"Open letter" to Mike Ashley on the main site

[James]

A fan has posted an anonymous letter on the main site. I know a lot of people bookmark to go straight to the forum, so here it is:

 

Dear Mr. Ashley,

 

You are a betting man. Right now, I’d be willing to bet a small sum of money with you that Newcastle United shall be relegated. I do not expect you to take up this wager, after all, relegation will personally cost you millions, and we all know that.

 

In a recent Q&A with Derek Llambias held by the Chronicle and the Journal, I got the impression that the club’s reaction to the possibility of relegation was to pray and hope for the best. This is not the right attitude to take. I firmly believe that you are the only man who can save us from relegation, if only you were willing to yield the power you had.

 

Before I go on, let me make a few things clear: I have no affiliation with NUSC as I think they are a complete shambles; I have no personal agenda against yourself or Dennis Wise; I do not want Keegan to come back; in writing this, I am not reflecting the views of this website, but am instead voicing my views as a single Newcastle United fan.

 

Let me cut straight to the point. Joe Kinnear is statistically the second worst manager the club has had in its history. The second worst manager in the club’s 107 year history was appointed by you, and this above all else must be considered your biggest crime. No-one can be blamed for what is now happening with Hughton in charge, but it is still your responsibility to fix the situation.

 

You sacked Sam Allardyce, you weren’t happy with the way the club was headed under his stewardship. You made the right decision. A popular tale of Allardyce’s tenure at Newcastle was that Allardyce would spend his team-talks explaining what to do when the opponents had the ball, and at the end of the team talk, a player asked: “But what are we supposed to do when we have the ball?” There have been tales said that Kinnear spends four days out of five coaching defence. If these tales are true, it is very much the case that in the space of 12 months, the managerial position has gone from Allardyce to an inferior alternative. I do not even believe that Kinnear is good enough to take us straight back up if we go down. Don’t replace him now, and you’ll only end up doing so in six months.

 

I appreciate that Kinnear helped you out when you were stuck in a deep hole, but that hole no longer exists, and you can not allow sentiment to influence your managerial appointments. As Sir Bobby Robson once said “I do not want my players to be monks, I want them to be football players, as monks aren’t good enough to play at this level.” Football is a tough business, and you are going to have to be nasty to survive.

 

I also appreciate that you are lacking ideas as to who could possibly come in. Since your tenure, the club have offered positions to Harry Redknapp, Kevin Keegan, Terry Venables, Joe Kinnear and Gerry Francis. Looking at those names, it is clear that you have fond memories of 1996. Unfortunately, the game has moved on since, and going back to those names from the past has been a huge mistake. Again, you look at those managing today, and of those that would come here, all apart from Steve Bruce are much of a muchness.

 

It is clear that you are a believer of nurturing for the future, and I agree with you. The sooner these young prospects oust the woeful Nicky Butt and Alan Smith, the better. Why not complement this policy by identifying a young manager who could grow into a real star, as opposed to settling for average managers that aren’t going to take the club anywhere?

 

Two names that spring to mind are Roberto Martinez and Temuri Ketsbaia. They would come to Newcastle tomorrow if offered the job. A gamble yes, but you are a betting man, and you have a better chance of avoiding relegation or achieving immediate promotion with those two than you would get with standing by Joe Kinnear, and in the long run, the rewards could be much greater.

 

Yield the power, it’s your only real choice.

 

Yours truly,

 

A Newcastle fan.

[Guest Alan Shearer 9]

Fantastic letter I agree with the sentiments completely.

[ElDiablo]

Bit patronising but a decent read and I agree with it all.

[Yorkie]

Ashley, or one of his minions, will probably read that letter - as i suspect sites like ours are covered by the communication team (lol).

 

It's whether or not they can accept that that viewpoint, in general, is the general concensus throughout the entirety of the fanbase. IE, don't appoint Kinnear.

 

I'd really love to see what percentage of NUFC fans actually want him as boss. For a change, they could actually put an interesting poll on the main site. Kinnear for manager? Something like that might actually breed some sense into the cretins in charge.

[James]

A poll as to whether NUFC will get relegated was recently put up by whoever runs the main site these days, but a poll on Joe Kinnear is still a good idea and can be done elsewhere.

[garth]

Good letter. Have say I agree with it.

[OzzieMandias]

I'd agree that Temuri and Martinez are the kind of names we should be looking at for a long-term managerial appointment, however I doubt that appointing either right now would make much sense in terms of battling relegation. If we have to bring in a fireman, Venables seems a better option.

 

And if the letter is genuinely intended as something that might persuade Ashley of its viewpoint, then it would be much better if it wasn't written in such a self-important, patronising, point-scoring tone.

[Decky]

What a shame he will never see it or even realise the points mentioned in it eh

[dcmk]

Dear Mr. Ashley,

 

You are a betting man. Right now, I’d be willing to bet a small sum of money with you that Newcastle United shall be relegated. I do not expect you to take up this wager, after all, relegation will personally cost you millions, and we all know that.

 

In a recent Q&A with Derek Llambias held by the Chronicle and the Journal, I got the impression that the club’s reaction to the possibility of relegation was to pray and hope for the best. This is not the right attitude to take. I firmly believe that you are the only man who can save us from relegation, if only you were willing to yield the power you had.

 

Before I go on, let me make a few things clear: I have no affiliation with NUSC as I think they are a complete shambles; I have no personal agenda against yourself or Dennis Wise; I do not want Keegan to come back; in writing this, I am not reflecting the views of this website, but am instead voicing my views as a single Newcastle United fan.

 

Let me cut straight to the point. Joe Kinnear is statistically the second worst manager the club has had in its history. The second worst manager in the club’s 107 year history was appointed by you, and this above all else must be considered your biggest crime. No-one can be blamed for what is now happening with Hughton in charge, but it is still your responsibility to fix the situation.

 

You sacked Sam Allardyce, you weren’t happy with the way the club was headed under his stewardship. You made the right decision. A popular tale of Allardyce’s tenure at Newcastle was that Allardyce would spend his team-talks explaining what to do when the opponents had the ball, and at the end of the team talk, a player asked: “But what are we supposed to do when we have the ball?” There have been tales said that Kinnear spends four days out of five coaching defence. If these tales are true, it is very much the case that in the space of 12 months, the managerial position has gone from Allardyce to an inferior alternative. I do not even believe that Kinnear is good enough to take us straight back up if we go down. Don’t replace him now, and you’ll only end up doing so in six months.

 

I appreciate that Kinnear helped you out when you were stuck in a deep hole, but that hole no longer exists, and you can not allow sentiment to influence your managerial appointments. As Sir Bobby Robson once said “I do not want my players to be monks, I want them to be football players, as monks aren’t good enough to play at this level.” Football is a tough business, and you are going to have to be nasty to survive.

 

I also appreciate that you are lacking ideas as to who could possibly come in. Since your tenure, the club have offered positions to Harry Redknapp, Kevin Keegan, Terry Venables, Joe Kinnear and Gerry Francis. Looking at those names, it is clear that you have fond memories of 1996. Unfortunately, the game has moved on since, and going back to those names from the past has been a huge mistake. Again, you look at those managing today, and of those that would come here, all apart from Steve Bruce are much of a muchness.

 

It is clear that you are a believer of nurturing for the future, and I agree with you. The sooner these young prospects oust the woeful Nicky Butt and Alan Smith, the better. Why not complement this policy by identifying a young manager who could grow into a real star, as opposed to settling for average managers that aren’t going to take the club anywhere?

 

Two names that spring to mind are Roberto Martinez and Temuri Ketsbaia. They would come to Newcastle tomorrow if offered the job. A gamble yes, but you are a betting man, and you have a better chance of avoiding relegation or achieving immediate promotion with those two than you would get with standing by Joe Kinnear, and in the long run, the rewards could be much greater.

 

Yield the power, it’s your only real choice.

 

Yours truly,

 

A Newcastle fan.

 

The article is hard to take seriously, i want a good manager and some stability and ambition from the guys in charge but 3 main parts of that letter that bugged me.

 

1st bold bit - he hasn't had many games, absolute crap team.  Captain won't sign a contract all the players pretty much want out.  He hasn't had a full season in charge, but im sure this person expects the likes of Coloccini to be given a full season rather than be judged over 15-20 games.

 

2)  Is just point scoring, and a bit of a piss take.

3)  If they did that and say brought in Paul Ince (before blackburn) and he failed would you be behind the appointment, when he is sacked.  or in hindsight would people believe 'should never have appointed a young manager, need some experienced here'.

 

[CaliMag]

dcmk -

 

RE point #3 - Ince is not the same level of gamble. I would argue that there is a big difference between what Ince accomplished at MK Dons and the miracle of Ketsy's regime or the work of Martinez. Ince was a big name at a nothing club and (very) modest accomplishments.

 

I agree with the other two points.

[Ronaldo]

Dear Mr. Ashley,

 

You are a betting man. Right now, Id be willing to bet a small sum of money with you that Newcastle United shall be relegated. I do not expect you to take up this wager, after all, relegation will personally cost you millions, and we all know that.

 

In a recent Q&A with Derek Llambias held by the Chronicle and the Journal, I got the impression that the clubs reaction to the possibility of relegation was to pray and hope for the best. This is not the right attitude to take. I firmly believe that you are the only man who can save us from relegation, if only you were willing to yield the power you had.

 

Before I go on, let me make a few things clear: I have no affiliation with NUSC as I think they are a complete shambles; I have no personal agenda against yourself or Dennis Wise; I do not want Keegan to come back; in writing this, I am not reflecting the views of this website, but am instead voicing my views as a single Newcastle United fan.

 

Let me cut straight to the point. Joe Kinnear is statistically the second worst manager the club has had in its history. The second worst manager in the clubs 107 year history was appointed by you, and this above all else must be considered your biggest crime. No-one can be blamed for what is now happening with Hughton in charge, but it is still your responsibility to fix the situation.

 

You sacked Sam Allardyce, you werent happy with the way the club was headed under his stewardship. You made the right decision. A popular tale of Allardyces tenure at Newcastle was that Allardyce would spend his team-talks explaining what to do when the opponents had the ball, and at the end of the team talk, a player asked: But what are we supposed to do when we have the ball? There have been tales said that Kinnear spends four days out of five coaching defence. If these tales are true, it is very much the case that in the space of 12 months, the managerial position has gone from Allardyce to an inferior alternative. I do not even believe that Kinnear is good enough to take us straight back up if we go down. Dont replace him now, and youll only end up doing so in six months.

 

I appreciate that Kinnear helped you out when you were stuck in a deep hole, but that hole no longer exists, and you can not allow sentiment to influence your managerial appointments. As Sir Bobby Robson once said I do not want my players to be monks, I want them to be football players, as monks arent good enough to play at this level. Football is a tough business, and you are going to have to be nasty to survive.

 

I also appreciate that you are lacking ideas as to who could possibly come in. Since your tenure, the club have offered positions to Harry Redknapp, Kevin Keegan, Terry Venables, Joe Kinnear and Gerry Francis. Looking at those names, it is clear that you have fond memories of 1996. Unfortunately, the game has moved on since, and going back to those names from the past has been a huge mistake. Again, you look at those managing today, and of those that would come here, all apart from Steve Bruce are much of a muchness.

 

It is clear that you are a believer of nurturing for the future, and I agree with you. The sooner these young prospects oust the woeful Nicky Butt and Alan Smith, the better. Why not complement this policy by identifying a young manager who could grow into a real star, as opposed to settling for average managers that arent going to take the club anywhere?

 

Two names that spring to mind are Roberto Martinez and Temuri Ketsbaia. They would come to Newcastle tomorrow if offered the job. A gamble yes, but you are a betting man, and you have a better chance of avoiding relegation or achieving immediate promotion with those two than you would get with standing by Joe Kinnear, and in the long run, the rewards could be much greater.

 

Yield the power, its your only real choice.

 

Yours truly,

 

A Newcastle fan.

 

The article is hard to take seriously, i want a good manager and some stability and ambition from the guys in charge but 3 main parts of that letter that bugged me.

 

1st bold bit - he hasn't had many games, absolute crap team.  Captain won't sign a contract all the players pretty much want out.  He hasn't had a full season in charge, but im sure this person expects the likes of Coloccini to be given a full season rather than be judged over 15-20 games.

 

2)  Is just point scoring, and a bit of a piss take.

3)  If they did that and say brought in Paul Ince (before blackburn) and he failed would you be behind the appointment, when he is sacked.  or in hindsight would people believe 'should never have appointed a young manager, need some experienced here'.

 

 

The fact that Kinnear is statisctically the 2nd worst in 107 years is very significant tbh. He has absolutely no excuse for that because you cannot honestly tell me that we've not had worse teams than the current one

[dcmk]

Dear Mr. Ashley,

 

You are a betting man. Right now, Id be willing to bet a small sum of money with you that Newcastle United shall be relegated. I do not expect you to take up this wager, after all, relegation will personally cost you millions, and we all know that.

 

In a recent Q&A with Derek Llambias held by the Chronicle and the Journal, I got the impression that the clubs reaction to the possibility of relegation was to pray and hope for the best. This is not the right attitude to take. I firmly believe that you are the only man who can save us from relegation, if only you were willing to yield the power you had.

 

Before I go on, let me make a few things clear: I have no affiliation with NUSC as I think they are a complete shambles; I have no personal agenda against yourself or Dennis Wise; I do not want Keegan to come back; in writing this, I am not reflecting the views of this website, but am instead voicing my views as a single Newcastle United fan.

 

Let me cut straight to the point. Joe Kinnear is statistically the second worst manager the club has had in its history. The second worst manager in the clubs 107 year history was appointed by you, and this above all else must be considered your biggest crime. No-one can be blamed for what is now happening with Hughton in charge, but it is still your responsibility to fix the situation.

 

You sacked Sam Allardyce, you werent happy with the way the club was headed under his stewardship. You made the right decision. A popular tale of Allardyces tenure at Newcastle was that Allardyce would spend his team-talks explaining what to do when the opponents had the ball, and at the end of the team talk, a player asked: But what are we supposed to do when we have the ball? There have been tales said that Kinnear spends four days out of five coaching defence. If these tales are true, it is very much the case that in the space of 12 months, the managerial position has gone from Allardyce to an inferior alternative. I do not even believe that Kinnear is good enough to take us straight back up if we go down. Dont replace him now, and youll only end up doing so in six months.

 

I appreciate that Kinnear helped you out when you were stuck in a deep hole, but that hole no longer exists, and you can not allow sentiment to influence your managerial appointments. As Sir Bobby Robson once said I do not want my players to be monks, I want them to be football players, as monks arent good enough to play at this level. Football is a tough business, and you are going to have to be nasty to survive.

 

I also appreciate that you are lacking ideas as to who could possibly come in. Since your tenure, the club have offered positions to Harry Redknapp, Kevin Keegan, Terry Venables, Joe Kinnear and Gerry Francis. Looking at those names, it is clear that you have fond memories of 1996. Unfortunately, the game has moved on since, and going back to those names from the past has been a huge mistake. Again, you look at those managing today, and of those that would come here, all apart from Steve Bruce are much of a muchness.

 

It is clear that you are a believer of nurturing for the future, and I agree with you. The sooner these young prospects oust the woeful Nicky Butt and Alan Smith, the better. Why not complement this policy by identifying a young manager who could grow into a real star, as opposed to settling for average managers that arent going to take the club anywhere?

 

Two names that spring to mind are Roberto Martinez and Temuri Ketsbaia. They would come to Newcastle tomorrow if offered the job. A gamble yes, but you are a betting man, and you have a better chance of avoiding relegation or achieving immediate promotion with those two than you would get with standing by Joe Kinnear, and in the long run, the rewards could be much greater.

 

Yield the power, its your only real choice.

 

Yours truly,

 

A Newcastle fan.

 

The article is hard to take seriously, i want a good manager and some stability and ambition from the guys in charge but 3 main parts of that letter that bugged me.

 

1st bold bit - he hasn't had many games, absolute crap team.  Captain won't sign a contract all the players pretty much want out.  He hasn't had a full season in charge, but im sure this person expects the likes of Coloccini to be given a full season rather than be judged over 15-20 games.

 

2)  Is just point scoring, and a bit of a piss take.

3)  If they did that and say brought in Paul Ince (before blackburn) and he failed would you be behind the appointment, when he is sacked.  or in hindsight would people believe 'should never have appointed a young manager, need some experienced here'.

 

 

The fact that Kinnear is statisctically the 2nd worst in 107 years is very significant tbh. He has absolutely no excuse for that because you cannot honestly tell me that we've not had worse teams than the current one

 

How can you call him the 2nd worst manager in our history when he has had about 20 games in charge, are you kidding me?  If he wins say 5 of his next games would he all of a sudden become one of the top managers we have ever had?

 

..and people say he wouldnt judge our summer signings so soon, jesus fucking christ.

[Ronaldo]

come on, half the teams in the league are shite and at least 7 worse than ours on paper.  We've been absolutely woeful in those 20 games, the stats dont adequately do justice how bad he's actually been.

[indi]

Wield!!

[themanupstairs]

 

 

But it's like us signing Andy Cole now, at age 39, and saying give him a full season to prove he's good enough! Joe Kinnear will never be good enough in this day and age.

 

Agree ENTIRELY with the letter btw

[Guest Taff]

 

 

But it's like us signing Andy Cole now, at age 39, and saying give him a full season to prove he's good enough! Joe Kinnear will never be good enough in this day and age.

 

Agree ENTIRELY with the letter btw

[Kitman]

Kinnear has never done anything of any note in his career.  He has no standing in the game and will not attract players to the club.  In my opinion not one player will stay because of him either.  He's 62 years old and is battling a serious heart complaint.  In what way can he possibly be the man to lead the club into a long term period of stability and success?   

 

To me it beggars belief that he's been offered a new contract.  In fact I despair he's been offered a new contract.  It's utterly clueless and it could cost us dear.  I agree with the writer that it's their biggest mistake.

[Cronky]

This is just panic dressed up.

[James]

This is just panic dressed up.

 

Perhaps, but I think people are at the stage where panic is the only course of action.

[themanupstairs]

Kinnear has never done anything of any note in his career.  He has no standing in the game and will not attract players to the club.  In my opinion not one player will stay because of him either.  He's 62 years old and is battling a serious heart complaint.  In what way can he possibly be the man to lead the club into a long term period of stability and success?     

 

To me it beggars belief that he's been offered a new contract.  In fact I despair he's been offered a new contract.  It's utterly clueless and it could cost us dear.  I agree with the writer that it's their biggest mistake.

 

IMO their bigger mistake was hiring Keegan in the first place, and the situation we find ourselves in is a direct result of that mistake. The only way they can rectify this is by letting JK go in the summer and bringing in someone worth their salt to start the rebuilding and get us playing some good football getting the best out of what we have.

[Kitman]

This is just panic dressed up.

 

No need to panic, eh? 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/images/dads_army_body.jpg

[James]

This is just panic dressed up.

 

No need to panic, eh? 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/images/dads_army_body.jpg

 

He could probably do a better job than JK.

 

"Lets get at those Arsenals with pointed sticks. They don't like it up em Captain Mainwaring, the don't like it up em."

[Crumpy Gunt]

The fact Kinnear has been sacked twice from comfortably a lower level than the Premiership tends to suggest his 2nd worst ever tag is likely to remain firmly in tact.

 

We are dying a slow and painful death.

 

 

And why was it his last top flight job ended again?

[Guest Darth Toon]

This won't acheive anything, but it's worth a try I suppose.

 

I'm not one of those that believes Ashley has come here with a deliberate mission to fuck us over, but it's very telling that he couldn't have done a much more thorough job of it if that had been his aim.

 

I firmly believe the Kinnear/Hughton/Calderwood dream team will take us down without a fight. And be rewarded with new contracts. Our club is sinking to a slow and miserable death, and Llambias and co can't even be arsed to rearrange the deck chairs.

 

It's depressing beyond belief.

 

[bulivye]

Wield!!

 

I thought this as well!