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Various: Mike Ashley in talks with Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan


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Guest Howaythetoon

Just to give a different perspective and this is just my own opinion...

 

First of all, I’m not reading too much into the latest ‘news’ and I have tried to refrain from commenting about it. One news outlet this morning said an improved bid had been made, another says it’s now off between MA and AS but the club still remains for sale... I’m working on the assumption that again, no one really knows anything and what is happening right now is basically a game of poker between seller and buyer...

 

So... IMO I believe...

 

Mike Ashley DOES want to sell NUFC, but only at a price he feels is acceptable. If the offer is 250m I myself would not accept that offer for NUFC as things stand. If it’s loaded with relegation clauses etc. holding MA responsible financially, again I would not accept that. It’s worth 300-350m even in the position we are in now if you are deadly serious about the club. If you were a serious buyer, you’d believe in the potential etc. and would have in place contingency plans for a relegation etc. Whether we were 10th and comfortable or only 3 points off safety as things stand. Long-term the club is worth 300m + even if next season it’s a division down. But only if you have plans for a long-term partnership with the club as an investor.

 

Mike Ashley cannot bankroll NUFC to be even remotely competitive in the current climate, nor does he want to even if he could. The longer he remains as owner the tougher it becomes for him and the less valuable the club is worth because crowds will dwindle if all we are capable of is fighting relegation or even going down and there is zero chance Rafa who is the glue that bonds the fans to the club and vice versa at current will stick around. He goes, and it implodes. Therefore his bargaining chip weakens.

 

What MA is hoping for is that the would be buyer matches his valuation. Whether AS has or not who knows. Whether there are clauses or not who knows.

 

Maybe Ashley is even trying to smoke out another buyer, again who knows.

 

Regardless, I firmly believe Mike Ashley would love to sell the club tomorrow, but only on his terms. At this moment, mind. He’s hoping by staying firm, the buyer will come back and give him what he wants because it seems they are desperate to own NUFC too, but like Ashley only on their terms.

 

STALEMATE!

 

Who will back down? I don’t think either will and the deciding factor may be us staying up which could mean a sale won’t happen until the end of the season.

 

Everything I’ve read, everything I’ve heard, everything I personally think of it all, leads me to believe Ashley really does want out this time around, and that in order to get out, he will have to make a compromise. The would be buyer will have to as well.

 

Whether that happens remains to be seen.

 

Seriously, you don’t get this far into it for either party and then have a meal with smiley happy faces just to say fuck it, it’s not happening.

 

So, for me, IMO, I think it will happen, the sale of NUFC. It may not be PCP nor this season, but it will happen because Ashley can not afford to keep hold of the club or rather he cannot afford to see his investment devalue so much to the point where it becomes almost worthless over time. Then add on the fan unrest, media scrutiny and the fact he could do with a few hundred million because as he said himself, he doesn’t have money in the bank allied to his net worth in terms of assets, not cash anyway. It’s all tied up in SD... oh and NUFC! HE cannot and will not sell up in SD.

 

For the would be buyer, and this is why I believe it’s AS and maybe a few investors only and not Man City type owners, they are business people and spending an extra 50m just to secure the deal, will be fought tooth and nail, because they too are not flush with unlimited money. Especially as our league position/status isn’t secured or guaranteed.

 

Compromise?

 

We will see. Anyway, I’m not reading too much into any of what the media are going with at the moment, they have consistently shown they know fuck all and react to ‘stuff’ rather than anything else.

 

Already there seems to be a bit of backtracking RE the so-called ‘statement’ from the so called source...

 

And if we don’t get taken over? Burn the fucking house down :D

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According to Caulkin they made two offers:

 

- The first was meeting the asking price of £300m but was to be paid in instalments and had conditions (e.g relegation)

- The second was a take it or leave it £250m cash upfront.

 

Both reasonable given the circumstances.

 

If they were prepared to make a second offer that included an acceptance of the risk of relegation, it would have been a lot less than £250m.

 

Caulkin is no better informed about this situation than you or me.

 

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According to Caulkin they made two offers:

 

- The first was meeting the asking price of £300m but was to be paid in instalments and had conditions (e.g relegation)

- The second was a take it or leave it £250m cash upfront.

 

Both reasonable given the circumstances.

 

Given the current circumstances of possible relegation? If we stay up does the cash price jump £50m? Ashley will see that as a worthwhile risk and I'd say there are currently 3/4 teams that are more likely to be relegated than us.

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According to Caulkin they made two offers:

 

- The first was meeting the asking price of £300m but was to be paid in instalments and had conditions (e.g relegation)

- The second was a take it or leave it £250m cash upfront.

 

Both reasonable given the circumstances.

 

If they were prepared to make a second offer that included an acceptance of the risk of relegation, it would have been a lot less than £250m.

 

Caulkin is no better informed about this situation than you or me.

 

 

Well I think that's just wrong.

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FWIW, I have serious doubts about PCP's takeover credentials now anyway. You would have to think by now, they would either have paid a bit more to get the deal done with or walked away. Why would they be p*ssed about by someone like Ashley if this is the way he thinks negotiations are done?

 

You wouldn’t pay the asking price on an £80,000 Bentley if you were told that it might break down in 6 months months and need substantial work. Even if you were filthy rich, you’d want assurances or a more reasonable price.

 

Cars are different though, they always lose valuation and will always need repairs at some point. A football club can increase in value as well as lose it.

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According to Caulkin they made two offers:

 

- The first was meeting the asking price of £300m but was to be paid in instalments and had conditions (e.g relegation)

- The second was a take it or leave it £250m cash upfront.

 

Both reasonable given the circumstances.

 

If they were prepared to make a second offer that included an acceptance of the risk of relegation, it would have been a lot less than £250m.

 

Caulkin is no better informed about this situation than you or me.

 

 

Well I think that's just wrong.

 

Do you actually believe that story about the two bids?

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Guest neesy111

Our squad is worth much less now, than when Ashley first bought the club.  Absolutely astounding that is the case considering the inflation in football since then.  Our club is worth not much because their aren't any assets available to the buyer.

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Guest Howaythetoon

Well this escalated quickly :lol: will still happen IMO.

You'll be ridiculed for saying that, probably rightly so, but could I ask why you think that it'll still happen after all this?

 

As much as I love this forum, bearing in mind I helped create and keep it together, and I’ve met some canny people on here and it is a part of my life, again for how far I date back with it all, ridicule on here really wouldn’t make any difference to me personally and especially given half the people on here are crack pots. Hey I’m one of them, but I’ll hang my neck on the line and say again this will be done eventually. No ITK bull shit or anything. Just my own feelings. And if it doesn’t... well I don’t know how I’ll live. Ridiculed on an internet message board by people I don’t know and never will know. Hope I can live it down... ;)

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According to Caulkin they made two offers:

 

- The first was meeting the asking price of £300m but was to be paid in instalments and had conditions (e.g relegation)

- The second was a take it or leave it £250m cash upfront.

 

Both reasonable given the circumstances.

 

If they were prepared to make a second offer that included an acceptance of the risk of relegation, it would have been a lot less than £250m.

 

Caulkin is no better informed about this situation than you or me.

 

 

Well I think that's just wrong.

 

Do you actually believe that story about the two bids?

 

Not sure, I just completely disagree that he's no better informed than us randoms on here.

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Guest neesy111

Why does HTT give us fucking homework with these unnecessarily long blog piece? :lol: Get a fucking wordpress blog!

 

:lol:

 

:rose:

 

medium.com

 

;)

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Guest Howaythetoon

Why does HTT give us f***ing homework with these unnecessarily long blog piece? :lol: Get a f***ing wordpress blog!

 

:lol:

 

:rose:

 

Last 12 months my posts-word count would be less than the mackems point tally over last 10 years man. I’ve cut right down :D

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Some interesting tweets by this guy, who seems quite well connected based on the people that follow him.

 

Before the news broke:

 

 

 

 

Then:

 

Sorry to say but the TV bidding next month means fuck all. First of all we have to survive this season, then the club has to survive next season in order to see the money. It doesn't matter if the deal happens now or after the new TV deal has been announced, PCP or any other owner would have to invest in funds to build the squad strong enough to either stay up or come back up in time for the new TV money. Ok so the prospect of getting that money may put another £50m-£100m valuation onto the club, but whoever owns the club is going to have to put in £50m-£100m to make sure they get that money.

 

This TV deal is either just another excuse by Ashley to either not sell or a twist to the tale that the media can spin off.

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Ashley was never going to be backed into a corner, and accept any liability for having run an asset into the ground (rejecting the relegation clause), whilst commanding top dollar for it.

 

The apparent collapse of the sale doesn't surprise me, business as usual. I hope Ashley's Newcastle United tumbles down the divisions - scorched earth mentality I have, when it comes to this PL marketing branch of Sports Direct.

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It just seems far too far-fetched to suggest we've all been played. I'm sure there's shenanigans of some description, but it can't all be a rouse; what would be the point, for any party?

 

My theory: PCP contacted the club about possible interest well before the mid October announcement putting the club up for sale officially. We know this to be true because Staveley had been at the Liverpool two weeks earlier, and in the statement there were references made to dilligence periods, so it's fair to assume something was brewing before Ashley showed his hand. I don't think it's therefore hard to imagine how Keith Bishop devised a plan to use the interest to Ashley's advantage regardless of him ever actually being prepared to sell. Let's face it, Ashley had absolutely nothing to lose by doing this. Either it would result in an offer too good to refuse or it would take the heat of him and allow him to get away with spending as little as possible in the January transfer window, which is exactly what seems to be happening. I.e. Amanda Staveley doesn't have to be actually "in" on it - she's probably getting played by Bishop and Ashley like we all are and have been for the past 10 years.

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Professional as ever. :thup:

 

Steve McMahon from Profitable Group in 2009:

 

"We have pulled out. How long can you keep hanging on? We have put a bid in and we have had no communication, no response – nothing.

 

"It really is poor form from Newcastle, but if that’s the way they want to run their business, good luck to them.

 

"I just feel sorry for the supporters – they deserve much, much better. They deserve to know what is going on. We wanted to come in and turn the club round because it clearly needs something at the minute."

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Guest Howaythetoon

Either way, and this is fucking sad I know, I’m not arsed because I’m pretty much done with NUFC, Rafa or no Rafa, takeover or no takeover, and indeed football. I just can’t be arsed to invest time, money, emotion, passion and whatever else into a club and sport that I no longer harbour any real feelings towards. It’s probably more me than anything else. For me unless I’m passionate about something I just can’t get into it enough to be bothered. My passion is my family, cars, my businesses and err, cooking, my new hobby :D I do love this forum though which is what keeps me fucking ‘interested’ in NUFC. You set of cunts!

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Aye, journalism via social media is something I can't get to grips with at all. Research a story and write it when you know what the fuck is happening - I'm making myself sound really old here :lol:

Too easy for them now though. We consume content so fast now that they have to be doing the job 24/7. 10/15 years ago they could bash out a 2 page article in half an hour and be done for the day. Now people will read what is posted pretty much straight away, rather than in the paper after work. Not only this but social media means the reader can now question them and pressure them for more information. It's far too easy for them to be cryptic rather than admitting that they know fuck all. What people don't seem to be releasing though is just how little people in the media know about what they are reporting, and 10-15 years ago it was far too easy for them to get away with it.

Before that guy from the DM was asking what was wrong with the suggestion of Ashley asking for deposits to be paid to him before negotiating a deal to make sure people are serious and have then funds. Anyone in business knows that due diligence can work both ways and the seller can look into the buyers accounts to see if the funding is available, it was even mentioned here, by HTT I think.

Anyway this reporter obviously didn't know this, and this is pretty integral to a major story that he's reporting on and is a fairly basic fact.

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Professional as ever. :thup:

 

Steve McMahon from Profitable Group in 2009:

 

"We have pulled out. How long can you keep hanging on? We have put a bid in and we have had no communication, no response – nothing.

 

"It really is poor form from Newcastle, but if that’s the way they want to run their business, good luck to them.

 

"I just feel sorry for the supporters – they deserve much, much better. They deserve to know what is going on. We wanted to come in and turn the club round because it clearly needs something at the minute."

 

Good shout. Ashley's a fucking joke.

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FWIW, I have serious doubts about PCP's takeover credentials now anyway. You would have to think by now, they would either have paid a bit more to get the deal done with or walked away. Why would they be pissed about by someone like Ashley if this is the way he thinks negotiations are done?

 

You wouldn’t pay the asking price on an £80,000 Bentley if you were told that it might break down in 6 months months and need substantial work. Even if you were filthy rich, you’d want assurances or a more reasonable price.

 

But you'd probably stop wasting time with someone like Ashley if you had that sort of money. They can't want the club that badly.

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This whole narrative has more plot holes than a Michael Bay film - I don't know where to start.

 

I guess my first thought is that Ashley has seriously trashed Staveley's reputation as a businesswoman. Some of the second hand sources use some very deliberate adjectives that are surely direct words from Ashley/Charnley? That reputation is worth millions to her. Surely there's some legal recourse available to her?

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Either way, and this is fucking sad I know, I’m not arsed because I’m pretty much done with NUFC, Rafa or no Rafa, takeover or no takeover, and indeed football. I just can’t be arsed to invest time, money, emotion, passion and whatever else into a club and sport that I no longer harbour any real feelings towards. It’s probably more me than anything else. For me unless I’m passionate about something I just can’t get into it enough to be bothered. My passion is my family, cars, my businesses and err, cooking, my new hobby :D I do love this forum though which is what keeps me fucking ‘interested’ in NUFC. You set of cunts!

Bet you wish you never took your kid to that FA Cup game that made him fall in love with NUFC just over a week ago.
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This whole narrative has more plot holes than a Michael Bay film - I don't know where to start.

 

I guess my first thought is that Ashley has seriously trashed Staveley's reputation as a businesswoman. Some of the second hand sources use some very deliberate adjectives that are surely direct words from Ashley/Charnley? That reputation is worth millions to her. Surely there's some legal recourse available to her?

 

Please let this be Ashley's Ratner moment

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