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Letter to Ashley from the Talkofthetyne lads


Guest toonlass

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Guest toonlass

Dear Mr Ashley,

 

Many of us, as committed supporters of Newcastle United, have been frustrated at what has been happening at St James’ Park. We love our club and want a positive future.

 

Performances and results this season have given cause for concern. Prior to Christmas, 2 defeats in 12 matches disguised the fact that we also only had 4 wins in those 12 matches. This season has yielded only 5 wins out of 22. We are a meagre 2 points away from relegation.

 

Long standing supporters have seen the signs of decline before. Memorably, 1977-78 saw us in the UEFA Cup, with a squad with disinvestment, going on to be relegated under a makeshift manager, going on to spend 7 years in the 2nd tier, when crowds declined to under 10,000.

 

History was repeated after promotion in 1984, with a steady disinvestment, losing legends like Waddle, Beardsley and Gazza until we were relegated again in 1989, with the club on the verge of extinction during the next run in the 2nd tier.

 

In the summer of 2003, we had qualified for the Champions League, before spending nothing, the only signing being Lee Bowyer on a free. The resultant loss against Partizan Belgrade signalled the end of our continued Champions League involvement, with a subsequent loss in revenue and a gradual decline in those buying season tickets.

 

Of the clubs to be relegated from the Premier League, 6 are currently back in the most lucrative domestic competition in the world. 5 of those clubs are now in the third tier. The Championship is littered with former EPL clubs facing a fierce battle to either stay there, or come back up. Parachute payments only last a season.

 

There are things we appreciate, for example a removal of uncertainty. We also appreciate that the financial accounts of the club in 2007 showed that the club was technically insolvent. We appreciate that there has been investment in the youth of the club and the long term looks potentially promising.

 

Successful businessmen have continually shown that to reach the long term objective, there are a series of short terms. Our form suggests that this short term is perilous.

 

We would not be very good supporters if we did not suggest a constructive way ahead, and this is what we seek to do.

 

Since you have paid off debts, the club is on a more sound financial footing, we recognize that. We are also aware that the club is probably still making losses. Those losses can either escalate or be reversed depending on your actions.

 

The absence of debt makes short term borrowing relatively secure. We have some aging players who appear unable to keep up with the pace of the modern Premiership, a situation admittedly that you inherited. We have a leading striker who has scored one goal in 6 games since declining a contract offer.

 

We have no specialist cover for a full back with a long term injury. Short term borrowing of, say, £20m can help secure Premier League survival, with a strong foundation and stream of revenue, allowing your plan of developing youngsters to be successful.

 

Since the departure of Chris Mort, we have been frustrated by the lack of communication from your directors. We do not know what is going on and recognize that some things can not be commented on for legal reasons. There are still things that can be communicated to us.

 

The relationship between any business and its customers is built on trust. Trust depends on communication and actions. If you give the Geordie public reason to trust you, you will find our loyalty returned many times over, which will show in capacity crowds and merchandise revenue, as well as the famous “twelfth man”.

 

Failure to arrest the decline will result in the opposite – a cancellation of season tickets, empty spaces on terraces, falling revenues and a club declining in value. Whether you are in the club to achieve success, or financial gain, you need the supporters with you to raise the value of Newcastle United.

 

You know as a businessman that sometimes you need to speculate to accumulate. Even borrowing £20m to invest in the playing squad now will show us that you are worthy of our support. Please act now.

 

Time is short. You have two weeks to save the club and your investment. If you want our trust, and want our support, please act immediately to save our club. Your actions will speak volumes louder than any words. If you want us to commit to you, please commit to us.

 

YOU CAN MAKE THIS RIGHT!

 

------------------------------------------

 

Just a thought, if they mark it PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL and address it to Mike Ashley, will it not have to be opened by someone he has authorised, rather than just the customer services lass?

 

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That's an excellently constructed letter and argument tbh. Non-judgemental and constructive. I've stuck up for NUSC before, but they'd have a lot more chance of a response from the club if they had the writer of that onboard.

 

Having said that, the club will ignore it.

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Whether anyone from the club reads it or not action the need for investing in the squad to safeguard our premiership future is vital, if Ashley isn't aware of this then he must be an idiot. He has to the end of this month to put it right.

 

I've got a feeling Given is going to be sold to release funds to buy in.

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Guest toonlass

I think that they want people to copy and paste it and send loads of them. Think it will lose effect if loads of people send exactly the same letter.

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Guest The Libertine

Whether anyone from the club reads it or not action the need for investing in the squad to safeguard our premiership future is vital, if Ashley isn't aware of this then he must be an idiot. He has to the end of this month to put it right.

 

I've got a feeling Given is going to be sold to release funds to buy in.

 

kinnear is banging on about having £10 million to spend. if he spends that we'd probably be one of the highest spenders in the league this window.

 

saying that, i dont believe much of what kinnear says so time will have to tell.

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Guest toonlass

Whether anyone from the club reads it or not action the need for investing in the squad to safeguard our premiership future is vital, if Ashley isn't aware of this then he must be an idiot. He has to the end of this month to put it right.

 

I've got a feeling Given is going to be sold to release funds to buy in.

 

kinnear is banging on about having £10 to spend.

 

saying that, i dont believe much of what kinnear says so time will have to tell.

 

FYP

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It just makes no sense.  The team is playing badly and we have many injuries to most of our better players.  If we don't spend in the next 2 weeks then we have to survive on what we got.  £20m spent wisely now could save millions more than being relegated.

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Guest Stephen927

You would think somebody high up in the club would read it, either from the actual letter sent or on the internet.

 

It's a problem that can't be ignored. These things should have been sorted out last summer, when it is easier to deal with other clubs, not January when everyone wants to hold onto their best players, and when we had a respected and capable manager at the club.

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That is a brilliantly written letter tbh, and we cannot afford for Ashley not to read it. This is why the letter must be directed to him through different avenues. It needs publishing in the fanzines, and possibly printed on cheap paper and distributed at the ground. A copy of it WILL get to him eventually.

 

Refreshing to read that after the shambles that was the NUSC.

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I reckon they should send a copy of that letter to every national newspaper. One of them is bound to print it.

It might be seen by them as another chance to laugh at the plight of Newcastle United but so f***ing what.

 

To be fair reading that letter, it's well balanced and realistic. It's not deluded and downright embarrassing like some of the tripe we've seen before. No reason for the press to laugh at it.

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That is a brilliantly written letter tbh, and we cannot afford for Ashley not to read it. This is why the letter must be directed to him through different avenues. It needs publishing in the fanzines, and possibly printed on cheap paper and distributed at the ground. A copy of it WILL get to him eventually.

 

Refreshing to read that after the shambles that was the NUSC.

 

Pointless, because he'll not take it serious. He'll say something like "The ones who wrote that lettre aren't the ones at the matches" or "This might be the opinion of the minority, but definitely not the majority of the Toon supporters..."

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That is a brilliantly written letter tbh, and we cannot afford for Ashley not to read it. This is why the letter must be directed to him through different avenues. It needs publishing in the fanzines, and possibly printed on cheap paper and distributed at the ground. A copy of it WILL get to him eventually.

 

Refreshing to read that after the shambles that was the NUSC.

 

Pointless, because he'll not take it serious. He'll say something like "The ones who wrote that lettre aren't the ones at the matches" or "This might be the opinion of the minority, but definitely not the majority of the Toon supporters..."

 

Oh right. Because he's stupid enough to think the majority of Toon supporters think we're going really well this season, and have massive posters of Geremi, Butt, Duff and Cacapa up on their bedroom walls for inspiration!

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