Could this be the reason?

[Geordie_Exile_De]

I could believe this......

By Chris McMillan
I’ve been a Newcastle supporter all my life, and am now in my 70’s and live in Australia. I was born at Willington Quay, on the banks of the Tyne. I can vividly remember as a small child being taken to St James Park and seeing it for the first time. My father, and grandfather were also proud supporters so, like many others who live and breathe NUFC all over the world, the last 11 years have been soul destroying.

Every morning (your evening) here, I check the internet for any good news on the club. Every morning is a let down.

Over this period with Mike Ashley in control, the fans have had a torrid roller coaster ride. Looking on from far away, I’ve often thought, as many others have done, ‘why does Ashley act this way?’

He’s a very successful businessman, shrewd, tough negotiator, quick learner and knows how to make a dollar. But….. It seems he runs his businesses completely differently to our club. He must see the “speculate to appreciate” approach of the bigger clubs reaps huge rewards, yet he does the opposite. No expansion, no improvements, no investment etc.

When you look at the disastrous way our club teeters along year after year with a couple of relegations thrown in, managers coming and going, the treatment of Kevin Keegan and Chris Hughton, the Dennis Wise era, Joe Kinnear, the banning of the press, renaming of St James Park, the supposed sale of the club, the many instances of just failing to get the new players “over the line” for whatever reason….the list goes on. Very little money to spend…. promises that more will be available soon and being disappointed time after time. The valuable resource that is the club itself and the fan base, slowly being decimated. The club being run into the ground. Giving the fans hope… and then dashing those dreams.

Constantly turning on a ray of hope, then switching it off.

Recently, getting a brilliant manager onboard, and basically giving him nothing. It goes on. Nothing but despair.

It doesn’t make sense.

Or does it?

If you take the fact that he doesn’t actually lose money anymore… and since the very early days, the profits on incoming funds from transfers seem to vanish. It’s not costing him a penny. Then there’s the massive free advertising around the ground that apparently generates no income for players or improvements. Where is this money? The club just limps along year after year…. season after season…with seemingly no concern to the owner…. just the fans. No visits to the games for many months, no apparent interest, and crucially, no communication with anyone except through chosen mouthpieces.

And then it hit me….. one word…… the only thing that makes sense:

REVENGE.

He’s playing a game with us. Like a cat with a mouse. He doesn’t seem to care.

It’s not so far fetched…. go back to the beginning… the early Ashley months, out on the terraces, beers with the boys…. happy smiling faces. Then cracks appeared and his decisions started to ruffle a few feathers. Many fans were beginning to get annoyed with him I recall.

Then, one match day during this period if I remember correctly, he brought his young daughter along, and I believe things got a bit fraught…. perhaps was there abuse shouted? I don’t know, but I distinctly remember some problem occurring (Someone closer than me to news sources could check dates here).

From that point on, it was all downhill for the fans.

Revenge on the fans for over a decade, and it continues now unabated, with no sign of him stopping his game. He’s getting his free advertising, not spending and unless a crazy offer for the club comes along… he’ll just continue with more of the same. Look at the Amanda Staveley situation and the sudden increase of £100m on the asking price of the club. The question is, did he ever intend to sell even though he apparently put the club in the marketplace?

The fact that we now have Rafa only adds to the torture, knowing how well we could do with some backing for him. If my theory is correct, this situation won’t end happily as the treatment of the fans in this way is exactly the plan.

What will stop him?

I could be totally out here, but as I said…. to me it’s the one thing that makes sense, and until he goes…. every morning will be a disappointment.

I only hope it won’t take another decade to change, or for him to get bored playing his game.

[Jammy89]

It wouldn't surprise me at all.

[TheBigSausage]

very well could be .. as long as he dont lose money and gets free advertising for **** direct he will continue to take the p1ss.

Bet he has a right old chortle with his pals that he does this and still the ground is full .

[Zippity]

I think many have thought that for ages so it's nice to see it put so eloquently. He can make money while pissing us off. Win-win for him.

Something has to happen to break the cycle otherwise it could go on for another couple of decades.

[Zippity]

Bet he has a right old chortle with his pals that he does this and still the ground is full .

Aye, and so do some Newcastle fans...sneering down their noses at those of us who go. 'Pathetic', 'sheep', 'morons', 'get what we deserve'...all those and more.

it won't work, man.

There will never be enough fans who think it will work to make it happen and for it to be effective. There just won't. All that will happen will be the empty seats we laugh at the mackems for and a reduction in the atmosphere and support to the team.

I'm not pretending to know the answer but it's not boycotting the ground, imo.

But aye, crack on with having a pop.

[ex_pat_magpie]

I think the only things which would panic the fat turd into a quick sale would be a collapse of The House of Fraser, and it's looking possible if this Chinese consortium pull totally out.

And this was followed by a slump in sales and shares of Sports Direct Tat to a point that his day to day cash flow wasn't covering expenditure.

I take it he has no future S.D sales with income coming in over five years or so, like he does with us, to keep the tap dripping.

If that all began and was followed with escalation of bad publicity from our efforts to get him out, the downward trend would be rapid.

Although his stores are doing OK just now he is a very unpopular man through out the country.

I have spoken to several of his customers in various parts of the country and the only reason they shop with him is cheapness yet they are aware of what a repugnant specimen he really is.

[ex_pat_magpie]

I can't wait for it to happen quick enough

[TheBigSausage]

Aye, and so do some Newcastle fans...sneering down their noses at those of us who go. 'Pathetic', 'sheep', 'morons', 'get what we deserve'...all those and more.

it won't work, man.

There will never be enough fans who think it will work to make it happen and for it to be effective. There just won't. All that will happen will be the empty seats we laugh at the mackems for and a reduction in the atmosphere and support to the team.

I'm not pretending to know the answer but it's not boycotting the ground, imo.

But aye, crack on with having a pop.

its not a question of "having a pop"... its the culmination of a decade of the various campaigns , protests etc etc acheiving nothing . We are in a worse state now than ever , having seen how ashley wont be stood up to by a manager . Rafa aint afraid to use the press and i think this is why ashley is digging his heels in and giving him scraps .
To break this will require a mass boycott ,for months and months if necessary ..it is the only thing the fans have the power to do.

The very people with the power to bring about change wont do it .

[gogz_86]

And he is a Spurs fan....we had always given Spurs a walloping...

[zoggs]

PUBLICITY. ..

He gets his horrible sports shop mentioned in evert ****ing article printed, money cabt buy that type of coverage , he would love an empty stadium for spurs..his tat shop plastered all over the news...

This protest is against Mike Ashley , ower of SD..you'd have ppl who didn't know him/ shop going on line and saying, ah I need a pair of shorts / socks for the gym running etc ... ( thay site is cheap and full of **** I may add )

Let's be honest here I wouldnt give a **** of say Watfords ower as doing thia to them , in fact I'd buy my ger cheap of his site .


We are stuck with this fat piece of **** for god knows how long , he doesn't wanna sell. He is loving this .


I think the fastest way out is double relegation, and he sells cheapish. .

He ain't goin anywhere while we are premier league , tbh I think we will go down this season , Rafa is away next summer .

Good times yeah