Mike Ashley (former owner)

[HaydnNUFC]

What are some Ashley-isms that you hope to never hear again after he's gone? I'll start with "purple players".

 

'Every penny generated'

[manorpark]

What are some Ashley-isms that you hope to never hear again after he's gone? I'll start with "purple players".

 

'Every penny generated'

 

"I can not and will not"

[Greg]

What are some Ashley-isms that you hope to never hear again after he's gone? I'll start with "purple players".

 

Although words penned by Kevin Keegan's lawyers, deserves to be in the same category.

 

"The club admitted to the tribunal that it repeatedly and intentionally misled the press, public and the fans of Newcastle United."

[LV]

It’s science against us

[Guest neesy111]

Using transfers deals as including wages.  For me wages are your opex and transfers are capex.

[Facundo Ferreyra]

"Like a new signing"

 

Granted I don't think he ever said that himself, but his yes man managers did.

[loki679]

Monitoring

low-ball

Some way apart on valuation

Insulting offer

[Facundo Ferreyra]

What was his line about wallpaper?

 

“If someone said to me I am wealthy – OK, in theory I am a billionaire, even maybe a multi-billionaire – but in reality my wealth is all in Sports Direct shares that, as I said the other week, are the same as wallpaper. I don’t have that cash in the bank, so I don’t have that ability to write a cheque for £200m. I don’t have it, it’s very simple, it’s not there. I would have to sell the Sports Direct shares to fund that"

[NG32]

Selling our best player to rival clubs and allowing them to pay in installments and then insisting we only pay in full when buying.

[NG32]

What was his line about wallpaper?

 

“If someone said to me I am wealthy – OK, in theory I am a billionaire, even maybe a multi-billionaire – but in reality my wealth is all in Sports Direct shares that, as I said the other week, are the same as wallpaper. I don’t have that cash in the bank, so I don’t have that ability to write a cheque for £200m. I don’t have it, it’s very simple, it’s not there. I would have to sell the Sports Direct shares to fund that"

Thats the one,  making out he is "cash" poor while starving the club of commercial revenue with SD sponsorship all over the stadium and paying very little for it.

[GWN]

Competing with a nation 

[mrmojorisin75]

What are some Ashley-isms that you hope to never hear again after he's gone? I'll start with "purple players".

 

over the line

[Groundhog63]

"I will not sell Newcastle until we win a cup"  2015

[Stifler]

Aye. In my opinion he’s not buying a team below the Championship, simply because they aren’t profitable.

He’ll want a club who could get promoted and to-yo without too much investment.

If Sunderland were in the Championship, they would be an attractive proposition, a big stadium, a training ground and academy that won’t need much investment over the years (it will, but he’ll have a few years before it needs major re-investment).

They have a decent following, although how many would remain if we become successful and how many will be prepared to keep paying to go and see them remains a big questions. If we did become successful under our new owners, then the support from outside the city in places like Durham and Washington will drop as time goes on.

 

Also, if you look at his business model, even with SD he made his name buying former big brands which had lost their shine. So if you apply that to football clubs, the two he went for were Newcastle and Rangers, both huge names. By that logic he would be more likely to look at a club like Leeds or Villa; clubs with a huge potential fanbase and big city clout. Sunderland are still considered a waypoint on the way to Newcastle by the rest of the country.

Leeds could very well still be promoted, almost certainly will if the season is concluded.

If that happens then the price of them goes well above the £100m mark. I think that will be too much for Ashley to invest in. I think Villa would be difficult. On one hand they are likely to be relegated, on the other they will still have quite a bit of parachute payments to come through, and their current owners seem to fairly stable.

 

I made an article for the mag about why I think he’d go for Sheffield Wednesday. I actually see them as a very likely option. As it happens I really admire the Sheffield Wednesday fans, some of the best support I’ve seen at both SJP, and at as a home team when I have went to an away match.

If any set of fans deserve to be in the top flight, it’s them, and they most certainly do not deserve Ashley thrusted upon them.

[quayside]

"From this day forward we will be making our own luck.”

[Guest Butcher]

Be amazed if Ashley ever goes anywhere near a football club again.

[D. Yimentov]

Over the line, under the table, through the mud and up Steve's arse.

 

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

‘He has come in and balanced the books’

[Dokko]

There’s a huge part of me that thinks he’ll take this money and semi retire. Football is not his game, the least likely option is him buying another club, but with the high street struggling and so volatile especially after the virus, is it even safe to start buying it all up? I think he might just fuck it all off, take his money and run and let SD manage on its own.

[Minhosa]

‘Pound for pound’. ‘Cups are not a priority’. ‘A player has never rejected us because of our training facilities’.

[D. Yimentov]

@ All you Adam Smith types,

 

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

[NG32]

"You dont know how horrible we can be". I think that was Llambias tho.

[Dokko]

@ All you Adam Smith types,

 

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

 

Right now having cash is king. Stick it in gold if you want to be mega safe. A company as large as SD could burn through 300m quite easily over the next year just fighting the fallout of the virus. Taking more on is a massive gamble, and he’s lost a couple under normal circumstances.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

@ All you Adam Smith types,

 

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

 

Your money is safer with Nigerian scammers!

[Minhosa]

There’s a huge part of me that thinks he’ll take this money and semi retire. Football is not his game, the least likely option is him buying another club, but with the high street struggling and so volatile especially after the virus, is it even safe to start buying it all up? I think he might just fuck it all off, take his money and run and let SD manage on its own.

 

Don't see that. He'll have a point to prove. He always fucking does.

 

He appears to be driven in such a petty way.

 

I'd wager good money, he'll go for the mackems tbh.

 

If not them, then someone else.

 

Also, I don't imagine him even contemplating retirement/semi retirement at the minute. His wealth is down by an absolute shit tonne.

 

At it's peak, his wealth was circa £2bn. I'd be surprised if it's not closer to £500m now.

 

He'll be driven to return to those levels imho.

 

The only thing delaying him getting back into football is that I reckon he'll try to take SD private again. That's whats driven him to getting this far with our sale imho.