Mike Ashley

[Village Idiot]

People should be supporting Rangers this season. There's only one automatic promotion place back to the prem and if they can get that then in my opinion the chances of him leaving goes up massively. Unfortunately Rangers are a bit off the pace at the moment behind Hearts.

 

What's stopping him owning both clubs?

 

Nothing, I believe, unless both NUFC and Rangers entered the same UEFA competition.

[Unbelievable]

People should be supporting Rangers this season. There's only one automatic promotion place back to the prem and if they can get that then in my opinion the chances of him leaving goes up massively. Unfortunately Rangers are a bit off the pace at the moment behind Hearts.

 

What's stopping him owning both clubs?

 

Nothing, I believe, unless both NUFC and Rangers entered the same UEFA competition.

 

[Village Idiot]

People should be supporting Rangers this season. There's only one automatic promotion place back to the prem and if they can get that then in my opinion the chances of him leaving goes up massively. Unfortunately Rangers are a bit off the pace at the moment behind Hearts.

 

What's stopping him owning both clubs?

 

Nothing, I believe, unless both NUFC and Rangers entered the same UEFA competition.

 

 

Rangers are probably a lock-in for the EL every season once they get up, you'd only need NUFC having an good season (like the one where you finished 5th) and there you have your ownership conflict.

[loki679]

People should be supporting Rangers this season. There's only one automatic promotion place back to the prem and if they can get that then in my opinion the chances of him leaving goes up massively. Unfortunately Rangers are a bit off the pace at the moment behind Hearts.

 

What's stopping him owning both clubs?

 

Nothing, I believe, unless both NUFC and Rangers entered the same UEFA competition.

 

 

Rangers are probably a lock-in for the EL every season once they get up, you'd only need NUFC having an good season (like the one where you finished 5th) and there you have your ownership conflict.

 

 

 

 

[KaKa]

If Llambias is still pally with Ashley, and still has his ear, then we're never sacking Pardew. No chance.

[Wallace]

People should be supporting Rangers this season. There's only one automatic promotion place back to the prem and if they can get that then in my opinion the chances of him leaving goes up massively. Unfortunately Rangers are a bit off the pace at the moment behind Hearts.

 

What's stopping him owning both clubs?

 

Nothing, I believe, unless both NUFC and Rangers entered the same UEFA competition.

 

 

Rangers are probably a lock-in for the EL every season once they get up, you'd only need NUFC having an good season (like the one where you finished 5th) and there you have your ownership conflict.

 

Don't the SFA also have a regulation where you cannot have more than a 10% shareholding if you own another football club.  There have been a few articles recently suggesting that Ashley might try and put pressure on the SFA in implement a change.

 

 

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

Aye. Not sure where I took all that extreme politeness from.. I loath what he did with the club. But standing next to them my head suddenly became empty and there was no way I could come up with anything remotely coherent.

That's my first night in the UK in 5-6 years.. Didn't exactly expect to run into Mike f***ing Ashley and his cronies in the pub

 

Hardly surprising you couldn't concentrate given what else was going on.

 

my wife was pulling me the whole time.

 

[Jackie Broon]

(a) didn't Keegan say that jiminez was a total gobshite whose only link to football was selling shirts or something?

 

 

Aye, he said his only link to football was working as a steward at Chelsea and basically accused him of fucking up the Modric deal by telling his agent he didn't think he was good enough for the premier league.

 

But, that takes on a different light when taking into account he may have had an interest in the club having a lower sale price.

 

[Guest Gino14]

Reading those quotes from the chat with Ashley and Llambias, it's clear they're almost divorced from reality on some surreal level.  If you can watch us play, see the reaction of fans, pundits, everyone with brain and be surprised when a fan suggests you should sack the manager, well you must be wrong in the head.  What else could explain it?  I could understand the not wanting to sack his own man from  Llambias, but to be surprised anyone would suggest it?  It's good that the club isn't officially tied to that moron anymore at least.

[LV]

Or another explanation is they are actively taking the piss out of us and purposefully ruining our club while making money from it with free advertising for his tat emporium.

 

When the time is right he'll ditch us, leaving us in a much diminished state. Job done. 

[cp40]

THE explanation is they are actively taking the piss out of us and purposefully ruining our club while making money from it with free advertising for his tat emporium.

 

When the time is right he'll ditch us, leaving us in a much diminished state. Job done. 

[LRD]

Don't the SFA also have a regulation where you cannot have more than a 10% shareholding if you own another football club.  There have been a few articles recently suggesting that Ashley might try and put pressure on the SFA in implement a change.

 

Yeah, saw that in one of the articles the other day.

 

Edit:

 

Has doubled his stake in Rangers:

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-owner-mike-ashley-7870780

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

Hall: Ashley will save you, Gers

 

SIR JOHN HALL last night told Rangers fans not to fear Mike Ashley — and insisted he could SAVE the club. The controversial Newcastle owner has doubled his Ibrox shareholding and owns the naming rights to Ibrox.

 

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/rangers/5968723/Hall-Ashley-will-save-you-Gers.html

 

Need a Sun+ account to read the story, like.

[Guest antz1uk]

Hall: Ashley will save you, Gers

 

SIR JOHN HALL last night told Rangers fans not to fear Mike Ashley — and insisted he could SAVE the club. The controversial Newcastle owner has doubled his Ibrox shareholding and owns the naming rights to Ibrox.

 

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/rangers/5968723/Hall-Ashley-will-save-you-Gers.html

 

Need a Sun+ account to read the story, like.

 

he's got a fucking nerve

[Unbelievable]

Hall: Ashley will save you, Gers

 

SIR JOHN HALL last night told Rangers fans not to fear Mike Ashley — and insisted he could SAVE the club. The controversial Newcastle owner has doubled his Ibrox shareholding and owns the naming rights to Ibrox.

 

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/rangers/5968723/Hall-Ashley-will-save-you-Gers.html

 

Need a Sun+ account to read the story, like.

 

What the fuck

[Slim]

Giggs?

 

[Village Idiot]

Don't the SFA also have a regulation where you cannot have more than a 10% shareholding if you own another football club.  There have been a few articles recently suggesting that Ashley might try and put pressure on the SFA in implement a change.

 

Yeah, saw that in one of the articles the other day.

 

Edit:

 

Has doubled his stake in Rangers:

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-owner-mike-ashley-7870780

 

The writing standards on that article

 

currently playing in Scottish football’s second tier, and owns the naming rights for Ibrox Stadium, brought for a pound. Sports Direct also (?) full control of the club’s retail stores.

 

That your regional paper?

[Wullie]

Aye.

[LRD]

Don't the SFA also have a regulation where you cannot have more than a 10% shareholding if you own another football club.  There have been a few articles recently suggesting that Ashley might try and put pressure on the SFA in implement a change.

 

Yeah, saw that in one of the articles the other day.

 

Edit:

 

Has doubled his stake in Rangers:

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-owner-mike-ashley-7870780

 

The writing standards on that article

 

currently playing in Scottish football’s second tier, and owns the naming rights for Ibrox Stadium, brought for a pound. Sports Direct also (?) full control of the club’s retail stores.

 

That your regional paper?

 

The other article with Venables having previously been real close to managing in SJP cracked me up too.

[Thomson Mouse]

Or another explanation is they are actively taking the p*ss out of us and purposefully ruining our club while making money from it with free advertising for his tat emporium.

 

When the time is right he'll ditch us, leaving us in a much diminished state. Job done. 

 

That's basically it.

 

I've been thinking about this a lot over this last weekend and while I support the sack pardew stuff the only way to change this whole situation is for people to stop going. I realise this won't happen due to imbeciles who won't have anything said against the club, but it is the only way.

 

Ashley is absolutely taking the piss. He knows exactly what he's doing - getting free worldwide advertising and some extra pocket money. He'll not do anything about Pardew unless he threatens this, so he'll be going no-where soon. I don't think Ashley will be happy with 17th, but it still won't get Pardew the sack. Ashley is still getting his advertising and money.

 

That leaves two choices for me as your average (slightly rebellious supporter); just accept this shit and support the team or just stop supporting altogether and get on with my life. I realise the second option is easier for me, over here in Australia, but that's what I need to do as I barely even recognise my club any more. I might actually just take a break from football altogether. Watching another incident of a player dragging his leg onto an outstretched boot and getting a pen (Hazard, Che v Ars last night), and listening to commentators justify it and talk about 'simulations'......it's just pisses me off, the whole thing.

 

Something I used to love now makes me unhappy. Maybe it's my age or something, I dunno, but I've just had enough.

 

 

[LV]

Or another explanation is they are actively taking the p*ss out of us and purposefully ruining our club while making money from it with free advertising for his tat emporium.

 

When the time is right he'll ditch us, leaving us in a much diminished state. Job done. 

 

That's basically it.

 

I've been thinking about this a lot over this last weekend and while I support the sack pardew stuff the only way to change this whole situation is for people to stop going. I realise this won't happen due to imbeciles who won't have anything said against the club, but it is the only way.

 

Ashley is absolutely taking the p*ss. He knows exactly what he's doing - getting free worldwide advertising and some extra pocket money. He'll not do anything about Pardew unless he threatens this, so he'll be going no-where soon. I don't think Ashley will be happy with 17th, but it still won't get Pardew the sack. Ashley is still getting his advertising and money.

 

That leaves two choices for me as your average (slightly rebellious supporter); just accept this s*** and support the team or just stop supporting altogether and get on with my life. I realise the second option is easier for me, over here in Australia, but that's what I need to do as I barely even recognise my club any more. I might actually just take a break from football altogether. Watching another incident of a player dragging his leg onto an outstretched boot and getting a pen (Hazard, Che v Ars last night), and listening to commentators justify it and talk about 'simulations'......it's just pisses me off, the whole thing.

 

Something I used to love now makes me unhappy. Maybe it's my age or something, I dunno, but I've just had enough.

 

 

 

I know that feel bro.

 

It's not your age mate, it's this turgid fare we're getting served up to watch and alongside this our club is being dismantled before our eyes. It's no wonder you don't want to watch!

 

If we were playing decent football and looked like we wanted to challenge for something then no doubt you'd be as enthusiastic as ever i'd guess. That's how I am at least.

[Dave]

Or another explanation is they are actively taking the p*ss out of us and purposefully ruining our club while making money from it with free advertising for his tat emporium.

 

When the time is right he'll ditch us, leaving us in a much diminished state. Job done. 

 

That's basically it.

 

I've been thinking about this a lot over this last weekend and while I support the sack pardew stuff the only way to change this whole situation is for people to stop going. I realise this won't happen due to imbeciles who won't have anything said against the club, but it is the only way.

 

Ashley is absolutely taking the piss. He knows exactly what he's doing - getting free worldwide advertising and some extra pocket money. He'll not do anything about Pardew unless he threatens this, so he'll be going no-where soon. I don't think Ashley will be happy with 17th, but it still won't get Pardew the sack. Ashley is still getting his advertising and money.

 

That leaves two choices for me as your average (slightly rebellious supporter); just accept this shit and support the team or just stop supporting altogether and get on with my life. I realise the second option is easier for me, over here in Australia, but that's what I need to do as I barely even recognise my club any more. I might actually just take a break from football altogether. Watching another incident of a player dragging his leg onto an outstretched boot and getting a pen (Hazard, Che v Ars last night), and listening to commentators justify it and talk about 'simulations'......it's just pisses me off, the whole thing.

 

Something I used to love now makes me unhappy. Maybe it's my age or something, I dunno, but I've just had enough.

Absolutely the same here, unfortunately.

[colinmk]

Yes, I'm the same. Not watching much football at all now, have been working at random Spl matches though and quite enjoyed them. Much less quality but a lot less bullshit too.

[Unbelievable]

Dennis Wise coming out to defend Mike Ashley

 

Dennis Wise has claimed that Mike Ashley should not have to explain himself to Newcastle United supporters after pumping “quarter of a billion pounds” into the club to make it debt-free.

 

The former Newcastle director of football - known to be a confidant of Ashley - has defended the under fire owner in an interview in the Middle East with beIN Sports TV.

 

Wise worked at United between 2008 and 2009 and advised Ashley on transfers after overseeing deals to sign Xisco, Ignacio María González and Jonas Gutierrez.

 

Now Wise has revealed that Ashley will never follow the route of Liverpool and splash the cash on transfers.

 

He said: “When he took over the club there was a massive hole that he had to get rid of.

 

“He put his hand in his pocket with a quarter of a billion pound. He stuck that in and cleared the debt.

 

“What he decided to do is run it in a structured way so there was no debt.

 

“So you can sell players with money, bring in and take out.

 

“He’s set the structure with the wage bill as well, he sticks by it as well.

 

“He thinks the club should be able to stay up.

 

“He’s not going to go and spend £200million like Liverpool have.

 

“He’s not going to go about doing that.”

 

Wise, who has also managed Leeds and Millwall in his career, after a playing career with Wimbledon and Chelsea also feels that Ashley will give Alan Pardew time to get things right on Tyneside.

 

He said: “Mike is a very honest guy.

 

“He is very honest with people who work hard for him.

 

“He will give time, plenty of time, and he has no reason to move him out.”

 

And when asked if Ashley was a scary character, Wise tried to paint a different picture of the Buckinghamshire tycoon.

 

He said: “No. He’s very sensible in the way that he’s thinking.

 

“No, he’s not a nasty guy, he’s a clever guy.

 

“He’s a guy that wants the best for Newcastle United Football Club.

 

“He will structure that football club in a certain way so there’s no debt.”

 

And Wise also feels that under former chairman Freddy Shepherd the club went “mad” and Ashley felt he had to restructure the club.

 

He said: “When they went mad and they spent money - that was the hole that Mike ending up paying.

 

“That was the great big hole that was sitting there.

 

“And it’s going to be there for a long, long time.

 

“Could they carry on spending money?

 

“There had to be a stage where it had to be sorted out.

 

“Mike wasn’t prepared to constantly throw money - his own money - and just throw loads of money at that football club.”

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/revealed-what-mike-ashley-thinks-7887570

 

Two things about this that really bug me:

 

1) nobody asked Mike Ashley to buy the club. They can f*** right off with their victimising of themselves.

2) those constant "no debt" jibes. We are still in debt, bigger than ever before. The club pays no interest on it, but this is more than offset by the lack of commercial revenue by plastering SD all over the place with zero compensation.

 

All in all, we have only gone backwards in Ashley's time. Sick of his mates coming out all the time claiming differently, and the media lapping it up without question.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I think we tend to downplay the importance of the debt thing. Our debt was increasing, it was owed to a bank. That not only means that we were paying a lot of interest, but also that they could demand repayment and/or withhold further credit. Not that it really matters in the overall assessment of Mike Ashley too much, but I do think it's strange that we try to ignore this bit.