In Mike I trust

I'm not advocating we go back to the days buying Owen etc, we don't have to. The issue is completely the owner, I can't accept the appointments of Llambias, Wise, Kinnear etc were the actions of an owner who had the long term development of a football club at heart.
Our current situation is largely down to decisions made and policies implemented in the early stages on his tenure. Whilst I fully acknowledge we don't have a divine right to be " up with the big boys " and the good times under Keegan and Sir Bobby were certainly not the norm in the club's history, however it's now where many expect us to be.

I'm my opinion he has been completely complicit in the club's failure to establish itself as a Premier League side let alone one that shows ambition to progress competitively.

 

Rafa knows it too. Short term struggle but if he can keep us up he can then spread his wings a bit with the increased spending power that would bring. Along with the esteem he is held in by most NUFC supporters, it's probably a large part of the reason that he is content to stay put and be patient.

 

The Sky/ tv bubble will burst one day and these mega rich Arab/ Russian/ American/ Chinese ****s will **** off and play with a new toy. It is inevitable. The likes of Man City and Chelski will be ruined and football will become football again.

3pm kicks off on a Saturday afternoon in half empty stadiums with players that actually give a **** giving 100% for the club and fans.

 

So, the only salvation we have with Ashley, is some vain hope that the TV Money bubble will one day birst. MA will then be proven to be astute and our saviour.

Don't hold your breath and be very very patient awaiting that day.

I'm the meantime get used to mediocrity at best and be thankful for it.

 

It's like I've been saying for years

We're a small club

 

I don't think anything is going to go pop personally. I did at one stage but the bottom line is these rich owners aren't losing interest - if anything it's growing. The money from TV just keeps going up. The business is a great vehicle for advertising so the big companies just keep pumping in more and more as they are seeing tangible returns.

The best we can hope for is a massive buyout and someone bringing us to the party. Sitting hoping our frugal ways will work out well when things go pop is foolhardy in my eyes. We either need massive investment or a stellar youth system. Preferably both. I hate it and despise what football in this country has become, but as a supporter you have to hope for the best for your club. The best is some multi billionaire who wants to spunk some money.

 

Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, is apparently the first manager in the history of football to have been involved in transfer deals combining a total of more than £1 billion.

Staggering.

 

The bubble won't burst.
Personally thought streaming would stop it, with Sky eventually dropping the TV momey on the realisation half their audience isn't even paying.
But the likes of city can be big spenders without their TV money. When it falls it will only serve to create a larger gap between the elite and the rest.
Best get praying for a Chinese zillionaire to snap us up.

 

Euro league.
Let the playboys play together.
Football can then move on.

 

This, well maybe, but only if they can make even more money out of.

 

Exactly.

The very fact that Charnley was appointed in the first place, let alone still there is mind boggling. Would things have been different if Mort had have stayed? Who knows, but I suspect that working for Ashley long term was not on his career credibility wish list.

Ashley has been a ****ing disaster from day one. I'm flabbergasted just how short peoples memories are. Wise / Keegan / JFK / Lambeezee / Relegation / Houghton sacking / SD Arena / Charnley / Pards / Carver / McClaren / Relegation.............. just look at all of the stories surrounding that lot and tell me that Ashley has been good for the club.

 

We are a club with a huge fan base, huge stadium and huge potential but we are saddled with a small vision owner................. we are a billboard for his cheap sports goods and his vision or desire does not extend beyond that..

 

Spot on.

 

Succinct and to the point

 

I've read this so many times about bubbles bursting... Where there is demand there will be supply.

I'd say it's just getting started. Look at the global audience for the EPL, it's nowhere near to being exploited yet.

 

The likes of Netflix, Apple, Google and Facebook aren't event remotely involved yet, and that's where the real money is. I know what will happen, and whatever you do, don't think for one second there's gonna be some bubble popping and everything goes back to the 90's. What you have to remember above all else is that those with the most money need it to keep changing. It would take a zombie apocalypse to stop this.

 

You're right. Long live the Zombies.

 

I'm serious; I spend time with people at the likes of Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone, IBM and the theme is the same; get something interesting, own the content and the delivery and BINGO - money.

Sky said "we'll pay x amount for the right" to get subscribers and have built a base that allows them to bid billions. Partnerships with HBO and others have extended Sky into a global entertainment network. Good for them. But Amazon/Facebook/Youtube/Google/Apple have an unimaginably larger captive audience and considerably more money. Sky will not exist soon, it will disappear into Vodafone (if you trade shares and have cash, get on that). Why? Voda want to be like AT&T and BT; creating AND delivering content. Means you need to pay Voda money to watch the stuff they create, on platforms they deliver via devices they own. AT&T do it primarily in the US, BT still have phone network but will start creating soon (probably buy Netflix).

The football is a product, but the TV companies can't just 'produce' it, like a Game of Thrones. So the money will just have to keep flowing into the clubs themselves, but the punter only wants to watch the epic show, the indie flick doesn't get as much attention (but it's still important). This is the way of football, we (even including me) are going to have to be either a lot more thankful that we're still eating off the top table, or do something else.

 

Nobody's forgotten any of those things or saying he's been good for the club over the last 10 years. What I've been trying to say though is that there has been a change in policy regarding what the manager has to spend and, with a competent manager at the helm at last, we can put the past 10 years behind us and look forward. The cash flow problem is a temporary one and things will gradually get better in coming seasons. I just fail to see the point in bleating on about something that we can't change anyway; Ashley is the owner and that is that.

During the first 8 years of chaos in his ownership all I ever asked for was for him to stop meddling, respect the club's tradition and the fans, put a decent manager in place and run the club as a break-even entity. We've got that now so I'm not going to keep knocking the bloke and certainly not because people think he should empty his bank account in to Rafa's transfer kitty. Do I trust him not to stick his oar in again in the future and **** things up? Not a chance of it but I'm not going to assume he will and keep a cloud of negativity hovering over the club.