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Could Mike Ashley Be Ready To Invest More In A Manager Now?

 

Don’t laugh.

 

I know all the evidence points to this being a pipe dream but Ashley’s aim since the Keegan debacle has not been to keep the club as small-time as possible, despite sometimes appearing that way.

 

Rather it has been to have the club in a self-financing position until such a time that he’s able to sell with a return on his investment.

 

Ashley doesn’t want to be subsidising anything himself.  The profit the club has been turning over in the last few years mean that it can now afford a manager worthy of the Premier League.  During the cost cutting exercises; Hughton, Kinnear and Pardew were all brought in because they were cheap.

 

Hughton was let go just before contract renewal discussions were due to start.  He deserved to double his money for what he’d done.  Pardew came cheaper though so Ashley kept expenses to a minimum and went with the new man.  He avoided a repeat of this situation soon after, by offering Pardew an 8 year contract.

 

Clearly the club can now afford better.  So far this year we’ve a net spend of £25.8m in one of two windows.  Our highest spend in any previous transfer year (over both windows) has been just £10.8m net. We’ve spent two and half times as much and most of us know the sums show that there is a large surplus still left in the kitty too.

 

This isn’t a blip either, since promotion the club has been slowly investing much more on the playing staff…

 

http://www.themag.co.uk/assets/Newcastle-United-Managers-NUFC.jpg

 

What was previously a complete lack of re-investment of funds from players sold, has been reversed, so we’re now spending more on players than we’re recouping.  The spend isn’t growing as quickly as the income did, but it’s clear to see.

 

There is of course still a huge debt at the club (£129m), in March 2015 we’ll find out if Ashley has been repaid the £18m suggested in the last set of accounts, but the accounts have always been clear about that being repayable, and the remaining £111m being ring-fenced.  As long as that remaining debt is not recalled (big if)then it wouldn’t make sense to me for a man who is all about growing his businesses to limit the potential at the club.

 

He’s been cautious, and will remain so, but the club can now continue to operate within its means with a better profile manager, better backroom staff, and a significant yearly transfer budget.  That simply wasn’t the case 4 years ago when Pardiola strode into town.

 

I think getting another season was Ashley’s reward to Pardew and his staff for what they had done previously.  Ashley is very loyal, and rewards loyalty to him (rather than to players, a la Hughton).  Pardew failing to repay that loyalty with results this season would allow the pair to part on good terms, with their debt to one another repaid and a new man brought in to take the next step, a man who can harness the best from the class of player that comes with increased transfer fees.

 

In years to come, could we look back on Pardew as having done a reasonably good job of keeping the ship steady during a difficult transition period?

 

http://www.themag.co.uk/the-mag-articles/mike-ashley-ready-invest-manager-now/

 

My attempt at some positivity.

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Guest Roger Kint

Will be very interesting to see what kind of reaction/protests the Rangers fans have - Ashley has got away very lightly with the stuff he's done to us but they breed a special kind of nutcase up there....

 

There were crowds bombarding the van with bricks when it turned up to plaster SD shite all over Ibrox, imagine what they do if they are all pissed off?

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Guest Roger Kint

I hope rangers fans welcome him with open arms tbh.

 

This. Makes no difference whatsoever unless some buyer emerges from nowhere, lot of idiots on twitter banging on about forcing him to sell but cant understand theres no sale without a willing buyer :lol:

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Guest Bert Shaft

I hope rangers fans welcome him with open arms tbh.

 

This. Makes no difference whatsoevere, unless some buyer emerges from nowhere lot of idiots on twitter banging on about forcing him to sell but cant understand theres no sale without a willing buyer :lol:

 

I really wouldn't be surprised if Fat Fred and his cronies try to get the club back one day.

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Guest Roger Kint

The clubs been up for sale for 6 years, mental so suggest otherwise so where are these people? Fact remains nobody has actually been interested at a price Ashley would accept.

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Guest Roger Kint

He has a price he wants and that wouldnt have changed. To say its not for sale is simply wrong, his 'cash cow' still owes him £129m which will still take a few years to pay off even if he breaks his vow to never do that. Anyone puts up the £250m ish and he would sell in a second.

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I hope rangers fans welcome him with open arms tbh.

 

This. Makes no difference whatsoevere, unless some buyer emerges from nowhere lot of idiots on twitter banging on about forcing him to sell but cant understand theres no sale without a willing buyer :lol:

 

I really wouldn't be surprised if Fat Fred and his cronies try to get the club back one day.

 

Totally agree.

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He has a price he wants and that wouldnt have changed. To say its not for sale is simply wrong, his 'cash cow' still owes him £129m which will still take a few years to pay off even if he breaks his vow to never do that. Anyone puts up the £250m ish and he would sell in a second.

 

That doesn't mean it's for sale though, just because he'd accept an offer of more than its worth, everything is for sale, in that sense.

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Guest Roger Kint

He has a price he wants and that wouldnt have changed. To say its not for sale is simply wrong, his 'cash cow' still owes him £129m which will still take a few years to pay off even if he breaks his vow to never do that. Anyone puts up the £250m ish and he would sell in a second.

 

That doesn't mean it's for sale though, just because he'd accept an offer of more than its worth, everything is for sale, in that sense.

 

Its the price he wanted when it was officially for sale, that hasnt changed one bit(cue idiot with a BBC article saying he wanted £100m as if he would have written off the debt completely)

 

Its not a matter of what its worth, he has stated he wants the £132 + the original debt on sale from the start. Thats the price take it or leave it and he wont take a hit on it not that a single person has even come close to wanting it anyway.

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Guest Roger Kint

They won't do, will they, because it isn't worth that.

 

The club isn't actively for sale, that's a fact, if it was, and he actually wanted rid, he'd market it at its value, like any other sale of anything, ever.

 

In that way then its never been for sale at all and the whole Keith Harris business was a elaborate ruse. With the new TV deal the worth is subjective, its not like 2008 when we were heavily fucked, we are now posting sizable profits.

 

Man City were bought for around £210m in Oct 2008 when they were deep in debt and midtable. Not much difference at all really considering the debt will have decreased by £19m since the last accounts.

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I honestly don't think at ever has been for sale, no.

 

Ashleys business credentials can't be called into question, he's without doubt one of the best in the country. If he wanted to sell nufc back then, he wouldn't have got shit faced in dubai as was reported.

 

I think it would as a box ticking exercise, personally.

 

When my business ran into trouble, the bank told me to sell my house. I'd paid £300k for it, the market was fucked and it was worth £250k, I marketed it at £300k,because i didn't want to sell, although I argued that what i had paid, and that's what I wanted.

 

It was advertised, at £300k, and the bank got off my back.

 

It was 'for sale', but wasn't 'for sale', if you get what I mean.

 

If I'd really wanted to sell, it would have been marketed at £250k,but I didn't, I wanted a box ticked.

 

Same with us, imo obviously.

 

 

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Man City are also a poor example to use btw, they're one of three takeovers, that I can think of, which wanted to rule football, regardless of £ (Chelsea and psg others).

 

You can't use the man City takeover as a barometer to how attractive nufc are, buyers like them are few and far between.

 

If nufc was marketed for what it's worth, it would sell, you only have to look at the numerous takeovers of clubs with far less potential than ours, to see that.

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