Mike Ashley

[PCW1983]

 

ashley has managed the finances much better than FS ever did, but he's also managed to tear the heart and soul out along the way

 

He really hasn't, not by any measure.

 

I keep having this same argument with a mate of mine. Ashley has turned a club capable of competing financially with even the likes of Arsenal at the time, to one that cannot, in the manager's own words, compete with Southampton.

 

FS may have spent more than he should have on players and used future ST money etc. to do so and yes we were in debt but the club could handle it and because we actually had ambition, we were only ever a good appointment away from succeeding as we showed under Sir Bobby. Ha we kept Sir Bobby and gave him 50m even if it was borrowed, we would have succeeded somehow at some point.

 

Oh and while we did owe the banks a lot of money, we didn't owe anywhere near as much to them as what is owed to MA, a malicious cunt of a man who has zero interes in the club other than what we spend and where he can plaster his tacky two-bit SD brand.

 

Brilliant post, MA and his cronies have rammed financial FairPlay and our supposed whiter than white accounts so far up people's arses its coming out of their mouths

[Incognito]

 

ashley has managed the finances much better than FS ever did, but he's also managed to tear the heart and soul out along the way

 

He really hasn't, not by any measure.

 

I keep having this same argument with a mate of mine. Ashley has turned a club capable of competing financially with even the likes of Arsenal at the time, to one that cannot, in the manager's own words, compete with Southampton.

 

FS may have spent more than he should have on players and used future ST money etc. to do so and yes we were in debt but the club could handle it and because we actually had ambition, we were only ever a good appointment away from succeeding as we showed under Sir Bobby. Ha we kept Sir Bobby and gave him 50m even if it was borrowed, we would have succeeded somehow at some point.

 

Oh and while we did owe the banks a lot of money, we didn't owe anywhere near as much to them as what is owed to MA, a malicious cunt of a man who has zero interes in the club other than what we spend and where he can plaster his tacky two-bit SD brand.

 

Brilliant post, MA and his cronies have rammed financial FairPlay and our supposed whiter than white accounts so far up people's arses its coming out of their mouths

 

I agree the FFP thing is what Ashley will use sooner or later as an excuse for the neglectful lack of investment over 2 summers. The thing is, it seems like we are the only club adhering to it  amongst clubs that aren't in the "big 4 or 5"

[Kanj]

Btw, I f***ing hated FS and how he ran NUFC, mainly for his own personal ego and wealth. But even despite that, the man had ambition for NUFC and tried to deliver success. FS in many ways wanted his cake and to eat it, and eat it all. He wanted the big name signings, the big nights in the CL, trophies, attacking football etc. just like us all but he also wanted to make money and his family money too. He also wanted credit and to be seen as a big player in the world of football.

 

His fault though or rather his undoing and with it ours was that when it came to football he didn't have a clue. That's why he appointed the wrong men or got so many things wrong.

 

I do believe though that beneath his ego, and the money he took from the club, he was a fan at heart and he understood the one thing Ashley never will and that is what NUFC is all about or needs to be all about and that is competing for the best players, the best wages, the best managers etc. and the big honours and we did that under FS once or twice.

 

I even suspect with the appointment of Big Sam he was learning from his mistakes, that the club needed built up and modernised and that we couldn't keep spending good money after bad. I think the Owen deal and how that panned out was a real eye oepner. And to be fair to FS, the money he took out of the club he kind of invested back into it by buying up shares.

 

Freddy Shepherd's ambition and vision for our club (obviously Sir John Hall prior to him) was and continues to be something we sorely miss. Their ambition with the right footballing man ie: a David Dein type character and we would no doubt fighting for European football every year at a minimum.

 

HTT: top post, a classic one at that. Glad to see you weighing in on this topic mate.

[Kanj]

Shepherd wanted to be the chairman, the fan, and the hero. He could have been all of that had his ego not clouded his judgment and given him the notion that he could make major footballing decisions that were ultimately flawed and out of his depth.

 

I agree with HTT, I think the Big Sam hire was his realization that he had mucked things up and needed to rebuild and modernize the club. Was it the right one? Well of course that's debatable for all...

[Incognito]

Shepherd wanted to be the chairman, the fan, and the hero. He could have been all of that had his ego not clouded his judgment and given him the notion that he could make major footballing decisions that were ultimately flawed and out of his depth.

 

I agree with HTT, I think the Big Sam hire was his realization that he had mucked things up and needed to rebuild and modernize the club. Was it the right one? Well of course that's debatable for all...

 

Whether Shepherd was the right man for Newcastle United is doubtful but his commitment to the cause and his passion for the club are sadly lacking in the current incumbant.

[Guest chopey]

Cracking post HTT, thats exactly how I feel, a football club with no ambition is like a Ferrari with no engine, great to look at but not fit for purpose

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I watched the Shearer signing Youtube clip on here last night and got very sad and angry. I noticed Sir John Hall kept saying the word "soccer" because he was at that time trying to create a global brand, to sell NUFC to the world.

 

Shearer, KK, he and everything was geared towards, as Shearer himself said in that unveiling, to not only winning the championship year after year but to dominate Europe. Fucking hell, this was a few years after we nearly went bust.

 

They were so visionary, so ambitious and so fucking ballsy. They achieved all of what they did by spending as KK put it our money, the fans' money. Ashley is a billionaire FFS! We are the anti-thesis of that club today and that is all down to Ashley. Even under FS we could at least compete or try to.

 

The said thing is and this is what pisses me off most about Ashley is that he should watch that clip and look at the league tables back then and our accounts and with the same ambition, balls and forward thinking and yes investment, we could be anything we want to and his shitty fucking brand likewise.

 

But he's a malicious cunt, someone who has no passion for football. Only margins and cost cutting and his baby SD.

 

But then why should he, he's not a football fan much less a Geordie. We are just another Sondico to him!

 

With him as our owner, we be what we were in the late 60s, 70s and 80s, only with a huge fuck off stadium.

 

A half empty one at that!

[Guest Howaythetoon]

 

ashley has managed the finances much better than FS ever did, but he's also managed to tear the heart and soul out along the way

 

He really hasn't, not by any measure.

 

I keep having this same argument with a mate of mine. Ashley has turned a club capable of competing financially with even the likes of Arsenal at the time, to one that cannot, in the manager's own words, compete with Southampton.

 

FS may have spent more than he should have on players and used future ST money etc. to do so and yes we were in debt but the club could handle it and because we actually had ambition, we were only ever a good appointment away from succeeding as we showed under Sir Bobby. Ha we kept Sir Bobby and gave him 50m even if it was borrowed, we would have succeeded somehow at some point.

 

Oh and while we did owe the banks a lot of money, we didn't owe anywhere near as much to them as what is owed to MA, a malicious c*** of a man who has zero interes in the club other than what we spend and where he can plaster his tacky two-bit SD brand.

 

While there is merit to the whole arguement that we are financially worse off, but I'm not buying that. I think it's a case of won't compete over can't compete.

 

We are. All our revenues are down or not at the level they ought to be compared to everyone elses which have generally risen. Ours hasn't.

 

I do agree that it is a case of we won't compete mind.

[Wullie]

 

ashley has managed the finances much better than FS ever did, but he's also managed to tear the heart and soul out along the way

 

He really hasn't, not by any measure.

 

I keep having this same argument with a mate of mine. Ashley has turned a club capable of competing financially with even the likes of Arsenal at the time, to one that cannot, in the manager's own words, compete with Southampton.

 

FS may have spent more than he should have on players and used future ST money etc. to do so and yes we were in debt but the club could handle it and because we actually had ambition, we were only ever a good appointment away from succeeding as we showed under Sir Bobby. Ha we kept Sir Bobby and gave him 50m even if it was borrowed, we would have succeeded somehow at some point.

 

Oh and while we did owe the banks a lot of money, we didn't owe anywhere near as much to them as what is owed to MA, a malicious c*** of a man who has zero interes in the club other than what we spend and where he can plaster his tacky two-bit SD brand.

 

While there is merit to the whole arguement that we are financially worse off, but I'm not buying that. I think it's a case of won't compete over can't compete.

 

We are. All our revenues are down or not at the level they ought to be compared to everyone elses which have generally risen. Ours hasn't.

 

I do agree that it is a case of we won't compete mind.

 

Why is revenue down? If Ashley doesn't want the club and wants to pay off his debt to sell it faster why isn't he making the club generate more revenue to speed that process up? - I'm assuming revenue from the league and Europe isn't the reason why our revenue is down compared to others? it's other revenue streams that are suffering? - Of which case if it is it just shows how cheap and short sighted the cunt really is.

 

Because generating more revenue would mean getting advertisers on board, and he's already got the only ads that he's interested in, those for his own company.

 

Generating revenue for NUFC will mean less advertising exposure for CheapTat.com, and that's all he cares about.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

What I don't get is that despite whatever debts he has with the club which makes it too expensive to sell, surely the silly revenue money for being in the Premier League is starting to outweigh that debt to make it a worthwhile buying option even at a higher price.

 

An ambitious person who wants to spend around £50m post buying the club on players, who installs a half decent manager and coaching staff, could do wonders with building on what we have.

 

Ashley's a notoriously difficult person to deal with, people in business will know of him, his ways etc. and that could well put people off.

 

One other thing is you have 3 very wealthy clubs in the PL in Man Utd, Chelsea, and Man City and below that you have Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs all capable of spending silly money.

 

To compete with that you are talking spending lots and lots every season. Its nbot worth it. Even for the mega mega rich. Not when you can have an everton for pennies or invest in a big club outside of the PL, a Leeds or a Wolves or one of the Sheffield clubs. Or even Rangers or Celtic who one day could end up in the PL.

 

We have missed the boat.

 

Fan ownership is the way forward for us. We'll never be able to compete at the very top but we could be well ran and show far more ambition than we are showing under Ashley.

[Wullie]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

[Disco]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

 

I don't even think it's about competing at the top of the league, I think most would settle for having a strong identity to be proud of and trying to do things the right way whilst playing some attractive football. The competing thing is just an added bonus.

 

Currently, for me, we have none of it.

 

To borrow Pardspeak...yes we have the odd marquee name but it's by off chance not concerted judgement.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I know someone whose role at NUFC was to go out and look for sponsors and advertisers. She had a portfolio of success under FS of generating over 1 million for the club. She was allowed to leave under Ashley. Loads of similar people in similar roles were axed. She now works for Fulham.

 

I also know someone who used to work for the club under FS and not Ashley but still has strong ties to the club and he says there is a skeleton like crew at SJP these days. Loads of people were axed after relegation which is fair enough but they haven't been replaced even though we are now back in the Prem.

 

He has cut the costs of operating right down so that any money the club makes can eventually go back into his own pockets. The club makes little through advertising but SD will no doubt be benefiting from the huge global exposure his brand is receiving.

 

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

 

For the CL spots you do but for Europa League, we were living proof that you don't need to spend vast sums. You do, however, need to kee investing to keep on top. Try telling Mike that though...

[TheGuv]

5 years tomorrow...

 

He released this statement.

 

Full of bollocks

 

"I have enjoyed sport since I was a boy. I love football. I have followed England in every tournament since Mexico '86. I was there to see Maradona and his hand of God. I know what it means to love football and to love a club. I know how important it is to other people because football is so important to me.

 

"My life has been tied up with sport. It was the passion that I felt for sport that helped me to be successful with my business. That success allowed me to mix my passion and my business.

 

"I bought Newcastle United in May 2007. Newcastle attracted me because everyone in England knows that it has the best fans in football. When the fans are behind the club at St James' Park it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It is magic. Newcastle's best asset has been, is and always will be the fans.

 

"But like any business with assets the club has debts. I paid £134 million out of my own pocket for the club. I then poured another £110 million into the club not to pay off the debt but just to reduce it.

 

"The club is still in debt. Even worse than that, the club still owes millions of pounds in transfer fees. I shall be paying out many more millions over the coming year to pay for players bought by the club before I arrived. But there was a double whammy. Commercial deals such as sponsorships and advertising had been front loaded. The money had been paid upfront and spent. I was left with a club that owed millions and part of whose future had been mortgaged.

 

"Unless I had come into the club then it might not have survived. It could have shared the fate of other clubs who have borrowed too heavily against their future. Before I had spent a penny on wages or buying players Newcastle United had cost me more than a quarter of a billion pounds.

 

"Don't get me wrong. I did not buy Newcastle to make money. I bought Newcastle because I love football. Newcastle does not generate the income of a Manchester United or a Real Madrid. I am Mike Ashley, not Mike Ashley a multi-billionaire with unlimited resources. Newcastle United and I can't do what other clubs can. We can't afford it.

 

"I knew that the club would cost me money every year after I had bought it. I have backed the club with money. You can see that from the fact that Newcastle has the fifth highest wage bill in the Premier League. I was always prepared to bank roll Newcastle up to the tune of £20 million per year but no more. That was my bargain. I would make the club solvent. I would make it a going concern.

 

"I would pour up to £20 million a year into the club and not expect anything back. It has to be realised that if I put £100 million into the club year in year out then it would not be too long before I was cleaned out and a debt ridden Newcastle United would find itself in the position that faced Leeds United.

 

"That is the nightmare for every fan. To love a club that overextends itself, that tries to spend what it can't afford.

 

"That will never happen to Newcastle when I am in charge. The truth is that Newcastle could not sustain buying the Shevchenkos, Robinhos or the Berbatovs. These are recognised European footballers. They have played in the European leagues and everyone knows about them. They can be brilliant signings. But everybody knows that they are brilliant and so they, and players like them, cost more than £30 million to buy before you even take into account agent commissions and the multi-million pound wage deals.

 

"My plan and my strategy for Newcastle is different. It has to be. Arsenal is the shining example in England of a sustainable business model. It takes time. It can't be done overnight. Newcastle has therefore set up an extensive scouting system. We look for young players, for players in foreign leagues who everyone does not know about. We try and stay ahead of the competition. We search high and low looking for value, for potential that we can bring on and for players who will allow Newcastle to compete at the very highest level but who don't cost the earth.

 

"I am prepared to back large signings for millions of pounds but for a player who is young and has their career in front of them and not for established players at the other end of their careers. There is no other workable way forward for Newcastle. It is in this regard that Dennis and his team have done a first class job in scouting for talent to secure the future of the club.

 

"You only need to look at some of our signings to see that it is working, slowly working. Look at Jonas Gutierrez and Fabricio Coloccini. These are world class players. The plan is showing dividends with the signing of exceptional young talent such as Sebastien Bassong, Danny Guthrie and Xisco. My investment in the club has extended to time, effort and yet again, money being poured into the Academy.

 

"I want Newcastle to be able to create its own legends of the future to rival those of the past. This is a long term plan. A long term plan for the future of the club so that it can flourish.

 

"One person alone can't manage a Premiership football club and scout the world looking for world class players and stars of the future. It needs a structure and it needs people who are dedicated to that task. It needs all members of the management team to share that vision for it to work.

 

"Also one of the reasons that the club was so in debt when I took over was due to transfer dealings caused by managers moving in and out of the club. Every time there was a change in manager millions would be spent on new players and millions would be lost as players were sold. It can't keep on working like that. It is just madness.

 

"I have put Newcastle on a sound financial footing. It is reducing its debt. It is spending within itself. It is recruiting exciting new players and bringing in players for the future.

 

"The fans want this process to happen more quickly and they want huge amounts spent in the transfer market so that the club can compete at the top table of European football now. I am not stupid and have listened to the fans. I have really loved taking my kids to the games, being next to them and all the fans. But I am now a dad who can't take his kids to a football game on a Saturday because I am advised that we would be assaulted. Therefore, I am no longer prepared to subsidise Newcastle United.

 

"I am putting the club up for sale. I hope that the fans get what they want and that the next owner is someone who can lavish the amount of money on the club that the fans want.

 

"This will not be a fire sale. Newcastle is now in a much stronger position than it was in 2007. It is planning for the future and it is sustainable.

 

"I am still a fan of Newcastle United. We, my kids and I, have loved standing on the terraces with the fans, we have loved travelling with the away fans and we have met so many fans whose company we have enjoyed. We have absolutely loved it but it is not safe anymore for us as a family.

 

"I am very conscious of the responsibility that I bear in owning Newcastle United. Tough decisions have to be made in business and I will not shy away from doing what I consider to be in the best interests of the club. This is not fantasy football.

 

"I don't want anyone to read my words and think that any of this is an attack on Kevin Keegan. It is not. Kevin and I always got on. Everyone at the club, and I mean everyone, thinks that he has few equals in getting the best out of the players. He is a legend at the club and rightly so. Clearly there are disagreements between Kevin and the Board and we have both put that in the hands of our lawyers.

 

"I hope that all the fans get to read this statement so that they understand what I am about. I would not expect all of the fans to agree with me. But I have set out, clearly, my plan. If I can't sell the club to someone who will give the fans what they want then I shall continue to ensure that Newcastle is run on a business and football model that is sustainable. I care too much about the club merely to abandon it.

 

"I have the interests of Newcastle United at heart. I have listened to you. You want me out. That is what I am now trying to do but it won't happen overnight and it may not happen at all if a buyer does not come in.

 

"You don't need to demonstrate against me again because I have got the message. Any further action will only have an adverse effect on the team. As fans of Newcastle United you need to spend your energy getting behind, not me, but the players who need your support.

 

"I am determined that Newcastle United is not only here today, but that it is also there tomorrow for your children who stand beside you at St James' Park."

[Guest Howaythetoon]

What I don't get is that despite whatever debts he has with the club which makes it too expensive to sell, surely the silly revenue money for being in the Premier League is starting to outweigh that debt to make it a worthwhile buying option even at a higher price.

 

An ambitious person who wants to spend around £50m post buying the club on players, who installs a half decent manager and coaching staff, could do wonders with building on what we have.

 

Ashley's a notoriously difficult person to deal with, people in business will know of him, his ways etc. and that could well put people off.

 

One other thing is you have 3 very wealthy clubs in the PL in Man Utd, Chelsea, and Man City and below that you have Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs all capable of spending silly money.

 

To compete with that you are talking spending lots and lots every season. Its nbot worth it. Even for the mega mega rich. Not when you can have an everton for pennies or invest in a big club outside of the PL, a Leeds or a Wolves or one of the Sheffield clubs. Or even Rangers or Celtic who one day could end up in the PL.

 

We have missed the boat.

 

Fan ownership is the way forward for us. We'll never be able to compete at the very top but we could be well ran and show far more ambition than we are showing under Ashley.

 

I wasn't suggesting £50m every summer transfer window. Just a new owner coming in, getting rid of poor players, manager and coaching staff. Brings in a half decent manager and coaching setup, spends £50m to bring in quality to replace what we move on and fuse with what we have. If we get 5th with less I'm sure the right manager and coaching setup plus a one off big investment in the first team could take that to 4th potentially.

 

You are right that it's not worth competing with the mega rich, just that this summer we have done the opposite of spending. Even Ashley/the club could afford a £50m blast to improve the squad for the next few years by buying the right players we need at the right level of quality, but he refuses.

 

Oh I agree with what you're saying, even half of 50m. But if I were a rich man looking at the PL, I wouldn't bother even if I was Abramovic rich. Too many clubs to compete with and too much money needed.

[Wullie]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

 

I don't even think it's about competing at the top of the league, I think most would settle for having a strong identity to be proud of and trying to do things the right way whilst playing some attractive football. The competing thing is just an added bonus.

 

Currently, for me, we have none of it.

 

To borrow Pardspeak...yes we have the odd marquee name but it's by off chance not concerted judgement.

 

I agree in terms of NUFC, I just mean in a more general sense, although ultimately we should certainly be moving towards being in that group who compete for CL places annually (obviously at the moment, that is a laughable thought).

 

Agree with your points about identity. For all the talk of how wonderful that 5th place finish was (although not from me), I wonder how many of that group we'll be looking forward to watching in 10-15 years time at a sell-out charity game...

[madras]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

 

For the CL spots you do but for Europa League, we were living proof that you don't need to spend vast sums. You do, however, need to kee investing to keep on top. Try telling Mike that though...

slightly contradictory that mind, we can get into the europa doing it our way, but we need to invest more to stay there ?

[Wullie]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

 

For the CL spots you do but for Europa League, we were living proof that you don't need to spend vast sums. You do, however, need to kee investing to keep on top. Try telling Mike that though...

 

How have Arsenal managed it then for 16 consecutive seasons with one of the lowest net spends across the entire league?

[Jayson]

I think Ashley tried to have passion at one point, you think back to him turning up in our shirts & standing with the crowd. He brought his family & kids to games, to imagine him doing that now is nuts. He's always made pretty poor decisions, bringing in wise etc but i think at that point he did atleast want us to be successful. The whole selling the club debacle is where he changed his ideas i reckon.

 

This was part of his statement at the time:

 

I have really loved taking my kids to the games, being next to them and all the fans. But I am now a dad who can't take his kids to a football game on a Saturday because I am advised that we would be assaulted. Therefore, I am no longer prepared to subsidise Newcastle United.

 

Can you imagine any man making that statement and then caring about the fans wishes or how their club does?

 

Then:

After his parents mortgaged their house to borrow money which they then provided to young Mike to get going as a sports retailer, the ungrateful upstart fell out with them so badly he stopped speaking to them. They still live in the same house they mortgaged for him, while he has at least one very large house in a plutocratic corner of north London

 

Its not a massive mystery is it.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

 

For the CL spots you do but for Europa League, we were living proof that you don't need to spend vast sums. You do, however, need to kee investing to keep on top. Try telling Mike that though...

 

How have Arsenal managed it then for 16 consecutive seasons with one of the lowest net spends across the entire league?

 

Exception to the rule? Wenger? Liverpool et al dropping off and Spurs being perennial bottlers?

 

It can be done, we almost did it and Everton did too. But to keep it going is unrealistic unless you outspend those below you or spend silly money nonetheless.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

 

For the CL spots you do but for Europa League, we were living proof that you don't need to spend vast sums. You do, however, need to kee investing to keep on top. Try telling Mike that though...

slightly contradictory that mind, we can get into the europa doing it our way, but we need to invest more to stay there ?

 

And the following season without spending in the summer...?

 

Any club well ran with decent players can achieve a hig league position, be it the Europa or even CL as Wullie points out with Arsenal, but to stay there you generally have to keep investing money because over your shoulder is another club wanting to be where you are and they will more often than not throw money at it.

[Wullie]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

 

For the CL spots you do but for Europa League, we were living proof that you don't need to spend vast sums. You do, however, need to kee investing to keep on top. Try telling Mike that though...

 

How have Arsenal managed it then for 16 consecutive seasons with one of the lowest net spends across the entire league?

 

Exception to the rule? Wenger? Liverpool et al dropping off and Spurs being perennial bottlers?

 

It can be done, we almost did it and Everton did too. But to keep it going is unrealistic unless you outspend those below you or spend silly money nonetheless.

 

What you say doesn't make any sense. You have to spend vast amounts (i.e. more than the club can generate and sustain) to compete for the Champions League places yet there's four places, and less than four teams doing that. It's bullshit man.

 

You've said yourself, Arsene Wenger. Put him in charge of Newcastle tomorrow, give him moderate investment and I'd put any money you like on us being a Champions League qualifier within 3-5 years.

[madras]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

 

For the CL spots you do but for Europa League, we were living proof that you don't need to spend vast sums. You do, however, need to kee investing to keep on top. Try telling Mike that though...

slightly contradictory that mind, we can get into the europa doing it our way, but we need to invest more to stay there ?

 

And the following season without spending in the summer...?

 

Any club well ran with decent players can achieve a hig league position, be it the Europa or even CL as Wullie points out with Arsenal, but to stay there you generally have to keep investing money because over your shoulder is another club wanting to be where you are and they will more often than not throw money at it.

many were saying we had a squad good enough but the management wasn't up to it.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I think it's bollocks that you need vast fortunes to compete at the top level of the Premier League btw, I think it's long been used as an easy excuse by clubs like us who don't really know what they're doing.

 

For the CL spots you do but for Europa League, we were living proof that you don't need to spend vast sums. You do, however, need to kee investing to keep on top. Try telling Mike that though...

 

How have Arsenal managed it then for 16 consecutive seasons with one of the lowest net spends across the entire league?

 

Exception to the rule? Wenger? Liverpool et al dropping off and Spurs being perennial bottlers?

 

It can be done, we almost did it and Everton did too. But to keep it going is unrealistic unless you outspend those below you or spend silly money nonetheless.

 

What you say doesn't make any sense. You have to spend vast amounts (i.e. more than the club can generate and sustain) to compete for the Champions League places yet there's four places, and less than four teams doing that. It's bullshit man.

 

You've said yourself, Arsene Wenger. Put him in charge of Newcastle tomorrow, give him moderate investment and I'd put any money you like on us being a Champions League qualifier within 3-5 years.

 

It can be done but as has been proved, to finish in one of those spots, regularly requires someone to spend big money. Wenger has spent big money btw, but he's also sold for big money too which distorts what he's spent.