Mike's been there, seen it, got the t-shirt!
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.
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..Why not get a 
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.
“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”
Well sorry you fat cockney barstard – but quite a few of us “every other fans” have been paying into this club for a lot of years – in my case 47 years – and there’s lots of us…..you’ve paid in the last 2 years, so don’t lecture us you sad excuse…..
Just GET OUT OF OUR CLUB
he makes my p:ss boil i hope i bump into him 1 day
Bowburn – they’re cockneys all right – south of Gateshead, nuff said
Briliant piece 100%+, the man is well and truely a plonker, a fat arrogant one to boot.
BBM excellent article when I 1st seen the title I thought it would have been by stardust lol
him and his leaky arse minder
Is this rumour true that the reason we never see Stardust on here at weekends is because he’s too tight to pay for broadband at home? His employer must be a really understanding soul cos the booger’s on here all week when he’s supposed to be working!!
Very good article. I’ve always tried to give the bloke the benefit of the doubt, believed he bought the club with club intentions and little things like implementing the youth policy were positive actions. But…
Not only did we find out through the release of the findings of the arbitration panel that they had deliberately misled the supporters, then now this.
After months of stonewall silence, surely would come thanks for the fans that have stuck by the club and supported them through the turnstiles home and away following demotion to the Championship?
No, instead he decides to insult the fanbase with a petty ‘i’m putting in more money than you’, which is not only factually incorrect but downright insulting. I can only assume he’s inherited Gerald Ratner’s PR skills.
Sorry Mike, but we’ve been following this club before you came and will follow it long after you’ve left. You’ve wasted money? Try doing due dilligence next time, then. We invest our hard earned with no intention of getting any financial return back, never mind much emotional recompense.
If you’re serious about staying, then pitch up and appoint a full-time, experienced Manager and back him accordingly. If not, leave now (providing your price tag is matched, of course). Newcastle United football club cannot afford any more gambles…
UTD111 his boss is understanding at the internet cafe he works he dusent mind as long as stardust dus his job and collects all the empty cups
That’s fine Humphrey – but I’ve heard he has to count all the cups and prepare a report
what a clueless article by a complete muppet,what did ashley say to the 3 man comission The club have admitted LYING to the press,public and supporters of newcastle united, fat ****.
worky old bean could you do me a cup of earl grey please
Mmmm, so he makes money from the the cheap footie shirt slave trade and buys a football club. Makes money when – frankly – it is easy to make money.. whilst the boom times are on and no one cares about kids earning pennies for hard labour. Now that it is tough, he whimpers like a tantrum child. What a failure Mike Ashley is!
“Puts more money into the club than any fan”!
I would argue that he takes out money than he puts in and with no independent revue to confirm or deny his boasts of having bailed the club out because the finances are private it is open to question. But certainly as a *percentage of income*, the amount this man puts into the club is probably not as much as the average fan who may have to travel to away games, miss work, buys replica kits etc.
I think we get the final laugh. As a supporter, I support. It matters little if we are premiership or conference (well, it does, but you know what I mean), I will still support . Whereas he looses massive amounts of cash with every small drop in our league status.
You can see why Ashley doesn’t usually say much though can’t you?
Hugh – ironically it would seem like the tactics of an astute but socially inept businessman. No wonder he had us going for so long.
Bowburn, in all your ridicule for Ashley, you missed the most interesting bit. If what the article is saying is correct, then the club could have dragged all kinds of stuff with Jon Asgeir Johannesson if Barry Moat and his backer had succeeded in buying the club two years ago. It’s also would mean that Moat made a previous move for the club knowing he had a backer who could have faced prison for financial skulduggery.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article3026166.ece
“On 17 August 2005, Jón Ásgeir was charged by a court in Reykjavík with 40 counts of breaking the Icelandic penal code, Accounting Act, Annual Accounts Act and Companies Act. Most of them are related to transactions between him and Baugur. The Supreme court sent most of the charges back to the Reykjavik district court in the fall of 2005 on the base of technicalities. The Supreme court made its final ruling in the case in June 2008. Jón Ásgeir got three months suspended sentence.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3n_%C3%81sgeir_J%C3%B3hannesson
Poor Mike Ashley, Dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t. Imagine if he had actually said something positive, like I am wrong, I will spend big, bla bla bla… All of you would be still slagging him off. Look, I am not a fan of this man at all…I am mearly looking at this from a distance and not letting my passion for the club predudice my comments.. If I were Ashley (perish the thought) after all the stick I have copped over the past 2 years, I would not have a lot of good to say either. What would you expect.. Remember the time when he was comunicating and listening to the fans. Yes he ousted Big Sam because the fans didn’t like him.. good move?. Yes he took on KK for a second stint.. good move? Then I recall him announcing that there would not be much money in the kity for players as the clubs finances were much worse that first realised. So what did some of the fans do? The kicked up a stink, because he was not buying marque players… MA has made a lot of bad mistakes but I think some fans need to look in the mirror and take some of the blame. Saying that, I can’t wait for this whole sorry drama to be over. I hope that the club is sold soon so we don’t need to go through this BS next year. And no I am not Stardust, I am a fan that has had enough of the over the top rehtoric posted by some fans.I pity any new owner that takes over this club… I hope they know what they are getting themselves into.. I believe that there is no satisifying some sections of the clubs fanbase.. In misery they will always dwell..
I’m afraid the isn’t going to be sold soon, The only reason for this to have dragged on so long is that Barry Moat is just MA’s stooge, reaffirming his intentions to buy with secret Backers everytime things stall to try get any potential buyers out in the open, however people aren’t listening to his garbage anymore. He’ll stay on, and if we get promoted he’ll double his price to 2 million and the whole sorry circus will carry on through next summer. If we don’t get promoted he’ll still be asking 80-100 million and we’ll have the same sorry circus through next summer!!
Please let me be wrong!!
Sad to say ‘Maverick’, but I can’t see us getting promoted if Ashley stays in charge.
“MA has made a lot of bad mistakes but I think some fans need to look in the mirror and take some of the blame.”
Oh, its the fans fault now is it.
Are you Derek Llambias?
@Jasper,
Point 1. Yes, in part…..It was the fans (some) that called for his head when KK departed.. If a bit of rational was used instead of death threats against him and his family, things might have worked out different. Like I said previously, I want this sorry mess sorted out as much as the next supporter does. But all this anger and doom and gloom is too much. I really believe that there is no appeasing some supporters. We could be sitting on top of the premier league with the best manager in the world and there would be some that would still find something to complain about..
Point 2. No I’m not Derek Llambias
@ Aussie
I don’t believe he had death threats at all, the garbage he came out with at that time was laughable. Apparently he couldn’t take his children to the game for fear of their safety……Never once did anyone see his children at a game he was always swilling Beer with his buddies!!
Aussie Magpie Fan – sorry but that is a poor argument. It was proven that Mike was in the wrong over the whole thing and the fans instincts at the time were right. Ashley didn’t do enough to calm the waters nor enough to steady the ship and hence where we are now. The death threats don’t wash with me. You really believe he’s never received death threats over business matters? They are bang out of order but Mike must have known he was never in danger of losing his life. Though he might have lost the odd tooth owing to the disdain he showed for the fans.
Whatever else that has happened, physical retribution was and is a nonsense. But the fact is, Mike is telling us, telling you, that he came in here with no clue about football and yet still arrogantly rambles on about how he will be calling the shots. Yeah, we get it Mike, you’re the owner. Just do us a favour and let someone else run the show eh? Somebody who knows what they’re doing.
I’m as laid-back as you can get really and generally diplomatic, but these last lot of comments from him really p*ssed me off. I can handle life in The Championship. I can handle mediocre performances like the Nottingham Forest game. This stuff I can’t stomach.
worky – if Moat deserves some sort of justified ridicule in the future, then I’m sure he’ll get it. However, my ill-feeling is reserved for one man right now. I only have so much anger, I’m quite a nice bloke really.
Aussie Magpie Fan – @ 18.
Great post – its how I see it.
Even more posts still spew onto the blogs – Im just sickened at what our fanbase has become.
What has our fanbase become Stardust? Honestly, you can’t see anything wrong in what he’s said or how and when he’s said it?
Actions have conseqence BBM.
Fans typing on message boards every day how they hate him for this, hate him for that.
He doesnt care any more, neither would I. You disgust me with your one sided views.
And then many will launch into me saying my views are one sided, they are not – they are designed to show the other side of the fence, another mans perspective, I can see right and wrong (mistakes) on all sides.
It’s not about the mistakes man Stardust. Can’t you see that? I don’t ‘hate’ the man. I hate what he’s doing and he makes me angry.
And yet rather than quash the ill-feeling, the only time he communicates is to pour scorn and show contempt. It’s always a ‘I’m taking my ball home with me’ angle. Is that the only time he feels compelled to speak to us mere mortals who contribute less individually than eight figure sums?
This was a snide unprovoked slight on the fans.
How you don’t see that is beyond. Honestly it is.
I’ve never been called disgusting before either but hey I’ll take it. I don’t see anybody else calling me disgusting for saying how I feel.
BBM “I don’t see anybody else calling me disgusting for saying how I feel.” the “you” I use is a collective – those of a similar mindset.
“This was a snide unprovoked slight on the fans.” – totally disagree – it was a consequence to how he feels he has been treated – and worryingly now for all of us – he doesnt care what we think or what he does or says anymore.
Stardust
Would you behave in the same way to your customers even if you were really p*ssed off with them and felt they were taking you for granted or didn’t appreciate you?
At the end of the day, what he said regarding Moat is probably valid and I do agree with him on that topic. However why add that comment regarding the fans’ contribution when it is out of context in that statement? He might have known that it would cause more hassle so why say it? If he doesn’t care anymore as you have said, comments like that just makes him look even more unprofessional.
CRY ME A RIVER
32 – Agree with your comment at 32 Deb. But I am sick and tired of this hate filled cauldron – he is obviously stressed to bits and has had enough.
When are we as fans collectively going to accept a share of the blame.
These comments should tell all of his haters – that he definitely wants out. It also tells us that he the man who bailed us out should have the right to spend his own money – not to have some tribunal tell him that he doesnt have the right unless he announces it and puts it in writing.
Stardust says:
October 19, 2009 at 1:20 pm (Edit)
It also tells us that he the man who bailed us out should have the right to spend his own money – not to have some tribunal tell him that he doesnt have the right unless he announces it and puts it in writing.
===
And he will Stardust. I’m sure he’ll be making clear to Hughton that he has no say on transfers (I wonder how many other managers in the Championship have to suffer that indignity?).
We’ll just have to hope that Ashley – who has already confessed to being incompetent when it comes to running a football club – surprises us with his ability to pick the players that Hughton can use effectively.
Let’s hope he picks a bit better than the midget did with nacho.
Stardust – want some help moving those goalposts? So essentially contracts of work are unnecessary as long as you have a sh*tload of money because if you’re disgustingly rich you should basically be able to do what you want? How’s that for moving the goalsposts?
UTD 111
The great SBR was born well south of Gateshead.(sorry cant put a wink Dont know how because Im old and now live near London)
He was of course a Durham lad like me
I’d also like to bring up a couple of things, it was widely reported after the hearing that the extra money MA had set aside for the KK Tribunal was going to be given to CH for squad strengthening…….Now he wont have any to strengthen with?? where did this go?
Also as distasteful as it was the Nachogate deal went through…..So where oh where are the hoards of South American players this favour was supposed to bring?? Obviously MA doesn’t want to spend anything but surely if these scouts are worth this £1M + Favour they should be able to find NUFC some decent South American players to take on loan??
Or is it just more BS from the Circus Tent that is St James Park!!
StanHardy says:
October 19, 2009 at 3:13 pm
“sorry cant put a wink Dont know how because Im old and now live near London”
Stan, here’s how they’re all done.
http://briandhawkins.com/do-you-know-your-wordpress-smiley-codes/
Thanks worky need all the help I can get
‘Want some help moving those goal posts (LOL)?’ It doesn’t get any better than that! Where ever you go-there always seems to a “Rooosterman,” or a Hitler, or someone!! Cracking article-pity Dave, didn’t pick up on the tone-must go over some folk’s heads?
Mike must have put on some weight since his twenties’-all these “love children” coming on these blogs-to defend him?!