Are Mike and Del Boy Forgiven Now?

[tmonkey]

They're doing a better job than Shepherd ever did, being realistic and spending the money the club can afford to spend rather than plunging it into stupid amounts of debt.  Yes we were relegated whilst MA and DL were in charge but the damage had already been done before they had arrived.

 

There is still a long long way to go, lets get stabilised as a PL club and aim to play entertaining football whilst working within our means as a business. That's the best way forward imo

 

One of the most ridiculous posts I've ever read on here.

 

Relegation > Champions League.  

 

Would that apply to Peter Risdale too?

 

If Shepherd and Mike Ashley were to meet in the ring, it would look something like this:

 

http://tf2.digitaljedi.com/midgetfaceslide.gif

 

You wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

 

[/intolerant]

[Liam Liam Liam O]

Anyone who thinks a single cup win would mean the owner/chairman was doing a good job is an idiot btw. Regular cup quarter/semi/final appearances and defeats would be a more significant milestone a than single one-off win. If we achieve consecutive European qualification spots under Ashley I will gladly eat anything you want. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I'll die of starvation before that happens though.

 

 

You could also say winning something once is better than not winning anything ever.

[Dinho lad]

I fucking hate the title of this thread.

 

and the poll options.

[UV]

Anyone who thinks a single cup win would mean the owner/chairman was doing a good job is an idiot btw. Regular cup quarter/semi/final appearances and defeats would be a more significant milestone a than single one-off win. If we achieve consecutive European qualification spots under Ashley I will gladly eat anything you want. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I'll die of starvation before that happens though.

 

 

You could also say winning something once is better than not winning anything ever.

 

Better for the supporters - yes, of course. But the achievement would be a credit to the players, coaches & manager at the time. The owner/chairman would get SOME credit for assembling that team of course, but unless the success is maintained or goes hand in hand with good league positions it's almost certainly a fluke from their point of view with the players overachieving or getting through with a few lucky draws/results.

[Cronky]

Anyone who thinks a single cup win would mean the owner/chairman was doing a good job is an idiot btw. Regular cup quarter/semi/final appearances and defeats would be a more significant milestone a than single one-off win. If we achieve consecutive European qualification spots under Ashley I will gladly eat anything you want. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I'll die of starvation before that happens though.

 

 

You could also say winning something once is better than not winning anything ever.

 

Better for the supporters - yes, of course. But the achievement would be a credit to the players, coaches & manager at the time. The owner/chairman would get SOME credit for assembling that team of course, but unless the success is maintained or goes hand in hand with good league positions it's almost certainly a fluke from their point of view with the players overachieving or getting through with a few lucky draws/results.

 

Winning something would be a big monkey off our backs. It's not happened at all for over 40 years, domestically for over 50 years, and we haven't won the league for over 80 years.

 

There's a big gap between doing well and winning, and bridging that gap is more difficult now than it's ever been. Don't underestimate the achievement of doing that.

[Guest]

The Peter Ridsdale comparison's a good one imo, just he wasn't lucky enough to have a thick fucker pay over the odds to buy Leeds from him and just fucked them up anyway.

[The College Dropout]

The Peter Ridsdale comparison's a good one imo, just he wasn't lucky enough to have a thick f***er pay over the odds to buy Leeds from him and just f***ed them up anyway.

 

This is how I see it.

 

[Guest Heneage]

Some of the stories from Shepherds times about negotiations and the reported fee's we played for players was crazy. In many ways I'd like a bastard child of an owner, who had Shepherds ambition for players and big signings with Ashley's tough negotiating and eye for a good deal, but then I guess that's like asking for the impossible.

[mrmojorisin75]

What the HAPPY CLAPPY ASHLEYITE BRIGADE don't seem to understand is that Ashley will drive a hard bargain whether it occasionally gets the right result or whether it more often than not fails to do so. Which in the long run will most likely result in a squad full of mediocre and/or disgruntled players, leading to a disenchanted and dwindling supporter base.

 

all else aside this is my fear with Ashley, i have the nagging suspicion that he's currently 'succeeding' (used very loosely) by good luck rather than good strategic management and the wheels will come spinning off again before too long

 

a good season from Carroll / Enrique for example, they'll be sold to the first good bid that comes in imo, might be wrong and i'm aware my opinion is skewed by hating the guy so much

[Elliottman]

What the HAPPY CLAPPY ASHLEYITE BRIGADE don't seem to understand is that Ashley will drive a hard bargain whether it occasionally gets the right result or whether it more often than not fails to do so. Which in the long run will most likely result in a squad full of mediocre and/or disgruntled players, leading to a disenchanted and dwindling supporter base.

 

all else aside this is my fear with Ashley, i have the nagging suspicion that he's currently 'succeeding' (used very loosely) by good luck rather than good strategic management and the wheels will come spinning off again before too long

 

a good season from Carroll / Enrique for example, they'll be sold to the first good bid that comes in imo, might be wrong and i'm aware my opinion is skewed by hating the guy so much

 

It depends on what you class as a good bid though. If a top 6/7 club came in with say £15 million for Carroll for example, are we really in a position to turn it down and would Carroll himself not want to make the move. Its not just a case of he'll accept if we get a good bid.

[Cronky]

Surely Ashley's position is clear now. He's out to make the club self-sufficient financially and is only prepared to subsidise the losses for a limited period. That doesn't mean that he's out to make a profit for himself and there's no indication whatsoever of that.

 

On the issue of spending big, I'm sure Ashley will have been looking at recent events and thinking why bother. We paid £9 million for Coloccini and then bought Williamson for a fraction of that amount in fees and wages, and got a player who is just as good if not better. We've got players this window on loan or on free or small transfers that I think will prove to have the quality to push us forward.

 

At the top end of the market, the very biggest clubs are still paying crazy money for the best players, but below that, things are becoming much more sensible. A two tier system seems to have developed, but with the influx of players from different parts of the world and freedom of contract, there are good players at reasonable prices out there.

[Parky]

They're doing a better job than Shepherd ever did, being realistic and spending the money the club can afford to spend rather than plunging it into stupid amounts of debt.  Yes we were relegated whilst MA and DL were in charge but the damage had already been done before they had arrived.

 

There is still a long long way to go, lets get stabilised as a PL club and aim to play entertaining football whilst working within our means as a business. That's the best way forward imo

 

I think there's a happy medium between those two poles. The club was under financial pressure and they have addressed that (they also added to it going along with some of fat sams buys and wages), but when the clouds clear over the next couple of seasons then we'll see how much ambition they have, I suspect very little. Although it is fair to say that the club needed to stabalise financially and that was the first target.

[quayside]

What the HAPPY CLAPPY ASHLEYITE BRIGADE don't seem to understand is that Ashley will drive a hard bargain whether it occasionally gets the right result or whether it more often than not fails to do so. Which in the long run will most likely result in a squad full of mediocre and/or disgruntled players, leading to a disenchanted and dwindling supporter base.

 

all else aside this is my fear with Ashley, i have the nagging suspicion that he's currently 'succeeding' (used very loosely) by good luck rather than good strategic management and the wheels will come spinning off again before too long

 

a good season from Carroll / Enrique for example, they'll be sold to the first good bid that comes in imo, might be wrong and i'm aware my opinion is skewed by hating the guy so much

 

I have to say I haven't met anyone I could describe as a member of a "HAPPY CLAPPY ASHLEYITE BRIGADE" and there aren't too many unconditional Ashley supporters on this board imo. For the most part I sense that the majority think he bought the club without doing proper research, then made a series of catastrophic mistakes which, fortunately, he has the money to fund. But he has done a bit better in the last 9 months or so. I doubt that many feel totally confident that he couldn't screw up again tbh.

[mrmojorisin75]

What the HAPPY CLAPPY ASHLEYITE BRIGADE don't seem to understand is that Ashley will drive a hard bargain whether it occasionally gets the right result or whether it more often than not fails to do so. Which in the long run will most likely result in a squad full of mediocre and/or disgruntled players, leading to a disenchanted and dwindling supporter base.

 

all else aside this is my fear with Ashley, i have the nagging suspicion that he's currently 'succeeding' (used very loosely) by good luck rather than good strategic management and the wheels will come spinning off again before too long

 

a good season from Carroll / Enrique for example, they'll be sold to the first good bid that comes in imo, might be wrong and i'm aware my opinion is skewed by hating the guy so much

 

I have to say I haven't met anyone I could describe as a member of a "HAPPY CLAPPY ASHLEYITE BRIGADE" and there aren't too many unconditional Ashley supporters on this board imo. For the most part I sense that the majority think he bought the club without doing proper research, then made a series of catastrophic mistakes which, fortunately, he has the money to fund. But he has done a bit better in the last 9 months or so. I doubt that many feel totally confident that he couldn't screw up again tbh.

 

oh well that wasn't specifically the bit i was agreeing with

[quayside]

What the HAPPY CLAPPY ASHLEYITE BRIGADE don't seem to understand is that Ashley will drive a hard bargain whether it occasionally gets the right result or whether it more often than not fails to do so. Which in the long run will most likely result in a squad full of mediocre and/or disgruntled players, leading to a disenchanted and dwindling supporter base.

 

all else aside this is my fear with Ashley, i have the nagging suspicion that he's currently 'succeeding' (used very loosely) by good luck rather than good strategic management and the wheels will come spinning off again before too long

 

a good season from Carroll / Enrique for example, they'll be sold to the first good bid that comes in imo, might be wrong and i'm aware my opinion is skewed by hating the guy so much

 

I have to say I haven't met anyone I could describe as a member of a "HAPPY CLAPPY ASHLEYITE BRIGADE" and there aren't too many unconditional Ashley supporters on this board imo. For the most part I sense that the majority think he bought the club without doing proper research, then made a series of catastrophic mistakes which, fortunately, he has the money to fund. But he has done a bit better in the last 9 months or so. I doubt that many feel totally confident that he couldn't screw up again tbh.

 

oh well that wasn't specifically the bit i was agreeing with

 

I realse that - I was just making the point that imo very few people would be absolutely confident that we are on a one way trip to glory and so won't be selling key players for tempting fees.

[relámpago blanco]

Some people on this forum are mental, they treat AShley like they do PS3's, show any sign of happiness towards them and you are labelled a fanboy and your perspective is rendered bollocks.

[NG32]

Some people on this forum are mental, they treat AShley like they do PS3's, show any sign of happiness towards them and you are labelled a fanboy and your perspective is rendered bollocks.

 

You have to admit tho feelings are running bad, they did see us through a MASSIVE painfull epsiode that was totally avaoidable.

 

Nobody for one second knew how we would start the championship season off.  That was down to the players digging in and stopping the slide.

 

However, credit s due as they backed Hughton in Jan.

 

Credit is due as we have had another seinsible transfer window.

 

Stay up this season, and continue to make porgress and people will come round to them eventually. 

 

I would still like to see MA and DL interviewed and an apology for a complete fck up.

[mrmojorisin75]

Some people on this forum are mental, they treat AShley like they do PS3's, show any sign of happiness towards them and you are labelled a fanboy and your perspective is rendered bollocks.

 

You have to admit tho feelings are running bad, they did see us through a MASSIVE painfull epsiode that was totally avaoidable.

 

Nobody for one second knew how we would start the championship season off.  That was down to the players digging in and stopping the slide.

 

However, credit s due as they backed Hughton in Jan.

 

Credit is due as we have had another seinsible transfer window.

 

Stay up this season, and continue to make porgress and people will come round to them eventually. 

 

I would still like to see MA and DL interviewed and an apology for a complete fck up.

 

so you're saying you unconditionally love MA & DL then?  ffs gimp, tone it down a bit

[relámpago blanco]

I'm not saying he's done well or anything I just mean, some of the things he's done have been good, most crap but there is nowt we can do and I actually enjoy the way the club is looking at the moment, even more so than just before Shep left, maybe thats Hughton, maybe thats Ashley whatever it is I like it.

[NG32]

Some people on this forum are mental, they treat AShley like they do PS3's, show any sign of happiness towards them and you are labelled a fanboy and your perspective is rendered bollocks.

 

You have to admit tho feelings are running bad, they did see us through a MASSIVE painfull epsiode that was totally avaoidable.

 

Nobody for one second knew how we would start the championship season off.  That was down to the players digging in and stopping the slide.

 

However, credit s due as they backed Hughton in Jan.

 

Credit is due as we have had another seinsible transfer window.

 

Stay up this season, and continue to make porgress and people will come round to them eventually. 

 

I would still like to see MA and DL interviewed and an apology for a complete fck up.

 

so you're saying you unconditionally love MA & DL then?  ffs gimp, tone it down a bit

 

Sorry, just went off on one there! 

[Guest Howaythetoon]

They have done nothing whatsoever to justify any kind of praise much less be forgiven for their mistakes. The players and manager are the people who got us promotion and will be the people who keep us up. The fans are the people who are keeping the club afloat financially not Mike Ashley. Personally I feel this club will never amount to much while these knackers are in charge and the sooner they fuck off and people like them in the game the better for everyone. That said, not at any cost. Long-term though the well being of this club lies in the hands of those who care about it, have a degree of knowledge about the game and the financial acumen to make the most of what is still a fucking fantastic football club with unlimited potential, potential Ashley will never ever see unfold because quite frankly he doesn't have the first clue about football or how to run a football club as most of his decisions since buying us reveal.

[Shearergol]

They have done nothing whatsoever to justify any kind of praise much less be forgiven for their mistakes. The players and manager are the people who got us promotion and will be the people who keep us up. The fans are the people who are keeping the club afloat financially not Mike Ashley. Personally I feel this club will never amount to much while these knackers are in charge and the sooner they fuck off and people like them in the game the better for everyone. That said, not at any cost. Long-term though the well being of this club lies in the hands of those who care about it, have a degree of knowledge about the game and the financial acumen to make the most of what is still a fucking fantastic football club with unlimited potential, potential Ashley will never ever see unfold because quite frankly he doesn't have the first clue about football or how to run a football club as most of his decisions since buying us reveal.

 

The players and the manager won us promotion, so therefore the players and the manager (s) got us relegated. No?

[BottledDog]

They have done nothing whatsoever to justify any kind of praise much less be forgiven for their mistakes. The players and manager are the people who got us promotion and will be the people who keep us up. The fans are the people who are keeping the club afloat financially not Mike Ashley. Personally I feel this club will never amount to much while these knackers are in charge and the sooner they fuck off and people like them in the game the better for everyone. That said, not at any cost. Long-term though the well being of this club lies in the hands of those who care about it, have a degree of knowledge about the game and the financial acumen to make the most of what is still a fucking fantastic football club with unlimited potential, potential Ashley will never ever see unfold because quite frankly he doesn't have the first clue about football or how to run a football club as most of his decisions since buying us reveal.

 

I humbly disagree.

[mrmojorisin75]

joining the love in/clapfest:

 

if they've realised how monumentally they themselves fucked up and are self-aware enough to try to not repeat the mistakes then we're as good with them as with anyone else atm - there really don't appear to be a lot of good owners out there in this economic climate

 

if they haven't realised it was essentially all down to them then they'll be doomed to repeat the same mistakes, time will tell

[quayside]

joining the love in/clapfest:

 

if they've realised how monumentally they themselves f***ed up and are self-aware enough to try to not repeat the mistakes then we're as good with them as with anyone else atm - there really don't appear to be a lot of good owners out there in this economic climate

 

if they haven't realised it was essentially all down to them then they'll be doomed to repeat the same mistakes, time will tell

 

 

especially the bit about other possible owners.

 

As I said in my earlier post they have shown signs in the last 9 months or so that they are getting the idea of what it is all about.  All we can do is hope that it continues, but at this stage it still is hope rather than expectation I think.