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

[kirkwdavis2001]

and we know that the BBC has always been impartial

 

Mate, at this time we need to all stick together and be UNITED.

 

I agree, and that's what the majority of fans are doing. United in protest against a regime that has seen our best manager in memory forced out due to lack of control.

 

 

...and to what? does anyone have the 0.25 billiion needed to buy the club? and the 0.5 billion per year to spend on the players we all want? it's farcical, it really is!

[Guest optimistic nit]

and we know that the BBC has always been impartial

 

Mate, at this time we need to all stick together and be UNITED.

 

I agree, and that's what the majority of fans are doing. United in protest against a regime that has seen our best manager in memory forced out due to lack of control.

 

 

he's made some mistakes, but he hasn't deserved the treament he has got and he didn't try to force keegan out, he wanted him to stay.

[Baggio]

I still can't believe how far this has been blown out of proportion tbh.

[madras]

and we know that the BBC has always been impartial

 

Mate, at this time we need to all stick together and be UNITED.

 

I agree, and that's what the majority of fans are doing. United in protest against a regime that has seen our best manager in memory forced out due to lack of control.

 

 

he's made some mistakes, but he hasn't deserved the treament he has got and he didn't try to force keegan out, he wanted him to stay.

 

If he wanted him to stay, surely all he needed to do was ensure that Keegan did infact have final say on transfers. Why is that so hard?

cos maybe he didn;t trust him to do that and maybe keegan had originally agreed to that structure to get the job ?

[Teasy]

and we know that the BBC has always been impartial

 

Mate, at this time we need to all stick together and be UNITED.

 

I agree, and that's what the majority of fans are doing. United in protest against a regime that has seen our best manager in memory forced out due to lack of control.

 

 

...and to what? does anyone have the 0.25 billiion needed to buy the club? and the 0.5 billion per year to spend on the players we all want? it's farcical, it really is!

 

You must have meant £50 million there right?

[Teasy]

and we know that the BBC has always been impartial

 

Mate, at this time we need to all stick together and be UNITED.

 

I agree, and that's what the majority of fans are doing. United in protest against a regime that has seen our best manager in memory forced out due to lack of control.

 

 

he's made some mistakes, but he hasn't deserved the treament he has got and he didn't try to force keegan out, he wanted him to stay.

 

If he wanted him to stay, surely all he needed to do was ensure that Keegan did infact have final say on transfers. Why is that so hard?

cos maybe he didn;t trust him to do that and maybe keegan had originally agreed to that structure to get the job ?

 

If he agreed to that structure from day one then why did everyone at NUFC feel the need to lie about it?

[madras]

and we know that the BBC has always been impartial

 

Mate, at this time we need to all stick together and be UNITED.

 

I agree, and that's what the majority of fans are doing. United in protest against a regime that has seen our best manager in memory forced out due to lack of control.

 

 

he's made some mistakes, but he hasn't deserved the treament he has got and he didn't try to force keegan out, he wanted him to stay.

 

If he wanted him to stay, surely all he needed to do was ensure that Keegan did infact have final say on transfers. Why is that so hard?

cos maybe he didn;t trust him to do that and maybe keegan had originally agreed to that structure to get the job ?

 

He agreed on that structure, yet everyone at NUFC just decided they needed to keep that fact secret, in fact down right lie about it?

including keegan

[madras]

and we know that the BBC has always been impartial

 

Mate, at this time we need to all stick together and be UNITED.

 

I agree, and that's what the majority of fans are doing. United in protest against a regime that has seen our best manager in memory forced out due to lack of control.

 

 

he's made some mistakes, but he hasn't deserved the treament he has got and he didn't try to force keegan out, he wanted him to stay.

 

If he wanted him to stay, surely all he needed to do was ensure that Keegan did infact have final say on transfers. Why is that so hard?

cos maybe he didn;t trust him to do that and maybe keegan had originally agreed to that structure to get the job ?

 

He agreed on that structure, yet everyone at NUFC just decided they needed to keep that fact secret, in fact down right lie about it?

including keegan

You're argument is sounding desperate now Madras.

your opinion. in my opinion your's is aswell

[Teasy]

and we know that the BBC has always been impartial

 

Mate, at this time we need to all stick together and be UNITED.

 

I agree, and that's what the majority of fans are doing. United in protest against a regime that has seen our best manager in memory forced out due to lack of control.

 

 

he's made some mistakes, but he hasn't deserved the treament he has got and he didn't try to force keegan out, he wanted him to stay.

 

If he wanted him to stay, surely all he needed to do was ensure that Keegan did infact have final say on transfers. Why is that so hard?

cos maybe he didn;t trust him to do that and maybe keegan had originally agreed to that structure to get the job ?

 

He agreed on that structure, yet everyone at NUFC just decided they needed to keep that fact secret, in fact down right lie about it?

including keegan

 

Well obviously in the scenario you're painting that would be the case.  What's your point and how does it change my argument one bit?  You say Keegan must have agreed to this structure from the start.  I'm asking you, if that was the case then why did they all claim that wasn't the structure?

[madras]

and we know that the BBC has always been impartial

 

Mate, at this time we need to all stick together and be UNITED.

 

I agree, and that's what the majority of fans are doing. United in protest against a regime that has seen our best manager in memory forced out due to lack of control.

 

 

he's made some mistakes, but he hasn't deserved the treament he has got and he didn't try to force keegan out, he wanted him to stay.

 

If he wanted him to stay, surely all he needed to do was ensure that Keegan did infact have final say on transfers. Why is that so hard?

cos maybe he didn;t trust him to do that and maybe keegan had originally agreed to that structure to get the job ?

 

He agreed on that structure, yet everyone at NUFC just decided they needed to keep that fact secret, in fact down right lie about it?

including keegan

You're argument is sounding desperate now Madras.

your opinion. in my opinion your's is aswell

OK. Good. I think at the end of the day, you've got to ask yourself what you believe to be the truth (because we are never going to find out for sure), and I personally don't see what Keegan is gaining by lying, therefore I believe him.

POWER within the club.

 

 

should we stop this now. we aint getting anywhere ?

[Baggio]

Do people think it's just a coincidence that the papers have been saying there was trouble behind the scenes and that Keegan didn't have as much of a say in players coming in as he'd like, yet this was the reason he left after denying it over the last few months?

 

Were the papers lying for months or were they right all along?

[madras]

Do people think it's just a coincidence that the papers have been saying there was trouble behind the scenes and that Keegan didn't have as much of a say in players coming in as he'd like, yet this was the reason he left after denying it over the last few months?

 

Were the papers lying for months or were they right all along?

baton change

[farfrompuken]

With a little bit more communication we would never be in this fucking mess.

 

We were improving; we can't expect everything overnight.

[Robster]

Do people think it's just a coincidence that the papers have been saying there was trouble behind the scenes and that Keegan didn't have as much of a say in players coming in as he'd like, yet this was the reason he left after denying it over the last few months?

 

Were the papers lying for months or were they right all along?

 

Your still asking questions yet seem to be laying the blame 100% at Kevins door.

Unless you know something none of us know.

[Baggio]

Do people think it's just a coincidence that the papers have been saying there was trouble behind the scenes and that Keegan didn't have as much of a say in players coming in as he'd like, yet this was the reason he left after denying it over the last few months?

 

Were the papers lying for months or were they right all along?

 

Your still asking questions yet seem to be laying the blame 100% at Kevins door.

Unless you know something none of us know.

 

You can answer the question if you like...

[Robster]

Do people think it's just a coincidence that the papers have been saying there was trouble behind the scenes and that Keegan didn't have as much of a say in players coming in as he'd like, yet this was the reason he left after denying it over the last few months?

 

Were the papers lying for months or were they right all along?

 

Your still asking questions yet seem to be laying the blame 100% at Kevins door.

Unless you know something none of us know.

 

You can answer the question if you like...

The answer is none of us know for certain

[Baggio]

Do people think it's just a coincidence that the papers have been saying there was trouble behind the scenes and that Keegan didn't have as much of a say in players coming in as he'd like, yet this was the reason he left after denying it over the last few months?

 

Were the papers lying for months or were they right all along?

 

Your still asking questions yet seem to be laying the blame 100% at Kevins door.

Unless you know something none of us know.

 

You can answer the question if you like...

The answer is none of us know for certain

 

Nice dodge.

 

I'd say it's more likely that Keegan's been lying than for the press to be wrong, only for what they've been on about to actually happen after.

 

That's not me laying the blame 100% on Keegan's door btw, but if he did know his timing for walking out is shocking and it's not the actions you would expect from someone who claims to love the club as much as him, still I'm sure we'll find out more after the lawyers have finished with it.

[Mick]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx7X4cgh3qI

[johnnypd]

nice statement by ashley, and i respect him for coming out and giving us his genuine feelings on the subject. he is in the ironic situation of owning a football club whose games he can't watch. since he came in primarily as a fan, it's obvious that he'd want to sell.

 

as for the figures he mentions, i'd take those with a huge pinch of salt. he's came out with so many contradictory statements on the subject that we simply dont know what's true and what's not.

 

but funnily enough all ashley had to do was to back Keegan and he would've been even more popular than ever. he couldve gotten rid of wise and llambias, kept Vetere and other scouts and given keegan control of a set budget, with all comings and goings determined by him. alternatively he could've lain low for a few months, appointed a top class manager and waited til this was over (when the team is back to being decent.) fucking hell freddy was loathed for a series of farcical decisions and insulting comments and he had no problem turning up to matches with his son in tow. this situation wouldve eventually blown over had he followed it up with a sensible appointment.

 

the problem was his misguided faith in the backroom setup. they might work wonders for him financially but ultimately they don't manage the football team. you can't sacrifice the first team for the backroom setup. if he wasn't prepared to put his trust in a football manager he was in the wrong business so it is probably for the best that he leaves.

 

so to ashley - thanks for trying and at least being honest. there's nothing stopping you being a normal fan like anyone else, you dont have to own a club to support it.

[Robster]

Do people think it's just a coincidence that the papers have been saying there was trouble behind the scenes and that Keegan didn't have as much of a say in players coming in as he'd like, yet this was the reason he left after denying it over the last few months?

 

Were the papers lying for months or were they right all along?

 

Your still asking questions yet seem to be laying the blame 100% at Kevins door.

Unless you know something none of us know.

 

You can answer the question if you like...

The answer is none of us know for certain

 

Nice dodge.

 

I'd say it's more likely that Keegan's been lying than for the press to be wrong, only for what they've been on about to actually happen after.

 

That's not me laying the blame 100% on Keegan's door btw, but if he did know his timing for walking out is shocking and it's not the actions you would expect from someone who claims to love the club as much as him, still I'm sure we'll find out more after the lawyers have finished with it.

 

If it comes out that Keegan knew all along how much power he was allowed and has been lying, what will make the whole thing even more tragic is that the club allowed the fans to get so wound up, it has ended with the owner jacking it all in as well - so we are left with nothing. They must have seen the public getting more and more wound up, why they couldnt nip it in the bud and calm things down, I will never know. I would love to know what stopped them coming out and telling us 100%, Keegan has gone back on what he agreed to and what he signed in his contract. Keegan would have no answer to that surely and would have damaged his relationship with most if not all Newcastle fans.

 

Why they couldnt have nipped it in the bud will be anybody's guess. It must be a lot more complicated than we think.

 

That too will come out in the wash when the lawyers have finished with it I guess

 

[Guest gggg]

Mike proves money walks

 

FOR a hard-nosed business man, Mike Ashley is going without much of a fight.

 

As soon as the Toon Army flexes its muscles, he’s out the door.

 

He will, of course, attempt to make as much of a profit as he can on his £220million investment — which was probably his aim all along.

 

What is certain is the club will remain in a shambolic state of limbo for some time.

 

Ashley talks about how he bought a club owing millions.

 

But surely he knew that when he came in or did he really not do due diligence?

 

Prospective buyers will realise that, to get fans back onside, the Cockney mafia will have to go.

 

That means the end of the road for Dennis Wise, Tony Jiminez, Derek Llambias and the rest of the gofers brought in at St James’ Park. And who will fund their pay-offs?

 

If Ashley has the best interests of the club at heart, the money has to come out of his own pocket — not just added to the purchase price.

 

And what happens about a new manager? How can any candidate put his name forward when he knows new owners will bring in their own man?

 

How can Ashley, who axed Sam Allardyce because the former Bolton boss was not his choice, make any appointment himself?

 

The reinstatement of Kevin Keegan will be seen by many Newcastle supporters as the way round the problem. It was certainly the conclusion Ashley himself came to last Friday night. Recognising the folly that induced Keegan’s resignation, he called the former manager in for talks.

 

The tactic was obvious: raise the possibility of Keegan returning and the dogs might be called off.

 

Newcastle fans, though, made it clear they were not going to be suckered in again.

 

Here was another blatant attempt by Ashley to use people for his own benefit — not the club’s.

 

Newcastle faithful saw it as the deliberate ploy it was: Get the hero back in as a stabilising force then sell the club.

 

Just as he thought things couldn’t get any worse, Newcastle then lost 2-1 at home to Hull. A defeat accompanied by such obvious discontent the owner was forced to admit: I get the message.

 

Yet even yesterday morning one of his highly-paid acolytes was still claiming he wouldn’t be deflected from his aims at the club.

 

Which came as a surprise to the rest of us, who believed he had already achieved them.

 

To make Newcastle an even greater LAUGHING STOCK.

 

Never had a manager been treated with such contempt. Nor a set of supporters.

 

Ashley’s failure to get the point led him to believe Keegan, the Toon Army and the rest of us were as stupid as one another.

 

When the wheels first started coming off, the club issued a statement that read: “Kevin Keegan was allowed to manage his duties without any interference.”

 

When this was laughed out of court, they started leaking misinformation that Keegan wanted to sign Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and Frank Lampard.

 

The innuendo was clear: Keegan was so out of touch the only players he knew were the obvious big-hitters.

 

This cheap shot was followed by an even bigger insult yesterday when one of those famous “club sources” turned on a set of fans most people thought had been denigrated enough.

 

Ashley’s “ally”, using the example of Leeds ending up in the old Third Division through financial mismanagement, gloated: “Is that what Newcastle fans want? They say there’s up to 400,000 of them in the area.

 

“If they all put in £1,000 they can buy the club and run it themselves. They can vote for the manager and buy and sell players.”

 

This flippancy, though, couldn’t disguise one home truth: Newcastle fans WOULD make a far better job of it than the clowns in charge.

 

Ashley’s mate concluded: “I bet you it doesn’t happen.

 

“It’s just so much easier to stand on the sidelines, moaning and complaining and pointing the finger.”

 

That cheap comment was a fatal, puerile error.

 

The last thing you do is turn on your own fans. Ashley made his fortune by flogging sports gear to a faceless public.

 

As such, so long as his football shirts weren’t full of holes, he could treat them with as much contempt as he wanted. But you can’t do that to the identifiable public you get at a football club.

 

Especially in a one-club city like Newcastle.

 

The Cockney Mafia had probably never even heard of Milburn.

 

They maybe even thought Macdonald was something that came with a banana milkshake and large fries.

 

They and Ashley know better this morning.

[Guest Singapore Mag]

Sitting at work in Singapore listening to the radio DJ's read the news about Ashleys statement..

 

They highlighted in particular the portion where he states he's a dad, cant take his kids to the game, fear of assault..

 

upshot?

 

"NUFC fans are the most psychotic Mr Ashley, sell the club asap and never look back..!!"

 

F'kin great. See how the rest of the world view us now???

 

KK, Ashley, & the mongs all want their heads banged together for all of this.

 

A club in debt, an owner who cant go to the match for fear of assault as he upset the fans

 

Who the heck is going to buy a club like that?!

[Guest BB]

Why is everyone bitching here, Ashley made a dogs dinner of things, and Keegan is bigger than Ashley, because like Shearer he has history and is one of us in heart, so that makes him bigger than Ashley in my eyes and a lot of other people and I'm in my forties and protested along with some mates of similar age, far from being kids. I been going for over 35 years and I think Ashley and Co don't fit what our club needs.

 

One last thing Ashley was prepared to put £20m a year thats not enough and as he said he couldn't afford more, no problem but we need someone who will put the money in and at the same time turn the club in to a profit making business, because success off the field brings in revenue from cups and higher league positions plus that gets you a higher profile which makes your position in negotiating sponsors stronger so getting first class sponsorship deals.

[Guest gggg]

Sitting at work in Singapore listening to the radio DJ's read the news about Ashleys statement..

 

They highlighted in particular the portion where he states he's a dad, cant take his kids to the game, fear of assault..

 

upshot?

 

"NUFC fans are the most psychotic Mr Ashley, sell the club asap and never look back..!!"

 

F'kin great. See how the rest of the world view us now???

 

KK, Ashley, & the mongs all want their heads banged together for all of this.

 

A club in debt, an owner who cant go to the match for fear of assault as he upset the fans

 

Who the heck is going to buy a club like that?!

 

Loads of people would buy a club like that. Most clubs have debt bigger than ours and i can't see any potential owner being daft enough to sit with the fans.

 

We've got the 3rd biggest attendances in the best and richest league in the world and have no competiton in the area unlike Man City and Everton.

[Guest stankydanky]

Many different thoughts running through my head at the mo.  Just want SOMEONE in place that will appoint a manager and get us moving in the right direction.

 

Ashley came out with this statement far too late IMO, it shouldn't take a defeat at Hull City and mass protest for SOMETHING to come from him.  He treated the supporters like muppets, they LIVE in the city and pour their hard earned cash into the club so therefore have EVERY right to know at least a small ammount of what is going on behind the scenes.

 

I'm not buying this statement which really just paints Ashley as a decent bloke however despite his investment in youth he has been MASSIVELY short sighted during his time at the club by thinking he could run it like sports direct and take the game of football out of his decision making.  We are now massively short on players, and could really be in trouble come Christmas.

 

Kevin Keegan was by no means the only man to lead this club forward, however whoever comes in next has a massive job on their hands.  We are in a HUGE mess and if Ashley is indeed serious he needs to get rid as soon as possible.  Not sure about foreign ownership, and was actually glad that we were owned by a billionaire Englishman however foreign money seems to be the only way to keep up now.

 

Ambani, that Chinese bloke............ Whoever it is I just HOPE that they have the best interests of the fans at the heart of their takeover....

 

Football is just ridiculous now, in a small way I wish we could just rewind to when I was a lad and tell all these foreign players and owners to fuk off.  English football is just that English football and to see all these teams just become playthings for these ludicrously rich foreigners sickens me..............