Mike Ashley

[SteveMc]

I think we just need to settle down and be a normal club for a bit.  No banners, no humble pie.  Just have a beer and enjoy a bit of positivity

 

Agree to a certain extent

 

However, it would be nice to see him getting some positive publicity. He has done as much good as he has bad, but 99% of the publicity is negative.

 

 

That'll change over time if he keeps doing the right thing.  There is an equilibrium at present but it is an uneasy one.  We just need now daft decisions, no unrealistic expectations, no hyperbole from either side.  In short some normality.  I've not felt more positive in 3 years and I'm enjoying it in my own way.  No need for big statements though

[Decky]

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/evening-chronicle-news/2012/01/19/nufc-owner-mike-ashley-boasting-new-look-72703-30156405/?

 

What a pointless article! Who on earth is being paid to come up with the estimation that he has lost three stone?!

 

This article is hilarious!

 

Everyone should read it.

 

And Paul Smith wrote: “Is it just me or does it seem like Mike Ashley has lost some weight?”

 

Brilliant stuff

 

[Stu]

There is an equilibrium at present but it is an uneasy one.  We just need now daft decisions, no unrealistic expectations, no hyperbole from either side.  In short some normality.  I've not felt more positive in 3 years and I'm enjoying it in my own way.  No need for big statements though

 

[Dave]

Overall I'm more than content with the way the club has been run since relegation - the only current thing that still really pisses me off is the shit plastered all over the stadium and the renaming debacle. I don't believe we'd suffer one bit without all that, and it just feels as though there's always going to be something unpopular going on. Otherwise, I was very much against the sacking of Hughton, the appointment of Pardew and the sale of Carroll, but all of those decisions are working out to date and so I'm happy to have been wrong.

 

Let's see where we are by the close of January, because I still don't trust the club not to accept bids for our best players if there's a good profit to be had.

[Guest sicko2ndbest]

Overall I'm more than content with the way the club has been run since relegation - the only current thing that still really pisses me off is the s*** plastered all over the stadium and the renaming debacle. I don't believe we'd suffer one bit without all that, and it just feels as though there's always going to be something unpopular going on. Otherwise, I was very much against the sacking of Hughton, the appointment of Pardew and the sale of Carroll, but all of those decisions are working out to date and so I'm happy to have been wrong.

 

Let's see where we are by the close of January, because I still don't trust the club not to accept bids for our best players if there's a good profit to be had.

 

 

None of our players are really vulnerable though, so if they are sold it will be for an extortionate amount which will be invested by knowledgable talented people

[JH]

Overall I'm more than content with the way the club has been run since relegation - the only current thing that still really pisses me off is the s*** plastered all over the stadium and the renaming debacle. I don't believe we'd suffer one bit without all that, and it just feels as though there's always going to be something unpopular going on. Otherwise, I was very much against the sacking of Hughton, the appointment of Pardew and the sale of Carroll, but all of those decisions are working out to date and so I'm happy to have been wrong.

 

Let's see where we are by the close of January, because I still don't trust the club not to accept bids for our best players if there's a good profit to be had.

 

This, basically.

[SteveMc]

Overall I'm more than content with the way the club has been run since relegation - the only current thing that still really pisses me off is the s*** plastered all over the stadium and the renaming debacle. I don't believe we'd suffer one bit without all that, and it just feels as though there's always going to be something unpopular going on. Otherwise, I was very much against the sacking of Hughton, the appointment of Pardew and the sale of Carroll, but all of those decisions are working out to date and so I'm happy to have been wrong.

 

Let's see where we are by the close of January, because I still don't trust the club not to accept bids for our best players if there's a good profit to be had.

 

 

None of our players are really vulnerable though, so if they are sold it will be for an extortionate amount which will be invested by knowledgable talented people

 

Maybe.  But it is all about perception and confidence.  The sale of a bigee in Jan without the time to replace would be a massive retrograde step on both counts.  In the summer would be different

[Dr Venkman]

Overall I'm more than content with the way the club has been run since relegation - the only current thing that still really pisses me off is the s*** plastered all over the stadium and the renaming debacle. I don't believe we'd suffer one bit without all that, and it just feels as though there's always going to be something unpopular going on. Otherwise, I was very much against the sacking of Hughton, the appointment of Pardew and the sale of Carroll, but all of those decisions are working out to date and so I'm happy to have been wrong.

 

Let's see where we are by the close of January, because I still don't trust the club not to accept bids for our best players if there's a good profit to be had.

 

 

None of our players are really vulnerable though, so if they are sold it will be for an extortionate amount which will be invested by knowledgable talented people

 

Ba?

[Stu]

This supposed clause in his contract is now only active in the summer.

 

Plus, if Ba was sold because of the clause, that's hardly the same as selling him off to make a profit - they'd have to accept any bid that met the conditions of the clause. They may choose to offer Ba an improved contract - but then again, if his advisors hold out for $$$ then the club may decide that keeping within the budget is necessary.

 

 

[Dr Venkman]

Even if we lose Ba in the summer due to a clause I'd still applaud his signing tbh. We'd have gotten goals and money from it so it's hard to criticise.

 

I was just referring to him as an example of a player that's vulnerable.

 

What WOULD be disappointing would be him not being replaced and us persisting with Best/Shola next to Cisse, but that's a way off yet.

[colinmk]

Overall I'm more than content with the way the club has been run since relegation - the only current thing that still really pisses me off is the shit plastered all over the stadium and the renaming debacle. I don't believe we'd suffer one bit without all that, and it just feels as though there's always going to be something unpopular going on. Otherwise, I was very much against the sacking of Hughton, the appointment of Pardew and the sale of Carroll, but all of those decisions are working out to date and so I'm happy to have been wrong.

 

Let's see where we are by the close of January, because I still don't trust the club not to accept bids for our best players if there's a good profit to be had.

 

Pretty much what I think although I will never agree with the sacking of Hughton because for me he is a better manager.

[ponsaelius]

A better manager (very debateable) who no doubt would have wated Nolan and Barton tied down for the next 5 years.

[NG32]

THIS

 

"Overall I'm more than content with the way the club has been run since relegation - the only current thing that still really pisses me off is the s*** plastered all over the stadium and the renaming debacle. I don't believe we'd suffer one bit without all that, and it just feels as though there's always going to be something unpopular going on. Otherwise, I was very much against the sacking of Hughton, the appointment of Pardew and the sale of Carroll, but all of those decisions are working out to date and so I'm happy to have been wrong.

 

Let's see where we are by the close of January, because I still don't trust the club not to accept bids for our best players if there's a good profit to be had.

"

 

Tho im not so sure we'll sell a big player this window.

 

Maybe summer but im getting a feeling that we may have the money to resist offers from other clubs unless its insane money, which you cant really turn down.

[colinmk]

A better manager (very debateable) who no doubt would have wated Nolan and Barton tied down for the next 5 years.

 

I'm not sure what makes you think he would offer Nolan and Barton each 5 year contracts. Doesn't really matter anyway as we don't know and never will but as I say, for me his a better manager.

[Benwell Lad]

A better manager (very debateable) who no doubt would have wated Nolan and Barton tied down for the next 5 years.

 

I'm not sure what makes you think he would offer Nolan and Barton each 5 year contracts. Doesn't really matter anyway as we don't know and never will but as I say, for me his a better manager.

 

Good manager - yes. Nice guy - certainly. Better manager - no.

[ponsaelius]

A better manager (very debateable) who no doubt would have wated Nolan and Barton tied down for the next 5 years.

 

I'm not sure what makes you think he would offer Nolan and Barton each 5 year contracts. Doesn't really matter anyway as we don't know and never will but as I say, for me his a better manager.

 

I think it's pretty clearly the reason he lost his job.

[Hanshithispantz]

Pardew is probably a better manager than Hughton tbh. I was annoyed that Hughton was given the boot, and god knows where we would be now if he hadn't (better than 6th?), but it was a ruthless decision that in hindsight was probably best for the club going forward.

 

If anything i'm sort of glad it allowed Chris to leave on top terms with the supporters, he's a really nice guy and I wish him the best at Birmingham.

[ponsaelius]

I don't know but I think it's pretty clear Hughton didn't lose his job because of results on the pitch and position in the table. There was certainly no grounds for a sacking in that sense so for me it is fairly obvious that the reasoning was different.

 

I highly doubt Hughton wanted Carroll sold, his captain flogged and other key components of his team took apart while being replaced by younger French and African players on the cheap. Whereas Pardew was more than up for that process and working with Carr/Llambias in building a new team while cutting costs.

 

Yesh Ashley and Llambias are cunts and it was shocking to see Hughton sacked and replaced with Pardew but they didn't sack him purely out of sheer vindictive nastiness as much as people on here would like to think - they did it ultimately as a business decision. A club's set up and policies will only ever function if everybody is pulling in the right direction and in all honesty whoever is the better manager for me is a complete irrelevance because it's the net sum of the parts that matters and right now I think we have that more than we have done at any point of the Ashley regime.

[BottledDog]

MUCH more of this, and Mike Ashley might be able to start drinking in the Bigg Market again after all.

 

Twelve months after Newcastle United supporters were heartbroken to see Andy Carroll leaving to join Liverpool on transfer-deadline day, some of the damage was finally repaired by the arrival of Papiss Cisse for £9m.

 

A desperate attempt to curry favour following an ill-advised decision to change the name of St James' Park? The more cynical section of the Magpies support will no doubt see it as something similar.

 

But that would be to do a disservice to Ashley and Derek Llambias, figures who continue to attract derision and suspicion in equal measure, but who surely now merit at least a modicum of respect for the manner in which they have set about turning Newcastle United around.

 

After all, for all that the capture of Cisse came somewhat out of the blue, it can hardly be said to have been out of kilter with the general principles that have driven Newcastle's financial and recruitment policies in the last few years.

 

A club that was once synonymous with marquee signings on sky-high wages, bought for vastly-inflated fees, is now being hailed for adopting the kind of nuanced financial approach that the rest of the league is rapidly attempting to copy.

 

The template is now well known. Instead of buying big-name players either at, or even beyond, the peak of their powers, why not target developing talent that will retain or increase their value during the term of their contract?

 

Tap the foreign market because, in general, it tends to be cheaper. Sign young players, preferably 26 or under, because they will hold their value far better than players approaching their 30s. Scout a range of targets thoroughly, and if you can't pull off the deal you want at the first attempt, continue with your monitoring and do not be afraid to make a renewed approach if the opportunity arises.

 

So many clubs' transfer policies appear to be scattergun, reacting to events in the final hours of the transfer window and desperately scrambling around to pick up their rivals' leftovers.

 

Whatever you want to say about the current Newcastle regime, they cannot be accused of that.

 

There is clarity in their approach, and a powerful belief that after a series of errors in the season that resulted in relegation, they have finally hit upon a successful formula.

 

Given the Magpies' performances on the pitch in the first half of the season, it is hard to argue against them.

 

Cheik Tiote, Yohan Cabaye, Demba Ba - all players who have been purchased by the current regime; all players who have performed superbly despite being relatively unheralded when they arrived on Tyneside.

 

Will Papiss Cisse be added to the list? It's dangerous to make too many assumptions, especially with players who have no previous experience of life in the Premier League, but given the strength of his performance in the Bundesliga and the reports that have accompanied him from Germany, it would be a brave man to bet against him.

 

He has all the credentials to become a success as Newcastle's latest number nine, but crucially, his arrival will not break the bank.

 

Was does £10m buy you nowadays? A fifth of Fernando Torres? Less than a third of Carroll? Someone like Andy Johnson or Bobby Zamora if the figures being quoted in the current transfer window are anything to go by?

 

The transfer market remains vastly overheated. Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson would rather recall Thierry Henry and Paul Scholes respectively than reach for their wallet in pursuit of a new signing, such is their lack of faith in their ability to secure value for money.

 

Yet, somehow, Newcastle have managed to land a succession of bargains. For that, their scouting team led by Graham Carr deserves considerable credit.

 

But perhaps it is also time to direct some praise towards the board. Not only have they assembled a squad that suddenly looks capable of competing for Europe, they have also addressed the financial calamity they inherited from Freddy Shepherd.

 

Strength, both on and off the pitch. If only they would ditch the Sports Direct Arena and bring back St James' Park, there'd be a queue outside Blue Bambu to buy the first round.

 

 

 

 

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/9484297.Time_to_show_some_respect_to_Ashley_and_Llambias_/

[Hanshithispantz]

I highly doubt Hughton wanted Carroll sold, his captain flogged and other key components of his team took apart while being replaced by younger French and African players on the cheap. Whereas Pardew was more than up for that process and working with Carr/Llambias in building a new team while cutting costs.

I think that's spot on tbh, taking into accound what GolfMag told us about Hughton been a bit too close to likes of Nolan, Barton & Smith etc (who incidentally have been sold/are wanted out since then).

[Stu]

Overall I'm more than content with the way the club has been run since relegation - the only current thing that still really pisses me off is the shit plastered all over the stadium and the renaming debacle. I don't believe we'd suffer one bit without all that, and it just feels as though there's always going to be something unpopular going on. Otherwise, I was very much against the sacking of Hughton, the appointment of Pardew and the sale of Carroll, but all of those decisions are working out to date and so I'm happy to have been wrong.

 

Let's see where we are by the close of January, because I still don't trust the club not to accept bids for our best players if there's a good profit to be had.

 

Dave, I know we've been sat on opposite sides of the fence over the decisions Ashley has made since relegation, but I have the upmost respect for anyone who will admit that they were wrong

 

Re: the bit in bold, do you trust the club to make the right decisions for the longer-term benefit/success of the club?

[madras]

look at the players gone since we were promoted, nolan and jose because it was deemed better not to lose them for free a season later (nolan wasn't worth what he wanted and jose thoguht his chances of medals and international recognition were better elsewhere), barton due to him thinking he was bigger than the club, and carroll for a price the vast majority of fans of all clubs think anyone would have accepted (even keegan).

 

the money does seem to be stopping in the club even if it's not spent straight away like some wanted. the way many were accounting for the carroll money showed that some haven't really got a clue how the business works, though for many more it was just used as an excuse to have a go at someone they personally don't like.

[Fiftynotout]

I also think the abuse directed at DL is OTT - it's true that he doesn't look "trustworthy" but those who claim that he doesn't know how the football world works and doesn't know what he is doing are surely overlooking the very fact that NUFC now act in a way different to the majority of clubs, ie in a business way (as explained in the N/Echo article) and are tough negotiators and prepared to walk away or wait for deals. They also overlook the fact that Ashley is a very successful, ruthless business man - do they really think he would still have DL in the job if he wasn't doing it to his satisfaction? Mort was a solicitor with the job of buying the club and getting it going, DL is the businessman running it. We mightn't like DL but successful businesses, businessmen and football clubs aren't made by being "nice". 

[Stu]

I think the resentment towards Llambias is a combination of several things:

 

a) he looks like a second-hand car dealer and sounds even worse

 

b) the stories about him inevitably show a lack of class (streaking across SJP, going on a rant about ex-players while in the toon, petty comments about other figures in the game)

 

c) he was seen by many as being one of the key figures to fuck off Keegan [/sacreligious]

 

d) people assume that he's the 'toon source' and the mastermind behind the misinformation/lies that have been spread from SJP under MA's ownership ("It is a fact", etc.)

 

e) he's shown his ruthless side, not always in decisions that the fans can immediately accept (i.e. Hughton, stadium re-naming)

 

Put those together, in addition to him showing no public remorse for the widespread discord between the club and the fans (during the more volatile period) and you have a ready-to-call-a-cunt-no-matter-what-happens hate figure extraordinaire.

[JCONA]

Yes they're absolutely fantastic. Just look at our stadium ffs. Bringing in new revenue streams eh? So we signed cisse, great, but its less than 10m at the end of the day, and we sold AC for 35m. So people saying that its justified for MA to have his shit all over our stadium is fine now is ridiculous. As is complimenting them on getting a "new" sponsor in Virgin. Getting a sponsor is expected and the bare minimum of their job and its in their interest.

Can you imagine how much it would cost a non MA company to paste their shit all over SJP (and rename it)?

Credit to Pardew, Scouts and most of all players. Little if non to Mike and Derek. Their luck is unreal.