The Magpie Group take Mike Ashley up on July offer – A proposal he now can’t refuse?

During his interview / PR statement in the Daily Mail last month, Mike Ashley said he would pay for an ‘independent auditor’ to come in and review his ‘whiter than white’ books at Newcastle United.

 “You can put any accountant on our books and it’s whiter than white. I’ll pay and you can have an independent auditor come in and review us.

As a result, Wallance Wilson – the Chairman of The Magpie Group – has decided to take Mike Ashley up on his offer, saying the following in an open letter to the Newcastle United owner:

Dear Mr Ashley,

As you will be aware, The Magpie Group represents a broad range of Newcastle United supporters’ groups campaigning for a change of regime at the club.

We noted with interest the offer made in your interview with Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail on 8 July 2019 to pay for an independent auditor to review your books, viz, “You can put any accountant on our books and it’s whiter than white. I’ll pay and you can have an independent auditor come in and review us.”

As you may be aware, one of our banners says ‘19th Richest Club In The World. Where’s The Money Gone?’ so we would be extremely interested in finding out the answer to that question.

Please let us know the arrangements for taking advantage of your kind offer at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely

Wallace Wilson

Chairman, The Magpie Group”

As we all know, what Mike Ashley says and what Mike Ashley does tend to be two VERY different things, so it will be very interesting to see if Wallace even gets a response here – let alone the chance to send an independent auditor in to examine the club’s books.

Over to you, Mike.

(Fancy writing for us? Get in touch 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 “The Magpie Group take Mike Ashley up on July offer – A proposal he now can’t refuse?

  1. I very rarely make a comment but feel compelled to do so on this occasion. The way the letter is worded is deliberately confrontational and as such gives Ashley wriggle room. He can now, spuriously, claim that he refuses to respond to a confrontational request. I get the anger that has led to the wording, as I share it, but I think a neutral considered approach would have been more effective, even if it is hard to swallow. However hard it may be to write, the letter needed to thank Ashley for the offer and indicate that the Magpie Group welcomes and accepts the offer. This is being played out in the media and we need to claim the moral high ground; the letter in my opinion can be construed as point scoring. I get the anger and hence the validity in point scoring but, as someone who now lives away from the area, the rest of the country aren’t as intimately involved.

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  2. Bloater (mike PR) you are wrong. If the offer is true from Mike Ashley then what does it matter about the content of the reply??? If mike ashley is not a liar then he will honor his pledge and let the magpie group see the books and we can all find out where the money has gone ???

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  3. What you all moaning about boycott was a shambles ground full of ashlie **** lickers he’s here to stay so stop moaning your the ones keeping him here r I p nufc

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  4. Yes, it does!! In no way am I mike pr, as I think I made clear, but it does matter if you wish to put him on the spot. If you want to catch the rat you need to be more nuanced; is the aim to have a go at him or see the books. A rational acceptance of his offer either facilitates the opening of the books or him being shown nationally to be a liar. Also, it is insulting that there are attacks on people, who feel the same pain, but have a different perspective on how the shared objective can be achieved. Unfortunately, I feel that the poison Ashley has created has resulted in fans being more concerned with claiming their self proclaimed high ground, rather than focusing on the ultimate aim

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  5. Ashley being a crooked guy will obviously employ the crookeedest of accountants so say whatever he wants people to hear.
    Everyone knows that if you move numbers around long enough, they end up meaning something totally diferent.
    Whats needed is a total shut down of financial dealings and a deep research of all Ashleys business accounts since he bought the club.

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  6. Ps the boycott is a waste of time and even if you did it for a full season it wouldn’t have a effect on the fat controller

    He is laughing all the way to the bank

    Watch the league attendance at the next game it will be nearer to 50 thousand

    The supporters that stayed away will be back mark my words

    They are like sheep if you go to the game spend no money in the ground as it’s too late with regards to your season ticket which by the way pays for the electric staff and stewards on match days it has no effect on his income

    If you watched the interview with the Aston Villa management they invested 110 million to try and keep them in the premiership as they stated it was a years prize money that they were guaranteed to get so it was worth the chance

    We’re as ourselves spend this money on buying another failing high street retailer

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  7. Larry toon hants:
    What you all moaning about boycott was a shambles ground full of ashlie **** lickershe’s here to stay so stop moaning your the ones keeping him here r I pnufc

    Typical ignorant response, thrown at the majority of fans simply because they disagree with the view of the deluded few.

    Rather than being **** lickers is it possible that the vast majority of fans are capable of separating the individual from the club ? Is it possible that they enjoy supporting their club regardless of the politics? Is it possible that when people like Larry Toon Hants call them **** lickers they dig in even deeper and become more determined to support the team?

    I think it may be.

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  8. Aaaah, the open letter. The last desperate attempt of an attention seeker whose point is so lacking in substance that they give it to the world rather than the concerned individual.

    As it’s an “open” letter they didn’t even send it to Ashley – they just put it out there on the internet. A bit like filling in your tax forms, rolling them up and putting them into a wine bottle. and lobbing them into the Tyne. “But I sent them! It’s not my fault you didn’t get them!”

    If you want something to happen you don’t write an open letter. As with anyone who does that Wilson is looking more for the attention more than a result.

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  9. The team lacked organisation on Sunday against Arsenal. Gone were the dayzz of RB when u get a good viewing each and every game. I watched Norwich against Liverpool and they were a handful away from home. Joelinton is no Rondon, Maximin is no Perez. Mark my words, after 6 games we’ll be very lucky to have any points on the league table.
    As per the open letter, I’m in support wholeheartedly but Cashley ain’t replying, good try but don’t hold ur breath. Sir John Hall was a darling, this Cashley dude would relegate us, and it’s really sad. A serious owner would have begged RB to stay at all cost, weren’t we lucky to have him in the 1st place? Of course we were but the fat duck didn’t think so. A super coach stuck by us in the Championship, brought us up as champions, yet we get rid of him. Cashley is undoubtedly a very successful biz man but he knows nothing about football. Take a leaf from Abramovic’s early years at Chelsea when he called the shots on signing certain players like Shevchenko and Fernando Torres, b4 he quickly realized that this ain’t oil and gas. What a shame for us supporters, so devoted, yet so abused. How I wish we could have an empty stadium for the next 3 home games, trust me the fat duck shall wake up from his slumber….my heart bleeds for my beloved club. I’m taking bets on us being relegated 20/1…?

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  10. You seem to be a bit confused there mate, the Magpie Group didn’t make an offer to Ashley at all. Ashley made the offer and the Magpie group have accepted it.

    Waste of time anyway – because first of all they would never release actual figures, only a statement from the auditor that the books are good and tally with those submitted by Ashley, and secondly the fans would just turn round and say “well, it was paid for by Ashley so of course they’re just going to say what he wants them to”

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  11. Peter henderson:
    Ashley being a crooked guy will obviously employ the crookeedest of accountants so say whatever he wants people to hear.
    Everyone knows that if you move numbers around long enough, they end up meaning somethingtotally diferent.
    Whats needed is a total shut down of financial dealings and a deep research of all Ashleys business accounts since he bought the club.

    it’s not difficult to read the accounts, he bought the club making £33m losses per year, he threw a lot of money in to correct the holes left belt fat Freddy. he’s turned the business around

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  12. Mike can’t win can he. he will open up the books and when the fans can’t fine antlything wrong, they will claim he’s paid the auditor off.

    social media is full of stupid opinions from folk who can’t read a bus timetable, nevermind accounts

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