tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post7550401620584892075..comments2024-03-27T10:38:08.826+01:00Comments on The Swiss Ramble: Newcastle United - What A WasteThe Swiss Ramblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423088862174893998noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-72440892927494851322017-11-01T14:58:17.750+01:002017-11-01T14:58:17.750+01:00Sadly this article has shown us all, if we needed ...Sadly this article has shown us all, if we needed further proof, that Fatman is running the club like any other normal business. Trying to extract as much profit from the day to day operations in order for the club to be able to "wipe its own nose".<br /><br />Unfortunately football clubs aren't like every other business and while we all appreciate things can get out of hand, (Leeds, Portsmouth etc) if not managed properly the overarching aim of a club should be to win things and not just make profits. <br /><br />If Ashley really wanted success on the pitch he wouldnt have <br />1. Employed a series of journeymen managers<br />2. Spent money on players we didnt need but had potential "sell on ability"<br />3. Left complete "football novices" in charge of the club simply because they were his mates or, perhaps more appropriately, because they did as they were told.<br /><br />Two relegations in 10 years tells us all we need to know about Fatman's mismanagement of this great club. <br /><br />AndyMachttps://twitter.com/amacdeenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-17857964279839798692016-04-25T11:03:18.093+02:002016-04-25T11:03:18.093+02:00@Alex_V. "but it's almost impossible to a...@Alex_V. "but it's almost impossible to accurately pinpoint that sort of process"<br /><br />No it's not. One relegation previously, another now looking certain and 3 previous close escapes + a season in the Championship. That's 6 seasons out of 9 under Ashley.<br /><br />Pretty clear to me what's being pinpointed.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-72819779862832703812016-04-21T17:11:38.985+02:002016-04-21T17:11:38.985+02:00Another thing which seems to be overlooked is the ...Another thing which seems to be overlooked is the closing of the Newcastle United shops. Instead the merchandise is sold through third parties (most notably Sports Direct). I may be wrong but I presume this means that SD is profiting from those sales and not Newcastle United. This would decrease the 'on paper' profits of club and increase those of SD. Whereas any decent owner would look to have this merchandise go through the football club to increase its revenue.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13265032112147831940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-71885218527593052082016-04-20T17:28:25.155+02:002016-04-20T17:28:25.155+02:00What is not counted in these accounts and does not...What is not counted in these accounts and does not reduce the debt to Ashley is the years of free stadium advertising for SD - which must be worth a few million by now. Also the transfer of the lease for Strawberry Place to MASH holdings and various other assets that have been strippedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-32391475666723809972016-04-20T12:42:20.625+02:002016-04-20T12:42:20.625+02:00Some of the dealings seem so incompetent as to loo...Some of the dealings seem so incompetent as to look a little dodgy. Like, we give Marseille £15 million plus a loan of Cabella in exchange for Thauvin, then we loan them back Thauvin. It's easy to assume that that's just Charnley and Carr being hopeless, but I think there are questions to be asked. Bernard O'Learyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07717539658760582604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-38912321881039250062016-04-19T20:52:28.683+02:002016-04-19T20:52:28.683+02:00To the point of buying for value vs needs. Look a...To the point of buying for value vs needs. Look at how many wingers/attacking mids are on the roster vs defenders/strikers/defMid. Their squad has been completely lopsided, and yet they just keep plugging along and buying more attacking mids.<br /><br />Wijnaldum, Sissoko, de Jong, Gouffran, Obertan, Aarons, Perez, Townsend, and Marveaux, with Thauvin, Ameobi, Cabella, and Vuckic out on loan. You can probably include Shelvey as well since he looks out of place in a holding role. <br /><br />Compare that to the defense, where every year they try to skate by and end up getting stuck playing people out of position or fielding Steven Taylor when he's been cooked for years.<br /><br />Striker is a similar story. It forces the team into predictable formations, and winds up with players trying to slot in out of position. <br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-41365990642115361032016-04-19T20:07:02.132+02:002016-04-19T20:07:02.132+02:00Yet the club you criticise for lack of investment ...Yet the club you criticise for lack of investment are shown in the article above to be the 3rd highest investor in playing staff in the last two prem seasons. I concede you might be right that lack of investment previous to that may have created a 'losing culture', but it's almost impossible to accurately pinpoint that sort of process, let alone blame financial choices for it. As we know, Spurs are renowned for a frugal approach with their finances, yet might win the league this season - is their 'winning culture' due to the same factors? Villa sit pretty high in the wage charts yet have collapsed this season, Leicester might win it with a very low wage bill - wages aren't always a performance indicator then (especially as Newcastle's have apparently had a big increase in this poor season).Alex_Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14663497272348686842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-41879743839739058682016-04-19T19:33:18.593+02:002016-04-19T19:33:18.593+02:00''I honestly don't think Newcastle bou...''I honestly don't think Newcastle bought poorly in recent transfer windows.''<br /><br />Cabella, Thauvin, Riviere, Saivet? Apart from the poor buys the fact is that they have bought players for the wrong positions. It has been clear to everyone for some time that we have needed an experienced central defender and a proven striker (as a minimum)but these have just been ignored. Malnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-8914161771667194782016-04-19T18:30:27.430+02:002016-04-19T18:30:27.430+02:00The club failed to properly invest in the football...The club failed to properly invest in the football staff for years (this includes players, coaches, and directors), which helped to create a losing culture from top to bottom. It is now paying the price. <br /><br />It's absolutely fair to criticize previous profits when wages, one of the strongest performance indicators, have been flat. Particularly since this is in sharp contrast to the rest of the league.<br /><br />Mike Ashley and Mike Ashley's Newcastle United deserve to be relegated. In fact, they deserve to be relegated multiple times. Hopefully Rafa can save them and it brings about real change. We shall see.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-11762359370663336012016-04-19T15:15:53.756+02:002016-04-19T15:15:53.756+02:00This is the first of your excellent articles that ...This is the first of your excellent articles that I take some issue with. I'm not convinced your account of Newcastle's financials is damning in the slightest. Yes, profit is not the ultimate aim, but as the majority of your pieces tend to illustrate, financial prudence often goes hand in hand with success. I'm not sure it's fair to criticise previous profits, when presumably it's exactly what enabled the high expenditure in the squad this season.<br /><br />Yes, the club has failed this season. But I'm increasingly of the opinion that because of the base quality of so many squads at prem level, that the difference between success and failure is often as much about momentum and luck as it is about decision-making. I honestly don't think Newcastle bought poorly in recent transfer windows. The conclusion I would draw is that high-profile casualties in the premiership are simply going to become more common as standards rise.Alex_Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14663497272348686842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-13858603593679954512016-04-19T15:15:44.394+02:002016-04-19T15:15:44.394+02:00Great stuff as ever, many thanks Rambler!Great stuff as ever, many thanks Rambler!Colhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04994998643880796113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-487486960623783530.post-24243968977705611102016-04-19T15:02:21.182+02:002016-04-19T15:02:21.182+02:00Some key quotes:
"Newcastle have been profit...Some key quotes:<br /><br />"Newcastle have been profitable and they have accumulated total profits of £99 million since 2011. Not only that, but Newcastle have made more money than any other club in that five-year period with the only other clubs that come close to them being Tottenham £89 million, boosted by the huge sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid, and Arsenal £85 million, the unofficial poster boy for financial success in the football world."<br /><br />"Given Ashley’s reputation as a smooth business operator, this is highly embarrassing, especially as a previous set of accounts included this gem: “Match day and commercial revenue is a key driver, because that’s where the club can compete with – and outperform – its competitors to enhance its spending capabilities.”<br /><br />"The loyalty of the fans was shown by the fact that Newcastle’s crowds were the fourth highest in England even when they played in the Championship with a 43,000 average, which is an incredible statistic."<br /><br />"Newcastle’s £6 million shirt sponsorship with Wonga is only surpassed by the deals made by the top six clubs, even though the association with a provider of payday loans at extortionate rates feels horribly cheap."<br /><br />"While it is praiseworthy to have a such a low wages to turnover ratio of 51%, this is normally due to high revenue (e.g. this is the reason for the same 51% ratio at Manchester United and Tottenham), but in Newcastle’s case this is purely down to cutting costs, so can actually be considered as a bit of a warning sign. The only club with a lower ratio than Newcastle in 2014/15 was Burnley."<br /><br />Basically lies or mistake: "The accounts attribute this to “one additional home cup match this year”, which is puzzling as Newcastle did not host a single domestic cup tie in 2014/15, compared to one in the FA Cup and two in the Capital One Cup the previous season.<br /><br />Very telling and disgraceful<br /><br /><br /><br />ToonBanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15981857778499077998noreply@blogger.com