Is Mike Ashley steering Newcastle United in the right direction?

[Hughesy]

I think Routledge and Williamson will prove to be decent signings.  What I am more focussing on is the undeniable fact that Newcastle could stay up next year by buying 'cheap' players.  It would be quite easy to come up with a sizeable list of players who have been bought over the last 2-3 years for small amounts (ie max of 3 million) by Premiership clubs that would keep us up.

 

There is absolutely no footballing or economic need to make big signings for next season.

 

congratulations on setting your sights as high as Wigan

 

Initially that's where our sights should be set.  We can't expect to waltz to a top half position next season you know?

 

I know I'd be pretty damn happy if we bought players like Figueroa, Rodellaga, Cattermole. Scharner and Valencia.

 

I don't know quite where you have got the idea that big signing equate to success though?

[Guest bobthemag]

I think Routledge and Williamson will prove to be decent signings.  What I am more focussing on is the undeniable fact that Newcastle could stay up next year by buying 'cheap' players.  It would be quite easy to come up with a sizeable list of players who have been bought over the last 2-3 years for small amounts (ie max of 3 million) by Premiership clubs that would keep us up.

 

There is absolutely no footballing or economic need to make big signings for next season.

 

congratulations on setting your sights as high as Wigan

 

 

 

I don't know quite where you have got the idea that big signing equate to success though?

 

so Chelsea and ManUtd have been doing it wrong ?

[Hughesy]

Sorry... I may have missed something - you think we should be comparing ourselves to Chelsea and Man Utd?  You think that is a valid comparison in any way, shape or form?

[madras]

I think Routledge and Williamson will prove to be decent signings.  What I am more focussing on is the undeniable fact that Newcastle could stay up next year by buying 'cheap' players.  It would be quite easy to come up with a sizeable list of players who have been bought over the last 2-3 years for small amounts (ie max of 3 million) by Premiership clubs that would keep us up.

 

There is absolutely no footballing or economic need to make big signings for next season.

 

congratulations on setting your sights as high as Wigan

 

 

 

I don't know quite where you have got the idea that big signing equate to success though?

 

so Chelsea and ManUtd have been doing it wrong ?

give man utd a couple of season outside the champs league and see if they still spend that way.

 

hopefully we'll be abler to watch liverpool do it over the next season or two.

[Guest bobthemag]

Sorry... I may have missed something - you think we should be comparing ourselves to Chelsea and Man Utd?  You think that is a valid comparison in any way, shape or form?

 

but you think we should be doing it like Wigan ?

 

 

[Howaythelads]

Sorry... I may have missed something - you think we should be comparing ourselves to Chelsea and Man Utd?  You think that is a valid comparison in any way, shape or form?

 

I think it's ambition you're looking for, there's nowt wrong with setting your sights high so long as you don't lose sight of the fact it's not possible to get there overnight. Setting your ambitions too low, as you appear to be doing, is just as bad as expecting a miracle that we win the title.

[Guest bobthemag]

I think Routledge and Williamson will prove to be decent signings.  What I am more focussing on is the undeniable fact that Newcastle could stay up next year by buying 'cheap' players.  It would be quite easy to come up with a sizeable list of players who have been bought over the last 2-3 years for small amounts (ie max of 3 million) by Premiership clubs that would keep us up.

 

There is absolutely no footballing or economic need to make big signings for next season.

 

congratulations on setting your sights as high as Wigan

 

 

 

I don't know quite where you have got the idea that big signing equate to success though?

 

so Chelsea and ManUtd have been doing it wrong ?

give man utd a couple of season outside the champs league and see if they still spend that way.

 

hopefully we'll be abler to watch liverpool do it over the next season or two.

 

if they do, how do you think they would get back ?

 

 

[Hughesy]

I suppose the short answer to your question is 'yes'.  Not sure why you are focussing on Wigan per se, but not sure how you can argue that it wouldn't have made more sense to have bought players like Valencia, Palacios and Figueroa than Luque, Boumsong et al.

 

For next season and future seasons I would like to see us develop our scouting network and make sensible purchases.

[Guest bobthemag]

I suppose the short answer to your question is 'yes'.  Not sure why you are focussing on Wigan per se, but not sure how you can argue that it would make more sense to have bought players like Valencia, Palacios and Figueroa than Luque, Boumsong et al.

 

 

[Guest Brummiemag]

Ashley will be delighted that he has lowered expectations so much that many will be happy to merely survive next season by buying a few cheap players and playing crap defensive football. Finish mid table the season after and all is forgiven, he will be seen by some as a great owner 

[Happy Face]

I suppose the short answer to your question is 'yes'.  Not sure why you are focussing on Wigan per se, but not sure how you can argue that it would make more sense to have bought players like Valencia, Palacios and Figueroa than Luque, Boumsong et al.

 

For next season and future seasons I would like to see us develop our scouting network and make sensible purchases.

 

 

 

[Hughesy]

Sorry... I may have missed something - you think we should be comparing ourselves to Chelsea and Man Utd?  You think that is a valid comparison in any way, shape or form?

 

I think it's ambition you're looking for, there's nowt wrong with setting your sights high so long as you don't lose sight of the fact it's not possible to get there overnight. Setting your ambitions too low, as you appear to be doing, is just as bad as expecting a miracle that we win the title.

 

I'm all for ambition - I'm just reluctant for us to make the same mistakes again that clubs below the top 4 often make.

[Hughesy]

I suppose the short answer to your question is 'yes'.  Not sure why you are focussing on Wigan per se, but not sure how you can argue that it would make more sense to have bought players like Valencia, Palacios and Figueroa than Luque, Boumsong et al.

 

 

 

Good answer.

[bealios]

Genuine question

A lot seem to think that Ashley is/was willing to write off the debt to sell, how do we know that?

as anyone who was interested had to sign non disclossure agreements.

I would have thought that we would have been snapped up debt free for 80mil, even running at a loss.

It seems to me that he wanted 80mil plus the debts to him still had to be paid and thats why we had no buyers.

If thats the case (but its only my take on it) then we are a lot worse off.

Only time will tell I suppose.

 

 

The price for the club was £100m in the summer, and this would have been for a debt free club, apart from the Barclays overdraft facility. THere would have been no money owed to Ashley. The price dropped to £80m at the last minute, but nobody had the cash.

 

I thought everyone had accepted this? THe idea that Ashley was trying to sell the club for £100m and after the sale the new owner would still owe Ashley £100m is nonsense.

 

And your source for this is?

 

The horses mouth.

[Hughesy]

Ashley will be delighted that he has lowered expectations so much that many will be happy to merely survive next season by buying a few cheap players and playing crap defensive football. Finish mid table the season after and all is forgiven, he will be seen by some as a great owner 

 

I would be happy with survival next season.  Then hopefully progress over the next few seasons to be being a top 8 team.  Anything more than that at this stage is unrealistic.

 

And for the record - I hate what Ashley has done to this club and hold him almost entirely responsible for our current position.  But we are where we are and can't expect miracles.  Certainly throwing money at the team that we can't afford is no way to guarantee success.

[Guest BooBoo]

The club should be looking at Everton as a blueprint. Adding sensibly priced players to the squad over the years and retaining a core of key players who will improve over time. Whilst they have made some big buys, their outlay is generally modest for persistently decent PL finishes.

[bealios]

The club should be looking at Everton as a blueprint. Adding sensibly priced players to the squad over the years and retaining a core of key players who will improve over time. Whilst they have made some big buys, their outlay is generally modest for persistently decent PL finishes.

 

To use the Everton blueprint you need a highly skilled and talented manager. I genuinely rate Moyses alongside Wenger in terms of what he has done at Everton. As much as I like him, Hughton isn't of that standard, and I'm not sure we could convince anyone of that standard to come (at the moment).

[Guest malandro]

Ashley will be delighted that he has lowered expectations so much that many will be happy to merely survive next season by buying a few cheap players and playing crap defensive football. Finish mid table the season after and all is forgiven, he will be seen by some as a great owner 

They won’t be happy. The reality of watching a team littered with bargain basement buys losing every other week is very different to the theory. It’ll be ‘we should be beating teams like Wigan at home’ and ‘Hughton Out’, not Wigan are our role model.

[Guest BooBoo]

Difficult to say that really. Everton took Moyes from Preston where he was promising but it took about 3-4 years to seriously improve the club on a consistent basis. We can't really judge Hughton yet, he's shown promise this year and I really hope now that he gets time in the PL to build. With the exception of Best, he's identified good quality signings that have improved us this season without straining finances. I would hope though he could Identify players like Lescott, Baines, Jagielka and Cahill- sensible quality buys rather than the Shepherd headline seeking buys that ultimately completely failed us.

[Happy Face]

The debate around 'models' and 'blueprints' is horseshit.

 

It's all well and good marvelling at how Wigan did well to bring in Valencia, Palacios and Figueroa while ignoring the their more expensive fuck ups like Marlon King, Jason Koumas and Julius Aghahowa.

[madras]

in reply to bob on how they'd get back......... Initially 

they'd try to buy their way back. Then if it didn't work they' realise that continuing to spend like that was leadng them into a heap of trouble and they' either cut their cloth accordingly or run the risk of having the trouble leeds and pompey had and us to a lesser extent.

 

Tell me bob......should we have kept on borrowing till success or bankruptcy whichever came first ?

 

Sorry bout not quoting....girl 1 has nicked the pc so i'm using my phone.

[Benwell Lad]

The best thing about AC lamping Taylor was it appeared to push this thread away. No such luck.

 

The whole thing seems pretty pointless. Most people think that Ashley made bad football decisions but he has saved the club financially and most agree with the proposed new transfer and budget structures. So the club is heading in the right direction for most people, albeit from a lower standing.

However some will never forgive him and will blame him for eveything forever. If he doesn't sell he's a t***, if he does want to sell he's a t***, if we're relegated it's all his fault so he's a t***, if we go up he's just doing it so he sells us for more so he's still a t***.

Nobody is going to be convinced otherwise. Those who hate him REALLY hate him, so as I said before they should just assasinate him and get on with the rest of their lives. This thread is not going to change anyone's opinion.

[Howaythelads]

The best thing about AC lamping Taylor was it appeared to push this thread away. No such luck.

 

The whole thing seems pretty pointless. Most people think that Ashley made bad football decisions but he has saved the club financially and most agree with the proposed new transfer and budget structures. So the club is heading in the right direction for most people, albeit from a lower standing.

However some will never forgive him and will blame him for eveything forever. If he doen't sell he's a twat, if he does want to sell he's a twat, if we're relegated it's all his fault so he's a twat, if we go up he's just doing it so he sells us for more so he's still a twat.

Nobody is going to be convinced otherwise. Those who hate him REALLY hate him, so as I said before they should just assasinate him and get on with the rest of their lives. This thread is not going to change anyone's opinion.

 

What a crock of simplistic rubbish.

 

If you had said  " some will never forgive Shepherd and will blame him for everything forever " you'd be on the right lines.

 

Ashley could well turn it around, he just hasn't done so yet. He's done a crap job so far, simple as that.  When/if he does turn it around and has done a good job I will admit it, which is a damn sight more than others manage regarding the efforts of the previous Board.

 

I don't hate Ashley at all. I think he's an inept tosser who got lucky in business with his "blueprint" of cheap sports goods.

[Benwell Lad]

The best thing about AC lamping Taylor was it appeared to push this thread away. No such luck.

 

The whole thing seems pretty pointless. Most people think that Ashley made bad football decisions but he has saved the club financially and most agree with the proposed new transfer and budget structures. So the club is heading in the right direction for most people, albeit from a lower standing.

However some will never forgive him and will blame him for eveything forever. If he doen't sell he's a t***, if he does want to sell he's a t***, if we're relegated it's all his fault so he's a t***, if we go up he's just doing it so he sells us for more so he's still a t***.

Nobody is going to be convinced otherwise. Those who hate him REALLY hate him, so as I said before they should just assasinate him and get on with the rest of their lives. This thread is not going to change anyone's opinion.

 

What a crock of simplistic rubbish.

 

If you had said  " some will never forgive Shepherd and will blame him for everything forever " you'd be on the right lines.

 

Ashley could well turn it around, he just hasn't done so yet. He's done a crap job so far, simple as that.  When/if he does turn it around and has done a good job I will admit it, which is a damn sight more than others manage regarding the efforts of the previous Board.

 

I don't hate Ashley at all. I think he's an inept tosser who got lucky in business with his "blueprint" of cheap sports goods.

 

Yeah whatever.

[Happy Face]

The best thing about AC lamping Taylor was it appeared to push this thread away. No such luck.

 

The whole thing seems pretty pointless. Most people think that Ashley made bad football decisions but he has saved the club financially and most agree with the proposed new transfer and budget structures. So the club is heading in the right direction for most people, albeit from a lower standing.

However some will never forgive him and will blame him for eveything forever. If he doen't sell he's a twat, if he does want to sell he's a twat, if we're relegated it's all his fault so he's a twat, if we go up he's just doing it so he sells us for more so he's still a twat.

Nobody is going to be convinced otherwise. Those who hate him REALLY hate him, so as I said before they should just assasinate him and get on with the rest of their lives. This thread is not going to change anyone's opinion.

 

That's not true.

 

I'll gladly forgive and forget once he shows with results and not words that he's returned us to being a Premier League club where relegation is inconceivable (as Llambias said we were just last season).

 

As it is, all he's actually done that I could praise as a positive step (as opposed to maintaining the status quo) is spend £5m in January gone.  Having shown a profit of £10m and £20m in the two previous windows.