done which gives him the kind of merit and blind stupid hope some think he is going to achieve from the very little he's doing. It's incredible. He's doing, or his team what 99.9% of the people on this board would think of doing if they were in the same situation, only do we believe he's living in? Or is his intentions are to sell? I don't see expensive carpets laying down, for me so far this is a refit and sell on job.

 

 

, 

[ShearMagic]

So we've been impressed with the way the club has been run in the past have we?

[Guest Sez]

http://www.ebondi.com.au/starwars/sounds/lack_of_faith.wav

[Mike]

Not really, no. Why would he work so hard to repair the inner workings of the club just to sell it to someone who may not share the same views as him? I mean, if he bought the club, paid off the debt and then sat on his ass, I'd be as concerned as you. I think he's working towards imitating the way things work over at Arsenal.

 

So hard? What's so hard about the work he's put in to this club since joining?

 

Really?

 

Since he's came in all he's done is employ asset strippers to survey the club, get the stupid debts off its back and try and make it self sufficient. One, it's one step further down the strip that we need. Two, it's showed no ambition to want to change things on the pitch. Three: The club is being gutted out ready to sell like you would with any cheap property; buy and sell, and why not? He didn't make 2bn by just thinking these things.

 

You are saying he's not sat on his arse? I really cannot see what he's done which gives him the kind of merit and blind stupid hope some think he is going to achieve from the very little he's doing. It's incredible. He's doing, or his team what 99.9% of the people on this board would think of doing if they were in the same situation, only do we believe he's living in? Or is his intentions are to sell? I don't see expensive carpets laying down, for me so far this is a refit and sell on job.

 

 

, 

 

TT, correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't he been the owner for less than a year? Isn't it his first position within football? Didn't he hire experienced people to help him along as he learned the way the game works? What more could he have done in the last 11(?) months?

[Syrette]

Don't know why some people are afraid to show even the merest hint of optimism.

[mrmojorisin75]

doesn't a lot depend on targets here?  both with ashley and people's expectations for the transfer window?

 

if ashleys target is europe next season he's not (so far) doing anything to suggest we'll have a team capable of acheiving that target

 

if his target is to be back in europe within the next 2-3 seasons after quietly and steadily building a better squad then we can't possibly know how that will pan out right now

 

we don't know the extent or pace of his ambition because he's not publicly declaring it and that leads to uncertainty, seen by some as negativity, about transfers &  the squad

 

personally i reckon the latter is more likely his target and we'll see a modest spend again(*), can't say i won't be disappointed by that but if in a couple of years time we've a team that can genuinely compete and could stay together for a few years then none of us will be complaining

 

must be said the worst thing that we could do right now would be to spend, say, 25m on 2 players as that is not what the squad needs imo...same as when we blew that cash on luque and owen when we really should have spent more wisely in more positions that we needed to cover

 

*has to be said there must be some merit in the theory of him keeping the costs/spend down in case a buyer comes along with silly money but i don't think people should read too much into it all; it makes sense to improve our wages/turnover ratio 'cause we've not been getting value for money and it makes sense to restructure the club internally too as that can't be said to have worked 100% either over the years...the fact that doing this might make the club more attractive to buyers in the future should be neither here nor there

[bealios]

My thoughts on this, based upon pure speculation and a few words with people who know his family reasonably well are:

 

1. His decision to buy the club was made very quickly from initial thoughts to completion of the commitment to the Halls. The investigation into the club finances and other matters was very basic.

 

2. The "poison pill" left by Freddie i.e. if there is a change in control then a large slice of the debt became immediately repayable, only properly came to light after he purchased - this meant a massive outlay of cash immediately which one might assume curtailed short term spending plans on players in particular.

 

3. It quickly became apparent that the club was a shambles - everything was based upon short termism, deperately trying to get back in to the Champions League slots - anyone who can remember even 3 years ago where Freddie was saying that goal had to be Top 4 - even though it was abundantly clear to all that we have dropped so far behind Liverpool and Chelsea that it was a stupid statement. This was the Leeds type scenario and I'd hate to think what would have happened if it had continued any longer.

 

4. Regardless of whether the club is sold or not it needed to be revamped from top to bottom. Ashley is rumoured to have told friends (perhaps half jokingly) that the only way to achieve that properly would be to get relegated and come back up. He's probably right - this would have cleared out the overpaid hangers on, and with parachute payments etc. wouldn't have dented the clubs finances too much.

 

5. Ashley and Mort have started this process, and the focus of the club is less short term and there is investment in the future of the club.

 

I don't mind who own the club (within reason), as long as it is being run properly in a way that might in the future lead to success. All those who talk about Ashley's ambition should do so cautiously- there is no doubt Freddie had ambition - he wanted a regular Champions League slot and offered stupid salaries and transfer fees to achieve it, and in the end it could have damaged to club just like it did to Leeds.

[BlueStar]

Rise in season ticket prices is a fucking joke like.

 

I thought being able to essentially keep it at the same price for four years running was a pretty cracking deal to be honest.

[bealios]

Rise in season ticket prices is a fucking joke like.

 

I thought being able to essentially keep it at the same price for four years running was a pretty cracking deal to be honest.

I might be wrong but haven't the tickets hardly risen at all in the last 3 years before that either? I'm pretty sure that my ticket (which cost about £580 this year using the 3 year deal) has been no less than £550 since the Bobby Robson days.

 

Try speaking to mates who support other clubs and go to matches - they think we get a pretty good deal.

[9]

Yeah i wish Shepherd was still in charge, we would have a price freeze on season tickets, yes we may have been in the championship and in administration but the saving of 60 odd quid on a ST would have been well worth that...

 

Ashley has done nothing but good for this club and if he was to sell up today he will have left us in a much stronger position off the field, he simply has not had a realistic amount of time to change things on the pitch dramatically.

[KaKa]

There are basically just a bunch of Chelsea groupies on here who think they support Newcastle. They just want someone to come in and start throwing absurd amounts of money around like a madman.

 

Personally I find the Chelsea model repulsive and I more than happy with what I have seen done so far and I see no sense in getting upset when we are basically at the start of summer and the new owner has done absolutely nothing wrong.

 

People are always gushing with admiration for Everton who are consistently finishing 5th nowadays, but who has spent less money than them!!! The only big money signing they have had recently is Yakubu and this was just last summer. If we had bought a Lescott, Jagielka or Phil Neville, idiots would have been moaning about not enough ambition being shown and never getting into Europe and all that crap. Well guess what Everton have been kicking our arses now for a good while and these are the sorts they have been bringing in.

 

People need to grow up and just think about things logically for once, they really do.

[mrmojorisin75]

There are basically just a bunch of Chelsea groupies on here who think they support Newcastle. They just want someone to come in and start throwing absurd amounts of money around like a madman.

 

Personally I find the Chelsea model repulsive and I more than happy with what I have seen done so far and I see no sense in getting upset when we are basically at the start of summer and the new owner has done absolutely nothing wrong.

 

People are always gushing with admiration for Everton who are consistently finishing 5th nowadays, but who has spent less money than them!!! The only big money signing they have had recently is Yakubu and this was just last summer. If we had bought a Lescott, Jagielka or Phil Neville, idiots would have been moaning about not enough ambition being shown and never getting into Europe and all that crap. Well guess what Everton have been kicking our arses now for a good while and these are the sorts they have been bringing in.

 

People need to grow up and just think about things logically for once, they really do.

 

and how do you feel about the current man u model that was employed to regain their title from chelski and hold onto it?

 

is that repulsive?

[KaKa]

There are basically just a bunch of Chelsea groupies on here who think they support Newcastle. They just want someone to come in and start throwing absurd amounts of money around like a madman.

 

Personally I find the Chelsea model repulsive and I more than happy with what I have seen done so far and I see no sense in getting upset when we are basically at the start of summer and the new owner has done absolutely nothing wrong.

 

People are always gushing with admiration for Everton who are consistently finishing 5th nowadays, but who has spent less money than them!!! The only big money signing they have had recently is Yakubu and this was just last summer. If we had bought a Lescott, Jagielka or Phil Neville, idiots would have been moaning about not enough ambition being shown and never getting into Europe and all that crap. Well guess what Everton have been kicking our arses now for a good while and these are the sorts they have been bringing in.

 

People need to grow up and just think about things logically for once, they really do.

 

and how do you feel about the current man u model that was employed to regain their title from chelski and hold onto it?

 

is that repulsive?

 

Man U's success and revenue has been built up over time. They have consistently been in ithe Champions league and at the top of the table for a good while now and are enjoying the benefits of this. I have no problem with their spending which is still only a fraction of Chelsea's. Not to mention Man United's initial success was all built off of mostly their youngsters who cost them nought. When we are in the champions league year in year out then we can start spending like those guys.

 

Way to completely miss the point by the way. Why don't you comment on what I had to say about Everton then?

[mrmojorisin75]

There are basically just a bunch of Chelsea groupies on here who think they support Newcastle. They just want someone to come in and start throwing absurd amounts of money around like a madman.

 

Personally I find the Chelsea model repulsive and I more than happy with what I have seen done so far and I see no sense in getting upset when we are basically at the start of summer and the new owner has done absolutely nothing wrong.

 

People are always gushing with admiration for Everton who are consistently finishing 5th nowadays, but who has spent less money than them!!! The only big money signing they have had recently is Yakubu and this was just last summer. If we had bought a Lescott, Jagielka or Phil Neville, idiots would have been moaning about not enough ambition being shown and never getting into Europe and all that crap. Well guess what Everton have been kicking our arses now for a good while and these are the sorts they have been bringing in.

 

People need to grow up and just think about things logically for once, they really do.

 

and how do you feel about the current man u model that was employed to regain their title from chelski and hold onto it?

 

is that repulsive?

 

Man U's success and revenue has been built up over time. They have consistently been in ithe Champions league and at the top of the table for a good while now and are enjoying the benefits of this. I have no problem with their spending which is still only a fraction of Chelsea's. Not to mention Man United's initial success was all built off of mostly their youngsters who cost them nought. When we are in the champions league year in year out then we can start spending like those guys.

 

Way to completely miss the point by the way. Why don't you comment on what I had to say about Everton then?

 

i didn't miss any point, i just chose to ask you a question mate

 

i agree with what you say about everton really so i never thought the need to comment - read my earlier post about ambition...we need to build a team like everton have done, then once that team is built and we have a balanced squad with a bit of depth i'd like to think we could make another step and push on with bigger and better signings than they are at the moment, now is not the time for us to be chasing ronaldinhos and so on

 

i'd check your sums about chelski vs man u spending mind, to say man u's is a fraction of chelski is pretty far wide of the mark imo...when i was watching them last season i could virtually count 100m worth of bought players at any time...as for their money they've pioneered the financial exploitation of fans around the world and are owned by american moneymen now, lots to admire there

[Taylor Swift]

Don't know why some people are afraid to show even the merest hint of optimism.

 

Dude, coming from you

[junkhead]

I understand people are perfectly entitled to their opinions and concerns, but one must have faith.. personally I know that Ashley has long term plans for the club and Keegan wants what's best for the team.. and that's enough for me to have faith in the way they run the club.

fair enough, I don't have an idea how our staff setup works, nor do I particularly like Wise, but I choose not to buy into the media bullshit, because i don't give a flying fuck about transfer windows, agents, premier league stars and all that fake shit.. if i wanted the off-field action fetish i would've joined the spurs' itk brigade

[Guest optimistic nit]

Your impatience is embarrassing.

 

im pretty sure that last season we signed enrique, beye and faye only a few days after tsunami made an identical thread.

tsunami just has a biased grudge against ashley, its been obvious since day one, and even when ashley did half the things he was complaining about, he still just ignored it and shelved his agenda until a time when he can use it again without looking an idiot.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I don't see any reason, apart from press bullshit, for all of this Ashley-hating that has suddenly sprung up. Of course he would sell for 450 million, anyone with half a brain would cash in a 150m profit in a year. But the reviews and changes he has put in place so far suggest nothing but a long-term view.

 

I don't think we can even judge him after this transfer window TBH. Maybe after 3 or so we will have enough to make a call.

[Guest shaun11177]

Surely all the supporters are asking for next season is a squad that can compete with Everton, i dont think that is too much to ask for.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Surely all the supporters are asking for next season is a squad that can compete with Everton, i dont think that is too much to ask for.

 

I'm not so sure, remember Everton have had a couple of years of solid building whereas we've had a couple of years of terminal decline, turmoil and near relegation.

[bealios]

Surely all the supporters are asking for next season is a squad that can compete with Everton, i dont think that is too much to ask for.

Even that is over-optimistic. What other team that has finished in the bottom half for 3 out of the last 4 years and flirted with relegation last year can say that its BASIC expectation is to challenge for fifth the following year?

 

Given the restructuring that is going on in all areas, I would think progress has been made if we get a top 10 finish, but do it in the manner of blooding new/young players to the premier league and building a team, so that in the years to follow that top 10 finish can become a top 6 and so on.