OK then pal, how about fuck off out of the LET'S LAUGH AT NEWCASTLE thread on an opposing teams forum then???
I'm having a right laugh browsing the Forest forum and observing their anguish under Ange, have I for one moment considered joining up to it so that I can post there about how great Spurs are? Have I bollocks...
I'll give this another go, see if you can get your head around the issue that keeps being repeated, and no, just to be abundantly clear, this is not a bigging up of Mike Ashley.
What Newcastle have done is equivalent to me, a regular person who does the weekly shop at Asda, budgeting in a particularly nice meal once or twice a week, winning the lottery and going out the first week after and splurging on a Waitrose shop, with an expensive meal every night of the week. Then, after the first novelty week, I go back to buying the shopping from Asda, I make sure I budget in every night's meal to be a nice one, but I'm still buying it at Asda, and it's the same quality of produce that I was buying before the lottery win.
Newcastle aren't shopping on a different level than they were before, just because you're club is absurd enough to spunk £50m on Wissa doesn't mean he's some otherworldly footballing god. The profile of player is exactly the same as they had ambition for before, you're just signing more of them because of your blood money, and you have a better manager making better use of them.
We are though. Fundamentally, we're signing better players. Players who wouldn't have joined earlier. You can poopoo them if you really want, but you're kidding yourself that Ashley would have sanctioned the signing of Trippier. You're making yourself look silly when you say Ashley would have stumped up for Botman or Thiaw. And the frequency of the spend is important as well, Ashley may have sanctioned a £40m spend on Joelinton, but that was the biggest transfer for 14yr by a fucking mile.
To expand your analogy it's like we were regularly shopping at Asda, then win the lottery and now regularly shop at Sainsburys and occasionally get something from M&S. Is it a massive step up? No. Is it a significant step up? Yes.
I asked AI "compare the average standard of player signed by Ashley at NUFC, to the standard signed after the takeover" because clearly I think you're massively biased and you think I am. Gemini replied:
Newcastle United Transfers: Ashley vs. New Owners
The change in the standard of player signed by Newcastle United is stark, moving from a low-cost, low-ambition model to one focused on securing elite international talent.
1. The Mike Ashley Era (2007–2021)
Player Profile: Cheap, young, or average Premier League experience. The focus was on players with perceived high resale value, often sourced from lower leagues or the French market.
Primary Goal: Financial break-even and Premier League survival. Investment was strictly capped to ensure the club was financially self-sufficient and never risked Mike Ashley's personal funds.
Fees Paid: Rarely exceeded £20 million (with a few notable exceptions that often didn't work out).
Immediate Impact: Patchy, often requiring significant time to adapt, or minimal due to the player's low ceiling. The squad depth and quality were consistently geared toward avoiding relegation.
2. The New Owners Era (2021–Present)
Player Profile: Established international stars or elite European potential. The club now signs players who are already proven at the highest level (e.g., Champions League, top 5 leagues).
Primary Goal: Top-six finish, Champions League qualification, and major trophy contention. The policy is to build a core of world-class assets.
Fees Paid: Multiple club-record signings exceeding £40 million, with Isak and Tonali being prime examples. Spending is strategically structured to comply with Financial Fair Play/PSR.
Immediate Impact: Transformational and immediate improvements to the starting XI (e.g., Trippier, Guimarães, Botman), rapidly elevating the team's overall quality and status in the league.