Mike Ashley -- Irrelevant Cunt

[ewerk 26278]

Lewis would want a small fortune for Spurs. Everton have had recent investment so Moshiri mightn't be looking to shift it quite so soon. Southampton might be a possibility for them.

[The Fish 8989]

6 minutes ago, ewerk said:

Lewis would want a small fortune for Spurs. Everton have had recent investment so Moshiri mightn't be looking to shift it quite so soon. Southampton might be a possibility for them.

Southampton has recently sold a controlling share of their club to Chinese investors haven't they?

 

There's rumours that Usmanov fancies selling his share in Arsenal and investing in Everton instead, too.

[ewerk 26278]

I must've missed that about Southampton.

[The Fish 8989]

21 minutes ago, ewerk said:

I must've missed that about Southampton.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/14/southampton-sell-80-stake-to-chinese-businessman-gao-jisheng

[Anorthernsoul 1221]

Show us the money.

[Kevin Carr's Gloves 3193]

So when we get fucked by this tax case will Ashley be required to sell by law?

[trooper 940]

This from todays Chronicle

There has been plenty of takeover talk at Newcastle United in recent days - and it's ramped up since Amanda Staveley's appearance at St James' Park on Sunday for the Liverpool game.

And Tuesday night brought fresh revelations that she'd spoken to three of the main power brokers at United - Justin Barnes, Lee Charnley and Keith Bishop and now reports from the gulf suggests Staveley could 'get a deal done quickly'.

[The Fish 8989]

Saw something in the Telegraph (I think) that staveley could in fact be part of an investment group, rather than just a broker.

[David Kelly 1117]

Aye it's been widely reported now that she's looking to head a buy out group rather than just broker a deal.  I must admit, from her dish alone, I'd much rather see her as the face of our owners than Ashley and Charnley.

[trooper 940]

2 hours ago, David Kelly said:

Aye it's been widely reported now that she's looking to head a buy out group rather than just broker a deal.  I must admit, from her dish alone, I'd much rather see her as the face of our owners than Ashley and Charnley.

& It's a yes from me lets get rid of Pie-Face & Humpty Dumpty (Ashley & Charnley)

[NJS 3977]

If HF's analysis of the hmrc thing is correct, the only place Charnley's going is jail. 

[Rayvin 4964]

Ffs, is this the kind of thing we could get penalised for in footballing senses? Also likely to kill off any interest in the club in the short term i would've thought.

 

I fucking hate Charnley.

[The Fish 8989]

2 minutes ago, Rayvin said:

Ffs, is this the kind of thing we could get penalised for in footballing senses? Also likely to kill off any interest in the club in the short term i would've thought.

 

I fucking hate Charnley.

 

Why would it, it's historical practise. Surely a new owner would replace Charnley et al?

 

If anything couldn't this strengthen any prospective suitors' hand?

[Rayvin 4964]

Is the club liable or is it the individuals? I actually don't know in truth, but if it's the former then the deals are off.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Rayvin

[Howay 12452]

6 hours ago, Rayvin said:

Is the club liable or is it the individuals? I actually don't know in truth, but if it's the former then the deals are off.

I can’t see how it’d be anything to put off a serious bidder, if the club got hit with a tax bill for the money HRMC is accusing them of dodging I’m sure they’d either take the hit or knock it off the purchase price. 

It’s also worth noting that the supposed bidders became interested after the news about this tax issue broke. 

Edited October 5, 2017 by Howay

[ohhh_yeah 2765]

 

Only Amanda Staveley and her closest confidantes know whether she was at St James’ Park on Sunday as a potential investor sizing up the attractiveness of a club on the market, or a Liverpool supporter who simply fancied taking in one of her team’s games.

 

Despite the flurry of attention that accompanied her appearance in the Milburn Stand at the weekend, it is hardly the only time she has been to a Premier League game this season.

 

It is also far from the only occasion that Newcastle have been linked with a possible takeover during the ten years of Mike Ashley’s reign, but this feels different. The background chatter about potential outside investment has increased in volume markedly in the last few months, with Chinese groups signing non-disclosure agreements and Lee Charnley flying off on meet-and-greet missions to the Far East.

 

Staveley’s sudden appearance at St James’ adds another layer of intrigue, but unlike previous figures who have been credited with an interest in taking over on Tyneside, the Ripon-born 44-year-old boasts cast-iron credentials. She has brokered complex footballing takeover deals before, having been the key negotiator in Thaksin Shinawatra’s sale of Manchester City to Sheikh Mansour, and has publicly reiterated her desire to purchase a Premier League club in the last few months.

 

Crucially, she also boasts more than enough capital to make her a serious player. Her PCP Capital Partners Firm, with its billionaire Middle Eastern backers, presides over an investment pot of around $37bn, while Staveley’s personal fortune is also considerable. For her role in the sale of Manchester City alone, she was reportedly paid £30m.

 

She has also been credited with an interest in Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham United in the recent past, but it is surely significant that she made a point of heading down the tunnel in the wake of Sunday’s game in order to meet Charnley, Keith Bishop and Justin Barnes in the St James’ Park boardroom. Barnes, a corporate lawyer who has been parachuted into the Newcastle United set-up at Ashley’s behest, will be the key figure in any takeover talks.

 

Introductions were made, numbers exchanged. More substantive discussions remain some way off, but for the first time in his Tyneside tenure, Ashley finds himself at a juncture where his bargaining position could be tested. If nothing else, the next few months should tell us whether the Sports Direct owner is serious about his desire to sell.

 

When he broke his media silence to speak to Sky in the summer, Ashley expressed a willingness to move on, but left himself sufficient wriggle room for his exact motives to remain unclear.

 

“If someone would like to come along, take this seat and fund Newcastle with a nought on the end with more wealth than me, I will not stand in Newcastle’s way,” he said. “But one of the reasons I am doing this interview is because I don’t think you’ll find many people out there who will actually stand up and do it. So I think myself and the Newcastle fans are going to be together for a good while longer.”

 

In other words, ‘I’m happy to move on – but it’ll be on my terms, and I’m not sure anyone will meet them’. Well, Staveley might, and it will be fascinating to see Ashley’s response if he receives an offer that comes close to matching his asking price, which remains somewhere close to the £400m mark. For a bit of context, that is almost double what Sheikh Mansour paid for Manchester City nine years ago.

 

Surely Ashley would sell at anywhere close to that price? He would make a tidy profit on the sum he has invested in Newcastle, pretty much doubling his money, and would be rid of an asset that has caused him plenty of strife in the last decade. The risk of having to plough in more money in the wake of another costly relegation would be removed, along with the stigma of being one of the most unpopular football club owners in the country. No more hassle and harassment, just a whopping great cheque in the bank.

 

Yet there are also reasons why Ashley might be reluctant to sever his ties. For all the anguish and angst it has caused, Newcastle United has been a fabulous source of free advertising for Sports Direct in the last decade. In Asian and North American markets in particular, where Sports Direct had previously struggled to establish a foothold, the brand association with Newcastle has opened doors that would otherwise have been closed.

 

That remains a hugely valuable link, and as Sports Direct exhaust their British and European markets, global expansion will become increasingly crucial to Ashley’s business model. Owning Newcastle makes that expansion easier to achieve.

 

Financially, Ashley has proved it is possible to run a Premier League club on an even keel. Newcastle’s debts have not increased to any meaningful extent in the last five years, indeed there have been a number of accounting periods where the club has turned a profit. There have been footballing repercussions to that model, but in purely monetary terms, Newcastle are a well-run club.

 

Having ridden out the pain of some difficult periods, would Ashley really want to walk away now when the next round of global television rights negotiations are close to coming to a conclusion? The expectation is that the figures will rise significantly, and after this week’s meeting of Premier League chairmen refused to kow-tow to the wishes of the ‘Big Six’, Newcastle will continue to receive an equal share of that pie. At some stage the bubble might burst, but with worldwide interest in the Premier League showing no signs of cooling, that time does not appear to be drawing close.

 

Ashley has no doubt been wrestling with such dilemmas for quite some time, but up until now, he hasn’t had to make a decision. That could be about to change, and if Staveley is even remotely serious about launching a takeover bid, the first thing she will want to do is ascertain Ashley’s negotiating position.

 

Does he want to sell all of his stake, or would he be willing to cede 50 per cent ownership for an investment of £200m? Is there any room for movement on his asking price, if for example his debt payments are staggered? Is this all just an elaborate ploy to keep Newcastle in the headlines and raise the club’s profile?

 

Lots of questions, that up until now have remained unanswered. With Staveley on the scene though, all that could finally be about to change.

 

--SCOTT WILSON--

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/columnists/scottwilson/scottwilson/15578112.SCOTT_WILSON_COLUMN__Amanda_Staveley_is_a_serious_player___so_Mike_Ashley_will_have_to_decide_whether_he_really_wants_to_sell_Newcastle_United/?ref=mac

 

[The Fish 8989]

3 hours ago, ohhh_yeah said:

For a bit of context, that is almost double what Sheikh Mansour paid for Manchester City nine years ago.

 

Bear in mind that that context actually requires further context.

• The money around football at that time vs the money now
• Where Man City were in footballing terms then vs now

 

Any potential suitor is eyeing;

• An incumbent top class manager in Rafa Benitez
• Large, vocal and unified fanbase
• Premier League status
• New TV deal incoming
• Famous club
• Wealthy club (c20th in the world aren't we?)
• Huge potential to grow commercial revenue (stagnated under Ashley)
• Large Stadium 
• City Centre location (corporate and commercial facilities more attractive when they don’t have to get a bus to an industrial park 5 miles from the city centre)

and so on.

[Rayvin 4964]

Yeah i don't think the price tag will put them off, but spurs would doubtless be a better option for immediate success.

[Kid Dynamite 5901]

City might have been sold for £200mil nine years ago but a better barometer of current prices is the 13% share of the club they've just sold. That puts their current value at £2.05 billion, which makes £380mil look a snip

 

We are forgetting this is Ashley we are talking about though. He will double the price, or miss planned talks cos he's in the pub and it will all fall to pieces 

[Dr Gloom 19806]

The more I hear about Stavely the more I like the sound of this. Apparently she was instrumental in building ties with the community, regenerating east Manchester and improving club PR with the Man City takeover. 

[Dr Gloom 19806]

The Ashley antithesis in other words. She'd probably buy back the land he sold off and expand the stadium too. 

[Rayvin 4964]

 

I think we're at risk of making Staveley into something she isn't here. She's a very wealthy, probably Tory voting, financier. She will have no interest in us beyond the financial. Everything else is window dressing.

 

That's even assuming she is in fact remotely interested in us.

[Dr Gloom 19806]

2 minutes ago, Rayvin said:

 

I think we're at risk of making Staveley into something she isn't here. She's a very wealthy, probably Tory voting, financier. She will have no interest in us beyond the financial. Everything else is window dressing.

 

That's even assuming she is in fact remotely interested in us.

 

almost certainly, but it seems she is a savvy businesswoman. 

 

this is the thing i was talking about, which i'm told was her brainchild

 

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/manchester-city-etihad-stadium-adug-7313788

[The Fish 8989]

1 hour ago, Rayvin said:

Yeah i don't think the price tag will put them off, but spurs would doubtless be a better option for immediate success.

 

Spurs would also be a much, much more expensive prospect. 

 

London club, legitimate title challengers, young vibrant squad, top class manager, famous club, wealthy club, brand new stadium, and so on.

 

Plus, would whomever owns Spurs really want to sell right now? If they do I'm convinced it would be for an absolutely eyewatering amount.

[Ayatollah Hermione 12759]

19 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

 

almost certainly, but it seems she is a savvy businesswoman. 

 

this is the thing i was talking about, which i'm told was her brainchild

 

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/manchester-city-etihad-stadium-adug-7313788

 

Fits in nicely with the work Rafa likes to do too.