Dear John

I take issue with Charnley making footballing decisions for which he has no qualifications. It's like that **** Tony Jimenez [a former steward] telling Kevin Keegan where to go all of those years ago. Charnley is just a glorified tea boy that has struck it lucky. For him to say that the squad was good enough back in January just shows what a complete clown he is. Anyone with half a footballing brain could see a mile off that we were way way way short in every department. That leads me on to another man; Graham Carr.

Lets be honest, Graham Carr is so overrated it's amazing that he still classed as being a genius. He has signed some absolute dog ****. He is just as responsible for this mess as mssrs Ashley, Charnley, Pardew and Carver. The guy may have 'contacts' throughout Europe, but the players he is bringing in are largely bog standard and lack heart and character. The whole ****ing club needs gutting from top to bottom.

 

Its important to recognize that these people are actually people. But what I struggle to understand is how someone of Ashley's obvious intelligence can get such basics so badly wrong, it contradicts so much.

 

**** off Carver you fat little orc bastard

 

I remember Keegan saying something about Ashley a while back. He said that he's a good bloke to work for and that he doesn't hold any grudges. His issue was the people employed by Ashley. That is what he is getting so badly wrong. The people that are making the day to day decisions. Ashley is responsible for the overall mess because of his business model [which simply won't work in the long term because to stay competitive you have to invest], but it's people like Jimenez, Wise, Kinnear, Llambias, Pardew and Charnley that have caused just as much damage.

 

By all accounts, and I mean all, nobody ever seems to say that Ashley is an a*hole. But by the same token, how is he not demanding answers from Charnley or Carr, or the other idiots? Why is Charnley not saying "Mike, I can keep it profitable nut we need more staff."? Where is the REAL problem? If we know that we might have more of a chance to fix it. I don't necessarily know that getting the owner to sell is the only way.

 

That's the thing. Ashley may be the owner but he isn't responsible for the day to day running of the club. The Managing Director [Lee Charnley] is. He is given brief by the owner and he makes decisions based on that brief. All well and good, but his decisions have been disastrous. A bit like Llambias before him. It brings me back to my point about Keegan; it is the people employed by Ashley that are making important decisions that simply beggar belief.

 

To be fair to Carr, there may very well be cases where the players he identified didn't want to come, or we didn't want to cough up enough to get them, thus resulting in plans B, C, all the way to Z.... other lesser options that ended up with us. If rumour were to be believed, some players he wanted , like Aubameyang, seems to be doing really well at Dortmund now.

 

That's just it though. You never know with our club. Too much secrecy.

 

This is a fair point. I honestly believe it's really simple. Ashley wants a profitable club, has trust issues, but trusts Lee Charnley, who in turn spins some story about how he can deliver it all, cue abysmal management, secrecy and lies from the MD. Ashley, to coin the term given to us by Keegan who would have no desire nor interest in lying to the fans, is being let down by those around him when it comes to NUFC.

Put it this way - Ashley may not care about the club, but if you offered him a steady, entertaining club guaranteed to finish 6th-8th who are giving it a go in the cups, or a festering pool of turdblossoms barely escaping relegation, I think he'd take the former. Not because he cares, but because it's far, far easier to manage and far, far more profitable. He's probably an insanely busy individual. He's hands on with SD, he has aggressive expansion plans and - yes - needs NUFC to broadcast his branding far and wide. But he's put the club in the hands of one of the most inept men I've ever seen in operation. Sure, it's his mistake, but if Charnley's whispering sweet nothings in his ear and claiming he can do it all, only to deliver a club devoid of all heart, how is it entirely Ashley's fault?

Time will tell, I suppose. With the sheer levels of animosity, Ashley must be aware of what is happening and Charnley could only spin it so far. So, if come Summer, Charnley is still employed by the club, then we know for a fact Ashley is as guilty as the rest. If we change it and our management structure contains a Nicola Cortese and Steve McLaren, then I think we should accept that as an apology, an acceptance of failure and a gesture of intend. It's personal opinion, but I would support this club again under Ashley, but I will not tolerate it if Charnley remains in a threadbare, makeshift management set up.

 

I actually agree with this. I think Ashley's problem is that he has appointed people who have absolutely no background in football and so they make decisions without realising the full implication. It has always troubled me as to why the club would settle for mid-table mediocrity when surely it would be in Ashley [and Sports Direct's] interest to gain as much exposure as possible. A successful club advertising Sports Direct would increase the profile of the latter considerably. Ashley may not have any interest in the club, but he is also not responsible for the general day to day running. Llambias and now Charnley were responsible for that. All Mike Ashley has to do is to release a personal statement outlining what he wants from the club and his intentions. He doesn't though and lets sewer rats like Charnley speak on his behalf.

 

If Ashley engaged even on just one occasion with the Fans Forum, he might find it enlightening. The fans too. Secrecy only serves as a breeding ground for negative speculation, nobody ever speculates positively. Ashley is portrayed by all and sundry as this malignant, ignorant, aggressive man, yet anyone who has met and talked to the guy just says he's normal, amiable and forthcoming. Remember the reporter who clocked him in Covent Garden? Comments from those who've spent time with him at The Orange Tree? I emailed AshleyOut as I think they're getting it wrong. What Ashley needs is arguable more pragmatism in running NUFC, certainly he needs more support and better advice. It seems the fans have learned nothing from the Pardew debacle - Ashley didn't force him out, Ashley didn't appoint Carver, these are the MD's decisions. I recall Joe Kinnear being given the DoF title, doing sweet F.A. with it and being canned, eventually, never to be seen with Ashley again. It's a little optimistic, but I think Ashley's being conned by those closest to him. Jimenez, Wise, Llambias, Kinnear. All of these people have failed him and now Charnley is failing him. On the one hand you could argue that Ashley cannot be making that many mistakes time and again, but this man also managed to coerce Keegan back to the club, he got Shearer to steer the ship as it sank - it's not all horrible.

It's too late now, the mob has the taste of blood. But I honestly think they could be wrong. Not that they ARE wrong, but they COULD be. And they just don't know enough to hand on heart say, factually, that this is all Ashley's fault. Nor do they know for certain that they'll get someone better.

 

Ashley needs to do something to get the fans back on side [if that is possible.] Sounds stupid, but he should get rid of Charnley, Carr, Carver and the rest of the parasites and approach someone like Keegan. Not as manager, but as a football consultant. Someone who knows and understands the club, the fans and expectations. Someone the fans love and will inspire confidence and positivity. That football consultant could then advise Ashley on footballing decisions and make sure that he gets it right. That is a massive IF.

 

I think just a series of practical decisions would go a long way. If I were him, I'd hang Charnley out to dry on it. They had the chance to do that with Joe Kinnear but he just kind of faded away rather than being labelled as THE reason for the failure with transfers. They then gave that responsibility to Charnley/Carr, who have an even worse record, as they may have spent more money, but decided £12m Cabella was a good idea, and no CB was a great idea....!!

I would push Charnley back to an operational role. He has some experience that could be useful. Do the same with Carr, back to scouting only, matey boy. Then I'd push a solid Director of Football in the middle. Either someone with actual clout, like Cortese, or bring in - as you say - someone with mass fan appeal, like Keegan. It worked for Real with ZZ, PSG with Leonardo, and I get we're not on that level but Keegan would jump at the chance and I don't see how he'd do a bad job. Loves the club, and would be a real letter of apology from Ashley. Then let him get on with it, in terms of taking on the head coach, giving that coach leeway in terms of backroom staff, then letting KK own a budget and the recruitment, let him and the coach be the mouthpiece for the club.

 

Exactly.

It was the people behind Ashley that Keegan had a problem with, not Ashley himself. Ashley needs to realise that the best thing for him financially is an ambitious NUFC that brings the crowds in, generates interest, plays exciting football and is a team that Sky etc want to show. People won't care if Sports Direct benefit or if Ashley makes a fortune. If we have a club/ team that gives 100%, plays exciting football and actually looks as though it wants to grow and improve then people will pretty quickly get back on side.

 

I doubt Keegan would come back and work under Ashley and I doubt Ashley would want him back. And as for the people behind Ashley being the problem, who is it that gave them the job in the first place. The club strategy, the incompetence, the bargain basement signings or lack of signings, and the contempt that the club treats its own fans with is coming directly from Ashley. They all follow his rules.

 

Indeed. Ashley is the root cause of everything. In football terms, he is ridiculously incompetent.

 

From King Kev himself....

 

Fck me, I`d forgot about this. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE KK. The truth is always the best way to go. Carver tell lies, just like Pardew cos he is told to, cos he wants his dosh. End of! H e must have a bit stashed away to be able to walk. But he knows he will never ever get another job in football after this bollocks he has been in charge of. He reminds me of that tawt in charge of Bolton a few years ago, who just kept saying "I am the man for the job"!! I cant even remember the guys name, thats how shiiite he was. Carver needs to get his Goblin-like face out of our club asap, CNUT!!