Mike Ashley

[LV]

He clearly believes what he's saying in the interview - the words and the body language are perfectly synchronized, and that's not something you could be quickly trained to do. Looking up when he's remembering; when he's talking about finances he's pushing his hands forward; nodding nodding nodding about winning something. There's even something of a proud smirk on his face when he's obviously fantasizing about actually winning something and being vindicated, and again when he mentions the Champions League. At the end he's indicating distance when he says he won't appoint the manager.

 

Of course, he could be totally deluded to a level where he even cons himself ...

 

Or he's very comfortable in his ability to lie through his teeth.

[Chris_R]

Clearly Ashley is rattled by the AO campaign, otherwise there's not a hope in hell he'd have broken his lifetime media silence by giving an interview to Sky Sports. It's quite mad to state that him doing that proves he doesn't care, it's quite the reverse.

 

He's a precious little so-and-so, seems really quite fragile emotionally from the few bits we've seen of him. Spits his dummy out really easily and is massively prone to huffs and petulance.

 

He has made a rod for his own back by speaking out. Yes, it buys him a little time in some respects because he's made some promises but now those promises have to be kept. Previously, there were no promises, nothing to hold him to because all we got was silence which made it hard to say he was failing. We could disagree with how he was running the club, but we couldn't say he was failing as he was seemingly achieving everything that he personally wanted.

 

Now there are metrics against which he can be judged which we agree on as common aims: Investment, an attempt to be a good competitive club, even the talk of trophies. If his aim is to continue doing what he's done for the last 8 years, I'd say this statement is a massive fuck-up by him. This statement is only a good move if he genuinely does want to change, but that in itself doesn't convince me that those are his intentions because he's got an absolute mountain of bad work to undo before I'll be even remotely convinced.

 

My position is that I'm still "out" and it's business as usual for me until he actually does things that bring me back into the fold. My expectations of that happening are perhaps now slightly raised, but still phenomenally close to zero.

[STM]

Him being stubborn with his money means far less to me than his decision making, or his decision making by proxy (Charnley).

 

He can penny pinch in transfer market all he wants, just get a manager worth the job.

[STM]

Not the point Mandoon and you know it.

[Chris_R]

 

He can penny pinch in transfer market all he wants, just get a manager worth the job.

 

I agree.

 

It'd be nice to have a rich sugar-daddy owner but ultimately I think we should be run at a profit. All clubs should. Ashley should make money from owning us, as every club owner should.

 

However try to pinch every penny possible, have no ambition and fail to recognise that the manager is the single most important individual at a football club and consistently refuse to pick a competent one.

[Interpolic]

Watching it again.  "I will continue in the policy of investing in this football club". Absolutely shameless spreading of well known misconceptions in the media.  PRICK.

[STM]

Not the point Mandoon and you know it.

 

Do i?

 

Yes.

[Rosenrot]

 

He can penny pinch in transfer market all he wants, just get a manager worth the job.

 

I agree.

 

It'd be nice to have a rich sugar-daddy owner but ultimately I think we should be run at a profit. All clubs should. Ashley should make money from owning us, as every club owner should.

 

However try to pinch every penny possible, have no ambition and fail to recognise that the manager is the single most important individual at a football club and consistently refuse to pick a competent one.

 

You want Ashley to make money from owning us? WTF?

 

Tell me one reason why the club shouldn't be a not for profit?

[Klaus]

Watching it again.  "I will continue in the policy of investing in this football club". Absolutely shameless spreading of well known misconceptions in the media.  PRICK.

Technically he has 'invested',  but not for the benefit of the football club, but the benefit for himself and the free sports direct advertising.

[Wullie]

David Craig's page on the Keith Bishop website.

 

http://www.kbapr.com/our-clients/sports/david-craig/

 

David Craig is a Sky News Reporter, responsible for breaking big news stories. In his current position David is responsible for the output of stories for Sky Sports News. To carry this out effectively David has had to forge a strong working relationships with Football Club Owners, Chief Executives, Managers, Players and Media Managers/Press Offices. David have been responsible for breaking a number of Sky Sports News biggest stories including:

 

Does Lee Ryder write their copy?

[STM]

Not the point Mandoon and you know it.

 

Do i?

 

Yes.

 

Nah, I disagree fundamentally with "he can penny pinch all he wants in the transfer market.

 

That wasn't my point. Can you read the rest?

[joeyt]

I thought his voice was higher than that. Disappointing

[NEEJ]

David Craig's page on the Keith Bishop website.

 

http://www.kbapr.com/our-clients/sports/david-craig/

 

David Craig is a Sky News Reporter, responsible for breaking big news stories. In his current position David is responsible for the output of stories for Sky Sports News. To carry this out effectively David has had to forge a strong working relationships with Football Club Owners, Chief Executives, Managers, Players and Media Managers/Press Offices. David have been responsible for breaking a number of Sky Sports News biggest stories including:

 

Does Lee Ryder write their copy?

Jesus.

[STM]

Not the point Mandoon and you know it.

 

Do i?

 

Yes.

 

Nah, I disagree fundamentally with "he can penny pinch all he wants in the transfer market.

 

That wasn't my point. Can you read the rest?

 

I've read it, and I disagreed with that point. It's not too complex really.

 

We are done.

[Chris_R]

 

He can penny pinch in transfer market all he wants, just get a manager worth the job.

 

I agree.

 

It'd be nice to have a rich sugar-daddy owner but ultimately I think we should be run at a profit. All clubs should. Ashley should make money from owning us, as every club owner should.

 

However try to pinch every penny possible, have no ambition and fail to recognise that the manager is the single most important individual at a football club and consistently refuse to pick a competent one.

 

You want Ashley to make money from owning us? WTF?

 

Tell me one reason why the club shouldn't be a not for profit?

 

All clubs should be run at a profit. They're businesses, and running at a profit is what stops them going under. Every club in every league of every country should, ideally, be run at a profit.

 

They're not, and that's why the likes of Chelsea, Man City and PSG have ruined football for 95% of teams. From a selfish, trophy-wanting perspective I'd love someone to come and spunk money at us, sure, but that doesn't change it being fundamentally wrong.

 

Me saying Ashley should make money from us doesn't mean I'm pro-Ashley. I'm categorically not. And saying he should make money from us does NOT mean I think he should milk us dry for every penny he can whilst hawking his tatty chav clothes shop all around the place for free. He can make 1p per year and still be, as I suggest he should, running the club at a profit.

[Carlito]

It's gonna be hilarious to see the reaction of those willing to give him a chance when he goes and gives Carver the job.

[ilikenewcastle]

It's gonna be hilarious to see the reaction of those willing to give him a chance when he goes and gives Carver the job.

 

I might dig out all the posts and tweets from people who got excited at Charnley saying he wanted a manager with a 'philosophy' rather than a yes man.

[BlueStar]

The idea of us winning stuff is so laughable it's easy to miss what's wrong with that statement if taken seriously.  If Ashley does a massive face turn and starts winning us trophies or getting us in the Champions League, we wouldn't want him to sell.  We don't hate him because he's fat or because he's a  cockney, we hate him because he's a failure.

[Yorkie]

OI LAV HABBYBUY

[Tiotes Witch Doctor]

What a fucking hero.

[chicago_shearer]

It's gonna be hilarious to see the reaction of those willing to give him a chance when he goes and gives Carver the job.

 

The most frustrating thing about Ashley is he seems clueless as well as deeply cynical. If you were a fat sportswear magnate who bought a football club you didn't care about for the purposes of free advertising and selling lots of plastic Wonga shirts to teenagers...what would you do? Probably appoint an experienced, local DoF and ambitious, positive manager. That would be the easiest, cheapest way for Ashley to get some of the fans off his back and get on with the important work of selling them trainers and shirts. You could maintain the same minimal investment on players, Ligue 1 bargain buys and sell-on transfer policy and let a competent manager keep things effective on the pitch (the model being Southampton). Some might complain, but most would be placated by decent football on a Saturday and decent results.

 

But you really could see him appointing Carver. Everyone knows he doesn't give a damn about the club itself, but it's like he goes out of his way to damage his investment.

[Carlito]

It's gonna be hilarious to see the reaction of those willing to give him a chance when he goes and gives Carver the job.

 

The most frustrating thing about Ashley is he seems clueless as well as deeply cynical. If you were a fat sportswear magnate who bought a football club you didn't care about for the purposes of free advertising and selling lots of plastic Wonga shirts to teenagers...what would you do? Probably appoint an experienced, local DoF and ambitious, positive manager. That would be the easiest, cheapest way for Ashley to get some of the fans off his back and get on with the important work of selling them trainers and shirts. You could maintain the same minimal investment on players, Ligue 1 bargain buys and sell-on transfer policy and let a competent manager keep things effective on the pitch (the model being Southampton). Some might complain, but most would be placated by decent football on a Saturday and decent results.

 

But you really could see him appointing Carver. Everyone knows he doesn't give a damn about the club itself, but it's like he goes out of his way to damage his investment.

 

Hiring a good manager would do wonders for his image, mostly because a lot of our fanbase as much as I hate to say it, are fickle as fuck. Still though, it's getting results that counts. The problem is with the philosophy Ashley has in place, I don't think we'd have a good manager in place for long because he'd be off for pastures new as well once we'd had a good season, much like what happened with the likes of Southampton and Swansea.

 

It's a never-ending nightmare scenario to have him say he'll be here until we win something, because it's his fault in the first place that we're even further away from that than we were under Shepherd and the Halls. As long as he continues to employ his 'yes men' he'll be a massive failure here.

[Dave]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mike-ashleys-new-look-newcastle-target-5761339?

Mike Ashley plans to relaunch Newcastle with a fresh mission statement that will put cup success back on the agenda.

 

Newcastle will follow up Ashley’s first public statement for years by laying out a new direction – including a slackening of their tough transfer policy.

 

Ashley will allow chief scout Graham Carr to sign players who are over 25, previously prohibited.

 

He will also demand that Carr brings in a British spine to the team, with up to 40% of players from home countries, rebalancing the foreign recruitment drive of recent years.

 

There will also be a conscious drive to soften their language towards fans, with an emphasis of collaboration and listening.

 

Ashley is under pressure to live up to the promises made during a surprise interview – when he vowed to invest in Newcastle and try to “win something”.

 

Newcastle have been linked with strikers Charlie Austin and Saido Berahino which could amount to £25 million of spending.

 

Marseille’s Ghanaian Andre Ayew and Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic of Anderlecht are also options.

 

The owner is likely to sideline coach John Carver ahead of finding a new boss, who will be allowed to bring in his own coaching staff.

 

Carver wants to learn his fate before going on holiday on Wednesday.

 

http://i.imgur.com/uBP2g9U.jpg

[Guest firetotheworks]

Have to admit that when he originally started talking I found him oddly cute in a sort of child-like way because of that voice and his cheeks. It went away as soon as I listened to the words and I've felt a bit wrong about it since.

[Dave]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/11629234/Newcastle-cancer-survivor-Jonas-Gutierrez-fears-he-has-played-last-game-for-club.html

While Ashley’s first interview has been dismissed as a cynical public relations exercise by many on Tyneside, which has done little to pacify the militant opposition towards him, Newcastle do intend to change direction this summer.

 

The club will release a new set of mission statements in the next few weeks and will no longer limit themselves to aiming for a top-10 finish. There will be a softening of the language used to try to reconnect with the club’s passionate fan base and a further acknowledgement of the mistakes made over the past couple of years.

 

Although Ashley’s sudden willingness to speak in public – a decision made on the advice of PR guru Keith Bishop, who felt the best way to end the protests against him was to declare he had no intention of selling the club – was part of that fresh approach and should be welcomed, supporters want proof things have changed.

 

The breakdown in trust between those who run the club and follow it was not healed by a 2½-minute television interview with a journalist who is also a client of Bishop PR, but it was a step in the right direction. ­Ashley’s insistence that he will not sell will not end the opposition to him, but significant investment in the squad this summer will start to ease the bitterness.

 

Although Ashley is adamant he wants to win something while he is owner, the “cups are not a priority policy” repeatedly stressed by managing director Lee Charnley, was his idea when they returned to the top flight five years ago.

 

This policy will be reversed, most notably in the FA Cup, but supporters will be wary of believing things have changed for the better until they see the strength of the teams sent out in both domestic cup competitions next season.

 

Even before Ashley spoke before the win against West Ham on Sunday that guaranteed the club’s top flight status, Newcastle were ready to change their transfer policy after acknowledging they had littered the dressing room with players ill-equipped to deal with the stress and strain of a Premier League campaign. There are thought to be too many mercenaries in the Newcastle squad, who see it is a stepping stone club, as this is how it was sold to them when they agreed to join.

 

The Newcastle hierarchy claim they will no longer make that mistake, although players will still be sold if the profit margins are big enough.

 

Newcastle want to increase the number of British players in the squad and hopes to form a new spine of the team with signings with prior experience of English football, as well as an affinity towards it. They will also relax the policy which saw them focus on signing players with resale value which should mean more players over the age of 26 arrive this summer. However, players over the age of 30 will still not be considered.

 

Same general stuff, so obviously this yarn has been put out by the club.