Michael James Wallace Ashley...

Dear Michael,

You are a poison to Newcastle United.

Nobody likes what you're doing to our once-great club and I think everyone who has any genuine feeling for the Toon would like to see you sell-up.

That's never going to happen of course, because when anyone does approach you with an offer, you simply ask for £300m (insert your own price here).

The constant 'laughing-stock' that you try to make this club into, is starting to wear thin... It's pretty clear that you believe that 'there is no such thing as bad publicity' and that your Sports Direct brand is winning through all these stupid decisions.

Eventually, the biggest shame about all of this, is that this partnership really could have worked.

If you had got a decent manager in and kept him, backed him with finance and looked to progress the club in all areas, the Geordie public would have backed you with their hard-earned cash. Yes, there are the lemmings who will walk through the gates of SJP no matter what tripe is being served up, but the message is starting to spread now.

People are getting wise (don't bother) to your scheme and will drift away from Newcastle United.

It's become a circus and you, Michael, are the biggest clown of the lot.

It's staggering to me that you've managed to drag it out this long, but then we are talking about the people of Newcastle here - we love our football, we love our club and that is exactly how you manage to continue to take the collective 'wee' out of all of us.

I have not set foot in SJP since the disgusting decision to sack Chris Hughton in December 2010 - at this rate, I won't ever be coming back.

It appears that you were upset that the Geordie fans showed 'willfulness' in protesting against you after making mugs out of club legends Kevin Keegan and Alan Shearer - it seems you are fully intent on punishing these fans forever-and-a-day.

You, Michael, are a disgrace to the game of football and more to the point, a total disgrace to the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

I long for the day when we see you leave, taking Joe Kinnear with you.

Money has created a monster, and it's name is Mike Ashley.

 

Once great club?


I've seen this a few times but never said anything... but when were we actually all that great?

 

You're kidding, right?

 

Jackie Milburn, Joe Harvey, Frank Brennan, Bobby Mitchell era?

 

So when very few of us were alive... one little period of winning a couple of cups... How could I have forgotten... So exactly how many of the league clubs are you going to describe as once great if that's the bar???

In the history of the game, Newcastle United isn't a great club in anything other than supporter numbers given the lack of reward.

 

Always have been and will be a great club in my eyes. Regardless what buffoons try to turn it into. I am kinda biased though.

 

In the eyes of true supporters, Newcastle will always be a great club, we just need the Wally out.

 

Sunderland is just down the road, pal.

Have you forgotten how good things were in the 1990's?

There was no silverware apart from the Championship Title, but we were challenging for the PL title and reaching Cup Finals.

 

Well of course fans think it's the be all and end all, but I always assumed the term great was being thrown around erroneously by people who thought we were actually comparatively great, rather than as philosophical musing or just something you rabbit on about to make yourself feel better.

 

Football clubs need success and trophies to attract supporters - Newcastle United is an exception to that 'rule'.

What other club has such fervent support?

 

Hence the point I made about 3 posts back...


The crux of the matter here is I assumed we were being very serious and literal about the greatness of the club, when in fact we're just describing our passion and lust for it, which is fair enough. I'm glad I finally queried it because I thought I was missing something!

 

It isn't a case of forgetting, it's a case of knowing the history of the team you support.

 

I'm not going to get drawn into a heated debate about Newcastle United ever being a great club because there's only one answer.........yes!!!!!

 

That's not a requirement of a football fan. You don't support ghosts. There is some veiled pleasure in knowing legends and the backdrop, and passing it on and sharing, but nobody knows everything.

 

It isn't a requirement, it's something that most fans want to know. The history of their club, the tales of the players that played for their club, hell, there's people use the forum that didn't even see the likes of Shearer, Sir Les, Rob Lee or Garry Speed play except for seeing them on DVD's.

 

Newcastle United is a great football club.

The point i'm making is that Mike Ashley is using that greatness to exploit the fans and the wider public.

We've been constantly dragged through endless piles of ****e by Ashley and it shows no sign of slowing down.

One decent season in the Premier League is all that has come our way since he turned up all those years ago.

Truly horrific.

 

I'd try a more simple approach if I'm honest1

Perhaps something along the lines off " bounce you horrible bastard and never show your face around here ever again"

 

So what did people expect? I mean, I'm not saying relegation was definitely going to happen, no matter what, but ol' Shep left this place in a fairly sh*t state.

Arguably Ashley took over a sinking ship. Then fcked up royally with crap appointment upon crap appointment in his first year, and then screwed around with the decision to sell up (still think he was after a fast buck). But since then I think things have turned in our favour and slowly-but-surely we were headed in the right direction. Then Pards/Llambias fcked it all up last Summer when we should have consolidated and finished top-10 on top of a better-than-average showing in the UEFA and t'other cups. I am purely speculating, but I don't think Ashley knew what he was getting himself in for. I think he thought NUFC were a bargain at £134m (true enough.....if we didn't also have £100m of debts....cheers, Freddy) and could establish an Arsenal in the North. He never wanted to do a Roman, his goal was to "show them how its' done". Suffice to say, he failed spectacularly until a year ago with an astounding achievement, however it was done. I don't hold him accountable for the failure to strengthen - I think Carr does a great job, Llambias does not and Pards is a little bit out of hid depth - not a great combo.

Believe me, I was always one of the first to pick up a pitchfork. But I'm just not so sure now. I think there's more important stuff to really worry about, and whilst I don't subscribe to the "support 'em, no matter what', I also refuse to be led by the media. I like economics - it's interesting, if the subject allows it. In the economics of NUFC - as in, looking under the hood and weighing up exactly what IS happening and what the true causes are - I can see light. I can also see something I couldn't previously - an owner actually considering the longer term, someone bitten by the football bug. If only he'd picked a club with less fickle fans.....

 

Fickle fans?

Really?

When you consider the complete lack of trophy or league success since the arrival of Mike Ashley, I consider it impossible to describe Newcastle United fans as fickle.

 

The season before last I could not hear you lot moan. What I did hear in droves were 'I dont care what the name of the ground is as long as we are playing like this'. Now that is fickle.

Now without the distraction of Europe you may have a decent season. I'm sure you won't be once again moaning about fat mike then.