nufc losing £500,000 a week

[Guest malandro]

I can't believe the opinion that Ashley is trying to extort money from us is still around

Diverting money from a privately owned company into the owners’ bank account isn’t extortion or embezzlement. As I keep saying time will tell, but’ it’s a mistake to equate our on the field results this season with some kind of rosy future. 

 

What do you think Ashley’s master plan is then? What do you think his motivation is?

 

 

 

Well he was pretty clear from the start that he recognised he would have to subsidise the club, certainly initially and was happy for others to invest if anyone fancied helping him out. There was no master plan, he wanted a football club for shits and giggles, found himself flailing in the deep end after pissing everyone off over Keegan and wanted out. There was no masterplan, no evil conspiracy.

 

Now he either sells for a loss, or keeps pumping money in up to the point we are successful enough to be pulling in decent money again. Without any local billionaires on the horizon, and with Hughton and himself seeming to be learning on the jobs together and starting to get things right, I think I'd be almost inclined to hope he opts for the later now tbh.

I’m glad somebody understands the choice Ashley faces. I can’t see him selling for a loss, and the more money he pumps in the more successful the club has to be generate the revenues needed to cover his investment – it’s never ending cycle. It’s a no win situation, which is why I think the extra income a return to the PL will bring won’t be invested in the team. It’s the only way I can see him not having to take big loss on his investment, and I doubt how this affects the long term future of NUFC will have any bearing on what he decides to do.

 

But that would just mean a long term drain on his personal wealth for sod all return (even any fun) unless you think that he'd be holding on in hope that the future will see another sudden rush of foreign wealth coming in on a whim. Can't see it myself.

 

Nar, he has to either sell asap or do his best and push us on after a period of stabilising the clubs finances. It's a gamble only for him. Fingers crossed, either way hopefully is win win for the rest of us.

No it wouldn’t, it’s just about the only way he can stop putting money in.

 

Run a club with 50,000 attendances on a Bolton size budget and in theory you can avoid relegation year after year and make a vast operating profit. No more cash going in and big profits – why wouldn’t he go for it?

 

[Teasy]

I can't believe the opinion that Ashley is trying to extort money from us is still around

Diverting money from a privately owned company into the owners’ bank account isn’t extortion or embezzlement. As I keep saying time will tell, but’ it’s a mistake to equate our on the field results this season with some kind of rosy future. 

 

What do you think Ashley’s master plan is then? What do you think his motivation is?

 

 

 

Well he was pretty clear from the start that he recognised he would have to subsidise the club, certainly initially and was happy for others to invest if anyone fancied helping him out. There was no master plan, he wanted a football club for shits and giggles, found himself flailing in the deep end after pissing everyone off over Keegan and wanted out. There was no masterplan, no evil conspiracy.

 

Now he either sells for a loss, or keeps pumping money in up to the point we are successful enough to be pulling in decent money again. Without any local billionaires on the horizon, and with Hughton and himself seeming to be learning on the jobs together and starting to get things right, I think I'd be almost inclined to hope he opts for the later now tbh.

I’m glad somebody understands the choice Ashley faces. I can’t see him selling for a loss, and the more money he pumps in the more successful the club has to be generate the revenues needed to cover his investment – it’s never ending cycle. It’s a no win situation, which is why I think the extra income a return to the PL will bring won’t be invested in the team. It’s the only way I can see him not having to take big loss on his investment, and I doubt how this affects the long term future of NUFC will have any bearing on what he decides to do.

 

But that would just mean a long term drain on his personal wealth for sod all return (even any fun) unless you think that he'd be holding on in hope that the future will see another sudden rush of foreign wealth coming in on a whim. Can't see it myself.

 

Nar, he has to either sell asap or do his best and push us on after a period of stabilising the clubs finances. It's a gamble only for him. Fingers crossed, either way hopefully is win win for the rest of us.

No it wouldn’t, it’s just about the only way he can stop putting money in.

 

Run a club with 50,000 attendances on a Bolton size budget and in theory you can avoid relegation year after year and make a vast operating profit. No more cash going in and big profits – why wouldn’t he go for it?

 

 

How is making vast profits the only way he can avoid putting more money in?   How about breaking even.. 

 

Running the club on a shoe string and pocketing large profits year after year (which would be public knowledge threw club accounts) is a sure fire way to to see the clubs revenue dwindle to Bolton levels.  Any money brought in by the club should be reinvested in the club while also making sure that the businesses continued long term costs don't outweigh its income.  Do that and he won't need to put any money in and will have a good chance of increasing the value of his asset.

[Village Idiot]

Ashley's best chance of recouping part of his investment is to rebuild the club to an acceptable level (which he is in a good position to do now with a cleaned up wage bill) and flipping it.

[BottledDog]

I can't believe the opinion that Ashley is trying to extort money from us is still around

Diverting money from a privately owned company into the owners’ bank account isn’t extortion or embezzlement. As I keep saying time will tell, but’ it’s a mistake to equate our on the field results this season with some kind of rosy future. 

 

What do you think Ashley’s master plan is then? What do you think his motivation is?

 

 

 

Well he was pretty clear from the start that he recognised he would have to subsidise the club, certainly initially and was happy for others to invest if anyone fancied helping him out. There was no master plan, he wanted a football club for shits and giggles, found himself flailing in the deep end after pissing everyone off over Keegan and wanted out. There was no masterplan, no evil conspiracy.

 

Now he either sells for a loss, or keeps pumping money in up to the point we are successful enough to be pulling in decent money again. Without any local billionaires on the horizon, and with Hughton and himself seeming to be learning on the jobs together and starting to get things right, I think I'd be almost inclined to hope he opts for the later now tbh.

I’m glad somebody understands the choice Ashley faces. I can’t see him selling for a loss, and the more money he pumps in the more successful the club has to be generate the revenues needed to cover his investment – it’s never ending cycle. It’s a no win situation, which is why I think the extra income a return to the PL will bring won’t be invested in the team. It’s the only way I can see him not having to take big loss on his investment, and I doubt how this affects the long term future of NUFC will have any bearing on what he decides to do.

 

But that would just mean a long term drain on his personal wealth for sod all return (even any fun) unless you think that he'd be holding on in hope that the future will see another sudden rush of foreign wealth coming in on a whim. Can't see it myself.

 

Nar, he has to either sell asap or do his best and push us on after a period of stabilising the clubs finances. It's a gamble only for him. Fingers crossed, either way hopefully is win win for the rest of us.

No it wouldn’t, it’s just about the only way he can stop putting money in.

 

Run a club with 50,000 attendances on a Bolton size budget and in theory you can avoid relegation year after year and make a vast operating profit. No more cash going in and big profits – why wouldn’t he go for it?

 

 

Because a club pulling in 50,000 a game would, if the accounts showed a lack of suitable reinvestment and resulted in a shit team on the pitch, would not be a club pulling in 50,000 a game for very long.

 

There are very few scenarios that show any clubs pulling in profits, nevermind "vast" ones, but bottom feeding in the Premiership is certainly not one of them.

 

 

As I said a bit earlier, if he was looking to get some of his money back, do what Lerner and others do and for starters charge the club interest on his loans and get £5m to £10m a year, hell why not even take a salary. He has every right to be pulling shit like that, but so far he hasn't. That has to count for something.

[Guest malandro]

I can't believe the opinion that Ashley is trying to extort money from us is still around

Diverting money from a privately owned company into the owners’ bank account isn’t extortion or embezzlement. As I keep saying time will tell, but’ it’s a mistake to equate our on the field results this season with some kind of rosy future. 

 

What do you think Ashley’s master plan is then? What do you think his motivation is?

 

 

 

Well he was pretty clear from the start that he recognised he would have to subsidise the club, certainly initially and was happy for others to invest if anyone fancied helping him out. There was no master plan, he wanted a football club for shits and giggles, found himself flailing in the deep end after pissing everyone off over Keegan and wanted out. There was no masterplan, no evil conspiracy.

 

Now he either sells for a loss, or keeps pumping money in up to the point we are successful enough to be pulling in decent money again. Without any local billionaires on the horizon, and with Hughton and himself seeming to be learning on the jobs together and starting to get things right, I think I'd be almost inclined to hope he opts for the later now tbh.

I’m glad somebody understands the choice Ashley faces. I can’t see him selling for a loss, and the more money he pumps in the more successful the club has to be generate the revenues needed to cover his investment – it’s never ending cycle. It’s a no win situation, which is why I think the extra income a return to the PL will bring won’t be invested in the team. It’s the only way I can see him not having to take big loss on his investment, and I doubt how this affects the long term future of NUFC will have any bearing on what he decides to do.

 

But that would just mean a long term drain on his personal wealth for sod all return (even any fun) unless you think that he'd be holding on in hope that the future will see another sudden rush of foreign wealth coming in on a whim. Can't see it myself.

 

Nar, he has to either sell asap or do his best and push us on after a period of stabilising the clubs finances. It's a gamble only for him. Fingers crossed, either way hopefully is win win for the rest of us.

No it wouldn’t, it’s just about the only way he can stop putting money in.

 

Run a club with 50,000 attendances on a Bolton size budget and in theory you can avoid relegation year after year and make a vast operating profit. No more cash going in and big profits – why wouldn’t he go for it?

 

 

How is making vast profits the only way he can avoid putting more money in?   How about breaking even.. 

 

Running the club on a shoe string and pocketing large profits year after year (which would be public knowledge threw club accounts) is a sure fire way to to see the clubs revenue dwindle to Bolton levels.  Any money brought in by the club should be reinvested in the club while also making sure that the businesses continued long term costs don't outweigh its income.  Do that and he won't need to put any money in and will have a good chance of increasing the value of his asset.

Breaking even won’t repay the loans.

 

You’re right about the dwindling attendances, but with 40,000 turning up post relegation would Ashley understand this?

 

[Happy Face]

 

It would do everybody a big favour if Ashley got himself on the TV and explained what has been happening with the clubs finances since he took over, what the clubs financial position is now, and what the plan is for the future. He‘s far too happy to let the media rumour mill run unchecked. If he’s got a plan to get one of the best supported clubs in Europe back where one of the best supported clubs in Europe should be, then let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth. As long as he continues to say nowt the suspicion will always remain that he’s got something to hide.

 

 

Why would you believe him if he did?  He admits he "intentionally misleads the press, public and the fans of Newcastle United".

 

Also, most of what appears in the papers is leaked from the very top, you can tell because it all has the same absolutist whiff of desparation about it....

 

March -  “Just print that we paid £250 Million for the club”

 

December - “Without Mike's input, the club would be broke. Simple as that."

 

February - “Newcastle United couldn’t survive at the moment without Mike’s money, it’s as simple as that."

[Guest malandro]

I can't believe the opinion that Ashley is trying to extort money from us is still around

Diverting money from a privately owned company into the owners’ bank account isn’t extortion or embezzlement. As I keep saying time will tell, but’ it’s a mistake to equate our on the field results this season with some kind of rosy future. 

 

What do you think Ashley’s master plan is then? What do you think his motivation is?

 

 

 

Well he was pretty clear from the start that he recognised he would have to subsidise the club, certainly initially and was happy for others to invest if anyone fancied helping him out. There was no master plan, he wanted a football club for shits and giggles, found himself flailing in the deep end after pissing everyone off over Keegan and wanted out. There was no masterplan, no evil conspiracy.

 

Now he either sells for a loss, or keeps pumping money in up to the point we are successful enough to be pulling in decent money again. Without any local billionaires on the horizon, and with Hughton and himself seeming to be learning on the jobs together and starting to get things right, I think I'd be almost inclined to hope he opts for the later now tbh.

I’m glad somebody understands the choice Ashley faces. I can’t see him selling for a loss, and the more money he pumps in the more successful the club has to be generate the revenues needed to cover his investment – it’s never ending cycle. It’s a no win situation, which is why I think the extra income a return to the PL will bring won’t be invested in the team. It’s the only way I can see him not having to take big loss on his investment, and I doubt how this affects the long term future of NUFC will have any bearing on what he decides to do.

 

But that would just mean a long term drain on his personal wealth for sod all return (even any fun) unless you think that he'd be holding on in hope that the future will see another sudden rush of foreign wealth coming in on a whim. Can't see it myself.

 

Nar, he has to either sell asap or do his best and push us on after a period of stabilising the clubs finances. It's a gamble only for him. Fingers crossed, either way hopefully is win win for the rest of us.

No it wouldn’t, it’s just about the only way he can stop putting money in.

 

Run a club with 50,000 attendances on a Bolton size budget and in theory you can avoid relegation year after year and make a vast operating profit. No more cash going in and big profits – why wouldn’t he go for it?

 

 

Because a club pulling in 50,000 a game would, if the accounts showed a lack of suitable reinvestment and resulted in a s*** team on the pitch, would not be a club pulling in 50,000 a game for very long.

 

There are very few scenarios that show any clubs pulling in profits, nevermind "vast" ones, but bottom feeding in the Premiership is certainly not one of them.

 

 

As I said a bit earlier, if he was looking to get some of his money back, do what Lerner and others do and for starters charge the club interest on his loans and get £5m to £10m a year, hell why not even take a salary. He has every right to be pulling s*** like that, but so far he hasn't. That has to count for something.

I’m not saying it’s a viable plan, only that Ashley options are limited and it’s naive to assume he won’t do something stupid. He’s hasn’t exactly got a great record in understanding the football business. Cutting costs and gambling on staying up was the big idea last season, don’t be surprised if he sticks with it when/if we go back up. 

[BottledDog]

 

It would do everybody a big favour if Ashley got himself on the TV and explained what has been happening with the clubs finances since he took over, what the clubs financial position is now, and what the plan is for the future. He‘s far too happy to let the media rumour mill run unchecked. If he’s got a plan to get one of the best supported clubs in Europe back where one of the best supported clubs in Europe should be, then let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth. As long as he continues to say nowt the suspicion will always remain that he’s got something to hide.

 

 

Why would you believe him if he did?  He admits he "intentionally misleads the press, public and the fans of Newcastle United".

 

Also, most of what appears in the papers is leaked from the very top, you can tell because it all has the same absolutist whiff of desparation about it....

 

March -  “Just print that we paid £250 Million for the club”

 

December - “Without Mike's input, the club would be broke. Simple as that."

 

February - “Newcastle United couldn’t survive at the moment without Mike’s money, it’s as simple as that."

 

Agreed, he could spout as many figures as he fancied, but there is no way Ashley doing another in depth interview would sway anyones view of him.

 

It's all about his actions now.

 

 

 

/not sure I could stand the bloodbath on the forum if he did it either tbf.

[Guest malandro]

 

It would do everybody a big favour if Ashley got himself on the TV and explained what has been happening with the clubs finances since he took over, what the clubs financial position is now, and what the plan is for the future. He‘s far too happy to let the media rumour mill run unchecked. If he’s got a plan to get one of the best supported clubs in Europe back where one of the best supported clubs in Europe should be, then let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth. As long as he continues to say nowt the suspicion will always remain that he’s got something to hide.

 

 

Why would you believe him if he did?  He admits he "intentionally misleads the press, public and the fans of Newcastle United".

 

Also, most of what appears in the papers is leaked from the very top, you can tell because it all has the same absolutist whiff of desparation about it....

 

March -  “Just print that we paid £250 Million for the club”

 

December - “Without Mike's input, the club would be broke. Simple as that."

 

February - “Newcastle United couldn’t survive at the moment without Mike’s money, it’s as simple as that."

Did say I would?

 

He'd earn a bit of much needed respect if he fronted up, and we’d have a better opportunity to tell if he’s telling the truth about the finances, or just full of shit.

 

[Guest malandro]

 

It would do everybody a big favour if Ashley got himself on the TV and explained what has been happening with the clubs finances since he took over, what the clubs financial position is now, and what the plan is for the future. He‘s far too happy to let the media rumour mill run unchecked. If he’s got a plan to get one of the best supported clubs in Europe back where one of the best supported clubs in Europe should be, then let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth. As long as he continues to say nowt the suspicion will always remain that he’s got something to hide.

 

 

Why would you believe him if he did?  He admits he "intentionally misleads the press, public and the fans of Newcastle United".

 

Also, most of what appears in the papers is leaked from the very top, you can tell because it all has the same absolutist whiff of desparation about it....

 

March -  “Just print that we paid £250 Million for the club”

 

December - “Without Mike's input, the club would be broke. Simple as that."

 

February - “Newcastle United couldn’t survive at the moment without Mike’s money, it’s as simple as that."

 

Agreed, he could spout as many figures as he fancied, but there is no way Ashley doing another in depth interview would sway anyones view of him.

 

It's all about his actions now.

 

 

 

/not sure I could stand the bloodbath on the forum if he did it either tbf.

Another in depth interview! When did the other ones occur?

[Happy Face]

 

It would do everybody a big favour if Ashley got himself on the TV and explained what has been happening with the clubs finances since he took over, what the clubs financial position is now, and what the plan is for the future. He‘s far too happy to let the media rumour mill run unchecked. If he’s got a plan to get one of the best supported clubs in Europe back where one of the best supported clubs in Europe should be, then let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth. As long as he continues to say nowt the suspicion will always remain that he’s got something to hide.

 

 

Why would you believe him if he did?  He admits he "intentionally misleads the press, public and the fans of Newcastle United".

 

Also, most of what appears in the papers is leaked from the very top, you can tell because it all has the same absolutist whiff of desparation about it....

 

March -  “Just print that we paid £250 Million for the club”

 

December - “Without Mike's input, the club would be broke. Simple as that."

 

February - “Newcastle United couldn’t survive at the moment without Mike’s money, it’s as simple as that."

 

Agreed, he could spout as many figures as he fancied, but there is no way Ashley doing another in depth interview would sway anyones view of him.

 

It's all about his actions now.

 

 

 

/not sure I could stand the bloodbath on the forum if he did it either tbf.

 

This is what I've said about him for over a year.  I could forgive the Keegan saga, the Kinnear joke, Llambias's failings, the sale of players that could have assured survival, the purchase of players that couldn't (without consulting the manager), banning negative reporters, the stadium name change, the alienation of swathes of our support and even relegation, if he showed any sign whatsoever of learning anything and doing something constructive to rectify it in his actions rather than his words.

 

Can't see it happening.  All he does is put the club on the market and take it off again.

[BottledDog]

I can't believe the opinion that Ashley is trying to extort money from us is still around

Diverting money from a privately owned company into the owners’ bank account isn’t extortion or embezzlement. As I keep saying time will tell, but’ it’s a mistake to equate our on the field results this season with some kind of rosy future. 

 

What do you think Ashley’s master plan is then? What do you think his motivation is?

 

 

 

Well he was pretty clear from the start that he recognised he would have to subsidise the club, certainly initially and was happy for others to invest if anyone fancied helping him out. There was no master plan, he wanted a football club for shits and giggles, found himself flailing in the deep end after pissing everyone off over Keegan and wanted out. There was no masterplan, no evil conspiracy.

 

Now he either sells for a loss, or keeps pumping money in up to the point we are successful enough to be pulling in decent money again. Without any local billionaires on the horizon, and with Hughton and himself seeming to be learning on the jobs together and starting to get things right, I think I'd be almost inclined to hope he opts for the later now tbh.

I’m glad somebody understands the choice Ashley faces. I can’t see him selling for a loss, and the more money he pumps in the more successful the club has to be generate the revenues needed to cover his investment – it’s never ending cycle. It’s a no win situation, which is why I think the extra income a return to the PL will bring won’t be invested in the team. It’s the only way I can see him not having to take big loss on his investment, and I doubt how this affects the long term future of NUFC will have any bearing on what he decides to do.

 

But that would just mean a long term drain on his personal wealth for sod all return (even any fun) unless you think that he'd be holding on in hope that the future will see another sudden rush of foreign wealth coming in on a whim. Can't see it myself.

 

Nar, he has to either sell asap or do his best and push us on after a period of stabilising the clubs finances. It's a gamble only for him. Fingers crossed, either way hopefully is win win for the rest of us.

No it wouldn’t, it’s just about the only way he can stop putting money in.

 

Run a club with 50,000 attendances on a Bolton size budget and in theory you can avoid relegation year after year and make a vast operating profit. No more cash going in and big profits – why wouldn’t he go for it?

 

 

Because a club pulling in 50,000 a game would, if the accounts showed a lack of suitable reinvestment and resulted in a s*** team on the pitch, would not be a club pulling in 50,000 a game for very long.

 

There are very few scenarios that show any clubs pulling in profits, nevermind "vast" ones, but bottom feeding in the Premiership is certainly not one of them.

 

 

As I said a bit earlier, if he was looking to get some of his money back, do what Lerner and others do and for starters charge the club interest on his loans and get £5m to £10m a year, hell why not even take a salary. He has every right to be pulling s*** like that, but so far he hasn't. That has to count for something.

I’m not saying it’s a viable plan, only that Ashley options are limited and it’s naive to assume he won’t do something stupid. He’s hasn’t exactly got a great record in understanding the football business. Cutting costs and gambling on staying up was the big idea last season, don’t be surprised if he sticks with it when/if we go back up. 

 

I would be a little surprised and certainly disapointed if he did that were he to stay. Lets wait and see eh, all I'm asking is that he keeps us on an even keel and invests wisely to start with, and hopefully this years bump on the head (if not the hatred directed toward him, the money he lost) will cure him of gambling with relegation again.

To get back to days of Shepherds fabled 'war chest', we need to build up to that position again and it is the revenue we can generate over time with our large supporter base feeling we are on the right track, not splashing the cash and pulling off the odd cup run, that will allow us to do that.

[BottledDog]

 

It would do everybody a big favour if Ashley got himself on the TV and explained what has been happening with the clubs finances since he took over, what the clubs financial position is now, and what the plan is for the future. He‘s far too happy to let the media rumour mill run unchecked. If he’s got a plan to get one of the best supported clubs in Europe back where one of the best supported clubs in Europe should be, then let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth. As long as he continues to say nowt the suspicion will always remain that he’s got something to hide.

 

 

Why would you believe him if he did?  He admits he "intentionally misleads the press, public and the fans of Newcastle United".

 

Also, most of what appears in the papers is leaked from the very top, you can tell because it all has the same absolutist whiff of desparation about it....

 

March -  “Just print that we paid £250 Million for the club”

 

December - “Without Mike's input, the club would be broke. Simple as that."

 

February - “Newcastle United couldn’t survive at the moment without Mike’s money, it’s as simple as that."

 

Agreed, he could spout as many figures as he fancied, but there is no way Ashley doing another in depth interview would sway anyones view of him.

 

It's all about his actions now.

 

 

 

/not sure I could stand the bloodbath on the forum if he did it either tbf.

Another in depth interview! When did the other ones occur?

 

He did a big one in the Chronicle didn't he? And Lambias did a big one recently too. Most people took from them what they wanted, there are calls for more dialog but it's a total waste of time.

[BottledDog]

 

It would do everybody a big favour if Ashley got himself on the TV and explained what has been happening with the clubs finances since he took over, what the clubs financial position is now, and what the plan is for the future. He‘s far too happy to let the media rumour mill run unchecked. If he’s got a plan to get one of the best supported clubs in Europe back where one of the best supported clubs in Europe should be, then let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth. As long as he continues to say nowt the suspicion will always remain that he’s got something to hide.

 

 

Why would you believe him if he did?  He admits he "intentionally misleads the press, public and the fans of Newcastle United".

 

Also, most of what appears in the papers is leaked from the very top, you can tell because it all has the same absolutist whiff of desparation about it....

 

March -  “Just print that we paid £250 Million for the club”

 

December - “Without Mike's input, the club would be broke. Simple as that."

 

February - “Newcastle United couldn’t survive at the moment without Mike’s money, it’s as simple as that."

 

Agreed, he could spout as many figures as he fancied, but there is no way Ashley doing another in depth interview would sway anyones view of him.

 

It's all about his actions now.

 

 

 

/not sure I could stand the bloodbath on the forum if he did it either tbf.

 

This is what I've said about him for over a year.  I could forgive the Keegan saga, the Kinnear joke, Llambias's failings, the sale of players that could have assured survival, the purchase of players that couldn't (without consulting the manager), banning negative reporters, the stadium name change, the alienation of swathes of our support and even relegation, if he showed any sign whatsoever of learning anything and doing something constructive to rectify it in his actions rather than his words.

 

Can't see it happening.  All he does is put the club on the market and take it off again.

 

...and not walk away, and invest in the squad and the manager enough to see us not disintergrate but see us top of the table and likely to bounce back at the first time of asking. Concede something man HF.

 

Look, I get your point and know you'll not be easily won over, but I hope for the clubs sake (if he can't find a Geordie Abramovic to sell to sharpish), he does manage win us all over at some stage soon.

[Cronky]

I could forgive the Keegan saga, the Kinnear joke, Llambias's failings, the sale of players that could have assured survival, the purchase of players that couldn't (without consulting the manager), banning negative reporters, the stadium name change, the alienation of swathes of our support and even relegation.

 

 

Sorry, but you can't. 

[jdckelly]

 

It would do everybody a big favour if Ashley got himself on the TV and explained what has been happening with the clubs finances since he took over, what the clubs financial position is now, and what the plan is for the future. He‘s far too happy to let the media rumour mill run unchecked. If he’s got a plan to get one of the best supported clubs in Europe back where one of the best supported clubs in Europe should be, then let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth. As long as he continues to say nowt the suspicion will always remain that he’s got something to hide.

 

 

Why would you believe him if he did?  He admits he "intentionally misleads the press, public and the fans of Newcastle United".

 

Also, most of what appears in the papers is leaked from the very top, you can tell because it all has the same absolutist whiff of desparation about it....

 

March -  “Just print that we paid £250 Million for the club”

 

December - “Without Mike's input, the club would be broke. Simple as that."

 

February - “Newcastle United couldn’t survive at the moment without Mike’s money, it’s as simple as that."

 

Agreed, he could spout as many figures as he fancied, but there is no way Ashley doing another in depth interview would sway anyones view of him.

 

It's all about his actions now.

 

 

 

/not sure I could stand the bloodbath on the forum if he did it either tbf.

 

This is what I've said about him for over a year.  I could forgive the Keegan saga, the Kinnear joke, Llambias's failings, the sale of players that could have assured survival, the purchase of players that couldn't (without consulting the manager), banning negative reporters, the stadium name change, the alienation of swathes of our support and even relegation, if he showed any sign whatsoever of learning anything and doing something constructive to rectify it in his actions rather than his words.

 

Can't see it happening.  All he does is put the club on the market and take it off again.

 

...and not walk away, and invest in the squad and the manager enough to see us not disintergrate but see us top of the table and likely to bounce back at the first time of asking. Concede something man HF.

 

Look, I get your point and know you'll not be easily won over, but I hope for the clubs sake (if he can't find a Geordie Abramovic to sell to sharpish), he does manage win us all over at some stage soon.

hes never going to win a popularity contest however for me personally we've put up with despised chairmen before we will again no doubt life goes on im not going to lose sleep over mike ashley or waste hatred on him when there are better things to do

[Happy Face]

I could forgive the Keegan saga, the Kinnear joke, Llambias's failings, the sale of players that could have assured survival, the purchase of players that couldn't (without consulting the manager), banning negative reporters, the stadium name change, the alienation of swathes of our support and even relegation.

 

 

Sorry, but you can't. 

 

Oh but I can.

 

I've made the argument on Toontastic that NUST's anger should really be directed at Llambias.  If Ashley replaced him with a competent football man, that one small and most basic step would indicate a willingness to improve things and should see pressure taken off.

[Guest Roger Kint]

The figures are a bit worrying. A weekly loss of £500k works out at annual loss of £26m, and that’s after receiving a £12m parachute payment and making a net transfer profit of at least £10m.  That means that if we go up the extra £35m in TV money won’t even cover the losses the club are incurring under the current set up. Where is the money for team strengthening going to come from, could it be a case of having to cut the wage bill further?

 

 

No we havent

Oh yes we have

 

 

Staggering naivity

[Happy Face]

 

It would do everybody a big favour if Ashley got himself on the TV and explained what has been happening with the clubs finances since he took over, what the clubs financial position is now, and what the plan is for the future. He‘s far too happy to let the media rumour mill run unchecked. If he’s got a plan to get one of the best supported clubs in Europe back where one of the best supported clubs in Europe should be, then let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth. As long as he continues to say nowt the suspicion will always remain that he’s got something to hide.

 

 

Why would you believe him if he did?  He admits he "intentionally misleads the press, public and the fans of Newcastle United".

 

Also, most of what appears in the papers is leaked from the very top, you can tell because it all has the same absolutist whiff of desparation about it....

 

March -  “Just print that we paid £250 Million for the club”

 

December - “Without Mike's input, the club would be broke. Simple as that."

 

February - “Newcastle United couldn’t survive at the moment without Mike’s money, it’s as simple as that."

 

Agreed, he could spout as many figures as he fancied, but there is no way Ashley doing another in depth interview would sway anyones view of him.

 

It's all about his actions now.

 

 

 

/not sure I could stand the bloodbath on the forum if he did it either tbf.

 

This is what I've said about him for over a year.  I could forgive the Keegan saga, the Kinnear joke, Llambias's failings, the sale of players that could have assured survival, the purchase of players that couldn't (without consulting the manager), banning negative reporters, the stadium name change, the alienation of swathes of our support and even relegation, if he showed any sign whatsoever of learning anything and doing something constructive to rectify it in his actions rather than his words.

 

Can't see it happening.  All he does is put the club on the market and take it off again.

 

...and not walk away, and invest in the squad and the manager enough to see us not disintergrate but see us top of the table and likely to bounce back at the first time of asking. Concede something man HF.

 

Look, I get your point and know you'll not be easily won over, but I hope for the clubs sake (if he can't find a Geordie Abramovic to sell to sharpish), he does manage win us all over at some stage soon.

 

It's been a disaster, but it's not been an unmitigated disaster.  We could have a chairman everybody loves and be in Boro's position.

 

However only the fact that Ashley wants to see some sort of return on his investment stops him walking away and keeps him making the minimum amount of investment.  If he sold for £80m that's a a 30% return, going into administration, he'd be lucky to get 10%.

 

Once again this morning, Llambias has been heaping praise on Ashley and blaming the unreasonable fans for not understanding his vision of getting us relegated and expecting to be treated better than dirt.

[Guest bobthemag]

I can't believe the opinion that Ashley is trying to extort money from us is still around

Diverting money from a privately owned company into the owners’ bank account isn’t extortion or embezzlement. As I keep saying time will tell, but’ it’s a mistake to equate our on the field results this season with some kind of rosy future. 

 

What do you think Ashley’s master plan is then? What do you think his motivation is?

 

 

 

Well he was pretty clear from the start that he recognised he would have to subsidise the club, certainly initially and was happy for others to invest if anyone fancied helping him out. There was no master plan, he wanted a football club for shits and giggles, found himself flailing in the deep end after pissing everyone off over Keegan and wanted out. There was no masterplan, no evil conspiracy.

 

Now he either sells for a loss, or keeps pumping money in up to the point we are successful enough to be pulling in decent money again. Without any local billionaires on the horizon, and with Hughton and himself seeming to be learning on the jobs together and starting to get things right, I think I'd be almost inclined to hope he opts for the later now tbh.

I’m glad somebody understands the choice Ashley faces. I can’t see him selling for a loss, and the more money he pumps in the more successful the club has to be generate the revenues needed to cover his investment – it’s never ending cycle. It’s a no win situation, which is why I think the extra income a return to the PL will bring won’t be invested in the team. It’s the only way I can see him not having to take big loss on his investment, and I doubt how this affects the long term future of NUFC will have any bearing on what he decides to do.

 

But that would just mean a long term drain on his personal wealth for sod all return (even any fun) unless you think that he'd be holding on in hope that the future will see another sudden rush of foreign wealth coming in on a whim. Can't see it myself.

 

Nar, he has to either sell asap or do his best and push us on after a period of stabilising the clubs finances. It's a gamble only for him. Fingers crossed, either way hopefully is win win for the rest of us.

No it wouldn’t, it’s just about the only way he can stop putting money in.

 

Run a club with 50,000 attendances on a Bolton size budget and in theory you can avoid relegation year after year and make a vast operating profit. No more cash going in and big profits – why wouldn’t he go for it?

 

 

How is making vast profits the only way he can avoid putting more money in?   How about breaking even.. 

 

Running the club on a shoe string and pocketing large profits year after year (which would be public knowledge threw club accounts) is a sure fire way to to see the clubs revenue dwindle to Bolton levels.  Any money brought in by the club should be reinvested in the club while also making sure that the businesses continued long term costs don't outweigh its income.  Do that and he won't need to put any money in and will have a good chance of increasing the value of his asset.

 

we don't want to start running up debts again though

[BottledDog]

Once again this morning, Llambias has been heaping praise on Ashley and blaming the unreasonable fans for not understanding his vision of getting us relegated and expecting to be treated better than dirt.

 

What vision of getting relegated?

 

Seems to me he is simply saying, look, since the fat man saw us relegated he has done everything asked of him, he is still ploughing money in, but for some he'll always be a cartoon hate figure.

 

Again, I'd prefer them to say nothing, especially Dekka.

I have no idea whether he is doing a fantastic job or a shit job, but he just has one of those increadibly punch friendly faces.

I accept that clouds my judgement on the guy a fair bit.