Is Mike Ashley doing a good job?
Posted on February 18th, 2011 | 55 Comments |
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy had some advice inscribed on the front of it for galactic residents challenged by such things as hyperspace bypasses, Vogon poetry, Ravenous Bugblatter Beasts and The Triple-Breasted Whore of Eroticon Six. It simply said: ‘Don’t Panic’.
I’m wondering if the same advice should be appear on the front of The Supporter’s Guide To Newcastle United. Or maybe ‘Divvent Panic’ would be better.
The reason I say this is because, as ever, there seems to be a divide between fans as to whether Ashley is right for the club, whether Pardew is any good, whether selling Carroll was good or bad, whether selling Enrique would be good, etc. etc. etc.
So what I’d like to do is look at the situation without emotion or sentiment.
Mike Ashley has made mistakes, which is evident by the fact that we were relegated if nothing else. His choices of personnel – be it the managers he’s appointed or Dennis Wise as Director of Football – has caused many an argument, but a lot of those arguments are subjective. Yet relegation actually happened and Ashley must take the blame for that.
As to his on/off attempts to sell the club and his forays into communicating with the fans, well, they’ve been pretty bad sometimes. After he responded to the fans’ demands for more communication from the board and started talking to us – or at least getting Llambias to do so – we were soon hoping he’d shut up again. He had such a prolific habit of putting his foot in his mouth that he allegedly kept his slippers on his tongue.
However, after relegation we came straight back up again. Sure, the players who did not want to be there were sold but Ashley retained the services of many an expensive player and it paid dividends and got us back in the Premier League at the first attempt.
Then fast forward to this season. Survival is enough for any newly promoted side and yet we’re in the top half and even within striking distance of a bash at a European place. That’s more than I expected this season.
Players come and go in football teams. It happens. We’ve lost players like Beye, Bassong, Milner and Carroll, yet gained players like Tiote, Ben Arfa, Simpson and Ireland. So, are we better off? Again, that’s open to interpretation.
A lot of people question Mike Ashley’s motives. Is he genuinely trying to put the club on a sound financial footing and encourage success on the pitch or is he simply trying to make the club a good proposition to buy so that he can line his own pockets (or at least get his money back)?
I simply don’t know. I have no idea how things will pan out but I do think that ‘Divvent Panic’ is good advice, at least until we see what the summer and the beginning of next season brings.
I have been critical of Ashley in the past – and I still am sometimes – but the jury is still out as far as I’m concerned. I think time will reveal more and in the interim it’s best not to jump to too many conclusions.
That’s my view without emotion or sentiment, although I draw the line at Derek Llambias. I can’t talk about him without emotion and sentiment and can rant for hours about the man. But I’ll spare you and simply allow myself a ‘Llambias oot’!
But let’s just see what fans actually think about Ashley now.
Poll
NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen
I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10).
Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.
The same question could be asked of any owner of any club & you’ll get fans who argue the toss on both sides of the coin….
I think the only owner which fans don’t argue over are those type that come in, spend money like its going out of fashion & keep out of the limelight, oh dear, I’ve just described Manc Citey haven’t I… lol ;)
Personally, I think we could do worse than what we have & in a few seasons time, we’ll be running smoothly, but as to whether Ashley is a great owner, I’ll wait & see :)