Mike Ashley (former owner) (still alive)

[Dokko]

I wouldn't be to sure about that, he has ran Newcastle for 13 years at a profit, if he could purchase Sunderland for a pittance he could turn it around, drinking a pint from a plastic glass surrounded by makems would put him on the same pedestal as the 73 team, that hatrick fella and Bally.

 

Average ticket price last time they were in the prem was £11. There’s no money in Sunderland .

[HaydnNUFC]

If he bought the mackems and took them to the Prem they'd be loving him, but then he'll put the squeeze on and do his usual shit. Imagine us being a good side and battering an Ashley owned Sunderland twice a year man. Fucking great.

 

The mackems would take 17th in the PL season in, season out as long they 'beat the mags'. Shocking excuse of a football club. Match made in heaven.

[Happinesstan]

I wouldn't be to sure about that, he has ran Newcastle for 13 years at a profit, if he could purchase Sunderland for a pittance he could turn it around, drinking a pint from a plastic glass surrounded by makems would put him on the same pedestal as the 73 team, that hatrick fella and Bally.

 

Average ticket price last time they were in the prem was £11. There’s no money in Sunderland .

 

I thought Nissan paid a King's ransom.

[Rafalove]

Does the fact he sold during a pandemic prove those of us who boycotted were right to do so, and if more of us had done so, we might have been able to get him to sell earlier? I think it does

[loki679]

Does the fact he sold during a pandemic prove those of us who boycotted were right to do so, and if more of us had done so, we might have been able to get him to sell earlier? I think it does

 

Nar, it tells us that if you'd just chowed down on some bat soup back in 2009 we could have avoided the whole thing.

[Pandamninator]

@ All you Adam Smith types,

 

Is buying the failing brands of the high street good business strategy or is it mental?

 

Said it a few times, I don’t get Ashley’s recent strategy at all. Getting deeper and deeper into a failing industry and brands that will never recover. I guess it’s all he knows.

 

If I was him I’d cash out my £500m and retire, but I guess he has that business person drive that never seems to let up.

 

Ego, decades of being branded the King of a Tat Emporium and a running joke who lucked into a winning lottery ticket have gotten to him.  Same as Newcastle where he refused to change because he was going to beat football, he wants to run his business "his way" and show all those snobby twats that he's actually a genius while making himself more upmarket.

 

What he needs to realise buying some failing high street brands doesn't undo that, it's the equivalent of sticking Steve Bruce in one of Pep's fancy suits and giving him a Gucci manpurse - it doesn't change what he is.

[Guest chopey]

I wouldn't be to sure about that, he has ran Newcastle for 13 years at a profit, if he could purchase Sunderland for a pittance he could turn it around, drinking a pint from a plastic glass surrounded by makems would put him on the same pedestal as the 73 team, that hatrick fella and Bally.

 

Average ticket price last time they were in the prem was £11. There’s no money in Sunderland .

 

I thought Nissan paid a King's ransom.

 

Believe it or not Sunderland fans dont just live in a 500 yard area around the stadium, they live and work in the same area as Newcastle fans. If Ashley gets them up the ground will be full again.

[Dr Jinx]

Anyone think he’ll stay in football after this?

[Jinky Jim]

Anyone think he’ll stay in football after this?

 

No....I think he hates football....it’s just another irritant to him....all that concerns him is his SD

[GWN]

Anyone think he’ll stay in football after this?

 

I wouldn’t put it past him however I think not, his shitty brand is tainted after his fuck up over his attempts to keep his stores open.

 

The nation won’t forget .

[Dr Jinx]

Apparently there’s a meeting happening today for Sports Direct where there’s a motion to remove the whole board. There’s a story in the Telegraph but it’s behind a paywall.

 

It wouldn’t surprise me if he keeps hold of his shares just long enough for things to pick up a bit and then just gets out of there.

[Interpolic]

Wish him nothing but misery in his future endeavours.

[TooonDoom]

Trolling warning... don't take me too seriously... But given this all goes through:

 

If you look at the number of sales of teams over the last decade maybe his selling strategy has done us a favour.  Pricing out the buyers who wanted to make an immediate profit on us has only left one type of buyer.  Hopefully the mega rich type.  We could have been purchased by some right chancers if he dropped the price by 50-100 million.  It could be that he's done what he promised which was to only sell to a team that can take us forward.

 

Time will tell when the small print of the deal starts leaking. 

[RS]

https://coupler.foxsports.com.au/api/v1/article/amp/football/premier-league/teams/newcastle-united/the-vicious-powerdrinking-rain-man-who-took-a-premier-league-giant-and-fed-it-up/news-story/a861752553965b0aa027f9f4ec1492f5?__twitter_impression=true

 

Don’t know if this has been posted before but you’ve got to love the Aussies

[LV]

Trolling warning... don't take me too seriously... But given this all goes through:

 

If you look at the number of sales of teams over the last decade maybe his selling strategy has done us a favour.  Pricing out the buyers who wanted to make an immediate profit on us has only left one type of buyer.  Hopefully the mega rich type.  We could have been purchased by some right chancers if he dropped the price by 50-100 million.  It could be that he's done what he promised which was to only sell to a team that can take us forward.

 

Time will tell when the small print of the deal starts leaking. 

 

That’s actually not a bad shout.

 

Although he could have sold us to the City Sheikh Mansour lot about 10 year ago

[east stander]

Apparently there’s a meeting happening today for Sports Direct where there’s a motion to remove the whole board. There’s a story in the Telegraph but it’s behind a paywall.

 

It wouldn’t surprise me if he keeps hold of his shares just long enough for things to pick up a bit and then just gets out of there.

 

It's not the SD board, it is the auditors

 

"Furious shareholders are expected to oust the entire board of Sports Direct auditor RSM at the embattled firm’s annual meeting this morning as discontent within the firm pours out into public view.

 

Five shareholders, who claim the backing of about two-thirds of investors, have tabled a motion to remove the current management, as first reported by The Telegraph."

[loki679]

Apparently there’s a meeting happening today for Sports Direct where there’s a motion to remove the whole board. There’s a story in the Telegraph but it’s behind a paywall.

 

It wouldn’t surprise me if he keeps hold of his shares just long enough for things to pick up a bit and then just gets out of there.

 

It's not the SD board, it is the auditors

 

"Furious shareholders are expected to oust the entire board of Sports Direct auditor RSM at the embattled firm’s annual meeting this morning as discontent within the firm pours out into public view.

 

Five shareholders, who claim the backing of about two-thirds of investors, have tabled a motion to remove the current management, as first reported by The Telegraph."

 

Unless I'm mistaken, Ashley owns the majority of shares in SD so nothing can pass without his approval.

[Dr Jinx]

Apparently there’s a meeting happening today for Sports Direct where there’s a motion to remove the whole board. There’s a story in the Telegraph but it’s behind a paywall.

 

It wouldn’t surprise me if he keeps hold of his shares just long enough for things to pick up a bit and then just gets out of there.

 

It's not the SD board, it is the auditors

 

"Furious shareholders are expected to oust the entire board of Sports Direct auditor RSM at the embattled firm’s annual meeting this morning as discontent within the firm pours out into public view.

 

Five shareholders, who claim the backing of about two-thirds of investors, have tabled a motion to remove the current management, as first reported by The Telegraph."

 

Ahh.. shame, am really hoping they take a complete tumble now that we’re almost free of their clutches.

 

That article basically has nothing to do with Sports Direct other than them hiring them. Quite a misleading piece on the surface.

 

Here’s a question actually, so our club shop is run from Shirebrook, well they handle the distribution etc and take all the profits.

 

Is this agreement posted in the companies house? I’d be interested to see if he manages to keep any sort of agreement in place.

[mrmojorisin75]

Anyone think he’ll stay in football after this?

 

I wouldn’t put it past him however I think not, his shitty brand is tainted after his fuck up over his attempts to keep his stores open.

 

The nation won’t forget .

 

are you new here?

[Anderson]

Apparently there’s a meeting happening today for Sports Direct where there’s a motion to remove the whole board. There’s a story in the Telegraph but it’s behind a paywall.

 

It wouldn’t surprise me if he keeps hold of his shares just long enough for things to pick up a bit and then just gets out of there.

 

It's not the SD board, it is the auditors

 

"Furious shareholders are expected to oust the entire board of Sports Direct auditor RSM at the embattled firm’s annual meeting this morning as discontent within the firm pours out into public view.

 

Five shareholders, who claim the backing of about two-thirds of investors, have tabled a motion to remove the current management, as first reported by The Telegraph."

 

Unless I'm mistaken, Ashley owns the majority of shares in SD so nothing can pass without his approval.

 

It’s the board of RSM they’re talking about, nothing to do with Ashley/SD beyond the fact they were recently appointed as SD auditors.

[TRon]

Anyone think he’ll stay in football after this?

 

No....I think he hates football....it’s just another irritant to him....all that concerns him is his SD

 

Agree, I think he's done with football personally. He's done well out of it, but he's shown no inclination to buy lower profile clubs within his budget. Can't see the fat cunt buying Sunderland after having owned Newcastle. Just too much of a climbdown even for him. He'd be a public laughing stock.

[mrmojorisin75]

stupid thing is his 13 years have proven that it's a viable strategy to market his shite shops but he's so intent on fucking things up through his own erratic decision making that owning us has been 10x the headache it ever should have been

 

go and buy a club with a decent fanbase for up to £50m of the £300m he stands to make, appoint people who can run an actual football club and give them an annual budget to work within...leave them completely the fuck alone after plastering SD ads all over the place

 

mackems would be a great buy for him imo, even in the champo, if he was willing to fund getting them up first

[Matt]

Here’s a question actually, so our club shop is run from Shirebrook, well they handle the distribution etc and take all the profits.

 

Is this agreement posted in the companies house? I’d be interested to see if he manages to keep any sort of agreement in place.

 

It's likely that in the short term the club's retail will continue to work through SD as it would take time to re-organise distribution channels. The share of resulting profits isn't something that would be publicly disclosed, although a lot of people got excited by the deal with Rangers where the club got 5% / 10% (can't remember which) of sales and that was spun as SD taking 90% of the money- ignoring that they'd also be bearing all the costs of sale.

 

In the grand scheme of things, it probably doesn't add up to much, but as posters above comment- that's partly due to lack of ambition on the retail strategy.

[Guest neesy111]

We used to have the 2nd biggest retail operation behind Man Utd in the 90's, that was Freddie Fletcher's work.

[David Icke - Son of God]

stupid thing is his 13 years have proven that it's a viable strategy to market his s**** shops but he's so intent on f***ing things up through his own erratic decision making that owning us has been 10x the headache it ever should have been

 

This. That stuff in The Athletic article about his meeting with Rafa was mindblowing. He had a world class coach showing him how the club could wash it's face and compete, he acknowledge the numbers made sense, and he still conspired to fuck it up.