I sympathise with Ashley…
Posted on October 18th, 2009 | 43 Comments |
I mean for the big G’s sake Mike, where do you pick up your PR finesse from? It’s out of this world, really it is. You’re clearly on a different planet. He generally says nothing for such long periods that you’d expect when he does that he’d say something that would have a big impact. Well he does, but not for the right reasons. Even following the tribunal result and the monumental cause and effect, there followed no explanation, no excuses, no apology, nowt. I’d heard rumour while at work today that he’d been speaking to The Sunday Times and then I read the brief summary piece that .com did and both found what he had to say astounding and myself agreeing wholeheartedly with their response.
What he had to say about Moat –
“Barry Moat has been driving me mad for two years. If he wants to buy the club, he’s got a one-off opportunity to come up with the cash — £80m upfront.”
OK fair enough, if Barry Moat is messing him around and he wants to call his bluff then that’s fine but why has it taken him so long to face reality and drop his price? Along with everything that he’s said, it’s like he’s just spat his dummy right out. Aw shucks Mike, you’re not going to get that extra 20 mil you were looking for? Well there’s a surprise.
“Chris deserves a shot at the title — he has done a great job”
That seems like a fair assessment and leads you to believe that he might well do the right thing by Chris and appoint him full time. While that might not be universally the choice of the people, it would certainly garner some respect for finally making a decision that would at least give some permanence and avoid the doubt hanging over the club. It would also seem like a decent thing to do given what Hughton has done for the club on several occassions, despite the doubts some of the more hardened cynics have over appointing a caretaker boss on a full-time basis.
However!! This is what else he had to say –
But if I keep the club I will have the final say on players. I am the one who has to fund the club,”
Are you kidding me Mike? You’re big and honest enough (?) to admit that you know nowt about football and you aren’t an expert. You have proved conclusively that the structure and the staff you have employed are also woefully short of any nous in the game, hence our current Championship predicament. And yet you have the audacity to say you will call the shots on Hughton? Everyone knows who holds the pursestrings, just give him, someone, anyone, a bit of cash to spend in the transfer market and bolster the squad and let them get on with it.
It’s ironic that this comes in the same weekend that Keegan suggests he’s saddened that some quarters of the Newcastle faithful have turned against him for good. He’s probably right but again as .com stated, no wonder he walked out. And that’s not just my subjective view on the matter, it’s what many KK detractors have said today since reading both articles.
I thought I’d save the best until last though –
“I have to put £20m a year into the club — I spend more than every other fan put together puts into the club each year”
What relevance does that have in the context of his outburst? What does it serve to do other than kick the loyal, passionate paying public right in the teeth? You spend more than every other fan put together Mike? Well that’s great. If only everyone was lucky enough to stumble across a successful business route like your’s, you arrogant bastard.
This man should be the example which football should use as a shining beacon of where this beautiful game should never be allowed to go again. A football club should be more, much more than a billionaire’s toy and these arrogant swines should not be so easily allowed to buy them on a whim and behave so irresponsibly nor treat the loyal supporters with such contempt.
Ashley and Llambias have been called many things and there is the inevitable parody of Only Fools and Horses. These two have so ineptly and disrespectfully run our football club that I could never lump them in with a regional stereotype even if I was that way inclined. Plus they’re not Cockneys as people have been at pains to point out. Yet, I’ll borrow a familiar line from that famous comedy when I say – Ashley, you plonker.
NUFCBlog Author: bowburnmag
bowburnmag has written 234 articles on this blog.
what gets me is that not only does he have a dig at us, his customers, he’s also quite probably bloody well wrong.
you can pretty much guarantee that over a season, with a reasonably full ground, that ticket income alone will surpass £20m.
add in all the other opportunities clubs take to fleece supporters, merchandising, etc, will push it even further past the amount he claims.
the guy really is a f***ing joke.