| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke 08:17 - Mar 27 with 2720 views | Zx1988 |
I can't imagine that he'd resign in a month of Sundays, especially at this stage in the season.
Doubtless his contract contains a promotion bonus and, if he were to walk away, he'd be walking away from a chance of whatever bonus would be payable to him if we go up.
If the owners are minded to sack him, I dare say that part of their due diligence will be regarding any promotion bonus as well. If he's sacked before any possible promotion is confirmed, he'd no doubt claim that he still played a pivotal part in the season's result, and should be entitled to his pay-out.
Given the chap's colossal ego, it wouldn't surprise me either if the owners would seek to insert a gagging clause into any potential dismissal package. You can just imagine the bloke trying to smear the club in the media if he ends up being relieved of his position. |  |
| |  |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:25 - Mar 27 with 1754 views | le2blue |
No chance he resigns or is sacked. He is the reason most of the investors have invested in the club, he is also on an incentive plan linked to club valuation and growth, which he has driven successfully. He is held in incredibly high regard by all the investors and within the wider industry, putting aside this significant issue, he has repeatedly delivered and built a high growth business and team.
He has also positioned himself as an advocate of community give back which he has successfully delivered through transforming the foundation. He has very good relations with the wider Suffolk community and businesses.
I think he will come out and apologies at some point once the revelations have finished and everything has died down a little, suspect that will be around Tuesday next week to then allow sometime before Kieran’s press on Friday next week. |  | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:30 - Mar 27 with 1684 views | homer_123 |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:25 - Mar 27 by le2blue |
No chance he resigns or is sacked. He is the reason most of the investors have invested in the club, he is also on an incentive plan linked to club valuation and growth, which he has driven successfully. He is held in incredibly high regard by all the investors and within the wider industry, putting aside this significant issue, he has repeatedly delivered and built a high growth business and team.
He has also positioned himself as an advocate of community give back which he has successfully delivered through transforming the foundation. He has very good relations with the wider Suffolk community and businesses.
I think he will come out and apologies at some point once the revelations have finished and everything has died down a little, suspect that will be around Tuesday next week to then allow sometime before Kieran’s press on Friday next week. |
I think the analogy we can use here is Gerald Ratner.
For all the good Ashton has done during his time here, and no argument can really be made against that, he's undone all the work you list with one, single, stupid decision. |  |
| |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:36 - Mar 27 with 1614 views | nrb1985 |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:25 - Mar 27 by le2blue |
No chance he resigns or is sacked. He is the reason most of the investors have invested in the club, he is also on an incentive plan linked to club valuation and growth, which he has driven successfully. He is held in incredibly high regard by all the investors and within the wider industry, putting aside this significant issue, he has repeatedly delivered and built a high growth business and team.
He has also positioned himself as an advocate of community give back which he has successfully delivered through transforming the foundation. He has very good relations with the wider Suffolk community and businesses.
I think he will come out and apologies at some point once the revelations have finished and everything has died down a little, suspect that will be around Tuesday next week to then allow sometime before Kieran’s press on Friday next week. |
Bit of a simplistic take.
There is going to be no room for sentiment if future revenues are called into question by sponsors pulling out or a large portion of fans stop spending.
What happens to the valuation when those future revenues are called into question?
U.S. PE guys not exactly known for being sentimental on these kind of things. And the idea that they were sold by Ashton is a bit silly - they may have enjoyed his presentation but they will have dozens of analysts dispassionately doing the due diligence etc. | | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:43 - Mar 27 with 1556 views | Bobbychase |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:25 - Mar 27 by le2blue |
No chance he resigns or is sacked. He is the reason most of the investors have invested in the club, he is also on an incentive plan linked to club valuation and growth, which he has driven successfully. He is held in incredibly high regard by all the investors and within the wider industry, putting aside this significant issue, he has repeatedly delivered and built a high growth business and team.
He has also positioned himself as an advocate of community give back which he has successfully delivered through transforming the foundation. He has very good relations with the wider Suffolk community and businesses.
I think he will come out and apologies at some point once the revelations have finished and everything has died down a little, suspect that will be around Tuesday next week to then allow sometime before Kieran’s press on Friday next week. |
This does seem a realistic scenario. Jim Ratcliffe is still in a job despite that interview he gave after all. |  |
| |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:51 - Mar 27 with 1516 views | grow_our_own |
He was always an arseh0le, but we put up with him bc he was *our* aresh0le. Full of David Brentisms, slips of language betraying colossal arrogance and conceit. He had an easy gig to begin with. A budget that dwarfed League One rivals, and then he was able to dine-out on the single best decision of his career: hiring Kieran McKenna. KM's genius took us up twice, but then our budget was no longer outsize, and David Brashton's ineptitude was exposed. Since then, most of the the major signings he brokered have flopped and are languishing outside the first team, or have been loaned-out, us having massively overpaid.
I think MA can be sacked for gross misconduct. No normal notice pay. He's displayed dishonesty which led to a loss of trust and confidence. He's brought the organisation into disrepute, almost certainly breached ITFC policy, and failed to act in the club's best interests. Undoubtedly caused us reputational harm and then misled staff about it. Directors in MA's position must act in good faith to promote the company’s success, so he's breached company law.
Whether promotion bonus will still have to be paid depends on the terms. He might be eligible for the pro-rata part covering proportion of time he served. But that depends on whether there's a "good leaver / bad leaver" clause. MA will certainly fall into the latter category.
Gross misconduct will require a hearing, but worth it to reach closure once and for all on this sorry episode in the club's history. [Post edited 27 Mar 8:53]
| | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:53 - Mar 27 with 1481 views | Bobbychase |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:51 - Mar 27 by grow_our_own |
He was always an arseh0le, but we put up with him bc he was *our* aresh0le. Full of David Brentisms, slips of language betraying colossal arrogance and conceit. He had an easy gig to begin with. A budget that dwarfed League One rivals, and then he was able to dine-out on the single best decision of his career: hiring Kieran McKenna. KM's genius took us up twice, but then our budget was no longer outsize, and David Brashton's ineptitude was exposed. Since then, most of the the major signings he brokered have flopped and are languishing outside the first team, or have been loaned-out, us having massively overpaid.
I think MA can be sacked for gross misconduct. No normal notice pay. He's displayed dishonesty which led to a loss of trust and confidence. He's brought the organisation into disrepute, almost certainly breached ITFC policy, and failed to act in the club's best interests. Undoubtedly caused us reputational harm and then misled staff about it. Directors in MA's position must act in good faith to promote the company’s success, so he's breached company law.
Whether promotion bonus will still have to be paid depends on the terms. He might be eligible for the pro-rata part covering proportion of time he served. But that depends on whether there's a "good leaver / bad leaver" clause. MA will certainly fall into the latter category.
Gross misconduct will require a hearing, but worth it to reach closure once and for all on this sorry episode in the club's history. [Post edited 27 Mar 8:53]
|
I don't understand why people are turning this into "Ashton hired McKenna and didn't do anything else for us". It's just not true.
It is possible to say he has made a massive error of judgement on this one, but has also taken the club from a shabby, out-of-touch shadow of its former self to one of the best run outfits in the country with facilities to match. | |
| |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:59 - Mar 27 with 1428 views | homer_123 |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:53 - Mar 27 by Bobbychase |
I don't understand why people are turning this into "Ashton hired McKenna and didn't do anything else for us". It's just not true.
It is possible to say he has made a massive error of judgement on this one, but has also taken the club from a shabby, out-of-touch shadow of its former self to one of the best run outfits in the country with facilities to match. |
See my post below. No argument from me on what he's achieved here - that isn't in question (regardless of what people thought of him when he came in).
However, he's undone all that work. Not just by getting involved with Farage etc. but then being complicit or even driving the narrative of denying it/ making it less than it was. | |
| |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:01 - Mar 27 with 1393 views | Bobbychase |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:59 - Mar 27 by homer_123 |
See my post below. No argument from me on what he's achieved here - that isn't in question (regardless of what people thought of him when he came in).
However, he's undone all that work. Not just by getting involved with Farage etc. but then being complicit or even driving the narrative of denying it/ making it less than it was. |
He's undone all that work for SOME Town fans. Some don't feel that way. Others I have spoken to cannot believe there has been such a strong reaction. It's a microcosm of society as a whole, as football has always been. | |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:02 - Mar 27 with 1384 views | Horsham |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:36 - Mar 27 by nrb1985 |
Bit of a simplistic take.
There is going to be no room for sentiment if future revenues are called into question by sponsors pulling out or a large portion of fans stop spending.
What happens to the valuation when those future revenues are called into question?
U.S. PE guys not exactly known for being sentimental on these kind of things. And the idea that they were sold by Ashton is a bit silly - they may have enjoyed his presentation but they will have dozens of analysts dispassionately doing the due diligence etc. |
This whole situation takes a lot of unfvcking.
There’s negative consequences to sacking or not sacking Ashton because there will be almost certainly be a backlash either way.
I wouldn’t rule out him staying to be honest but it will depend on the assessment of the investors as you say. I’d imagine also that if he does stay he might not stay as chairman and CEO as it does appear there’s been a serious governance issue here.
My principled take it is that he’s fvcked it and should own it but the club’s interest here is navigating the mess it’s in as cleanly as possible in the short term and effective governance so this never happens again.
I do worry about what sort of continuity plan the club has if it is jettisons Ashton. Is there a structure in place to run the club commercially and on the pitch that exists without him in the short term or will every decision need to be sent to America for sign off.
Whatever division we’re in during the summer there will be player transfers (quite a lot of them), we might very well need a new manager and there’s tonnes of other stuff.
It’s a really dangerous moment and I flip flop in my own mind as to what happens next but I think in the short term LE2 is right and he probably stays - but it might not be for that long and there needs to be an urgent look at the structure of the organisation to ensure resilience, a succession plan and immediate governance put in place on the CEO. [Post edited 27 Mar 9:03]
|  | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:03 - Mar 27 with 1372 views | CastroSito |
There is no way Mark Ashton should be allowed to resign
He should be sacked. | | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:03 - Mar 27 with 1364 views | Bobbychase |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:02 - Mar 27 by Horsham |
This whole situation takes a lot of unfvcking.
There’s negative consequences to sacking or not sacking Ashton because there will be almost certainly be a backlash either way.
I wouldn’t rule out him staying to be honest but it will depend on the assessment of the investors as you say. I’d imagine also that if he does stay he might not stay as chairman and CEO as it does appear there’s been a serious governance issue here.
My principled take it is that he’s fvcked it and should own it but the club’s interest here is navigating the mess it’s in as cleanly as possible in the short term and effective governance so this never happens again.
I do worry about what sort of continuity plan the club has if it is jettisons Ashton. Is there a structure in place to run the club commercially and on the pitch that exists without him in the short term or will every decision need to be sent to America for sign off.
Whatever division we’re in during the summer there will be player transfers (quite a lot of them), we might very well need a new manager and there’s tonnes of other stuff.
It’s a really dangerous moment and I flip flop in my own mind as to what happens next but I think in the short term LE2 is right and he probably stays - but it might not be for that long and there needs to be an urgent look at the structure of the organisation to ensure resilience, a succession plan and immediate governance put in place on the CEO. [Post edited 27 Mar 9:03]
|
As I said elsewhere, there is lots of money at stake here and on the pitch we are in the hunt for even more if we get promoted. Feels a bit grubby to be talking about the money but that is football. | |
| |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:04 - Mar 27 with 1346 views | homer_123 |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:01 - Mar 27 by Bobbychase |
He's undone all that work for SOME Town fans. Some don't feel that way. Others I have spoken to cannot believe there has been such a strong reaction. It's a microcosm of society as a whole, as football has always been. |
Of course, no issue there from me either. I would suspect that even for the hardened fans you talk of, some of the lustre and shine must surely have waned?
As an aside, I would argue that there comes a point where something is beyond our Club and even football. | |
| |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:05 - Mar 27 with 1328 views | le2blue |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:36 - Mar 27 by nrb1985 |
Bit of a simplistic take.
There is going to be no room for sentiment if future revenues are called into question by sponsors pulling out or a large portion of fans stop spending.
What happens to the valuation when those future revenues are called into question?
U.S. PE guys not exactly known for being sentimental on these kind of things. And the idea that they were sold by Ashton is a bit silly - they may have enjoyed his presentation but they will have dozens of analysts dispassionately doing the due diligence etc. |
Of course, they'll have done their due diligence, but knowing some of the investors and sponsors, I can guarantee you the reason for their trusting the pitch and journey was and is him and his team. You can also listen to Ed Schwartz and his take on Ashton at the last fan forum to gain an insight into their relationship.
Doesn't mean to say things may change, but I would suspect they won't, we will have a maeculpa, and they'll move on. | | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:06 - Mar 27 with 1309 views | Bobbychase |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:04 - Mar 27 by homer_123 |
Of course, no issue there from me either. I would suspect that even for the hardened fans you talk of, some of the lustre and shine must surely have waned?
As an aside, I would argue that there comes a point where something is beyond our Club and even football. |
Some are furious and think his time is up. Some think he can survive. Others are genuinely furious that this is even being debated but then their political sympathies are more Reform than anything else. | |
| |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:08 - Mar 27 with 1275 views | grow_our_own |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:53 - Mar 27 by Bobbychase |
I don't understand why people are turning this into "Ashton hired McKenna and didn't do anything else for us". It's just not true.
It is possible to say he has made a massive error of judgement on this one, but has also taken the club from a shabby, out-of-touch shadow of its former self to one of the best run outfits in the country with facilities to match. |
Other than KM, MA has underperformed overall. Cat 1 and improved training facilities were to be expected with our budget. When the stakes got higher and the landscape more competitive, his ability to build a scouting/research team and then negotiate in the transfer market was found wanting. | | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:10 - Mar 27 with 1224 views | Exiled2Surrey |
Best guess is that the owners decide to bring in a new Chairman to apply some balance.
As others have pointed out, he is not everyone's cup of tea, but he appears to be a decent enough operator, and he does have some credit in the bank, but this has all the hallmarks of a someone who has too little control being applied - more checks and balances are demonstrably required.
I don't know what the thinking was that led to him being appointed into the combined role in the first place, but you will only find out that it isn't working when the going gets rough, and its not working.
The issue may be that the person who did champion this combination of the roles no doubt has egg on her/his face, and is likely to be as egotistical as MA, so will need some persuasion to back down. | | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:12 - Mar 27 with 1205 views | Bobbychase |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:08 - Mar 27 by grow_our_own |
Other than KM, MA has underperformed overall. Cat 1 and improved training facilities were to be expected with our budget. When the stakes got higher and the landscape more competitive, his ability to build a scouting/research team and then negotiate in the transfer market was found wanting. |
More replica shirts sold than some Premier League teams? Oversaw more than 100 improvements to the stadium to make it fit for the premier league? Improvements to the training ground, the expansion of the foundation's work?
The Cat 1 stuff - "to be expected". People seem to think having rich backers makes everything simple and easy. It doesn't, you still need hardnosed people at the top to get things done.
We need to separate what Ashton HAS done, and not play it down, from this incident.
What is baffling for me is that a club whose media operation has been so slick for so long could make such an error of judgement. | |
| |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:13 - Mar 27 with 1191 views | LeoMuff |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:03 - Mar 27 by CastroSito |
There is no way Mark Ashton should be allowed to resign
He should be sacked. |
What if this lunch and tour was green lighted by the owners ? Then he is going nowhere.
If that was the case they will wait it out to blow over |  |
| |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:13 - Mar 27 with 1189 views | braveblue |
All assumption and no fact. | | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:13 - Mar 27 with 1187 views | nrb1985 |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:05 - Mar 27 by le2blue |
Of course, they'll have done their due diligence, but knowing some of the investors and sponsors, I can guarantee you the reason for their trusting the pitch and journey was and is him and his team. You can also listen to Ed Schwartz and his take on Ashton at the last fan forum to gain an insight into their relationship.
Doesn't mean to say things may change, but I would suspect they won't, we will have a maeculpa, and they'll move on. |
Not sure - think it’ll be down to brightpath more than ORG. ORG don’t need to worry about fund raising, Brightpath do.
And they may have issues with perception and raising money for their other funds and protecting the interests of the current LPs - IF they are seen to be watching over this SNAFU while valuations take a hit because they “like” MA.
Anecdotally, Clearlake are having a horrible time atm raising money for their other funds because the perception of the market is they’ve presided over such a cluster fck at Chelsea despite Chelsea being a tiny part of their overall portfolio. | | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:14 - Mar 27 with 1169 views | Horsham |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:06 - Mar 27 by Bobbychase |
Some are furious and think his time is up. Some think he can survive. Others are genuinely furious that this is even being debated but then their political sympathies are more Reform than anything else. |
Yep.
But ultimately this is all division that would obviously happen so the question is what the fvck was Ashton thinking when he set all this up. | | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:15 - Mar 27 with 1149 views | CastroSito |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:13 - Mar 27 by LeoMuff |
What if this lunch and tour was green lighted by the owners ? Then he is going nowhere.
If that was the case they will wait it out to blow over |
So because the owners ok'd the visit, he can just lie about it to us?
Nah. | | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:16 - Mar 27 with 1108 views | Bobbychase |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:13 - Mar 27 by nrb1985 |
Not sure - think it’ll be down to brightpath more than ORG. ORG don’t need to worry about fund raising, Brightpath do.
And they may have issues with perception and raising money for their other funds and protecting the interests of the current LPs - IF they are seen to be watching over this SNAFU while valuations take a hit because they “like” MA.
Anecdotally, Clearlake are having a horrible time atm raising money for their other funds because the perception of the market is they’ve presided over such a cluster fck at Chelsea despite Chelsea being a tiny part of their overall portfolio. |
The various funds have, so far, done spectacularly well out of ITFC - just look at the club's valuation from the L1 days to now. That is in part due to the double promotion, the immediate jump to the Premier League probably an unexpected bonus.
They will look at Ashton and set aside the politics and ask is he still their man, can he still run the club in a way that gives them a return on their investment. That's all they will consider. They have far more extreme politicians than Farage in the USA and they may even have investments linked to them. | |
| |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:17 - Mar 27 with 1098 views | tractorboy1978 |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 08:36 - Mar 27 by nrb1985 |
Bit of a simplistic take.
There is going to be no room for sentiment if future revenues are called into question by sponsors pulling out or a large portion of fans stop spending.
What happens to the valuation when those future revenues are called into question?
U.S. PE guys not exactly known for being sentimental on these kind of things. And the idea that they were sold by Ashton is a bit silly - they may have enjoyed his presentation but they will have dozens of analysts dispassionately doing the due diligence etc. |
A large portion of fans won't stop spending though. And I highly doubt most sponsors will pull out. If they did, there will be others willing to step into their place. If we get promoted revenues will go through the roof again irrespective of any fan/sponsor spending. | | | |
| Even if Ashton was a decent bloke on 09:17 - Mar 27 with 1077 views | pointofblue |
Thinking about it, surely there must be something in his contract about bringing the club into disrepute, which would negate most of not all of the bonuses and pay offs due? | |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
