Mike Ashley

[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.

[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 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.

Absolutely the same here, unfortunately.

 

You know Dave, I've been reading the Pardew thread, this and one or two others and I've noticed your posts inbetween quite a few others with their hopeful 'that's it he has to be gone' and 'he's got until Stoke' etc etc and it's great that loads of people are putting Twitter, Facebook and newspapers links on here, but your posts were one liners like 'he's taking the piss' etc etc. I wanted to believe like everyone else that something would happen, that your posts were being a bit harsh for want of a better word. Now I see that your one liners were right, he's literally laughing at us while stealing from us.

 

The only thing I can like the way I feel at the moment is like one of those relationships when you've put up with a lot of shit expecting things will get better, then you realise things won't get better, ever (while he is here). No I just think what's the point.

[Unbelievable]

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.

 

Who is ignoring it though Ian? If anything, Wise in his defence of Ashley is ignoring, or even downright dismissing the existence of the massive debt we still owe to paint his mate in a better light.

 

Mike Ashley bought the club because Sir John Hall wanted out. He was not forced to buy us, nor was he the only party interested. This suggestion that Ashley has come in and done us a huge favour by taking us over and "wiping out the debt" is simply bollocks on so many levels.

[Guest neesy111]

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.

 

We weren't paying that much interest under Shepherd tbh, the club has a very good arrangement with Barclays extending all the way back to when the Magpie group took over the club.

 

Also our debt has almost doubled since Ashley came at the club, that is without us spending 45m on extending the stadium and being in regular profit in the transfer market.

[Big Geordie]

Keith Bishop's PR campaign going into overdrive now. Got to see it, for what it is. Would be good if sackpardew.com could get ahold of it and shine a light on it.

[Guest neesy111]

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.

 

Who is ignoring it though Ian? If anything, Wise in his defence of Ashley is ignoring, or even downright dismissing the existence of the massive debt we still owe to paint his mate in a better light.

 

Mike Ashley bought the club because Sir John Hall wanted out. He was not forced to buy us, nor was he the only party interested. This suggestion that Ashley has come in and done us a huge favour by taking us over and "wiping out the debt" is simply bollocks on so many levels.

 

[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.

 

Who is ignoring it though Ian? If anything, Wise in his defence of Ashley is ignoring, or even downright dismissing the existence of the massive debt we still owe to paint his mate in a better light.

 

Mike Ashley bought the club because Sir John Hall wanted out. He was not forced to buy us, nor was he the only party interested. This suggestion that Ashley has come in and done us a huge favour by taking us over and "wiping out the debt" is simply bollocks on so many levels.

 

 

I just mean, it is much better to owe this debt to Mike Ashley than to Barclays bank, particularly in the recent financial climate. And also it's no longer growing like it was before. These are positives.

 

I agree that Ashley didn't have to buy us. I don't consider it a 'huge favour' I just think it's an improvement in our financial situation.

[Unbelievable]

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.

 

Who is ignoring it though Ian? If anything, Wise in his defence of Ashley is ignoring, or even downright dismissing the existence of the massive debt we still owe to paint his mate in a better light.

 

Mike Ashley bought the club because Sir John Hall wanted out. He was not forced to buy us, nor was he the only party interested. This suggestion that Ashley has come in and done us a huge favour by taking us over and "wiping out the debt" is simply bollocks on so many levels.

 

 

I just mean, it is much better to owe this debt to Mike Ashley than to Barclays bank, particularly in the recent financial climate. And also it's no longer growing like it was before. These are positives.

 

I agree that Ashley didn't have to buy us. I don't consider it a 'huge favour' I just think it's an improvement in our financial situation.

 

But it's not Ian. See below the development of our commercial income in Ashley's tenure compared to our rivals. The debt (which stood at around 70M if I remember correctly when Ashley took over) could easily have been swept away just by developing our commercial revenue as per PL average:

 

http://www.themag.co.uk/assets/Commercial.jpg

 

As it is, we still owe the debt, which has nearly doubled, and we have SD plastered all over SJP with absolutely no benefit to the club.

[Jack Flash]

Having money but not spending it and getting relegated is definitely a positive.

[NG32]

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.

 

Who is ignoring it though Ian? If anything, Wise in his defence of Ashley is ignoring, or even downright dismissing the existence of the massive debt we still owe to paint his mate in a better light.

 

Mike Ashley bought the club because Sir John Hall wanted out. He was not forced to buy us, nor was he the only party interested. This suggestion that Ashley has come in and done us a huge favour by taking us over and "wiping out the debt" is simply bollocks on so many levels.

 

 

I just mean, it is much better to owe this debt to Mike Ashley than to Barclays bank, particularly in the recent financial climate. And also it's no longer growing like it was before. These are positives.

 

I agree that Ashley didn't have to buy us. I don't consider it a 'huge favour' I just think it's an improvement in our financial situation.

 

But it's not Ian. See below the development of our commercial income in Ashley's tenure compared to our rivals. The debt (which stood at around 70M if I remember correctly when Ashley took over) could easily have been swept away just by developing our commercial revenue as per PL average:

 

http://www.themag.co.uk/assets/Commercial.jpg

 

As it is, we still owe the debt, which has nearly doubled, and we have SD plastered all over SJP with absolutely no benefit to the club.

 

As khan says from the Star Trek films

 

"THERE IT IS!"

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/S02-khan_and_joachim_(battle_stations).png

[Unbelievable]

Having money but not spending it and getting relegated is definitely a positive.

 

Exactly, what good is it that our yearly losses (which was a problem tbf) have been turned around to yearly profits when it does not benefit anyone but the owner? Also, this turnaround is almost entirely a result of TV revenue growing exponentially, something that the old owner(s) or indeed anyone else could also have achieved.

[Wallace]

Having money but not spending it and getting relegated is definitely a positive.

 

Exactly, what good is it that our yearly losses (which was a problem tbf) have been turned around to yearly profits when it does not benefit anyone but the owner? Also, this turnaround is almost entirely a result of TV revenue growing exponentially, something that the old owner(s) or indeed anyone else could also have achieved.

 

Although it is unlikely to happen, if the TV companies did pull out then we will be absolutely screwed as we are totally dependent upon that revenue now.

 

 

[r0cafella]

People forgetting the club is an actual asset again I see.

[Unbelievable]

People forgetting the club is an actual asset again I see.

 

Excellent point. Ashley did not buy a debt, he bought players, a stadium, training facilities, a huge brand and a massive, loyal customer base, which was partly financed by debt, as would be the case for most other companies this size.

[Guest antz1uk]

it is getting to the point now where the only way i can see the us, fans getting their club back is by just not going whatsoever, unfortunately that will never happen as most of them wish to be seen as 'the most loyal fans in the land' however by doing so all they are actually being is the 'stupidest fans in the land' wish we could literally board the fucking turnstiles up

 

 

[Wandy]

This is from The Mag...seems to add up IMO. He's not that arsed about us getting relegated. This is how much of an idiot this man actually is. Nobody is going to convince me that there are not some very lucky people out there who get rich by accident....

 

 

Forget the chronic porous nature of our defence on Saturday. Forget too the weak  as water uselessness of our midfield bite. Then forget, if you can, the Championship standard of Messrs Williamson, Gouffran, Riviere and Obertan.

 

Let us turn to the most worrying fact to emerge from the weekend.

 

You would not have seen it on the pitch on Saturday, or in the dugout.

 

It was in the Chronicle and it was a reported comment from the hierarchy at St James’ Park.

 

Mike Ashley, said this unidentified person, ‘is not particularly bothered anymore.’

 

This is not boredom. Far from it. Ashley is as bothered as ever about losing money. If and when we get relegated, Ashley will be bothered.

 

Nor is it exhaustion with the barrage of criticism. I doubt if he is aware of it. If he is aware of it, I doubt if he cares. He’s not particularly bothered about criticism. If anything, criticism brings out his astonishingly stubborn side, and makes him utterly determined to persist with his established strategy.

 

He is usually right to do so. Mike Ashley trusts his instincts above all else. He fancies himself as a gambler, and knows when to walk away.

 

It’s just that, at Newcastle, he has nowhere to go.

 

There are, it would appear, no buyers, although he was reportedly scouring the United States recently to discover some sports enthusiast like Ellis Short.

 

I believe he would certainly sell if he could. But he can’t.

 

So he is a gambler on a losing streak. It is all going tits up at Newcastle, and he can see it. He knows he is the problem. He knows Pardew is about as good as it is going to get for him. He knows nobody else will come to manage our team unless they are an alcoholic pensioner, a dangerously deluded fantasist, or an average hack with no track record.

 

He also suspects a replacement will have no long-term effect.

 

Pardew is his perfect guy. Ashley thinks Pardew is a good coach, and he may be right. He may be wrong, but he may be right.

 

Ashley knows the problem is him. He can see it. And he knows that paying off Pardew and bringing in another manager who would want to spend money and would make it a condition of his contract that he would be given money to spend, is just a tiresome series of negotiations Ashley can do without.

 

So a money enthusiast who is not particularly bothered any more, despite the spectre of relegation, means what, exactly?

 

Well, in my view, it means he is a gambler who has lost and is going to lose big and go on losing big and who cannot get out of the mess he’s in.

 

He can’t cash in his chips. He’s dying to run away. He’s dying to be told the bill and to leave the casino and to forget all about his doomed series of stupid punts.

 

But he can’t. Newcastle is wrapped around his neck. So, when you’re a feckless, epic gambler like our bull-headed, ignorant owner, the only thing to do is to mentally withdraw.

 

That is the worst outcome of all for Newcastle fans. It means he’s just going to sit back and watch, like the rest of us. Except he’s not bothered. Does his face look bothered? Not really.

 

He wants us to stay up but he’s not going to do much about it.

 

Sacking Pardew would expose his ridiculous and hopeless lack of alternatives, as well as exposing him as a stupid idiot.

 

There’s nothing else for it. He’s running away, except he’s staying where he is.

 

He’s just not bothered.

 

[Kanj]

Being in 100M+ non interest bearing debt to Mike Ashley is the worst thing to happen to us. It's not like he's written it off. He's going to ask for that back man. I'd rather owe a bank than a crook like Ashley.

[Unbelievable]

That article misses the point completely. He's not here despite his best wishes, he's here because it benefits him massively to be here.

[Danh1]

Being in 100M+ non interest bearing debt to Mike Ashley is the worst thing to happen to us. It's not like he's written it off. He's going to ask for that back man. I'd rather owe a bank than a crook like Ashley.

 

Exactly, that loan is no doubt going to be a huge stumbling block for anyone seriously interested in buying the club. Just puts the fat cunt in a stronger position to negotiate. I can't believe people still go to games week in, week out personally. The club is stone dead.

[SiLvOR]

I do wonder what it would take to stop the soopafans going every week.

[Guest antz1uk]

that article is awvful, there is plenty of coaches out there who would jump at the chance to work at the club

[LV]

And also turning up at pretty much every match recently isn't a generally accepted sign of someone who is not bothered.

[Unbelievable]

More quotes from the little weazel:

 

When asked why Ashley doesn’t come out and talk to the media, Wise said on beIN Sports: “Why should he? He doesn’t need to explain anything to anyone.

 

“He’s got his job, he does what he does and he owns the football club.

 

“You don’t have every owner of a club coming out.

 

“Abramovich doesn’t come out does he?

 

“The Glazers don’t come out.

 

“There’s loads of them, so why should Mike?

 

“Mike is an approachable guy.

 

“There are a lot of owners of football clubs you can never get near. Mike you can. You can actually walk up.”

 

Wise has also backed up the talk that Ashley was only joking when he spoke about Pardew’s future at the club.

 

And he said that Ashley fears talking to the media because they will “turn” his quotes against him.

 

Wise said: “He finds himself in a situation with Pardew. Why?

 

“Because there was a press bloke in a pub that he was in and he turns round and says, and I know Mike with his flippant jokes and him messing about, he said: ‘Yeah I’m going to get rid of him next week.’

 

“A bloke come up and he just wanted to get rid of him. Then they printed the story.

 

“This why he won’t (speak to press) because they’ll turn it.

 

“Because he’s an approachable guy people can get near him and that’s his own problem.

 

“He’s so relaxed in the way he is.”

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-owner-mike-ashley-7889661

[NG32]

An approchable guy who refuses to speak with the fans on a professional basis, all the while the club has been turned into a ghost of its formself...Alreet Dennis.