Darren Gough explained why Mike Ashley wanted £300million for Newcastle United and angered a Magpies fan in the process.
The retired English cricketer shared that Ashley wanted £300million, implying the price had gone up, due to the amount of money the club were potentially getting from shirt sales and television revenue.
Paul the Newcastle fan, who had called into talkSPORT was angry at Gough explaining why Ashley wanted £300million for the Magpies, and kept interrupting.
“That’s why he wants £300million, so whoever buys the football club will be getting £30million from shirt sales, £70million from the TV money so that’s why the price has gone up (Paul said where’s it gone under him though),” said Gough on talkSPORT (17:27, Friday July 5th).
“What are you on about? (Newcastle fan said the price is going down under Ashley), you just asked why it’s going up!”
These remarks then prompted Paul the Newcastle fan to respond to Gough’s remarks with anger as he questioned where the money was and suggested there should be an investigation.
“If you think Ashley has got £70million from Sky, he’s just got £30million off Perez, that’s £100million, season tickets will be down this season, we’ll say season tickets I don’t know what? You’re telling me he’s putting money back in Newcastle United?” said the Magpies fan angrily.
“They should get an investigation into him as he is taking money out of that club, hand over fist, we paid nothing for Andy Carroll, we sold him for £30million, I don’t know where that money went, £5m-£10million players cause we’re earning.
“Newcastle United are an absolute disgrace and every manager we’ve ever had, apart from Benitez who has a world-famous name, came here cause they couldn’t get a job, Kinnear couldn’t get a job, Pardew couldn’t get a job, every manager he has had at Newcastle is just clutching at straws.”
OPINION
Gough seems to have pulled these figures out of the air but it’s easy to see his point. The Sun previously reported that the Bin Zayed Group were still discussing buying the Magpies from Ashley for £350million, so it’s unlikely the businessman only wants £300million; so you can’t trust Gough’s other figures either. However, it is very likely that the Magpies generate a lot of money through TV revenue and shirt sales; so Gough’s estimates make sense. Yet while that is true, it’s also not hard to understand where the Newcastle fan who called in is coming from. Paul the Magpies fan just wanted to know what was happening to the money being generated and highlighted that it wasn’t exactly being spent in the transfer market. Sky Sports previously stated last August that the Magpies were bucking the trend when it came to the transfer market. The broadcaster highlighted that Benitez, while under Ashley’s ownership at the club, had only spent £124million on new recruits despite the club making £160million from player sales during his reign. Granted this doesn’t include the Magpies’ January transfer activity, which saw Miguel Almiron signed, it still does show that something doesn’t add up.
