Sports Direct

[NG32]

This whole re-naming business has become a fiasco, and is symptomatic of the kind of bumbling decision-making that this regime is prone to. Maybe Ashley is one of those difficult bosses who appears to be delegating, but who then intervenes without giving himself time to think or get to know the situation properly.

 

However, there are certain ideas about him that don't hold up, namely -

 

1) He's only in it for the money - all the evidence is that he's lost millions and is continuing to do so. The profit / loss account on transfers isn't the only indication of what's going on in the balance sheet. It's only the most conspicuous and the one we as fans care most about, because we all want to see good players coming in.

 

2) He's doing it all out of spite - as he's admitted himself, there have been cock-ups, not conspiracies. Just because you hate him, doesn't mean he hates you. Things can go tits up despite the best of intentions.

 

3) He never wanted to sell - He publicly named a price, he publicly dropped the price, no-one has claimed that they came up with the money. Our club is not an attractive proposition in a climate when money is tight and people are not keen on taking risks.

 

Above all, trying to force the guy out only makes sense if there's a better alternative available. You might say that things can't get any worse, but that's just a mantra to persuade yourself that the decision is easy. It's perfectly possible for things to get worse.

 

He is a coward. 

[Mowen]

It's obviously the fault of the fans that nobody wanted to buy a club nailed on to get relegated. Twats.

 

I'm sure I remember someone telling me they thought we'd stay up 5 mins before kick off against Aston Villa

[Mowen]

2) He's doing it all out of spite - as he's admitted himself, there have been cock-ups, not conspiracies. Just because you hate him, doesn't mean he hates you. Things can go tits up despite the best of intentions.

 

I can't see any reason for the sportsdirect.com naming thing other than to piss off the fans.

[Mowen]

I'd also love to see 500 fans march into SportsDirect in Eldon Sq and chant all of the anti-Ashley things they can think of. It would have to be peaceful obviously but it would get a bit of publicity. The more negative pressure that's created the better. It might take a month or a year or 2 years but there's only so much he'd put up with before he just got so fed up he flogged us. 

 

.

 

thats quite a good idea. easier to get the numbers and cause a bit disruption. it would mean them having to get the police in to clear the protestors. you'd probably get a lot of shoppers joining in too. easier to organize than a huge demo at SJP and would cause more problems. still should have a protest at stadium, but the ones at the stores would allow those not comfortable joining in at the match to vent their spleen.

 

 

 

i was talking about this at work today,  500-1000 people walk into Sportsdirect at eldon square at midday on Sat afternoon and just sit down, block everything, tills, doors etc....no one can move in or out and nothing gets sold, then at 1pm everyone gets up and walks to SJP, join in any other protests, then goes to the match.

I feel like interrupting the operations of a business is something that warrants the intervention of police forces. Not sure this a bright idea.

 

Are you for real? This is Mike Ashley's business. Fuck him. He has raped and destroyed this football club, why the heck should anyone care about his crappy sports shop business?

 

Edit: BTW I am not keen on a sitdown protest in Sports Direct, drowning in a sea of cheap trackie bottoms is not the ideal way to die really.

 

How much of SD does Mike actually own though? I thought he was just the biggest shareholder and that it wasn't 'his' as such. Quite a lot of collateral damage from doing something like that too, even if it would be funny.

[JH]

Our situation being compare to world wars in history now? Fucking hell this is too good

[JH]

Oh, and my line in the sand would be here if it was any other football chairman in the world. Nothing Ashley could do would make me go 'right, lets get the fucker' for the simple reason that he couldn't give a fuck if we burnt his house down - he's just buy another one which he'd build over the training ground, or just steal the house of the tea lady.

[ohmelads]

You are sounding like a lot of fans on here who are waiting to see his next move before doing anything. First it was:

 

We'll hold off until he apoints Al

 

Then

 

We wont protest as we dont want to risk losing any potential new owners

 

now its

 

See what he spend in January

 

How many f***ing chances are you going to give this fat c***. By now you know its going to end badly or you are a deluded fool. He will again make a profit (in his 3rd successive window) and we will be weaker as a result

 

Stop being so f***ing naive!

 

To be fair you obviously didn't read my post or got completely the wrong idea. If you read it again you'll find I'm agreeing with you.

 

I'm all for a protest now - the time for chinstroking is well and truly over. As I said, there has to be a line where you say enough is enough and if he hasn't crossed it by now then we deserve him. Not a lot has even been done to try and get Ashley out or even put pressure on him - people seem to think he holds all the aces but he doesn't. He does what he likes because he keeps getting away with it. Ultimately he needs the fans, it's a business.

 

I don't care for those who say protesting won't work. Something has to be done. I think people are easily fooled by the league table, we have been eeking out results and - protest or no protest - our squad's permanently on the brink on injury crisis and we've been promised it'll be propped up by loan signings again after xmas. Simply getting behind the lads and hoping it'll all be alright - it won't. I won't be back in the north east until next month but I'll take part in any protests at the ground. Because if we're going to sit back and take this we may as well throw in the towel and stop supporting the club. The situation has reached an absolute shambles.

[Keefaz]

Our situation being compare to world wars in history now? Fucking hell this is too good

 

Huh?

[Thespence]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

[ohmelads]

Oh, and my line in the sand would be here if it was any other football chairman in the world. Nothing Ashley could do would make me go 'right, lets get the f***er' for the simple reason that he couldn't give a f*** if we burnt his house down - he's just buy another one which he'd build over the training ground, or just steal the house of the tea lady.

 

You seem so sure of this but what has ever actually been done to put pressure on Ashley?

[JH]

Our situation being compare to world wars in history now? f***ing hell this is too good

 

Huh?

Nixon and Jonny: You two just keep bending over and hanging onto your knees while Llambias gets the vaseline and Ashley prepares himself to right royally f*** you up the arse. What would it take for you two to say "enough is enough"?

 

Nice to know the arguments are more thought out and constructed

 

Can I make it any clearer? I'm not a fan of him at all, I f***ing hate him, he's tearing my club apart and is showing no compassion whatsoever. Just because I don't want to pick up a pitch fork and descend upon SJP looking for his head on a spear doesn't mean I accept what hes doing. Nice try though.

 

But you aren't prepared to do anything to show your displeasure at him tearing our club apart. You are sitting quietly by and letting him do it. Sometimes a silence speaks volumes.

 

I'm 'sitting back and letting him do it' because it's all I can do.

 

I would happily stand up and make my voice heard if I thought it was going to work, but it won't because ASHLEY DOESNT GIVE A f***. Everything up to the changing of the stadium name has shown that.

 

Some people are living in la la land and refuse to admit that Ashley has the power and holds all the cards. An upset fanbase will not make him sell up.

 

Maybe it is partly apathy, but I don't see how an angry-fuelled outburst is going to make things better - it'll only get worse.

 

How the hell is it going to get worse from fans making their voices heard?

 

To be honest Jonny, we are lucky to top of a very poor division as it is. We are hardly setting the league alight are we?

 

I'm not saying we are. Are you actually reading what I'm posting? I'm not happy in the slightest, I think we're utter s*** and the league table is being very generous to us. I feel exacty what you feel. I'm just think differently about acting out about it.

 

I am reading what you are reading. But I don't understand how you can comfortably continue to sit there doing nothing.

 

I'm not comfortable about it, but there's little alternative. We don't need to tell Ashley how we feel, I think even that daft c*** realises he's a hate figure now.

 

I wouldn't want to be in the trenches with Jonny or Kezman.

 

Jonny obviously hasn't studied world history. There are many examples where apathy has led to atrocities, and many examples where fighting for a just cause, against the odds, has won the day.

 

I wonder where Jonny's line in the sand is?

 

[Keefaz]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

Aye, but his restaurant IS actually at Claridges. In what way is Sports Direct @ St. James' Park? Have they thought this through, even for five minutes?

[ohmelads]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

f*cking hell, to think this guy is a chairman, he runs a football club.

[relámpago blanco]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

Aye, but his restaurant IS actually at Claridges. In what way is Sports Direct @ St. James' Park? Have they thought this through, even for five minutes?

They are going to start selling Sport Direct Clobber at the ground maybe.

[Keefaz]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

Aye, but his restaurant IS actually at Claridges. In what way is Sports Direct @ St. James' Park? Have they thought this through, even for five minutes?

They are going to start selling Sport Direct Clobber at the ground maybe.

 

And if we're sponsored by, I dunno, Honda? A showroom where Shearer's Bar is?

[Jill]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

Aye, but his restaurant IS actually at Claridges. In what way is Sports Direct @ St. James' Park? Have they thought this through, even for five minutes?

 

Have you thought this comment through?

 

Literally every single thing I read about this entire scenario makes it more and more ridiculous. Which I did not think possible, on initially hearing the news.

[Keefaz]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

Aye, but his restaurant IS actually at Claridges. In what way is Sports Direct @ St. James' Park? Have they thought this through, even for five minutes?

 

Have you thought this comment through?

 

Literally every single thing I read about this entire scenario makes it more and more ridiculous. Which I did not think possible, on initially hearing the news.

 

My point is: it's either incredibly stupid... or a work of absolute genius.

[NG32]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

Aye, but his restaurant IS actually at Claridges. In what way is Sports Direct @ St. James' Park? Have they thought this through, even for five minutes?

They are going to start selling Sport Direct Clobber at the ground maybe.

 

And if we're sponsored by, I dunno, Honda? A showroom where Shearer's Bar is?

 

Might be able to get a good deal on a Civic.

[Jill]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

Aye, but his restaurant IS actually at Claridges. In what way is Sports Direct @ St. James' Park? Have they thought this through, even for five minutes?

 

Have you thought this comment through?

 

Literally every single thing I read about this entire scenario makes it more and more ridiculous. Which I did not think possible, on initially hearing the news.

 

My point is: it's either incredibly stupid... or a work of absolute genius.

 

[Keefaz]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

Aye, but his restaurant IS actually at Claridges. In what way is Sports Direct @ St. James' Park? Have they thought this through, even for five minutes?

 

Have you thought this comment through?

 

Literally every single thing I read about this entire scenario makes it more and more ridiculous. Which I did not think possible, on initially hearing the news.

 

My point is: it's either incredibly stupid... or a work of absolute genius.

 

 

When I was watching that Paranormal Activity, and the psychic was banging on about how demons torment someone purely for malicious kicks, I thought: this could be about Mike Ashley.

[NG32]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramseys restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they dont call it Ramseys at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

Aye, but his restaurant IS actually at Claridges. In what way is Sports Direct @ St. James' Park? Have they thought this through, even for five minutes?

 

Have you thought this comment through?

 

Literally every single thing I read about this entire scenario makes it more and more ridiculous. Which I did not think possible, on initially hearing the news.

 

My point is: it's either incredibly stupid... or a work of absolute genius.

 

 

The word genius and mike ashley just dont go.  Or his cockney ferret Llambias.

[Jill]

I read some of Llambliar quotes yesterday & found this one to be one all potential sponsors should read:

"To use an analogy, if you look at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, nobody calls it that, they don’t call it Ramsey’s at Claridges, they just call it Claridges and that will be the same with St James’ Park."

 

So roll up, roll up & put your name to something that the MD of company trying to flog you the "@" is telling you nobody is going use.

 

Aye, but his restaurant IS actually at Claridges. In what way is Sports Direct @ St. James' Park? Have they thought this through, even for five minutes?

 

Have you thought this comment through?

 

Literally every single thing I read about this entire scenario makes it more and more ridiculous. Which I did not think possible, on initially hearing the news.

 

My point is: it's either incredibly stupid... or a work of absolute genius.

 

 

When I was watching that Paranormal Activity, and the psychic was banging on about how demons torment someone purely for malicious kicks, I thought: this could be about Mike Ashley.

 

Alarmingly accurate.

[Wallace]

If Ashley plans to sell the club upon promotion then why the rush to sell the naming rights.  A potential new owner might not support such a notion and they would be stuck with the name for x number of years.  Maybe is he is planning to stay longer? 

 

Although I think the main plan behind all of this is to get all of his money back as soon as possible and he does not care how he is does it.  If a buyer comes in and pays want he wants then great, if not then he will get it back by other means.

 

 

[relámpago blanco]

If Ashley plans to sell the club upon promotion then why the rush to sell the naming rights.  A potential new owner might not support such a notion and they would be stuck with the name for x number of years.  Maybe is he is planning to stay longer? 

 

Although I think the main plan behind all of this is to get all of his money back as soon as possible and he does not care how he is does it.  If a buyer comes in and pays want he wants then great, if not then he will get it back by other means.

 

 

Of course he is planning to stay longer, I think he thinks that if he gets us promoted we'll see that as a positive sign and that he's learned from his mistakes.  I don't think he ever wanted to sell us unless he got a ridiculous price.

[Wallace]

Amused by this snippet from the Wall Street Journal considering America is big on branding.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704013004574515762537491346.html

 

Soccer Stadium Enters Longest-Name Contest

 

England's Newcastle United soccer team has a new home, sort of. It'll stay in St James' Park—the stadium it's been in since 1892. But it will have a different name, one that hardly rolls off the tongue: sportsdirect.com@StJames'ParkStadium. The club's owner, Mike Ashley, also owns the Sports Direct retail company, but couldn't find a buyer willing to pay for naming rights.