We need to go full out on a powerful and at least reasonably pacey CF. We just don't have anyone up there giving defenders enough of a hard time. Really difficult to find but must be our absolute priority.
We shall see in the accounts I suppose. To me looking at it I don’t think we have generated a whole lot more than we’ve spent. Not when considering the cost of relegation and allowing Rafa to spend all the money generated through transfers bar about 8m. I’m not convinced that 8m plus the other sources of money would pay for relegation, the transfers, running costs, all the other outgoings. We could of course have spent on the never never knowing TV money was coming but that isn’t what was agreed. It should reveal all but I imagine even if it did reveal we were spending it all, there would still be fans saying “ah the books have been cooked”. It doesn’t make any difference. Unless Ashley was literally throwing his own money at it, treating it like an idiot expensive hobbie, the fans will never be happy because they don’t like him. The club regardless does not generate enough money to compete as the fans wish. Anyone who thinks otherwise is living in cloud cuckoo land.
That’s the essence of it. What is beyond doubt is the fact that Ashley is stifling our earnings potential by taking his ‘free asvertising’. His notional value was £3m 10 years ago as an offset on the loan interest. I’d say that figure is nearer £10m now so he’s effectively blocking us from realising the additional £7m via other means... £7m gets you a Dubravka for example.
You could say that but that was the trade off he wanted for buying the club (and all its financial problems). He never hid that. It was a vehicle for his other business to flourish. The Halls and Shepherds have to carry that can not Mike. They sold it without a care in the world except for getting rich. It’s what really rankles about them still being revered by certain fans reminiscing about the good old days under them. And also how they claim to have done everything they can to leave it in the right hands. Then the nerve they have to criticise him in the press, playing naive fans. The ****s just wanted rid of their dead duck.
Not true. Ashley wasn’t aware of the financial problems as he didn’t do due diligence. So it could never have been his intended trade off.
Quite the opposite in fact. I remember him saying he would put in £20m/year when he was still in his 'downing pints in the stands and being one of the lads' era.
I have never liked Fat Freddie however you can not lay this at his door - Hall sold out and Freddie had no option!
And thrice correct. In fact i believe that Shepherd was quite unwell at the time and felt unable to fend off the bid.
Strange that because Hall mentioned he knew about it before selling to him... But hey don’t let the truth get in the way of a good old witch hunt eh. Sir John adds: “I asked Ashley: ‘Why do you want to buy Newcastle?’ “These are the words he said to me: ‘Newcastle United is a brand, and we want to sell our products in the Far East. We think the two to go together. Newcastle United will help us sell our goods in the Far East.’ “He was a visionary at the time in that sense in the fact that football can be used for marketing.” He didn’t do due diligence because he didn’t care, the pros of having a football to sell his product far outweighed any financial issue. Hall wanted out because of Abramovich and he just wanted his £1 per share. He didn’t give a **** what happened, he was protecting his family. Freddy had less responsibility as he didn’t want to sell, but sell he did.
He didn’t have to sell, he chose to. Yes he was losing control but he could have retained his interest. He liked the offer and advised the other share holders to sell too. And let’s not forget the fat man was a **** of the highest order who brought shame on the club.
My bold, your quote. Yes he has been reported as buying the Club to market SD and I don’t disbelieve that was the case. Your quote above takes it further implying the free loan to pay off/cover the debt was his plan from before he bought the Club and you know that just isn’t true. Sorry about keep bringing facts into your WUMfest.
I think you’ve just misconstrued what my original post suggested. He bought the club to market his other business. He didn’t care what financial mess he had to take on because he could see where football was heading and his goal was clear. He was right too, Newcastle United helped make SD massive. He knew the free advertising he could attach was golden. The original point centred around him leeching free advertising - he never hid this. He took a massive risk of no due diligence because he believed what NUFC could do for SD was huge. He was right. Sorry but those are the facts, and he never hid he was going to do it when he was buying the club. He categorically told Hall what he was going to do. He may not have furnished him with the detail of how but you’d have to be pretty thick not to work it out.
It’s all relative though, to me and you it’s a lot of money. To Ashley it’s **** all and the upside in growing his main business makes 133m look like peanuts. I’d imagine, although I don’t know for sure, he is worth a lot more than when he bought NUFC. It wouldn’t be down to NUFC solely but it will have played its part. I’d reckon NUFC has added more than 133m in value to SD though it would be hard to quantify.
If £133m is **** all to him, then why was he haggling over £50m when Staveley tried to buy the club? And why did he not put in the £20m per year as promised? That is even ****er all. And why not just pay £5m/year for the stadium advertising to give the club the best chance of success? £5m is peanuts to him as you say.
Sports Direct and Mike Ashley Holdings (the owners of Newcastle) are two separate companies. Just because he is involved in both he can't just say one company will give the other company free advertising. Presumably he has had to draw up an advertising contract between the two companies signed by Directors of both indicating that SD will be given free advertising by MASH. As Chairman of MASH (which I assume he is) he is not fulfilling his responsibilities to the Company if he is just agreeing to this. He should be at least looking at what other advertising options are available that may generate more income for the club.
Simply because he can. PL football clubs is a sellers market now with the TV money. In terms of the other stuff, I think he has realised unless you have massive money you wish to pump in, football is a bit of a black hole. So while it serves a purpose for the reason he originally bought the club, he has realised the two things can't both be achieved. He isn't going to throw any of his peanuts at the club. He is going to sit and eat them all, as his right because he bought them.
You are speaking as a fan who wants the best for his club. He is looking at it as a businessman. He bought one to drive the other. He hoped that the secondary company would also prosper but it isn't possible so he is looking after his primary asset. I honestly can't see what the problem is. I mean as a fan I think I'd rather have some ****er who wants to blow all his money on us making us great. In the real world no one has shown any interest in doing that.
