Ashley to allow spending spree in summer

[Kevin 1]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/ap...e-chris-hughton

 

''Mike Ashley, the Newcastle United owner, is willing to sanction a summer spending spree to ensure survival in the Premier League, despite his reluctance to return to the club's high-spending past.

 

Ashley has invested £25m this season to help balance the books of a business that is losing £500,000 a week while in the Championship. However, the billionaire – who is not expected to put the club back up for sale in the summer, after two failed attempts to sell – will stress the need to be prudent to the manager, Chris Hughton.

 

Club officials estimate that promotion will increase Newcastle's income by around £50m or possibly as much as £60m, depending on attendances at St James' Park. Only around half of that will be used for player recruitment. The rest is needed to help restructure the club's finances after a testing 12 months and it is understood Ashley will take back some of the money he has loaned Newcastle this year.

 

Ashley and the club's managing director, Derek Llambias, believe £20m to £25m is a healthy budget for a club looking to consolidate its Premier League position.

 

"Prudent ambition" is the current key phrase at St James' Park, even while the city celebrates the return of top-flight football and survival will be the objective from August. Hughton feels he has the core of a squad which can compete in the Premier League but he will look to improve it where he can. While too good for the Championship, Newcastle still look like they will be vulnerable at the highest level and Hughton is keen to strengthen in defence as well as sign a proven goalscorer, which is where the majority of the transfer war chest will be spent.

 

The sale of players is anticipated, but Hughton has the full backing of Ashley and will continue as manager next season, a challenge "he has more than earned the right to have a crack at", according to the goalkeeper Steve Harper.

 

"It's going to be an interesting summer because there will be changes," Newcastle's Argentina international Jonas Gutiérrez said. "We have gone up with five games to go and I'm sure the manager and the owner will talk about what needs to be done in the summer and where the squad needs to be strengthened.

 

"Some players will leave, some will come in. The important thing is we have the time to make sure the right decisions are made. I want to stay. I'd like to play for a lot of years here at Newcastle. I love this club."

 

For Harper, Newcastle's longest serving player, the main emotion following promotion is relief that the scars of relegation can start to heal.

 

He said: "The memories from Villa Park last May when we were relegated are still pretty vivid, but this more than makes up for it. Last year was desperately disappointing but we're back up now. The mental scars are still there, of course. I'll never forget that, it's something as a player you can never forget. It's a motivation, I'm sure there's a lot of players in the dressing room who have used it as that to achieve what we have."

 

Newcastle secured promotion before their win against Sheffield United on Easter Monday and have switched their attention to winning the Championship title. They are six points clear of West Bromwich Albion with a game in hand, with five matches left to play.''

 

 

What are your thoughts? When I read 'spending spree' I assumed 40-50 mil, but will 20-25 mill do the trick?

 

You are fucking Loony.

[Barney 0]

Wait, this is the owner who's made a profit during his reign of terror during transfer windows? I don't see him bucking that trend and letting the manager spend £20m+ on transfers without recouping that first.

 

Also, Shola is our answer to Guardiola.

 

Local lad -> ball boy -> youth team -> reserve team -> first team -> captain(?) -> manager ->

[ChezGiven 0]

It is understood Ashley will take back some of the money he has loaned Newcastle this year.

 

I'll be worried if this becomes a recurring action.

 

 

Why ??

 

IF we spent say £20 mill, and he also takes back £20mill thus reducing the club indebtedness (to him) that'd be OK by me tbh

 

Which Premier League clubs run a £40m profit?

 

None after the adjustment period but thats not the point. Which premier league club is about to experience a minimum of 40m additional revenue next season?

 

The club is in debt. The club reduces costs. The club gets significantly more revenue. Ergo, some of the debt gets paid back.

 

Has everyone forgotten why we wanted to be promoted? The premiership IS the prize.

 

If they were bank loans they'd HAVE to be repaid with interest, so i've no problem with that.

 

Shepherd would go on a spending spree, then he was frugal the to pay off some debt (we ran transfer profits in 1997, 2000 and 2004) you can't buy year on year.

 

I just don't expect us to be spending £20 million on players AND paying off £20m of loans AND retaining our best players AND running a balanced book.

 

I dont see why not. Thats the value of the prize. If he managed to get running costs in line with revenues + parachute this season, then thats about the scenario he is looking at. Apart from the balanced book thing, i think we'll still have large debts.

 

For me, the financial side of things is beyond question, the only variable is how much fatty wants to put in. Are we forgetting the richest game of football on the planet is the championship play off? People are right to suspect whether he will invest at all but the jump up to the prem (given a level of prudency in the level below) does lead to a massive increase in income.

[ChezGiven 0]

He's a greedy fat cunt. I know he hasn't got £900m cash, but he could easy just say look sorry lads, will you pipe down if I just give the club £100m no questions asked, and some of us would. I mean what's he going to do with all that money. I wouldn't even want £900m. I'd sell my businesses and enjoy my life and pump it all in to good causes, and the toon. Greedy cunt.

 

It's strange how only a few people think like this - I was just sayiing last week that if someone gave me £900m I'd give NUFC at least half of it, possibly more and was looked at as if I was an Alien. The response was that you should enjoy your wealth which seemed to involve investing it and checking to see whether it grows rather than spending it - madness.

 

 

On the "spree" if someone wants to do an N-O style how much will the net spend be in the summer poll, I'll vote for less than zero - especially if Guttirez has a decent world cup.

 

He will play for us next season i reckon. Just cant see where else he would go.

 

And will people stop going on about him having a decent world cup, he'll be playing in the same side as Messi, no one will notice him.

[acrossthepond 878]

He's a greedy fat cunt. I know he hasn't got £900m cash, but he could easy just say look sorry lads, will you pipe down if I just give the club £100m no questions asked, and some of us would. I mean what's he going to do with all that money. I wouldn't even want £900m. I'd sell my businesses and enjoy my life and pump it all in to good causes, and the toon. Greedy cunt.

 

It's strange how only a few people think like this - I was just sayiing last week that if someone gave me £900m I'd give NUFC at least half of it, possibly more and was looked at as if I was an Alien. The response was that you should enjoy your wealth which seemed to involve investing it and checking to see whether it grows rather than spending it - madness.

 

 

On the "spree" if someone wants to do an N-O style how much will the net spend be in the summer poll, I'll vote for less than zero - especially if Guttirez has a decent world cup.

 

He will play for us next season i reckon. Just cant see where else he would go.

 

And will people stop going on about him having a decent world cup, he'll be playing in the same side as Messi, no one will notice him.

 

I know I'm being a little contrary here, but Messi did sweet fuck all for Argentina in their qualifying campaign. It seems he doesn't really fit well with whatever crackpot system Maradona has cooked up.

 

I think Jonas could easily be sold. There are plenty of Spanish clubs that would take him I think, same for Coloccini.

[Happy Face 29]

It is understood Ashley will take back some of the money he has loaned Newcastle this year.

 

I'll be worried if this becomes a recurring action.

 

 

Why ??

 

IF we spent say £20 mill, and he also takes back £20mill thus reducing the club indebtedness (to him) that'd be OK by me tbh

 

Which Premier League clubs run a £40m profit?

 

None after the adjustment period but thats not the point. Which premier league club is about to experience a minimum of 40m additional revenue next season?

 

The club is in debt. The club reduces costs. The club gets significantly more revenue. Ergo, some of the debt gets paid back.

 

Has everyone forgotten why we wanted to be promoted? The premiership IS the prize.

 

If they were bank loans they'd HAVE to be repaid with interest, so i've no problem with that.

 

Shepherd would go on a spending spree, then he was frugal the to pay off some debt (we ran transfer profits in 1997, 2000 and 2004) you can't buy year on year.

 

I just don't expect us to be spending £20 million on players AND paying off £20m of loans AND retaining our best players AND running a balanced book.

 

I dont see why not. Thats the value of the prize. If he managed to get running costs in line with revenues + parachute this season, then thats about the scenario he is looking at. Apart from the balanced book thing, i think we'll still have large debts.

 

For me, the financial side of things is beyond question, the only variable is how much fatty wants to put in. Are we forgetting the richest game of football on the planet is the championship play off? People are right to suspect whether he will invest at all but the jump up to the prem (given a level of prudency in the level below) does lead to a massive increase in income.

 

Past experience?

 

I see where you're coming from. It would make us very much an average Premier League club (the average spend last summer was £22.5m per club and the average debt across the Premier League is reported to be £170m per club - about exactly the size of our debt). But in the last 4 seasons we were only in the championship one of them and we've never reached a £10m net spend in any year.

[toon_don 0]

It would make us very much an average Premier League club (the average spend last summer was £22.5m per club

 

I'd imagine that would be the mean spend last summer, which would be hugely skewed by Man City's outlay. I reckon anything upwards of £20 million spent (which is of course a very big if) would put us in the top 6 or 7 spenders in the league.

[Happy Face 29]

It would make us very much an average Premier League club (the average spend last summer was £22.5m per club

 

I'd imagine that would be the mean spend last summer, which would be hugely skewed by Man City's outlay. I reckon anything upwards of £20 million spent (which is of course a very big if) would put us in the top 6 or 7 spenders in the league.

 

Take out their £90m summer spending and it's still £360m between 19 clubs which would be £19m each. Course the top clubs (with their euro millions) skew it (probably moreso on the average debt than the average spending) but I'm being fair to Chez in that the numbers do work out about average across the PL.

 

The fact that any club fighting relegation with those kinds of outgoings would be in serious financial doo-doo and Ashley's shown no propensity to throw that kind of money at mounting a challenge for the top half makes me sceptical it'll happen that way.

[LeazesMag 0]

It would make us very much an average Premier League club (the average spend last summer was £22.5m per club

 

I'd imagine that would be the mean spend last summer, which would be hugely skewed by Man City's outlay. I reckon anything upwards of £20 million spent (which is of course a very big if) would put us in the top 6 or 7 spenders in the league.

 

Take out their £90m summer spending and it's still £360m between 19 clubs which would be £19m each. Course the top clubs (with their euro millions) skew it (probably moreso on the average debt than the average spending) but I'm being fair to Chez in that the numbers do work out about average across the PL.

 

The fact that any club fighting relegation with those kinds of outgoings would be in serious financial doo-doo and Ashley's shown no propensity to throw that kind of money at mounting a challenge for the top half makes me sceptical it'll happen that way.

 

 

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Re; a decent budget. I'll believe it when I see it. And even then Chris Hughton is the same guy who got in Leon Best, so I wouldn't fully trust with him with that amount of money (Routledge and Williamson on the other hand were decent purchases).

 

On one hand Ashley isn't a stupid man, he knows the club need investment and lots of it or we won't have a chance of staying up.

 

On the other hand, he's Mike Ashley.

[ewerk 31230]

It would make us very much an average Premier League club (the average spend last summer was £22.5m per club

 

I'd imagine that would be the mean spend last summer, which would be hugely skewed by Man City's outlay. I reckon anything upwards of £20 million spent (which is of course a very big if) would put us in the top 6 or 7 spenders in the league.

 

Take out their £90m summer spending and it's still £360m between 19 clubs which would be £19m each. Course the top clubs (with their euro millions) skew it (probably moreso on the average debt than the average spending) but I'm being fair to Chez in that the numbers do work out about average across the PL.

 

The fact that any club fighting relegation with those kinds of outgoings would be in serious financial doo-doo and Ashley's shown no propensity to throw that kind of money at mounting a challenge for the top half makes me sceptical it'll happen that way.

 

 

 

Something we only managed in half of the Shepherd years iirc.

Edited April 7, 2010 by ewerk

[LeazesMag 0]

It would make us very much an average Premier League club (the average spend last summer was £22.5m per club

 

I'd imagine that would be the mean spend last summer, which would be hugely skewed by Man City's outlay. I reckon anything upwards of £20 million spent (which is of course a very big if) would put us in the top 6 or 7 spenders in the league.

 

Take out their £90m summer spending and it's still £360m between 19 clubs which would be £19m each. Course the top clubs (with their euro millions) skew it (probably moreso on the average debt than the average spending) but I'm being fair to Chez in that the numbers do work out about average across the PL.

 

The fact that any club fighting relegation with those kinds of outgoings would be in serious financial doo-doo and Ashley's shown no propensity to throw that kind of money at mounting a challenge for the top half makes me sceptical it'll happen that way.

 

 

 

Something we only managed in half of the Shepherd years iirc.

 

mounted a challenge ? They ALWAYS attempted the challenge mate. Thats WHY we filled the ground every week, and qualified for europe more than everybody bar 4 teams.

[Deano 0]

Here we go again....do people not learn?

[LeazesMag 0]

Here we go again....do people not learn?

 

indeed. They KNOW that I will correct them.

[ewerk 31230]

Aye, I've been firmly put in my place.

[LeazesMag 0]

Aye, I've been firmly put in my place.

 

if you want to win the raffle you have to buy a ticket.

 

You can continue to think otherwise if you like.

[ewerk 31230]

I'm not starting this discussion.

[sandman02uk 0]

Odd I thought that since 1994 we have finished top half of the table 8 times, and outside the top half 9 times

[Dr Gloom 22188]

I would be happy with £20M being spent over and above any sales money that is also re-invested. They key, and I agree to this, is not going out spending £19.5M on a "trophy" signing. We need sensible signings. No headline signings. The aim has to be survival then the season after build again and cement our place in the league once more.

 

i agree that we shouldn't blow all our money on a big name player.

 

i'd love to see us sign the sort of player that can light up st james park though. someone with the creativity of a ginola or a beardsley - the kind of player that will get bums off seats. the only problem is they don't come. we are long overdue unearthing a gem mind.

 

we're going to need a goal scorer too if we want to stay up. carrol and lovenkrands deserve a chance to show what they can do again at the highest level but i wouldn't want to rely on those two as first chouce up front for the season. that would surely result in a quick return ticket to the championship.

[Dr Gloom 22188]

If Ashley is serious about making Newcastle a force to be reckoned with in a few years time then as a minimum I would expect him to invest at least £20 million net on players. Ashley needs to sell up or if he is staying then he needs to make a statement of intent by investing in players. The alternative is year after year of scraping about in the lower reaches of the Premier league playing crap defensive football

 

We have the core of a decent team already, (Harper,Enrique, Colli, Barton, Jonas and Carol) so £20+ million on 3 or 4 quality players and theres no reason why we can't finish mid table, playing decent football and maybe with a bit of a cup run thrown in.

 

i would have thought barton would be one of the first to go....if we can find another mug club to pay him the massive wages he's on here.

[Dr Gloom 22188]

It would make us very much an average Premier League club (the average spend last summer was £22.5m per club

 

I'd imagine that would be the mean spend last summer, which would be hugely skewed by Man City's outlay. I reckon anything upwards of £20 million spent (which is of course a very big if) would put us in the top 6 or 7 spenders in the league.

 

Take out their £90m summer spending and it's still £360m between 19 clubs which would be £19m each. Course the top clubs (with their euro millions) skew it (probably moreso on the average debt than the average spending) but I'm being fair to Chez in that the numbers do work out about average across the PL.

 

The fact that any club fighting relegation with those kinds of outgoings would be in serious financial doo-doo and Ashley's shown no propensity to throw that kind of money at mounting a challenge for the top half makes me sceptical it'll happen that way.

 

 

 

Something we only managed in half of the Shepherd years iirc.

 

mounted a challenge ? They ALWAYS attempted the challenge mate. Thats WHY we filled the ground every week, and qualified for europe more than everybody bar 4 teams.

 

 

[LeazesMag 0]

It would make us very much an average Premier League club (the average spend last summer was £22.5m per club

 

I'd imagine that would be the mean spend last summer, which would be hugely skewed by Man City's outlay. I reckon anything upwards of £20 million spent (which is of course a very big if) would put us in the top 6 or 7 spenders in the league.

 

Take out their £90m summer spending and it's still £360m between 19 clubs which would be £19m each. Course the top clubs (with their euro millions) skew it (probably moreso on the average debt than the average spending) but I'm being fair to Chez in that the numbers do work out about average across the PL.

 

The fact that any club fighting relegation with those kinds of outgoings would be in serious financial doo-doo and Ashley's shown no propensity to throw that kind of money at mounting a challenge for the top half makes me sceptical it'll happen that way.

 

 

 

Something we only managed in half of the Shepherd years iirc.

 

mounted a challenge ? They ALWAYS attempted the challenge mate. Thats WHY we filled the ground every week, and qualified for europe more than everybody bar 4 teams.

 

 

 

 

why don't you do a bit of research and show us how many other clubs finished in the top half more than the bottom between 1993 and 2007, and also how many qualified for europe more than us and how many had a higher average position.

 

Ewerk can do it too.

 

Will blow your theory that we were run by "shit directors" out of the water.

 

There is a difference between aiming for success and aiming for safetly. If you don't understand - but you should - a few more years of Mike Ashleys business model should help you.

[sniffer 0]

If I was Fat Mike, I wouldn't be that confident that Hughton would spend the money well so I'd be leery about forking over 20 million. Giving Routledge and particularly best three and a half year deals doesn't exactly make me think he has an eye for a player. Least said the better about about even having pancake at the club.

[Dr Gloom 22188]

best was a bit of a panic buy wasn't it to be fair to chris. we needed a striker urgently as he didn't get beckford. didn't someone else turn us down too at the last minute before the window shut? can't remember, i might be wrong there but it was best blatantly wasn't his first choice.

 

agree that he shouldn't have been given a 3 year deal mind. would have been a half decent loan signing but we'll have trouble shifting him now.

[Bombadil 0]

best was a bit of a panic buy wasn't it to be fair to chris. we needed a striker urgently as he didn't get beckford. didn't someone else turn us down too at the last minute before the window shut? can't remember, i might be wrong there but it was best blatantly wasn't his first choice.

 

agree that he shouldn't have been given a 3 year deal mind. would have been a half decent loan signing but we'll have trouble shifting him now.

 

I don't think Best is on big wages.

 

Hughton has been getting criticism for seemingly being a soft touch, so Best will be an interesting one. If he wants to send out a message, Hughton should ignore the fact that he only bought Best in January and tell him to look for a new club at the end of the season. It's what a good manager would do.