Frank Gilmour, Chairman of the Independent Newcastle United Supporters’ Association, has warned Ashley he will never be forgiven, by Newcastle fans on Tyneside, for driving Kevin Keegan out of the club, and should get out of Toon.
Mike Ashley – should get out of Toon
And now Gilmour is insisting the only way the Sports Direct Billionaire can get out of the mess he has created on Tyneside, is to sell the club and get out of Toon.
Gilmour said today:
“Mike Ashley’s position at Newcastle United is untenable. The only place he can go now is through the exit door.” “He is despised by his customers. Even if he managed to bring back Kevin Keegan, the damage to Ashley has well and truly been done. The situation is irretrievable as far as he is concerned.”
“I don’t think making approaches to Keegan will change the mood of the fans. As far as Ashley is concerned the damage is well and truly done. No amount of window dressing or publicity stunts will alter the fact he has lost the trust of the fans.”
“Ashley has blown it and the only realistic option he has is to sell up and get out. Newcastle fans will be glad to see the back of him.” “I don’t think he understands the contempt his customers now have for him. As far as I am concerned, the sooner he goes the better.”
“I walked past the club shop today and it was empty. And it was the same when I looked in Sports Direct – there were no customers.”
“The fans know the best way to hurt Ashley is to hit him in the pocket. As long as he is running the club I’ll never buy any of the products he is selling and the way the mood is in Newcastle I think that will be multiplied 50,000 times.”
“Ashley may think he can tough it out, but he is in for a big shock.” “The mood of the Newcastle fans is one of absolute determination and he can’t recover from this mess – which is entirely of his own making. I will be happy to see him go because he has made the club a laughing stock with the way he has handled the situation. I don’t think he could have handled it any worse.”
“Keegan wanted him to come back and personally sort out things when the crisis began. But he was on a jaunt in America and decided to stay there and leave things to managing director Derek Llambias.”
“Do you think he would have remained in America if Sports Direct had problems?” “He has dropped an almighty clanger with the way he has dealt with this. I am disappointed in him and his running of the club.”
It would certainly have been a major coup for Ashley if Keegan had returned on Friday night, but the talks broke down and it is understood that Ashley again stood by Wise and his current management structure.
What a mess we are in right now.
Comments welcome.
79 comments so far
51times
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:44 AM
Comment #1Has anyone ever seen this Independent Newcastle United Supporters’ Association? Met a member? I don’t think it bloody exists.
Ganiyu
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:47 AM
Comment #2Did ashley really behave like that?i know understand lads anger on this site.
Matt
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:48 AM
Comment #3xisco is a championship player at best, sell him. i’ve seen better players playing in amateur competitions
Ganiyu
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:49 AM
Comment #4It exist in every sport organisation
Oleg G
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:50 AM
Comment #5At last someone from the Fans is Speaking for everybody.
The problem is that not everybody agree.
But this is a start !
Ganiyu
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:50 AM
Comment #6Owen is becoming one wit age
51times
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:51 AM
Comment #7Matt – He’s played one game and got a goal, give the lad a break.
Ganiyu
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:53 AM
Comment #8Do any of u go church at all including ed harrison?
Graham
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:54 AM
Comment #9Matt – I dont know if you’ve said that just to wind people up, but do one will you? Comments like that are about as welcome as Mike Ashley.
The lads just been signed by a manager who didn’t want him, seen that manager leave and the club in total turmoil. It was his first game for a new club in a new country and you expect a world beater straight away?
I’m totally sick of ‘fans’ like you. You make me sick!
Matt
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:55 AM
Comment #10ok so he scored, that means give him a break?
he looked as slow as a wet week. sorry xisco makes steve howard look good.
Get out Ashley
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:55 AM
Comment #11I agree with Gilmour and hope that Ashley just sells and goes. The fact that he is trying to make a profit on damaged goods is also a disgrace.
Some fans didn’t know what to do for the best in relation to protesting and there was a small incident that summed up the mood for me yesterday.
A lad in his early 20’s sat with his Ashley out t-shirt (who’s making a profit from those?) and got up the same time as me at half time.
I went to see the replays but kept on noticing this lad. He was keep walking back and forwards towards the empty food stalls obviously torn by his conscience but gave way to his belly and bought a pie. You could just see the turmoil in his face as well as the embarrassment with the evidence on his face.
Justified with the idea that one pie isn’t going to hurt Ashley but then the worry that if everyone bought just one pie …..
Ganiyu
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:55 AM
Comment #12The Nufc squad is filled with championship players.not all mind u.7 world class
bigpeaovtheweab
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:56 AM
Comment #13pi$$ of back to london u fat southern fairy
kieran
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:57 AM
Comment #14I have in good authority that Dennis Wise was on a plane to Dubai…selling up prehaps??? I hope so
up the mags
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:58 AM
Comment #15ganiyu what a prick you are you must have nowt better to do than pull your plonker and abuse this site ,go and do one dickhead….
paulthepom
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:59 AM
Comment #16yet more speculation of which no doubt the average fan will beleive.i am sort of addicted to the soap opera now which is nufc and its making me depressed all the time.i want to just get back talking about the game .proper football fan talk.everyone is just using the bullshit going on to have a pop at each other and the press are loving it.the fans of nufc need to be united or this club will be torn apart.until this mess is sorted i am no longer visiting this blog.goodbye
Ganiyu
Sep 14, 2008 at 9:59 AM
Comment #17He scored against hull doesnt mean he can do that against man u
ed_speed
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Comment #18i like xisco
Scary
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Comment #19MA has lanced the financial boil created by Fat Fred & Co, but it cost him a lot more than he expected (no due dilligence).
He has restructured the finance, which was a good thing.
But with the current world financial situation, the value of the clubs’ assetts will not increase, and he must move it on quickly – befour the ‘good will’ in the business in damaged further.
ed_speed
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:01 AM
Comment #20very much
ed_speed
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Comment #21too much, one could wager
Ganiyu
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Comment #22Any 1 know when my any martin would b back from groin injury.where was he a night b4 the match
toontony
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:04 AM
Comment #23I thought xisco did alright yesterday for his first game and to come in with whats going on, maybe strolla shameobi should learn a few things off him he is shite.
Would rather play with 10 men than have this donkey on the pitch
Ganiyu
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Comment #24No ashley pls dont sell d club we love ya.we were only jokin about d protest
Stamford Toon
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Comment #25I go to church but cannot see the relevance to the NUFC problems.
Gilmour is making the same mistake as many politicians assuming that he can speak the mind of 50,000 supporters. This blog has shown that many of us disagree. KK should not have come in the first place. KK should not have walked if he cared so much but stayed on and fought his corner. MA is being slagged off because he was on holiday yet it was OK for KK to go on holiday at the start of the transfer period when he should have been at his desk getting in first for new platers. All the hysteria from those who want MA out has driven away a potential buyer.
It seemed to me that when those at the match were yelling for a long period for MA to go was when the players lost concentration and Hull scored. The priority at the game should have been supporting the team…………….’the best supporters in the land’, I think not. The top priority should be supporting the team and not mouthing off about things in which we can have no say. MA will do what he thinks best he is the boss, and as such he has control. From barrow boy to billionaire he has achieved more than proabably all of us put together. He came in with a 5 year plan and neither KK nor the fans should get in the way of this. For goodness sake lets stop talking about KK coming back and NUFC therefore taking another step back.
kieran
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Comment #26back to my comment above (13)
do you think he is in dubai selling up or on holiday? or is there a league in dubai? he could be scouting.
Hope its a take over tho
magpie6699
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Comment #27Matt – I agree with Graham. So the Spanish National team pick rubbish for their under-21 side? So most Depor fans were absolutely gutted to be losing a slow Championship quality player? Sometimes it seems we have the most fickle and ignorant fans – someone new in an almost unprecedentedly difficult scenario has a poor game – he’s crap! Another player has a decent game – he’s a star! I have lost count of the “stars” we’ve had who’ve turned out to be rubbish (Chants of “Boum, Boum” anybody?). At the moment, it’s easy to see that of our boys Jonas is a real footballer and Collocini has class – but it’s not impossible that they could fade (God I hope not!)
Give the lad time – he may turn out to be crap but hey – his scoring record is second to none at present (averaging a goal a game) – and he’s way ahead of Smith and Ameobi in my book already, if only for that reason.
ed_speed
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:09 AM
Comment #28xisco = king
Get out Ashley
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:09 AM
Comment #29Stalin had 5 year plans as well but he destroyed millions of lives to get his own way!
Scary
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:09 AM
Comment #30ed speed – agree
xisco – he stiil young, first game, bad day for Toon , think did ok & scored cant expect much more.
Happy to have him along, – but a few mates for him to play with would have nice, I wonder if he can play left-back . . .
gosh
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:12 AM
Comment #31Ambani doesnt want us anymore.
Si
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:14 AM
Comment #32We need a coach for the 21st century to take the club forward, not some old fashioned manager that probably never really existed in the first place. A coach should coach and the director should scout the world for world class players.
Roy Keane said yesterday that we need managers like Keegan, he said I can let my scouts search for players. Question, what happens when Keane leaves, resigns, sacked, he takes his scouts with him and the infrastructure he has built up? Structure should come first for continuity. This is a minor blip in the grand scheme of things because some cannot accept that the continental style of coaching, management structure is the way forward. Live in the real world and stop fostering illusions on a saviour, messiah, god like figurehead. It always ends in tragedy to invest so much hope in one person to deliver us from evil into a new nirvana. I say, better the devil you know.
gosh
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Comment #33We should now leave Kk’s issue behind and move forward.
Ganiyu
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Comment #34Ruben de la red.need u here in Newcastle since we failed 2 sign feliani
Matt
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Comment #35omg you guys really have low expectations of a player. or no clue. he was slow and his technique looked poor, i was amazed at how unprofessional he appeared to be. ameobi played for the england u-21 side for ages, so u-21 means nothing. our squad quality is amazingly poor. ganiyu is right, we have mostly championship quality players with a few good ones.
lua lua over ameobi anyone?
Scary
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Comment #36Si
– good theory mate, just one problem, our director of football is Dennis Wise, who has no experience or expertise in the role. He a mate of MA, not some great force in european football.
Get real – DW & co f*cked big style in the transfer window, – the squad is now too small to compete, KK carried the can because he promissed the fans the squad would be stronger after Milner was sold.
51times
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Comment #37Si – let me summarise your post for you: wank wank wank
liam
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Comment #38stamford toon are you dennis wise!!
Si
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:33 AM
Comment #39Denis Wise sucks, get someone in who knows football with experience. I agree scary.
Scary
Sep 14, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Comment #40@Stamford Toon
Sorry – MA has messed up
Just because you are good at selling crappy plastic shoes and sweat shop kitmdoes not make you a genius. Rich people are often rich because they are gready, don’t assume they are clever, look at Fat Fred.
MA has a very poor recent record as businessman, the floatation of sports direct – which made him all that money, was a disaster for those he bought in, – everybody lost except MA, who is buying it all back on the cheap again.