NUFC fan reveals his big Mike Ashley theory – Could he be right?

By Chris McMillan

I’ve been a Newcastle supporter all my life, and am now in my 70’s and live in Australia. I was born at Willington Quay, on the banks of the Tyne. I can vividly remember as a small child being taken to St James Park and seeing it for the first time. My father, and grandfather were also proud supporters so, like many others who live and breathe NUFC all over the world, the last 11 years have been soul destroying.

Every morning (your evening) here, I check the internet for any good news on the club. Every morning is a let down.

Over this period with Mike Ashley in control, the fans have had a torrid roller coaster ride. Looking on from far away, I’ve often thought, as many others have done, ‘why does Ashley act this way?’

He’s a very successful businessman, shrewd, tough negotiator, quick learner and knows how to make a dollar. But….. It seems he runs his businesses completely differently to our club. He must see the “speculate to appreciate” approach of the bigger clubs reaps huge rewards, yet he does the opposite. No expansion, no improvements, no investment etc.

When you look at the disastrous way our club teeters along year after year with a couple of relegations thrown in, managers coming and going, the treatment of Kevin Keegan and Chris Hughton, the Dennis Wise era, Joe Kinnear, the banning of the press, renaming of St James Park, the supposed sale of the club, the many instances of just failing to get the new players “over the line” for whatever reason….the list goes on. Very little money to spend…. promises that more will be available soon and being disappointed time after time. The valuable resource that is the club itself and the fan base, slowly being decimated. The club being run into the ground. Giving the fans hope… and then dashing those dreams.

Constantly turning on a ray of hope, then switching it off.

Recently, getting a brilliant manager onboard, and basically giving him nothing. It goes on. Nothing but despair.

It doesn’t make sense.

Or does it?

If you take the fact that he doesn’t actually lose money anymore… and since the very early days, the profits on incoming funds from transfers seem to vanish. It’s not costing him a penny. Then there’s the massive free advertising around the ground that apparently generates no income for players or improvements. Where is this money? The club just limps along year after year…. season after season…with seemingly no concern to the owner…. just the fans. No visits to the games for many months, no apparent interest, and crucially, no communication with anyone except through chosen mouthpieces.

And then it hit me….. one word…… the only thing that makes sense:

REVENGE.

He’s playing a game with us. Like a cat with a mouse. He doesn’t seem to care.

It’s not so far fetched…. go back to the beginning… the early Ashley months, out on the terraces, beers with the boys…. happy smiling faces. Then cracks appeared and his decisions started to ruffle a few feathers. Many fans were beginning to get annoyed with him I recall.

Then, one match day during this period if I remember correctly, he brought his young daughter along, and I believe things got a bit fraught…. perhaps was there abuse shouted? I don’t know, but I distinctly remember some problem occurring (Someone closer than me to news sources could check dates here).

From that point on, it was all downhill for the fans.

Revenge on the fans for over a decade, and it continues now unabated, with no sign of him stopping his game. He’s getting his free advertising, not spending and unless a crazy offer for the club comes along… he’ll just continue with more of the same. Look at the Amanda Staveley situation and the sudden increase of £100m on the asking price of the club. The question is, did he ever intend to sell even though he apparently put the club in the marketplace?

The fact that we now have Rafa only adds to the torture, knowing how well we could do with some backing for him. If my theory is correct, this situation won’t end happily as the treatment of the fans in this way is exactly the plan.

What will stop him?

I could be totally out here, but as I said…. to me it’s the one thing that makes sense, and until he goes…. every morning will be a disappointment.

I only hope it won’t take another decade to change, or for him to get bored playing his game.

(Fancy writing for us? Send any articles/ideas over to us at [email protected] & we’ll get back to you!)

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

14 thoughts on “NUFC fan reveals his big Mike Ashley theory – Could he be right?

  1. I think you are correct….so that’s two of us.Im not sure about the revenge being insult or abuse related because I was not there.If I hung myself out to dry I would say revenge involving due diligence.Maybe.One thing for sure it’s strange having a owner that hates something he owns…I hate my house and guess what I’m selling it..

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  2. The club is a vehicle for Ashley, it makes him profitable in his other businesses due to the power of advertising and promotion of HIM and HIS, one day there will be no Ashley because people will not shop in his stores, he will run out of money and run out of friends and when that happens he will have to sell at any price, then he will disappear forever but Newcastle United will still be here in the hands of someone who cares.

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  3. Can’t disagree really.
    I’ve thought on and off for a while that it could be part of some twisted revenge.
    Was it not Derek Lambias who after hearing of the fans weath was quoted as saying “you’ve no idea just how nasty we can be” or words to that effect.

    The other rule of thought is that he’s keeping every single bit of available cash with the intention of selling to Staveley’s group for £300m or so, and using the likes of the TV deal etc to make up the missing £100m in his valuation.
    Staveley and her group might think that come the January transfer window they would still have enough time to strengthen the squad should we be in a position where there’s a real danger of going down?

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  4. I’m so glad you had the time to write this post.
    I’ve been singing from your hymn sheet for 10 long years now.
    That sinking feeling every time I watch SSN. Nothing good will or has come from Cashleys ownership. Freddie will be turning in his grave Seeing our once great club decimated by a cockney leach, sucking the life blood from our club our city and our hearts.
    Our day will come. Our day must come. Hopefully before we sink into forgotten memory of ” the club that was ”
    Thanks for this wake up call Chris.

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  5. The only way is to cut off his income, stop shopping at SportsDirect, hope a hacker will do a denial of service on his SportsDirect website along with the bad publicity this would bring and a concerted Anti Fat Shopkeeper movement from the fans right down to his watering holes around SportsDirect headquarters in London

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  6. I think all the fans AND owners of football clubs need to understand one simple thing:

    It is extremely difficult to run a football club at a reasonable profit AND win titles.

    Very few clubs succeed at this. Even Real Madrid, when you look at all the d by forgiveness over the years, makes very little profit in percentage terms. The money goes to the players, to the upkeep of facilities, other running costs.

    Think back to when a lot of the English top clubs listed on the stock market – including Newcastle United – they pretty much all failed.

    This is the main reason Ashley acts as he does – he’s trying to run it as a business. He will fail. Or at least he will fail to have success on the pitch. I think he knows that, so he approaches each season in the manner of doing the minimu required to stay up.

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  7. It’s a very interesting concept truegeordie so that’s three of us then.Luke I mulled over the old I will keep the 125 million from sky and the 25 million or so from the transfer window and then allow the consortium to have the club for the original 250 million..job done..In a ideal world yes great,unfortunately we have not just found a billionaire owner who does not want to spend any money, we managed to hook ourselves a billionaire owner who happens to be a narcissist .Can be pleasant to your face but most likely the executioner when you turn your back…This runs deep..I’ve only seen this once before and I honestly think he was done when he bought the club…I’m thinking there must have been debts probably around the £120-£140 million that were not picked up on whilst carrying out due dill.Thats the kind of thing that gets this kind of bloke going for it.A total control freak who gets shafted.The club is NOT losing money but he gets his fist pumping joy from knowing he is hated.Thats what his psychological profile would indicate..It’s easy to say but the quickest way of getting rid of him is completely ignore him….I know lads and lasses it’s impossible….but that’s where he gets his kicks…..”Because he can”

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  8. You may be right – not as far fetched as some may think ? around that time after that verbal attack he quoted ” i will turn this club into a yo-yo club ” well he has done just that – it makes you wonder doesn’t it.

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  9. Very true Robert…no good for a supporter…I suppose if you look at it this way if Sky ever go bump in the night Newcastle will be one of a very few clubs left…Might actually get to see them win a cup again before I pop my clogs….Sorry for posting so much.

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  10. Great article a very good read ??? the man’s a fat greedy bafoon and he’d sell his soul for money. The man does not care one jot think he gets off being hated one useless piece of **** of a owner all he cares about is advertising his cheap tat Sports Direct .

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  11. I think ASHLEY is playing a very dangerous game with the fans one that may eventually cost him his life at the hands of a fan who has reached the end of their tether with this ARSEHOLE.
    Should that ever happen i don’t think there will be many tears shed for such ARSEHOLE as him.
    He seems to think he is untouchable , but none of us are untouchable.

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  12. Easy. Time and time again ive said it. Don’t ***** then line his pockets. Those who complain should boycott st James’s and sports direct. Stop being hypocritical, these people who keep going to his shops and football ground are perpetuating the situation.
    You wanna make a difference, then take a braver stance.
    I’d give him 6 month and he will try investing to appease the simple minded.
    If that is ignored, trust me, he will be gone.

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  13. When it comes to selling NUFC I think Ash has applied the same philosophy as he has to his tatty knock off shirts, overprice them then lable them as half price or reduced or 25% off, he’l take £350mil for the club knowing that its still £50mil overpriced, he’s fooling no one !

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  14. Jesus I have been saying this for years, he thinks we should grovel at his feet and if we dont he will treat us like ****. Case in point, he only cares about having his god awful branding on the international stage. Which is why he shuts down the “Ashley out banners and such”

    I have no interest in going to the match and FRANKLY all I am ever greeted with is the football addicted addicts shaking in their NUFC tops going “whats the point, support the team not the regime” yet time and time again they pay their money, they eat the concessions, buy the merchandise and make his brand look good”

    Fill the stadium, protest walk out with 20mins left winning or losing, show the fat **** up embarrass him, make his brand look toxic only then will her walk away.

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