Article: I know what Derek and Mike are thinking, and it's WRONG | Football, Newcastle United

Llambias and Ashley are both from normal business backgrounds in retail and entertainment. During that time, they are likely to have had ample experience with employees and employee relations, as all managers and owners have.

However, they're now trying to treat the players in our team just like ordinary business employees, and it's wrong, wrong, wrong. Whilst they are employees, the dynamic is completely different.

Morale is more important than ever. In a normal business environment, whether there's ups and downs, incentives or discipline, everyone has their own individual work to do in dozens upon dozens of hours every week. They're also relying on these jobs to live, pay bills and get by, so they often have no choice but to continue working and accept that they're lucky to have a stable job.

Now with footballers, it's the interactions between footballers which makes up football itself, so morale, team spirit and a good understanding of each other is far more vital. It's also only 90 minutes which really count when it comes to the league, so unlike normal employees, even feeling a bit 'off' for only a single hour can have huge repercussions when it comes to winning and losing points.

Finally, footballers have the kind of job and financial security normal employees can only dream of. The good players know they can find clubs elsewhere, and if worst comes to worst, they know they have enough cash in the bank still live a life of luxury. This makes them much less accepting of poor man management.

Whor' Mike and Derek just can't seem to see this though. They're applying normal HR rules to a completely different scenario. They seem to be considering every player like any old employee, who will be disciplined, sacked and generally frightened into accepting over-zealous authority.

It may work in businesses like Sports Direct with a bunch of spotty teenagers putting shoes on some shelves, but when it comes to a squad of millionaire footballers, it could quite easily rip the team apart.

 

Perches fault

 

As we've said in the past, that's all they are, business men. They know sod all about football and even now that they've been at the club for a while, they still don't understand what the game or the fans are all about.

 

And they're fat

 

Ronnie and Reggie!

 

We've got a trio of prize muppets running our club. I suggest a trip to Gateshead tomorrow night and let the board know just how we feel. Same goes for Saturday's match.
I thought we'd got over being a laughing stock, clearly we haven't.

 

I think Ashley could just be trying to prove to everybody who's in charge.

If that means giving away Barton on a free, so be it. He could easily get 4mil upwards for him, but he's proving a point.

 

Going to the game on Saturday and hoping to get to Gateshead tomorrow. Hope there is plenty of noise made.

 

He is setting an example with Barton like, no doubt about it. Pardew needs to earn his money now, got to keep what we have pulling in one direction. I don't want Barton to leave but he was asking for trouble with his twitter out bursts.

 

Good thread - it's sad that Ashley & Lame-arse are so blinkered with their business plans. Tragic actually.

 

I'm going to Gateshead tomorrow pre-arranged nothing to do with todays shennanigans,
Saturday, I have to work and will miss that friendly but who knows, Gateshead may be a sell out of protesting Mags.

 

Be a good thing for us and a good thing for Gateshead to keep the tills ticking over. I guess they can do with as much extra income as they can get.

 

Worth a try

http://www.sportsdirect.com/CustomerServices/Complaints.aspx

 

I remember once we tried to spam the emails and cost him money by clicking the sponsored SD link on google

Good times...

 

Enrique was given quite a substantial fine (allegedly) for his tweets, as far as I know Barton was not reprimanded for his previous tweets, the club have call it what you like, all but sacked him. Enrique is a commodity that could be sold on, I think they have underestimated that other clubs would want Barton. All involved in this event are PLAYERS, and I don't mean football.

 

Didnt they remove the link?

 

Maybe 3 strikes.

1st strike prison
2nd strike Pedersen
3rd Twitter

 

Eventually, we kept finding more of them for random **** like badminton rackets etc though

 

AB, I'm so flippin' annoyed about today I don't know where to start...the whole saga.. I'm trying to read most threads to get a general consensus but it is pretty mixed. I'm normally relaxed when the transfer window is closed, at least then you know the worst, but when players leave because of crap, it's not the same is it. On a personal note, I feel like I eat dirt at work sometimes to get match days off, I've just worked 9 weekends off the bounce thinking I would be getting brownie points, not so, I'm rota'd in for Arsenal and Fulham. I now have to find some one to cover those days for me. Who's the fool ????????????? Rant over

 

Annnd breath