Makom 0 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 My emotional reaction up to now, fearing a Leeds/Sheff style decade in the wilderness even if it got rid of Ashley, has been no. But I've come around to yes, based on simple logic: 1. Best case scenario: we bumble along mid-table not trying in cups and selling our best players 2. Worst case scenario: we flirt with relegation until eventually getting relegated anyway 3. Fan apathy - the remaining match going fans clearly don't have the courage of their convictions to actually force Ashley out by simply not going 4. Ashley's cuntishness - it's been 8? years since he said he'd listened to us and was going to sell up. Assuming the money keeps rolling in, he's clearly going nowhere fast. People assuming he can be shamed or abused out, are frankly deluding themselves 5. Financial reality - relegation is the only event which is likely to have enough of an impact on Ashley's main interest in owning NUFC (significant profit) to force him to sell Therefore, the only logical conclusion can be that we must be relegated for things to change for the better. Ashely is obviously right that we can't compete with the likes of Man Utd, but 5th-8th and cup success is a perfectly reasonable goal for a club of our size and stature. That said, the nightmare scenario of course is that we get relegated yet we still turn a meagre profit, enough for Ashley to think it's worth keeping the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayvin 5296 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I'm afraid I'm going to have to guiltily say yes, I think at this point I'd prefer us to be relegated in order to avoid this shit next year, and also in order to bring about the prospect of something - anything - positive happening to the club. I've had enough years in midtable obscurity now to know that it isn't going to amount to anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 31196 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I don't want us to be relegated as I don't think it will serve any real benefit. The last time we went down it was an opportunity to get rid of some highly paid mercenaries, we don't have that situation this time. But I won't be too upset this time round if we do go down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddockLad 17646 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Heart: Head: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 46027 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Yes. It's a fairly shitty position to take, but the only way that this arsehole is gonna sell up is if the rug is pulled out from underneath the cosy position that he currently enjoys. There needs to be a fundamental shift in circumstances and that can only come from relegation from which we don't immediately bounce back. The likes of Leeds are extreme examples that have been further mismanaged post relegation. There's no reason to think that if you go down and stay down that that is the inevitable fate that awaits you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneColdStephenIreland 74 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Whatever happens will be shit. I'd rather get beat off Man U etc than see us getting hammered off Rotherham though. However I'll win £150 if we do go down but then I'll have to stay up and watch 30 second highlights on the football league show. Whichever way we all look at it (if you're not The Fish) it's gonna be shit and I just can't be arsed with the curse of supporting Sports Direct United. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makom 0 Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 I'll win £150 if we do go down do tell.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makom 0 Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 I have fond memories of us winning nearly every game of the Championship btw, and quite enjoyed the experience of having a humble and thoroughly decent manager. And we had quite a few live games too iirc. I am not however letting that cloud my judgement this time round, as I think we simply got lucky with circumnstances, and perhaps that group of players thought they owed us something. This time round could be quite different. Still worth the risk though, just to get rid of Ashley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haydnator 45 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 (edited) Only reason we went straight back up is because Chris Hughton, Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll, on form Shola, Jose Enrique, Colo at his prime and Steve Harper. We still had quality and characters: 2 things we are desperate for now. Edited May 17, 2015 by Haydnator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 7084 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 The club is a disgrace. I would not care if it folded in on itself like the house at the end of Poltergeist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 46027 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 btw if someone could guarantee that we'd bounce straight back up next season, then there's no point in us getting relegated cos we would be back to square one with 17th place and immediate cup exits considered acceptable. It only works if we stay down. We need to be like Mickey telling Rocky "Down! DOWN! Stay down!" for his long term good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makom 0 Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 Indeed, we'd need to stay down a good few years, well into the new TV contract, before Ashley probably started thinking he's better off out of it. I am now starting to worry even more about whether or not he could turn a regular, albeit smaller, profit in the Championship, and therefore just stay even longer, just to wind us up. Hopefully a few years in the Championship with Ashley still here would actually prompt some realistic protest action though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 46027 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I don't know exactly how the money works in the Championship, but my assumption is that the balance of power would at least shift back in the fans' favour, such that a boycott would actually have a tangible effect on the bottom line,and an extended campaign of boycotts could wipe out any profit he hoped to make. Most importantly though, the Championship is no use to him as an advertising vehicle for SD. He needs us to be in the Premiership and getting seen all over the world. I think an extended stay in the Championship provides the only possible avenue for convincing him to sell up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 7084 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Selling up at a loss (or sacrificing future profit) would be admitting defeat, which I think he would hate to do. The outcome has to have him, in his mind, somehow winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddockLad 17646 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I don't know exactly how the money works in the Championship, but my assumption is that the balance of power would at least shift back in the fans' favour, such that a boycott would actually have a tangible effect on the bottom line,and an extended campaign of boycotts could wipe out any profit he hoped to make. Most importantly though, the Championship is no use to him as an advertising vehicle for SD. He needs us to be in the Premiership and getting seen all over the world. I think an extended stay in the Championship provides the only possible avenue for convincing him to sell up. Its the quickest route to change....I think more than a season in divi two and crowds will drop right off...they only held up pretty well last time because we walked it. The only thing that would properly piss me off is not seeing us at Bournemouth next season...but there is the season after that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monroe Transfer 0 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 do tell.... It's called a bet. A bet I wish I'd made when I was getting (somewhat understandably) getting stick for being so pessimistic a couple of months back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneColdStephenIreland 74 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 do tell.... 5 pound bet when Carver was appointed. I think if we stay up or go down the only people who will suffer is the fans, Ashley will make sure of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ 0 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I think the sad thing is is that there's no real tension or nerves about next weekend. What will be will be. Apathy is the most dangerous thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makom 0 Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 I am frankly not optimistic that crowds will drop significantly after a good few years in the Championship. I think we could still be getting 40k+ if he appoints a half decent (but still Championship level) manager and the team plays some sort of attacking football. Only a sustained period of dross with us stinking up mid-table or lower would likely have any impact on the crowds, enough to impact the profits anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howay 12496 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I think the sad thing is is that there's no real tension or nerves about next weekend. What will be will be. Apathy is the most dangerous thing. Aye it's impossible to say we'd be unlucky to go down, we've all been saying "of we cant beat this team then we fully deserve to go down" every week for the last month and we've lost basically all of them. I'm the same as Paddocklad in that my head is saying aye but it's going to be galling to see us get relegated, especially if the nappy rippers get promoted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howmanheyman 33837 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 We need to suffer and eat some (more) shit before it gets any better. We stay in the Gravy train league and fatty prices out any buyers imho, FFP limits spending power to a degree of any new owner who would buy us anyway so why would they pay astronomical fees for us? Different circumstances would lead to the Fat cunt having to re-evaluate an asking price, that could be financial meltdown for him outside of NUFC or us floundering in the lower leagues for a while. I just cannot see him selling with the club in the PL as I've said, he'll price us out of a buyer there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graing 15 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 The only way Ashley would have a thought about selling is if we do go down. As much as we like to think of him as a sinister villain, he's a keen businessman and in the end it's about the money for him. His heart is clearly not in the team anymore. Fan boycotts won't really phase him or harsh words in the press or on message boards. It's about two things : the massive TV money and the free advertising for SD during those lucrative TV games. If we go down, he loses both of those carrots and any interest in the club. Problem is, he will be calling for his money, gut whatever remains in a massive liquidation and sell an empty husk of a club. All that said, I prefer going down to watching no better than mid-table, no ambition, no quality play year after year in a pointless, futile existence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayvin 5296 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 All that said, I prefer going down to watching no better than mid-table, no ambition, no quality play year after year in a pointless, futile existence. This. It's this that I can't take any more. Going down is the only way out of this - a bitter pill, and even then it may not be enough, but there's absolutely no way out while we're in this division. We'll have to stay here while other fans lecture us about 'knowing our place' when we come in 10th-14th for the 27th consecutive season, and I just cannot accept that it's worth supporting a team that aspires to nothing more than that. Championship, maybe even further, whatever it takes. The sooner he's out, the sooner we can actually start to like the club again. And we would get back one day, we're big enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobos 298 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Holy duck it's coming to something when an nufc forum has people voting that they want relegation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 46027 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Duck off, scoobos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now