| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here 08:29 - Mar 25 with 4381 views | jasondozzell |
Sounds like there's a good chance Ashton invited Farage.
He's got an inflated opinion of himself. It's not his club it's ours. |  | | |  |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:39 - Mar 25 with 834 views | WolfieAtTheBack |
Does not really matter now who, what or why this has happened it is more a case of damage limitation.
Every broadsheet and football magazine have photos on their platforms of Farage visiting Portman Road and people will develop their own narrative which will likely be along the lines of ITFC support the Reform party, it is that clear cut from the imagery.
How the higher ups fix this with the sponsors and ownership group is beyond my skill set, it is really is mess and although we all want us to do well and so on this season, we will never be able to unsee Farage waving a town shirt about.
Cringe. |  | | |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:47 - Mar 25 with 804 views | SitfcB |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:04 - Mar 25 by nrb1985 |
Have heard that too.
And also from somebody at endeavour house who saw the whole thing that Nash greeted him like a long lost brother upon arrival - apparently with the ITFC media crew in tow as well.
I want Nash and Ashton gone. Weasels the pair of them. |
That is all hearsay tbf and nobody outside of the club actually knows the truth do they?
I doubt it was the clubs media team, there was no need for that? Would’ve been the Reform media team Shirley. |  |
| |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:52 - Mar 25 with 784 views | N2_Blue |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:12 - Mar 25 by The_Flashing_Smile |
Why did Farage/his team not take any photos of them having lunch in the Chairman's suite? |
Because it's lunch, because ITFC staff are there, because it's not a promotional opportunity in the same way as holding up a shirt is. Reform aren't going to post photos of a lunch on their account. Maybe beacuse they were asked not to in order to protect staff members.
There are members are staff that were visibly upset about what happened.
Don't be so naive dollers. [Post edited 25 Mar 10:54]
|  |
| |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:54 - Mar 25 with 774 views | AbujaBlue |
There is an awful lot of conjecture in this thread tailored to suit the anti-Ashton narrative of particular posters (so I'll add my own). For all we know, the "associate" is Butcher, who is already known to be pro-reform. Perhaps he innocently extended an invite to tour the ground to someone on the Farage team? [Post edited 25 Mar 11:49]
|  | | |
| Anyone that didn’t realise…. on 10:59 - Mar 25 with 731 views | boysof1981 |
| Anyone that didn’t realise…. on 08:57 - Mar 25 by Funge |
As always, Bloots, I defer to you.
The penny dropping for me was that berserk run down the touchline, giving Towun fans high-fives after we won 1-0 at Lincoln, after what felt like half a season - Macauley Bonne scored, as I recall.
A proper 'what the fck are you doing' moment. |
Just one of the embarrassing moments from him, it’s always been about him imo. The real mistake was giving him CEO and chairman positions. Hopefully this episode sees him in just one role or none, (although I can’t believe all the guff about Farage showing up,) | | | |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 11:00 - Mar 25 with 740 views | nrb1985 |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:47 - Mar 25 by SitfcB |
That is all hearsay tbf and nobody outside of the club actually knows the truth do they?
I doubt it was the clubs media team, there was no need for that? Would’ve been the Reform media team Shirley. |
Well they do because I heard the lunch thing from somebody that’s associated to the local press - albeit doesn’t work directly for them.
So I’m certain many people know the full story but can’t say for obvious reasons.
On the media crew thing you might be correct however, they saw Nash rolling out the red carpet and hugs all round upon arrival.
I suspect that is why they hastily changed their tune from - they booked it anonymously to, we engage with everyone.
As I have said - weasels the pair of them. [Post edited 25 Mar 11:02]
| | | |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 11:16 - Mar 25 with 697 views | N2_Blue |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:47 - Mar 25 by SitfcB |
That is all hearsay tbf and nobody outside of the club actually knows the truth do they?
I doubt it was the clubs media team, there was no need for that? Would’ve been the Reform media team Shirley. |
You do realise there are a lot of posters that know members of staff within the club? | |
| |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 11:21 - Mar 25 with 669 views | The_Flashing_Smile |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:52 - Mar 25 by N2_Blue |
Because it's lunch, because ITFC staff are there, because it's not a promotional opportunity in the same way as holding up a shirt is. Reform aren't going to post photos of a lunch on their account. Maybe beacuse they were asked not to in order to protect staff members.
There are members are staff that were visibly upset about what happened.
Don't be so naive dollers. [Post edited 25 Mar 10:54]
|
If you wanted to show you were invited you'd have at least one pic in the Chairman's suite. Or even one on the way in. You don't have to include staff members in any of it.
My point is so much of this is heresay, people putting 2+2 together, and very little actual evidence. |  |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 11:21 - Mar 25 with 681 views | Guthrum |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:23 - Mar 25 by nrb1985 |
I like you and you seem a well informed reasonable poster.
But in a tiny business of few hundred people if that, do you HONESTLY, believe the CEO who we know loves the limelight, had nothing to do with welcoming in the potential new Prime Minister to the club?????
Like seriously? Come on man. |
Ashton loves the limelight, yes. But he also appears to be reasonably switched on when it comes to football politics. It would seem, from his track record, a remarkable and unusual mis-step to have initiated something so potentially divisive and damaging at a vital stage in an important season.
He cannot have been unaware that feelings were likely to be stirred up both among those who dislike Farage/Reform and those who don't want politics mixed in with their sport. Not to mention the likely ripples across the internet and media. Or the potential reaction of sponsors. And especially given his background in football-community involvement (which is where he started out in administration).
Sure, he ought to have stopped/minimised it, or reacted more strongly, given he must have known about what was happening, likely in advance. I'm not absolving him of all responsibility. But I'm yet to be convinced, from the evidence I've seen, that it was he who initiated the contact (or at his personal direction). |  |
| |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 11:26 - Mar 25 with 666 views | Blue_Moses |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 09:06 - Mar 25 by soupytwist |
My view is that it went like this:
Someone senior at the club thought that given possible outcomes in the upcoming local elections, having a chat with Farage while he was in the area might be a good way of getting some idea of what Reform's attitude to some of the club's plans might be. That person knew that a direct approach on the 21st century equivalent of ITFC headed paper would not be a great idea (so they're not completely stupid) and so they used a third-party to try and set it up.
Reform thought "Great, let's see what we can get out of this and book a stadium tour where we'll be able to shoot a load of pictures/video we can use to our advantage".
Club didn't spot potential issues with that, and the senior club figure thought they could control the outcome. They were proved catastrophically wrong because they're naive and their own ego didn't let them think that it could end badly. They should have asked for the meeting to take place away from Portman Road.
Club put out wishy-washy statement and are unable to acknowledge their error and admit that anyone did anything wrong because to do so would be to puncture Ashton's unshakeable belief that he (or his lieutenants) are always right.
The Athletic article doesn't name Ashton because to do so would probably reveal their source.
My only surprise is that there hasn't been a thread started on here by a Bristol City fan saying "Told you so". [Post edited 25 Mar 9:07]
|
I thought the same and so have a few people I've spoken with about it | | | |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 11:49 - Mar 25 with 635 views | TownieRob |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:23 - Mar 25 by darkhorse28 |
He DID invite him and my post saying so has been removed, it’s not conjecture, it’s fact. Send Mark my details if he’s got a problem with that being in the public domain, because it’s true.
What happens when a club indexes itself to ONE person with ZERO oversight. He’s positioned himself to have full executive control over everything, and as bad as this is. It’s hardly his worst day. The talent ID and McKenna as one of the best paid managers in world football, before he’s kicked a ball at elite level, were woeful decisions. SO poor.
Even if KM went on to get an outcome suggesting he was that world class manager, it’s such poor decision making, he didn’t know what elite looked like, and how could he, when in 35 years he too hasn’t had a single day at that level in an lead exeutive decision making role.
It’s SO poor from the ownership, they clearly aren’t football people, it is what it is.
I’ll say this though, and you won’t like it.
Until he disagreed with your politics. What scrutiny and oversight of Mark and his role(s) have you provided?
This is why the scrutiny most don’t like in case they get a down vote, is SO important.
A club our size, with our resources, should never have given all the control to one person, it’s not how any club operates since 1990!!!
That’s not against Mark either. My views are well known, he’s never been elite and never will be.
If we had the best exec in world football we still shouldn’t build around one individual, it’s such poor governance, you don’t do it, you have a team of people, all expert in their roles and the head of that allows himself not to be the best or the decision maker across everything.
Mark is pure ego. He always was …, wanting us to sing ‘shit on the villa’ at the promotion party for HIM ALONE said it all.
So the question is. Why do you only notice when his politics don’t align?
He’s always been an ego fuelled self interested individual, he hasn’t changed.., suddenly it’s popular and easy to criticise him. Where have you been!!! When the club needed that level of scrutiny and accountability.
Ashton had made us toxic in many people’s eyes, including future coaches, managers, can you imagine the number of people that now won’t touch us with a barge pole???!?!!
So unecessary - all about Marks EGO. SO PREDICTABLE.
Not now.., but in the summer he HAS to go. Horrible little man in every sense of the word.
No doubt he sees the writing in the wall if we don’t go up, and he’s thrown the entire club under the bus for the sake of his career.
I’ll say it again though, lots complaining in here have skin in this game, you all made out Ashton was a GOD.
He never was. |
I agree with some of what you’ve said, but not all. You might end up being right on a few of the points I currently disagree with but I’m just not there yet.
What I do agree with is this is that it’s taken politics for people to suddenly call Ashton out. His ego and decision-making have been there for anyone willing to look objectively, not just blindly praise everything. He’s good at his job, made some very good calls but he’s also made some poor ones, and this feels like one of them, but it’s interesting that this is the moment people say he has to go… and it’s politics driving that.
Where’s the tolerance for differing opinions and beliefs? In reality, it’s not there. It’s tolerance only when people agree with you, not when they don’t.
RE: You point about control within the club, I agree that one person shouldn’t be judge and jury. I’ve heard that concern raised internally at the club as well, not at a level that changes anything, but it’s definitely been mentioned. Again though, it’s only really gaining traction externally now because of political persuasion.
I’ve seen a lot online about this 'exposing' right-leaning fans, but it’s also exposed plenty on the other side. There’s a lack of consistency when it comes to tolerance, especially when views don’t align. The amount of 'thick”' insults being thrown around is pretty telling. It’s lazy, and it says more about the person saying it than anything else.
It’s a shame really. A football club should bring people together. Instead, this has just divided the fanbase even more. | | | |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 14:16 - Mar 25 with 540 views | SitfcB |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:54 - Mar 25 by AbujaBlue |
There is an awful lot of conjecture in this thread tailored to suit the anti-Ashton narrative of particular posters (so I'll add my own). For all we know, the "associate" is Butcher, who is already known to be pro-reform. Perhaps he innocently extended an invite to tour the ground to someone on the Farage team? [Post edited 25 Mar 11:49]
|
I did wonder why Farage pointed at his name out of the list on the video. | |
| |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 20:52 - Mar 26 with 442 views | itfc_statman |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 09:30 - Mar 25 by The_Flashing_Smile |
Try reading the actual facts we know.
And while you're at it, if Ashton had invited Farage do you not think Farage would be posting that all over his socials?
It's you who is naive. |
Is it really? Or is it you proven wrong for the umpteenth time on this forum.
Im convinced you just take an alternative view for attention, I actually dont believe you were dim enough to not see how the clubs behaviour was clearly hiding realities. Instead they just outright lied to us and you fell for it. | | | |
| One of the more recent…. on 20:56 - Mar 26 with 429 views | Kieran_Knows |
| One of the more recent…. on 09:09 - Mar 25 by Bloots |
….moments was him proudly revealing that he’s had a personal TV screen installed in front of his seat at the ground so that he can immediately review referee decisions and phone up Howard Webb during a match to complain.
Personally it was the tight t-shirts worn under a suit that raised the immediate red flag for me.
Small but obvious signs. |
The scary thing with this fan base though is that half of them would’ve walked in front of a bus if Ashton had told them too, that’s how much they believed and hanged off his every word. |  |
| |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 21:14 - Mar 26 with 350 views | The_Flashing_Smile |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 20:52 - Mar 26 by itfc_statman |
Is it really? Or is it you proven wrong for the umpteenth time on this forum.
Im convinced you just take an alternative view for attention, I actually dont believe you were dim enough to not see how the clubs behaviour was clearly hiding realities. Instead they just outright lied to us and you fell for it. |
Oh well done you...coming back almost 12 hours later once more details have emerged.
My comments were on the facts as they were known at the time, nothing more.
There's nothing "dim" about sticking to the facts. If later facts emerge then you change your view.
I guarantee you wouldn't have returned if more stuff hadn't come out, so basically you just got lucky and have come to crow again against a fellow supporter who just wants the best for his club. | |
| |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 21:58 - Mar 26 with 304 views | itfc_statman |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 21:14 - Mar 26 by The_Flashing_Smile |
Oh well done you...coming back almost 12 hours later once more details have emerged.
My comments were on the facts as they were known at the time, nothing more.
There's nothing "dim" about sticking to the facts. If later facts emerge then you change your view.
I guarantee you wouldn't have returned if more stuff hadn't come out, so basically you just got lucky and have come to crow again against a fellow supporter who just wants the best for his club. |
Yeah so to cut to the chase you were wrong...again | | | |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 22:02 - Mar 26 with 298 views | TheMoralMajority |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 21:14 - Mar 26 by The_Flashing_Smile |
Oh well done you...coming back almost 12 hours later once more details have emerged.
My comments were on the facts as they were known at the time, nothing more.
There's nothing "dim" about sticking to the facts. If later facts emerge then you change your view.
I guarantee you wouldn't have returned if more stuff hadn't come out, so basically you just got lucky and have come to crow again against a fellow supporter who just wants the best for his club. |
In fairness, dollers, it was painfully obvious to see the way this was playing out and you doubled down on their weak af statement.
It's in the past now though. The truth has outed, and it's not a truth any of us particularly wanted. |  |
| |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 22:03 - Mar 26 with 280 views | bartyg |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 21:14 - Mar 26 by The_Flashing_Smile |
Oh well done you...coming back almost 12 hours later once more details have emerged.
My comments were on the facts as they were known at the time, nothing more.
There's nothing "dim" about sticking to the facts. If later facts emerge then you change your view.
I guarantee you wouldn't have returned if more stuff hadn't come out, so basically you just got lucky and have come to crow again against a fellow supporter who just wants the best for his club. |
Glad you've got the humility to admit you were wrong, and everyone else was right. |  |
| |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:05 - Mar 27 with 179 views | itfc_statman |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 22:03 - Mar 26 by bartyg |
Glad you've got the humility to admit you were wrong, and everyone else was right. |
His online ego won't let him. Seen it on this forum as an avid lurker for years. I'm sure it puts off so many from joining these sort of discussions as just not worth the hassle. | | | |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 11:35 - Mar 27 with 137 views | darkhorse28 |
It happened 100% because O’Leary was here.
He facilitated Mark having his moat, and building the executive function exclusively around himself and him alone. In its entirety.
We needed better governance, ownership, and agency, and have for many years - it was lazy at best, and WE didn’t help either…, anyone speaking out about Mark was destroyed on this forum, destroyed.
So let’s all have some self awareness around what Mark is and isn’t and has always been. Let’s do better ourselves to listen to narratives that might be uncomfortable at times. | | | |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 11:40 - Mar 27 with 122 views | pointofblue |
| This wouldn't have happened if Mike O'Leary had still been here on 10:54 - Mar 25 by AbujaBlue |
There is an awful lot of conjecture in this thread tailored to suit the anti-Ashton narrative of particular posters (so I'll add my own). For all we know, the "associate" is Butcher, who is already known to be pro-reform. Perhaps he innocently extended an invite to tour the ground to someone on the Farage team? [Post edited 25 Mar 11:49]
|
And Butcher gets everything he asks for? The club were still in a position to reject and/or manage the situation, even after the invite. I'm sure Butcher didn't have the ability to enforce a lunch date or gift Farage shirts, for example. | |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
