Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction?

[LooneyToonArmy]

http://www.sport.co.uk/features/Football/876/Is_Mike_Ashley_steering_Newcastle_United_in_the_right_direction.aspx

 

 

When you hear the words Mike Ashley and Newcastle in the same sentence you think of re-naming stadiums, relegation, resentment and regret. But what about renewed optimism, results, regained confidence and a return to the Premier League.

 

It may be a surprise to many Newcastle fans that one could even consider the notion that Ashley has been a success on Tyneside.  But this season has undoubtedly been the best in his short and eventful tenure. It has also seen him transform from beer-swilling fan to shrewd business man. If I have lost any of you, then my apologies. But I beg everyone to give this a chance and see how Mike Ashley is slowly steering the Geordies in the right direction.

Financial saviour

 

Firstly, in simple terms, he saved the club from going bankrupt. Had he not invested, Newcastle United could well have been following Portsmouth to the High Court. The finances of the previous regime were severely mismanaged; this was never truer than when they spent four year‘s worth of sponsorship money on a package to bring Michael Owen to the club.

He has kept them going and although his choices have contributed to their demise, it was not the only factor. The rot had set in a long time before; all the way back to the sacking of Sir Bobby Robson for finishing fifth.

Foresight

 

Since Newcastle dropped out of the top flight, it has been rumoured that the club is losing over £500,000 per week. A deficit he had to cover with a £20 million cash injection from his own personal wealth. There was criticism when St James’ Park was re-named, but clubs need to sustain themselves and this is a simple way of raising finance.

 

Brands such as Emirates, Reebok and Walkers have their names associated with football stadiums and the clubs concerned are financially better off as a result. Granted, the fact that in the short term he chose his own company meant he probably deserved the criticism. However in the long term, if this was to bring in extra capital that could be re-invested, then surely it‘s a good thing.

 

Flash forward two years and this extra revenue has been spent on a new number 9 who scores the winning goal against Sunderland.  Then find me a Newcastle fan who still says it was the wrong decision.

 

Future Planning

 

The darkest moment of Mr Ashley’s reign was the Kevin Keegan fiasco and the catalyst: Dennis Wise. Now although I disagree with the decision to appoint Wise and that players were signed based on YouTube clips; I do have sympathy for what the owner was trying to achieve.

 

He wanted to change the perception of Newcastle; no longer would the likes of Luque, Boumsong, and Emre be allowed to come for bumper paydays. Top four rejects like Alan Smith and Nicky Butt would not be paid as though they were still amongst Europe’s elite.  He wanted to bring in players with something to prove and widen the scouting network to find up and coming stars.

 

This may not have been executed very well last season, but this campaign; he has got it spot on. Out are the overpaid, over hyped- Viduka, Martins, Geremi and Owen. In come Williamson, Routledge, Best and Simpson. All these players were bought at a good price and have their best years ahead. This is sensible business foresight and will give Newcastle a fantastic platform on which to build.

 

Fresh Approach

 

He seems to have followed this model with his manager too.  Many will argue that it was more luck than judgement, but credit where it’s due. Ashley has stuck by Chris Hughton even when the decision made him even more unpopular with the Toon Army. It’s easy to forget, but cast your mind back and remember the clamour for Alan Shearer in the summer.

 

This decision has been rewarded with the team sitting pretty at the top of the Championship and chants of ‘One Chris Hughton’ at the last home match, proves that certain sections are being won over.

 

Final word

 

Obviously cracks can be papered over with good results on the pitch and there’s no doubt that next season will prove a sterner test if they are promoted. However question marks still remain as to whether Ashley will try and sell up in the summer and re-coup some of his £250 million investment. The fact that even promotion will not make some fans forgive and forget, may also have an influence on his decision.

 

Of course this is all guess work, but it would be nice to see everyone pulling in the same direction for once, all wanting the best for the club. Maybe the success of this season can be a blueprint for the future, the start of something great. But this is Newcastle United and if history tells us anything; there are undoubtedly more twists and turns to come.

[FrenchWilliam]

...you think of re-naming stadiums, relegation, resentment and regret...  renewed optimism, results, regained confidence and a return to the Premier League.

 

Financial saviour

Foresight

Future Planning

Fresh Approach

Final word

 

Viz Top Tip # 351645

 

Journalists, don't have anything news-worthy to write about? Fill your article with alliteration and call it an insght piece. You'll get that Daily Mail/G2 features job yet.

[Consortium of one]

I won't say he's steered it in the right direction but I will say he's steered it away from the wrong direction.

 

I need to see his ambition and transfer policy next year.

[David28]

After steering us into the wrongest direction that would be possible he is now steering us back to "normal", which is probably just the right direction.

[TRon]

I'll wait to see if he invests in the summer or puts the club up for sale again. Another close season of disruption would be inexcusable as there is no point in putting the for sale sign on unless Ashley is prepared to sell at a low price.

[Stifler]

I strongly believe that he is making this club profitable or at least so that it's not losing money, which as we are now beginning to see clubs fall is only a good thing.

 

The transfer policy is a good one, but I'm assuming the wage budget will go up to between £30k-£40k next season to make us be able to compete but not be paying the over the odd's wages that we once did.

 

At this moment in time I'm willing to let Ashley stay if these are his ambitions and we won't be seeing another "I'm fucking off" situation.

 

Make no mistakes he's made mistakes, but unlike previous owners he has held his hands up and is beginning to change those and build the club upwards again. The time to see if he really has his heart (or at least financial brain) in the club and his ideas will come this summer and next season.

 

[MKSC]

I had this conversation with a Virgin engineer who came to fix my phone line this morning. He said it looked like Ashley had turned things around and was getting it right now. I said it is more like he hasn't done anything that will make it worse this season, not that he has suddenly become our saviour and a god like businessman. Who knows, if we do clinch promotion and he manages to secure a few decent players so that we are comfortable in the PL I might just say he's got us back to where we should be, but no more than that.

[Stifler]

I had this conversation with a Virgin engineer who came to fix my phone line this morning. He said it looked like Ashley had turned things around and was getting it right now. I said it is more like he hasn't done anything that will make it worse this season, not that he has suddenly become our saviour and a god like businessman. Who knows, if we do clinch promotion and he manages to secure a few decent players so that we are comfortable in the PL I might just say he's got us back to where we should be, but no more than that.

 

What happens if we finish in a decent postition in the league and somehow manage to win a cup?

[Dr.Spaceman]

All he needs to do is get rid of fucking Derek and replace him with someone like Chris Mort, someone with at least half a brain.

[Tooj]

All he needs to do is get rid of fucking Derek and replace him with someone like Chris Mort, someone with at least half a brain.

 

Would that be serial liar Chris Mort?

[Guest Geordiekev]

Fucking abortion last season that killed his reputation on the tyne, from a Beer drinking wanabee fan to a bloke who was destined to loose alot of money on an off the cuff investment.

 

His head seems to be screwed on now and since the sacking of the little dwarf, players coming in have been a breath of fresh air in comparison. What can he do for fans to take him seriously? Well he can remain on the right track, no silly spending (as if it was likely lol) listen to the manager he appointed when considering transfers and NOT some fucking idiot who knows fuckall about football and even less about public relations.

 

A huge step forward in my book would be for him to loose that lying tit Lambias and employ someone who knows how to treat It's customers and employees (Chris Mort would be a step back in the right direction).

 

He is clearly going nowhere so I accept this and just hope he keeps the club on the right track, I don't join in with the anti-Ashley chants as I consider him to be steering us in the right direction, should he prove me wrong with another obscure action (like the shit Keegan got, lack of transfer activity when required, the Shearer episode etc) then I will be right back on his case but until such time I'll chant for the 11 on the field and even the manager  .

 

[Colos Short and Curlies]

He's turned the tanker around, time will tell if he has set it on th right course.

 

I doubt he will be around to see the benefits that stripping away the deadwood, but I'm sure in 5 years time we will be a better position then we would have been if no body had bought the club

[STM]

Up until this season Mike Ashley had made plenty of decisons, 95% of the were terrible.

 

This season he has made very few decisions, most have them have been decent.

 

Keegan famously said "I spoke to Mike Ashley and he said he wanted to win something", well Mike you are on the verge of winning something but it represents how far you have ruined our club.

 

The question is; should we get back into the Premiership will he have learned his lesson on Premiership decision making? My guess is probably not.

[magorific]

I had this conversation with a Virgin engineer who came to fix my phone line this morning. He said it looked like Ashley had turned things around and was getting it right now. I said it is more like he hasn't done anything that will make it worse this season, not that he has suddenly become our saviour and a god like businessman. Who knows, if we do clinch promotion and he manages to secure a few decent players so that we are comfortable in the PL I might just say he's got us back to where we should be, but no more than that.

 

What happens if we finish in a decent postition in the league and somehow manage to win a cup?

 

Get real

[madras]

IF we go up the summer coming will tell us more about ashleys tenure than anything that has gone before. He'll not be able to use the financial position card as he has done so far. Then it will all be his, he'll not be able to blame the position on what went before.

[Guest neesy111]

IF we go up the summer coming will tell us more about ashleys tenure than anything that has gone before. He'll not be able to use the financial position card as he has done so far. Then it will all be his, he'll not be able to blame the position on what went before.

 

will he put his 20M a year as he said, along with surplus cash from TV money sponsorship etc, if he does, this should allow a kitty to buy the players needed to stay up

 

whether hughton does this, and get's rid of the sloggers, is another

[madras]

those sloggers are also the high earners and it probably wont be the clubs if and when they go. For smith and possibly barton it may mean doing an owen and hanging on for aslong as they can contractually.

[Guest neesy111]

those sloggers are also the high earners and it probably wont be the clubs if and when they go. For smith and possibly barton it may mean doing an owen and hanging on for aslong as they can contractually.

 

butt will be gone thankfully

 

smith and barton both have 1 year left after this, these 3 alone earn 160k a week, and produce fuck all in terms of quality, and with barton who is a bigger crock than owen

[Stifler]

those sloggers are also the high earners and it probably wont be the clubs if and when they go. For smith and possibly barton it may mean doing an owen and hanging on for aslong as they can contractually.

 

butt will be gone thankfully

 

smith and barton both have 1 year left after this, these 3 alone earn 160k a week, and produce fuck all in terms of quality, and with barton who is a bigger crock than owen

 

We hope Butt will be gone, theirs still time for Hughton to give him a contract extension. Hopefully someone will come in for Smith and Barton, come on Fat Sam and Blackburn. Lets not forget that Colo and Jonas are also on high wages, are theirplayers out there who can do the same, if not better job then them for less money?

[madras]

i knew it was butts last season (got to be) but wasn't sure about smith or barton.

[Doctor Zaius]

Untill he gets someone in who knows football I fear he'll carry on making the same mistakes. I really think he needs some sort of advisor, someone who's been involved in the running of a club, someone who knows a few tricks of the trade. Lambhuna and Ashley dont really know how to run a football club, getting someone like David Dein in on a massive salary could make all the difference. I know Shepherd and Hall had Freddie Fletcher in the early days and I remember Shepherd saying how running a football club was like a minefield and Fletcher helped them through it. In the end I'm not too sure how much of a positive impact if any Freddie Fletcher had at Newcastle but surely Ashley and Llambias having someone there who's experienced for a bit for advice couldn't hurt.

[TRon]

those sloggers are also the high earners and it probably wont be the clubs if and when they go. For smith and possibly barton it may mean doing an owen and hanging on for aslong as they can contractually.

 

butt will be gone thankfully

 

smith and barton both have 1 year left after this, these 3 alone earn 160k a week, and produce fuck all in terms of quality, and with barton who is a bigger crock than owen

 

We hope Butt will be gone, theirs still time for Hughton to give him a contract extension. Hopefully someone will come in for Smith and Barton, come on Fat Sam and Blackburn. Lets not forget that Colo and Jonas are also on high wages, are theirplayers out there who can do the same, if not better job then them for less money?

 

I don't think so in all honesty. Giving the likes of Butt or Smith another contract will fly in the face of everything Ashley has been preaching wrt building a younger, hungrier squad. This is one thing he has definitely got right in my book, and just as Ashley stood firm against Keegan when it came to offering miserable Michael Owen a bumper contract so should he refuse Hughton IF he wants Butt to stay longer. There's nothing to suggest that he will want him anyway, it's a bit presumptuos to suggest he will at this point.

[TheGuv]

I won't say he's steered it in the right direction but I will say he's steered it away from the wrong direction.

 

I need to see his ambition and transfer policy next year.

 

Ditto

[Guest neesy111]

those sloggers are also the high earners and it probably wont be the clubs if and when they go. For smith and possibly barton it may mean doing an owen and hanging on for aslong as they can contractually.

 

butt will be gone thankfully

 

smith and barton both have 1 year left after this, these 3 alone earn 160k a week, and produce fuck all in terms of quality, and with barton who is a bigger crock than owen

 

We hope Butt will be gone, theirs still time for Hughton to give him a contract extension. Hopefully someone will come in for Smith and Barton, come on Fat Sam and Blackburn. Lets not forget that Colo and Jonas are also on high wages, are theirplayers out there who can do the same, if not better job then them for less money?

 

I don't think so in all honesty. Giving the likes of Butt or Smith another contract will fly in the face of everything Ashley has been preaching wrt building a younger, hungrier squad. This is one thing he has definitely got right in my book, and just as Ashley stood firm against Keegan when it came to offering miserable Michael Owen a bumper contract so should he refuse Hughton IF he wants Butt to stay longer. There's nothing to suggest that he will want him anyway, it's a bit presumptuos to suggest he will at this point.

 

as i've always said, i'm happy for ashley to sell jonas, colocini, smith, barton etc as long decent replacement's we're brought in

 

the money we would save could buy much younger, hungrier players who would be on at least 1/2 less i.e. similar to what getting geremi off the wage bill done 5 players signed for getting rid of 1 player

 

 

[Dr.Spaceman]

All he needs to do is get rid of fucking Derek and replace him with someone like Chris Mort, someone with at least half a brain.

 

Would that be serial liar Chris Mort?

 

He can lie all he wants, I couldn't give a fuck what they tell the fans.  It's what they actually go and do that bothers me.