On a day where Newcastle have been confirmed as the 20th ‘richest’ club in world football, The Telegraph claim Mike Ashley will still only release funds for permanent signings IF Rafa Benitez signs a new contract.
We know Ashley’s a parasite and a man whose only use for Newcastle United is to advertise Sports Direct and promote his own self interests, but you really couldn’t make this up.
As we scramble for loan signings with just a week of the January transfer window remaining, the new @Deloitte Football Money League has us as the 20th ‘richest football club in the world’ – and the 8th highest earning club in the UK:
Incredible – yet here we are, struggling to stay up due to a total lack of investment, only looking at loans, refusing to pay over £16m to sign ‘top targets’, refusing to upgrade our old hat training facilities or keep St James’ Park in remotely good order.
To make matter worse, here’s what Ashley’s stance is with regards to Rafa making any permanent signings this month – with the Telegraph suggesting he is holding cash back based on Rafa’s rightful reluctance to sign a new deal:
“The Spaniard has made up his mind that he will quit at the end of the season if he is not backed this month with new signings.
…with the club reluctant to sanction permanent deals because of Benitez’s refusal to sign a contract extension.”
The logic is absolutely baffling. Why on earth would Rafa sign a new deal on this basis? They’ve lied to him before and Ashley won’t be afraid of doing it again.
It’s ridiculous to expect him to sign on these terms. It’s like your girlfriend promising she’ll change after she cheats. You give her a chance – she cheats. You give her a second chance? She cheats AGAIN. You don’t get back with her the third time! Based on this logic, why on earth would Rafa signed before he’s given written promises Ashley can’t break this time.
We have the 4th lowest wage bill in the Premier League and we haven’t spent over £14m since 2005. Mike Ashley is coining it in while he lets the club rot on a shoestring budget – leaving Rafa and us fans to deal with the mess he’s created as he pursues other business ventures.
He’s the villain in a pantomime that looks destined to have no happy ending until he sells up.
That politician who met with Ashley, tried hard not to be suckered in by his crocodile tears and boohoo story about noone understanding him, few people appreciating what he has done for the club and everyone victimising him as a pantomime villain. She thought that maybe he isn’t a pantomime villian, but he is pretty delusional.
She’s partly right. Noone is laughing at Ashley’s antics. He is not at all entertaining. But he is a villain, just a really nasty one. What she didn’t point out was how utterly pathetic Ashley portrayed himself – a winner in the money game – a loser in terms of respect/admiration/integrity. A pathetic disgrace of a person.
I hope the parliamentary debate concludes that Ashley is unfit to hold a position of responsibility over such an important social and cultural institution as a PL club. Might lead to some changes of rules for club owners. If you are a bankrupt, you can’t be on the board of directors, maybe if you are a pathetic, psychopathological, egoist you can’t be a club owner.
Peter(Quote)
Well said Peter, lying greedy workhouse owner who does not care one jot about anything other than money. Ashley out
Trenger(Quote)
Fatman must think Rafa born yesterday.
Rafa knows ashley fund release would only be a pittance cos he never states how big ( or small) a fund.
Rafa signs then Fatman offers 20 mill tops.
Feel so sorry for rafa and he has my blessing when he goes and Fatman can await his karma.
Geordie exile(Quote)
Constant regurgatating Chron articles on here. We do all have newsnow ye know….things are bad enough without your constant ultra negative take on absolutely everything!
Its not even objective its just you writing your own opinions basicaly…
We all know Ashley is a shithouse, we dont need an article from you 10 mins after every chron article!
Pure doom mongers
Alex(Quote)
Ultra negative take on everything? 1) There’s not much positives at the minute so sorry we can’t put an ultra positive spin on everything. 2) I don’t think we’re overly negative at all. If you look at our articles we actually try our best to search for any positives we can!
Really not sure where the Chronicle comment comes from given this is a piece we’ve put together based on A) The Telegraph’s claims about Ashley/Rafa and B) news that we’re ranked 19th richest club in the world – yet there’s Ashley refusing permanent deals.
It’s a blog – we’ll ‘report’ news but we’ll largely comment on it..
Olly Hawkins(Quote)
Well said, Olly. Well said ❗
Joe Harvey(Quote)
Hope his plane get stucked into the Bermuda Triangle
Zorro(Quote)