So... after years of 'Mike Ashley Out' campaigning...... would you prefer he stayed.... or that the Chinese assumed control at SJP. The in's and outs are discussed on the other thread... this is a mere poll to see what our collective thoughts are.... please log in to view this image Versus please log in to view this image
I've gone for Chinese investment. Hard to forgive so many past sins, to be honest. Disclaimer here is it has to be the dude worth $31bn. If it's some shady group, not interested.
I'll never trust Ashley. I didn't believe that Rafa would have his end of season promises fulfilled. I guess he'll get the same treatment as Keegan or Shearer. The Chinese option? If the game is getting big across there, then I'm not sure how that would make us the next Man City or Chelsea. I'd favour Ashley to get out, but that comes with an amount of risk. Having said that, clubs like ourselves have large potential however well we're doing.
Personally I would like to see the back of Ashley. He his done some pretty despicable things to our club over the years and ill not be forgetting that as easily as some. The reality is that the Abramovich's and Shiekh Maosour's of this world are very few and far between. Almost anybody looking to buy up a PL club now is looking at it as an investment. An investment that they will want a return on................ just as Ashley will now. Its a pissing contest for Roman and the Sheikh.......... for most its all about the return on investment. And even Chelsea aren't throwing cash around like they used too. Lets say that NUFC is bought for £300 million. Treading water mid table is cheaper than gunning for a Champions League spot so to think that a buyer is going to come in and spunk another £200 million to even give us a sniff of the top four is crazy. But lets be clear. Ashley is putting zero into the pot. Yes he is giving over self generated funds but he is putting nothing towards it. He only injects money when we get relegated and that's purely to protect his investment. Things will never change as long as he is here. We will continue to be a yo-yo club and at some point he will piss Rafa about and he'll leave. Those that think Ashley has ever learnt any lessons only need to look at the fact that Charnley and Carr are still at the club!!
Couldn't agree more on what you wrote here. Am afraid that football as a game is only on us fans. But owners - whatever shape and size - will always tend to make decisions based on the return for their investment. They will only invest for Champions League if and only if that will yield sufficient returns at manageable risks. Leeds anyone?
Yeah, CL football doesn't seem worth it from the point of view of an owner who is purely in the game to make a return on investment. The TV money for a mid-table finish in the PL is far in excess of the prize money for winning the CL. Though right now I'd take PL stability and a focus on winning some silverware in the short term at least.