This is old news now, well yesterdays news in fact, but it’s taken me a while to do some digging and to prepare this article so apologies for the delay.
I read some comments in The Chronicle whereby they attempted to clear up where this £35 million has gone and what it has been accounted for. Being realistic they haven’t got a clue, which they admitted to be fair, and neither will any of us until the accounts are released for the relevant period, and even then it will be hard to tell exactly what has gone where.
They did manage to collar a “source close to NUFC” however in fact The Chronicle managed to grab a “senior” source no less. Let’s take a look at what was said as he tried to clarify just what the £35 million will be spent on:
“The most simplistic way of saying it is that the money will not be taken out of the club. It will go on the squad. Mike has no plan to withdraw any money from the club.”
“What Mike and Derek have done is be prudent about what we spend. We have great deals which allows us to sign good players and give them big wages We are not being frivolous like previous regimes in terms of getting trophy signings which will fail to deliver – like Michael Owen.”
“We are aiming for a top-10 finish next season, and Alan Pardew, Graham Carr and the rest of the staff will get the squad together they believe will get us there.”
I may aswell have not bothered with all of it as the statement from the source falls apart at the first hurdle.
“Mike has no plan to withdraw any money from the club.”
Really? Because that’s not what the accounts say. Take a look for yourself.
It quite clearly says £12.3 million will have already been paid back to Mike Ashley at the start of last season, and that another £16.5 million is repayable after “more than one year”. Now that could mean the start of this season or the start of next season, but it will be one of them as on another page (the one that goes on about balances and other stuff like that) it is shown as a liability within 1-2 years.
Now personally speaking I don’t mind if money goes towards paying off debt, as long as the first-team is improving steadily along with it. Time will tell on that of course, but the one thing that grinds my gears is why the need to be so cloak and dagger about it all?
If they want to use some of the money to pay off debt then just say. People will grumble and say that it should be used on the first team, but at least it’s a bit less fanciful than suggesting that it all be used on training ground upgrades, wages and whatever.
It’s there, in black and white, Ashley IS taking money back from the club. It’s not necessarily a bad thing as a club with lower debt may ***** the interest of another buyer, but it’s most definitely happening. Kind of makes a mockery of the source don’t you think?
Then again, we are used to being led astray….
“your again missing my point”
I reckon I’ll never hit it Craig if I am honest.
“what or who do you actually want running the club like?”
I ask again, what are my options? I said I would want someone who cares deeply about Newcastle United but you tell me that’s not an option.
I don’t get the question then.
Are you aware of any potential suitors? Anyone looking to make a bid? Is there a list I get to choose from/ Or do just get to pick anyone on the planet?
Moreno(Quote)
Maybe you think I know everyone in the world, their personal wealth and whether they are interested in buying the club so can give you a match?
I grew up in Shields mate, sorry to disappoint.
Moreno(Quote)
The Entertainers @ 224
Agree with every last inch of that post
Moreno(Quote)
Craig – I’ve been on the go since early on this morning and I’m totally knackered, I’m hitting the sack now, you have your opion and i have mine mate, the plain and simple fact is that we are both NUFC fans / supporters and hopefully that will be the case for many a year to come but just a little tip mate do not call people “moron”s just because they don’t fall in line with your train of thought………. ever occur to you that YOU might be wrong??????
Goodnight mate.
The Entertainers(Quote)
Totally agree The Entertainers. Their statements feel paranoid and bristling, a bit like when you try to talk to a girlfriend who’s mad at you, but they should have more confidence to be straight forward about things with the fans.
Matt Tom(Quote)
“when you try to talk to a girlfriend who’s mad at you”
You try and talk to your lass when she’s mad at you? Fook that mate.
Moreno(Quote)
Well, in truth I cannot see why this money cannot be used for the long aspects of running the club. People seem to call like for like. Sell a player for 35 Mil then buy another for 35 Mil.
We have to accept that buying a player is not the end of the bill. Wages have to be considered. Ashley or Llambias did not specifically say he is going to use the money to BUY players but rather the money was going to stay in the club. It is you as fans that have extrapolated the statement to mean ‘all spent on buying players’.
I have to declare myself pleased with the players we have in in the manner they have come. Free transfers in the case of Ba, and low prices in the form of the Frenchmen.
Michael12(Quote)
I will admit though that the Kevin Nolan sale was unacceptable his goals for the past two seasons from midfield were very important and that is a direction football is taking, goals from midfield.
Michael12(Quote)
MICHAEL12,
Cheers for your input, good to see a decent comment.
You are right in what you say that Ashley or Llambias did not say they were going to use the money to buy players but the point still remains:
We were ASSURED we would not sell Carroll. He was sold.
Pardew was then ASSURED that the money would be spent on the TEAM.
Pardew has then come out and said the Carroll money has been spent on agent fees, wages and training ground improvements.
Smells like ***** to me.
Next day Llambias contradicts that slightly and says they are keeping money back for the January transfer window in case we need it. Funny that Pardew never mentioned that isn’t it?
Moreno(Quote)
Just for my own amusement, I will try and break down the wages, agent fees and see where that gets us.
Based on the presumption that the wage of our 3 signings Ba, Cabeye and Marveux is 40k per week (can’t be too far off the mark?) You are looking at just over 2 million per year per player. So thats 6 million per year.
5 years contracts? 30 million for all 3 players and the agent fees likely to be a million/1.5 million each. Pretty much takes up the 35 million don’t it? 😉
Only issue with that is the fact these players aren’t guaranteed to be here in 5 years. In fact, it’s highly unlikely. So does that money then become available again in their budget? Or do the club just forget about it as most fans will have done? think the latter is more likely….
just spitballing though 😀
Moreno(Quote)
It really gets my goat, all this ****…..whenever that ar$ehole lamebrain opens his gob, you know that he is trying to hide something…..
We all know the FCB has put money into the cliub, but be honest…HE HAD NO CHOICE…if he didn’t he would have lost his initial £130m+ investment…it was NOT FOR THE LOVE OF THE CLUB ….
Of course he regrets every hair on his body that he bought the club and he wants to get out with as small a personal loss as possible, but its the utter tripe and blatant sh!te they come out with that really boils my p1ss….
I know for a fact that he wants to make £15m profit per annum, …and then hopes some ..*r@ghead^ comes in to buy him out……words from the horses mouth…..
The original intention was to use the club to market his wares overseas…..didn’t quite work out like that…….now he just wants to cut his losses.. Over the past 3 years his only options have been to go into administration, which would have been difficult legally because of his personal wealth (i.e. he is wealthy enough to keep us going) or underwrite the debts….i.e he had no choice to keep us going !!!
But for all those who suggest it was all down to Mr Shepherd…….ask the question…Geremi, Smith, Coloccini, Xisco, Viduka, Cacapa, Barton, Enrique, Nacho Gonzalez…..(not all flops I concede) ..all signed on ridiculous wages……..
He was a very slow learner on football finance, and obviously an even slower learner on football PR…..
If he could just be honest with us, we might actually respect him for it, but it speaks volumes about his respect for us that he refuses to do that…
NobbyLong(Quote)
Well no one can accurately predict the future. We only react to what goes on making compromises; making the best decisions under the circumstances to maximise the profits or reduce loses.
Ashley is doing that. Ashley may make a plan but it needs to be flexible enough for us to capitalise on an opportunity or minimise a disadvantage.
Pardew said it: “I’m afraid no-one’s never not for sale” If the Money is right even Messi can be sold.
Please let us be pragmatic. If the decision was yours and £35 Million bid came in for Carroll a player who had a good season in the CHAMPIONSHIP and half ok season in the premier league what would you do?
Also spending 35 Million on a like for like player would be stupid. If that player got injured then that is 35 million in sick bay. Rather we have spread our risk if you like.
Ashley has shown me in the years that he means business. I have gone from liking him to disliking him to understanding him. He is far better than an Abramovich, Sheikh Mansour or a Glazer. It is a selfless act to come in and make a club pay for itself rather than a rich benefactor at the helm.
Under Ashley one day we will sing a tune and dance a jig celebrating the man mark my words on this!
Michael12(Quote)
Micheal12 @ 236
God, I hope you are right…
NobbyLong(Quote)
What a pathetic posting, so the club is repaying restructured debt as it said it was going to, and all the bleating MA hating sheep jump on the band wagon, get a life and get a brain.
HWTL
Kev(Quote)
@DJG & Toonpipes
I love it when you show your ignorance.
FFS was on his death bed with pneumonia when FMA bought SJH shares, giving him the majority shareholding and thus leaving FFS unable to fight the takeover.
I’m not supporting FFS but for you’s to say he willingly sold his shares is absolute utter rubbish and once again it comes from the ignorant. 😆
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
@toonpipes
You got your nose in the donkey bag this morning. 😆
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
Kev – I notice you omitted the part where I said that I don’t mind him taking the cash back in your haste to have an I’ll informed pop 😆
Please point out where I said it was a bad thing?
My point being is that we continuously get it rammed down our throat about how much money he has pumped in (fair play to him for that) and how not once has he taken a penny back. Even last week that was uttered by Llambias when the truth is that he actually started taking cash back at the start of last season.
Why not just say in the first place that there is a plan to reduce debt rather bare-faced lying about it, again…
toonsy(Quote)
@toonpipes
You got your nose in the donkey hay bag this morning.
😆
Secret is safe with me.
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
I thik Kev was in a little to much haste to follow the sheep and jump on the Ashley “loving” bandwagon to bother reading the comments which would have avoided making him look foolish…ah if he only had a brain 😉
bobby@240…exactly.
richietoon(Quote)
*think 😳
richietoon(Quote)
Bobby – eh? .. i dont care if FFS was on his deathbed or not .. do you think he was only taking cash out of the club when he sold up!? .. divent be daft man .. and were you demanding to know every business decision he was going to take? Everyone still banging on about how they said AC wouldn’t be sold – well, they changed their mind – don’t you ever change your mind – i know we don’t all view NUFC as a business and just want the best players to stay …. but sorry, it is a business so get real and ustand that it isn’t a disney story .. sorry for spoiling the illusion for you get real
TOONPIPES(Quote)
@Richie
You’re a **** stirring clueless fecker and your just WRONG, and Judas never wanted to go you feckin idiot….do you feel better now? 😆 😆 😉
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
@toonpipes
Clearly still got your head in the donkey hay bag then. 😀
Absolute clueless magoo you aren’t chew? 🙂 😯
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
Bobby .. my mate told me about you .. aren’t you the driver of the bullshit bus? ..
TOONPIPES(Quote)
@toonpipes
Negative – that’s what he’s on and clearly you’re the inspector.
My reality train is stoked up and it’s full steam ahead.
Your views on Ashley are naive, clueless and harmful to the good of NUFC .
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
The Entertainers – wasnt calling you a moron and sorry if caused any offence, what I was getting at was terms like “FCB” in my opinion arent very helpful, and sound a bit purile really. Agree about us ultimately all wanting the same thing which is the best for the club
craig(Quote)
Bobby … you don’t seem to express any views, rather just make sarcastic comments .. if my views are as you state, could you spell out the syllogism that would show how you derived that from the premises .. thanks,
TOONPIPES(Quote)
Toonpipes – you talk alot of sense mate
craig(Quote)
Alrite Craig .. just sick of everyone trying to find fault with the current regime when even if they were terrible, and for what its worth i’m quite positive about what they are doing, they are no worse than anyone before .. i think it basically comes down to a fundamental mistrust of a Southerner being in charge which is a nonsense considering we have players from all over the world playing for us who people adore .. contradictory narrow minded position i find embarrassing ….
TOONPIPES(Quote)
Bobby – i can’t hear you ..
TOONPIPES(Quote)
Toonpipes – agree mate, i think though in fairness alot of the mistrust comes from alot of mistakes made 07-09, however since then I honestly think Ash has screwed his loaf with regards to how the football industry works, we are no longer held over a barrel by agents for wages etc, we have a proper scouting network now which is in essence finding some of the quickest most skillful players in Europe, contrast that to when we used to rely on whoever Willie Mackay could pass on to us….
craig(Quote)
bobby why dont you just leave toonpipes and craig too there fat man love in 🙂
batty(Quote)
@toonpipes
I’ve been on this blog for months expressing my views. Time after time after time.
I’m certainly not going to go over all my points again.
Your ignorant viewpoint about Freddie Shepherd willingly selling his shares sums you up.
It was wrong and if you continue to post lies I will continue to pull you up about it.
I take it you had the same views of Ashley when he took us down to the ccc unnecessarily with no real plan in place. By sheer good fortune, the lack of quality in that league, that we got back first time of asking.
Don’t give me the Lambias line that they intentionally kept a hardcore squad. It was only the fact they couldn’t offload the players they stayed.
These are corrupt, proven liars and have no interest in the supporters or the club and the first opportunity to sell up at a decent price they will be off and drop us like a used fish and chip paper.
Keep going and let’s have a laugh at your pro Ashley posts. It gives me hours of fun. 😆
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
@toonpipes
I was delayed replying because I was busy texting my quack of a friend called stardust who reminds me of the deluded David Icke. 😆
Do you wear a lilac shellsuit as well and stand at the monument with your tannoy preaching the virtues of fat mike Ashley. 😆 😆
Oh dear, you do don’t you. 😳
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
spot on booby as we all know all the team has been put up for sale more than once ,and most probs still is 😉 by the fat southern b@stard
batty(Quote)
🙄 🙄 😆 😆
batty(Quote)
Toonpipes – I can’t hear you. 😆
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
Bobby, there you go again on the bullshit bus .. you STILL haven’t expressed any sensible opinion – all you do is try to shout down another opinion – that isn’t called having an opinion …. what is your alternative to say MA? …. Or is that you just don’t want MA and you haven’t thought of an alternative – like quite simple .. think you have been asked this question before several times according to my mates and you still haven’t formulated a response have you? ..
TOONPIPES(Quote)
So what do you guys want? an owner who just flood his own personal wealth into the club on loads of multimillion pound signing and never taking his money back, and all the time to be slagged off by the supporters? C’mon get your heads out of the clouds, and be careful what you wish for when shepherd was running the club it wasnt his money he was spending on the likes of luque and owen it was the clubs getting us into huge debt in the process. Ashley has not taken a penny more than he is entitled to, and as far as I can see he has saved the club from possible liquidation and is now trying to get the club working within it’s means.
kidda(Quote)
kidda well me for 1 would like an owner and chairman who dusent keep lairing too the fans 😉
batty(Quote)
toonpipes you have mates 😯 😯
batty(Quote)
kidda ask any man city fan if there botherd about the club spending millions on players..
ashley wants to run the club on the cheap,and it really dosnt work in the prem.
hitman(Quote)
we missed out on erdinc coz we offerd him ***** wages..
hitman(Quote)
Batty do you think it was Better having the shepherds and halls of this world laughing at buying shirts really cheap and then selling them on for a huge profit to stupid fans and the rest of what they say. he doesnt have to explain him self at all to the fans and people are yet to tell me what he has done thats so terrible compared to the previous regime.
kidda(Quote)
Hitman that comment doesnt make sense. how many clubs can operate like man city, they have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on players, money they will never make back. How can ashley compete with that?
kidda(Quote)
@toonpipes
The trouble is I’ve expressed my alternative over and over again. If you choose to jump in halfway down the line and accuse me of not having an opinion it shows you are definitely eating out the same donkey hay bag as your friends.
Ashley has bought an institution not a play thing.
It plays a major part in hundreds of thousands of people’s worldwide.
He foolishly bought the club without doing due diligence resulting in him being stung.
He can’t afford to run us and to compete with best. I’ve always maintained, if he put us on the Market and asked for a realistic price and no one bought us, then I would **** my mouth and accept that he is the only one out there. However, he is determined to get every penny back and interested parties won’t be taken for a ride by him.
He was asking the now owners of man city for £400m ! They snubbed us and are now ploughing enormous amounts of cash into them.
My whole point is, he will run us like sports direct, cheap buys in quantity and on a tight budget, flogging any quality as it materialises.
In summary, put the club up for sale at it’s Market value and see who comes in instead of trying to rip their eyes out.
I’ve explained this over and over again.
As for your point;bobby – yu have to be kidding – got your loyalties misplaced …. it was him who chose to sell to MA.
Why did you lie about that? He didn’t choose. Your vulnerable friends actually believe it now cos you influenced them with your ignorance or lies. Which is it? 😆
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
New article up 🙂
Jobey07(Quote)
it doesnt mention 2011 so how does everyone know he has took money out this year or will next year. am not his greatest fan but he gave us a loan and he is entitled to take money out am fine with that its better him than the banks and administrators as long as he improves the team (which he has done). dont get me wrong i dont like the lying but has he or anyone else told a lie about the money??? we will only know when we see accounts later this year so why so quick to judge when we still have a 5 weeks of transfer window open.
moore83(Quote)
Is that toonpipes piping doon?
You still there or still in the donkey hay bag? 😆
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
Bobby – the wheels have come off your bullshit bus again – this is getting very embarrassing.
Time and time again you get shown up for the WUM you are.
You have been owned by toonpipes. He has made numerous sensible points and invited you to counter and all you can muster is a ridiculous comment and a smiley face.
Toon Chicken(Quote)
@toon chicken
I take it you are one of his donkey hay bag friends. Should have known.
If you look a few posts back I’ve gave a comprehensive answer which applies to you as well. You always jump in with both feet without looking .
So have a good read and go to the nearest Mirror and repeat these words. I AM A STUPID DONKEY WHO JUMPS IN WITH BOTH FEET AND EMBARRASSES HIMSELF ON A DAILY BASIS.
Woo hoo hoo hoo 😆 😆 😛 😛
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
@TC
that post was done over an hour ago and I’m still waiting for him to get his head out the donkey hay bag. Let him out please. 😛
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
Bobby – you’ve out done yourself again. Someone tries to engage you in sensible debate and your come back is “get your head out the donkey hay bag”. I mean seriously – wtf? Did you come up with that in a focus group with your remedial class or something? I know you like to think you’re a bit of a character – game for a laugh and all that – but you’re about as funny as one of Fat Mikes skidmarks – and half as intelligent!
Toon Chicken(Quote)
Reet bobby, I’m outta here. Better things to do an all that.
On the plus side – it means you’ll have all day to think of another one of your oh so witty comebacks.
Toon Chicken(Quote)
@TC
And off he runs without a sensible word to say.
Goodbye and leave some hay for Toonpipes. 😛
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
To be honest lads the faster the club can pay Ashley back the better, we can then get rid of him for good, he has payed 100 million + into the club already so we can’t exactly complain at that (to bad most of it was spent on worthless players). You guys need to see the bigger picture, pay him back, get a new owner and hope he is better than Ashley and then let us progress and show the world the true stature of this club!
Aaran(Quote)
Aaran – I agree. Pay him back, as long as the team is still improving at the same time. Why make such a song and dance about how he isn’t taking the money back though?
toonsy(Quote)