Ashley can only win back Newcastle fans' support with promotion: Max Clifford

[nobby_solano]

i'm expecting the 'club for sale' signs to come out as soon as the january window starts to be honest

[indi]

Max Clifford never says anything in the press without having a reason for doing so, I wonder what his reason is for talking about us?

 

I mean think about it, how the fuck did this interview even come about? I can see them now sitting around the sports desk at the Telegraph talking about ideas for stories: "Let's do a Newcastle interview, they always sell a few copies, Hmm who could we interview? Ashley? Nah. Hughton? Nope. Shearer? No. Keegan? Maybe.... but nah. I know, Max Clifford! Yeah, he was going to be my first suggestion, but I thought it would have been too obvious. I know what you mean, but it's the logical choice. It is."

 

Is he speaking as Ashley's offical PR man or as an individual? I was going to say I can't believe Ashley would be daft enough to hire a twat like Clifford but sadly I can.

 

He never speaks as an individual, there's always a reason for him saying something.

 

I hate Max Clifford with a passion, but I have to grudgingly admit that he's very, very successful at what he does. If he has hired him then from his point of view it could well turn out to be the best decision he's made so far since taking over the club. One thing's for certain, if Clifford's now involved we won't see any more of those amateurish and self-defeating press releases we've grown accustomed to.

[Guest Phil K]

"Ashley will be 50% black" ? ? ?

 

Another self-imposed "expert" on Newcastle.

 

He never speaks as an individual, there's always a reason for him saying something.

 

I hate Max Clifford with a passion, but I have to grudgingly admit that he's very, very successful at what he does. If he has hired him then from his point of view it could well turn out to be the best decision he's made so far since taking over the club. One thing's for certain, if Clifford's now involved we won't see any more of those amateurish and self-defeating press releases we've grown accustomed to.

 

Good point

Agree.

[80]

Max Clifford never says anything in the press without having a reason for doing so, I wonder what his reason is for talking about us?

 

I mean think about it, how the fuck did this interview even come about? I can see them now sitting around the sports desk at the Telegraph talking about ideas for stories: "Let's do a Newcastle interview, they always sell a few copies, Hmm who could we interview? Ashley? Nah. Hughton? Nope. Shearer? No. Keegan? Maybe.... but nah. I know, Max Clifford! Yeah, he was going to be my first suggestion, but I thought it would have been too obvious. I know what you mean, but it's the logical choice. It is."

 

Is he speaking as Ashley's offical PR man or as an individual? I was going to say I can't believe Ashley would be daft enough to hire a twat like Clifford but sadly I can.

 

He never speaks as an individual, there's always a reason for him saying something.

 

I hate Max Clifford with a passion, but I have to grudgingly admit that he's very, very successful at what he does. If he has hired him then from his point of view it could well turn out to be the best decision he's made so far since taking over the club. One thing's for certain, if Clifford's now involved we won't see any more of those amateurish and self-defeating press releases we've grown accustomed to.

 

Frankly I wouldn't mind - a few less of those press releases and we might not have been such an utter shambles. Of course, that only sounds good until you realise it's not just Ashley/Llambias' mouths that are the problem - the brains that lay behind them are a far bigger issue.

[Mr. Snrub]

So if I burnt down a hospital then ran in, put it out and saved all the people, I'd be hailed a hero?

 

If the fire was accidental, aye.

[DJ_NUFC]

Stopped reading at 'PR Guru.'

 

 

[indi]

Max Clifford never says anything in the press without having a reason for doing so, I wonder what his reason is for talking about us?

 

I mean think about it, how the fuck did this interview even come about? I can see them now sitting around the sports desk at the Telegraph talking about ideas for stories: "Let's do a Newcastle interview, they always sell a few copies, Hmm who could we interview? Ashley? Nah. Hughton? Nope. Shearer? No. Keegan? Maybe.... but nah. I know, Max Clifford! Yeah, he was going to be my first suggestion, but I thought it would have been too obvious. I know what you mean, but it's the logical choice. It is."

 

Is he speaking as Ashley's offical PR man or as an individual? I was going to say I can't believe Ashley would be daft enough to hire a twat like Clifford but sadly I can.

 

He never speaks as an individual, there's always a reason for him saying something.

 

I hate Max Clifford with a passion, but I have to grudgingly admit that he's very, very successful at what he does. If he has hired him then from his point of view it could well turn out to be the best decision he's made so far since taking over the club. One thing's for certain, if Clifford's now involved we won't see any more of those amateurish and self-defeating press releases we've grown accustomed to.

 

Frankly I wouldn't mind - a few less of those press releases and we might not have been such an utter shambles. Of course, that only sounds good until you realise it's not just Ashley/Llambias' mouths that are the problem - the brains that lay behind them are a far bigger issue.

 

Agreed. PR is obviously not their thing, if they've brought someone in who knows what they're doing - even if it is Max Clifford - then that can only be a good thing. Ashley was considered a recluse before he bought us and in his limited previous dealings he had developed a reputation for rubbing people up the wrong way. It hadn't had too detrimental an effect on Sports Direct at that point and I guess that's largely because he had a team of professionals dealing with that kind of thing on his behalf. Unfortunately that wasn't the case here and I think even he would admit that he's made a total balls of it, over the last couple of years. It's a pointless exercise, but I wonder how things would have turned out had they had someone like that in charge from the outset. I seriously doubt we'd be in anything like the state we are today if they had.

 

If he has finally seen the benefit of employing people who actually know what they're doing then can I suggest he now applies that logic to the playing and coaching staff.

[Offshore]

Bad PR was/is only the tip of the iceberg i'm afraid, if they'd hired Max from the off then maybe that side of things would have been better, but the same crap decisions would have been made behind the scenes by the same people with the same result.