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I just think there are much easier and just as cheap ways to get advertising. Doesn't matter anyway, we've been through this, sorry for posting again.

 

Name one.

 

There are easier ways to advertise but they cost money. Ashley essentially gets this for free rather than spunking £10m on sponsoring us or Spurs or some other club.  He owns a sports retail chain, where better is there to advertise than The Premier League?

 

Why did he invest in Rangers? Exactly the same reason. He's banking on the fact that they will eventually be in the Champions League again and it will cost him fuck all to advertise his brand in The Champions League. For us to get there he would have to spend hundreds of millions of his own money - never gonna happen

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I don't really know, I still think it's partly because he bought us on impulse to have something new to play with. Haven't a clue TBH.

 

The world's best businessmen don't do that sort of thing mate.

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I don't really know, I still think it's partly because he bought us on impulse to have something new to play with. Haven't a clue TBH.

 

The world's best businessmen don't do that sort of thing mate.

 

It strikes me as something he would definitely do... especially with him sitting with the fans etc when he first arrived. Anyway, as I said, haven't a clue.

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I don't really know, I still think it's partly because he bought us on impulse to have something new to play with. Haven't a clue TBH.

 

The world's best businessmen don't do that sort of thing mate.

 

It strikes me as something he would definitely do... especially with him sitting with the fans etc when he first arrived. Anyway, as I said, haven't a clue.

 

The PR machine in action.

If Ashley came in and said 'right folks, i don't give a shit about the cups, Europe or finishing higher than 10th but you probably won't get relegated while i'm here' there would have been uproar. Sit with the fans, wear the shirt, down a pint etc. everyone's happy!

 

He may have bought us with slightly different intentions but the plan was always to use us to boost the profile of his brand, no doubt.

 

He also wouldn't have banked on Man City getting bought by someone with bottomless pockets. Perhaps he thought there was a realistic shot of qualifying for the top 4 through shrewd scouting. That's out of our reach now though.

 

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I have a theory about Ashley's ownership of the club. Coming from a business/marketing background it actually makes perfect sense but doesn't bode well for us at all:

 

Ashley's reason for buying and continuing to own Newcastle United comes down to one thing - Advertising.

How much would he have to pay for the level of advertising he enjoys at Newcastle United? £millions, tens of £millions?

 

He gets to splash his brand all over one of the most recognisable stadiums in the most televised football league in the world and it will cost him £0.

 

Why?

 

Because the club is now self-sufficient, the only money he has put in he has either recouped already or is in the form of an interest free LOAN and the club's value will not drop unless we are relegated.

When (if he ever) sells us he will recoup everything he has ever put into the club, maybe even make a slight profit and he will have enjoyed 5-10 years of free advertising for Sports Direct, for the sum total of £0.

 

Apparently the stadium advertising currently taken up by Sports Direct branding is for sale. Really? Why didn't Wonga take up the option then? Why has no other company taken up the option? Because the truth is it isn't for up for grabs at all or if it is, it will be at such a ludicrously high price that no company in their right mind will sign up.

 

Why do we have no ambition to finish higher than mid-table or focus on the cups? Finishing higher up the league will put us in danger of entering the Europa League again which brings too many fixtures and may put us in danger of relegation again. Same with the lack of ambition in the domestic cups.

 

Ashley is one of the country's shrewdest and toughest businessmen. Emotion doesn't come in to any decision he makes. Look at how readily he will take a brand that has been built up by someone over the years and rinse it of any value or equity it has. His ownership of Newcastle United is a business decision pure and simple so whatever emotion we, the fans, show about the plight of the team will be like water off a duck's back, not because he has total contempt for us because of the Cockney Mafia protests but because emotion has no place in business.

 

As long as we stay in this league Pardew will be the manager. Why risk changing him for someone else who might shake things up and relegate us?

We might have lost 6 games in a row but we're still a Premier League club so Ashley gets another year of free advertising.

 

It's the league that he's interested in, not the club. We just happen to be the unlucky unit he picked to be the vehicle for the promotion of his company.

Even if attendances drop by 10,000 it will not matter as long as the club is breaking even. The protest at the weekend won't even register. It might make us feel better but it will change nothing.

 

The worst thing about this situation is there is no incentive for him to leave, unless he sells Sports Direct. £100m in a loan he is guaranteed to have repaid isn't a big risk for Ashley. He can sit on it for years.

 

Any talk of asset-stripping or pocketing money from the sale of players is nonsense. That's not what he is here for.

 

Sorry to say folks but he's here for the long-term and we might as well just get used to being a bog-standard, mid-table team.

 

 

Some people will argue that if Ashley prioritised the domestic cups or European competition he could potentially get more exposure for his brand. He would also risk raising the profile of the club, thereby attracting advertisers who might be serious about replacing the Sports Direct branding - it might even make it into the public domain so how do you spin that one?

It's also too much of a risk - what if he puts money in and it doesn't work out?  Better to maintain the current situation and reap the rewards.

 

Actually, the protest is completely the right thing and the correct thing to do to move Ashley on. Negative brand association is why no-one wanted to take the place of the SD hoardings in the first place as the club is so toxic. Negatively influence the brand, by painting SD associations (NUFC) in a bad light is the way forward.

 

Video footage and national newspaper sports headlines with 1000s of people walking out of a stadium with SD plastered all over it is not good for SD. SD is what Mike Ashley cares about.

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Top 4 isn't out of our reach - put the right management in place and widen the scouting net slightly further than France.

 

Every couple of years one or two of the 'big' 5/usual suspects have a less than stellar season and an unlikely candidate challenges for top 4 - usually they fall just short or fail to capitalise if they do get in.

 

We haven't got the first bit in place though, so no chance for us atm

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I have a theory about Ashley's ownership of the club. Coming from a business/marketing background it actually makes perfect sense but doesn't bode well for us at all:

 

Ashley's reason for buying and continuing to own Newcastle United comes down to one thing - Advertising.

How much would he have to pay for the level of advertising he enjoys at Newcastle United? £millions, tens of £millions?

 

He gets to splash his brand all over one of the most recognisable stadiums in the most televised football league in the world and it will cost him £0.

 

Why?

 

Because the club is now self-sufficient, the only money he has put in he has either recouped already or is in the form of an interest free LOAN and the club's value will not drop unless we are relegated.

When (if he ever) sells us he will recoup everything he has ever put into the club, maybe even make a slight profit and he will have enjoyed 5-10 years of free advertising for Sports Direct, for the sum total of £0.

 

Apparently the stadium advertising currently taken up by Sports Direct branding is for sale. Really? Why didn't Wonga take up the option then? Why has no other company taken up the option? Because the truth is it isn't for up for grabs at all or if it is, it will be at such a ludicrously high price that no company in their right mind will sign up.

 

Why do we have no ambition to finish higher than mid-table or focus on the cups? Finishing higher up the league will put us in danger of entering the Europa League again which brings too many fixtures and may put us in danger of relegation again. Same with the lack of ambition in the domestic cups.

 

Ashley is one of the country's shrewdest and toughest businessmen. Emotion doesn't come in to any decision he makes. Look at how readily he will take a brand that has been built up by someone over the years and rinse it of any value or equity it has. His ownership of Newcastle United is a business decision pure and simple so whatever emotion we, the fans, show about the plight of the team will be like water off a duck's back, not because he has total contempt for us because of the Cockney Mafia protests but because emotion has no place in business.

 

As long as we stay in this league Pardew will be the manager. Why risk changing him for someone else who might shake things up and relegate us?

We might have lost 6 games in a row but we're still a Premier League club so Ashley gets another year of free advertising.

 

It's the league that he's interested in, not the club. We just happen to be the unlucky unit he picked to be the vehicle for the promotion of his company.

Even if attendances drop by 10,000 it will not matter as long as the club is breaking even. The protest at the weekend won't even register. It might make us feel better but it will change nothing.

 

The worst thing about this situation is there is no incentive for him to leave, unless he sells Sports Direct. £100m in a loan he is guaranteed to have repaid isn't a big risk for Ashley. He can sit on it for years.

 

Any talk of asset-stripping or pocketing money from the sale of players is nonsense. That's not what he is here for.

 

Sorry to say folks but he's here for the long-term and we might as well just get used to being a bog-standard, mid-table team.

 

 

Some people will argue that if Ashley prioritised the domestic cups or European competition he could potentially get more exposure for his brand. He would also risk raising the profile of the club, thereby attracting advertisers who might be serious about replacing the Sports Direct branding - it might even make it into the public domain so how do you spin that one?

It's also too much of a risk - what if he puts money in and it doesn't work out?  Better to maintain the current situation and reap the rewards.

 

Actually, the protest is completely the right thing and the correct thing to do to move Ashley on. Negative brand association is why no-one wanted to take the place of the SD hoardings in the first place as the club is so toxic. Negatively influence the brand, by painting SD associations (NUFC) in a bad light is the way forward.

 

Video footage and national newspaper sports headlines with 1000s of people walking out of a stadium with SD plastered all over it is not good for SD. SD is what Mike Ashley cares about.

 

How many people do you really think give a shit about the plight of Newcastle United?

Just us mate, just us.

The way rival football fans are, they'll probably buy more stuff from Sports Direct just to spite us. OK so he might lose sales in Newcastle but his sales will not suffer elsewhere at all.  The uplift in sales from the stores in Sunderland will probably offset any loss from this region.

 

Will our protest have any negative impact on his business whatsoever? Nope!

 

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I have a theory about Ashley's ownership of the club. Coming from a business/marketing background it actually makes perfect sense but doesn't bode well for us at all:

 

Ashley's reason for buying and continuing to own Newcastle United comes down to one thing - Advertising.

How much would he have to pay for the level of advertising he enjoys at Newcastle United? £millions, tens of £millions?

 

He gets to splash his brand all over one of the most recognisable stadiums in the most televised football league in the world and it will cost him £0.

 

Why?

 

Because the club is now self-sufficient, the only money he has put in he has either recouped already or is in the form of an interest free LOAN and the club's value will not drop unless we are relegated.

When (if he ever) sells us he will recoup everything he has ever put into the club, maybe even make a slight profit and he will have enjoyed 5-10 years of free advertising for Sports Direct, for the sum total of £0.

 

Apparently the stadium advertising currently taken up by Sports Direct branding is for sale. Really? Why didn't Wonga take up the option then? Why has no other company taken up the option? Because the truth is it isn't for up for grabs at all or if it is, it will be at such a ludicrously high price that no company in their right mind will sign up.

 

Why do we have no ambition to finish higher than mid-table or focus on the cups? Finishing higher up the league will put us in danger of entering the Europa League again which brings too many fixtures and may put us in danger of relegation again. Same with the lack of ambition in the domestic cups.

 

Ashley is one of the country's shrewdest and toughest businessmen. Emotion doesn't come in to any decision he makes. Look at how readily he will take a brand that has been built up by someone over the years and rinse it of any value or equity it has. His ownership of Newcastle United is a business decision pure and simple so whatever emotion we, the fans, show about the plight of the team will be like water off a duck's back, not because he has total contempt for us because of the Cockney Mafia protests but because emotion has no place in business.

 

As long as we stay in this league Pardew will be the manager. Why risk changing him for someone else who might shake things up and relegate us?

We might have lost 6 games in a row but we're still a Premier League club so Ashley gets another year of free advertising.

 

It's the league that he's interested in, not the club. We just happen to be the unlucky unit he picked to be the vehicle for the promotion of his company.

Even if attendances drop by 10,000 it will not matter as long as the club is breaking even. The protest at the weekend won't even register. It might make us feel better but it will change nothing.

 

The worst thing about this situation is there is no incentive for him to leave, unless he sells Sports Direct. £100m in a loan he is guaranteed to have repaid isn't a big risk for Ashley. He can sit on it for years.

 

Any talk of asset-stripping or pocketing money from the sale of players is nonsense. That's not what he is here for.

 

Sorry to say folks but he's here for the long-term and we might as well just get used to being a bog-standard, mid-table team.

 

 

Some people will argue that if Ashley prioritised the domestic cups or European competition he could potentially get more exposure for his brand. He would also risk raising the profile of the club, thereby attracting advertisers who might be serious about replacing the Sports Direct branding - it might even make it into the public domain so how do you spin that one?

It's also too much of a risk - what if he puts money in and it doesn't work out?  Better to maintain the current situation and reap the rewards.

 

Actually, the protest is completely the right thing and the correct thing to do to move Ashley on. Negative brand association is why no-one wanted to take the place of the SD hoardings in the first place as the club is so toxic. Negatively influence the brand, by painting SD associations (NUFC) in a bad light is the way forward.

 

Video footage and national newspaper sports headlines with 1000s of people walking out of a stadium with SD plastered all over it is not good for SD. SD is what Mike Ashley cares about.

 

How many people do you really think give a s*** about the plight of Newcastle United?

Just us mate, just us.

The way rival football fans are, they'll probably buy more stuff from Sports Direct just to spite us. OK so he might lose sales in Newcastle but his sales will not suffer elsewhere at all.  The uplift in sales from the stores in Sunderland will probably offset any loss from this region.

 

Will our protest have any negative impact on his business whatsoever? Nope!

 

 

So, do nothing? Sounding a bit apologist there mate :p

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I have a theory about Ashley's ownership of the club. Coming from a business/marketing background it actually makes perfect sense but doesn't bode well for us at all:

 

Ashley's reason for buying and continuing to own Newcastle United comes down to one thing - Advertising.

How much would he have to pay for the level of advertising he enjoys at Newcastle United? £millions, tens of £millions?

 

He gets to splash his brand all over one of the most recognisable stadiums in the most televised football league in the world and it will cost him £0.

 

Why?

 

Because the club is now self-sufficient, the only money he has put in he has either recouped already or is in the form of an interest free LOAN and the club's value will not drop unless we are relegated.

When (if he ever) sells us he will recoup everything he has ever put into the club, maybe even make a slight profit and he will have enjoyed 5-10 years of free advertising for Sports Direct, for the sum total of £0.

 

Apparently the stadium advertising currently taken up by Sports Direct branding is for sale. Really? Why didn't Wonga take up the option then? Why has no other company taken up the option? Because the truth is it isn't for up for grabs at all or if it is, it will be at such a ludicrously high price that no company in their right mind will sign up.

 

Why do we have no ambition to finish higher than mid-table or focus on the cups? Finishing higher up the league will put us in danger of entering the Europa League again which brings too many fixtures and may put us in danger of relegation again. Same with the lack of ambition in the domestic cups.

 

Ashley is one of the country's shrewdest and toughest businessmen. Emotion doesn't come in to any decision he makes. Look at how readily he will take a brand that has been built up by someone over the years and rinse it of any value or equity it has. His ownership of Newcastle United is a business decision pure and simple so whatever emotion we, the fans, show about the plight of the team will be like water off a duck's back, not because he has total contempt for us because of the Cockney Mafia protests but because emotion has no place in business.

 

As long as we stay in this league Pardew will be the manager. Why risk changing him for someone else who might shake things up and relegate us?

We might have lost 6 games in a row but we're still a Premier League club so Ashley gets another year of free advertising.

 

It's the league that he's interested in, not the club. We just happen to be the unlucky unit he picked to be the vehicle for the promotion of his company.

Even if attendances drop by 10,000 it will not matter as long as the club is breaking even. The protest at the weekend won't even register. It might make us feel better but it will change nothing.

 

The worst thing about this situation is there is no incentive for him to leave, unless he sells Sports Direct. £100m in a loan he is guaranteed to have repaid isn't a big risk for Ashley. He can sit on it for years.

 

Any talk of asset-stripping or pocketing money from the sale of players is nonsense. That's not what he is here for.

 

Sorry to say folks but he's here for the long-term and we might as well just get used to being a bog-standard, mid-table team.

 

 

Some people will argue that if Ashley prioritised the domestic cups or European competition he could potentially get more exposure for his brand. He would also risk raising the profile of the club, thereby attracting advertisers who might be serious about replacing the Sports Direct branding - it might even make it into the public domain so how do you spin that one?

It's also too much of a risk - what if he puts money in and it doesn't work out?  Better to maintain the current situation and reap the rewards.

 

Actually, the protest is completely the right thing and the correct thing to do to move Ashley on. Negative brand association is why no-one wanted to take the place of the SD hoardings in the first place as the club is so toxic. Negatively influence the brand, by painting SD associations (NUFC) in a bad light is the way forward.

 

Video footage and national newspaper sports headlines with 1000s of people walking out of a stadium with SD plastered all over it is not good for SD. SD is what Mike Ashley cares about.

 

How many people do you really think give a s*** about the plight of Newcastle United?

Just us mate, just us.

The way rival football fans are, they'll probably buy more stuff from Sports Direct just to spite us. OK so he might lose sales in Newcastle but his sales will not suffer elsewhere at all.  The uplift in sales from the stores in Sunderland will probably offset any loss from this region.

 

Will our protest have any negative impact on his business whatsoever? Nope!

 

 

So, do nothing? Sounding a bit apologist there mate :p

 

I'm not saying do nothing at all. Do something, anything you want to get heard, get publicity.

All I am saying is that protesting to try and appeal to Ashley's emotions, see how much we are suffering and get him to change it probably won't work because he has no emotional attachment to what is going on. If the business side of his actions is working he'll take whatever flack we throw at him.

 

I'm no apologist, I fucking despise this situation as much as anyone but i'm resigned to it now because i believe i know the reason behind it.

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Mentioned it a couple of months back, people should get mandmsport.co.uk, or DW Sport t-shirts and banners printed - advertise a direct rival

 

That's not a bad idea - start a guerilla advertising campaign for Ashley's rivals. Get some banners made up that will cover the Sports Direct ones on the stadium roof, get some idiots to climb up and cover them up, take some photos and spread them around social media - that'll go viral in minutes and probably make it into the national press as well.

 

If we can't hurt Ashley's business we could take a different route. All take posters into the ground advertising JD Sports or JJB.

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He doesn't really have any rivals now TBH, JJB to a certain extent but I can't even think of where a branch is. JD is more a fashion shop, and definitely not in the same price bracket.

 

i was wondering about this the other day not having been home for a while, is there actually much left in terms of competition for him now?

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He doesn't really have any rivals now TBH, JJB to a certain extent but I can't even think of where a branch is. JD is more a fashion shop, and definitely not in the same price bracket.

 

i was wondering about this the other day not having been home for a while, is there actually much left in terms of competition for him now?

 

Unless you want to buy your sportswear from John Lewis or somewhere like that, there's almost literally nowhere else.

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I have a theory about Ashley's ownership of the club. Coming from a business/marketing background it actually makes perfect sense but doesn't bode well for us at all:

 

Ashley's reason for buying and continuing to own Newcastle United comes down to one thing - Advertising.

How much would he have to pay for the level of advertising he enjoys at Newcastle United? £millions, tens of £millions?

 

He gets to splash his brand all over one of the most recognisable stadiums in the most televised football league in the world and it will cost him £0.

 

Why?

 

Because the club is now self-sufficient, the only money he has put in he has either recouped already or is in the form of an interest free LOAN and the club's value will not drop unless we are relegated.

When (if he ever) sells us he will recoup everything he has ever put into the club, maybe even make a slight profit and he will have enjoyed 5-10 years of free advertising for Sports Direct, for the sum total of £0.

 

Apparently the stadium advertising currently taken up by Sports Direct branding is for sale. Really? Why didn't Wonga take up the option then? Why has no other company taken up the option? Because the truth is it isn't for up for grabs at all or if it is, it will be at such a ludicrously high price that no company in their right mind will sign up.

 

Why do we have no ambition to finish higher than mid-table or focus on the cups? Finishing higher up the league will put us in danger of entering the Europa League again which brings too many fixtures and may put us in danger of relegation again. Same with the lack of ambition in the domestic cups.

 

Ashley is one of the country's shrewdest and toughest businessmen. Emotion doesn't come in to any decision he makes. Look at how readily he will take a brand that has been built up by someone over the years and rinse it of any value or equity it has. His ownership of Newcastle United is a business decision pure and simple so whatever emotion we, the fans, show about the plight of the team will be like water off a duck's back, not because he has total contempt for us because of the Cockney Mafia protests but because emotion has no place in business.

 

As long as we stay in this league Pardew will be the manager. Why risk changing him for someone else who might shake things up and relegate us?

We might have lost 6 games in a row but we're still a Premier League club so Ashley gets another year of free advertising.

 

It's the league that he's interested in, not the club. We just happen to be the unlucky unit he picked to be the vehicle for the promotion of his company.

Even if attendances drop by 10,000 it will not matter as long as the club is breaking even. The protest at the weekend won't even register. It might make us feel better but it will change nothing.

 

The worst thing about this situation is there is no incentive for him to leave, unless he sells Sports Direct. £100m in a loan he is guaranteed to have repaid isn't a big risk for Ashley. He can sit on it for years.

 

Any talk of asset-stripping or pocketing money from the sale of players is nonsense. That's not what he is here for.

 

Sorry to say folks but he's here for the long-term and we might as well just get used to being a bog-standard, mid-table team.

 

 

Some people will argue that if Ashley prioritised the domestic cups or European competition he could potentially get more exposure for his brand. He would also risk raising the profile of the club, thereby attracting advertisers who might be serious about replacing the Sports Direct branding - it might even make it into the public domain so how do you spin that one?

It's also too much of a risk - what if he puts money in and it doesn't work out?  Better to maintain the current situation and reap the rewards.

 

Actually, the protest is completely the right thing and the correct thing to do to move Ashley on. Negative brand association is why no-one wanted to take the place of the SD hoardings in the first place as the club is so toxic. Negatively influence the brand, by painting SD associations (NUFC) in a bad light is the way forward.

 

Video footage and national newspaper sports headlines with 1000s of people walking out of a stadium with SD plastered all over it is not good for SD. SD is what Mike Ashley cares about.

 

How many people do you really think give a shit about the plight of Newcastle United?

Just us mate, just us.

The way rival football fans are, they'll probably buy more stuff from Sports Direct just to spite us. OK so he might lose sales in Newcastle but his sales will not suffer elsewhere at all.  The uplift in sales from the stores in Sunderland will probably offset any loss from this region.

 

Will our protest have any negative impact on his business whatsoever? Nope!

 

 

Owners aren't as thick skinned as people like to make out. Abramovich got in a huff when Mourinho got too much love from the Chelsea fans last time round. When the crowd turns against the club manager or owner people across the country do tend to sit up and notice. It might not affect his business, but I would bet Ashley wouldn't be happy if there were protests against him. otherwise why ban the local media for covering a protest of a few hundred people?

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He doesn't really have any rivals now TBH, JJB to a certain extent but I can't even think of where a branch is. JD is more a fashion shop, and definitely not in the same price bracket.

 

i was wondering about this the other day not having been home for a while, is there actually much left in terms of competition for him now?

 

Unless you want to buy your sportswear from John Lewis or somewhere like that, there's almost literally nowhere else.

 

There's places like Decathlon. We've got one in Sheffield, but they're pretty sparse here.

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exactly Ashley seems very thin skinned and doesn't like criticism,  any other protests whether big or small seem to have got some sort of reaction from him.

 

Really? When has he ever done anything in reaction to a protest from the fans? Or a story in the media?

There may be some perception that his actions are a direct response but i've never seen anything to substantiate that.

 

Abramovich is a totally different kettle of fish. He is a football fan who bought a club for enjoyment, not business reasons. His actions are therefore based on emotion unlike Ashley

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exactly Ashley seems very thin skinned and doesn't like criticism,  any other protests whether big or small seem to have got some sort of reaction from him.

 

Really? When has he ever done anything in reaction to a protest from the fans? Or a story in the media?

There may be some perception that his actions are a direct response but i've never seen anything to substantiate that.

 

Abramovich is a totally different kettle of fish. He is a football fan who bought a club for enjoyment, not business reasons. His actions are therefore based on emotion unlike Ashley

 

You might want to read back a few issues in the Chronicle. As they are banned now for covering a protest march of <200 people.

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exactly Ashley seems very thin skinned and doesn't like criticism,  any other protests whether big or small seem to have got some sort of reaction from him.

 

Really? When has he ever done anything in reaction to a protest from the fans? Or a story in the media?

There may be some perception that his actions are a direct response but i've never seen anything to substantiate that.

 

Apart from when he put the club up for sale saying 'I know you want me out'? :lol:

 

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