Mike Ashley -- Irrelevant Cunt

[trooper 940]

Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has made a bid to oust Rangers directors Graham Wallace and Philip Nash.

 

The call has been issued through Mr Ashley’s MASH Holdings, which owns 4.26 million shares in Rangers, amounting to 5% of the total voting rights.

 

Rangers announced they had received a notice from Mr Ashley, calling for a meeting of shareholders at which such a resolution could be put forward.

 

The notice from Rangers, to its shareholders, said: “The company is currently verifying that the notice is properly constituted. If valid, the board intends to seek to have such notice withdrawn in order to avoid the cost and disruption of an ad hoc general meeting particularly given the company’s forthcoming annual general meeting, further details of which will be announced in due course.

 

“The Board is united in its support of the executive team. If the notice is valid and is not withdrawn, the directors intend to recommend that shareholders vote against the proposed resolutions. A further announcement will be made shortly.”

 

Earlier this month Mr Ashley upped his stake in Rangers with the £850,000 purchase of 4.26 million shares.

[The Fish 10779]

So first they're going to see if they can legalese their way out of it, then they're going to ask him not to do it because of the cost, then they're going to ask members to vote against the proposals brought forward in the meeting?

 

I hate that this suggests fear from the Exec Team that Ashley is trying to usurp them. I hate it because that then leads me to hope he's fucking off. Which he isn't.

[trooper 940]

The 2 gentlemen he's trying to oust have obviously declined his very kind offer of free S***** D***** tracksuits for life.

[The Fish 10779]

In all seriousness, is this just a measure he's taking to increase his stake in rangers without relinquishing his stake in Newcastle?

[Howmanheyman 32827]

In all seriousness, is this just a measure he's taking to increase his stake in rangers without relinquishing his stake in Newcastle?

Thought this was an interesting take on it.

 

http://www.onfieldsofgreen.com/the-strongest-hand/

[trooper 940]

In all seriousness, is this just a measure he's taking to increase his stake in rangers without relinquishing his stake in Newcastle?

Apparently this is what he does, "parks his tanks on the lawn" is a term I've seen used regarding Ashley.

[Alex 34913]

Thought this was an interesting take on it.

 

http://www.onfieldsofgreen.com/the-strongest-hand/

Cheers for that. Depressing read like.

[Dr Gloom 21847]

Fucking hell. What a prize cunt the man is

[Howmanheyman 32827]

He apparently has the rights to the stadium name and the club crest. That'll be money going to him now and not a club desperate for some revenue. There'll still be people in the media who will say in a few years that he's done a great job financially for the club. Apparently the rights to the badge was just a condition of him giving the club a loan. He hasn't actually paid them for it. The stadium name cost him a quid which is a quid more than we got.

[trooper 940]

Probably isn't arsed about the football & couldn't give a toss about the fans sounds familiar doesn't it ? Don't forget his indirect interest in Oldham as well via sports direct they own the club shop, renamed the ground, supply the shirts. He may not have bought the club on paper but it looks like he holds all the cards there.

[trooper 940]

http://www.sportsdirect.com/sondico-oldham-athletic-home-shirt-2014-2015-377031?colcode=37703118&src=google&gclid=CJHVgKmXn8ECFc7HtAodVn4AXg&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Made by Sondico = Ashley, advertising S***** D***** = Ashley

[ewerk 30371]

The situation with Rangers really is fascinating. A complete cunt taking on more cunts to see who can be the sneakiest cunt of all.

[trooper 940]

The situation with Rangers really is fascinating. A complete cunt taking on more cunts to see who can be the sneakiest cunt of all.

We all know who'll win that one he'll probably never even go to a game .

[trooper 940]

It has now been revealed that Mike Ashley’s refusal to help Rangers in dealing with their financial crisis, comes as a result of the club refusing to allow the Newcastle owner to take control of the club’s image rights via the Rangers badge and various trademarks.

 

Ashley has put forward a resolution to get rid of the two Rangers directors who refused to agree to the image rights deal in return for an emergency loan to the club.

 

The image rights are worth millions, probably tens of millions, and the two directors weren’t prepared to leave Rangers financially suffocated long-term thanks to giving up this financial stream…a bit like Newcastle United giving tens of millions of pounds of free advertising to the rest of Mike Ashley’s business empire.

 

Ashley followed up this move by then refusing to buy more shares in a rights issue to current shareholders, Rangers looking to generate £4m to help deal with the financial problems. The rights issue fell around £900,000 short of the target.

 

However, Mike Ashley then immediately increased his shareholding to 8.92% by instead buying shares privately, paying £853,000 to investment firm Hargreave Hale. No doubt what signal he is sending out there with the amount almost exactly what the rights issue had fallen short by, with not a penny of Ashley’s private deal going to help Rangers’ current plight.

 

There is now apparent competition for Mike Ashley with a trio of wealthy Rangers fans; Paul Murray, Dave King and George Letham, lining up against the Newcastle owner for control of Rangers.

 

Rangers fans are massively against Ashley as they can see what lies ahead for their club if he wins control, whereas deluded fools such as Barry Ferguson simply see a massively rich man as a saviour of their club.

[Monkeys Fist 42129]

Cheers for that. Depressing read like.

Just read that.

One little snippet stood out,

What did emerge from the AGM is that he pockets every penny generated by the Newcastle United merchandising wing

[ewerk 30371]

Yeah, that's not actually true. The club has essentially outsourced their merchandising arm to Sports Direct but do receive the revenue less costs and an undisclosed 'handling fee'.

Edited October 10, 2014 by ewerk

[trooper 940]

Uefa would allow Ashley, in theory, to own Newcastle as he does and become more involved at Rangers.

 

The rules state he could own up to 49.9% of a club and own another that potentially could play one another in a European competition, as long as Ashley was not seen as the “owner” of Rangers ie enjoying the majority of votingrights and the power to remove directors.

 

This from the Chronicle today.

[PaddockLad 17124]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2789354/furious-rangers-fans-staged-angry-protest-against-mike-ashley-s-increasing-influence-sports-direct-stores.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

 

So this is how a symbolic protest against Ashley manifests itself north of the border....scaring teenage girls on zero hour contracts....

[The Fish 10779]

Newcastle are running on empty but life's a gas for Magpies owner Mike Ashley

Mike Ashley is upset Newcastle fans haven't taken him to their hearts

Newcastle owner has paid the club's debts and is owed £130million

Ashley says defeat at home to Leicester on Saturday is unthinkable

By NEIL ASHTON FOR THE DAILY MAIL

 

Every two days a £50,000 bill for the gallons of diesel poured into Sports Direct’s fleet of Scania trucks arrives at their enormous distribution centre in Shirebrook, Derbyshire.

When HR have finished sifting through the 26 applications for driver jobs on £12 an hour as part of the company’s ‘expanding night delivery team’, it will rise again.

This is Mike Ashley’s empire, in which staff with no set hours are employed only when there is enough work, often doing shifts through the night on a sprawling site where the warehouses are nearly a kilometre long.

 

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is upset the Magpies faithful haven't taken him to their hearts

 

The Magpies have endured a disappointing start to the Premier League season and are yet to win in a match

 

Newcastle fans are frustrated with the teams performances and have made their feelings known

 

Expansion is planned for Ashley's empire, Sports Direct - revenue has grown by over £1billion since 2009

There are further expansion plans at Sports Direct. Revenue has grown from 1.367billion in 2009 to £2.7bn in April 2014, as they gain a foothold in Europe. They boast more than 665 stores.

 

Newcastle’s owner has told friends that defeat by Nigel Pearson’s team, sitting 12th in the Barclays Premier League, is unthinkable. It could even spell the end for Alan Pardew.Ashley employs around 28,000 people, but the focus will be on one member of staff when Newcastle United face Leicester City at St James’ Park tomorrow.

Ashley has a solid relationship with Newcastle’s manager, but the following three fixtures against Tottenham (league), Manchester City (Capital One Cup) and Liverpool (league) represent a formidable challenge.

On Saturday, when the Premier League resumes after the international window, Ashley will fly up to Tyneside in his helicopter in time to greet Leicester’s guests.

Ashley is amiable and affable, erring on the side of caution when he discusses the game before kick-off and always wishing visiting directors good luck.

 

Defeat at home to Leicester City on Saturday could spell the end for manager Alan Pardew at St James' Park

In the Newcastle boardroom, which is finished in black and white lacquered trims, Leicester’s directors will be greeted by the sight of the shirts of all 20 Premier League clubs hanging in huge picture frames.

With Ashley’s team failing to win at home since May 3, there is a danger the colours of Huddersfield, Brighton and Rotherham will replace them in the boardroom suite next season.

Keeping this team in the top flight is Pardew’s job for the time being, but he is battling to keep it after failing to win any of Newcastle’s opening seven games.

 

Newcastle - yet to win a Premier League game this season - lost 1-0 to Stoke thanks to a Peter Crouch header

The two-week international break gave him respite, as did the 2-2 draw at Swansea on October 4, but Pardew was urged to use the time wisely and re-align the team before the visit of Leicester.

Ashley rarely visits the training ground, although it is not unheard of for his helicopter to touch down in the grounds of Darsley Park for an impromptu review of the club.

Every Premier League shirt is on the wall. He could need Championship kits next year

He turned up in March unannounced, just after Newcastle had been trounced 3-0 by Everton at St James’ Park, but his presence had little impact; they lost their following game 4-0 at Southampton and by the same margin at Manchester United.

Pardew has failed to arrest the decline, despite a number of arrivals at the club over the summer. They are yet to gel.

There is also the mystery of why three high-profile signings - Sylvain Marveaux from Rennes, Hatem Ben Arfa from Marseille and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa from Montpellier, have made no impact. All of them are out on loan.

Understandably, in recent weeks Pardew has become increasingly introspective.

 

 

Hatem Ben Arfa and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa - on loan at Hull and Roma respectively - were both high-profile buys

 

Ashley has been supportive, speaking to his manager several times as they attempt to halt a catastrophic run of results.Outside of his core coaching staff, including former Crystal Palace team-mate Andy Woodman and assistant manager John Carver, he no longer knows who to trust.

He has been reluctant to panic and fire the manager, particularly when there is a £5m compensation clause in the eight-year contract Pardew signed in September 2012.

In terms of day-to-day operations at the club, Ashley misses the influence of former managing director Derek Llambias. The pair fell out over the direction of the club in June 2013, leading to Llambias’s resignation.

They still talk and remain friends, but try to avoid the topic of football when they do.

 

Ashley, pictured with Derek Llambias during 2009-10 season, misses the former managing director's influence

Ashley promoted Lee Charnley, who was previously football secretary, to take Llambias’s place as managing director in April.

At the same time, Ashley formally appointed himself to the board at Newcastle, even though no-one has ever been in doubt about who is in charge.

Despite Ashley’s southern roots (he was born and raised in the Buckinghamshire town of Burnham), he developed an affection with the North East after he bought the club in May 2007. Contrary to popular belief he admires the locals’ work ethic and is upset Newcastle supporters have mounted demonstrations against his leadership at various times over the years.

Ashley, who grew up in a modest house, has paid off the club’s significant debts that were inherited from the previous regime.

[Howmanheyman 32827]

PR bollocks and not even good PR.

[Howay 12496]

He does things like keep Alan Pardew employed and wonders why we don't like him.

[Kitman 2204]

That Daily Mail piece stinks tbh

[Alex 34913]

In the Newcastle boardroom, which is finished in black and white lacquered trims, Leicester’s directors will be greeted by the sight of the shirts of all 20 Premier League clubs hanging in huge picture frames.

Classy that like. Might ask wor lass if she fancies a similar look for the dining room.

[The Fish 10779]

I actually wouldn't mind a games room with loads of shirts on the wall...

 

Mind I've somehow convinced the lass that it's ok for me to have a print in the bedroom with each of Shearer's 206 goals represented, so I can't really comment on "classy" rooms.

[Monkeys Fist 42129]

 

" it's perfectly normal and healthy. I only use it when you're not here. "