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Mike Ashley

Christmas Tree

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Dr Venkman

Dr Venkman

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Posted

Its quite clear from that transcript,  there is no point supporting Ashley's NUFC, it is just a vehicle to advertise his rubbish sports company.  Thats all its being ran for and it its being ran just to soley exist in the prem league.  End of.

NUFC has turned into a pointless football club.

 

Awful man.  Anyone still attending these games wants shot.

 

It was clear when they appointed Pardew, 4 years ago.

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NG32

NG32

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Posted

Its quite clear from that transcript,  there is no point supporting Ashley's NUFC, it is just a vehicle to advertise his rubbish sports company.  Thats all its being ran for and it its being ran just to soley exist in the prem league.  End of.

NUFC has turned into a pointless football club.

 

Awful man.  Anyone still attending these games wants shot.

 

It was clear when they appointed Pardew, 4 years ago.

 

Well yeah, Im talking about the people who choose not to see it for what it is.

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UpTheToon

UpTheToon

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Caulkins article.

 

The pause lasted 27 seconds, long enough to score or concede a goal — Newcastle United just about managed the latter against Crystal Palace the other week — and certainly long enough to feel excruciating. This proved to be a new and discomforting experience, for those who had come to Sports Direct’s annual general meeting to pose questions to Mike Ashley and, patently, for the man who (sort of) answered them.

Above all else, there are two things at which Ashley excels; making money and saying little. He demonstrated both yesterday, unveiling more bumper results for the company he has built from a single shop in Maidenhead into a retailing behemoth and then shifting in his seat, rubbing the side of his face when called upon to discuss Sports Direct’s relationship with Newcastle, whom he owns, and Rangers, in whom he also has a stake.

First things first, he spoke; it took a while, but he finally spoke. Not since May 26, 2009, has Ashley, who is reported to be worth £3.75 billion, talked in public about Newcastle and back then it was a statement in the aftermath of a relegation, which he described as “a catastrophe for all of us”.

In the intervening years, much has taken place at St James’ Park or Sports Direct Arena, as it was briefly known. There was that controversial name change — for which Newcastle received no remuneration — promotion, financial stability, long contracts for Alan Pardew and his staff, a Europa League campaign, the contentious return and speedy departure of Joe Kinnear, the arrival of Wonga, the payday lender, as sponsors, and the banning of certain newspapers from matches and press conferences.

During that period — some good, some bad, a lot of anguish — Ashley has said nothing, leaving others to talk about the club, usually in the dry words of business and “priorities”. He is not the only football owner to repel publicity, but the Glazer family have overseen tangible success at Manchester United, as has Roman Abramovich at Chelsea and, in any case, that should not excuse an allergy to openness in what is a game of love and emotion.

Getting to Ashley is not easy. The 50-year-old is an irregular presence at Newcastle matches, he shuns requests for interviews and, allegedly at his insistence, his club are restricting access to members of the media who do not pay for admittance.

While he attends the Sports Direct AGM, journalists are not permitted to ask questions and shareholders can only ask about the company itself. The position of Rangers, who remain in financial turmoil, where it was revealed last week that Ashley purchased the naming rights for £1 two years ago — Ibrox could feasibly become the Sports Direct Arena too — and where Sports Direct operates the retail facilities, adds a sense of urgency to his involvement. Back in Newcastle, there has been speculation that he may seek to sell the club in order to lavish more attention on Scotland.

To find out more, some shares in Sports Direct were purchased and so, at about 3.30pm yesterday, in a mammoth warehouse in Shirebrook, Mansfield, a legitimate question was posed to Ashley, about the benefits to his firm in its relationships with Newcastle and Rangers.

Clad in blue jeans and navy Sports Direct polo shirt, Ashley sat and said nothing. Perhaps he had not heard. Perhaps he had but would ignore it. The seconds ticked by, 15 people sitting in a cavernous auditorium squirmed and eventually he responded. “Other than to say that it has been beneficial to Sports Direct and therefore its shareholders, I don’t think it’s appropriate to comment,” he said.

Newcastle have stated that Sports Direct does not pay for any stadium or perimeter advertising at their ground — and there is a plethora of it — so could Mr Ashley give a rough estimate of what it is worth in financial terms? “I think I summed it all up in my previous statement,” Ashley replied. “Those relationships are very beneficial to Sports Direct and its shareholders. And I think that nothing else needs to be said.”

But what do Newcastle and Rangers get out it? Keith Hellawell, the Sports Direct chairman, intervened. “I think in relation to what Manchester United, sorry Newcastle United, and Rangers gain, you’d have to ask them. There’s no one from the board of those companies here,” he said. It was pointed out that Ashley is, in fact, Newcastle’s chairman. “Yes, but this is a Sports Direct annual general meeting,” another director said.

Ashley was asked about how much Sports Direct gains from merchandising at Newcastle. “I’ll only answer the same answer as I gave before,” he said. What about naming rights at Ibrox? “I’ll only answer the same answer that I answered before,” he said.

It was later confirmed that Sports Direct earns £3.4 million from its retail partnership with Newcastle and £3.8 million from Rangers. In the context of a company that brings in £2.7 billion in revenue, they are trivial figures, but they are less so to the clubs and although there is balance (Ashley does not yet charge interest on his £129 million loan to Newcastle), it was vaguely illuminating. And at least, finally, he said something.

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LFEE

LFEE

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Posted

I don't think I have ever heard Ashley's voice.

 

Only time I heard it was on the celebrity version of The Apprentice... I think it was Louise Redknapp that rang him on speaker phone to buy something to help her sales which he did and more so... Remember thinking at the time we should get her to ring him and ask him to buy us some players! :lol:

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Matt

Matt

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I don't think I have ever heard Ashley's voice.

 

He walked past me years ago, he was on the phone. Hilarious squeaky mockney drawl. Like this guy from The Bill

 

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070323190925/thebill/images/1/15/Mickeywebb.jpg

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Guest TruToon94

Guest TruToon94

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The fat fucker will have to die someday. All that booze and weight means his days are numbered unless he gets a gastric band or something.

 

For every good thing he's done for the club he has done seven much worse.

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sempuki

sempuki

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The fat f***er will have to die someday. All that booze and weight means his days are numbered unless he gets a gastric band or something.

 

For every good thing he's done for the club he has done seven much worse.

I read an article where it said he is always eating and drinking everytime he meets a new client.
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NG32

NG32

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ke Edwards ‏@LukeEdwardsTele  7m

Ashley would like to sell #nufc but not easy to find a buyer. Spent all summer looking. More on Rangers interest in @TelegraphSport later

 

Huh?

 

Is he getting this info from?

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