Park Life 70 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 (edited) From The Times January 14, 2008 Mike Ashley’s stock is falling fast Martin Samuel You see these entrepreneurs on Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice and they pose and preen and act so tough; but, seriously, how hard can it be to succeed in business in modern-day Britain? How hard can it be to make millions, billions even, in the world of commerce and venture capitalism? After all, if the lot in charge at Newcastle United at present can do it, we really are in the wrong game. He turned them down. Can you believe that? They offered him in the region of five million quid a year and Harry Redknapp thought about it and then said no. They had no guarantees, no confidential agreements, not so much as a nod and a wink or a tacit understanding. When Mike Ashley and his board parted company with Sam Allardyce, three days before a visit to Old Trafford (didn’t that work out well) and one week before a tricky FA Cup third-round replay that will define the sorry wreckage of their season, they were making it up as they went along. There was no brave new world, no cunning plan. They had a mind to throw José Mourinho’s salary at a man who has never won a trophy of significance as a manager and, now that he has hung them out to dry, the process will begin again. Except that the next manager to be approached will know he is second choice to Redknapp, which hardly places the headhunters in a position of strength when it comes to the soft soap or the hard sell. The fans, bless them, still speculate about names such as Marcello Lippi, but when your most recent managerial achievement was winning the World Cup, having already landed five Serie A titles and the Champions League, it could be that you would hope to get the call ahead of a chap who is widely agreed to be doing a good job at Portsmouth. Lippi, like Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and Guus Hiddink, may now feel that Newcastle are run by a bunch of amateurs and if £5 million was the going rate for Redknapp, think of a number and double it, pal. This could turn out to be one expensive leap of faith for an investor who is already £250 million down on his Newcastle deal. It always astonishes me how men who clearly know how to operate at the helm of a business empire can be so crass and irrational given the keys to a football club. Sports Direct International has given Ashley a fortune counted in the billions and he has a reputation as one of the shrewdest operators around, yet at Newcastle he has adopted the persona of the populist buffoon, with his replica shirt and his conspicuous berth in the cheap seats with the fans. What do people imagine Big Mike is upto? Rest of it is here... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/col...icle3181956.ece Edited January 29, 2008 by Park Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj 17 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Fat Pig. [/The next 10 responses.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themags 0 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 wasnt Keegan apporached before or around the same time has Redknapp? infact didnt we speak to quite a few managers, but only Harry acted the penis and leaked every bit of information to the press? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 70 Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 wasnt Keegan apporached before or around the same time has Redknapp?infact didnt we speak to quite a few managers, but only Harry acted the penis and leaked every bit of information to the press? I simply don't believe that we approached KK before HR. I know it is the official line, but I just don't believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isegrim 8919 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 wasnt Keegan apporached before or around the same time has Redknapp?infact didnt we speak to quite a few managers, but only Harry acted the penis and leaked every bit of information to the press? I simply don't believe that we approached KK before HR. I know it is the official line, but I just don't believe it. I think Redknapp, Ashley, Mort, Wise et al are either freemasons or Jews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@yourservice 67 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Fat Pig. [/The next 9 responses.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 70 Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 wasnt Keegan apporached before or around the same time has Redknapp?infact didnt we speak to quite a few managers, but only Harry acted the penis and leaked every bit of information to the press? I simply don't believe that we approached KK before HR. I know it is the official line, but I just don't believe it. I think Redknapp, Ashley, Mort, Wise et al are either freemasons or Jews. Mort might be short for Mortenstien. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 13895 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 If Martin Samuel was fit enough to climb on to a high horse id tell him to get off it, in this case i was ask that he eats in a less classy restaurant. fat pig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 70 Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 If Martin Samuel was fit enough to climb on to a high horse id tell him to get off it, in this case i was ask that he eats in a less classy restaurant. fat pig. Tbf he is one of the better writers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 wasnt Keegan apporached before or around the same time has Redknapp?infact didnt we speak to quite a few managers, but only Harry acted the penis and leaked every bit of information to the press? I simply don't believe that we approached KK before HR. I know it is the official line, but I just don't believe it. He was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinofbeans 87 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 redknapp did it because he wanted a payrise at pompey. he got it. the journo in question is slagging off a man who has turned several business around and wants to spend some of his hard earned on a hobby (IMHO). the press are having a right go aren't they. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 70 Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 wasnt Keegan apporached before or around the same time has Redknapp?infact didnt we speak to quite a few managers, but only Harry acted the penis and leaked every bit of information to the press? I simply don't believe that we approached KK before HR. I know it is the official line, but I just don't believe it. He was. I know you told me before remember... But logically why offer a massive contract to HR if KK was already being felt up? Or am I talking shit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyshinton 59 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 wasnt Keegan apporached before or around the same time has Redknapp?infact didnt we speak to quite a few managers, but only Harry acted the penis and leaked every bit of information to the press? I simply don't believe that we approached KK before HR. I know it is the official line, but I just don't believe it. He was. I know you told me before remember... But logically why offer a massive contract to HR if KK was already being felt up? Or am I talking shit? thats shit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggy99 0 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Harry wouldnt join because he wasnt offered a bung Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RlCO 0 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 wasnt Keegan apporached before or around the same time has Redknapp?infact didnt we speak to quite a few managers, but only Harry acted the penis and leaked every bit of information to the press? I simply don't believe that we approached KK before HR. I know it is the official line, but I just don't believe it. He was. I know you told me before remember... But logically why offer a massive contract to HR if KK was already being felt up? Or am I talking shit? If it's to be believed that Keegan was one of Mort's actual targets (i.e. he wasn't just acting as Ashley's bitch and passing the message on to KK's people), amongst other targets including Redknapp, then Keegan might have met Ashley and not liked him, hence you need a backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RlCO 0 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 redknapp did it because he wanted a payrise at pompey. he got it. That's a risky game to play, and easy to say in hindsight. It's standard practice to give someone a payrise if someone else wants them and so do you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 70 Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 wasnt Keegan apporached before or around the same time has Redknapp?infact didnt we speak to quite a few managers, but only Harry acted the penis and leaked every bit of information to the press? I simply don't believe that we approached KK before HR. I know it is the official line, but I just don't believe it. He was. I know you told me before remember... But logically why offer a massive contract to HR if KK was already being felt up? Or am I talking shit? If it's to be believed that Keegan was one of Mort's actual targets (i.e. he wasn't just acting as Ashley's bitch and passing the message on to KK's people), amongst other targets including Redknapp, then Keegan might have met Ashley and not liked him, hence you need a backup. For me that is far more plausible. I have to be careful here tho Ringo agreeing with you might attract....You know who.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 If Martin Samuel was fit enough to climb on to a high horse id tell him to get off it, in this case i was ask that he eats in a less classy restaurant. fat pig. Tbf he is one of the better writers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 wasnt Keegan apporached before or around the same time has Redknapp?infact didnt we speak to quite a few managers, but only Harry acted the penis and leaked every bit of information to the press? I simply don't believe that we approached KK before HR. I know it is the official line, but I just don't believe it. He was. I know you told me before remember... But logically why offer a massive contract to HR if KK was already being felt up? Or am I talking shit? He was approached but initially wasn't interested, they then went for Redknapp (who only decided not to come after Portsmouth increased his salary). KK reconsidered at this point. So the official line is true if a bit misleading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 "AAH EAT BABIES!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 If Martin Samuel was fit enough to climb on to a high horse id tell him to get off it, in this case i was ask that he eats in a less classy restaurant. fat pig. Tbf he is one of the better writers. Assumed he was on the wind-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakehips 0 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Another daft piece of journalism. Ashley was accused of using NUFC as a mere toy. The fat pig is still putting the media story that Ashley is an idiot for sitting with the fans. By what has happened over the last three days i.e. the setting up of the 'team' as a serious attempt to plan for the future of NUFC, the crap journalists are the ones who haven't realised what is happening and cannot see for themselves that the two accusations (above) couldn't be further from the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 If he didn't consider the club as a 'toy', 'plaything' or whatever that would mean he was only interested in making money out of the club which would be worse surely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 13895 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 3 tier management looking good tbh . Running the club like a business... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 70 Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 3 tier management looking good tbh . Running the club like a business... Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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