Are Mike and Del Boy Forgiven Now?

[Ryan_Taylor]

This window and our start to the season had done a fair bit in repairing their reputations, especially in the wake of their 'no capital outlay' statment at the start of the window. Robbie Keane in would round thing of nicely mind

[Guest localhero87]

Win something for us, Mike, then I might like you.

 

And by win something I don't mean a golden building or whatever we won for beating Deportivo in an exhibition.

[Guest malandro]

They need to cut out the ambigious web site Statements. We don't need more confusion like with the "capital outlay" one.

 

 

That one was really daft. For some reason they thought they needed to clarify questions that weren't being asked.

Did it not work? Made the fans lower expectations, and were thus surprised by what we have eventually ended up with.

 

You imply expectations were too high. Can't remember anyone on here at least expecting them to spend big. There was nothing in that stupid statement that couldn't have been communicated through Hughton.

Apologies that wasn't what I was trying to imply. I thought/hoped we'd spend 5-10m little bit under what your average promoted side does. When I heard the outlay statement, I thought it would be frees and possibly one loan player who would all be cast off's or fringes of other squads.

 

By contrast we've spent nearly 4m on a midfielder, got a top attacker on loan with the option to purchase, an experienced centre back, wangled a contract to get an exciting young midfielder. I think if you'd told most that in July they'd be very happy.

We appear to have done some decent business over the summer, though it is too early to say for sure. However this doesn’t make the financial restrictions Hughton has had to work under praiseworthy. If Arfa hadn’t fallen out with DD we would never have picked up a player of his quality on loan, and if Sol Campbell hadn’t married a lass from Northumberland I doubt he’d have ended up at SJP either, and if Everton had made Gosling a written contract offer chances are he wouldn’t be on our books.

 

Scraping around looking for bargains has its financial benefits, but it also means luck plays a big part in the success or failure of the clubs transfer policy. We’ve been lucky this summer, next year it could be very different.

 

[David Icke - Son of God]

If we beat Blackpool and get one or two more bodies in before Tuesday then I'll be optimistic about the club and where we're headed. It shouldn't have needed relegation to sort us out but that's the way it's worked out. I'll never get too carried away because it'll only take a couple of injuries or bad defeats to change the mood.

 

They need to continue to put things right though. Shouldn't rest on their laurels.

 

 

Spot on again mate. They've made some terrible mistakes but they're finally starting to make ammends, slowly but surely. I'm not saying forget the past, but it's getting a bit tedious constantly digging and criticising everything move that is made.

 

We look like we're finally headed in the right direction and if we continue that way then I'm happy enough

 

Ozzie made a good point the other day, that a certain section of our support are constantly looking for something to whinge about and blame Ashley/Llambias for.

 

Surprised that someone reasonably level-headed like Dave still seems to have such a big axe to grind

 

Bit of bollocks tbh. Fans wouldn't find something to whinge about if there wasn't something to whinge about in the first place. Anyone who thinks all the wrongs are righted because of promotion and some decent deals is mental. Anyone who thinks Ashley is justified in wrapping an iron fist around those in Level 7 because the singing section, his baby, is singing and doing things he doesn't like is a full blown spastic.

 

Ashley is still conducting himself in a manner which shows no respect for the lifeblood of this club. The fans are fobbed off with daft statements, some are subjected to Orwellian scrutiny and the rest patronised to within an inch of their life by the streaking knobber Llambias.

 

Ashley and Llambias have a lot to do right before I'll let them off with the occasional wrong.

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

They can do as well as they like as long as they sell on as soon as! Still not happy having them here, will never feel confident as long as they are in charge. Fuck the 'success', its not their doing.

 

Out Out Out

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I never hated Ashley, as most people will have gathered.

 

When he came in, I was happy to have a youngish English owner rather than a unknown sheik... and I was very happy to have the embarrassment of Shepherd behind us. I think a lot of people shared that view.

 

Then it became clear that Ashley didn't know what he'd let himself in for and had little idea of how to manage a football club.

 

He then made a few incredibly bad errors, including the appointment of Keegan intended to ingratiate him with the fans. We all know the eventual fallout, I think our reaction to it was made worse by the initial hope that Ashleys takeover had generated.

 

I've always believed that his mistakes were down to naïveté and lack of knowledge, I mean why would he possibly want us not to succeed?

 

So it seems like the regime are learning from their mistakes and are making some good moves to make up for the previous bad ones.

 

If they're getting better at this business of running a football club, then I hope it continues.

[Ryan_Taylor]

Ashleys biggest mistake was probably allowing the brains of the whole thing (Chris Mort) leave. Went down hill rapidly after that

[Interpolic]

Ashleys biggest mistake was probably allowing the brains of the whole thing (Chris Mort) leave. Went down hill rapidly after that

 

I don't think he was the brains of it at all, more a man with a brain who got out when he realised what the craic was.

[Ryan_Taylor]

Ashleys biggest mistake was probably allowing the brains of the whole thing (Chris Mort) leave. Went down hill rapidly after that

 

I don't think he was the brains of it at all, more a man with a brain who got out when he realised what the craic was.

 

That's kind of what I meant, didn't come out right, but it clearly did no harm having a bloke around with a head on his shoulders

[merlin]

The club is on an even keel right now and financially, we are in better shape than many.They get credit for that and for backing Hughton to a point but I will wait until the season's end before giving a final verdict.

 

If they keep the club going in the right direction(which it certainly wasn't before Ashley arrived)you cannot ask more of them.

 

A 'Wait and see'....

[NEEJ]

They'll never be forgiven no matter what they do. Irreparable damage has been done.

 

That attitude is almost as daft as the opening post.

 

I don't they will be forgive. Go and ask a majority of fans on the street and they'll say the same. I'm not saying I agree with them but that's how I see it.

 

So if we won the league under them you wouldnt forgive them? Youd be licking their arseholes clean man.

[Zero]

Not until we win a trophy / back to the Champions League.

[gazza ladra]

Thought you guys might go soft after the Ben Arfa thread. Nothing like an Ashley thread to get everybody's blood up. Fresh meat into the cage!

[Guest Micktoon]

They need to cut out the ambigious web site Statements. We don't need more confusion like with the "capital outlay" one.

 

 

That one was really daft. For some reason they thought they needed to clarify questions that weren't being asked.

Did it not work? Made the fans lower expectations, and were thus surprised by what we have eventually ended up with.

 

You imply expectations were too high. Can't remember anyone on here at least expecting them to spend big. There was nothing in that stupid statement that couldn't have been communicated through Hughton.

Apologies that wasn't what I was trying to imply. I thought/hoped we'd spend 5-10m little bit under what your average promoted side does. When I heard the outlay statement, I thought it would be frees and possibly one loan player who would all be cast off's or fringes of other squads.

 

By contrast we've spent nearly 4m on a midfielder, got a top attacker on loan with the option to purchase, an experienced centre back, wangled a contract to get an exciting young midfielder. I think if you'd told most that in July they'd be very happy.

 

Yep I agree. It's been a canny transfer window with the deals being done in the proper manner. Shepherd got crucified for spouting shite on a daily basis, this regime gets crucified for a lack of communication?

 

A far as I'm concerned they fucked up and we went down, this in itself proved a blessing as it appears we got rid of a lot of overpaid prima donnas in the process.

 

Hughton continues to impress me with his proffesionalism and manner in which he has dealt with the last 12 month.

 

Based on the financial state of a lot of top clubs, i can't see anything wrong with the way in which NUFC is being currently run. Although I will never love or hate Ashley I've got to hold my hands up to the manner in which NUFC has been run publicly and proffessionally over the last year.

 

100% that a lot of people don't see it this way but that's life. I for one am looking forward and not back.

 

 

[hakka]

They need to cut out the ambigious web site Statements. We don't need more confusion like with the "capital outlay" one.

 

 

I'd like to think that the "capital outlay" statement was just to stop the rumour mill from linking us to all sorts of players and other clubs thinking they should whack up the fee if we are going to be spending money.  It seems we had intentions to bring players in despite that statement and we've done it relatively well this window.

[Guest sicko2ndbest]

Ashleys biggest mistake was probably allowing the brains of the whole thing (Chris Mort) leave. Went down hill rapidly after that

 

Mort was responsible for sanctioning some of the larger wages that we are stuck with ie Smith and Colo

 

Llambias, whilst seeming a complete twat, would never sanction these type of deals, meaning we get far more value for money

 

For me i find it completely refreshing that we have had a bargain window so far. All of the players brought in for an outgoing of half of Luques transfer fee!

[NG32]

Getting better,

 

Was massivley pissed off at the time, the whole club seemed like it was going to implode. 

 

The team was turned round not by them two but by Hughton and a group of players who wanted to repair the damage.  We have them to thank for that.

 

This transfer window, has been decent and we have had a decent start, if we stay up this season and build again carefully then its another step on the healing ladder.

 

I do like how we conduct our business in the trasfer window.

[toontownman]

Still on course for the five year plan!

 

 

Without doubt they have improved with experience, as Ian W and Bottledog said naivity, not malice has been their un-doing.

 

PR needs improving, they still think business first supporters second, which at the end of the day is hugely important, but they're not mutually exclusive. Regarding the summer spending statement, it was obviously released to smokescreen the press and other clubs without thought of the mayhem it would cause thinking fans.

 

They still need to build a better rapport with us, but overall the club seems to be being run in a very progressive way.

 

Young players are being nurtured and coming through, transfers are frustratingly but thoroughly professional.

 

I hope they see it through.

[Guest Chris P]

They need to cut out the ambigious web site Statements. We don't need more confusion like with the "capital outlay" one.

 

 

I'd like to think that the "capital outlay" statement was just to stop the rumour mill from linking us to all sorts of players and other clubs thinking they should whack up the fee if we are going to be spending money. It seems we had intentions to bring players in despite that statement and we've done it relatively well this window.

 

I'd like to think that was the plan aswell. Keep the fucking media away. They're the cunts who couldn't wait for our down fall and imo contributed to it.

[Cronky]

As I think Ian pointed out in another context, you can't heap all the blame on Ashley for the relegation, and then refuse to give him any credit for the revival.

 

Managers are very important, and you have to look at their contributions as well. Hughton's hard work and good judgement have been a big part of our revival. Keegan's selfish behaviour and lack of commitment was a big part in our downfall.

[Guest Brummiemag]

No.

 

At the end of the day Ashley is a billionaire who is not prepared to invest significant amounts of money on players.

 

If we dont spend the money then we will not progress, other than surviving in the premier league, its as simple as that. He's also been lucky in that Hughton is turning out to be a quietly effective manager and that players like Carrol have progressed quicker than I expected.

 

If he was prepared to spend £20 - 25 million net per season then in 4 or 5 years time we could be challenging for honours again - he's not prepared to do it. He lacks the ambition and for a club with our fan base and potential that is unacceptable

[Mick]

No.

 

At the end of the day Ashley is a billionaire who is not prepared to invest significant amounts of money on players.

 

If we dont spend the money then we will not progress, other than surviving in the premier league, its as simple as that. He's also been lucky in that Hughton is turning out to be a quietly effective manager and that players like Carrol have progressed quicker than I expected.

 

If he was prepared to spend £20 - 25 million net per season then in 4 or 5 years time we could be challenging for honours again - he's not prepared to do it. He lacks the ambition and for a club with our fan base and potential that is unacceptable

 

I think you need a reality check.

[Tsunami]

If you forgive him you become his bitch. You'd be in self denial for his earlier abuse of your trust. MA's only concern is his own. Nowt wrong with that but we are the victims.

[Tooj]

As I think Ian pointed out in another context, you can't heap all the blame on Ashley for the relegation, and then refuse to give him any credit for the revival.

 

Managers are very important, and you have to look at their contributions as well. Hughton's hard work and good judgement have been a big part of our revival. Keegan's selfish behaviour and lack of commitment was a big part in our downfall.

 

[Optimistic Nut]

Just because he's a billionaire doesn't mean he should automatically pump his own cash in. Bet he's spent a lot of money over the last 3 years without taking much back yet.