Mr Ashley and Ambition

[sicsfingeredmong]

Ah, great. More presenting opinion as fact. He may well have messed up severely when it's come to making the major decisions, but I don't know you or anyone can be so totally sure that he wasn't being genuine and that sitting with the fans etc was definitely a PR stunt.

 

Appointing a popular-choice of manager - in Keegan - without backing what is an old-school manager both in terms of financial backing in the transfer market, and the decision making process as to who was to be bought & sold. Under the grandiose idea of the continental/set-up, with a 'my way, or the high way' manager in Keegan. *I thought it was destined for failure. A gimick managerial appointment were the words i used, a belated attempt to bring about winning & attacking football when sounds of unrest were first beginning to emerge. And that mixture was supposed to be delivered by a trusted club statesman with a minimal amount of expense, and waves in the mirage had begun to emerge early on when Keegan vetoed a couple of signings on the final day of his first Jan transfer window under Ashely and Co.

 

*I put a timeframe on it as well - i think it's somewhere in the DOF thread, originally dismissed by Ozzie as being "overwritten bollocks, as usual" - and i take no satisfaction in that coming to fruition. I've put this on record, in case anybody trawls through my posting history in a bid to score a minor & insignificant point.

 

That's a gimick appointment if i've ever seen one, all the while Ashley was strutting around with a 'Kev' shirt on..... being a man of the people, while undermining his first appointed manager of choice. The man has track record now to coincide with the opinion i formed early in the peace - at the time of his 'i stand with the Toon Army etc' proclaimation in the papers........ and Shepherd was often slaughtered for less - and i'll stand by my opinion that the bloke has been nothing but a walking PR stunt.

[sicsfingeredmong]

Ah, great. More presenting opinion as fact. He may well have messed up severely when it's come to making the major decisions, but I don't know you or anyone can be so totally sure that he wasn't being genuine and that sitting with the fans etc was definitely a PR stunt.

 

BTW, there were enough 'imo's' in my original post to suffice.

[sicsfingeredmong]

I was never one who particularly wanted rid of Freddy, and I'm also one of those who don't believe that everything we currently see is down to Ashley.

 

Fred was on a downward slope, that much should be pretty much indisputable, but had he been able to generate a new partner to replace the Halls and inject some cash then he may have recovered - this we will never know.

 

I don't like the Chelsea and Man City approach to team building, and have always supported Ashleys apparent aim of buying talented young players and building from within. I had however envisaged that all of these youth players would be mixed with some experience.

 

If the bids for Modric and/or Aimar were genuine then it would support this view - and the signing of Colo suggests that money would be spent on the RIGHT individuals.

 

Where it has gone wrong was Ashley listening to the fans and bringing back Keegan, there was no way on Earth that Keegan could coexist with Wise et al (who I believe have done nothing wrong) once Mort left as Lambarse is one of Ashleys new boys leaving Keegan out on a limb. If we had been a bit creative we could have appointed a better long term manager than Keegan last Jan and we wouldn't be in this mess (note whilst I can't understand the timing of KK walking out I also dont put all of the blame on him).

 

Should we survive this season then the situation could be repaired, Lambarse has to go and ideally JFK will be thanked for having a go and he can get another role in Div 1 or something. We then need either a young manager such as Martinez to work within the structure or someone like Bruce to be given free reign.

 

One thing I cant forgive the current management team for is the lack of communication, this is making the situation worse imo as it leaves us fans with only specualtion that the staus quo is the best we can hope for.

 

I'm not going to get into a net-spend discussion here as its overplayed and some people don't seem to grasp the positives from being able to generate good fees for mediorcre players. I'm sure that should we shift Smith for £6m and signed Mbia for £!0m then people would complain that we've only spent £4m and would have been happier spending £15m and recuperating £1m.

 

And some would rightly argue that the club should've stumpted up the asking price/the going rate - in order to secure the necessary ability/quality - both to upgrade the positions of weakness and to improve team morale when points were up for grabs earlier in the window, and they've bordered on relegation six pointers such is the tenuous balance between our league position and the bottom 3 - early in the window as opposed to forcing Kinnear to balance the books first & foremost which has been the often reported scenario if there were to any substantial purchases, before the said manager ended up grovelling to the men in charge via a crisis meeting at the mid-point of the window.

[Skirge]

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2009/01/20/rapid-remedy-out-of-sight-as-relegation-worries-grow-61634-22731566/

 

Rapid remedy out of sight as relegation worries grow

 

Jan 20 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

Newcastle United need emergency surgery, Sunderland remain on the critical list and Middlesbrough are fighting for their lives. Chief sports writer Luke Edwards takes a look at North East football in casualty.

 

THERE is not a miracle cure for Newcastle United’s ailing condition. There is no instant remedy for their ills, just a long and difficult healing process which requires plenty of care and attention from those who are responsible for the club’s wellbeing.

 

Newcastle do not have a magic wand to make their problems disappear and they do not have a superhero waiting to fly to the rescue, but they do supposedly have a team in place to look after its recovery.

 

So why, after weeks on the critical list, does the club remain in mortal danger, its top-flight survival still hanging by the slenderest of threads?

 

United’s first-team squad has required emergency surgery since May so why, despite the promises, the assurances and the message of goodwill from owner Mike Ashley, is it still awaiting treatment?

 

When Ashley delivered his new year message before the 5-0 home defeat by Liverpool over the festive period, he assured us he had the club’s best interests at heart.

 

However, three weeks later, it seems the billionaire, who is still unwilling to return to the club on a match day, is unwilling to pay anything more than lip service.

 

With just two weeks of the transfer window remaining, there is still no sign of any of new signings and the acrimony towards him is still widespread. The majority of supporters would have been willing to give him a chance at redemption, but the lack of action in the transfer market to back up his words means he remains as unpopular as ever.

 

Instead of moving on, Newcastle United are still hung up on the same old grievances, as a run of just two wins in 13 games has exposed many a raw nerve on Tyneside.

 

United are close to making one new signing this month, but the decision to offer a two-year contract to Joe Kinnear in the present climate is more likely to inflame the situation than appease disgruntled supporters who feel their club has been hijacked. Instead of new arrivals, United fans have spent most of the month worrying about which players will be abandoning a sinking ship. Damningly, while nobody wants to see popular players like Shay Given and Steve Harper leave, few would blame them if they did. Affairs at St James’s Park are a confused, chaotic mess, devoid of long-term planning and stability, undermined by conflict behind the scenes and discontent in the stands. There is none of the unity Ashley called for because his regime has done nothing to persuade people they can be trusted again.

 

Ashley does not run the football club, he merely owns it. He has employed people to do that in his absence, so he can divide his attention across his business empire, but if they continue to fail, so does he.

 

There has been no communication from senior officials at St James’s Park since Ashley decided to take the club off the market, leaving a confused and contradictory Kinnear to try his best to weather the public relations storm.

 

It has, at times, exacerbated problems rather than solved them. Positive transfer news suggesting imminent breakthroughs are quickly followed by bleak assessments indicating there is little money to spend and little idea how to spend it.

 

It is probably of scant consolation to Newcastle United’s long suffering supporters, but if there is a crumb of comfort in this crisis, it is that they are not the only ones in turmoil.

 

Football is in trouble as the credit crunch bites. As Manchester City bid more than £100m for a Brazilian midfielder Kaka and an inflated £14m for a striker who does not score many goals in Craig Bellamy, other members of the uber-rich, like Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich, are looking to sell up.

 

Ashley is not the only owner who has cause to regret investing so much in his love of football, but he is the only one who can put things right at St James’s Park. There have been three new arrivals this month, but foreign teenagers bought on the cheap for the future do not relieve the worries of the present.

 

There are two weeks left until the transfer window slams shut, two weeks which could make or break Ashley’s regime. Recruit the required number of players to give Kinnear a fighting chance to pull the Magpies clear of the drop zone and we may be able to forgive and forget. Fail and the protests will return and the threat of relegation will haunt the Magpies until May.

[NE5]

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2009/01/20/rapid-remedy-out-of-sight-as-relegation-worries-grow-61634-22731566/

 

Rapid remedy out of sight as relegation worries grow

 

Jan 20 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

Newcastle United need emergency surgery, Sunderland remain on the critical list and Middlesbrough are fighting for their lives. Chief sports writer Luke Edwards takes a look at North East football in casualty.

 

THERE is not a miracle cure for Newcastle United’s ailing condition. There is no instant remedy for their ills, just a long and difficult healing process which requires plenty of care and attention from those who are responsible for the club’s wellbeing.

 

Newcastle do not have a magic wand to make their problems disappear and they do not have a superhero waiting to fly to the rescue, but they do supposedly have a team in place to look after its recovery.

 

So why, after weeks on the critical list, does the club remain in mortal danger, its top-flight survival still hanging by the slenderest of threads?

 

United’s first-team squad has required emergency surgery since May so why, despite the promises, the assurances and the message of goodwill from owner Mike Ashley, is it still awaiting treatment?

 

When Ashley delivered his new year message before the 5-0 home defeat by Liverpool over the festive period, he assured us he had the club’s best interests at heart.

 

However, three weeks later, it seems the billionaire, who is still unwilling to return to the club on a match day, is unwilling to pay anything more than lip service.

 

With just two weeks of the transfer window remaining, there is still no sign of any of new signings and the acrimony towards him is still widespread. The majority of supporters would have been willing to give him a chance at redemption, but the lack of action in the transfer market to back up his words means he remains as unpopular as ever.

 

Instead of moving on, Newcastle United are still hung up on the same old grievances, as a run of just two wins in 13 games has exposed many a raw nerve on Tyneside.

 

United are close to making one new signing this month, but the decision to offer a two-year contract to Joe Kinnear in the present climate is more likely to inflame the situation than appease disgruntled supporters who feel their club has been hijacked. Instead of new arrivals, United fans have spent most of the month worrying about which players will be abandoning a sinking ship. Damningly, while nobody wants to see popular players like Shay Given and Steve Harper leave, few would blame them if they did. Affairs at St James’s Park are a confused, chaotic mess, devoid of long-term planning and stability, undermined by conflict behind the scenes and discontent in the stands. There is none of the unity Ashley called for because his regime has done nothing to persuade people they can be trusted again.

 

Ashley does not run the football club, he merely owns it. He has employed people to do that in his absence, so he can divide his attention across his business empire, but if they continue to fail, so does he.

 

There has been no communication from senior officials at St James’s Park since Ashley decided to take the club off the market, leaving a confused and contradictory Kinnear to try his best to weather the public relations storm.

 

It has, at times, exacerbated problems rather than solved them. Positive transfer news suggesting imminent breakthroughs are quickly followed by bleak assessments indicating there is little money to spend and little idea how to spend it.

 

It is probably of scant consolation to Newcastle United’s long suffering supporters, but if there is a crumb of comfort in this crisis, it is that they are not the only ones in turmoil.

 

Football is in trouble as the credit crunch bites. As Manchester City bid more than £100m for a Brazilian midfielder Kaka and an inflated £14m for a striker who does not score many goals in Craig Bellamy, other members of the uber-rich, like Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich, are looking to sell up.

 

Ashley is not the only owner who has cause to regret investing so much in his love of football, but he is the only one who can put things right at St James’s Park. There have been three new arrivals this month, but foreign teenagers bought on the cheap for the future do not relieve the worries of the present.

 

There are two weeks left until the transfer window slams shut, two weeks which could make or break Ashley’s regime. Recruit the required number of players to give Kinnear a fighting chance to pull the Magpies clear of the drop zone and we may be able to forgive and forget. Fail and the protests will return and the threat of relegation will haunt the Magpies until May.

 

relegation is inevitable the way we are going under the current regime. Of course, the 52000 fans will continue to turn up, we will buy top quality potential players from Torquay and low league Spanish clubs, and so the books will be back in good working order, so thats alright then.

 

 

[Baggio]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

[Skirge]

No club looking to sell their top players can have real ambition, Ashley looking at selling Given to a club we are fighting with for league posotion just smacks money making not ambition.

[Unbelievable]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

[Baggio]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration if Ashley hadn't said he would keep financing the club it is that bad and even without spending money on transfers the club is still not making a profit, how much more do you want the financial state of the club to be pointed out?

 

Yet people chirp up about how much better we would have been if Shepherd was still here showing ambition by borrowing more money to try and move us up the league, do these people have no grasp on reality?

[BottledDog]

No club looking to sell their top players can have real ambition, Ashley looking at selling Given to a club we are fighting with for league posotion just smacks money making not ambition.

 

I don't think for one minute the club want's to sell Given.

[johnnypd]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration if Ashley hadn't said he would keep financing the club it is that bad and even without spending money on transfers the club is still not making a profit, how much more do you want the financial state of the club to be pointed out?

 

Yet people chirp up about how much better we would have been if Shepherd was still here showing ambition by borrowing more money to try and move us up the league, do these people have no grasp on reality?

 

the accounts are from last year. i'd imagine without interest payments and the financing costs (£13m?) that we'll be making a day to day profit in 08-09 instead of a slight £2.2m loss. or maybe it'll disappear because of having to pay for managerial changes once again  not that all our transfer funds should come from club profits, there's plenty of clubs making losses that still spend, most premiership clubs in actual fact. you have to spend to improve on the pitch, you have to invest money to get the greater turnover in the future. not investing will lead to stagnation at best and decline at worst.

[NE5]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

ask supporters of successful clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal what they do, and that is exactly what they will tell you.

 

Still, I take it that you are still drawing inspiration of supporters of Bristol City and Bristol Rovers, giants of the game.  mackems.gif

[NE5]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration

 

rubbish.

 

It nearly went into administration in 1991, when they couldn't raise 1.25m quid for it, until the Halls and Shepherd saved it and moved it massively forward. I keep telling you this history of the club ......... like some of your mates, it seems to go in one ear and out the other end .......

 

 

[Baggio]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration if Ashley hadn't said he would keep financing the club it is that bad and even without spending money on transfers the club is still not making a profit, how much more do you want the financial state of the club to be pointed out?

 

Yet people chirp up about how much better we would have been if Shepherd was still here showing ambition by borrowing more money to try and move us up the league, do these people have no grasp on reality?

 

the accounts are from last year. i'd imagine without interest payments and the financing costs (£14m?) that we'll be making a day to day profit in 08-09 instead of a slight £2.2m loss. not that all our transfer funds should come from club profits, there's plenty of clubs making losses that still spend, most premiership clubs in actual fact. you have to spend to improve on the pitch, you have to invest money to get the greater turnover in the future. not investing will lead to stagnation at best and decline at worst.

 

Didn't you claim that we should have made a £20 million profit last year that we should have had last Summer? Not being funny you haven't got a clue what the club should or shouldn't have.

 

If any of the fat Fred bum boys want to tell me how we would be better off under him if he was still here then fire away, taking into account that Ashley has had to guarantee to finance us to stop us going into administration and having a -12 point deduction, the club making a loss before we even spend money in the transfer market and that we had already taken loans out against the stadium and the training ground.

 

 

[Unbelievable]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration if Ashley hadn't said he would keep financing the club it is that bad and even without spending money on transfers the club is still not making a profit, how much more do you want the financial state of the club to be pointed out?

 

Yet people chirp up about how much better we would have been if Shepherd was still here showing ambition by borrowing more money to try and move us up the league, do these people have no grasp on reality?

 

You're such a drama queen. The actual loss in terms of money gone out of the bank account is negligeable (next year when Owen won't be around and will be replaced by someone cheaper we will probably make a profit based on losing his salary alone) and certainly doesn't justify jeopardising our long term future by gambling on the perception that we are too big to go down.

[NE5]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration if Ashley hadn't said he would keep financing the club it is that bad and even without spending money on transfers the club is still not making a profit, how much more do you want the financial state of the club to be pointed out?

 

Yet people chirp up about how much better we would have been if Shepherd was still here showing ambition by borrowing more money to try and move us up the league, do these people have no grasp on reality?

 

the accounts are from last year. i'd imagine without interest payments and the financing costs (£13m?) that we'll be making a day to day profit in 08-09 instead of a slight £2.2m loss. or maybe it'll disappear because of having to pay for managerial changes once again  not that all our transfer funds should come from club profits, there's plenty of clubs making losses that still spend, most premiership clubs in actual fact. you have to spend to improve on the pitch, you have to invest money to get the greater turnover in the future. not investing will lead to stagnation at best and decline at worst.

 

conclusively proven through history, and not just ours.

 

 

[johnnypd]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration if Ashley hadn't said he would keep financing the club it is that bad and even without spending money on transfers the club is still not making a profit, how much more do you want the financial state of the club to be pointed out?

 

Yet people chirp up about how much better we would have been if Shepherd was still here showing ambition by borrowing more money to try and move us up the league, do these people have no grasp on reality?

 

the accounts are from last year. i'd imagine without interest payments and the financing costs (£14m?) that we'll be making a day to day profit in 08-09 instead of a slight £2.2m loss. not that all our transfer funds should come from club profits, there's plenty of clubs making losses that still spend, most premiership clubs in actual fact. you have to spend to improve on the pitch, you have to invest money to get the greater turnover in the future. not investing will lead to stagnation at best and decline at worst.

 

Didn't you claim that we should have made a £20 million profit last year that we should have had last Summer? Not being funny you haven't got a clue what the club should or shouldn't have.

 

If any of the fat Fred bum boys want to tell me how we would be better off under him if he was still here then fire away, taking into account that Ashley has had to guarantee to finance us to stop us going into administration and having a -12 point deduction, the club making a loss before we even spend money in the transfer market and that we had already taken loans out against the stadium and the training ground.

 

i looked at extra tv payments and reduced expenditure on debts. the first increased our income minus uefa cup money from 0607. the latter doesnt apply til this year as we were making interest and one off financial payments in the last accounts.

 

it may have passed you by that im not a 'fat fred' bumboy. once again the deflection tactic comes into play.

[OzzieMandias]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration

 

rubbish.

 

It nearly went into administration in 1991, when they couldn't raise 1.25m quid for it, until the Halls and Shepherd saved it...

 

 

 

So they didn't really leave the club very far away from where they found it, after all.

[NE5]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration if Ashley hadn't said he would keep financing the club it is that bad and even without spending money on transfers the club is still not making a profit, how much more do you want the financial state of the club to be pointed out?

 

Yet people chirp up about how much better we would have been if Shepherd was still here showing ambition by borrowing more money to try and move us up the league, do these people have no grasp on reality?

 

the accounts are from last year. i'd imagine without interest payments and the financing costs (£14m?) that we'll be making a day to day profit in 08-09 instead of a slight £2.2m loss. not that all our transfer funds should come from club profits, there's plenty of clubs making losses that still spend, most premiership clubs in actual fact. you have to spend to improve on the pitch, you have to invest money to get the greater turnover in the future. not investing will lead to stagnation at best and decline at worst.

 

Didn't you claim that we should have made a £20 million profit last year that we should have had last Summer? Not being funny you haven't got a clue what the club should or shouldn't have.

 

If any of the fat Fred bum boys want to tell me how we would be better off under him if he was still here then fire away, taking into account that Ashley has had to guarantee to finance us to stop us going into administration and having a -12 point deduction, the club making a loss before we even spend money in the transfer market and that we had already taken loans out against the stadium and the training ground.

 

i looked at extra tv payments and reduced expenditure on debts. the first increased our income minus uefa cup money from 0607. the latter doesnt apply til this year as we were making interest and one off financial payments in the last accounts.

 

it may have passed you by that im not a 'fat fred' bumboy . once again the deflection tactic comes into play.

 

its a reference to me mate, but also a sign of an impending "toys out of the pram" .....

 

 

 

[Baggio]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration

 

rubbish.

 

It nearly went into administration in 1991, when they couldn't raise 1.25m quid for it, until the Halls and Shepherd saved it and moved it massively forward. I keep telling you this history of the club ......... like some of your mates, it seems to go in one ear and out the other end .......

 

 

 

Ernst & Young signed off on the grounds that Ashley will guarantee to financially support it as they do not see the club as a viable standalone business, if Ashley was to leave we would go into administration because we do not have enough cash to cover our debts.

 

 

[NE5]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration

 

rubbish.

 

It nearly went into administration in 1991, when they couldn't raise 1.25m quid for it, until the Halls and Shepherd saved it...

 

 

 

So they didn't really leave the club very far away from where they found it, after all.

 

oh dear. Look who's back.

 

Have you replied to the question I asked you numerous times in reply to your own comment in that other thread yet, because I don't really want to drag it into this one ?

 

 

[Baggio]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration if Ashley hadn't said he would keep financing the club it is that bad and even without spending money on transfers the club is still not making a profit, how much more do you want the financial state of the club to be pointed out?

 

Yet people chirp up about how much better we would have been if Shepherd was still here showing ambition by borrowing more money to try and move us up the league, do these people have no grasp on reality?

 

the accounts are from last year. i'd imagine without interest payments and the financing costs (£14m?) that we'll be making a day to day profit in 08-09 instead of a slight £2.2m loss. not that all our transfer funds should come from club profits, there's plenty of clubs making losses that still spend, most premiership clubs in actual fact. you have to spend to improve on the pitch, you have to invest money to get the greater turnover in the future. not investing will lead to stagnation at best and decline at worst.

 

Didn't you claim that we should have made a £20 million profit last year that we should have had last Summer? Not being funny you haven't got a clue what the club should or shouldn't have.

 

If any of the fat Fred bum boys want to tell me how we would be better off under him if he was still here then fire away, taking into account that Ashley has had to guarantee to finance us to stop us going into administration and having a -12 point deduction, the club making a loss before we even spend money in the transfer market and that we had already taken loans out against the stadium and the training ground.

 

i looked at extra tv payments and reduced expenditure on debts. the first increased our income minus uefa cup money from 0607. the latter doesnt apply til this year as we were making interest and one off financial payments in the last accounts.

 

it may have passed you by that im not a 'fat fred' bumboy. once again the deflection tactic comes into play.

 

I didn't say you were, it was an open question to the people who think we would still have been better off if he was here, it's still open too if any of them want to try answering it.

 

Like I said, you didn't know what the clubs financial situation was and like many others it's been an eye opener for you.

[OzzieMandias]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration

 

rubbish.

 

It nearly went into administration in 1991, when they couldn't raise 1.25m quid for it, until the Halls and Shepherd saved it...

 

 

 

So they didn't really leave the club very far away from where they found it, after all.

 

oh dear. Look who's back.

 

Have you replied to the question I asked you numerous times in reply to your own comment in that other thread yet, because I don't really want to drag it into this one ?

 

 

 

He said, hypocritically attempting to drag whatever it was into this one, while as usual totally ignoring the issue at hand.

[NE5]

How daft does the "All you've got to do is back the manager" posts look now after the accounts were filed.

 

How so?

 

Because the club would have gone into administration

 

rubbish.

 

It nearly went into administration in 1991, when they couldn't raise 1.25m quid for it, until the Halls and Shepherd saved it...

 

 

 

So they didn't really leave the club very far away from where they found it, after all.

 

oh dear. Look who's back.

 

Have you replied to the question I asked you numerous times in reply to your own comment in that other thread yet, because I don't really want to drag it into this one ?

 

 

 

He said, hypocritically attempting to drag whatever it was into this one, while as usual totally ignoring the issue at hand.

 

so you haven't then ?

 

PS, I've made plenty of comments in this thread applicable to it, unlike you just a few posts higher 

[CaliMag]

This current world economic crisis certainly caught out Ashley (along with his rapidly falling personal fortune). Like most rich people he is probably a tight fisted bastard and it was all well and good when his personal fortune was over a billion and rapidly expanding but now that it is contracting I have no doubt that has tempered his abitions at NUFC to our detriment.

 

Ashley's problem is that I doubt he ever had a plan. His purchase in retrospect seems as if it was done on a whim. The endless articles about not having proper "due dilligence" in sussing out our finances speaks to this.

 

For me it was Ashley's hiring KK that exposed him as having no master plan. The current youth set up and hiring practices were most likely sold to him by his mates in London who believed the model being adopted by Tottenham should be followed (and to be fair this seems to be a positive under Ashley).

 

As much as this global economic crisis has probably impacted Ashley's running of this club, it could have been worse. Fat Fred and the Halls did not have the ability to bail us out in the current economic crisis. They simply didn't have enough money and we were already in serious debt. I believe we dodged a bullet on that front - sadly it seems to be only temporary as we will certainly be relegated this season or next if things are not sorted out soon.