SBR Feels Sorry For Ashley

[80]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1176679/SIR-BOBBY-ROBSON-Dont-blame-Ashley-Newcastles-decline.html

 

I never thought I'd feel sorry for Mike Ashley, but I do. He put his faith in the wrong men - and they have let him down badly.

 

There can be no apology for some of Ashley's decisions. He picked out-of-touch managers Kevin Keegan and Joe Kinnear, and his decision to appoint Dennis Wise as executive director of football was a complete disaster.

 

But I have sympathy with him because, unlike a lot of big-time owners, Ashley did not stick his nose in and interfere. All he did was bring in who he thought were football people and trusted them to do the right thing. It is their fault, not his, that they wasted millions of pounds on bad players.

 

More from Sir Bobby Robson...

 

    *  Poor signings, not moving and bad homework... Keane must learn from his mistakes if he wants to be a winner at Ipswich 25/04/09

    *  Hughes must put his foot down or Robinho may ruin City dream 18/04/09

    *  With Rooney in this riotous form, United really can go on and win the lot 11/04/09

    *  SIR BOBBY ROBSON: New leader sends a perfect signal with speedy exit of Wise 04/04/09

    *  Why Rooney should think of Gazza when he feels like losing it 28/03/09

    *  Wright's woes are enough to stop top bosses complaining 21/03/09

    *  Bobby Robson: Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez simply did not turn up yesterday 14/03/09

    *  Why Fergie's faith in youth could backfire 28/02/09

    *  VIEW FULL ARCHIVE

 

 

 

The irony is that whereas most owners are arrogant enough to come into football and think they know it all, Ashley has been naive. He has acknowledged his lack of experience in the game and given his employees a free rein.

 

Wise, his cohort Tony Jimenez and Kinnear were all out of their depth and that is why the club are in such a mess and relying on an unlikely result at Liverpool today to keep their Premier League survival hopes alive.

 

I remember asking Ashley soon after the club signed Kevin Nolan in January what homework had been done on the player?

 

I wanted to know how many times he had been scouted and what reports had been done of him. Ashley shrugged, he genuinely didn't know the answer.

 

I told him I'd be more careful about spending his next £4.5 million! Who would have thought such a successful businessman would be so trusting.

 

My guess is that a lot of the recent signings at Newcastle have not been checked out properly. Wise thought Xisco was a good idea. So Ashley paid £5.7m for a striker who has gone on to score one goal all season.

 

I don't know who recommended Fabricio Colloccini, but Ashley put his hand in his pocket for another £10m. Colloccini would have struggled to get into Newcastle's reserves a few years ago.

 

When things started to get desperate in January, it seems the club started to listen a little less to Wise, and more to Kinnear.

 

But the result was the same - more of the wrong type of player. Nolan lacks mobility in an important area of the pitch, just what Newcastle didn't need!

 

Peter Lovenkrands was also signed. OK, he didn't cost any money, but that doesn't matter because he simply isn't good enough at Premier League level.

 

One of the few good players left, Charles N'Zogbia, went to Wigan. Newcastle got Ryan Taylor in return. I know for a fact Wigan were delighted with the deal - they never rated Ryan as a Premier League-class player.

 

None of these things were Ashley's fault, beyond the fact that he put the wrong people in the wrong positions and wrongly believed they knew what they were doing.

 

The penny may have dropped now. Certainly the appointment of Alan Shearer was the right thing to do, albeit arguably too late.

Alan Shearer

 

WORTHY: Alan Shearer is the right man for Newcastle job

 

And, of course, I wish Kinnear all the best in his recuperation after an operation because nobody likes to hear of a fellow football man being unwell.

 

Anyone mocking Alan for not turning things around yet doesn't understand what he's inherited. The only saving grace is that among the problems there are enough match-winners, Oba Martins, Mark Viduka, Damien Duff, Michael Owen, to try to keep the team up this season.

 

But there has to be a massive turnaround in the summer if Newcastle are going to improve long term. The squad is unbalanced, it is short of legs and pace and it is no fluke they are in the bottom three.

 

I hope Alan has the desire to see this job through, because I believe he has Ashley's confidence. In my view, Alan is the first person really worthy of the Newcastle hot-seat since I left in 2004.

 

What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in knowledge about the club and, more importantly, his knowledge of the game in general and his ability to communicate that knowledge and make positive decisions.

 

I have watched in disbelief and near horror at some of the things that have gone on at Newcastle in the past year.

 

I feel sorry for Ashley - I just don't think he understood what the game was all about. He has done the right thing in giving Alan a chance and I can only hope it's not too late. I wish Alan every success at Anfield. My heart and head are with him.

[ChezGiven]

Legend.

[chicago_shearer]

SBR, what a dirty foreigner, slating Kevin Keegan like that. 

[Guest toonlass]

I reckon SBR has a point. It still doesn't excuse Ashley from putting right the fuck ups sooner though.

[Ronaldo]

love him, but he's been talking his fair share of nonsense recently. Agree about Nolan though

[Guest firetotheworks]

I love the bloke, but I personally think most of his opinions in that are bollocks. Don't blame Ashley because he didn't interfere? Why not blame him for employing the wrong people then? Or being naive? You cant have one and not the other.

 

That Colo line is laughable too, as if he wouldnt be picked ahead of OBrian, Dabizas, Bramble et al.

[samag]

I love the bloke, but I personally think most of his opinions in that are bollocks. Don't blame Ashley because he didn't interfere? Why not blame him for employing the wrong people then? Or being naive? You cant have one and not the other.

 

That Colo line is laughable too, as if he wouldnt be picked ahead of OBrian, Dabizas, Bramble et al.

 

what i have seen of colo this year, he is no better than OBrian, Dabizas, Bramble

[Raconteur]

I love the bloke, but I personally think most of his opinions in that are bollocks. Don't blame Ashley because he didn't interfere? Why not blame him for employing the wrong people then? Or being naive? You cant have one and not the other.

 

That Colo line is laughable too, as if he wouldnt be picked ahead of OBrian, Dabizas, Bramble et al.

 

I'm pretty sure he acknowledges both of those points in that article.

 

He makes several pertinent arguments, obviously the Colo line is throwaway hyperbole but otherwise it's hard to argue with a lot of it.

[Guest gggg]

I love the bloke, but I personally think most of his opinions in that are bollocks. Don't blame Ashley because he didn't interfere? Why not blame him for employing the wrong people then? Or being naive? You cant have one and not the other.

 

That Colo line is laughable too, as if he wouldnt be picked ahead of OBrian, Dabizas, Bramble et al.

 

what i have seen of colo this year, he is no better than OBrian, Dabizas, Bramble

 

Innit. Two of them are still playing for mid table clubs, Coloccini has never been higher than that.

[Guest Albert Square]

I agree, Ashley is simply a man relying on people connected with the game. Is he to blame when said people fuck up? Is he fuck, how can people complain about Ashley in terms of backing etc when he bankrolled signings? My only complaint about Ashley is that he is simply out of his depth.

[dcmk]

I agree, Ashley is simply a man relying on people connected with the game. Is he to blame when said people f*** up? Is he f***, how can people complain about Ashley in terms of backing etc when he bankrolled signings? My only complaint about Ashley is that he is simply out of his depth.

 

This isn't a serious post is it?

 

If in case it is, why can't Ashley be held accountable for the people he employs?  You say he bankrolled signings ..every window we made a profit.  We haven't even received a penny for Milner yet.. he is 'out of his depth' could be the biggest understatement in football at the moment.

 

Every decision the guy has taken since Mort left has been wrong.

[Guest Albert Square]

Ill take back my statements that he isnt to blame, because he is. However are people really disagreeing with the fact that Ashley is in unknown territory right now and is relying on people who have a "footballing brain" to sort everything out? I think it is clear that he relied on people widely connected with the game and it has massively backfired on him.

[Tooj]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1176679/SIR-BOBBY-ROBSON-Dont-blame-Ashley-Newcastles-decline.html

 

I never thought I'd feel sorry for Mike Ashley, but I do. He put his faith in the wrong men - and they have let him down badly.

 

There can be no apology for some of Ashley's decisions. He picked out-of-touch managers Kevin Keegan and Joe Kinnear, and his decision to appoint Dennis Wise as executive director of football was a complete disaster.

 

But I have sympathy with him because, unlike a lot of big-time owners, Ashley did not stick his nose in and interfere. All he did was bring in who he thought were football people and trusted them to do the right thing. It is their fault, not his, that they wasted millions of pounds on bad players.

  

More from Sir Bobby Robson...

 

    *   Poor signings, not moving and bad homework... Keane must learn from his mistakes if he wants to be a winner at Ipswich 25/04/09

    *   Hughes must put his foot down or Robinho may ruin City dream 18/04/09

    *   With Rooney in this riotous form, United really can go on and win the lot 11/04/09

    *   SIR BOBBY ROBSON: New leader sends a perfect signal with speedy exit of Wise 04/04/09

    *   Why Rooney should think of Gazza when he feels like losing it 28/03/09

    *   Wright's woes are enough to stop top bosses complaining 21/03/09

    *   Bobby Robson: Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez simply did not turn up yesterday 14/03/09

    *   Why Fergie's faith in youth could backfire 28/02/09

    *   VIEW FULL ARCHIVE

 

 

 

The irony is that whereas most owners are arrogant enough to come into football and think they know it all, Ashley has been naive. He has acknowledged his lack of experience in the game and given his employees a free rein.

 

Wise, his cohort Tony Jimenez and Kinnear were all out of their depth and that is why the club are in such a mess and relying on an unlikely result at Liverpool today to keep their Premier League survival hopes alive.

 

I remember asking Ashley soon after the club signed Kevin Nolan in January what homework had been done on the player?

 

I wanted to know how many times he had been scouted and what reports had been done of him. Ashley shrugged, he genuinely didn't know the answer.

 

I told him I'd be more careful about spending his next £4.5 million! Who would have thought such a successful businessman would be so trusting.

 

My guess is that a lot of the recent signings at Newcastle have not been checked out properly. Wise thought Xisco was a good idea. So Ashley paid £5.7m for a striker who has gone on to score one goal all season.

 

I don't know who recommended Fabricio Colloccini, but Ashley put his hand in his pocket for another £10m. Colloccini would have struggled to get into Newcastle's reserves a few years ago.

 

When things started to get desperate in January, it seems the club started to listen a little less to Wise, and more to Kinnear.

 

But the result was the same - more of the wrong type of player. Nolan lacks mobility in an important area of the pitch, just what Newcastle didn't need!

 

Peter Lovenkrands was also signed. OK, he didn't cost any money, but that doesn't matter because he simply isn't good enough at Premier League level.

 

One of the few good players left, Charles N'Zogbia, went to Wigan. Newcastle got Ryan Taylor in return. I know for a fact Wigan were delighted with the deal - they never rated Ryan as a Premier League-class player.

 

None of these things were Ashley's fault, beyond the fact that he put the wrong people in the wrong positions and wrongly believed they knew what they were doing.

 

The penny may have dropped now. Certainly the appointment of Alan Shearer was the right thing to do, albeit arguably too late.

Alan Shearer

 

WORTHY: Alan Shearer is the right man for Newcastle job

 

And, of course, I wish Kinnear all the best in his recuperation after an operation because nobody likes to hear of a fellow football man being unwell.

 

Anyone mocking Alan for not turning things around yet doesn't understand what he's inherited. The only saving grace is that among the problems there are enough match-winners, Oba Martins, Mark Viduka, Damien Duff, Michael Owen, to try to keep the team up this season.

 

But there has to be a massive turnaround in the summer if Newcastle are going to improve long term. The squad is unbalanced, it is short of legs and pace and it is no fluke they are in the bottom three.

 

I hope Alan has the desire to see this job through, because I believe he has Ashley's confidence. In my view, Alan is the first person really worthy of the Newcastle hot-seat since I left in 2004.

 

What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in knowledge about the club and, more importantly, his knowledge of the game in general and his ability to communicate that knowledge and make positive decisions.

 

I have watched in disbelief and near horror at some of the things that have gone on at Newcastle in the past year.

 

I feel sorry for Ashley - I just don't think he understood what the game was all about. He has done the right thing in giving Alan a chance and I can only hope it's not too late. I wish Alan every success at Anfield. My heart and head are with him.

 

More cheap digs from SBR at Keegan. Fnar.

[Cronky]

I doubt if the problem has been not enough research on players. Sometimes managers don't assess things correctly and signings don't work out.

 

The problems didn't begin with Ashley. We've struggled ever since 2004. I don't think there's been a point in any season where there hasn't been some sort of threat of relegation. It was only going to to take a run of bad luck with injuries, off-field problems etc for us to sink that bit deeper.

[Gallowgate End]

That Colo line is laughable too, as if he wouldnt be picked ahead of OBrian, Dabizas, Bramble et al.

 

<b>what i have seen of colo this year, he is no better than OBrian, Dabizas, Bramble</b>

 

Your right he's worse.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1176679/SIR-BOBBY-ROBSON-Dont-blame-Ashley-Newcastles-decline.html

 

I never thought I'd feel sorry for Mike Ashley, but I do.<b> He put his faith in the wrong men - and they have let him down badly.</b>

 

There can be no apology for some of Ashley's decisions.<b> He picked out-of-touch managers Kevin Keegan</b> and Joe Kinnear, and his decision to appoint Dennis Wise as executive director of football was a complete disaster.

 

But I have sympathy with him because, unlike a lot of big-time owners, Ashley did not stick his nose in and interfere. All he did was bring in who he thought were football people and trusted them to do the right thing. It is their fault, not his, that they wasted millions of pounds on bad players.

  

The irony is that whereas most owners are arrogant enough to come into football and think they know it all, Ashley has been naive. He has acknowledged his lack of experience in the game and given his employees a free rein.

 

Wise, his cohort Tony Jimenez and Kinnear were all out of their depth and that is why the club are in such a mess and relying on an unlikely result at Liverpool today to keep their Premier League survival hopes alive.

 

I remember asking Ashley soon after the club signed Kevin Nolan in January what homework had been done on the player?

 

I wanted to know how many times he had been scouted and what reports had been done of him. Ashley shrugged, he genuinely didn't know the answer.

 

I told him I'd be more careful about spending his next £4.5 million! Who would have thought such a successful businessman would be so trusting.

 

My guess is that a lot of the recent signings at Newcastle have not been checked out properly. Wise thought Xisco was a good idea. So Ashley paid £5.7m for a striker who has gone on to score one goal all season.

 

I don't know who recommended Fabricio Colloccini, but Ashley put his hand in his pocket for another £10m. Colloccini would have struggled to get into Newcastle's reserves a few years ago.

 

When things started to get desperate in January, it seems the club started to listen a little less to Wise, and more to Kinnear.

 

But the result was the same - more of the wrong type of player. Nolan lacks mobility in an important area of the pitch, just what Newcastle didn't need!

 

Peter Lovenkrands was also signed. OK, he didn't cost any money, but that doesn't matter because he simply isn't good enough at Premier League level.

 

One of the few good players left, Charles N'Zogbia, went to Wigan. Newcastle got Ryan Taylor in return. I know for a fact Wigan were delighted with the deal - they never rated Ryan as a Premier League-class player.

 

None of these things were Ashley's fault, beyond the fact that he put the wrong people in the wrong positions and wrongly believed they knew what they were doing.

 

The penny may have dropped now. Certainly the appointment of Alan Shearer was the right thing to do, albeit arguably too late.

Alan Shearer

 

WORTHY: Alan Shearer is the right man for Newcastle job

 

And, of course, I wish Kinnear all the best in his recuperation after an operation because nobody likes to hear of a fellow football man being unwell.

 

Anyone mocking Alan for not turning things around yet doesn't understand what he's inherited. The only saving grace is that among the problems there are enough match-winners, Oba Martins, Mark Viduka, Damien Duff, Michael Owen, to try to keep the team up this season.

 

But there has to be a massive turnaround in the summer if Newcastle are going to improve long term. The squad is unbalanced, it is short of legs and pace and it is no fluke they are in the bottom three.

 

I hope Alan has the desire to see this job through, because I believe he has Ashley's confidence. In my view,<b> Alan is the first person really worthy of the Newcastle hot-seat since I left in 2004.</b>

 

What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in knowledge about the club and, more importantly, his knowledge of the game in general and his ability to communicate that knowledge and make positive decisions.

 

I have watched in disbelief and near horror at some of the things that have gone on at Newcastle in the past year.

 

I feel sorry for Ashley - I just don't think he understood what the game was all about. He has done the right thing in giving Alan a chance and I can only hope it's not too late. I wish Alan every success at Anfield. My heart and head are with him.

 

Spot On.

[Tooj]

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

Good of Bobby to name and slag off a few of our current squad. I'm sure that will help keep us up.

[Guest helios_centric]

One of the things I do like about Sir Bobby's comments since he has left the club is that very thing - he does name names, he does not pull punches and he speaks his mind. Way too many  'football people' pussyfoot around and close ranks to back up their fellow professionals when very often they are indefensible.

 

I agree with a few things he says and I disagree with a few but I'm refreshed to read an actual opinion rather than some fence-sitting crap I usual read from players and managers in the press.

 

 

[Guest LucaAltieri]

One of the things I do like about Sir Bobby's comments since he has left the club is that very thing - he does name names, he does not pull punches and he speaks his mind. Way too many  'football people' pussyfoot around and close ranks to back up their fellow professionals when very often they are indefensible.

 

I agree with a few things he says and I disagree with a few but I'm refreshed to read an actual opinion rather than some fence-sitting crap I usual read from players and managers in the press.

 

 

 

[Mistle17]

Sir Bobby may feel sorry for Ashley, but I sure dont. What about the plan of trying to run this club on a shoestring budget? What about him only hiring friends not ideal people for the job? What about Llambias' appointment? Christ sake.

 

But in terms of the playing side of things and Shearer, the man is bang on- as usual.

[Guest dover]

Feel sorry for the fans SBR not Ashley. Ive supported his changes as much as I can, but the transfer window was the final straw for me, to sell Given and Zog, two match winning players in return for Nolan and Taylor, two squad players was imo criminal. Given alone is worth 6 points a season especially in a relegation battle, the Zog can at least play left back ffs and is more likely to score than any of our current midfield including mad bad joey barton. The sad truth is that we dont deserve to stay up, I hope and pray that we do but we really dont deserve it.

 

SBR and all the other ex players and pundits can point to mismanagement in the past, all with valid theories however if were in a results business then Ashley has to be the worst premier league owner in history, and that is the reason were looking at relegation, nothing else, no excuses.

[EthiGeordie]

    Every thing Sir bobby said is correct 100% Saying Shearer is the only person worth my seat since I left sum it all. If you are a Newcastle fan and don't understand this line go to the wall and hit your head hard. We we hire 5 wrong and incompetence people and we end close to relgating to the cocacola.

[Ronaldo]

     Every thing Sir bobby said is correct 100% Saying Shearer is the only person worth my seat since I left sum it all. If you are a Newcastle fan and don't understand this line go to the wall and hit your head hard. We we hire 5 wrong and incompetence people and we end close to relgating to the cocacola.

 

so you agree that Damien Duff is a matchwinner and that Colo wouldn't have got into a reserve team which probably featured Peter Ramage and Steve Caldwell?

 

get a f***ing grip man

[Guest Phil K]

Sir Bob is correct, but he didn't always get it right himself transfer-wise.

Kinnear, though is an unforgivably moronic decision.

 

     Every thing Sir bobby said is correct 100% Saying Shearer is the only person worth my seat since I left sum it all. If you are a Newcastle fan and don't understand this line go to the wall and hit your head hard. We we hire 5 wrong and incompetence people and we end close to relgating to the cocacola.

 

so you agree that Damien Duff is a matchwinner and that Colo wouldn't have got into a reserve team which probably featured Peter Ramage and Steve Caldwell?

 

get a f***ing grip man

 

Colo is not 10% of the player he's supposed to be, yes. But Duff a matchwinner ? Basing everything on the Spuds home game are you ?

[S.S.R.]

OH NO! It's spread to his brain!