Has Ashley painted a crosshair on his back, is he now a target for bigger fish?

[sicsfingeredmong]

........... namely the Office of Fair Trading, such are the ramifications of his reign here. Collateral damage of sorts.

 

Almost ten years ago he took down what was business-wise a proverbial Gentleman's Club, a cartel involving Whelan/JJB & Umbro in particular.

 

An initial wave of predatory pricing marketing methods on Ashley's part first undermined the market value of Umbro's chief product - namely it Manchester United kits - and when Umbro attempted to reign in the rogue operator Ashley turned whistleblower. Ashley maintained what was becoming an ironclad grip of a replica selling market at the grassroots/retail store level.

 

Cartels exist at all levels when it comes to expenses of living. What we pay at the money-till, and the machinations behind any eventual pricing has long been a bedgrudging & accepted nuance of the retail market sector. Playing the role of 'rat' hardly made a Ashley a 'good guy', he hand provided the OFT enough ammunition to wound at least two high profile companies, and in Whelan a big personality. In this instance i think of Ashley as being more along the lines of Mike 'are you wearing a wire' Ashley with a separate, ulterior motive as opposed to being the 'good guy looking out for the annual set of replica buying mugs, parents trying to appease their kids who need to have the latest in-thing'. A point worth considering when looking at the pricehikes thumped on his exclusive brands, after he gets those same parents through his doors.

 

It has been recently reported that the OFT are now looking into possible breaches of the anti-competition guidelines, relating to the number of & location of his retail stores.

 

Ten years ago he was a friend of the OFT's. Ten years ago, as HTL has alluded to, he was an anonymous budget stall trader who took his practice to the stores when the consumer economy was at it's healthiest. He was just an emerging upstart, still a minor blimp on the radar. Umbro by comparison was a major scalp.

 

Roughly six years later, when he floated his company, his relatively low-profile wasn't befitting of his bullying reputation in the sports retail sector. With brownie points in the bank he still alluded heavy scrutiny from the OFT, despite a murky history in relation to his practices/ethics ie. mock closing down sales.

 

Ten years on, after having bought arguably the third biggest club in the nation, he has purchased not only the resposibility of club ownership - and with it holding aloft the dreams of the supporter base alongside his own level of ambition - he has acquired something unwanted, a profile.

 

Worse than that, and like it or not behind the collective & scrutinising eye of the OFT overseers there is a football supporter. Beyond the suit and ties of the OFT office, each and every one of those suits is just another strand, another thread that forms the passionate kaleidoscope of support. At the heart of it they - the OFT overseers - like yourself and i are football supporters. In all likelihood they/or just one of them may have borne the brunt of Ashley's mismanagement of the club firsthand, or they know of somebody at the very least. That's it all takes for a grudge to develop, such is the importance of football - in it's tribalistic level of support at club level - on the overall social landscape.

 

Ten years on Mike Ashley's 'Scarlett Pimpernell' namesake deserves to be put to the side of the road. Although Mike Ashley's still resolute band of apologists will disagree the tag of 'Destroyer of a proud football club' is more befitting.

 

Ten years on, with this newly adopted & deserving profile, the subject in question's activity in the retail sector is now attracting greater scrutiny from the powers that be. The heart of the footballing landscape - namely the dreams and hopes of the grassroot support - is a minefield that should be treaded through carefully.

 

Mike Ashley may well waddle off from Newcastle United, leaving a championship stricken club in it's wake, with a minor hole burnt in pocket if he has able to snare a favorable deal upon selling up. But, as alluded to earlier, the 'Pile em' Sell em' Cheap Merchant may well have just painted a crosshair on his back.

 

The arm of the collective football supporter base reaches far............... what goes around comes around.

 

 

[Guest guinness_fiend]

........... namely the Office of Fair Trading, such are the ramifications of his reign here. Collateral damage of sorts.

 

Almost ten years ago he took down what was business-wise a proverbial Gentleman's Club, a cartel involving Whelan/JJB & Umbro in particular.

 

An initial wave of predatory pricing marketing methods on Ashley's part first undermined the market value of Umbro's chief product - namely it Manchester United kits - and when Umbro attempted to reign in the rogue operator Ashley turned whistleblower. Ashley maintained what was becoming an ironclad grip of a replica selling market at the grassroots/retail level.

 

Cartels exist at all levels when it comes to expenses of living. What we pay at the money-till, and the machinations behind any eventual pricing has long been a bedgrudging & accepted nuance of the retail market sector. Playing the role of 'rat' hardly made a Ashley a 'good guy', he hand provided OFT enough ammunition to wound at least two high profile companies, and in Whelan a big personality. In this instance i think of Ashley as being more along the lines of Mike 'are you wearing a wire' Ashley with a separate, ulterior motive as opposed to being the 'good guy looking out for the annual set of replica buying mugs, parents trying to appease their kids who need to have the latest in-thing'. A point worth considering when looking at the pricehikes thumped on his exclusive brands, after he gets those same parents through his doors.

 

It has been recently reported that the OFT are now looking into possible breaches of the anti-competition guidelines, relating to the number of & location of his retail stores.

 

Ten years ago he was friend of the OFT's. Ten years ago, as HTL has alluded to, he was an anonymous budget stall trader who took his practice to the stores when the consumer economy was at it's healthiest. He was just an emerging upstart, still a minor blimp on the radar. Umbro by comparison was a major scalp.

 

Roughly six years later, when he floated his company, his relatively low-profile wasn't befitting of his bullying reputation in the sports retail sector. With brownie points in the bank he still alluded heavy scrutiny from the OFT, despite a murky history in relation to his practices/ethics ie. mock closing down sales.

 

Ten years on, after having bought arguably the third biggest club in the nation, he has purchased not only the resposibility of club ownership - and with it holding aloft the dreams of the supporter base alongside his own level of ambition - he has acquired something unwanted, a profile.

 

Worse than that, and like it or not behind the collective & scrutinising eye of the OFT overseers there is a football supporter. Beyond the suit and ties of the OFT office, each and every one of those suits is just another strand, another thread that forms the passionate kaleidoscope of support. At the heart of it they - the OFT overseers - like yourself and i are football supporters. In all likelihood they/or just one of them may have borne the brunt of Ashley's mismanagement of the club firsthand, or they know of somebody at the very least. That's it all takes for a grudge to develop, such is the importance of football - in it's tribalistic level of support at club level - on the overall social landscape.

 

Ten years on Mike Ashley's 'Scarlett Pimpernell' namesake deserves to be put to the side of the road. Although Mike Ashley's still resolute band of apologists will disagree the tag of 'Destroyer of a proud football club' is more befitting.

 

Ten years on, with this newly adopted & deserving profile, the subject in question's activity in the retail sector is now attracting greater scrutiny from the powers that be. The heart of the footballing landscape - namely the dreams and hopes of the grassroot support - is a minefield that should be treaded through carefully.

 

Mike Ashley may well waddle off from Newcastle United, leaving a championship stricken club in it's wake, with a minor hole burnt in pocket if he has able to snare a favorable deal upon selling up. But, as alluded to earlier, the 'Pile em' Sell em' Cheap Merchant may well have just painted a crosshair on his back.

 

The arm of the collective football supporter base reaches far............... what goes around comes around.

 

 

 

Really?

 

I highly doubt that OFT will get involved.  If Tesco can avoid EU anti-competition legislation despite having a Tesco Express, Metro or Superstore in pretty much every every square mile of populated land in the UK, I suspect that having one or two stores (max, I would imagine) in most cities will breach anti-competition guidelines.  OFT are always investigating "possible" breaches.  That is its job.  The difference between this situation and the JJB/Whelan situation is that they operated an illegal cartel in contravention of EU competition rules.  If OFT get involved, Ashley needs to sack Chris Mort and Freshfields, or whoever provides him with legal advice, as it is fairly straightforward to ensure compliance with the legislation.

 

Have you considered writing fiction for a living?  With a conspiracy theory like that up your sleeve, you could be the next Dan Brown or, at the very least, a budget Jeffrey Archer.

[Stu]

........... namely the Office of Fair Trading, such are the ramifications of his reign here. Collateral damage of sorts.

 

Almost ten years ago he took down what was business-wise a proverbial Gentleman's Club, a cartel involving Whelan/JJB & Umbro in particular.

 

An initial wave of predatory pricing marketing methods on Ashley's part first undermined the market value of Umbro's chief product - namely it Manchester United kits - and when Umbro attempted to reign in the rogue operator Ashley turned whistleblower. Ashley maintained what was becoming an ironclad grip of a replica selling market at the grassroots/retail store level.

 

Cartels exist at all levels when it comes to expenses of living. What we pay at the money-till, and the machinations behind any eventual pricing has long been a bedgrudging & accepted nuance of the retail market sector. Playing the role of 'rat' hardly made a Ashley a 'good guy', he hand provided the OFT enough ammunition to wound at least two high profile companies, and in Whelan a big personality. In this instance i think of Ashley as being more along the lines of Mike 'are you wearing a wire' Ashley with a separate, ulterior motive as opposed to being the 'good guy looking out for the annual set of replica buying mugs, parents trying to appease their kids who need to have the latest in-thing'. A point worth considering when looking at the pricehikes thumped on his exclusive brands, after he gets those same parents through his doors.

 

It has been recently reported that the OFT are now looking into possible breaches of the anti-competition guidelines, relating to the number of & location of his retail stores.

 

Ten years ago he was a friend of the OFT's. Ten years ago, as HTL has alluded to, he was an anonymous budget stall trader who took his practice to the stores when the consumer economy was at it's healthiest. He was just an emerging upstart, still a minor blimp on the radar. Umbro by comparison was a major scalp.

 

Roughly six years later, when he floated his company, his relatively low-profile wasn't befitting of his bullying reputation in the sports retail sector. With brownie points in the bank he still alluded heavy scrutiny from the OFT, despite a murky history in relation to his practices/ethics ie. mock closing down sales.

 

Ten years on, after having bought arguably the third biggest club in the nation, he has purchased not only the resposibility of club ownership - and with it holding aloft the dreams of the supporter base alongside his own level of ambition - he has acquired something unwanted, a profile.

 

Worse than that, and like it or not behind the collective & scrutinising eye of the OFT overseers there is a football supporter. Beyond the suit and ties of the OFT office, each and every one of those suits is just another strand, another thread that forms the passionate kaleidoscope of support. At the heart of it they - the OFT overseers - like yourself and i are football supporters. In all likelihood they/or just one of them may have borne the brunt of Ashley's mismanagement of the club firsthand, or they know of somebody at the very least. That's it all takes for a grudge to develop, such is the importance of football - in it's tribalistic level of support at club level - on the overall social landscape.

 

Ten years on Mike Ashley's 'Scarlett Pimpernell' namesake deserves to be put to the side of the road. Although Mike Ashley's still resolute band of apologists will disagree the tag of 'Destroyer of a proud football club' is more befitting.

 

Ten years on, with this newly adopted & deserving profile, the subject in question's activity in the retail sector is now attracting greater scrutiny from the powers that be. The heart of the footballing landscape - namely the dreams and hopes of the grassroot support - is a minefield that should be treaded through carefully.

 

Mike Ashley may well waddle off from Newcastle United, leaving a championship stricken club in it's wake, with a minor hole burnt in pocket if he has able to snare a favorable deal upon selling up. But, as alluded to earlier, the 'Pile em' Sell em' Cheap Merchant may well have just painted a crosshair on his back.

 

The arm of the collective football supporter base reaches far............... what goes around comes around.

 

 

 

 

[sicsfingeredmong]

........... namely the Office of Fair Trading, such are the ramifications of his reign here. Collateral damage of sorts.

 

Almost ten years ago he took down what was business-wise a proverbial Gentleman's Club, a cartel involving Whelan/JJB & Umbro in particular.

 

An initial wave of predatory pricing marketing methods on Ashley's part first undermined the market value of Umbro's chief product - namely it Manchester United kits - and when Umbro attempted to reign in the rogue operator Ashley turned whistleblower. Ashley maintained what was becoming an ironclad grip of a replica selling market at the grassroots/retail level.

 

Cartels exist at all levels when it comes to expenses of living. What we pay at the money-till, and the machinations behind any eventual pricing has long been a bedgrudging & accepted nuance of the retail market sector. Playing the role of 'rat' hardly made a Ashley a 'good guy', he hand provided OFT enough ammunition to wound at least two high profile companies, and in Whelan a big personality. In this instance i think of Ashley as being more along the lines of Mike 'are you wearing a wire' Ashley with a separate, ulterior motive as opposed to being the 'good guy looking out for the annual set of replica buying mugs, parents trying to appease their kids who need to have the latest in-thing'. A point worth considering when looking at the pricehikes thumped on his exclusive brands, after he gets those same parents through his doors.

 

It has been recently reported that the OFT are now looking into possible breaches of the anti-competition guidelines, relating to the number of & location of his retail stores.

 

Ten years ago he was friend of the OFT's. Ten years ago, as HTL has alluded to, he was an anonymous budget stall trader who took his practice to the stores when the consumer economy was at it's healthiest. He was just an emerging upstart, still a minor blimp on the radar. Umbro by comparison was a major scalp.

 

Roughly six years later, when he floated his company, his relatively low-profile wasn't befitting of his bullying reputation in the sports retail sector. With brownie points in the bank he still alluded heavy scrutiny from the OFT, despite a murky history in relation to his practices/ethics ie. mock closing down sales.

 

Ten years on, after having bought arguably the third biggest club in the nation, he has purchased not only the resposibility of club ownership - and with it holding aloft the dreams of the supporter base alongside his own level of ambition - he has acquired something unwanted, a profile.

 

Worse than that, and like it or not behind the collective & scrutinising eye of the OFT overseers there is a football supporter. Beyond the suit and ties of the OFT office, each and every one of those suits is just another strand, another thread that forms the passionate kaleidoscope of support. At the heart of it they - the OFT overseers - like yourself and i are football supporters. In all likelihood they/or just one of them may have borne the brunt of Ashley's mismanagement of the club firsthand, or they know of somebody at the very least. That's it all takes for a grudge to develop, such is the importance of football - in it's tribalistic level of support at club level - on the overall social landscape.

 

Ten years on Mike Ashley's 'Scarlett Pimpernell' namesake deserves to be put to the side of the road. Although Mike Ashley's still resolute band of apologists will disagree the tag of 'Destroyer of a proud football club' is more befitting.

 

Ten years on, with this newly adopted & deserving profile, the subject in question's activity in the retail sector is now attracting greater scrutiny from the powers that be. The heart of the footballing landscape - namely the dreams and hopes of the grassroot support - is a minefield that should be treaded through carefully.

 

Mike Ashley may well waddle off from Newcastle United, leaving a championship stricken club in it's wake, with a minor hole burnt in pocket if he has able to snare a favorable deal upon selling up. But, as alluded to earlier, the 'Pile em' Sell em' Cheap Merchant may well have just painted a crosshair on his back.

 

The arm of the collective football supporter base reaches far............... what goes around comes around.

 

 

 

Really?

 

I highly doubt that OFT will get involved.  If Tesco can avoid EU anti-competition legislation despite having a Tesco Express, Metro or Superstore in pretty much every every square mile of populated land in the UK, I suspect that having one or two stores (max, I would imagine) in most cities will breach anti-competition guidelines.  OFT are always investigating "possible" breaches.  That is its job.  The difference between this situation and the JJB/Whelan situation is that they operated an illegal cartel in contravention of EU competition rules.  If OFT get involved, Ashley needs to sack Chris Mort and Freshfields, or whoever provides him with legal advice, as it is fairly straightforward to ensure compliance with the legislation.

 

Have you considered writing fiction for a living?  With a conspiracy theory like that up your sleeve, you could be the next Dan Brown or, at the very least, a budget Jeffrey Archer.

 

 

 

 

Tesco's significant other players - ie.  in the milk pricing cartel two years ago - received substantial fines, after admitting to their part. Tesco are still under investigation in this alleged involvement, not for the saturation of the market by filling the UK with Express' and One-Stops.

 

Multi-nationals are major employers, and as such bodies like the OFT rarely take action in the area of store saturation & location and it's predatory pricing methods against the cornerstore traders. Whatever their - aka Tesco - previous efforts have been in the way of avoiding paying their full quota of stamp duty/land tax, by utilising loopholes, the corporate tax they plough into the government's coffers far outweighs what is put in by the aforementioned small trader hence such companies rarely come such scrutiny. Welmome to the world of capitalism.

 

By comparison Ashley's chain is small fry. The removal of the occasional Sports World/Sports Direct store - to promote competition in the sports retail sector, providing a lifeline for JJB/another local chain - is hardly going to make the sort of blackhole in the government's coffers to lets say Tesco being forced to pull the plug on X amount of Metro, Express and One-Stop stores.

 

Besides this is not an examination of both situations, from a legal standpoint ie. cartel found guilty vs Ashley opening a store on JJB's doorstep and whatever sanctions the OFT can/may issue. It's a look at Ashley's current standing in the football ethos, the brownie points he is likely to have had stored away in his company filers in the wake of his whistle-blowing effort.

 

It's taken over three years - since Ashley floated his retail empire, when a PLC's books & trade practices are transparent & easily vulnerable to investigation - for the OFT to properly investigate his practices despite an array of complaints. Having adopted a high profile, and having monumentally screwed up in an area many hold more importance to than the average price of milk, he's suddenly attracting extra attention from the relevant body which is closer to his primary & most important business interests.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Erm, don't think so. Surely if he was under investigation for dealings with other businesses that wouldn't depend on what happened at newcastle?

 

Don't think the OFT will be gunning for him because he fucked us over.

[sicsfingeredmong]

........... namely the Office of Fair Trading, such are the ramifications of his reign here. Collateral damage of sorts.

 

Almost ten years ago he took down what was business-wise a proverbial Gentleman's Club, a cartel involving Whelan/JJB & Umbro in particular.

 

An initial wave of predatory pricing marketing methods on Ashley's part first undermined the market value of Umbro's chief product - namely it Manchester United kits - and when Umbro attempted to reign in the rogue operator Ashley turned whistleblower. Ashley maintained what was becoming an ironclad grip of a replica selling market at the grassroots/retail store level.

 

Cartels exist at all levels when it comes to expenses of living. What we pay at the money-till, and the machinations behind any eventual pricing has long been a bedgrudging & accepted nuance of the retail market sector. Playing the role of 'rat' hardly made a Ashley a 'good guy', he hand provided the OFT enough ammunition to wound at least two high profile companies, and in Whelan a big personality. In this instance i think of Ashley as being more along the lines of Mike 'are you wearing a wire' Ashley with a separate, ulterior motive as opposed to being the 'good guy looking out for the annual set of replica buying mugs, parents trying to appease their kids who need to have the latest in-thing'. A point worth considering when looking at the pricehikes thumped on his exclusive brands, after he gets those same parents through his doors.

 

It has been recently reported that the OFT are now looking into possible breaches of the anti-competition guidelines, relating to the number of & location of his retail stores.

 

Ten years ago he was a friend of the OFT's. Ten years ago, as HTL has alluded to, he was an anonymous budget stall trader who took his practice to the stores when the consumer economy was at it's healthiest. He was just an emerging upstart, still a minor blimp on the radar. Umbro by comparison was a major scalp.

 

Roughly six years later, when he floated his company, his relatively low-profile wasn't befitting of his bullying reputation in the sports retail sector. With brownie points in the bank he still alluded heavy scrutiny from the OFT, despite a murky history in relation to his practices/ethics ie. mock closing down sales.

 

Ten years on, after having bought arguably the third biggest club in the nation, he has purchased not only the resposibility of club ownership - and with it holding aloft the dreams of the supporter base alongside his own level of ambition - he has acquired something unwanted, a profile.

 

Worse than that, and like it or not behind the collective & scrutinising eye of the OFT overseers there is a football supporter. Beyond the suit and ties of the OFT office, each and every one of those suits is just another strand, another thread that forms the passionate kaleidoscope of support. At the heart of it they - the OFT overseers - like yourself and i are football supporters. In all likelihood they/or just one of them may have borne the brunt of Ashley's mismanagement of the club firsthand, or they know of somebody at the very least. That's it all takes for a grudge to develop, such is the importance of football - in it's tribalistic level of support at club level - on the overall social landscape.

 

Ten years on Mike Ashley's 'Scarlett Pimpernell' namesake deserves to be put to the side of the road. Although Mike Ashley's still resolute band of apologists will disagree the tag of 'Destroyer of a proud football club' is more befitting.

 

Ten years on, with this newly adopted & deserving profile, the subject in question's activity in the retail sector is now attracting greater scrutiny from the powers that be. The heart of the footballing landscape - namely the dreams and hopes of the grassroot support - is a minefield that should be treaded through carefully.

 

Mike Ashley may well waddle off from Newcastle United, leaving a championship stricken club in it's wake, with a minor hole burnt in pocket if he has able to snare a favorable deal upon selling up. But, as alluded to earlier, the 'Pile em' Sell em' Cheap Merchant may well have just painted a crosshair on his back.

 

The arm of the collective football supporter base reaches far............... what goes around comes around.

 

 

 

 

 

With arsewipes/some of the newer users like you around, it leaves little in terms of wondering why some older users no longer use this website.

 

Perhaps you should stick this type of response, as you seem to know very little about footballers going by some of your brief postings or what i'd describe as 'so-called efforts'.

 

Better perhaps look into your particular useage of the 'mackems' emoticon, ask yourself where it fits into your response.

 

For somebody - ie. myself - who has followed this club for 25 years or thereabouts, has posted as much in the way of positivity when it comes to certain players & figures who have graced this club - and those who disagreed and agreed with me on certain issues would attest to this, and the best you can come with is a mackems emoticon.

 

Sunshine........ what a clueless little cunt you are.

 

 

[sicsfingeredmong]

Erm, don't think so. Surely if he was under investigation for dealings with other businesses that wouldn't depend on what happened at newcastle?

 

Don't think the OFT will be gunning for him because he f***ed us over.

 

In fairness they weren't gunning for him when the supposed 'feel good factor' surrounded the club in the wake of his arrival, and during the period between Sports Direct's floatation & the club's rapid & downward spiral over the past 12 months. The report concerning the OFT 'investigating him' has really only come about fairly recently and there's no reason as to why the press would sit on such a story if the OFT were heavily scrutinizing/investigating him prior to his involvement in this club.

 

For nearly ten years a low-profile Ashley more likely had brownie points banked in the lockerroom, for having handed over a concrete case/evidence to the OFT in 2000. Whereas he's now jumped into a pressure cooker environment of club ownership, and his profile will lend over to even higher & justified level of scrutiny.

 

From a slightly different angle Douglas Hall, who is small prey by comparison - executive boardmember, minor shareholder unlike Ashley, found some of his more *insignificant shenanigans while in charge of Cameron Hall scrutinized in public, as parts of his dealings were leaked to the business-linked field of the press. I'm not defending the bloke in this instance but take away his then club-related profile for better or worse, and his dealings at Cameron Hall would've most likely never entered the public domain.

 

*an antique car buy & sell scheme allegedly using company funds.

[sicsfingeredmong]

Moderators/Admin: regarding my above post. I'm all too happy to accept a ban etc.

 

There are better sites than here tbh, as a means of discussing things NUFC. Rather fuck off from here tbh - as some other members have in the last twelve months - as this site has for most part become a parody of what it used to be a number of years ago. Perhaps you should limit the number of clueless emoticons some clueless cunts choose to use, as opposed to them discussing points etc.

[Mowen]

Did you used to write articles for the main site under the name Shaman?

[James]

No offence Shaman, you used to post some interesting stuff, but all you seem to do these days is come on to patronise people.

[La Parka]

Shaman meltdown ftw.

 

 

In all seriousness, if you don't like it don't post here? 

 

 

[Parky]

In before the lock....etc....

[Liam Liam Liam O]

The way people spin him reporting Whelan et al to the OFT as a bad thing is fucking brilliant like.

[Guest Ebolarama]

Absolutely fucking laughable.

[James]

He's gone.

[NG32]

How come he had such a meltdown?

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Erm, don't think so. Surely if he was under investigation for dealings with other businesses that wouldn't depend on what happened at newcastle?

 

Don't think the OFT will be gunning for him because he f***ed us over.

 

In fairness they weren't gunning for him when the supposed 'feel good factor' surrounded the club in the wake of his arrival, and during the period between Sports Direct's floatation & the club's rapid & downward spiral over the past 12 months. The report concerning the OFT 'investigating him' has really only come about fairly recently and there's no reason as to why the press would sit on such a story if the OFT were heavily scrutinizing/investigating him prior to his involvement in this club.

 

For nearly ten years a low-profile Ashley more likely had brownie points banked in the lockerroom, for having handed over a concrete case/evidence to the OFT in 2000. Whereas he's now jumped into a pressure cooker environment of club ownership, and his profile will lend over to even higher & justified level of scrutiny.

 

From a slightly different angle Douglas Hall, who is small prey by comparison - executive boardmember, minor shareholder unlike Ashley, found some of his more *insignificant shenanigans while in charge of Cameron Hall scrutinized in public, as parts of his dealings were leaked to the business-linked field of the press. I'm not defending the bloke in this instance but take away his then club-related profile for better or worse, and his dealings at Cameron Hall would've most likely never entered the public domain.

 

*an antique car buy & sell scheme allegedly using company funds.

 

I know that the media will now focus on him a bit more and report goings-on... I suppose that might lead to increased scrutiny by the OFT if they do base their actions on what is said in the press.

 

I really don't know enough about Ashley's businesses to contribute much about whether or not he should be worried or has done anything dodgy.

[Mowen]

No offence Shaman, you used to post some interesting stuff, but all you seem to do these days is come on to patronise people.

 

That's a staggeringly hypocritical post

[Liam Liam Liam O]

No offence Shaman, you used to post some interesting stuff, but all you seem to do these days is come on to patronise people.

 

That's a staggeringly hypocritical post

 

All bar the bit about posting interesting stuff anyway.

[James]

Aw come on, I've been a good boy recently

[Mowen]

Aw come on, I've been a good boy recently

 

 

I probably phrased it badly, I don't think you go out to patronize people all the time, but that post was about as patronizing as it gets. Even started with "No offence...

[Shak]

Decent meltdown that.

 

Was a pretty shite post from stupeedo though in fairness. I mean, it's clear that the guy went to a lot of effort with the OP, either say something constructive or leave the thread alone. It's not that hard.

[Pilko]

[Dave]

Decent meltdown that.

 

Was a pretty shite post from stupeedo though in fairness. I mean, it's clear that the guy went to a lot of effort with the OP, either say something constructive or leave the thread alone. It's not that hard.

 

Agreed, and as good a place as any to .