Can anybody really say NUFC is trying or has tried to reach its potential under Ashley? Is the club ran in a way where it is trying to be the best it can, or is it ran in a way where it does "just enough"?
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Fat Mike Ashley
- Thread starter DJM
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But at the time, there was no guarantee or even a sniff of such TV deals coming in as large as they have been. That's purely the benefit of hindsight. I get the impression that what Newcastle fans really want is an owner to spend hundreds of millions of their own money an if they don't they're not fit to run the club. You've seen what sort of fees need to be spent to compete consistently at the top level of the game. They're sums Mike Ashley isn't willing or able to spend.
Are there any clubs that are run in in a supreme manner? Leicester won the league and everyone's forgotten about it. Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd, all have huge amounts of debt to either their owners or third parties. You have the likes of Arsenal who seem to have things running pretty smoothly, but look at their fans wanting more and more.
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From what I read you couldn't be more wrong but that's the narrative pushed by the media by those too lazy to read under the headlines.
Of course that's true. But a net transfer spend of £3M per year? Much 'smaller' clubs are spending a lot more. And that net spend number may have been even lower if he hadn't got lucky with a few deals like Cabaye & Sissoko. His fiscally prudent approach rarely works in today's game - 2 relegations prove it. And that's why he's looking to sell. As he's a proper businessman he will not sell cheap though and his offer to sell in instalments proves that. I don't think we'll see a buyer in the near future.
That's based off fans I speak to at work and among friends. Granted, it's not the biggest sample size, but most have their head screwed on.
'hundreds of millions'? Really?
Or is this you 'exaggerating for a bite' again? As I'd question anyone who wants someone to spend 'hundreds of millions' of their own money without a thought of the consequences of the club long term doesn't have their head screwed on.
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I'm not sure how much you think a decent squad costs these days. You had a good year or so when you brought in the likes the Tiote and Cabaye for peanuts and they made all the difference. Keeping that transfer strategy going is always going to be difficult. There are 19 other teams in the Premier League who are trying to do the exact same thing as you are.
The Fish
Winger
re: Arsenal, I don't think their demands/complaints are outrageous to be honest. All fans want their clubs to be the best they can be, Arsenal have drifted from genuine title challengers to a team that might get the Europa league spot. Meanwhile clubs that were nowhere have blown past them, including their North London rivals.
Everybody knows how to play against them, and that tactical inflexibility means they'll not be able to compete with the top sides while Wenger remains. They've been crying out for a top defensive midfielder since Vieira left, and it's not like they couldn't afford or attract one.
Their fans are rightly fed up of the same on-pitch issues putting the kibosh on any trophy hunt. Their manager is stubborn and is in danger of seeing his incredible work tainted by a disappointing end to his reign.
All that said, ArsenalFanTV is hilarious and paints them as a bunch of fickle, whiney, bellends.
Condescending much?
I'm perfectly aware how much a decent squad costs and in my opinion it's an absolutely ridiculous strategy to spend at least £200m overhauling it in one hit as you need to blend the squad over time. Look at Everton's current struggles for evidence that pulling together a load of new players into a group can be problematic.
The overwhelming majority of Newcastle fans I come into contact with only want what we make re-invested in the side and a show of genuine ambition and progress. It's going to take time but as long as there is evidence of a long term plan that's all that's required.
The problem with sport is that someone's got to lose. It's not like the real world where everyone's standard of living can go up with each other. Every club is competing for the same group of players. They're all trying to head in one direction. You've got to improve just to stand still.
The Fish
Winger
I think it would cost hundreds of millions to be a title challenging team, but I don't think that's going to happen as we're not likely to be bought by some Saudi Prince who can afford that. Even with that spend we'd be years off competing with squads like the Manchester clubs and Chelsea have. Years of huge investment. Investment that would surely fall foul of FFP rules.
More likely that if we do get new investment, it'll be along the lines of Southampton, Everton and Leicester. Might raise our transfer spend in line with other clubs going for top half finishes, but it won't be anything like the seismic shift we saw at Chelsea and Man City.
So, what do Newcastle fans want?
The Fish
Winger
Exactly, and Arsenal haven't improved to stand still, they've regressed by standing still. That's what Arsenal fans are complaining about; the lack of ambition, the lack of any attempt to progress.
FFP has put paid to that. The Top 6 will be the Top 6 forever now. The best any team with ambition can hope for is 7th and a cup win
The Fish
Winger
You say that, but Spurs have been genuine title challengers without some huge gross spend on players. They've been fortunate with Kane, and fortunate in a different way with the likes of Alli and so on. But there progress is proof that with a good manager, a good scouting network and ambitious owners, you can go toe to toe with the big boys. At the worst they've swollen the top 5/6 to a top 6/7.
Lewberry pie
Striker
He's been good for the mags but they wouldn't let you believe that, I still wouldn't want him like cause I think he's a prick with all the class of a redneck sat outside a caravan getting pissed at midday on a Monday.
I think being "fortunate" with Kane and Alli etc. is an understatement. Kane's the best striker in the league by some distance and on current form one of the best in Europe. They haven't had to pay a penny for him in transfer fees. To compete at that level without him they'd have had to spend £80m+ for a striker as good as him (which they wouldn't do). He's not the only one who's come through in recent years who's made the difference either. That's why I'd love to see our Academy really striving to get some of the best talent in from a young age. It's all well and good having one Pickford and a Henderson every 5 years but we'd need them all to come through together to make it count. They get picked up by other clubs otherwise.
Read the thread (specifically my reply about three up from yours). Obviously that's not all Newcastle fans but the ones I speak to are mostly of the mentality I mention there.
Lewberry pie
Striker
They were bankrupt when he bought them, they couldn't sustain European football because they aren't big enough.
They also had £90m from Real Madrid that they could spend on players that wasn't affected by FFP. You are right though, 3 of their key players (Kane, Alli, Dier) have come from nowhere
"Genuine ambition and progress" is an expansive comment. What does ambition look like? How is progress managed/tracked? League position?
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