Is Mike Ashley’s Dual Involvement With Rangers and Newcastle A Conflict of Interest?
By Bryan Nelson
I’ve been waiting for a reason to write this piece, and thanks to Mick Quinn, I now have backing. And it’s the question as to whether or not Mike Ashley’s involvement with both Newcastle United and Rangers F.C. is a conflict of interest.
If you were to ask me that question two days ago, I’d say ‘no’. Mainly because there’s nothing in the rule book that says owning two clubs in different leagues is wrong. If I want to buy Philadelphia Union today, and also go out and buy Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, then I should be able to do so, as they aren’t competing clubs.
But here’s where it gets dicy. Mike Ashley has been turning his attention away from Newcastle, and turning it toward Rangers F.C. Yes, fans are going to get mad, and it takes away from the club’s success. But the conflict of interest arises when the owner of Newcastle decides to loan five players to a club that he has a stake in. That’s five players that Newcastle no longer has at their disposal.
More from Newcastle News
- “What a player” Arsenal and Real Madrid stars hype up this Newcastle ace
- “Measly” Paul Merson makes extreme claim about Newcastle vs Brentford
- Newcastle: Eddie Howe may make TWO changes with Champions League rotation in mind
- ‘We have options’ – Eddie Howe reacts to Jamie Redknapp’s comments on Sean Longstaff
- ‘The mentality is there’ – Eddie Howe on how he can turn the season around for Newcastle United
Not to bash the Rangers fan base, but Newcastle is a much more profitable club. The club itself one of the richest in the world, and for Mike Ashley to begin turning his back on the club is going to leave Newcastle in limbo. Does Mike Ashley even care anymore? As I already wrote, Newcastle has went through this whole transfer window without a single purchase. In the last three transfer windows, Newcastle hasn’t come out with one prominent signing.
The Rangers aren’t even performing well, and I doubt that with the five players Ashley loaned them will guarantee them a promotion. And people think that the Rangers will make it to the Champions League in the next couple of years? This is what Mick Quinn had to say about it.
"Although I do wonder if that is his ambition for Rangers. It sure isn’t for his other club."
Newcastle United has seen its ups and downs aplenty in the club’s history. Just a few years ago Newcastle United was relegated to the Championship, and while they fought their way back to the highest tier of football, they’ve continued to struggle. The best year, was when Newcastle made it to the Euro League, in what fans thought was a resurgence of the club. Newcastle was believed to have been at the top of their game, and ready to make a fight for the Champions League in their next season. Not only did Newcastle not perform extremely well in the Euro League, but it was a disaster in the Premier League as well.
Having quick ups and quick downs is a normal consequence after bouncing back from relegation. But it’s a sign that the club is either in rebuilding mode, or should be in rebuilding mode. What Mike Ashley has done is do nothing but build up his investment n Rangers FC. And while the Rangers have been a good team in years past, they’re not even in the Scottish Premier League anymore.
It leads many to ask why Ashley would want involvement in a team that’s not as profitable as Newcastle United. Newcastle was labelled in the top 20 of the richest clubs in the world, yet we fail to bring in any major signings every single transfer period. With the money that we supposedly have, wouldn’t you think that Newcastle should be able to compete with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, and maybe even Manchester United? If Ashley put in more of an investment, Newcastle could bounce back to the top of the table, and show the world what they’re capable of. But Ashley’s wallet is more focused on the Rangers, than it is the Magpies.
I understand. Reading these things make you mad. Reading them make me mad, also, and that’s why I write about it. To vent. But it’s impossible to vent so much frustration in a single post.
Live Feed
The Top Flight
Where’s the Newcastle that we used to know and love? Where’s the team that I fell in love with when I was just five years old? Because I’m not seeing it. What I’m seeing is a club with little to no identity and an owner that could care less about the success of the club.
It’s not for lack of trying, however, as owner Mike Ashley has put the club up for sale twice, but couldn’t manage to find any potential buyers. So does Mike Ashley feel like he’s stuck with us now? That’s likely the case. It seems like he doesn’t want Newcastle anymore, and he wants to turn his attention to the Rangers, but has now found a use for Newcastle, and that is loaning a large amount of players so that the Rangers perform well.
Is that a conflict of interest? I believe that it should be. There should be rules about having a stake in more than one club and doing business with yourself. That type of behavior should be regulated, and monitored by Fifa Officials, and other football officials in Europe who want to make sure that owners aren’t throwing players back and forth.
That’s unlikely to come to fruition anytime soon, but Ashley has definitely set a precedent. He’s saying it’s okay to ditch one club for another and use their players for your own success. It’s bound to be followed in the years to come, and whoever does it is really going to end up suffering the consequences.
Newcastle United deserves a better owner than Mike Ashley, but he’s already put it up for sale and couldn’t find any buyers. Is that a sign that people see Newcastle as potential loss on their investment? Is Newcastle more of a burden than a potential moneymaker? Yes and no. Newcastle requires a lot of attention and dedication from whoever wants to be its next owner.
If no one signs up for the job, not only is Mike Ashley “stuck” with us, but we’re stuck with Mike Ashley. He’d be better off doing an IPO for the club, and selling it to the fans. Newcastle would love something like that.