More of the usual, Ashleys disappeared on holiday just as its starting to get tight on time. Refusing to take down his ****ty advertising. We should have a "Ashley selling" bingo board and see what dates in January/February he comes out and call them tire kickers, calls the deal off etc
Alright, so we've got "parties don't have the money". 2 days later many of the same media outlets are reporting parties are unhappy because "Mike wants SD advertising to remain at SJP". Well, which is it?! How are we talking about advertising rights, when they're not about to buy a football club? Mike's been a **** for 11 years (well, I daresay for far longer than 11 years, but let's keep it on topic). But he hasn't run this charade time and again. We've had one Xmas saga that coincidentally resulted in no spending, but I don't remember this EVER happening under Pardoo. Please do correct me if I'm wrong. And, as I've already said quite clearly, we've had windows of ludicrous austerity without any backdrop of "we're for sale/oh no we're not" fabricated pantomime. There is no way Peter Kenyon would be "in on it", and he has made no subsequent effort to distance himself from some fairly persistent comments and rumours. I'm parked in the Believer camp, this one last time. It has to happen, because - to quote Captain American from Avengers:End Game - "I don't know what I'm going to do if it doesn't".
I'm not really sure why people pay any attention to newspapers when a national will make up a story and then other nationals and then the locals will regurgitate it. Before Ashley spilled the beans in his Sky interview nobody was seriously reporting any takeover news whatsoever ...................... now, suddenly, every newsroom in the country has a hotline to the negotiations and is giving a running commentary. The FACT of the matter is the the Sun / Star / Chronicle know **** ALL and they are just producing / repeating made up stories day after day to fill column inches. Plus, Ashley going on holiday means nothing .................. he is not negotiating the deal face to face (it was well reported that he was not present at any negotiations when he bought the club)................. he will quite easily be able to sign documents if required no matter where he is in the world ............... and i reckon he has probably taken his mobile on holiday with him if he needed to have a chat with someone!!
Not quite, there were a few reporters of note, particularly Luke Edwards who had news, most too unsubstantiated to publish. All mike did was claim it was more advanced than ever. That’s what everyone jumped on. Don’t get me wrong, Mike is absolutely using media to deflect attention from all the negative press. But he’s not just making it up.
Since when has a journalist refrained from posting a story because they could not fully substantiate it You have already said that there are conflicting stories in the media now about the takeover .................. so someone is writing bollocks because they can't all be correct. What you actually had were a couple of journos claiming that they knew all about it because they position themselves as being 'in the know' when actually they knew nowt. Ashleys 'revelation' caught everyone by surprise. The only people that actually know what is happening is Ashley, his negotiating team and the interested parties.................... and non of them are phoning the Daily Star or the Chronical or Luke Edwards to give him a daily update. I have never suggested that Ashley is 'making it up' because i dont buy into these conspiracy theories that he has set up some elaborate plan to deflect attention so that he does not have to spend in January ...................... that is clearly bollocks. I actually dont doubt that there is a potential deal bubbling away somewhere.
If there are ongoing negotiations then any sale will be announced in typical NUFC fashion - a short statement via the website.
BEIN Sports have just commented about Mike going on holiday suggesting the sale won't be going through any time soon.
Why is Ashley going on holiday an indicator of anything? He does it every year at this time ........................ he will have access to email and a telephone ................ he could quite easily jump onto a private jet and get almost anywhere in the world if required in 24hrs notice. There is nothing to report, becuase any negotiations that are taking place are doing so very much behind closed doors, so news outlets are just writing click bait bollocks.
Simon Jordan is the latest to say he reckons it's happening. Last I heard/read was it was in process still and the "ITK's" are 100% confident it's going to happen, and soon. Last knockings, allegedly, covering advertising, Strawberry Place and delays because answers from the council aren't exactly easy to get at Xmas. I think it'll go through at around £280m with possible concessions for control of the shop and certain ad rights, which will be paid for at a lower rate. Better than the current princely sum of feck all we get from SD, so no real loss.
As far as the advertising is concerned, i actually could not give a **** ........................ do i want SD ****e all over the Cathedral On The Hill ..................... of course not, but if it is what it takes to get that poison out of our club ill take it. I am amazed that anyone actually thought that he would not want this in any deal. I can see SD actually being shirt sponsor in any deal. We all know Ashley will move the goalposts as soon as a deal as imminent ..................... he has to turn it into a pissing contest and he will have to feel as though he has gotten the better of the other party ..................... that is what it will take to get the deal done. Lets just hope whoever is interested can be the bigger person and let Ashley get his piss a couple of inches further up the wall, for the good of the bigger picture. Whilst a future away from Ashley may be uncertain, i will take it over having this cancer running through our club, our community, our city and day of the week.
Personally I think it will Drag on till end of January. But I think it might happen as this is kind of the last throw of the dice for him.