Mike Ashley Has No Intention To Sell...

Taken from the Chronicle...

Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has no intention to sell up – after board members relayed the information during a fan forum this week.

A report from Newcastle United Supporters Trust indicated that a panel including secretary Lee Charnley and finance director John Irving took questions from the club’s fan forum.

In what was described as a positive step forward by NUST a statement reflected on the meeting by reporting that Ashley has: “No intention, desire or ambition to sell the club.”

The club’s blueprint remains to sign players under 26 years of age but there is still flexibility to bring in more experienced players.

The report also reveals that United did not dip into their £60million TV cash jackpot because the club felt that the extra revenue merely inflated the current market.

And this was one of the reasons why they brought forward their transfer activity to January.

As reported in the Chronicle last week, the board also confirmed that there was money put aside to spend this summer but those funds weren’t used because they were touted prices above what United felt was the valuation of the players on their shortlist.

The report indicated that director of football Joe Kinnear tried hard to bring in players but the he wasn’t always “at fault” after agent fees and “other issues” hindered the deals.

NUST’s report also says that United confirmed that cup competitions aren’t the priority for Newcastle and that the will be used to look at squad players.

Newcastle stated in the meeting that a top 10 finish is the main aim this term.

On the finance front United told fans that they were working on a three year cycle with the TV money and that there are no debts at United apart from interest-free loans to Ashley and they won’t be called in “until or if” the club is sold.

A statement from NUST also read: “The Club accounts show that Mike Ashley took an £11million short term loan back last year but the £18million short term loan he was due to take back this year is being rolled over to future years. The long term loan of £111million will stay in the accounts but there is no definition of long term. This means that our only significant debts are the interest free debts to Mike Ashley.

“On the Commercial income side we are one of the weakest clubs around. The Directors are working with Wonga and Puma to improve that situation but there was little information about what plans we have in place. Our commercial income shown in the accounts is about £13million. Man. Utd for example was shown recently as £153million! We were told that we couldn't compete with Man. Utd.;

“They were asked if Sports Direct paid for adverting at St. James' Park and it was confirmed that they do not. John Irving said that Sports Direct were using space that would be otherwise unused but didn't say how hard the commercial team were trying to find other (paying) advertisers,”

Ok, so it's the bit highlighted in bold that I'm most interested in and not the actualy headline.

Regarding our lack of transfer activity it makes perfect sense that we hold on to the 60m as it's inflated prices etc and the fact that we brought some of our business forward due to this also makes sense. If the club had released a statement along the lines of the above highlighted text I (and I suspect many others) would have understood the reason for our lack of business. I'm not saying I would have liked hearing it but I can accept that it makes good business sense.

It just begs the question as to what Pardew was on about when bring him the fact that signing players would have put us in to our over draft etc, that doesn't make sense and it what made the majority of fans angry. He really needs to be more careful when it comes to his media duties as he's rubbing the fans up the wrong way.

It's also good that they're trying to increase the commercial income and it's clear that Sports Direct were never going to pay for the advertising even thought it is a little cheeky. All in all this news made me feel a bit better towards our lack of transfer activity. It's just a shame that they couldn't communicate this with the fans either during the window (which may have helped reduce the price of our targets) or the day after the window shut instead of just releasing that half arsed statement from Pardew.

 

“They were asked if Sports Direct paid for adverting at St. James' Park and it was confirmed that they do not. John Irving said that Sports Direct were using space that would be otherwise unused but didn't say how hard the commercial team were trying to find other (paying) advertisers,”


I find this statement utter bollocks
you just have to youtube Newcastle games from 3 seasons ago to see all the different
advetisers around the ground


they may not be able to pay what Ashley wants in terms of revenue, but at least they will be paying more than what is coming in now

 

Didn't Ashley have "No intention, desire or ambition to sell" Cabaye?

If someone offered him the price he's got in his head, he'd sell in a heartbeat. What he has learned is that, in football, if you advertise something as "for sale", you never get anything like the amount you want.

 

Your bit in bold....from MA's point of view, mission accomplished. Personally, just don't buy it. Lukaku, Arnautovic, missed signings, the Gomis and PEA debalces. And now what about free agent Ciprian Marica? Versatile, talented and available. Will we get him? Of course we fcking won't. Because somehow the 66 cap Romanian International isnt a better choice than Ameobi. Beauty of Marica is that he and Remy could swap roles over a game, as he's comfortable wide and up top. At 6' 1", he's no short-ar$e.

 

This article is good. But I suspect some of the details have been conveniently put together after the events of the transfer window. I.E to retrospectively provide reasoning behind the lack of trasnfers.

Either way if the money stays in the club. That can only be a good thing. If Ashley is not taking any money out, which it states, then this money is still available.

I do think that the doom and gloom that we throw about (most of us) is probably over reacting because we are so used to negativity it excalates. Thus when something small happens it appears to be worse than expected.

Last season was a bad one, it was as simple as that. But the players have shown this season that we can get results.

Building teh commercial revenue HAS to be the main priority. Clearly we can get more money. We get none from Sports direct.

Are you telling me that the club cant sell advertising to local businesses and national to generate an additional 5m to 10m. I honestly think this is something that Sports direct are benefiting from. Not the club.

Heres a thought Ashley, why does Sports Direct not sponsor the club. Put money into the business. It gets tax relief in his company. It inflates the NUFC brand value.

At least we are on a financial sound level.

 

So on we go with short contract and 'young talented' players....

 

I agree with both rolyd & geordieginolas points especially the bit that a lot of the stuff about transfers has been made up after the event to make out they knew what they were doing !

 

I like the fact that the club has made a statement and we now know the clubs strategy going forward (Although we could of all guessed most of it)

The thing that doesn't quite make sense to me is the statement "The report also reveals that United did not dip into their £60million TV cash jackpot because the club felt that the extra revenue merely inflated the current market.". Was this £60million TV money a one off windfall or is it the additional money clubs will be getting each year. If the money was a one off windfall then their statement makes sense. If it isn't then the current market is going to be the norm and the club is going to be in the same situation next time.

The sadist part of the statement is the bit about the cups not being a priority. This just shows it's all about the money with no consideration for any glory that winning a cup would bring. I know we have to stay in the Premiership at all costs but Swansea showed you you can take the cups seriously without compromising your league position.

'director of football Joe Kinnear tried hard to bring in players but the he wasn’t always “at fault”' - so was at fault sometimes.

 

What a crock of ****e for me. All this guff about "agents fees" and being touted extreme prices is gauling. ****s sake, all the other clubs managed alright didn't they. Not paying for the advertising is annoying but obviously not really surprising. It only confirms what we all already know, its his club and he can do what the **** he likes. The need to dress it up with "unused space" is the annoying bit but no biggie.

Of course they have no interest in the cups, for the same reason I'm not bothered - they know we haven't bothered to fatten the squad to cope. So any progress towards glory good times for fans would be at the expense of the league. Once again showing we have zero ambition under this regime bar survival.

Pards will continue to be rolled out to issue their weak ass statements while remaining handicapped to progress us as a club.

This whole fan engagement is nothing but lip service. I feel no better or worse, they are just confirming what I already knew. The only real sickener is confirmation he's going nowhere.

 

Not confirmation at all. NUFC is a selling club, thus a club for sale, top to bottom. It's just not "on the market", nor are any of its' players, because telling people you're listening for offers invites people to start low. Ashley would LOVE for someone to come in with a cheque for £300m.

 

They won't though, otherwise we'd have been bought by now. The change in current climate and his desire to do beyond well out of any deal means it won't happen. So unless there is a miracle he is going nowhere!

 

I guess the £85m I'm going to win this week wont be any good.

 

Love the wording the Joe Kinnear wasn't "always" at fault... Implying he was most of the time! As is backed up by reports from journalists that his unprofessionalism got in the way of most of our deals this summer.

I think the rationale of not overspending is fine - everyone knew they were getting the extra TV money (whether it is a windfall or gradually is not relevant if it is coming in either way), and this would inflate prices, but I'd assume this TV money doesn't come in until the season starts so that COULD explain the "overdraft" comments... though I still think that was something Pards was told to say to smooth things over.

 

It's a pity Peter Brough wasn't around, he'd manage to get some better words out of Pards mouth.

 

After reading the article it confirmed all my worst fears.
He's using NUFC as a way of promoting Direst Sports.
He has absolutely no ambition and is quite content to be mid table every year.
Cup competitions, forget them 'cause he couldn't care less.
Players will only be bought on the cheap as long as he makes a £ more selling them.

My only hope is that when Rangers are back in the top division in Scotland and in the Champions League every year he decides to buy them on the cheap and, hopefully, he is forced to give up owning us too.

One can only hope.

 

after reading this and some other things about the sponsorship of newcastle being worth approximately £8million I found this article. I hope the link works, shows the breakdown of revenue as of June 2012 hence some of the clubs in there. So sports direct are short changing us, what a suprise

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/apr/18/premier-league-finances-club-by-club

 

seeing how cup matches arnt important I hope mike understands why I didn't go,allso if 1 part of his company loaned Newcastle united £111 million how come Newcastle united is giving other companys he owns free advertising

 

Indeed we are on a stable financial level.

How could it be better?

If Ashley has no interest in raking-back his millions, surely we would see proper investment to cover the Europa League campaign for example.

It all gets predicted, happens, and only then are funds released to save us.

It's gambling and I don't like it at the expense of Newcastle United supporters.

 

When I think about a board who openly announce that they 'won't be trying' in the Cup competitions, it makes we wonder just how outrageous the whole scenario needs to get before people wake-up to it.

If they 'gambled' in a positive way - get better players, fill the stadium even for Cup matches and generally being progressive, the Geordie public would go mad for it - but no, they want to try and play it cheap, just get by generating all this wealth only to never spend it.

It smacks of a rake-back job to me, until I see real progression other than beating mid-table Championship teams in front of 36k, then I can't believe Ashley has any other agenda.

 

Honestly they must think we were born yesterday...

The transfer market over here inflates every year, setting new records on spending each window it seems. This is part and parcel of football, fact is you either want to show ambition and compete on the pitch or you don't.

If you trust your recruitment policy and you buy well without going crazy into the red then what's the problem? In fact if you don't do that as the bare minimum in this league you stand still and the likes of West Brom, Southampton etc overtake you.

What happened this window was they strung us along while season ticket renewals were due, promising business and doing nowt. So they lied then if no intention was ever there to spend after January???

Fact is, Mike Ashley could not care less where this club finishes in the Premier League as long as it finishes IN the Premier League.

All the positive balance sheets and careful accounting in the world cannot compensate for dedicated, paying fans to watch dross every week and invariably suffer relegation.

Gambling becomes a whole hell lot easier when you aren't fussed either way!