Dan Ashworth (on gardening leave)

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

9 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

 

If it's just about his personal wages. But then again, you still need to have standards and you can't pay people anything just to keep them. 

 

The best justification for him leaving is that he thinks FFP will limit us too much and he can do more, quicker, at Man Utd. But pure speculation of course. 

 

Yeah, it's a bit of an indictment on our project to me. 

[Haz]

Do we know if he wants to go?

[Jack27]

2 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

Not directly related, but...

Hope Brighton tell them to fuck right off

[Stuy_O]

You can't underestimate the absolute mess he must have walked into mind. I have no doubt he will have put real building blocks in place that will aid our academy very positively in the coming years. Didnt we make an absolute slew on youth scouting appointments across the country not long back? All the work of Ashworth no doubt. 

 

Doesn't mean I'm not pissed off with him like. First flutter of the eye lashes of a top 6 club and he's wanting out. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

2 minutes ago, Shays Given Tim Flowers said:

 

Yeah, it's a bit of an indictment on our project to me. 

Well maybe, guess you could say it’s an indictment on his patience as well. 

[The Prophet]

14 minutes ago, Shays Given Tim Flowers said:

You’d like to think being as rich as we are and all we’d be able to keep hold of our staff. 

 

It might not be exclusively financial. Working with his mate to rebuild arguably the biggest club in England may appeal too.

[Jack27]

1 minute ago, Stuy_O said:

You can't underestimate the absolute mess he must have walked into mind. I have no doubt he will have put real building blocks in place that will aid our academy very positively in the coming years. Didnt we make an absolute slew on youth scouting appointments across the country not long back? All the work of Ashworth no doubt. 

 

Doesn't mean I'm not pissed off with him like. First flutter of the eye lashes of a top 6 club and he's wanting out. 

Aye. Both of the below will have been the work of Dan
 

https://trainingground.guru/articles/newcastle-united-complete-academy-recruitment-overhaul

 

https://trainingground.guru/articles/newcastle-united-complete-position-specific-scouting-team

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

2 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Well maybe, guess you could say it’s an indictment on his patience as well. 

It can be both. 

[The Prophet]

 

[Jack27]

Just now, The Prophet said:

 

Breaking news: man goes to work

[Nucasol]

1 minute ago, The Prophet said:

 

Edwards sniffing his bike seat.

[The College Dropout]

Man U is a more high-profile, high-glory job.

 

No matter how well he does here, people will talk about Saudi money. And it's an uphill battle with FFP, commercials etc. I imagine if he does well at Man U, the money for doing corporate talks and such will be better.

 

Man U is an easier job if he has the funding IMO. And they have majority shareholders that don't really care and minority shareholders who he has worked with previously and probably has more influence over. At Newcastle - who knows what the Saudi's are like behind the scenes? And then Staveley, her husband and Reuben's seem more active and opinionated than at Man U. Who knows what they are like to work with? Likewise, Howe isn't his man, Nickson isn't his man, Eales isn't his man. Man U are working top-down and I think the fans at least would be open to changing managers and everything.

 

And then we probably need a new stadium, training ground, women's team is new, academy is leagues behind. Man U need work in all these areas but not to the extent as us. All the while getting more glory for doing so.

 

 

Edited February 15 by The College Dropout

[Kid Icarus]

Always find it a bit odd how they talk about these compensation packages and how they're substantial etc, but then it's like £6m

 

Nothing compared to the average transfer fee and for a position that's far more important than the average player. 

[macphisto]

17 minutes ago, Stuy_O said:

You can't underestimate the absolute mess he must have walked into mind. I have no doubt he will have put real building blocks in place that will aid our academy very positively in the coming years. Didnt we make an absolute slew on youth scouting appointments across the country not long back? All the work of Ashworth no doubt. 

 

Doesn't mean I'm not pissed off with him like. First flutter of the eye lashes of a top 6 club and he's wanting out. 

I agree about it being a mess due to the Ashley years but at the same time Howe and heads of scouting and academy were in place before Ashworth arrived; I can't think of any other roles half as important as those three that fall under Ashworth's remit. 

 

 

Edited February 15 by macphisto

[STM]

I think there is a tenancy to read too much into certain things.

 

He can be enjoying his job here but also fancy joining his mate at Man United who, let's be fair, are a massive club and further along the line financially.

 

We could have done everything in our power, done everything right... and he could still want the move.

 

If we get 10m for him and replace him with someone equally as capable.. i don't see many issues.

 

Personally, the main question should be about who we replace him with. I hope we have a really good plan.

[Anderson]

Overriding feeling from all of this is being insanely jealous at the amount of gardening leave this fella’s going to have had over a couple years while being paid fortunes.  

[Aiston]

12 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

Always find it a bit odd how they talk about these compensation packages and how they're substantial etc, but then it's like £6m

 

Nothing compared to the average transfer fee and for a position that's far more important than the average player. 

 

To be fair, that is pretty substantial to us as it will be more than we can get for a lot of our current players

 

[wormy]

1 hour ago, Ben said:

So potentially he could steel all of our summer transfer targets and also take some our players with release clauses.

 

It would make me sick to see Bruno and Big Joe in a Man U shirt

 

If we don't build a provision in for that then it's our own fault. I'd imagine there'll be agreements in place that he can't start utilising NUFC-based research, targets etc.

 

Of course if he's such a snake that he's been compiling his own research out of NUFC's sight ready for the jump then there's not much we can do. But I'd expect the club to take him and Man U to the cleaners if talk of existing NUFC targets start getting targeted by Man U.

[Shearergol]

All we’ve talked about this season is FFP, injuries, VAR and now a non-playing member of staff. Boring as fuck. Feels like absolute years since we were beating PSG in the champions league.

 

when is football coming back?

[ChrisMcQuillan]

Annoyed if he goes.

 

He was a symbol of the new era, a kind of "we're ready to take football seriously again" statement.

 

Losing him to Manchester Fucking United of all clubs is a bitter pill to swallow.

 

That said, he's not the only good Director of Football in the world, and provided we replace well, it's not a huge deal. Good riddance if he jumps ship so quickly.

[NE27]

It happened to Brighton and it'll now happen to us. Annoying that it's so early into the project mind.

 

Would like it done with as little fanfare as possible, but also want the club to put them horrible cunts to task if they desperately want him.

[Monters]

26 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

Man U is a more high-profile, high-glory job.

 

No matter how well he does here, people will talk about Saudi money. And it's an uphill battle with FFP, commercials etc. I imagine if he does well at Man U, the money for doing corporate talks and such will be better.

 

Man U is an easier job if he has the funding IMO. And they have majority shareholders that don't really care and minority shareholders who he has worked with previously and probably has more influence over. At Newcastle - who knows what the Saudi's are like behind the scenes? And then Staveley, her husband and Reuben's seem more active and opinionated than at Man U. Who knows what they are like to work with? Likewise, Howe isn't his man, Nickson isn't his man, Eales isn't his man. Man U are working top-down and I think the fans at least would be open to changing managers and everything.

 

And then we probably need a new stadium, training ground, women's team is new, academy is leagues behind. Man U need work in all these areas but not to the extent as us. All the while getting more glory for doing so.

 

 

 

Why would the bold matter - don't like your boss then fine but you'd have no say in who it was or shouldn't

[geordie_b]

1 hour ago, SUPERTOON said:

We may get more for Ashworth than all of our unwanted players together. 

Make them take them too

[FloydianMag]

10 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

All we’ve talked about this season is FFP, injuries, VAR and now a non-playing member of staff. Boring as fuck. Feels like absolute years since we were beating PSG in the champions league.

 

when is football coming back?

Could be a good while before we’re beating the likes of PSG again. The cubs financial situation is all trussed up like a Xmas turkey unless we’re prepared to do something about it.

[The College Dropout]

17 minutes ago, Monters said:

Why would the bold matter - don't like your boss then fine but you'd have no say in who it was or shouldn't

It sounds like Man U is willing to build the whole thing around Ashworth more.

 

In the Athletic article, it suggests Man U are working top down, I would assume Berradi(?) would have to greenlight Ashworth hire. And it's a known entity before taking the role.

 

We hired Ashworth, then brought in his boss after. Not sure if he was involved at all. But we've all been in a position where we've got a new boss with whom we don't work smoothly. Usually, you have a better relationship with the person that brought you in. And again, he has a pre-existing relationship with the big football bosses. Who knows what his relationship is like with our top brass.

 

We brought him in because he's "best in class". Man U are doing the same + he's seemingly pals with the leadership. That makes a difference.

 

I'd leave my job if a former colleague / pal was a big wig at a rival, higher-reputation company. Easily. I've done it in the past.

 

And also - it's the whole picture. Will he be allowed to change everything beneath him in terms of personnel at Man U? Can he do it here? Nickson & Howe earned their stripes without him.

 

 

Edited February 15 by The College Dropout