Is this Ashley's plan for player/board unity?

I think it might be.

It seems obvious now that a number of players are unhappy with how the club is ran, and a few, like all of us fans, really don't like Ashley. I'd imagine they're quite vocal about it too in the dressing room when they're chatting away to each other.

I have a feeling that Ashley wants to get rid of the players responsible BEFORE they get a chance to meet new signings over pre-season, as Ashley wouldn't want them to 'infect' new players with their opinions of Ashley and some of the less favourable decisions he's made. I'm sure you can imagine what someone like Barton would say if Cabaye approached him during training and asked what Ashley was like as an owner.

I think Ashley wants a clean slate, so when the new team is built, the more vocal players who are unhappy with him and the board will leave. He can then try and make a better impression with the new set of players so there's a bit more unity and respect for the board. Meanwhile, the players who just keep their gobs shut will continue to do so.

I don't know. Something just tells me that Ashley is really bothered about things like this. Whereas most owners would be thick-skinned and just look past it all for the sake of business, Ashley simply cannot tolerate his own players saying bad things about him - either in public or in private.

I think that Ashley is so used to being 'the man' and having so much authority in businesses like Sports Direct, he has absolutely zero tolerance when players (i.e. employees) become slightly rebellious.