the long term effect of mike ashley on newcastle united

[diogenes 0]

Greetings.

I'm a long time lurker, but new to posting on this board, and during my shady, mac wearing observations of the patter on this board, I've noticed some very polarised views on our fat controller,some that I find myself nodding sagely along with, others pics with rage at the idiocy of folk.

however, I was wondering what you lot would say about ashleys long term impact on our club?what will we say about our custodian in ten,or even twenty years?

for me, he has stabilised the debt, but to be honest, were we really in that much bother?i keep hearing that we could be another leeds,but really, I see that being an exception, not a rule.

my worry is the gradual erosion and tarnishing of the image of the club.a tawdryness and cheapness now seems to permeate what is for me, the great northern bastion of football, and perhaps most worryingly of all, the malaise and apathy that now grips the traditionally passionate and partisan canvass of our support.

anyway, is love to hear what you think the lasting effect of Mike's stewardship will be, and whether you share my concerns.

all the best, hwtl.

[Monkeys Fist 43067]

My main concern is how piss weak the squad is/will be if he carrys on with his present (non) buying policy.

Whoever comes in after will have to build again, from the youth upwards.

 

As far as the tarnishing of the club, it doesn't take much to build respect back- under Hughton's spell we managed that pretty quickly.

 

It's a case of gritting the teeth and seeing what the fat twat does between now and his eventual departure.

[Christmas Tree 4827]

Welcome to the board.

 

Only just over a year ago we were been praised from the outside as a club who had its act together and were doing things right, therefore I think no damage is really done to the reputation.

 

Remember Shepherd and Newcastle women dogs etc.

 

The annoying thing with Ashley is that he is only ever a few moves away from getting everything spot on and just doesn't take those extra few steps. (Probably cos he's not that interested).

 

As for what happens once he's gone, that all depends what happens next. Ie a sheik, a consortium with good wishes but no idea.

 

Football ownership is such a volatile proposition these days (hence the lack of buyers).

 

Sadly getting the finances right is the main priority these days if your owner doesn't have deep pockets.

 

 

[diogenes 0]

I agree with the reputation issues, a trophy or a cup run,or even a decent league campaign seems to confer kudos these days (see Swansea, a no mark club in my day,media and champ man enthusiast darlings these days), but what about the apathy in the support?

I see loads of kids,not only in man it's, Liverpool, arsenal tops, but in Chelsea,spurs, even man city tops these days.are we missing out on a new generation of support due to ashleys lack of enthusiasm?

look at Harper's testimonial too.perhaps a bit much, but it would have sold out ten years ago in my opinion.

[The Fish 10965]

Football is a fickle beast. As CT says, we were a gnat's fanny hair from being a football club that was; playing in Europe, with some excellent stars and a core of professionals, exciting young talent coming through, prudent in the transfer market, well run from Keel to nest, bow to stern.

 

Put it this way

Summer 2012: Mike Ashley sells the shirt & stadium sponsorship to Virgin Money. Sure they're a financial insitution and therefore immediately reprehensible, but they're more palatable that Wonga. We sign 4 of the 7 (say Debuchy, Sissoko, Bigi and Gouffran) and kick on in Europe and the cups.

Christmas we sign Remy, Anita and Haidara and use that to keep us within touching distance of Europe.

We fall short because of a lack of goals after Christmas but end up say, 8th.

Ashley decides he wants a better focus and a football man to make the decisions, not Llambias, so he brings in the newly unemployed Rene Meulensteen to oversee the direction of the club, who immeidately brings in a better back room staff.

 

This summer we look with positivity towards a campaign where we build on the perfect storm of 11/12, and the stable 12/13. Everyone looks to the Newcastle model of buying well-scouted hungry young players, a good coaching set up, all within a prudent budget and all without selling our soul.

 

All these decisions are about 5 degrees off the decisions made, but are the difference between plain sailing and running aground.

 

In the long term Ashley will be reviled by those of us who've seen the worst that he's done in the stark light of the here and now, he'll be dimly remembered by people too young to really "get it" and he'll be misremembered by those that follow.

[PaddockLad 17654]

Good post Fish

[The Fish 10965]

As an aside I'm thinking of becoming a Pirate.

[Tom 14013]

People keep mentioning the debt "management"as a good thing forgetting how much it's increased.

[Phil 6]

People keep mentioning the debt "management"as a good thing forgetting how much it's increased.

We were being run at a massive loss.

[Howmanheyman 33845]

Now we are just a dead loss.

[Happy Face 29]

On the harper testimonial not being a sell out, it's sold far more tickets than Rob Lee got for his.

 

Perhaps a rose tinted view of how supporters were in recent history.

[Christmas Tree 4827]

On the harper testimonial not being a sell out, it's sold far more tickets than Rob Lee got for his.

 

Perhaps a rose tinted view of how supporters were in recent history.

I think there will be over 50,000 if not a sell out.

[Happy Face 29]

I think there will be over 50,000 if not a sell out.

 

testimonials at SJP:

 

Alan Shearer 52,275

Robert Lee 18,189

Peter Beardsley 36,773

John Anderson 13,780

Kenny Wharton 20,899

Kevin Keegan 36,772

[Happy Face 29]

It's impossible to say how Ashley will be remembered. Some total fuckwits now view Keegan dimly, so there's no accounting for idiocy.

 

Nothing he has done to wind up fans has been anything that would be seen as historically significant though. Managers, DOF's, players and sponsors all come and go. Even changing the stadium name was a temporary thing quickly undone.

 

His legacy will only be defined in terms of what we see on the pitch and the financial strength of the club. Currently that leaves him with a relegation to his name and a doubling of the club debt. But it does give scope for a transformation. Both of those issues could be justified as the pain before the gain, if he were to win a cup, if he could grow the revenue so that debt could be paid down AS WELL AS bringing in top quality players. To be fair to the bloke, I think we are on the way to the latter. He just cannot be trusted to invest proactively when the opportunity presents itself to push on.

[Christmas Tree 4827]

testimonials at SJP:

 

Alan Shearer 52,275

Robert Lee 18,189

Peter Beardsley 36,773

John Anderson 13,780

Kenny Wharton 20,899

Kevin Keegan 36,772

Harpers doing very well then, especially when you consider his appearance compared to an icon like Rob Lee.

[Happy Face 29]

Harpers doing very well then, especially when you consider his appearance compared to an icon like Rob Lee.

 

Rob Lee's was twice the price, and just a pre-season game for the squad at the time. No guests or old timers.

 

Still, twice the player for us Harper has been and we had £10m new boy Lauren Robert strutting his stuff for the first time. The apparently passionate fans that had supposedly had more enthusiasm than we currently do let Lee down big style there....as we did Bobby Robson a couple of years later.

[PaddockLad 17654]

Harpers doing very well then, especially when you consider his appearance compared to an icon like Rob Lee.

 

Am not entirely sure, but I think Rob Lee took the loot, probably the last one to do so. It was against a Spanish team, sort of mid-table la liga side, cant remember who they were though...as you say, that crowds on the disappointing side. He got less than Kenny Wharton, who although being a stalwart of the 80s, wasnt fit to tie Rob Lee's boots ability wise.

 

On the harper testimonial not being a sell out, it's sold far more tickets than Rob Lee got for his.

 

Perhaps a rose tinted view of how supporters were in recent history.

 

The charity thing may well have a bearing on this. And at least two all time great players in the already glamorous opposition helps.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

Rob Lee's was a bit of a fuck up as has been said. I was at John Anderson's which I thoroughly enjoyed, there was even a celeb game on before hand and Waddle brought over the beast that was Basile Boli from Marseille to play.

[David Kelly 1260]

Bilbao wasn't it for Lee's?

 

As has been said the returning hero's as well as the opposition (it's Baresi, Maldini, Costacourta and Boban I'm going to see) that's made this such a sucess for Harper. The well publicised charities (particularly one being the Bobby Robson one) has also had a big impact I think.

[Howmanheyman 33845]

John Anderson couldn't have picked a worse time for his testimonial, freshly relegated and a poisonous atmosphere, his attendance wasn't far off the actual attendance of the most recent games to be played at that time. Rob Lee was known as a Tight Cunt amongst the players and he did himself no favours for charging top whack for his game against Bilbao which has been said was just a pre-season game, he let himself down imho. Wharton's wasn't far off our average gate, Beardsley's was a full house but wasn't a proper testimonial, ditto KK. Shearer sold out and Harper is only charging a tenner for adults and has attractive old opposition as well as some genuine NUFC legends as well as the proceeds going to charity.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

John Anderson's testimonial was when we were on the up wasn't it? 1992. KK was in charge, him and Terry Mac actually played.

[Howmanheyman 33845]

Don't think so from memory.