Mike Ashley confirms he wants to sell NUFC - see OP for full statement

[NJS]

Where the fuck is this 'Keegan obviously wanted unrealistic transfers' stuff coming from?

 

Are you people really trying to convince anyone that Keegan didn't discuss spending plans and budgets with Ashley before accepting the job in the first place? He knew what the spending plans were ffs.

 

At no time in this stay did Keegan ever give any hint that he didn't know that the budget was small/reasonable and he seemed pretty happy saying that.

 

All we have is one planted shit-stirring article from someone around the board.

 

 

[dilligaf]

Too little too late imo, as has been said why not say this months ago? dennis wise over Keegan why? if he was prepared to put 20 mil in for transfer why didnt he let Keegan have that 20mil to get who he wants and still get the players who we got as the money for them was from sales.

He says hes gonna sell does that mean he just wants to get his money back and move on for the sake of the club or does it mean he wants to make a huge profit? which could mean it could take years.

 

[bobbydazzla]

No matter what people think of him, its incredibly sad that he had security fears for him and his family if he turned up to the match, talking about the possibility of being assaulted.

 

Think the bloke had the right idea's, with scouting young players and bringing them through. Shame it hasnt worked out.

 

Best of luck mate, and cheers for the effort.

 

the security thing is shite. he's a football club chairman, fan hostility is in the job description.

[Kasper]

The fact remains that if we really want to compete and win things, we need an owner who can put a lot more than £20m into the club every year for transfers.

 

Sad, but it's true.

 

In that sense, I'm glad that he's selling up.

Were gonna need someone who has VERY deep pockets then. If you invest double that per year (which is probobly less than you would like) then over 10 years you are going to be losing £400m. To be throwing that kind of money away you need seriously deep pockets and unless you have that it is clearly unsustainable.

 

I know we are going to need someone with very deep pockets. Unfortunately, that's how football is nowadays.

 

We now have a big 5 in England (Man City included).

 

You either want to be up their challenging, or you don't.

 

Unfortunately, that means we need an owner with very deep pockets.

 

The thing that irritates me about all of this, is that Ashley said he is willing to put £20m each year into the playing side of things (I'm assuming he means transfer fees). In reality he has put in a net of £0 so far in three windows.

 

He said that so far we have been affected by previous transfers that we still have to pay for...

[Wullie]

This £20m bollocks is rubbish as well. We get about £35m Sky money, probably the same again in gate receipts over a season, the club is still one of the most profitable in Europe.

 

He should be able to spend more than £20m without ever putting his hand in his own pocket (which I appreciate he already has done, but he'll want it back).

[stozo]

Don't want keegan back, in my eyes he's as much to blame as anyone else in this situation. I don't believe for one moment that he didn't know the score on transfers.

 

You obviously don't like evidence then.

 

Keegan said he had final say on all transfer matters.

Wise said Keegan had final say on all transfer matters.

Ashley said Keegan had final say on all transfer matters.

 

The club then issue a statement saying that he knew he wouldn't have control of transfers. Bollocks did he.

 

I really really can't see how people can blame Keegan for this.

How are they meant to operate when Keegan was clearly wanting to go after targets who he was clearly told when he got the job would not be pursued as they were not part of the strategy. He had final say as in he could probobly veto a signing but he could not start going out and buying players who did not fit in with the strategy that was agreed.

 

Speculation. Complete and utter speculation.

 

The facts are. Keegan thinks he has final say. Wise says Keegan has final say. Ashley says the transfers must be players that Kevin wants. Something happens towards the end of the transfer window (either attempted sale of players/purchase of players he doesn't want) and Keegan leaves (citing players being bought without his say so).

 

The rest is speculation.

I think you can make a calculated guess that he wasn't prepared to go after the stated targets. You have reports going back from May in virtually every newspaper saying Keegan wanted to buy Dunne, Crouch etc. but the board was saying no. Now that may have looked like pure speculation at the time but along with us only having a £20m budget seems to be pretty accurate info right about now.

[SUPERTOON]

Sad that this all seems to have started over James Milner leaving

[gazzaA2]

MA put structures in place that would have made us a stable premiership maybe even a top 10 club, but that is it. He would have had to sell it at some point to make the next step

 

He needed to be involved in the day to day running of the club more than he was

 

I am afraid he has failed withhis appointments, mainly llambias and wise, but also in some respect Keegan, as he chose the wrong manager for his structure

 

I hope he continues to support us, and at some point can come back and watch games as a fan with his kids.

 

Thanks for trying MA, however your statement is too late

 

Ashley's plan was to clear debts, make us financially stable and develop good youth talent, so that we're producing players with a good sell on value. However long down the lie, he could then sell for a big profit and return on his investment.

 

Chairman live and die by their managerial decisions in effect. He got rid of Allardyce who he probably wouldn't have wanted but bringing back Keegan to appease fans and then undermining and marginalising him, was ridiculous. If the fans had just accepted Keegan leaving, then who would come in? Paul Ince or Poyet? We'd become a stable, mid table club maybe but crowds would drop, we'd lose key players like Owen cheap and debts would remain.

[Elliottman]

No matter what people think of him, its incredibly sad that he had security fears for him and his family if he turned up to the match, talking about the possibility of being assaulted.

 

Think the bloke had the right idea's, with scouting young players and bringing them through. Shame it hasnt worked out.

 

Best of luck mate, and cheers for the effort.

 

the security thing is s****. he's a football club chairman, fan hostility is in the job description.

 

difference between hostility and assault.

[Tachikoma]

Sad that this all seems to have started over James Milner leaving

 

Milner wanted to leave, so we sold him (and Keegan probably approved it) for 12 mil. How is this relevant?

[Benwell Lad]

Great. The first person ever to put substantial amounts of his own money into Newcastle United is hounded out by supporters.

So now we have no manager, a dis-spirited team, contract issues to resolve, a season to get through and an owner with no reason or incentive to do anything about it.

 

To those who blame Ashley for the current crisis and Keegan walking (again), threw the "fatty" and "cockney" abuse at him and chanted for him to leave - well you got your wish, but do any of you have any bright ideas about what to do next ?

[Taylor Swift]

This £20m bollocks is rubbish as well. We get about £35m Sky money, probably the same again in gate receipts over a season, the club is still one of the most profitable in Europe.

 

He should be able to spend more than £20m without ever putting his hand in his own pocket (which I appreciate he already has done, but he'll want it back).

 

Dude, he said he'll spend all of that plus 20m. So if you say we could have spent 20m each season without him dipping his hands into his pocket then he's saying the manager could actually spend 40m each season.

[NJS]

This £20m bollocks is rubbish as well. We get about £35m Sky money, probably the same again in gate receipts over a season, the club is still one of the most profitable in Europe.

 

He should be able to spend more than £20m without ever putting his hand in his own pocket (which I appreciate he already has done, but he'll want it back).

 

The figures have never added up though have they? One minute we're debt free then we owe for transfers and now he's saying theres other debt as well as that. I also don't think the last published accounts reflect the level of debt he's consistently claimed.

 

 

[NJS]

This £20m bollocks is rubbish as well. We get about £35m Sky money, probably the same again in gate receipts over a season, the club is still one of the most profitable in Europe.

 

He should be able to spend more than £20m without ever putting his hand in his own pocket (which I appreciate he already has done, but he'll want it back).

 

Dude, he said he'll spend all of that plus 20m. So if you say we could have spent 20m each season without him dipping his hands into his pocket then he's saying the manager could actually spend 40m each season.

 

2 summers prove that's a lie.

 

 

[Wullie]

£40m a season? How long was this going to take to come to fruition then, seeing as we're currently up on the deal from three transfer windows? Are we writing off entire seasons until he gets his initial investment back or what?

 

Sorry, not at £500 a pop.

[Chris_R]

This £20m bollocks is rubbish as well. We get about £35m Sky money, probably the same again in gate receipts over a season, the club is still one of the most profitable in Europe.

 

He should be able to spend more than £20m without ever putting his hand in his own pocket (which I appreciate he already has done, but he'll want it back).

 

He never said that our transfer budget would be £20m. He said he'd invest £20m out of his own pocket every year.

 

So if we're already £15m up after wages etc are paid, then we can shell out £35m. If, however, our costs are greater than our income then we might only be spending £5m.

[cp40]

This £20m bollocks is rubbish as well. We get about £35m Sky money, probably the same again in gate receipts over a season, the club is still one of the most profitable in Europe.

 

He should be able to spend more than £20m without ever putting his hand in his own pocket (which I appreciate he already has done, but he'll want it back).

 

The figures have never added up though have they? One minute we're debt free then we owe for transfers and now he's saying theres other debt as well as that. I also don't think the last published accounts reflect the level of debt he's consistently claimed.

 

 

 

 

 

He should consolidate the debt with a provy loan....he could pay it back at £1 a week.

[dilligaf]

last year he led us to believe he'd cleared the debt thats why people didnt get his back about transfers

[Taylor Swift]

This £20m bollocks is rubbish as well. We get about £35m Sky money, probably the same again in gate receipts over a season, the club is still one of the most profitable in Europe.

 

He should be able to spend more than £20m without ever putting his hand in his own pocket (which I appreciate he already has done, but he'll want it back).

 

Dude, he said he'll spend all of that plus 20m. So if you say we could have spent 20m each season without him dipping his hands into his pocket then he's saying the manager could actually spend 40m each season.

 

2 summers prove that's a lie.

 

 

 

Eh? Did you skip all the stuff about us having spent most of our revenue already and still paying money for transfers?

[Chris_R]

£40m a season? How long was this going to take to come to fruition then, seeing as we're currently up on the deal from three transfer windows? Are we writing off entire seasons until he gets his initial investment back or what?

 

Sorry, not at £500 a pop.

 

Maybe we're running at a loss now (Quite possible given the extortionate wages some of our clowns are on and the comments form Ashley re: existing debt) so he IS putting the £20m in but that's just keeping us afloat?

 

Just a thought.

[Guest Mantis]

A few thoughts:

 

His whole communication on his strategy and thoughts on recent events have come too little, too late.  This should have been resolved before the club sank into this disgraceful mire and he needs to take some (not all) of the blame here.

 

Moaning about the levels of debt is a bit rich when the 'successful' businessman didnt check the books before shelling out £133+ million.

 

Who said he and his family were at risk of assault?  I know we have plenty of knackers but assumed he was unlikely to have people swinging fists at him in the directors box.

 

He mentions Shevchenkp, Robinho etc.  When did we ever expect signings like that?  All we wanted was to strengthen the squad and replace the numbers who had left last season and that the manager was happy with them.

 

The good news is that whenever the sale takes place, his 'boys' wont be in employment here any longer.  The sooner the better.

 

[Bad Mongo]

he said that when he knew he didn't. as much a lie as when ashley sid he had the final say when knowing he didn't

 

You know perfectly well that that's just guesswork. Also, it doesn't make sense.

[stozo]

Don't want keegan back, in my eyes he's as much to blame as anyone else in this situation. I don't believe for one moment that he didn't know the score on transfers.

 

You obviously don't like evidence then.

 

Keegan said he had final say on all transfer matters.

Wise said Keegan had final say on all transfer matters.

Ashley said Keegan had final say on all transfer matters.

 

The club then issue a statement saying that he knew he wouldn't have control of transfers. Bollocks did he.

 

I really really can't see how people can blame Keegan for this.

How are they meant to operate when Keegan was clearly wanting to go after targets who he was clearly told when he got the job would not be pursued as they were not part of the strategy. He had final say as in he could probobly veto a signing but he could not start going out and buying players who did not fit in with the strategy that was agreed.

 

Speculation. Complete and utter speculation.

 

The facts are. Keegan thinks he has final say. Wise says Keegan has final say. Ashley says the transfers must be players that Kevin wants. Something happens towards the end of the transfer window (either attempted sale of players/purchase of players he doesn't want) and Keegan leaves (citing players being bought without his say so).

 

The rest is speculation.

I think you can make a calculated guess that he wasn't prepared to go after the stated targets. You have reports going back from May in virtually every newspaper saying Keegan wanted to buy Dunne, Crouch etc. but the board was saying no. Now that may have looked like pure speculation at the time but along with us only having a £20m budget seems to be pretty accurate info right about now.

 

But Ashley has spent a net of £0 so far, in fact if you add it up, he's probably made money.

 

All the targets you list above are names drawn out of a hat in newspaper circles. No-one knows who Keegan wanted.

 

You're just trying to stir up an argument and you're basing it on "calculated guesses".

I'm just trying to make the piont that Keegan was by no means an innocent bystander in all this. He even sat down with the board again after the Chelsea game to discuss transfer policy and his comments after that game. You don't think they actually said to him we've brought all these new people in but your still going to do all the work on transfers. I'd be stunned if he hadn't been told about this £20m budget and surely by atleast a month into the window he knew the score, so why didn't he quit then instead of leaving it until the end of the window and leaving us fucked.

[ToonTastic]

 

 

But Ashley has spent a net of £0 so far, in fact if you add it up, he's probably made money.

 

Wow did we make that much on transfers, I'd have thought the £134m buying the club and the £110m paying off SOME of the debts would have probably meant he hasn't made a penny even if he was taking a wage from the club.

[NJS]

This £20m bollocks is rubbish as well. We get about £35m Sky money, probably the same again in gate receipts over a season, the club is still one of the most profitable in Europe.

 

He should be able to spend more than £20m without ever putting his hand in his own pocket (which I appreciate he already has done, but he'll want it back).

 

Dude, he said he'll spend all of that plus 20m. So if you say we could have spent 20m each season without him dipping his hands into his pocket then he's saying the manager could actually spend 40m each season.

 

2 summers prove that's a lie.

 

 

 

Eh? Did you skip all the stuff about us having spent most of our revenue already and still paying money for transfers?

 

That's from transfers under Shepherd - as Wullie said how many years of spending nothing should we accept in the name of stability?