Mike Ashley prepared to sell Newcastle United
IN the latest twist to the Newcastle United saga Mike Ashley has put the club up for sale.
Despite his frantic attempts to bring back Kevin Keegan on Friday night, Ashley appears to have lost patience with the current situation at St James's Park.
In an emotional statement Ashley said: "I have enjoyed sport since I was a boy. I love football. I have followed England in every tournament since Mexico '86. I was there to see Maradona and his hand of God. I know what it means to love football and to love a club. I know how important it is to other people because football is so important to me.
"My life has been tied up with sport. It was the passion that I felt for sport that helped me to be successful with my business. That success allowed me to mix my passion and my business.
"I bought Newcastle United in May 2007. Newcastle attracted me because everyone in England knows that it has the best fans in football. When the fans are behind the club at St James' Park it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It is magic. Newcastle's best asset has been, is and always will be the fans.
"But like any business with assets the club has debts. I paid £134 million out of my own pocket for the club. I then poured another £110 million into the club not to pay off the debt but just to reduce it. The club is still in debt. Even worse than that, the club still owes millions of pounds in transfer fees. I shall be paying out many more millions over the coming year to pay for players bought by the club before I arrived. But there was a double whammy. Commercial deals such as sponsorships and advertising had been front loaded. The money had been paid upfront and spent. I was left with a club that owed millions and part of whose future had been mortgaged. Unless I had come into the club then it might not have survived. It could have shared the fate of other clubs who have borrowed too heavily against their future. Before I had spent a penny on wages or buying players Newcastle United had cost me more than a quarter of a billion pounds.
"Don't get me wrong. I did not buy Newcastle to make money. I bought Newcastle because I love football. Newcastle does not generate the income of a Manchester United or a Real Madrid. I am Mike Ashley, not Mike Ashley a multi-billionaire with unlimited resources. Newcastle United and I can't do what other clubs can. We can't afford it.
"I knew that the club would cost me money every year after I had bought it. I have backed the club with money. You can see that from the fact that Newcastle has the fifth highest wage bill in the Premier League. I was always prepared to bank roll Newcastle up to the tune of £20 million per year but no more. That was my bargain. I would make the club solvent. I would make it a going concern. I would pour up to £20 million a year into the club and not expect anything back. It has to be realised that if I put £100 million into the club year in year out then it would not be too long before I was cleaned out and a debt ridden Newcastle United would find itself in the position that faced Leeds United.
"That is the nightmare for every fan. To love a club that overextends itself, that tries to spend what it can't afford.
"That will never happen to Newcastle when I am in charge. The truth is that Newcastle could not sustain buying the Shevchenkos, Robinhos or the Berbatovs. These are recognised European footballers. They have played in the European leagues and everyone knows about them. They can be brilliant signings. But everybody knows that they are brilliant and so they, and players like them, cost more than £30 million to buy before you even take into account agent commissions and the multi-million pound wage deals.
"My plan and my strategy for Newcastle is different. It has to be. Arsenal is the shining example in England of a sustainable business model. It takes time. It can't be done overnight. Newcastle has therefore set up an extensive scouting system. We look for young players, for players in foreign leagues who everyone does not know about. We try and stay ahead of the competition. We search high and low looking for value, for potential that we can bring on and for players who will allow Newcastle to compete at the very highest level but who don't cost the earth. I am prepared to back large signings for millions of pounds but for a player who is young and has their career in front of them and not for established players at the other end of their careers. There is no other workable way forward for Newcastle. It is in this regard that Dennis and his team have done a first class job in scouting for talent to secure the future of the club.
"You only need to look at some of our signings to see that it is working, slowly working. Look at Jonas Guttierrez and Fabricio Collocini. These are world class players. The plan is showing dividends with the signing of exceptional young talent such as Sebastein Bassong, Danny Guthrie and Xisco. My investment in the club has extended to time, effort and yet again, money being poured into the Academy. I want Newcastle to be able to create its own legends of the future to rival those of the past. This is a long term plan. A long term plan for the future of the club so that it can flourish.
"One person alone can't manage a Premiership football club and scout the world looking for world class players and stars of the future. It needs a structure and it needs people who are dedicated to that task. It needs all members of the management team to share that vision for it to work.
"Also one of the reasons that the club was so in debt when I took over was due to transfer dealings caused by managers moving in and out of the club. Every time there was a change in manager millions would be spent on new players and millions would be lost as players were sold. It can't keep on working like that. It is just madness.
"I have put Newcastle on a sound financial footing. It is reducing its debt. It is spending within itself. It is recruiting exciting new players and bringing in players for the future.
"The fans want this process to happen more quickly and they want huge amounts spent in the transfer market so that the club can compete at the top table of European football now. I am not stupid and have listened to the fans. I have really loved taking my kids to the games, being next to them and all the fans. But I am now a dad who can't take his kids to a football game on a Saturday because I am advised that we would be assaulted. Therefore, I am no longer prepared to subsidise Newcastle United.
"I am putting the club up for sale. I hope that the fans get what they want and that the next owner is someone who can lavish the amount of money on the club that the fans want.
"This will not be a fire sale. Newcastle is now in a much stronger position than it was in 2007. It is planning for the future and it is sustainable.
"I am still a fan of Newcastle United. We, my kids and I, have loved standing on the terraces with the fans, we have loved travelling with the away fans and we have met so many fans whose company we have enjoyed. We have absolutely loved it but it is not safe anymore for us as a family.
"I am very conscious of the responsibility that I bear in owning Newcastle United. Tough decisions have to be made in business and I will not shy away from doing what I consider to be in the best interests of the club. This is not fantasy football.
"I don't want anyone to read my words and think that any of this is an attack on Kevin Keegan. It is not. Kevin and I always got on. Everyone at the club, and I mean everyone, thinks that he has few equals in getting the best out of the players. He is a legend at the club and rightly so. Clearly there are disagreements between Kevin and the Board and we have both put that in the hands of our lawyers.
"I hope that all the fans get to read this statement so that they understand what I am about. I would not expect all of the fans to agree with me. But I have set out, clearly, my plan. If I can't sell the club to someone who will give the fans what they want then I shall continue to ensure that Newcastle is run on a business and football model that is sustainable. I care too much about the club merely to abandon it.
"I have the interests of Newcastle United at heart. I have listened to you. You want me out. That is what I am now trying to do but it won't happen overnight and it may not happen at all if a buyer does not come in.
"You don't need to demonstrate against me again because I have got the message. Any further action will only have an adverse effect on the team. As fans of Newcastle United you need to spend your energy getting behind, not me, but the players who need your support.
"I am determined that Newcastle United is not only here today, but that it is also there tomorrow for your children who stand beside you at St James' Park."
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Lee Ryder - Proudly born and bred on Tyneside, the Chronicle's chief sports writer has followed the fortunes of the club over the last three decades as a Toon fan and football writer.
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great news best news of the weekend. i hope he takes the "cockney mafia" with him.
this isnt the property market , the club's value hasnt went down, its went up apparently ! .
he's looking to make a return on the price he paid so i dont see where he's out of pocket here ?
would ambramovich sell chelsea for the money he paid for it ?
also , who really expected him to throw the kind of money at a top 4 spot that he's trying suggest ?
skipping around the real issues here .
Too little, too late, Mike.
Why hasn't this been clearly stated from the start? Mike Ashley and his team have had the worst possible PR skills from the word go, and it has cost them dearly.
On yer bike, Mike son.
i know what ur saying about signing unknown talent but u would have moved them on to another club for a profit and not keeping ahold of them to make the toon a success
A fan's takeover is the way to go. There will never be a better oppurtunity and if executed correctly, this could well put the club along the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Something truly unique in the premier league.
Unfortunately, MA has failed to realise that the protests were against the board. A situation he could have rectified immediately, had he chose to do so.
Ashley does not have to sell the club and he can continue to sit amongst the supporters at away games, but he has to make two changes. Firstly, he needs to re-structure the management that he has put in place - if it is based on Arsenal, why has Wenger stated that he could not work under a Director of Football who has the same powers as Wise? Secondly, he needs to communicate with the supporters. Why has it taken until now to release this statement?
OK, good news that Ashley is going, but when?
He says that he will not give the club away for nothing, as he claims to have increased its value. So that leaves us waiting for a super rich billionaire - and how long will that be?
The longer this takes the worse things are going to get for the players. They need Kevin Keegan back,now, and after Saturdays' performance it is worrying to think how bad things could get without his management.
Ashley has washed his hands of us, and refuses to hold his hands up and say he got it wrong. All he had to do was get Wise out and Keegan back in and things could have gone on as before. But he has proved to be an arrogent businessman, and this statement is excellent PR rubbish.
He does not comment on the Wise/Keegan situation, which still leaves us confused as to how the breakdown of relationships ocuured.
YEAH YEAH MIKE,ive just read the lot....and while it tugs at the heart strings of families etc.......its still a statement full of no fan info content........FACT IS SON.....IF U SO CONCERNED GET RID OF WISE,JIMENEZ AND THE SMIRKING CLOWN LAMBIAS.....AND PLEASE PLEASE DONT BE MAKING OUT THAT NOBODY MAY WANT THE TOON......YOU ARE THE CLEVER BOY WHO TURNED MAN CITYS NEW OWNERS DOWN.......ROBINHO ANYONE??? AND BELIEVE ME,YOUR FAMILY ARE SAFE ....WE ARENT BARBARIANS......JUST TELL WISE,LAMBIAS AND JIMENEZ TO STAY AWAY FROM NOT JUST THE TOON...THE WHOLE NORTH EAST!
THE FANS UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED! ANOTHER BILLIONAIRE IS KICKED OUT AND EATS HUMBLE PIE. GET IN!!!! Not the time for a deep analysis, suffice to say well done everyone on the demos. What a great answer to those cynics who whinge that we can't change anything. Btw - Ashley's bleating statement is pathetic talking about the money he has invested in NUFC from 'his pocket.' like he's done us a massive favour. Let's not fall for that one again. If and when the NUFC books are opened we'll find that the fans have yet again subsidised a fat cat and not the other way round. Ashley won't lose a penny when he finds a buyer.
I just hope we all learn from this episode. Billionaires - who needs them! Let's turn NUFC into a fan run club. If it's good enough for Real Madrid and Barcelona it should be good enough for us.
The fight continues.....
John Hird
no one wanted you to spend stupid amounts of money mike just improve the squad and get the players in the positions we were desperate .
there were good leftbacks sold for 3m to 4m
just look at shorey and jon arne risse.
and dont sell the rising talent at the club
then not replace him (milner!)
and if you dont think it makes good sense to give owen a new contract how much would it cost us to let him go ? 10m to replace him at least then wages on top.
dont get me wrong you did steady the ship but the structure you put in place is wrong could you imagine wise telling wenger that he had to sell walcott or fergie he had to sell ronaldo
if keegan had gone because you'd supported him gave him time and he still couldn't get results and the team we're struggling we would have accepted that we not stupid but we can see when things are going badly wrong
and you have to take notice when all the respected names in football tell you you you've got it wrong e.g sir bobby , wenger ,rednapp, fergie ,shearer
let managers manage they live or die by there who they buy or sell would dennis?
If only he had communicated this earlier, things could have been so much different...
does this mean we will get a refund on our 3 year price plan?
Why, oh why didn't you say that earlier Mike?
Maybe it is your PR man that you need to sack.
You claim to know the fans, you clearly don't, otherwise you would have shown this passion earlier and things would not have gone the way they have.
Newcastle fans do not ask for millions to be spent )although that would be nice... we just want to see the passion you have put into this statement and which Kevin put in to everything he did for the club.
It will be interesting to see the reaction to your statement but I think you could be forgiven but I am afraid Dennis Wise will have a much harder job. Hopefully you get a good reaction and learn a lesson about communicating.
If he'd said half of this stuff from the start instead of 16 months of cloak and daggers he might of had a chance. His biggest mistake was wise and his management structure. shame we'll probably now be bought out by a non uk consortium or so but we need cash to sort us out. Still unsure about gettin kev back, maybe too much water under the bridge but we'll see. Wonder if he'll stick the club on ebay, reckon the listing fee will be too much for him!
Mike Ashley makes some good points in his statement and I feel some sympathy for him. There are no quick fixes, the club is not in that financial state. I think that there is no doubt that he has cleaned up the clubs finances. He is also right in that 20 managers in 10 years costs a lot of money. MA actually generates a lot of sympathy with me.
NEVERTHELESS, even if you have a "Arsenal" Model in mind you cannot either buy or sell players without the managers approval. Wenger was actually quoted the other day that he would never accept anything other than total control of team matters. If the manager needs a left back you cannot tell him "NO, but I have a Spanish U21 striker that no one has ever heard of stashed in a hotel room nearby!"
You cannot fool us Mike Ashley, we see thru this. Wise and the other cronies have been trying to undermine King Kev from the start.
One question needs to be asked though; Is there a better owner out there? Is a big corporation better? Is a Middle Eastern oil sheik looking for some fun any better? What happens when he gets bored?
its took a while but on the back of a massive amount unessissary upheveal, he has eventually decided to show he true intentions -- its a crime its had to come to this before he started to shed just a little light on NUFC's circumstances!!!!!!!!
you have to ask the question....why didnt he do this sooner!
hes tried to run the club like his shops and its cost him...
you tried mate, you brought back Kev but once you dumped him, there was only going to be one winner and it wasnt you.
Considering Mike Ashley's single mindeness and business acumen, it is unbelievable that he has failed the City of Newcastle, Newcastle United FC and it's long suffering supporters by mak ing some very bad business decisions - his undermining of KK on transfer policies which any manager worth his salt would not tolerate and his reluctants to put his hands in the air and admit he made the biggest mistake of his life by effectively approving the underhand dealings of D.Wise and Co.
Even at the 11th hour when he had the opportunity to 'put things right' with Kevin Keegan by reinstating the managers full control on transfers in and out of the club - he failed miserably. I can only say that if I was a shareholder in any of his companies I would be selling up as Mike Ashley can only be considered ill advised.
Hi All,
I have one thing to say and can other people from other clubs keep out of my clubs affairs, as its quite disgusting to hear what you think of something you know nothing of what we think as fans and as geordies...
I agree with some of the other thoughts of the other geordies in respect of what MA statement as its sad that he he feels of his safety and that of his family.
Mike Ashley has no idea of running a football club and that is plain to see to everyone in the football world.
The only good thing is that he has realized he has to get out of dodge and the strange thing is that he has been trying to get out for a while and its quite dishonest of him to not say that in his statement as is his words of only willing to give 20 million year to the manager.....
KK came back and he has been mislead by MA and the fact that he says that is in the hand of the lawyers is also misleading as why bother have that meeting on friday.....
He should of been at the game yesterday as even Freddie Shepherd would of been there and he is a joke as well, but he would of been there to see the protest.
I think that MA cannot even bring in a manager until he sells the team and that could be a while as well.
Mike Ashley was thought of as a saviour and now is a nobody in the eyes of the geordies and that is sad but trying to buy a club without much money behind you is bad business for a businessman.
Andrew
A very cleverly worded statement that achieves what it sets out to do which is to buy some sympathy with those of us less militant and dare I say it but those of us over 40 that have seen all this before and are just sick of all this adverse publicity yet again. However like you Mike we're not stupid. The lad Xisco should be nowhere near a black and white shirt and it is on the playing field that all sympathy disappears. No wonder Keegan went ballistic selling Milner and effectively replacing him with a Spanish reserve. If that's the new recruitment policy then we are heading for the Championship. As for following Arsenal's model it was embarassing watching Sunderland's reserves effectively outplaying our reserve team the other night. Ranger might make it, Danquah has something but as for the rest Tozer,Edgar,Zamblera and even the highly rated Forster were poor. Are these the youngsters Ashley is banking on? Of course it's not that simple but one thing Kevin Keegan knows is a player. He knew we were desperately short of quality and knew that none of these kids apart from Carroll and Lua Lua were going to help him. He was never going to put his name to Xisco one thing Keegan definitely knows is a striker and Xisco despite his goal yesterday was as bad as Ameobi. I don't believe the rubbish about the list Keegan produced, like us Keegan is not stupid. Look at yesterday he knew we desperately needed a left back, a midfielder and possibly a striker but one of proven ability. Shorey, Bullard and Crouch or Defoe were surely not out of our reach were they? Proven premiership quality to add to what we have got and I'm sure Keegan would have been happy but to gamble on unproven Spanish reserves, though Gonzales looked ok when he came on, is the real stupidity. Mike remember Luque and Marcelinho? They're the guys you're still paying for. Kevin Keegan would never have harmed this club and he would never have bought the kind of player that we've had in the past that have near bankrupted us. Mike yes you are stupid not to have backed Keegan's judgement. Unlike us who would back Kevin Keegan with this club more than any other human on this planet bar Shearer you showed your stupidity by doubting his judgement. As the owner of the club your treatment of a Geordie legend is a disgrace, he would have brought you the fun and entertainment you and your family sought. You chose to throw it away a very strange decision by a supposed clever businessman. Thankfully I saw the Coventry cup game full of carefree attacking, lovely passing, hard work and typical Keegan entertainment. Unfortunately I was there yesterday to see a worse team than Coventry beat us in our own backyard we've been there so many times before and that is what is really so STUPID Mike. Do the decent thing and sell so we can have the King back
Mike Ashley-stop the sympathy act-very moving statement -but it wont wash with us.I cannot beleive you could have been so stupid as to undermine King Kev the way you did-Also if Newcastle United was such a bad buy and in such a sorry state -why have you waited so long to tell us? I have to say from your chair downwards with your silent board you have portrayed the worst communication skills in the world-indeed you and your gang of four have treated us Newcastle fans with the utmost contempt in terms of press statements communication attempts and dialogue with the media -especially the local media who have never been able to do their job effectively and communicate with the fans because of the amateur management style exuded by yourself and your selected board members. On a business footing surely you must have realised that even a modicum of transfer funding would have helped Kev put right a few wrongs. Sorry Mr. Ashley your appeal from the heart does not change a thing in our eyes and allowing Dennis the Menace to rule over King Kev was the final straw-KK was a world class player and a great manager -ask Sir les,Prince Albert,Andy Cole ,Alan Shearer,David Ginola,Peter Beardley,Tino Asprilla,and countless others-who all wanted to play for him-and given just a bit of support would have got more like them-We know Kev never made a bad signing -you should have trusted him more -as we do-regarding the debt successful clubs dont go bankrupt -they become more prosperous because they win things and attract investment -surprised you did not understand that Mr. Ashley - Lastly goodbye -cant say it has been nice knowing you.
The man has sunk to an all time low with this press release.By suggesting the fans were after more trophy signings is absurd and is, in my opinion, trying to deflect the blame of his failings onto the supporters. To also suggest that him and his family would have been assaulted is a disgraceful slur on the fans!!!!
No mention in the statement of his undermining of the Manager by bringing in players that were unknown to Keegan.This after contradictory statements by Wise and himself in the media that this would not be the case.
No mention either of trying to sell the likes of Owen and Barton on transfer deadline day either without any chance of finding adequate replacements either.The consequences of which doesnt bear thinking about.
No mention either of the ridiculous idea that the club can be succesfully run from an office 200 miles away.
Might i suggest these are the REAL reasons why fans want this man to sell up rather than us not buying Robinho !
1600 self indulgent words, but not a single apology from Mr Ashley. No acceptance of responsibility, not even a "perhaps I could have done this, or shouldn't have done that… �. No, the current disaster is all somebody else’s fault.
“I was always prepared to bankroll Newcastle up to the tune of £20 million per year, but no more. That was my bargain�
Your bargain with whom Mike?
As a life long supporter who has been overseas for many years I can only view the goings on from some distance.
It seems to me that in all the turmoil the bottom line has been lost.
We want to be supporters of a team that create/continue pride and belonging.
I'm not sure that Mike A does not want the same....and he has the finances that the rest us don't...I'm not upset that he is not a Geordie...I'm happy that he is British......
I wish I knew the thinking behind the Wise position but it seems that KK and Mike A need to consistent on who agreed to what. I want to believe that genuine people with a single ambition can agree what is best for the Club. Hopefully like minded people can put their egos on hold and do what is right for NUFC.
Unfortunately the national press are only reporting the stuff about fearing for his family and making us sound like thugs...
We are also made out to be Keegan obsessed - all we want is someone to show passion and Keegan was the only one doing that; however, we all know that Keegan can be a bit of a bairn and neither side has told us exactly what happenned in the transfer market and who knew what - I hope Keegan hasn't just found an excuse to walk again because we are now in a critical situation at the club.
The national press are right about one thing - we are not a big club. Clubs are no longer judged on the number of fans going through the turnstiles - that won't even pay the wages; so who would buy Newcastle? Unfortunately whilst we feel we have won, in the long run it could turn out that this is the moment where we all lost. We still have a massive debt, a huge wage bill and a group of players incapable of getting us into Europe and into the money.
If Mike Ashley can show the level of passion shown in his statement and start communicating with fans, he may be be our best bet.
I don't think Kevin should be brought back, and I don't think Shearer can come in. We need a strong stable manager who does not cause the hype that would come with either of them and we all need to be patient. I think this can happen as long as Mr Ashley keeps talking.
Can all the fanzine people stop presuming to talk for the fans on national television and showing us all up. The rest of the country think we are all mindless thugs who think we have a God-given right to win everything in sight.
Mike, keep talking - your lack of communication has been your biggest crime and if KK handled the situation badly, tell us about it. We love KK's passion but we know what he can be like! Mike Ashley is not the only one who has communicated badly - KK has not addressed the fans either!
There were rumours of this happeneing virtually from the moment he took over - and locally, it was all put down to mischief making from the national press and, as such, never investigated. Sadly, this is something else they got right while were all enthusing over the back page hyperbole about about 'Big' Mike or 'Smudger' or 'Ace' whoever...
£6,000 borrowed over ten years = £17.00/week
50,000 X £6,000= £300,000,000.
(70,000 X £6,000 = £420,000,000)
If we don't want Freddy making a fat profit out of us again, or some Chinese property developer exploiting the assets, we have the chance to do something about it.
How can site Arsenel as business model to follow then put Wise in charge of the tansfers, what an idiot. Wise is definatly no Wenger
I advise all those with the interests of Newcastle United at heart to study carefully the words of Mr Ashley's statement.
He states that his dispute with Kevin Keegan through his Board of Directors has been placed with lawyers to settle and it is difficult to see how the club can be sold and a new manager appointed until the legal issues have been resolved,
He claims to have invested from his personal wealth in the club. Will he provide independent evidence of how much he has invested and how much he has withdrawn from the club in terms of Share dividends, loans etc?
He claims to have been advised that he and his family are at risk of physical assault if he returns to the area. Who has advised him and what is is evidence for this. What is the evidence that he has brought and sat or stood with hsi chidlren at matches involving Newcastle United? Does he regard drinking a pint while standing at Arsenal to be setting a good example
His statement also fails to answer the main allegation against him that having told Kevin keegan he would have the final say on players to be sold, given free transfers and brought into then first team squad this did not happen forcing Kevin into a corner. If he cares so much about the club and his supporters why did he not terminate the contract of Mr Wise and the club Chairman and anyone else responsible for giving Kevin no alternative but to leave.
I hope the pressure on Mr Ashley, and his croonies to go will continue in a peaceful way .
I also hope Alan Shearer will have a strong word with his colleagues on Match of Day for their sneering at the lady whose comments about what the club and Kevin Keegan meant to her were taken out of context. After listening to Five Live on Sunday evening and again this morning it is evdient that the programme has developed a bias against the club, allowing contributers to make allegation about attendances for example without establishing the facts.
I liked Mike Ashley he seemed like a real nice guy. As much as a lot would hate to admit it he did a lot for the club in terms of clearing debt. His statement did make me feel sorry for him but he missed out the vital point of why people have demonstrated against him. He appointed a board of clowns to run the club under Keegans nose. That is why the fans despised him. We didn't want or expect big money signings we just expected smart signings. We needed a left back which we never got. We were caught out in that department AGAIN on saturday. Ashley in my opinion does not need to sell up he just needs to get rid of the circus in the board room. If he did that I'm sure the fans would respect him a hell of a lot. He also wanted another investor if he got that then things would be great. It's a shame that he's got to end it like this, he's obviously got no confidence in bringing back Keegan.
I think Ashley was actually heading along the right lines with the club but made several mistakes, the first was appointing Wise, the second was backing Wise over Keegan and the third was that he obviously wanted to make money on selling players on. To be honest though despite the overtly emotional "my family won't be safe" rubbish, I think Ashley makes some good points in his statement. I am surprised that so many Newcastle fans want anyone to come in and splash hundreds of millions of pounds at the club so we can have instant success. No matter who might be in charge, I think that is extremely short term thinking, we can't have forgotten Shepard and his pop star signings already can we? He nearly sunk the club for good off the pitch and on it we had the likes of Dyer et al playing when they fancied it! We need someone with a strategy of getting the club solvent and buying good young talent that want to play for the shirt and I think we were heading in that direction.
We need to move on, i don't want Keegan back he's walked away once too often for me and we need to get over that one. Also can people please give up on the fans buying the club - IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AND WOULD BE A DISASTER.
First Keegan and now Ashley. Is/was NUFC run by a bunch of kids who when they don’t get their own way run screaming into their bedrooms screaming? Do we need a manager who walks out when he doesn’t get his own way? Do we want an owner who thinks that we (Geordies) are pagans? I mean what’s this about Newcastle supporters endangering his kids? What does he think we Geordies are? We’ve come along way since the North East was called Bericia and our King was called Oswiu.
I thought Ashley was a businessman? Then he should know that business and friendship don’t mix. Stay put, get rid of Wise and have a chat with KK and when he (Keegan) won’t come back have a chat with Shearer.
The books have always been a mystery in this club, and ulitmately the truth of our financial plight has come to light.
this explains a lot of what has went on in the past. How much did it really cost the club in our last period of success?
I can understand MA choosing the type of strategy and management system in question, but cant understand why he chose the people who were involved.
Surely there were other manager/director partnerships out there that may have been a better choice?
KK had periods of success in NUFC (apart from scrapping the academy), but was it really strategic in bringing him back, knowing that the gameplan set in place may not be compatible with KK's style of managing?
crazy to say the least, im sure if we all knew MA's long term game plan, there would have been protests to NOT bring KK back, saving his reputation and preventing the media buzzards from relishing on his (innevitable) waliking out. KK has always been a one man leadership. And a hero in Newcastle so that was always a recipe for disaster (nice one mike)
This long term game plan of MA's should not be overlooked, but must have a working leadership to fill those crucial positions.
So here we are again, In limbo with nobody to look to but the media, and if whats happened in the last 2 weeks is anything to go by, we can look forward to more fabricated ridicule across the country and on our TV screens.
AR
Personally, i've got no time for 'big money' signings and all of the ego that comes with them. I certainly didn't expect Ashley to blow the roof off of St. James with mega-buck superstars, despite rumours of wow signings and such. Would much rather have seen unassuming, experienced and competant players brought into the positions that needed them and have Keegan make them play better than they ever thought they could.
But, Hey Mike, maybe this isn't an irreversible position you are in. Swallow your pride, admit to yourself if nothing else that you dropped a bollock by appointing the biggest gimps in england to run your business, then get rid of them. Save a few hundred grand a year by doing away with this ridiculous management structure that isn't working, and leave the running of the club to the manager and a chairman. Personally i would like to see both Mort and Keegan back, as they are both brilliant communicators, but thats just my opinion for what its worth. And for gods sake, your family are safe. Despite what you may have heard, we don't actually eat children 'up norf'!
Oh, and keep talking!
Shame you couldn't have came out & said all this weeks ago, things could have been different Mike my friend.
The whole thing has started to unravel since Chris Mort left & was replaced by the most smug looking chairman/MD any club could wish for. I agree with a lot of what Ashley says, things like the business model & scouting network all make sense & the fact he was prepared to put £20m of his own cash in every year speaks volumes. Football's bubble will burst & the teams on a sound financial footing are the one's who will survive & prosper once the overseas investers get bored. Ashley's biggest mistake has been the appointment of Wise & co & having no one on Tyneside running the club & communicating with the fans, we've been in the dark all the way through this sorry mess.
I believe Ashley came into this with the right intentions & wanted to make a go of things & give the club some much needed stability, unfortunatly something went wrong along the way & all we are left with is a side facing relegation. In Ashley & Keegan we had two men who could have taken the club forward, we've lost one & now the other has had enough, if only it was Wise & friends leaving then the Toon would be looking to a bright future & not a bleak one.
adding to my earlier comments:
Based on MA's game plan for the club in his staement, he or any new owner should be looking at a manager that has these key desirable qualities:
1. The ability to follow and respect a chain of command.
2. The ability to break down players personal barriers and bond a team into a dependable fighting force.
3. The ability to communicate clear and precise tactics from the board and translate them into a solid plan for players to follow.
4. The ability to turn negative events and circumstances into postive actions and tactics, leading by example.
(you might as well grab an ex Para or marine Sergeant-Major for this role)
For MA's plan to succeed, KK was not the answer
There is an old saying " There's no 'I' in Team"
Too much money, too much corporate, not enough commitment, bad leadership and terrible influence is all but destroying teams below the top four, making the distance between those (teams) and the top four even greater and harder to reach.
Seriously, what the heck is sporting when it involves £100.000+ a week!!!! (sorry owen)
I hate the taste of humble pie, but if things dont change soon its all thats going to be on the menu.
Why didnt Ashley come out at the beginning of his time in charge and say what his plans were??? If last nights statement had come out weeks/months back then maybe, just maybe things could have been different.
The whole thing is a big mess and makes the club and its supporters look like a bunch of clowns. This season I finally thought we were going to have some stability which might have in time given us what we want, a great team, playing great football and maybe a trophy to show for it.
Now we have a club with an owner that isn't interested as he is selling, no manager, no manager likely to take over until the club is bought out and a small (And in areas), weak squad. I fear for the club this season, it is not impossible for us to be in a relegation dog fight, I know people will say rubbish to that but just look at the whole situation. There is talk about Ince, Bruce, Deschamps, etc, but no one is going to come to the club when they know that a new owner might come straight in and replace them. I think the protests should have been about getting Keegan back in rather than Ashley and co out! Now we have neither of them!!!
The only good thing maybe is that the club will be harder to sell for what he paid for it should we go down, so I suspect he will want to do all he can to make sure that doesnt happen?
Lets stop the moaning and get behind the team before we are visiting Doncaster and Plymouth in next seasons Championship!!!
When did anyone threaten Ashley with violence?! Overplayed, emotive claptrap. Theres nutcases follow every club who might get carried away with this stuff but I dont recall anyone directing public threats to Ashley. Anyway, has he ever been seen playing the family guy with his kids at the match? Ive only ever seen him with a cohort of smug acolytes slapping his back. Does he deck pints in front of his kids to show them what a real man he is?!
His statement has lots of pertinent points about finances etc... but who did he strike his £20m "bargain" with? You would think the fans were somehow backing out of some agreement by protesting. And which fans were expecting Robinho etc...etc...??
Not even the more excitable toon fans carrying bedsheets were expecting that. What most expect though, is a credible management structure which builds a sensibly chosen squad. You cant appoint a high profile and single-minded manager (which KK of course is) and expect him not to gripe when decisions are taken away from him and he is ignored regarding shortcomings in the squad. Insane idea to bring characters like him and Wise together and not expect problems!
The fans are indeed revolting. But they have been here once or twice before. And many of Ashleys sentiments in his statement are irrelevant. Isnt he sposed to be a hard-nosed business-head? There are many, many tales of his brutal activities in the City which dont really support the well-meaning family man of the people persona that his previolusly idle PR team are now trying to convey. Get a grip Ashley!.......
Now I was not a great fan of any football club until my partner and I moved in together, and have got quite hooked on being a toon fan! but can anyone else tell me this, as I asked my partner who never missed a game; has anyone ever seen Ashley's children at a game, home or away? I think he stated in his statement that he could no longer let his children go to a game for their safety,he tried, i think get to see if he would get a sympathy vote. Let me tell you Ashley after living away down south for a number of years before moving back, the fans of the club, would NEVER! take their bitterness out on anyone, violently, not even you! Did you ever take your children? if so why weren't they in the stands with you!
Get Keegan back! YOU and WISE thought you could walk all over Keegan and the fans and it's come back to bite you in the ass, let him do what he does best; manage a great team, and buy the players that he believes could give Newcastle a great chance to bring the Toon ahead in the leaque and maybe Europe, and win more silver, or are you scared that if he does, everyone would say, told you so!
Much of Mr Ashley's statement is quite touching, if it's all on the level.
But he doesn't deal with the main points the fans are worried about. Firstly, most of them know he couldn't put in unlimited amounts of money; secondly, most of them (as far as I know) have nothing personal against him. What bothers them is that Keegan was apparently told he had the last say on transfers (Wise has been quoted to that effect in the past), but apparently didn't. So it was the most natural thing in the world for him to leave when that became clear. As others have pointed out, Wenger (the best manager around, pound-for-pound and in terms of attractive football) has said he wouldn't accept that.
In terms of overall trust, it would help, too, if Mr Ashley made an absolutely unambiguous statement denying rumours of any contacts about selling the club before last weekend. If there was any truth to those, it takes away some of the credibility of his statements about deciding to sell now and why.
How very sad it is to see my beloved Newcastle United brought down to this extent. As is the case, the usual culprits are wheeled out to provide personal comment on who to blame, what went wrong and why. As a life-long passionate fan now living in Australia I thought you may wish to hear from a Geordie looking in from the outside.
What is Newcastle United really renowned for, well that’s simple, extremely passionate, good humoured loyal fans, no matter what. Well it seems from here that the passion has turned into fury, intolerance and down right nastiness and the humour into myopic rants fired at just about everyone outside of the city. I look at all the footage of the fans demonstrating , and I ask myself the question, I bet not many of you attended SJP on a dark day in April 1978, well I was there along with wor kid and 8,000 other sorry souls watching a team that was already relegated. Did it matter to us, of course it did. Did we feel sorry for ourselves, of course. But what did we do, we couldn’t even go for a drink to drown our sorrows as the pubs didn’t open till five thirty so we went for a sandwich in the haymaket and then went for a couple of pints and started to plan for the next years campaign in the old second division.
What I’m trying to say if somewhat badly is, these aren’t the darkest days we have had as a club. We have or had whichever way you want to look at it, a owner that is willing to loose 20million a year, sit with the fans at the match, a great ground and some pretty good players. And just because we don’t agree with the management structure and the decision of the manager to walk away, you the fans decide to throw the baby out with the bath water and put the club into self destruct mode. Is the management structure effective, probably not. Was Keegan right to walk away rather than stay and fight for what he believed in, probably not. But walk away he did and the rest is history . It may be naive, but I would like to think that Mr Ashley and his family could once again feel comfortable enough to attend a match, it would take a huge leap of faith and trust , but maybe the Geordies are just the people to rise to that challenge.
I do realise it may be too late to show a certain degree of understanding and tolerance towards Mr, Ashley but I hope the Geordie warmth I am so proud of, once more comes to the fore.
Most pundits over here are asking the obvious question, why are Newcastle fans trying to get rid of a billionaire when most other clubs are trying desperately to attract one? Its tough one to answer.
One final note, you had better watch out, as you will probably get what you wish for. Remember, Westwood, McKeag, for those out there who aren’t familiar with those names, they are not golfers, they are individuals that when asked to put their hands in their pockets just walked away.
Leazes, Corner, paddock and cushy seat ender
I can't help feeling that all this guff is a smokescreen.
MA's statement effectively leaves the door open for him to stay as long as he likes. Two things that will make that stay easier Mike.
.
One - be straight with your Manager, he's the public interface and hence the most important member of your business.
Well said Allan Down Under.
Look you I remember the seventies when going to SJP was a walk on the wild side - remember the "toilets" in the Gallowgate end?! We were dross, the ground was appalling and yet we still continued to turn up. We all know the transformation that has taken place and a huge amount is down to KK. However, .....
Keegan walked, (again). Ashley asked him to come back. He refused. And partly down to threats to his family - something that sickens me - and largely to the protests of a MINORITY of fans he has decided to sell up. If you don't think it is a minority look at the picture in the Chronicle to see how FEW fans are appauding the "Cockney Mafia Out" banner. A demo, BTW, which should never happened during the game!!
Not only should we be very grateful to MA for saving the club from FFS and bankruptcy but hope he will change his mind and continue his support and hope he will boost his quarter of a BILLION pounds investment.
To sum up, ASHLEY IN!
Mike Ashley's statement is well-written, so he does have someone on his staff who can communicate. Since Chris Mort returned to his legal job, no-one at SJP has shown this skill.
Much of what Ashley now says is niether new, nor news. Much of the remainder is groundless opinion, and is used to justify his decision to sell. His strategy for the club had been commuinicated, and he had already made clear that his lack of due diligence on the acquisition cost him dear (where were Mort & Co when it mattered most - I know enough about due diligence to say that the debts and obligations should have either been clearly revealed, or covered by indemnities and warranties in the contract). The most important new information is that he will put no more money in.
The real issues seem to be two-fold. First, the appointments of Wise, Jiminez and particularly Llambias look to be very poor ones. These people lacked both the stature and the interpersonal skills to make the structure work. Secondly, the size and structure of the squad is fundamental to success on the pitch, and that KK was either ignored or outvoted on both the sale and signing of players is inexcusable. That we needed cover at left back, and players who can create openings was obvious. When Owen and Viduka are fit and sharp, they should convert openings into goals. Like other bloggers, I fear for our team this season. I struggle to think who could come in and motivate the squad in the short-term, and win the support of the dressing room. If Ashley cannot find a buyer in two weeks, then I hope he can find a coach who will focus on keeping us in the Premier League, while avoiding an exodus of our better players.
I feel M.A should have said this earlyer and the reaction might have been a little different, I agree that our club had to stop both the managerial changes and the big spending to a point, We all need to relise that if we dont find a huge buyer the best thing would be M.A keeps n.u.f.c.Yet again the want of instant sucsess by over paying for older players and paying them big wages to be out injured for the most of the season, this has to stop.Arsenal are a prime example of a good youth policy.