Mike Ashley approval rating

[McFaul 35]

I agree with that. If it is their objective, it's a long long way down the track.

To be fair the principles they've placed are not bad, but you can not rest on your laurels in this position as 80% of normal NUFC fans have realised. Even Ewerk wrote a very good piece on why the other day. We're going to have the odd season where it's reasonably good like last season, over achieving on our shoe string budget, but in the main NUFC are in purgatory as long as these two "you downt know 'aaa narsty we can be" cunts own the club.

[Kitman 2207]

To be fair the principles they've placed are not bad, but you can not rest on your laurels in this position as 80% of normal NUFC fans have realised. Even Ewerk wrote a very good piece on why the other day. We're going to have the odd season where it's reasonably good like last season, over achieving on our shoe string budget, but in the main NUFC are in purgatory as long as these two "you downt know 'aaa narsty we can be" cunts own the club.

 

The thing is, I reckon if we'd bought Debuchy, it would've given the fans and the squad a massive lift. Add to that the increase in quality at RB, and the message that we're going to keep improving, it's a no brainer for me. If the deal foundered over a small amount of difference in valuation, it's fucking stupid imo. I bet Pardew was pissed off.

[McFaul 35]

The thing is, I reckon if we'd bought Debuchy, it would've given the fans and the squad a massive lift. Add to that the increase in quality at RB, and the message that we're going to keep improving, it's a no brainer for me. If the deal foundered over a small amount of difference in valuation, it's fucking stupid imo. I bet Pardew was pissed off.

It did, and how so called intelligent people can defend it beggars belief. If they can defend it and keep a straight face, they could do the same if the topic was Fred West.

 

The most annoying thing was he almost begged us to sign him, and he's class, even if the differentiation was two million quid we should've done it. In Euro 2012 he was one of their best players, if Clichy is worth £15m on one side he's worth at least 10, and we wouldn't have had to pay anywhere near it. The fact Real Madrid registered an interest demonstrates the lads calibre.

[Christmas Tree 4725]

Was Debuchy that good at 2012?

 

Really?

 

And I don't buy the small difference on valuation. If he was that good and that reasonably priced.....

 

Tell me why he's still at Lille?

[McFaul 35]

Was Debuchy that good at 2012?

 

Really?

 

And I don't buy the small difference on valuation. If he was that good and that reasonably priced.....

 

Tell me why he's still at Lille?

Because our owners are fucking arseholes that's why. Most normal people don't even question his ability.

 

He was absolutely tremendous against England probably their best player, and in the second game too, outstanding even.

[ChezGiven 0]

Anyone but these two cockney wanks, I'd feel the same about them if we won the Champions League. I think anyone from Newcastle who's been going to the match longer than ten years who can forgive them for Keegan's treatment, as well as other shit since, have few morals.

 

I think the Keegan incident came during a cultural shift in football, that shift is not one i wanted to see or one i now prefer but its happened and pissing and whingeing about it wont change it. Money changed the game, not overnight but slowly, gradually, clubs became so rich they became a business. Its like my company, in the 90s everyone was in awe of it, amazingly successful full of great people, then it became rich and powerful and now instead of great people running it, its full of money men and corporate cock-ends. Clubs where the ownerships have not changed so recently have changed how they do business, the boardroom rules. We've come a long way since Shankly's comments about Directors and we are in the final phase of the corporatisation of football. Keegan met Ashley as Ashley was implementing corporate cost control structures. I dont like it but its happened, i'm not going to rail against the tide of change like King Canute shouting futilely on a beach.

 

Personally i have believed since the relegation season and spending 50m on bringing us straight back up that Ashley has positive plans in place to develop the club. Nothing will now distract them from that, i wish he would spend more and I know that we could have done so this last month. I think its ridiculous to worry about it at this stage of the season though. We may end up having another good season, i think the probability of us being 5th to 8th is very high. I also know that the money required to increase the probability of finishing 4th and higher is enormous and comes with huge risks. Better to progress consistently. As for Debuchy, maybe its like Cisse last year, they couldnt get Cisse during the summer as the price was toio high, wait for the winter (when Lille are out of the CL and not looking great to qualify next season) and his price might be a lot lower. Maybe thats the strategy for players over 26 years old mark like Cisse and Debuchy?

 

We've got a decent first 11 and we are investing as best we can in youth and the development squad. Investing in the 'middle bit' of the squad i.e. players just outside the first 11 but who have significant quality is the area of investment with the worst ROI across the whole club. You buy a decent, well developed defender to be back-up, whats the return? His value doesnt go up because the first 11 keep him out, he costs lots of money as he is already developed but you get no playing time out of him. Better to bring youth players into the supportive roles and spend on first team players whose value will rise. It still all makes sense even if it is under-whelming after last year. I dont see why they should get all over-excited and change their plan just because, as every negative fucker on here argue themselves, we over-achieved last year. If last year was an over-achievement then investing to take advantage of that over-achievement is not an obvious decision as that investment carries even more risk.

 

My approval rating has gone down since the summer, i also think its ridiculous not to have upped the bid for Debuchy but i dont think its been a negative summer just not as positive as it could have been.

[ChezGiven 0]

Because our owners are fucking arseholes that's why. Most normal people don't even question his ability.

 

He was absolutely tremendous against England probably their best player, and in the second game too, outstanding even.

That doesn't explain why he is still at Lille though. Lucky for us he is, hope we are back in for him as he is a great player.

[ewerk 30620]

The Keegan incident had fuck all to do with corporate cost control, it was about undermining and flat out lying to the manager.

[ChezGiven 0]

The Keegan incident had fuck all to do with corporate cost control, it was about undermining and flat out lying to the manager.

Oh fuck off you bell end.

[Christmas Tree 4725]

Because our owners are fucking arseholes that's why. Most normal people don't even question his ability.

 

He was absolutely tremendous against England probably their best player, and in the second game too, outstanding even.

 

So again, if he's so good and so reasonably priced, why has no one bought him?

[McFaul 35]

The Keegan incident had fuck all to do with corporate cost control, it was about undermining and flat out lying to the manager.

Once again absolutely spot on, and people can write as many flowery sentences as they like, nothing will change that absolute truth and reality.

[McFaul 35]

I think the Keegan incident came during a cultural shift in football, that shift is not one i wanted to see or one i now prefer but its happened and pissing and whingeing about it wont change it. Money changed the game, not overnight but slowly, gradually, clubs became so rich they became a business. Its like my company, in the 90s everyone was in awe of it, amazingly successful full of great people, then it became rich and powerful and now instead of great people running it, its full of money men and corporate cock-ends. Clubs where the ownerships have not changed so recently have changed how they do business, the boardroom rules. We've come a long way since Shankly's comments about Directors and we are in the final phase of the corporatisation of football. Keegan met Ashley as Ashley was implementing corporate cost control structures. I dont like it but its happened, i'm not going to rail against the tide of change like King Canute shouting futilely on a beach.

 

Personally i have believed since the relegation season and spending 50m on bringing us straight back up that Ashley has positive plans in place to develop the club. Nothing will now distract them from that, i wish he would spend more and I know that we could have done so this last month. I think its ridiculous to worry about it at this stage of the season though. We may end up having another good season, i think the probability of us being 5th to 8th is very high. I also know that the money required to increase the probability of finishing 4th and higher is enormous and comes with huge risks. Better to progress consistently. As for Debuchy, maybe its like Cisse last year, they couldnt get Cisse during the summer as the price was toio high, wait for the winter (when Lille are out of the CL and not looking great to qualify next season) and his price might be a lot lower. Maybe thats the strategy for players over 26 years old mark like Cisse and Debuchy?

 

We've got a decent first 11 and we are investing as best we can in youth and the development squad. Investing in the 'middle bit' of the squad i.e. players just outside the first 11 but who have significant quality is the area of investment with the worst ROI across the whole club. You buy a decent, well developed defender to be back-up, whats the return? His value doesnt go up because the first 11 keep him out, he costs lots of money as he is already developed but you get no playing time out of him. Better to bring youth players into the supportive roles and spend on first team players whose value will rise. It still all makes sense even if it is under-whelming after last year. I dont see why they should get all over-excited and change their plan just because, as every negative fucker on here argue themselves, we over-achieved last year. If last year was an over-achievement then investing to take advantage of that over-achievement is not an obvious decision as that investment carries even more risk.

 

My approval rating has gone down since the summer, i also think its ridiculous not to have upped the bid for Debuchy but i dont think its been a negative summer just not as positive as it could have been.

Too high? £7m for a top class right back who is worth more. Which buffoon at NUFC puts valuations on players anyway? I doubt it's Carr or Pardew, and if it is "yeah I fink he's wurf £12m", "right we'll bid £5m", the amount of times we've put ludicrous bids in for players is laughable. Even the Barton contract offer, he's sat there on 60k a week played his best season of his career and we offer him 20k. We're ran by nothing more than cockney market traders who have got lucky in their careers and continue to operate the same policies at what should be one of Europe's biggest clubs.

[Kitman 2207]

So again, if he's so good and so reasonably priced, why has no one bought him?

 

We've no possible way of knowing the answer to that question. It's also about where the player wants to move to btw.

[McFaul 35]

So again, if he's so good and so reasonably priced, why has no one bought him?

I do believe your hearts in the right place and you care for the club, but I wouldn't say judging a players ability is your strong point. It's not really a question of whether or not he's good, of course he's fucking good, he's superb going forward and would've been a major asset for the whole football club, you're not first choice for a better country than England if you're not good. Danny Simpson can't get a sniff of the England squad and our right backs aren't even that good.

[ChezGiven 0]

Once again absolutely spot on, and people can write as many flowery sentences as they like, nothing will change that absolute truth and reality.

Here's a non flowery sentence. Utter shite.

 

So Ashley and keegan had nothing to do with finance and control over spending? What's ewerk actually said there? That Keegan had all the control and finance he wanted but because of 'just the lying and under-mining' he fell out with the club. Even trying to separate the lying and under-mining from what they were about is idiotic, the bottom line is that Keegan was lied to and under-mined regarding finances and control of the club. Thats the real context and anyone with half a brain should be able to see thats the basic point and move on.

 

The rest of the post isnt based on that point even though you and ewerk are mad enough to try and contextualise it outside of the realities of business and financial control. The shit behaviour happens in that context, the behaviour is not the context. The episode with Keegan remains a critical example of the shift in power to the boardroom. Why bother arguing against that point? What difference does it make? I mention it as the corporatisation is the context for how our club and the majority of other top flight clubs behave today.

Edited September 5, 2012 by ChezGiven

[ChezGiven 0]

Too high? £7m for a top class right back who is worth more. Which buffoon at NUFC puts valuations on players anyway? I doubt it's Carr or Pardew, and if it is "yeah I fink he's wurf £12m", "right we'll bid £5m", the amount of times we've put ludicrous bids in for players is laughable. Even the Barton contract offer, he's sat there on 60k a week played his best season of his career and we offer him 20k. We're ran by nothing more than cockney market traders who have got lucky in their careers and continue to operate the same policies at what should be one of Europe's biggest clubs.

The whole footballing world thinks we are now a well run club. If he is steal at 7m then why is he still at Lille?

[McFaul 35]

Here's a non flowery sentence. Utter shite.

 

So Ashley and keegan had nothing to do with finance and control over spending? What's ewerk actually said there? That Keegan had all the control and finance he wanted but because of 'just the lying and under-mining' he fell out with the club. Even trying to separate the lying and under-mining from what they were about is idiotic, the bottom line is that Keegan was lied to and under-mined regarding finances and control of the club. Thats the real context and anyone with half a brain should be able to see thats the basic point and move on.

 

The rest of the post isnt based on that point even though you and ewerk are mad enough to try and contextualise it outside of the realities of business and financial control. The shit behaviour happens in that context, the behaviour is not the context. The episode with Keegan remains a critical example of the shift in power to the boardroom. Why bother arguing against that point? What difference does it make? I mention it as the corporatisation is the context for how our club and the majority of other top flight clubs behave today.

Yes but I made a comment about the fact I will never forgive Ashley for the treatment of Keegan, I didn't delve in to the mechanics of why Ashley's policy changed or if it did change at all, regarding other clubs policies or anything else. My comment is based on a lot more simplistic ideas than delving in to why things happened the way they did. Kevin Keegan to anyone my age is and always will be a legend. He's almost untouchable in my eyes, SJH said in 1992, "we are the only two people who could save this club", and he was right. He gave NUFC some self-esteem for the first time in my life, and when he came back, he wouldn't have agreed to come back with remit preventing him from buying his own players.

 

Dennis Wise showing him videos of Ignacio Gonzalez, "right here's your new player", if that's not undermining a manager from top to bottom, undermining the greatest icon in the clubs history (to me he is), then what is?!? That only scratches the surface too, I have no idea there was backstabbing behind the scenes too looking at the reports Keegan had agreed to pay Henry £150k a week and sign him for £20m "Mike almost fell off his chair", loads of bollocks. Horrible snidey twats the lot of them. Keegan was undermined, lied to, and I always curl my lip up when I think of that incident and any time I think of that horrible fat bastard, nothing will EVER change my view on him.

[McFaul 35]

The whole footballing world thinks we are now a well run club. If he is steal at 7m then why is he still at Lille?

You've said yourself he is a top class player, which you will know better than any of us seeing more of the french league, so I have no idea why you're asking the question after you've conceded he is class. £7m is absolutely fuck all for a moderately talented player, he looks better than moderately talented. £7m looks even worse, when you've conceded you believe he's worth £6m but won't go the extra mile. No one laughed at the suggestion that Real Madrid wanted him because he is top notch, I don't think it's even a question.

[ewerk 30620]

Here's a non flowery sentence. Utter shite.

 

So Ashley and keegan had nothing to do with finance and control over spending? What's ewerk actually said there? That Keegan had all the control and finance he wanted but because of 'just the lying and under-mining' he fell out with the club. Even trying to separate the lying and under-mining from what they were about is idiotic, the bottom line is that Keegan was lied to and under-mined regarding finances and control of the club. Thats the real context and anyone with half a brain should be able to see thats the basic point and move on.

 

The rest of the post isnt based on that point even though you and ewerk are mad enough to try and contextualise it outside of the realities of business and financial control. The shit behaviour happens in that context, the behaviour is not the context. The episode with Keegan remains a critical example of the shift in power to the boardroom. Why bother arguing against that point? What difference does it make? I mention it as the corporatisation is the context for how our club and the majority of other top flight clubs behave today.

 

What I'm saying is that it had fuck all to do with a 'cultural shift in football' or a revolutionary new system of 'corporate cost control'.

 

Ever since transfer fees were introduced we've had managers and owners at loggerheads over how much to spend. That isn't anything new.

 

What Keegan and Ashley fell out about was the undermining and lies. Being promised Schweinsteiger in return for letting Milner go, having players brought in over his head by footballing nobodies. That was what it was about. You can try to put your own slant on it but once again you try to overcomplicate the entire situation rather than taking it for what it actually was.

[ChezGiven 0]

Yes but I made a comment about the fact I will never forgive Ashley for the treatment of Keegan, I didn't delve in to the mechanics of why Ashley's policy changed or if it did change at all, regarding other clubs policies or anything else. My comment is based on a lot more simplistic ideas than delving in to why things happened the way they did. Kevin Keegan to anyone my age is and always will be a legend. He's almost untouchable in my eyes, SJH said in 1992, "we are the only two people who could save this club", and he was right. He gave NUFC some self-esteem for the first time in my life, and when he came back, he wouldn't have agreed to come back with remit preventing him from buying his own players.

 

Dennis Wise showing him videos of Ignacio Gonzalez, "right here's your new player", if that's not undermining a manager from top to bottom, undermining the greatest icon in the clubs history (to me he is), then what is?!? That only scratches the surface too, I have no idea there was backstabbing behind the scenes too looking at the reports Keegan had agreed to pay Henry £150k a week and sign him for £20m "Mike almost fell off his chair", loads of bollocks. Horrible snidey twats the lot of them. Keegan was undermined, lied to, and I always curl my lip up when I think of that incident and any time I think of that horrible fat bastard, nothing will EVER change my view on him.

I guess you want to make those points and thats fair enough but none of that changes the stupidity of ewerk's post. Ashley lied and acted like a cunt because of finance and control not because he's just some snide. I'll repeat just in case anyone is under the impression that its not clear the bottom line is that Keegan was lied to and under-mined regarding finances and control of the club

 

I tried to place all football clubs into a general trend, a trend that explains why managers and directors are in greater degrees of conflict, at our club at the time and others (e.g. Rodgers). Its disgusting what happened and you may not care why but 'why' is what my whole post was about, what it means for us and football. The simplification of the incident into some playground spat is a fruitless way of thinking.

 

Thats not what i was trying to say with the post though, the best point was about over-achievement but its been ignored.

[Kid Dynamite 7031]

I love how when you try having a sensible debate about lack of spending, its either pitch black or Aryan white - there is no middle ground.

Complain about blowing absolutely fuck all and you get a blowdryer in your face about city spending and Kenny Dalglish blowing 100 mill.

We spent this transfer window buying a few unproven kids, and ONE first-team player who isnt even a starter when the first XI is fit.

 

How is being quoted 7-8 mill for arguably one of europes best LB in his prime "over the odds". Easily worth that kind of cash, ESPECIALLY to us who have a dire wing problem ( and not just in the back four, we are screaming for offensive anything to bomb down a flank).

For a team like us such a player is worth probably10-15 mill let alone what they asked.

 

 

I wish people could stop with the strawmen arguing against fictive posters who demand us to spend like city.

For a club of our size, a summer window should at the very minimum see 20 million spent.

Yes yes its not how much they cost its how good they are - but 20 million handed to Carr could very well see us through another season assaulting the top-4.

 

You cant spend Peanuts window after window - its just not possible. Even Daniel Levy understands that, and he is a tight jew!

Make the best out of the signings by having quality scouts. But sometimes you have to pay the going rate, and even that can turn out to be a bargain if he delivers the goods.

 

Its a huge opportunity missed and a bloody shame that a club the size of Newcastle go through 11 weeks without adressing a single position.

 

A bloody shame.

 

Hello Alex, you sad bastard

[ChezGiven 0]

What I'm saying is that it had fuck all to do with a 'cultural shift in football' or a revolutionary new system of 'corporate cost control'.

 

Ever since transfer fees were introduced we've had managers and owners at loggerheads over how much to spend. That isn't anything new.

 

What Keegan and Ashley fell out about was the undermining and lies. Being promised Schweinsteiger in return for letting Milner go, having players brought in over his head by footballing nobodies. That was what it was about. You can try to put your own slant on it but once again you try to overcomplicate the entire situation rather than taking it for what it actually was.

So it was about control of players coming and finance then, which does relate to Ashley's views on cost control. Sorry like, I cant be arsed making simple arguments with people who've got more brains.

 

Over-complicated? 'The owner wiants control of the money' is about as simple as it gets. Sorry, no you can get more simple, you can think like a school kid and put it in the context of 'he said, then you said, then he said'.

 

Aye, whatever.

[ewerk 30620]

none of that changes the stupidity of ewerk's post.

 

Just to make this very clear. The point that I was calling bollocks was your assertion that Ashley was trying to introduce a revolutionary new way of running a football club. He wasn't. He was looking to make a profit on transfers, as I've already stated, this isn't some new-fangled way of running a club, it's been happening for decades at many clubs.

[ChezGiven 0]

Just to make this very clear. The point that I was calling bollocks was your assertion that Ashley was trying to introduce a revolutionary new way of running a football club. He wasn't. He was looking to make a profit on transfers, as I've already stated, this isn't some new-fangled way of running a club, it's been happening for decades at many clubs.

Except i never said that. I would agree that is bollocks so if thats how it read, fair enough.

[Christmas Tree 4725]

Hello Alex, you sad bastard

 

WTF Alex is Lake Bells Tits