Mike Ashley

[Cajun]

I can't believe that Ashley would be daft enough to hand someone an 8 year contract with no clause in the contract to get out of paying up the full contract upon sacking. That just doesn't make sense.

 

For once I fully believe the ITK stuff about Pardew only getting a small payoff.

 

Mike Ashley does not pay anything more than he needs to, there was no way he needed to give Pardew an 8 year contract with the risk of a huge payoff so I don't believe this is what he did. A 4 year contract would have even been excessive.

 

*insert Jonas 'nah, no way, nah' gif here*.

 

Llambias gave his mate the contract so it is possible he didn't put a clause in.

 

Ashley would still have to sign off on it.

 

I won't ever believe we gave Pardew an 8 year contract without some sort of get-out. It contradicts everything the club has worked towards.

[Mick]

 

 

Ashley would still have to sign off on it.

 

I won't ever believe we gave Pardew an 8 year contract without some sort of get-out. It contradicts everything the club has worked towards.

 

Ashley wouldn't have to sign it off.

 

I'm not sure Pardew would still be here if he did have a clause.

[Cajun]

Really? From everything that has been mentioned before I thought Llambias/Pardew/Carr etc.. had to go cap in hand to Ashley for every little thing? I would be very surprised if he gave Llambias carte blanche to hand the manager an 8 year contract.

[madras]

Fair enough if they were voting somebody out of a committee but the man owns the club ffs.

 

So did Hicks and Gillett, they were still forced out by fan pressure.

were they ? I thought it was RBS and the financial shit they (hicks and gillette) had the club in meaning the bank were covering themselves.

[NG32]

Canny read on True-Faith...wasn't sure where to put this so decided to put it in here as it all comes back to Ashley -

 

http://www.true-faith.co.uk/?p=1393

[maze]

Glad I'm not the only one baffled. As much as I love the football club, and genuinely feel like it's a huge part of my life, I can't help but to feel a sense of apathy. Like many of you, I don't watch the games. I check the end result, and I'm always expecting the worst.I am at the point where I almost can't be arsed checking the 'rumours thread', and if I do, it is only to get a laugh at who Newcastle are linked with.

 

If anything, Newcastle has gone backwards since Ashley bought the club. Never in my life have I felt so distanced from the club, and really come in touch with how the club is really just an investment for one person, rather than a club for the people and the supporters. And in that business sense - the only language Mike Ashley understands - I wish it all just goes straight to hell. I absolutely just wish him the worst. I do. I am not going to elaborate that last part.

 

The club is just rotten from top to bottom. The way you witness Newcastle don't have players willing to bleed for the club, wanting to perform their best. It just baffles me how Newcastle has gone from something to nothing. Especially when I consider my 'life span' as a supporter. Coming in with Shearer's transfer from Blackburn till today. It's such a huge contrast.

 

Considering all this, I just wish the majority of the fans took a stand... 'enough is enough'... I know a lot of you have season ticket, and that there is just 'something' that makes you stick up with this shit. Mike Ashley has given in to pressure before, when he tried to offload the club, why not turn the protests and the turmoil up a notch or ten. Do whatever you can to force him out and look like a dick in public - let them play for empty seats at home. Bet that would given him some very negative publicity.

[madras]

i don't think that sort of pressure would be enough to make him take a £100million hit which is what it would be, if not more.

[Dr Venkman]

Canny read on True-Faith...wasn't sure where to put this so decided to put it in here as it all comes back to Ashley -

 

http://www.true-faith.co.uk/?p=1393

 

From September 2nd 2011, when this was in doubt for some people:

 

it's based on the fact that Ashley and Lambias are using our football club as an advert for Sports Direct and aren't interested in the slightest in improving us a football team, not now, not ever. and for that i want them hounded out of town at the nearest opportunity, the only way i can see anything like that happening is if journalists start to highlight what they're up to so the common fan comes round to the idea.

 

I doubt that the benefits to Sports Direct are that massive, and the effect on their profits will be smaller still. It's good advertising for them of course, but it's just a small part of their promotional campaigns.

 

It's certainly not worth paying £200m for.

 

i think he's in the process of seeing that it is

[merlin]

I GENUINLEY can't understand Ashley's mentality on Pardew and Kinnear.

Yes, they're cheap. But any worthless material thats cheap won't work properly and will make things worse

As Pardew and Kinnear have proved.

Pardew gets good players and makes them FAR worse. Kinnear is....well, Kinnear

 

Love the pic of - Rob Lee is it ? With the MAOC shirt !

 

I think the answer lies in Ashley's mentality ; he doesn't want to admit that his choices are wrong and he believes he is right because his model of running a business seems to work. What he fails to take into account is that running what is basically a discount sports business during times of economic hardship is a totally different ball game from running a top football club. Look at the Pound Shops(or their equivalent) - growing like wildfire because people buy cheap stuff when they are short of money, but many people wouldn't be seen dead there in good times.

 

A club like NUFC, competing at the highest level, needs a good reputation in order to attract decent players and decent managers - our reputation was shot to ribbons after the KK walk out affair and got worse after relegation following Kinnear etc. It looked as if some damage had been repaired after promotion, but then Ashley fired Hughton and brought in Pardew, presumably on the say so of Llambias. Pardew looked decent for the first 18 months, as he always does with every club he has been manager, then, after Llambias persuaded Ashley to give him an 8 year contract, it all started going pear-shaped.......

Ashley was forced to bring in more players in January to avoid relegation, but being someone who always wants to do his opposition down(ask Whelan..)couldn't bring himself to get rid of Pardew when we almost failed to stay up because to do so would have looked as if Pardew and Llambias had stitched him up with the 8 year deal meaning loads of compo for Pardew in the event of a sacking.

He then brought back Kinnear to try to force Pardew's hand , but Pardew knows he will NEVER get a job like NUFC again and prefers to sit tight and pick up the money if and when he does the journey.....which he will in time.

The absence of signings is another lever Ashley is using to try to force Pardew out but it won't work - the only real losers are the fans who have to watch the club stumble from one crisis to another while Ashley salves his bruised ego. I reckon Ashley is gambling that there is going to be enough in the side to stay up until someone else offers to buy the club and he can then get out without losing face or more money.

 

Hard to see any other reason for the situation - most sensible people would cut their losses and get a better Manager/DOF but then, that would be with the aim of improving the club - Ashley has already decided that he is not interested in that, other than to protect his investment with the least possible outlay.

 

He is, and always has been, a chancer and a loose cannon - its worked at Sports Direct, but it hasn't worked at NUFC - clearly.

[AlanSkÃrare]

The stuff about French SD adverts is fucking sickenning. Not sure what Newcastle United is atm.

[NG32]

The stuff about French SD adverts is f***ing sickenning. Not sure what Newcastle United is atm.

 

An advertising space ...

[Guest H09]

It was all fun and games with the French invasion until we started losing

[colinmk]

There is absolutely no doubt that the advertising power of a team in the premiership all the time is worth a hell of a lot. If you were a proper conspiracy theorist you might suggest that this:

 

'Sportsdirect.com seeks growth in France

 

The UK sports retailer has announced that it seeks growth in France. Frank Odier, France’s representative, has confirmed that it will be taking over Sport 2000 in the shopping centre Evry 2. The boutique opening is scheduled for May. This will be the retailers third store in France. In 2009 it opened its Fresnes’ location and this last April it inaugurated its second store in Herblay. “Two more stores should open in the Parisian region: on in October this year and the other by the beginning of 2012”, announces Frank Odier.'

 

Has had an influence on where we do our first-team shopping.

[Parky]

Genius. Need to open those Brazilian shops innit.

[ExiledGeordie]

True Faith make a good point that they reckon the sports direct advertising is probably worth about 8m a year to Ashley, or rather its saving him that amount.

[Darth Crooks]

Would not rule anything out given their conduct. Anything. Their tenure is sickening and repugnant.

[Guest neesy111]

I'm surprised Wonga bought the stadium rights with Sports Direct plastered everywhere still.

[r0cafella]

I'm surprised Wonga bought the stadium rights with Sports Direct plastered everywhere still.

 

Given how little they paid I'm sure they don't mind.

 

In fact I'm pretty sure it is apart of the deal

[LRD]

They are getting plenty of mileage elsewhere - the gates and its plaque, prominent signage clearly seen on tv, the reveal of the official kit on that tv PL special. Almost always a mention of Wonga somewhere.

[ikri]

I GENUINLEY can't understand Ashley's mentality on Pardew and Kinnear.

Yes, they're cheap. But any worthless material thats cheap won't work properly and will make things worse

As Pardew and Kinnear have proved.

Pardew gets good players and makes them FAR worse. Kinnear is....well, Kinnear

 

Love the pic of - Rob Lee is it ? With the MAOC shirt !

 

I think it's a trust problem.  When Ashley has left people to their own devices it's come back to bite him in the arse in some way.

 

- Allows Allardyce to sign players he wants, ends up stuck with utter rubbish on high wages

- Lets Chris Mort set up a "system", ends up with the manager quitting (rightly) with the others in the system completely despised by the fans and shit at their jobs

- Gets Llambias to run the club, despised by the fans, extremely hesitant in the transfer market to the point that Ashley apparently has to step in to push through purchases in January, fails completely to increase non-football revenues & signs a sponsorship contract that pisses off everyone

 

I don't know if Pardew was Ashley's mate before getting the job or Llambias' mate.  If it was the latter then it's another reason that Ashley might not trust people to do their jobs, if it's the former then it's probably why he's still here despite being demonstrably out of his depth.

 

For some bizarre reason it looks like he trusts JFK hence why he keeps turning to him despite him being a lunatic.

 

Ultimately Ashley's either going to have to bite the bullet and find someone to run the club that he doesn't know and initially trust but who can actually do the job and who knows how football works or he's going to have to be a lot more hands-on in running the club.

[BottledDog]

I GENUINLEY can't understand Ashley's mentality on Pardew and Kinnear.

Yes, they're cheap. But any worthless material thats cheap won't work properly and will make things worse

As Pardew and Kinnear have proved.

Pardew gets good players and makes them FAR worse. Kinnear is....well, Kinnear

 

Love the pic of - Rob Lee is it ? With the MAOC shirt !

 

I think it's a trust problem.  When Ashley has left people to their own devices it's come back to bite him in the arse in some way.

 

- Allows Allardyce to sign players he wants, ends up stuck with utter rubbish on high wages

- Lets Chris Mort set up a "system", ends up with the manager quitting (rightly) with the others in the system completely despised by the fans and shit at their jobs

- Gets Llambias to run the club, despised by the fans, extremely hesitant in the transfer market to the point that Ashley apparently has to step in to push through purchases in January, fails completely to increase non-football revenues & signs a sponsorship contract that pisses off everyone

 

I don't know if Pardew was Ashley's mate before getting the job or Llambias' mate.  If it was the latter then it's another reason that Ashley might not trust people to do their jobs, if it's the former then it's probably why he's still here despite being demonstrably out of his depth.

 

For some bizarre reason it looks like he trusts JFK hence why he keeps turning to him despite him being a lunatic.

 

Ultimately Ashley's either going to have to bite the bullet and find someone to run the club that he doesn't know and initially trust but who can actually do the job and who knows how football works or he's going to have to be a lot more hands-on in running the club.

 

I think you're very close to the mark.

 

Generally in his business dealings he works with people who he has known from the very start, or has known over time and promoted. It's clearly a fkn nightmare getting people in he feels comfortable with, and then when he does they turn out to have gained his trust by basically bullshitting just how good they are in a field he knows practically sod all about.

[ikri]

I GENUINLEY can't understand Ashley's mentality on Pardew and Kinnear.

Yes, they're cheap. But any worthless material thats cheap won't work properly and will make things worse

As Pardew and Kinnear have proved.

Pardew gets good players and makes them FAR worse. Kinnear is....well, Kinnear

 

Love the pic of - Rob Lee is it ? With the MAOC shirt !

 

I think it's a trust problem.  When Ashley has left people to their own devices it's come back to bite him in the arse in some way.

 

- Allows Allardyce to sign players he wants, ends up stuck with utter rubbish on high wages

- Lets Chris Mort set up a "system", ends up with the manager quitting (rightly) with the others in the system completely despised by the fans and shit at their jobs

- Gets Llambias to run the club, despised by the fans, extremely hesitant in the transfer market to the point that Ashley apparently has to step in to push through purchases in January, fails completely to increase non-football revenues & signs a sponsorship contract that pisses off everyone

 

I don't know if Pardew was Ashley's mate before getting the job or Llambias' mate.  If it was the latter then it's another reason that Ashley might not trust people to do their jobs, if it's the former then it's probably why he's still here despite being demonstrably out of his depth.

 

For some bizarre reason it looks like he trusts JFK hence why he keeps turning to him despite him being a lunatic.

 

Ultimately Ashley's either going to have to bite the bullet and find someone to run the club that he doesn't know and initially trust but who can actually do the job and who knows how football works or he's going to have to be a lot more hands-on in running the club.

 

I think you're very close to the mark.

 

Generally in his business dealings he works with people who he has known from the very start, or has known over time and promoted. It's clearly a fkn nightmare getting people in he feels comfortable with, and then when he does they turn out to have gained his trust by basically bullshitting just how good they are in a field he knows practically sod all about.

 

I saw Sir John Hall on TV the other day for the unveiling of the gates & thought he's exactly what the club needs at this point, Ashley should beg him to come in and run things, then I realised that Ashley hates him and Shepherd for not disclosing some of the debts that needed to be repaid when the club was sold, etc.

[maze]

I GENUINLEY can't understand Ashley's mentality on Pardew and Kinnear.

Yes, they're cheap. But any worthless material thats cheap won't work properly and will make things worse

As Pardew and Kinnear have proved.

Pardew gets good players and makes them FAR worse. Kinnear is....well, Kinnear

 

Love the pic of - Rob Lee is it ? With the MAOC shirt !

 

I think it's a trust problem.  When Ashley has left people to their own devices it's come back to bite him in the arse in some way.

 

- Allows Allardyce to sign players he wants, ends up stuck with utter rubbish on high wages

- Lets Chris Mort set up a "system", ends up with the manager quitting (rightly) with the others in the system completely despised by the fans and s*** at their jobs

- Gets Llambias to run the club, despised by the fans, extremely hesitant in the transfer market to the point that Ashley apparently has to step in to push through purchases in January, fails completely to increase non-football revenues & signs a sponsorship contract that pisses off everyone

 

I don't know if Pardew was Ashley's mate before getting the job or Llambias' mate.  If it was the latter then it's another reason that Ashley might not trust people to do their jobs, if it's the former then it's probably why he's still here despite being demonstrably out of his depth.

 

For some bizarre reason it looks like he trusts JFK hence why he keeps turning to him despite him being a lunatic.

 

Ultimately Ashley's either going to have to bite the bullet and find someone to run the club that he doesn't know and initially trust but who can actually do the job and who knows how football works or he's going to have to be a lot more hands-on in running the club.

 

I think you're very close to the mark.

 

Generally in his business dealings he works with people who he has known from the very start, or has known over time and promoted. It's clearly a fkn nightmare getting people in he feels comfortable with, and then when he does they turn out to have gained his trust by basically bullshitting just how good they are in a field he knows practically sod all about.

 

I saw Sir John Hall on TV the other day for the unveiling of the gates & thought he's exactly what the club needs at this point, Ashley should beg him to come in and run things, then I realised that Ashley hates him and Shepherd for not disclosing some of the debts that needed to be repaid when the club was sold, etc.

 

It doesn't matter if you get the right people to run the club, when the owner is a prick who's not commited in supporting them.The only solution is for Ashley to dell the club to someone else. Don't fool yourself into thinking otherwise.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I GENUINLEY can't understand Ashley's mentality on Pardew and Kinnear.

Yes, they're cheap. But any worthless material thats cheap won't work properly and will make things worse

As Pardew and Kinnear have proved.

Pardew gets good players and makes them FAR worse. Kinnear is....well, Kinnear

 

Love the pic of - Rob Lee is it ? With the MAOC shirt !

 

I think it's a trust problem.  When Ashley has left people to their own devices it's come back to bite him in the arse in some way.

 

- Allows Allardyce to sign players he wants, ends up stuck with utter rubbish on high wages

- Lets Chris Mort set up a "system", ends up with the manager quitting (rightly) with the others in the system completely despised by the fans and s*** at their jobs

- Gets Llambias to run the club, despised by the fans, extremely hesitant in the transfer market to the point that Ashley apparently has to step in to push through purchases in January, fails completely to increase non-football revenues & signs a sponsorship contract that pisses off everyone

 

I don't know if Pardew was Ashley's mate before getting the job or Llambias' mate.  If it was the latter then it's another reason that Ashley might not trust people to do their jobs, if it's the former then it's probably why he's still here despite being demonstrably out of his depth.

 

For some bizarre reason it looks like he trusts JFK hence why he keeps turning to him despite him being a lunatic.

 

Ultimately Ashley's either going to have to bite the bullet and find someone to run the club that he doesn't know and initially trust but who can actually do the job and who knows how football works or he's going to have to be a lot more hands-on in running the club.

 

Nothing gets done at NUFC without his say so, he may not exactly be hands on, but he has the final say.

 

To say its all down to trust is laughable, its not. Its down to him being an absolute cunt who also happens to be absolutely clueless about football. For us the ultimate recipe for disaster.

 

The man is a cancer to our club.

[henke]

The man is a cancer to our club.

 

This.