Since then the world has changed dramatically with the removal racial discrimination laws in most countries, except for Australian Aborigines and Native Americans. And of course the Geordie Nation is still waiting for a major honour.
I had thought of rewriting that speech but decided not even I am that pompous and presumptuous. However it did get me thinking because one thing is clear, the vision of the owner for the future of this club is not apparent. We are all guessing. Some look at the lack of spending and assume that as long as we clear relegation he will be happy. Whilst others look at the starting 11 and conclude that with a bit of luck it’s at least as good as any outside of the top six. Our finances are the 7th biggest in England, admittedly only just, but in the top 20 in Europe. It seems to me that a bit of analysis could reveal a bit more.
My starting point was the 2012 annual report for Sports Direct. Since this is the source of our owners wealth it seemed logical to see how much control he has. And a masterpiece of an annual report it is. However I could not get everything I wanted out of that so I had to resort to the press which given Mike Ashley’s notoriously private lifestyle is highly unreliable. However it would appear that Mike’s role in the company as Executive Deputy Chairman would indicate that he is not hands on day to day. It would also appear that that role is unpaid. So where does he get his money from? Well there is a bonus scheme which if the company grows he receives extra shares, but that has been scuppered, and he would not have got them until 2018.
However he does still own 70+% of the company shares and the dividends paid per share are zero, so no money there. He did sell £86.8m worth of property to Sports Direct, hopefully that will be enough to live on. What all this leads me to believe is that although Mike Ashley’s current worth is valued at £1.5bn most of that is asset rich and the degree of liquidity is not clear. Obviously plenty to live off but unlikely that he has a couple of hundred million in the bank waiting to spend on new players. Similarly I think his influence at Sports Direct whilst obviously not the absolute leader he was before floatation is still significant. Whether he could persuade the board to sponsor NUFC to the tune of tens of millions is debatable especially as they seem to be getting lots of coverage for free.
The first vision is to compete with the best. Now to do that with a level playing field we would need squad expenditure that is comparable with them. In other words our wage bill would have to double to compete with Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs, or treble to compete with the Manchester clubs and Chelsea. This means our turnover as a club would need to grow to about £200m from the less than £100m that it is now. Then we would need to buy the players. This means that we would be looking to Mike to spend maybe £200m or £300m up front and then subsidise us to the tune of £100m per annum. Now that is not going to happen because firstly I doubt that he wants to do it and secondly I doubt that he could afford to do it himself or persuade Sports Direct that it benefits them enough to do it. Perhaps we can sell out to somebody else who does want to do that, It won’t be some robbing barsteward like some of our previous owners who used the club as a cash cow. Something you can’t accuse Mike Ashley of doing.
The next vision would be to be best of the rest, finishing top ten every season and getting good cup runs. From a financial viewpoint that is actually where we are. Bit of strengthening here and there running the club soundly that is the reality for NUFC. Whether that is being achieved or not is open to debate. Our Manager may not be good enough for a top six club but he has proven himself to be a competent Premier League manager although some don’t like him. Our DoF is not up to the job as he proved this window. And our club structure could be improved. The danger with this vision is that there is not much margin for error. Last season QPR out spent us on every front, with wages at £86m (to our £68) and were still relegated. Realistically nobody outside the top six is safe.
The final vision, for which there is is no evidence in the accounts whatsoever, is to asset strip and sell. This means selling off our best players and highest earners and replacing with cheap imports and hoping to stay in the gravy train of the Premier League. The problem with this vision is that there are no monies disappearing from the club in to the owners’ pockets, unlike previous owners.
Also the disaster of relegation is so real that no businessman would risk it, especially having been burned once already. Those who believe in this vision will point to the January window as evidence of an owner desperate to avoid relegation as justification of this attitude. But the accounts don’t reflect that. Also despite reoccurring rumours which appear to be based more on optimism than reality, there do not appear to be any buyers. Why do you think that is, Surely NUFC must be the best option for any billionaire to buy? No it’s not, it’s just about the worst.
Why is that? Well there is no room for growth and no room to play. Any billionaire will want his team to play in the Champions League. Now the league is already stuffed with six clubs chasing four places and the cost of breaking into that and regularly snaffling a place is horrendous. See above. They are more likely to move to a league where there is room for a big club to move to the top. We have seen this already across Europe.
Alternatively they may see the prospects of a Championship club winning promotion as several have already. Southampton for example. Ah, but there is big money in the Premier League you say, massive profits, great return on investment. That’s not really the case either. The average out of town supermarket turns over £150m (More than NUFC) and makes significantly more profit. So buying a football club is not for profitable investment reasons. No the idea that some multi billionaire is going to ride to our rescue is highly unlikely.
So what sort of vision do I have. Taking the positives I would hope that Ashley and Sports Direct sort out their compensation plan so that Mike knows where he stands. Also I would hope that they recognise the benefits to themselves of having a vibrant NUFC. To that end I would like to see our finances improved so that we can move clear of the pack and consolidate our position as the best of the rest. I would also like to explore an idea whereby instead of having players not playing we utilise them as a worldwide touring team raising the Newcastle profile. This to me would be the ideal scenario as a better owner is unlikely. A dispirited hated owner is not going to invest and the hate poured in his direction is likely to stem any support he is minded to give. However, the fans have spoken. They hate him, his regime and everything about him. Mediocrity beckons.
The world may have moved on since 1963 but NUFC appears to be no nearer a major trophy.
50,700 odd at that match ,just brilliant ,how could any potential buyer not be impressed with that passion
KIMTOON(Quote)
KIMTOON that is the best sign to any potential buyer the supporters could give , beats a protest march any day of the week .
Axel(Quote)
@ The people talking about Ashley and Rangers.
Rangers are a bigger club than Newcastle with the best fans in the world and i can safely say Mike Ashley would be 100x better than the C**ts that run that club atm and 1000x better than the ones who ran it before.
Rangers have and will always be a massive club regardless of who the owner is.
Santii(Quote)
off to bed but I’ll leave you with this image 😆
http://www.shieldsgazette.com/sport/football/newcastle-united/picture-special-joey-barton-scythes-down-paolo-di-canio-1-6038641
KIMTOON(Quote)
@GeordieTwo
“It’s one of the great clubs”
Harps saying things like that is what get us being mocked for being delusional.
Fan-base aside, we’re historically *****. Mediocre at best.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
@530 That’s a very limited view to take. A new perspective might help.
Newcastle has a great and rich history despite not having won a major trophy since there were four Beatles on a Magical Mystery Tour. Fa cups and Division 1 championships are scattered throughout its history. There are personalities, milestones, upsets, resurgences, glories unbounded.
By analogy, Great Britain has not been great on the world stage for over half a century at least, but it still has a rich and wonderful history. Greece is probably an even better example, or Iraq, Egypt.
The thing is, greatness is not only measured in successes, but is also measured culturally, historically, economically, by the passion it inspires in the locals and its importance to the daily lives of the people in the region.
Newcastle United is a great club for many reasons.
brisvegas(Quote)
Well said Vegas!… But I’m sure you will get shot down by the fizzy wizzy, huff and puff crew… and I intend to simply stand by and watch it happen 😯 😆 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Yeah, they’ll find something to moan about in there. Something about me not knowing what I’m talking about because I don’t live there. Troy will claim his passion ten times mine (I know Pootle’s will be bigger).
brisvegas(Quote)
@Begas
That post was awe inspiring 😆
I loved it. 😆
You aren’t such an ogre after all. 😆
Aussie is still painting on cave walls with the aborigines and could never be as articulate as you Begas. 😆
Well done 😆
To the fuzzy wuzzy club from the hissy fitty club 😛
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Goodonya, Troy.
brisvegas(Quote)
50,793 of us at sjp last neet for steve harpers testimonial.
we are the best fans in the world by a mile & i’m proud to be one of them.
it’s just a pity we don’t have the owner we deserve.
get out of our club!
roy cropper(Quote)
its amazing ex players and ex legends say how we should be at the very top when some of our fans seem content at sitting in the middle with a 10yr play 🙄
mark(Quote)
*plan
mark(Quote)
Mark ,Exactly ,some are content to feed off the scraps from Jabbas table when we could be fine dining with a more ambitious owner .
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim I don’t think any ones content but there’s a lot of room between that and the other extreme of the skys falling/the clubs a shambles/we’re going down/etc
MDS(Quote)
Stop being sensible, MDS, they like to make up monsters.
brisvegas(Quote)
And I don’t believe in monsters mate 😉
MDS(Quote)
Agree with MDS.
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
I agree with Oz
brisvegas(Quote)
Troy, are you suggesting that aboriginals are still living in caves?
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Aussie – I think he was. They are aren’t they?
georgio(Quote)
Is this the end?
Match on Saturday and nobodies got anything to say? Anybody going?
georgio(Quote)
Kim “could be fine dining”-implies we can do to force that to happen when in reality it’s like saying we could win the lottery. Short of us all stumping up five grand each to take the club off Ashley and clear the debt and have enough left over to cover any losses made/buy a few players there’s really **** all we can do to change our situation, and that would be an optimistic scenario in the extreme.
I’m not sure of anyone who *wants* Ashley here, only those who try and put up with him and those that fling their toys about every other week, which would be fine if it hadn’t been done to death for the last five years.
Newkie(Quote)
@Aussie
I never mentioned Aboriginals living in caves. I suggested you still painted in the caves with them. Don’t you dare deny you don’t ! 😀
I’m convinced you are one anyway. 😀
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Newkie – done to death then grave danced on. I can’t be bothered with it anymore.
Troy – just noticed the ad at the bottom for flights to Oz. Got any cave paints mate?
georgio(Quote)
Georgio-maybe we’re saving conversation for the pre match thread…I don’t know. Villa look tasty lately though but I think if we play counter attacking football against them then we have a good chance-maybe a good away game to get out of the way. No doubt people will whine that we aren’t setting out to dominate them in possession, position, passes made, shots made, tackles made blah blah but Villa are best on the counter. Contain them and hit them with the running/skill of Benny, Remy and Sissoko on the break. If we go 1-0 up they will open up for us and we might finally beat a team by a few goals 😯
But that might be a bit optimistic of me… 😆
Newkie(Quote)
Georgio-Aye I pretty much feel the same way. Some good football would be a welcome distraction but even if we got that we’d still have the same **** again mid week 😕
Newkie(Quote)
Glad to see some other people are as annoyed as I am by the constant drivel on here.
@Newkie
that’s what Pardew tries do most of the time. 4-4-1-1 is a good counter tactic and I think suits Pardew the best.
Does anyone think Jonas or Taylor will start?
Santii(Quote)
Also gotta love how Harps was meant to score but kicked it against the opposition keeper’s leg. The ref was going to get him to take it again but Harps just walked off sheepishly 😆 bless
Newkie(Quote)
Troy 😉
Yep, bring on the footy, Christ I’ve even taken to reading Newkies posts…dear god! 😯 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Santii, i hope Taylor doesn’t start, the guy is a liability… Jonas frustrates to no end but he is not as prone to mistakes as Taylor..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Santii-at the end of the day it’s worse on every other site 😀
I seriously hope Taylor doesn’t start, I thought he was going to prove me wrong last season but he is and always will be a complete liability/clown/elbow waving fool. Jonas shouldn’t be starting on the wing or the centre, but he is fit and if we line up 4-4-2 then he will be on the left no doubt. To be honest, it’s not as if Marv has made any real challenge for the spot lately. I’d just rather see Remy and Benny in a 451/433
Newkie(Quote)
Aussie-Been sharpening that wit of yours on your manacles lately I see 😀
Newkie(Quote)
Bloody hell Newkie, your delivery of that joke lacked a little convict-ion.. boom boom 😯 😎
It’s been a long day……
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
got another article drafted but will wait til after the footie to send it in.
Premandup(Quote)
Boom boom? Just because you’re in the fuzzy wuzzy crowd doesn’t mean you have to go all basil brush now 😆
Don’t worry Aussie, only about 46 hours to go now. Who was it on here that said they preferred to watch England over us because it was more entertaining? I hope they were watching the Ukraine match. Jesus wept.
Newkie(Quote)
New article up 🙂
toonsy(Quote)
Newkie 🙂 did you see the footage of the Armenian player taking the corner against Denmark? 😆
If i ever had some real life footage of how i would reckon Troy would play..it would be that bit of footage.. do a search under bad corner kick…
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Aussie-just saw it. Brilliant!
Newkie(Quote)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18Z_VF_MHPE
2 minutes in
that’s how to deal with Troy
Premandup(Quote)
Aussie I don’t think Taylor is a bad CB just that Mbiwa is much better at it :D. Santon is our best left back and has to start there.
Jonas is a weird one because he offers absolutely nothing going forward but can balance a midfield and allow the other players to attack. I think Sammy has done enough lately to get the nod ahead of him if we line up in a 4-4-2
Cisse also needs to get his act together as he has been our worst player so far this season 😛
Santii(Quote)
The Armenian player was Tröyus Stäverous 😆 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)