Ashley's Newcastle future not black and white

[maggiespaws 0]

I don't believe he's about to sell up again but I think they've certainly found a few nasty surprises.

 

I'm sure they've found some very minor nasty surprises. Any due diligence team worthy of the name will have uncovered all of the major issues before the bloke spunked all his money on the club. There's no way they've found any massive hidden costs/undeclared liabilities in the books of a PLC that is audited by a decent firm (make all the jokes you like about Arthur Andersen etc, but it's very rare that these firms miss big errors, particularly not in a business as straightforward as a football club - this isn't a bank with complicated hedge funds or anything). The article is total bollocks imo.

 

QFT - think about it man. Billionaires don't get to be billionaires by spunking a load of cash into a business before they have it checked out. How many normal, everyday people would buy a house without getting the necessary surveys done?

 

The man gives nothing away, we've bought no-one and the only thing they have to write about us in the papers at the minute is the Lord Stevens enquiry and even that seems to be dying a death. Whats left??? our lack of transfer activity and that is related to our recent takeover. Put two and two together and make five.

 

That's Journalism 101 for you.

[Guest alex]

That's the point Gemmill, he never undertook due diligence.

 

There must have been some degree of it went on? I didn't realise that was the case though.

 

No official due diligence as far as I'm aware, unless SJH gave him unauthorised access, it was apparently part of his plan to push the deal through as quickly as possible to give Freddy no time to mount a rival bid, or so the papers say.

You haven't got a clue whether it was undertaken or not in fact, have you?

[maggiespaws 0]

just read the bit about due diligence. I still can't believe someone would invest nearly £140mil in a company without getting it checked first. Bad business sense - something I can't believe MA has.

[Dr Gloom 22518]

That's the point Gemmill, he never undertook due diligence.

 

There must have been some degree of it went on? I didn't realise that was the case though.

 

No official due diligence as far as I'm aware, unless SJH gave him unauthorised access, it was apparently part of his plan to push the deal through as quickly as possible to give Freddy no time to mount a rival bid, or so the papers say.

You haven't got a clue whether it was undertaken or not in fact, have you?

 

but by the same token, you haven't a clue that it has?

 

as far as i can tell, it hasn't been confirmed one way or the other.

 

i fucking well hope it was undertaken as it would prove that the guardian piece is mostly bollocks.

 

(still wouldn't explain why we're spending diddly squat on new players though)

[Guest alex]

That's the point Gemmill, he never undertook due diligence.

 

There must have been some degree of it went on? I didn't realise that was the case though.

 

No official due diligence as far as I'm aware, unless SJH gave him unauthorised access, it was apparently part of his plan to push the deal through as quickly as possible to give Freddy no time to mount a rival bid, or so the papers say.

You haven't got a clue whether it was undertaken or not in fact, have you?

 

but by the same token, you haven't a clue that it has?

 

as far as i can tell, it hasn't been confirmed one way or the other.

 

i fucking well hope it was undertaken as it would prove that the guardian piece is mostly bollocks.

 

(still wouldn't explain why we're spending diddly squat on new players though)

I'm not saying I have got a clue. That's the point. There's been a bit of speculation in the papers, mainly to stir the shit imo.

[ewerk 31588]

That's the point Gemmill, he never undertook due diligence.

 

There must have been some degree of it went on? I didn't realise that was the case though.

 

No official due diligence as far as I'm aware, unless SJH gave him unauthorised access, it was apparently part of his plan to push the deal through as quickly as possible to give Freddy no time to mount a rival bid, or so the papers say.

You haven't got a clue whether it was undertaken or not in fact, have you?

 

As far as I'm aware when due diligence is being undertaken it must be announced to the stock market, I don't remember any such announcement being made. If you know otherwise then please correct me.

[Guest alex]

That's the point Gemmill, he never undertook due diligence.

 

There must have been some degree of it went on? I didn't realise that was the case though.

 

No official due diligence as far as I'm aware, unless SJH gave him unauthorised access, it was apparently part of his plan to push the deal through as quickly as possible to give Freddy no time to mount a rival bid, or so the papers say.

You haven't got a clue whether it was undertaken or not in fact, have you?

 

As far as I'm aware when due diligence is being undertaken it must be announced to the stock market, I don't remember any such announcement being made. If you know otherwise then please correct me.

I don't know otherwise in all honesty. I don't even know if it has to be announced to the SE. I wouldn't have a clue about such matters. I just think people are jumping to negative conclusions based on little or no evidence.

[Dr Gloom 22518]

That's the point Gemmill, he never undertook due diligence.

 

There must have been some degree of it went on? I didn't realise that was the case though.

 

No official due diligence as far as I'm aware, unless SJH gave him unauthorised access, it was apparently part of his plan to push the deal through as quickly as possible to give Freddy no time to mount a rival bid, or so the papers say.

You haven't got a clue whether it was undertaken or not in fact, have you?

 

As far as I'm aware when due diligence is being undertaken it must be announced to the stock market, I don't remember any such announcement being made. If you know otherwise then please correct me.

I don't know otherwise in all honesty. I don't even know if it has to be announced to the SE. I wouldn't have a clue about such matters. I just think people are jumping to negative conclusions based on little or no evidence.

 

i wouldn't say it's little or no evidence. the guardian aren't renowned for making up shite to fill their pages with copy like some tabloids.

 

there's nothing positive in that article. i hope it's all bollocks like but if there's plenty to be concerned about if any of it is true.

[NJS 4446]

That Taylor bitch writes for the Guardian and judging by the SMB theres another one in the sports section (Glendenning) so I always just take anything written in that paper as red and white shite.

 

the guardian aren't renowned for making up shite to fill their pages with copy like some tabloids

 

Apart from when they are having less than sly digs at us - oh look......

Edited July 31, 2007 by NJS

[ewerk 31588]

I don't know otherwise in all honesty. I don't even know if it has to be announced to the SE. I wouldn't have a clue about such matters. I just think people are jumping to negative conclusions based on little or no evidence.

 

Wasn't it announced whenever Belgravia or Polygon were looking at the books? I'm pretty sure it was and I'm pretty sure there was no due diligence undertaken before Ashley bought the club and he has a track record of not bothering with it in the past.

 

So zip it.

[Guest alex]

I don't know otherwise in all honesty. I don't even know if it has to be announced to the SE. I wouldn't have a clue about such matters. I just think people are jumping to negative conclusions based on little or no evidence.

 

Wasn't it announced whenever Belgravia or Polygon were looking at the books? I'm pretty sure it was and I'm pretty sure there was no due diligence undertaken before Ashley bought the club and he has a track record of not bothering with it in the past.

 

So zip it.

Ok, fair enough.

[bawan 0]

for fuck sake....am already imagining fans standing outside of SJP singing "sack the board, sack the board, sack the board"

good old days lol

[Sima 0]

Nah, this hasn't reached the red-tops yet.

 

If and when it does reach there and SSN expect Jim White to be quickly despatched and a lynch mob to be on route. Shouting for Keeeeeegan (ye knar cos thats wot me kids called. Keeegan put that sausage roll down man) and Shearer.

[Craig 6700]

I'm with Alex, Gemmill, Wacky & Sima on this one - it's fucking bullshit of the highest order!

 

Sure there's going to be some surprises, but you're not trying to tell me that a successful businessman is going to chuck in the towel only 2 weeks after acquiring the club?? Fuck off!!!

 

Press are biting him because he won't talk - personally I'm fucking glad we don't have a loose-lipped chairman anymore.

[Chaser 1321]

No quotes, no sources and no detailed information. Pure speculative Journalism. Wont buy into it until the bandwagon starts rolling out of Tyneside

[Dr Gloom 22518]

No quotes, no sources and no detailed information. Pure speculative Journalism. Wont buy into it until the bandwagon starts rolling out of Tyneside

 

...and no major signings either.

 

if the new board start backing sam (and going on his recent comments it doesn't sound like they're going to) then i'll stop worrying. if we go into the new season without any serious investment in the transfer market then i'll be inclined to believe the hype and get on the bandwagon alongside matt scott.

 

even men with (and i quote big sam here) with "no experience of the football side of things" should realise that we are in desperate need of a bunch of quality signings sharpish.

[Guest alex]

No quotes, no sources and no detailed information. Pure speculative Journalism. Wont buy into it until the bandwagon starts rolling out of Tyneside

 

...and no major signings either.

 

if the new board start backing sam (and going on his recent comments it doesn't sound like they're going to) then i'll stop worrying. if we go into the new season without any serious investment in the transfer market then i'll be inclined to believe the hype and get on the bandwagon alongside matt scott.

 

even men with (and i quote big sam here) with "no experience of the football side of things" should realise that we are in desperate need of a bunch of quality signings sharpish.

Just to be clear, you believe this story? And those are your reasons?

[ewerk 31588]

Just to be clear, you believe this story? And those are your reasons?

 

I don't think anyone really believes that he's about to sell up but I do believe that the situation at the club is a lot worse than Ashley originally thought.

[Shearergol 0]

I think the situation is bad enough for us to start looking at Bernard and Sibierski type signings again.

[Barney 0]

OMG re-sign Bernard.

[Guest alex]

Just to be clear, you believe this story? And those are your reasons?

 

I don't think anyone really believes that he's about to sell up but I do believe that the situation at the club is a lot worse than Ashley originally thought.

Was I asking you what he thought like?

[Craig 6700]

Fucking hell Dan, they only took over the club less than 2 weeks ago. It's not like they just hand over a dirty great big cheque book to Allardyce and say "off you go son, spend it well".

 

As has been suggested they're undertaking a strategic review of the way the whole club is run and given the obviously shitty mess we are in, it's going to be a little bit more involved than appointing new faces and letting them get about things their own way.

 

Every process within the club needs analysing and streamlining from top to bottom and that is definitely NOT an overnight thing. You might argue that this was not the right time to carry this out, well when was? We've all been baying for the removal of Shepherd for some time now and we've got it. We all said that we should change personnel at the end of a season. We've done it!!

 

Whenever this strategic review took place it was going to take time - and the sooner the better. I also think people's perceptions of the coming season are WAY too high as well. I expect us to consolidate our position, perhaps improve to just inside the top 10 and maybe have a decent run in one of the cups. Anything more than that will be a bonus IMO. This time next season I'd hope that we're in a much stronger position in the transfer market.

 

As for this summer, well Viduka, Rozenhal, Barton & Geremi have all come in and I expect we'll see more activity before the end of the window. This time last year we'd brought in Duff and that was it. On top of that we had Martins to come and that was about it!! (Sibierski, Bernard, Srnicek and Rossi on loan, I don't count).

 

We're taking steps forward IMO, and alright, they might not be as big as some people would hope, but it's something we haven't done for many years...

[Dr Gloom 22518]

No quotes, no sources and no detailed information. Pure speculative Journalism. Wont buy into it until the bandwagon starts rolling out of Tyneside

 

...and no major signings either.

 

if the new board start backing sam (and going on his recent comments it doesn't sound like they're going to) then i'll stop worrying. if we go into the new season without any serious investment in the transfer market then i'll be inclined to believe the hype and get on the bandwagon alongside matt scott.

 

even men with (and i quote big sam here) with "no experience of the football side of things" should realise that we are in desperate need of a bunch of quality signings sharpish.

Just to be clear, you believe this story? And those are your reasons?

 

i'm not sure if i believe everything in the story but i wouldn't rule out there being any truth in it, especially the points about the new board not realising exactly how high our debt levels were before aquiring the club - this would seem plausible if they didn't undertake due diligence. it certainly would go some way in explaining our lack of movement in the transfer market.

 

whether ashley is going to look for a quick exit strategy remains to be seen but it's the lack of tranfer activity from a club under new owenership and in desperate need of new players that makes me think there might be a few worrying things going on behind the scenes.

 

of course, two or three good transfers and we wouldn't even be speculating... ;-)

Edited July 31, 2007 by Fancy Dan lecturer

[Guest alex]

Aye, that's the thing though, we're a few players short and we haven't signed as many as everyone thought we would have by now, therefore there's a disaster imminent. Kerayzee talk of epic proportions imo.

[Shearergol 0]

Aye, that's the thing though, we're a few players short and we haven't signed as many as everyone thought we would have by now, therefore there's a disaster imminent. Kerayzee talk of epic proportions imo.

 

Maybe if Allardyce hadn't spent the last week saying that it's proving impossible to get players, certain people wouldn't be so worried?