NUFC Accounts

[peasepud 59]

the original article is full of shit . late cbh gettin into it .

 

one link for now http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-ne...61634-20989122/

 

Erm, isn't that article referring to even earlier accounts than the ones in the OP?

 

The lad who posted the stuff I copied from N-O is an accountant and appears to know his stuff - far more than me, or some guy from The Journal I imagine.

 

It appears to me (from a totally uneducated eye, I admit) that Ashley has put into NUFC almost a quarter of a BILLION pounds of his own money. Does he really deserve the vitriol he gets?

 

Yes he does, he didnt pump that money in for the love of the football club he did it for business reasons. These accounts do not show what he is taking out of the club, I dont know what that is maybe its nothing but then again maybe hes charging the club even more interest than the banks were. We are not debt free, we have merely changed banks. If anything we are in a more precarious position now than we were before. A bank will follow a code, a bank will close your account and demand the money back if we fail to pay the debt back. What a bank wont do is either get bored with you and decide they want it back or throw their toys out of the pram and demand you do certain things to raise the finance.

 

I still believe that his plan all along was to buy the club, refinance the debts take 10 or 20 million per annum in dividends and interest on that debt for a couple of years then sell us on at a profit. Maybe even at the start he believed that he was going to take us onwards and upwards while doing that but then he employed a team of total and utter fuckwits to run the show.

 

More importantly he deserves our contempt because of the way in which he treats us the fans, he sees us as nothing more than willing mugs who will generate the cash regardless.

[Scottish Mag 3]

the original article is full of shit . late cbh gettin into it .

 

one link for now http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-ne...61634-20989122/

 

Erm, isn't that article referring to even earlier accounts than the ones in the OP?

 

The lad who posted the stuff I copied from N-O is an accountant and appears to know his stuff - far more than me, or some guy from The Journal I imagine.

 

It appears to me (from a totally uneducated eye, I admit) that Ashley has put into NUFC almost a quarter of a BILLION pounds of his own money. Does he really deserve the vitriol he gets?

 

I know, so why not throw in another £20m to kick start the team which could then potentially lead to increase TV money, gate receipts and prize money?

 

He probably could put the 20 million in but its the wages that are probably the bigger factor than the actual cost of the player. Its something I have been discussing with a few on here for a while but part of me can inderstand why we are reluctant to bring in more players on crazy wages whilst the existing squad has too many that are a waste of space on inflated salaries...

 

Duff, Barton, Butt, Geremi, Smith, Viduka and even Owen (if you take into account his crazy salary for such a poor team) are arguably crippling this club financially if you take into account what they have actually contributed to the club. Someone on N-O yesterday posted this..

 

all of top earners have to be sold in the summer or released to get this club back on track

 

owen, 6 million a year

viduka, 3.5 million a year

smith, 3.5 million

geremi, 3.5 million

butt, 2.5 million

barton, 3.5 million

 

23.5 million a third of wage budget was spent on these wasters, a totally f***ing disgrace the best ashley can do is try to sell these players asap in my book

#

 

That wasn't even including Duff who if reports are to believed could be on anything up to 3.5 million a year too..

[snakehips 0]

I'm neither pro or anti Ashley. I'm one of the thousands of supporters who haven't a fucking clue what the truth is and are open-minded about his motives.

 

It appears he got caught out by buying the club and then being forced to pay off the debt. He has 'loaned' the club approx £100m (to pay the debt etc) which was his own money and has charged an interest on that (despite not taking it - yet?). How much interest would he have gained had that £100m sat in his bank account? Isn't it reasonable, therefore, that he's charged NUFC an interest on his loan?

 

I've seen the figures Ritchie posted about certain players' wages - they are truly horrifying.

 

Buying NUFC to take out 10 or 20 million a year? I'm not sure I believe that.

 

Has he lied to us? It appears so, and his/NUFC pr has been atrocious.

 

Yours,

 

bewildered

Edited January 22, 2009 by snakehips

[Scottish Mag 3]

I'm neither pro or anti Ashley. I'm one of the thousands of supporters who haven't a fucking clue what the truth is and are open-minded about his motives.

 

It appears he got caught out by buying the club and then being forced to pay off the debt. He has 'loaned' the club approx £100m (to pay the debt etc) which was his own money and has charged an interest on that (despite not taking it - yet?). How much interest would he have gained had that £100m sat in his bank account? Isn't it reasonable, therefore, that he's charged NUFC an interest on his loan?

 

I've seen the figures Ritchie posted about certain players' wages - they are truly horrifying.

 

Buying NUFC to take out 10 or 20 million a year? I'm not sure I believe that.

 

Has he lied to us? It appears so, and his/NUFC pr has been atrocious.

 

Yours,

 

bewildered

 

I am neither pro or anti Ashley either and sometimes I play devils advocate trying to look at what he is actually doing.

 

Yes the way the supporters have been treated in terms of communication have been shocking and he made a major mistake with the Keegan/Wise situation, and also with Lambias (who appears to do nothing). But in terms of running the club has he actually done so bad by us? If the finances were so bad is there the possibility he is working with his hands tied behind his back trying to get the club financially back on the ground. I actually think that your Ambramovich's, the Man City lot etc have spoiled the game and supporters expectations. Many of us a saw a billionaire coming in and hoped he would spend, spend, spend but is that a reality, the club has to be financially stable for it to continue both now and when the time comes that Ashley moves on.

 

In reality *if* Ashleys claim that he wanted the club to run itself financially and he would invest 10(?) million a year of his own money almost as play money was true I actually dont think that would have been too bad a deal.

 

As I said before he has made quite alot of mistakes along the way and I am not his biggest fan but at the same time I think some expectations on our parts are often too high.

[snakehips 0]

I'm neither pro or anti Ashley. I'm one of the thousands of supporters who haven't a fucking clue what the truth is and are open-minded about his motives.

 

It appears he got caught out by buying the club and then being forced to pay off the debt. He has 'loaned' the club approx £100m (to pay the debt etc) which was his own money and has charged an interest on that (despite not taking it - yet?). How much interest would he have gained had that £100m sat in his bank account? Isn't it reasonable, therefore, that he's charged NUFC an interest on his loan?

 

I've seen the figures Ritchie posted about certain players' wages - they are truly horrifying.

 

Buying NUFC to take out 10 or 20 million a year? I'm not sure I believe that.

 

Has he lied to us? It appears so, and his/NUFC pr has been atrocious.

 

Yours,

 

bewildered

 

I am neither pro or anti Ashley either and sometimes I play devils advocate trying to look at what he is actually doing.

 

Yes the way the supporters have been treated in terms of communication have been shocking and he made a major mistake with the Keegan/Wise situation, and also with Lambias (who appears to do nothing). But in terms of running the club has he actually done so bad by us? If the finances were so bad is there the possibility he is working with his hands tied behind his back trying to get the club financially back on the ground. I actually think that your Ambramovich's, the Man City lot etc have spoiled the game and supporters expectations. Many of us a saw a billionaire coming in and hoped he would spend, spend, spend but is that a reality, the club has to be financially stable for it to continue both now and when the time comes that Ashley moves on.

 

In reality *if* Ashleys claim that he wanted the club to run itself financially and he would invest 10(?) million a year of his own money almost as play money was true I actually dont think that would have been too bad a deal.

 

As I said before he has made quite alot of mistakes along the way and I am not his biggest fan but at the same time I think some expectations on our parts are often too high.

 

I have been thinking for a while that maybe, just maybe, the campaign not to buy any merchandise from NUFC (programmes/pies/pints etc etc) could possibly be harming the very thing we love.

 

If Ashley is a genuine guy in trying to clear the debts and NOT running it as a cash cow, the more money that goes into the club will help, ultimately, the team.

 

THIS IS GUESSWORK, btw. A bit like guessing that Ashley or Shepherd for that matter are the evil incarnate (for those that don't KNOW, of course)

 

EDIT: This isn't an attack on NUSC, btw, as I'm very much pro them.

Edited January 22, 2009 by snakehips

[Guest alex]

The thing is, if crippling wages are the problem, Ashley / Llambias should have come out and told us that. Another thing - who was in control of the club when Smith, Geremi, Viduka and Barton were signed and got these contracts?

[snakehips 0]

The thing is, if crippling wages are the problem, Ashley / Llambias should have come out and told us that. Another thing - who was in control of the club when Smith, Geremi, Viduka and Barton were signed and got these contracts?

 

Agreed

 

EDIT: Wages have been in the spotlight, though. Something in the back of my mind tells me some comment from NUFC (poss Mort??) was going on about that a while ago. Anyway, Taylor wanted more money than he got and we know for a fact that Owen was told he would have to take a pay cut - he has admitted this by saying he agreed to it.

 

However, the point about the players above still stands.

Edited January 22, 2009 by snakehips

[ChezGiven 0]

We're making a loss, some of this loss is amortisation. Quayside on NO however points to the 30m injection of working capital without which the business would fold.

 

There are some grey areas, for example the 20m he has to pump in 'each year' is about the same 'Loss' as the loss in value of intangible assets from amortisation (17.5m). When you strip that out, the loss for this financial period is 2.5m. Again, this doesnt account for the working capital that Quayside highlights.

 

What these accounts do show us is that the only mistake ashley has made is over Keegan. A huge mistake but none of other accusations make a lot of sense now.

 

Gemmill, does the working capital have to go into the business because the accounts show a loss (even though its just amortisation)?

 

Also, what are the total operating costs minus debt and amortisation? Asked this on NO too and not got an answer from the calculator geeks yet.

Edited January 22, 2009 by ChezGiven

[ChezGiven 0]

The thing is, if crippling wages are the problem, Ashley / Llambias should have come out and told us that. Another thing - who was in control of the club when Smith, Geremi, Viduka and Barton were signed and got these contracts?

 

Allardyce has a lot to answer for too.

[spongebob toonpants 3855]

I'm neither pro or anti Ashley. I'm one of the thousands of supporters who haven't a fucking clue what the truth is and are open-minded about his motives.

 

It appears he got caught out by buying the club and then being forced to pay off the debt. He has 'loaned' the club approx £100m (to pay the debt etc) which was his own money and has charged an interest on that (despite not taking it - yet?). How much interest would he have gained had that £100m sat in his bank account? Isn't it reasonable, therefore, that he's charged NUFC an interest on his loan?

 

I've seen the figures Ritchie posted about certain players' wages - they are truly horrifying.

 

Buying NUFC to take out 10 or 20 million a year? I'm not sure I believe that.

 

Has he lied to us? It appears so, and his/NUFC pr has been atrocious.

 

Yours,

 

bewildered

 

I am neither pro or anti Ashley either and sometimes I play devils advocate trying to look at what he is actually doing.

 

Yes the way the supporters have been treated in terms of communication have been shocking and he made a major mistake with the Keegan/Wise situation, and also with Lambias (who appears to do nothing). But in terms of running the club has he actually done so bad by us? If the finances were so bad is there the possibility he is working with his hands tied behind his back trying to get the club financially back on the ground. I actually think that your Ambramovich's, the Man City lot etc have spoiled the game and supporters expectations. Many of us a saw a billionaire coming in and hoped he would spend, spend, spend but is that a reality, the club has to be financially stable for it to continue both now and when the time comes that Ashley moves on.

 

In reality *if* Ashleys claim that he wanted the club to run itself financially and he would invest 10(?) million a year of his own money almost as play money was true I actually dont think that would have been too bad a deal.

 

As I said before he has made quite alot of mistakes along the way and I am not his biggest fan but at the same time I think some expectations on our parts are often too high.

 

I have been thinking for a while that maybe, just maybe, the campaign not to buy any merchandise from NUFC (programmes/pies/pints etc etc) could possibly be harming the very thing we love.

 

If Ashley is a genuine guy in trying to clear the debts and NOT running it as a cash cow, the more money that goes into the club will help, ultimately, the team.

 

THIS IS GUESSWORK, btw. A bit like guessing that Ashley or Shepherd for that matter are the evil incarnate (for those that don't KNOW, of course)

 

 

 

You are behaving like battered wives refusing to leave their husbands.

 

He bought the club to make money -no other reason, he has no interest at all in wha the supporters might want or having a succesful team. Look at his business empire, cheap tat piled high with no regard for staff or respect for customers

 

The only unanswered question is did he buy the club to flog on straight away for a quick profit, or did he buy it to run it on the cheap for as long as possible as an ongoing cash cow.

 

He is an asset stripping cunt who cares about nothing but making money

[snakehips 0]

I'm neither pro or anti Ashley. I'm one of the thousands of supporters who haven't a fucking clue what the truth is and are open-minded about his motives.

 

It appears he got caught out by buying the club and then being forced to pay off the debt. He has 'loaned' the club approx £100m (to pay the debt etc) which was his own money and has charged an interest on that (despite not taking it - yet?). How much interest would he have gained had that £100m sat in his bank account? Isn't it reasonable, therefore, that he's charged NUFC an interest on his loan?

 

I've seen the figures Ritchie posted about certain players' wages - they are truly horrifying.

 

Buying NUFC to take out 10 or 20 million a year? I'm not sure I believe that.

 

Has he lied to us? It appears so, and his/NUFC pr has been atrocious.

 

Yours,

 

bewildered

 

I am neither pro or anti Ashley either and sometimes I play devils advocate trying to look at what he is actually doing.

 

Yes the way the supporters have been treated in terms of communication have been shocking and he made a major mistake with the Keegan/Wise situation, and also with Lambias (who appears to do nothing). But in terms of running the club has he actually done so bad by us? If the finances were so bad is there the possibility he is working with his hands tied behind his back trying to get the club financially back on the ground. I actually think that your Ambramovich's, the Man City lot etc have spoiled the game and supporters expectations. Many of us a saw a billionaire coming in and hoped he would spend, spend, spend but is that a reality, the club has to be financially stable for it to continue both now and when the time comes that Ashley moves on.

 

In reality *if* Ashleys claim that he wanted the club to run itself financially and he would invest 10(?) million a year of his own money almost as play money was true I actually dont think that would have been too bad a deal.

 

As I said before he has made quite alot of mistakes along the way and I am not his biggest fan but at the same time I think some expectations on our parts are often too high.

 

I have been thinking for a while that maybe, just maybe, the campaign not to buy any merchandise from NUFC (programmes/pies/pints etc etc) could possibly be harming the very thing we love.

 

If Ashley is a genuine guy in trying to clear the debts and NOT running it as a cash cow, the more money that goes into the club will help, ultimately, the team.

 

THIS IS GUESSWORK, btw. A bit like guessing that Ashley or Shepherd for that matter are the evil incarnate (for those that don't KNOW, of course)

 

 

 

You are behaving like battered wives refusing to leave their husbands.

 

He bought the club to make money -no other reason, he has no interest at all in wha the supporters might want or having a succesful team. Look at his business empire, cheap tat piled high with no regard for staff or respect for customers

 

The only unanswered question is did he buy the club to flog on straight away for a quick profit, or did he buy it to run it on the cheap for as long as possible as an ongoing cash cow.

 

He is an asset stripping cunt who cares about nothing but making money

 

I'm fucking battered, that's for sure . As I said, I'm not pro Ashley - I'm really undecided.

 

If he bought the club to make a profit then who the fuck advised him on this course of action???? Even my battered wife knew that buying football clubs to make money was stupid.

[ChezGiven 0]

I'm neither pro or anti Ashley. I'm one of the thousands of supporters who haven't a fucking clue what the truth is and are open-minded about his motives.

 

It appears he got caught out by buying the club and then being forced to pay off the debt. He has 'loaned' the club approx £100m (to pay the debt etc) which was his own money and has charged an interest on that (despite not taking it - yet?). How much interest would he have gained had that £100m sat in his bank account? Isn't it reasonable, therefore, that he's charged NUFC an interest on his loan?

 

I've seen the figures Ritchie posted about certain players' wages - they are truly horrifying.

 

Buying NUFC to take out 10 or 20 million a year? I'm not sure I believe that.

 

Has he lied to us? It appears so, and his/NUFC pr has been atrocious.

 

Yours,

 

bewildered

 

I am neither pro or anti Ashley either and sometimes I play devils advocate trying to look at what he is actually doing.

 

Yes the way the supporters have been treated in terms of communication have been shocking and he made a major mistake with the Keegan/Wise situation, and also with Lambias (who appears to do nothing). But in terms of running the club has he actually done so bad by us? If the finances were so bad is there the possibility he is working with his hands tied behind his back trying to get the club financially back on the ground. I actually think that your Ambramovich's, the Man City lot etc have spoiled the game and supporters expectations. Many of us a saw a billionaire coming in and hoped he would spend, spend, spend but is that a reality, the club has to be financially stable for it to continue both now and when the time comes that Ashley moves on.

 

In reality *if* Ashleys claim that he wanted the club to run itself financially and he would invest 10(?) million a year of his own money almost as play money was true I actually dont think that would have been too bad a deal.

 

As I said before he has made quite alot of mistakes along the way and I am not his biggest fan but at the same time I think some expectations on our parts are often too high.

 

I have been thinking for a while that maybe, just maybe, the campaign not to buy any merchandise from NUFC (programmes/pies/pints etc etc) could possibly be harming the very thing we love.

 

If Ashley is a genuine guy in trying to clear the debts and NOT running it as a cash cow, the more money that goes into the club will help, ultimately, the team.

 

THIS IS GUESSWORK, btw. A bit like guessing that Ashley or Shepherd for that matter are the evil incarnate (for those that don't KNOW, of course)

 

 

 

You are behaving like battered wives refusing to leave their husbands.

 

He bought the club to make money -no other reason, he has no interest at all in wha the supporters might want or having a succesful team. Look at his business empire, cheap tat piled high with no regard for staff or respect for customers

 

The only unanswered question is did he buy the club to flog on straight away for a quick profit, or did he buy it to run it on the cheap for as long as possible as an ongoing cash cow.

 

He is an asset stripping cunt who cares about nothing but making money

 

Nae offense mate but an audited account by Enrst and Young doesnt lie and thats clearly shown as utter bollocks by these accounts.

 

As for his profit motive, i'm fucking delighted that he is driven by making money, i'd hate us to be the only football club in the world without a chairman that is and therefore being run by someone potentially clinically insane.

[trophyshy 7058]

I'm bewlidered by Ashley. He is manipultive and does not appear to give a shit about us. A club is not like any other business, it just isn't and, unless you bring success, you must maintain some kind of relationship with the supporters or you are a dead man walking.

 

The only thing he did which appeared to be for the fans was bring back Keegan. With hindsight this appears to have been a marketing ploy and when it came to actually working together Ashley et al weren't prepared to budge. Off you go then Kev, I have all these northern monkeys signed up for 3 years already thanks to your face in toon.

 

Mort aside, he's brought in a some questionable staff to run us. Dennis Wise, basically hated by everyone outside the clubs he played for, and probably several within. A nasty little shit that we never liked scouting for kids? It's like getting Hitler to be a Mohel ffs. And Llambias, Kashley's drinking buddy. Whoop! Williamson on paper looks like a decent operational manager (recruited by Mort), but that has little influence on the football dealings. There's still no-one speaking to us from the top level, they won't even talk to our supporters club, hastily assembled to deal with this lot after years of quietly tolerating various other sharks.

 

Having said that, they appear to be thinking long term with the youth squad and the youth programme they are rolling out in the North East. Are they hoping the kids in 5 years will get us back to the top flight on the cheap? Or are they just trying to generate cash by getting them in young to flog on once developed? Time will tell, but this youth focus appears to be the main thrust of their plans. This could be good but you have to support the senior team to bring these kids through into, protect your investment, outlay now so there is something significant to bleed them into. Front load your investment for long term savings.

 

He could still win me over, but it would require a fairly huge change in direction. The senior recruitment policy is looking a disgrace, did we not have a list to work through? Who's in then on 22nd January? Who wants away? I'll reserve judgement for another 10 days, but it's looking pretty grim. Disarray.

 

Kinnear, I just don't think he's very good and feel a little sorry for him to be in that compromised position at his age. I look at him and think of Arthur Fowler, rocking in the corner of the room. I think he'll walk eventually, probably blaming us.

 

Being Newcastle manager should be one of the best jobs in football, and while it's always been hugely challenging I think now it's a total nightmare, only tenable to someone who thought they had already been barred from the last chance saloon.

 

Who would we get in if Kinnear left, seriously, who?

[Guest alex]

The thing is, if crippling wages are the problem, Ashley / Llambias should have come out and told us that. Another thing - who was in control of the club when Smith, Geremi, Viduka and Barton were signed and got these contracts?

 

Allardyce has a lot to answer for too.

Wouldn't have been involved in contract negotiations though, would he?

[Fop 1]

So what are we realistically looking at as a £0 club (assuming the books haven't been cooked too much - which maybe a very shaky assumption )?

 

 

Are we basically in terminal decline that can't be righted (without an Arab sugar-daddy). Are we still a Premiership club? A Championship club? A yoyo club?

 

 

(ignoring, for now, really bad appointments al la Wise/Lambruso and such)

[ChezGiven 0]

The thing is, if crippling wages are the problem, Ashley / Llambias should have come out and told us that. Another thing - who was in control of the club when Smith, Geremi, Viduka and Barton were signed and got these contracts?

 

Allardyce has a lot to answer for too.

Wouldn't have been involved in contract negotiations though, would he?

No but no matter what we paid these players they would have been poor value.

[Barney 0]

I don't think he would have been, but I always thought the manager would put a rough price on any prospective target, maybe salary goes with that.

[Barney 0]

Jesus, what percentage of games have that lot played since we signed them? Smith has missed all of this season, Barton and Viduka most of it, and Geremi is just terrible.

[ewerk 29491]

There are some grey areas, for example the 20m he has to pump in 'each year' is about the same 'Loss' as the loss in value of intangible assets from amortisation (17.5m). When you strip that out, the loss for this financial period is 2.5m. Again, this doesnt account for the working capital that Quayside highlights.

 

To be fair the profit on disposal of players is also a paper profit so the loss will actually be more than 2.5m

[Guest alex]

The thing is, if crippling wages are the problem, Ashley / Llambias should have come out and told us that. Another thing - who was in control of the club when Smith, Geremi, Viduka and Barton were signed and got these contracts?

 

Allardyce has a lot to answer for too.

Wouldn't have been involved in contract negotiations though, would he?

No but no matter what we paid these players they would have been poor value.

That's by the by. The current regime seem intent on trimming the wage bill but they have to carry some of the can for giving these people the large wages in the first place. That's not a defence of Allardyce's pretty ordinary record in the transfer market. I can sort of understand Viduka because he was a free so you have to balance his high wage against savings on the lack of a fee.

I think that when you look at it overall, including the above, it smacks of a pretty shambolic plan from Ashley and co, which may go some way to explaining the constant contradictions that come out of the club. I understand that the 'global financial meltdown' has perhaps played its part but I think the investment in the team was inadequate prior to that in the 3 transfer windows beforehand. There may be reasons for that that are not the fault of the board. Maybe we really did try for Modric and Woodgate etc. Although I have reason to be believe at least one of those approaches were lukewarm. You have to wonder what Ashley is playing at. He sacked Allardyce and brought in KK. But he also approached Redknapp. He's brought in a chairman who never speaks to the fans and a DoF (for want of a better word) who seems to have a massive influence on 1st team affairs despite having a managerial track record that is nothing special and certainly vastly inferior to those who have had (of would have had to) work under him.

[ewerk 29491]

Weren't Viduka and Barton signed under Shepherd anyway? Not that it excuses the wages handed to subsequent signings.

[Hadrian 0]

but theres more to this ... the land we own , ashleys ties to property developers(jiminez) and casino owners ( lambsarse) , saint james' is hosting olympic events and hopefully world cup games if we win the bid .

 

when ive fed the kids and sorted the house ill do my best to go through it better , im a math person , so my english is shiite (dont mind admiting that) , but ill try and put it in words as best as possible , the link i left(when i was off to bed ) was just to show how we went from what the deloitte report said last year to these figures being thrown about now , which i think is bullshit , i realise we have to take payoff fee's into account ect , but theres loads more to this situation that what was typed in the lad from N-O's post .

[Guest alex]

Weren't Viduka and Barton signed under Shepherd anyway? Not that it excuses the wages handed to subsequent signings.

Not sure but the Barton thing was delayed as he haggled over his 'loyalty' bonus.

[FCUM 1]

Interesting that whenever the contracts and big earners are discussed, the list never includes Shay Given. I take it this means that he's some way behind the others in terms of earnings. Does this partly explain his current dissatisfaction? It certainly seems to strengthen the view that more loyal service you give a club, the further down the pecking order you find yourself when it comes to salaries!

 

Maybe keepers don't command the salaries outfield players do, I've no idea, but I'm sure he earns his money a damn sight more than the likes of Smith & Viduka do!

[ChezGiven 0]

Weren't Viduka and Barton signed under Shepherd anyway? Not that it excuses the wages handed to subsequent signings.

Not sure but the Barton thing was delayed as he haggled over his 'loyalty' bonus.

I really rate Barton anyway and he has had two unlucky injuries which were not fitness related.