| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? 16:20 - Jun 12 with 2773 views | ButchersBrokenNose |
The biggest challenge at our club right now is that Mark Ashton has no adult supervision. I was desperately hoping that the owners would appoint a chairman to replace Mike O'Leary this summer, but it appears that is not going to happen. I know some will say that the owners supervise him, but talking on the phone and coming over for quarterly board meetings is not the same as working in the same building, day in and day out.
I don't care about his politics, but I think Ashton's arrogance and his ego get him into trouble. He needs someone to rein him in. Our success in the upcoming season will be dependent on who he recruits as the new manager, and what deals he can broker for new players. In effect, he is the decisive point for our survival in the Premier League. I am not confident he can do that on his own.
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:21 - Jun 12 with 2110 views | J2BLUE |
Apart from the owners...
People need to stop looking for a stick to beat Ashton with. It's pathetic. |  | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:21 - Jun 12 with 2097 views | blueoutlook |
Is the Pope a Catholic?! |  | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:26 - Jun 12 with 2047 views | Nutkins_Return |
His bosses were here this week.
He's an annoying man at times (and could have lost his job for his most recent stupidity) but on the whole he is and has done a good job.
Our biggest challenge is not having a manager at the moment followed quickly by us being in the premier league (which however you want to manipulate it is due in part to Ashton's work). |  |
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:27 - Jun 12 with 2040 views | Churchman |
He’s got a boss. The owners and their Board and in particular Schwartz. He is accountable for the day to day running of the football club and I’m not sure CEOs have day to day ‘adult supervision’, like a clerk in a post room.
It seems to have worked by and large pretty well since 2021. |  | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:41 - Jun 12 with 1921 views | ipswichtillidie |
Some people are just never happy. |  |
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:43 - Jun 12 with 1913 views | dirtyboy |
If you think Mark Ashton has carte blanche to do whatever he pleases, I'm sorry, but you're very mistaken.
The ownership group are his bosses, he clearly has significant influence, but the owners will give him as much or as little control over certain areas as they are comfortable doing.
He won't be setting budgets for a start, he'll be working within parameters given to him, so if a player is too expensive, he can't just simply decide to up the budget, he has to move on.
He won't likely even be fully responsible for the next manager appointment, but as I say, he'll be responsible for presenting the owners with options, they'll have an opinion, perhaps let Mark know they're happy with A, B or C out of A-G options and Mark gets final say.
There's simply no way he can control all facets of the club without delegating roles and then they come back to him and he'll have to report back.
I think the owners, from past readings, are pretty chill on many areas and allow him to get on with the job for the most part, but when you're talking Premier League money instead of Champ/L1, they'll keep a much closer eye on things.
From their point of view, they'll look at the performance and be incredibly happy.
Are there miss-haps along the way, of course, look at West Ham....pretty minor compared to that....even Ratcliffe at United.
I think many fans were rightly for them, unhappy with the whole political mistake and then another with not owning it correctly. Fact is, I don't think we'll see that happen again. He's not done a great deal wrong in making this a lovely club to support again otherwise. |  | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:53 - Jun 12 with 1833 views | franz_tyson |
"I don't care about his politics,"
Yes, you do. That's why you and a few others are on his case all the time. I think some of you need adult supervision. Getting ridiculous. [Post edited 12 Jun 16:55]
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:58 - Jun 12 with 1785 views | Scuzzer |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:21 - Jun 12 by blueoutlook |
Is the Pope a Catholic?! |
That's debatable as well... |  |
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:58 - Jun 12 with 1784 views | Scuzzer |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 16:21 - Jun 12 by J2BLUE |
Apart from the owners...
People need to stop looking for a stick to beat Ashton with. It's pathetic. |
Absolutely. | |
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 17:02 - Jun 12 with 1755 views | bluebud |
He'll have one when he's Minister for Sport |  | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 17:03 - Jun 12 with 1764 views | BloomBlue |
You obviously don't understand how modern ownership works. The owners aren't wet behind the ears, how do you think they've achieved success?
They will have the balances and checks. You also need to look at the facts, Ashton has delivered them success, we reached the PL ahead of schedule, yes we suffered relegation, but we're back in the PL - that record speaks for itself. |  | | |
| It is good corporate governance to have.... on 17:16 - Jun 12 with 1680 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
.....a separate CEO and Chairman.
A chairman is needed, but more as a sounding board than a boss.
And to help avoid moronic f**k ups like the farage debacle. |  |
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 17:25 - Jun 12 with 1610 views | darkhorse28 |
This.
Ashton now has to consult the board before the Lind of thing that happened. But bizarre that he didn’t previously…, oversight has been a huge issue - on the footballing side. Our recruitment without resources was good under Cook and Ashton and poor as soon as Ashton had money and success.
He needs not be the only football voice in the room with executive decision making responsibilities, it’s never healthy.
A director of football, or just separate his roles, they aren’t combined anywhere else at this level for a reason, it’s such a different role to in the EFL, and getting him to let any control go, I think will be impossible. It makes us weaker. | | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 17:27 - Jun 12 with 1602 views | GlasgowBlue |
Does TWTD need another "Does Mark Ashton need a boss" thread? |  |
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 17:31 - Jun 12 with 1584 views | mistert |
This really isn't the biggest challenge at the club. Either the ownership trust Ashton to do the job or not and if they don't they won't hang about. He's got enough sounding boards I'm sure and a Chairman isn't going to micromanage him. I don't think having a Chairman would have stopped Faragegate. |  | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 17:39 - Jun 12 with 1525 views | Benters |
Oh please just do one will you. |  |
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 17:41 - Jun 12 with 1518 views | DarkBrandon |
A chairman like O’Leary wouldn’t be a full time position at the club day-in day-out.
That said having someone in the UK in such a role could well be beneficial |  | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 17:54 - Jun 12 with 1467 views | davblue |
Listening to David Sheepshanks on the Blue Monday podcast I feel he’d be an ideal Chairman for us and Ashton on the face of it.
Of course they might not get on or work together but I feel like Sheepshanks would be a good sounding board. |  | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 18:26 - Jun 12 with 1345 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 17:41 - Jun 12 by DarkBrandon |
A chairman like O’Leary wouldn’t be a full time position at the club day-in day-out.
That said having someone in the UK in such a role could well be beneficial |
It would obviously be beneficial and is standard practice in most organisation and certainly all large ones. It’s daft that we don’t and that’s got nothing to do to do with Ashton needing anything as the OP suggests. It’s simply good corporate governance. |  |
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 18:28 - Jun 12 with 1337 views | megnuts |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 17:54 - Jun 12 by davblue |
Listening to David Sheepshanks on the Blue Monday podcast I feel he’d be an ideal Chairman for us and Ashton on the face of it.
Of course they might not get on or work together but I feel like Sheepshanks would be a good sounding board. |
The same David Sheepshanks that chaired the club through the decisions that led to administration? Makes sense.
This hate that gets sent Ashton’s way is bizarre to me. Though I totally appreciate he has characteristics that can rub people up the wrong way. He’s done a very good job for us. Farage aside and all that. |  | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 18:40 - Jun 12 with 1278 views | Mullet |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 18:28 - Jun 12 by megnuts |
The same David Sheepshanks that chaired the club through the decisions that led to administration? Makes sense.
This hate that gets sent Ashton’s way is bizarre to me. Though I totally appreciate he has characteristics that can rub people up the wrong way. He’s done a very good job for us. Farage aside and all that. |
“Farage aside and that” is doing some Olympic lifting there.
He should have gone, in any other similar job he would have. I don’t think the OP is right though, he needs to separate his roles and we go back to having the roles we had initially with Mike O’Leary here.
Ashton definitely needs a mentor and someone to rein him in. But ultimately the way the club is currently structured and the fact that he is last man standing from the gamechanger era is concerning. |  |
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 18:50 - Jun 12 with 1238 views | megnuts |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 18:40 - Jun 12 by Mullet |
“Farage aside and that” is doing some Olympic lifting there.
He should have gone, in any other similar job he would have. I don’t think the OP is right though, he needs to separate his roles and we go back to having the roles we had initially with Mike O’Leary here.
Ashton definitely needs a mentor and someone to rein him in. But ultimately the way the club is currently structured and the fact that he is last man standing from the gamechanger era is concerning. |
“Farage aside” probably wasn’t the best wording, because I’m not trying to minimise it. The Farage situation was a huge error of judgement and I completely understand why people saw it as a serious governance and reputational issue, not just a bit of bad PR.
What I was trying to separate is that from his footballing work at Ipswich, where I do think Ashton has done very well. The club has gone from drifting badly to being structured, ambitious and successful on the pitch, and he has clearly played a major part in that. With decisions he has had to make.
The Farage incident deserved serious criticism and should have raised questions about judgement and oversight. But in footballing terms, Ashton’s tenure here has still been a very successful one. So the hate he continues to get just doesn’t make sense.
That’s why I don’t really buy the idea that the answer is simply “he should go”.
And if Gamechanger, board, whoever who has the power felt he wasn’t right for the role(s), he wouldn’t be doing them. | | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 18:51 - Jun 12 with 1231 views | bartyg |
A lot of people being emotive in this thread, not many people who understand corporate governance.. |  |
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| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 18:58 - Jun 12 with 1175 views | davblue |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 18:28 - Jun 12 by megnuts |
The same David Sheepshanks that chaired the club through the decisions that led to administration? Makes sense.
This hate that gets sent Ashton’s way is bizarre to me. Though I totally appreciate he has characteristics that can rub people up the wrong way. He’s done a very good job for us. Farage aside and all that. |
Yeah, and I bet you backed to decision to extend the stadium, hindsight is a wonderful thing, he done far more rights than wrongs and if you were worried about him making big decisions that wouldn’t be the role. | | | |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 19:04 - Jun 12 with 1109 views | Mullet |
| Does Mark Ashton need a boss? on 18:50 - Jun 12 by megnuts |
“Farage aside” probably wasn’t the best wording, because I’m not trying to minimise it. The Farage situation was a huge error of judgement and I completely understand why people saw it as a serious governance and reputational issue, not just a bit of bad PR.
What I was trying to separate is that from his footballing work at Ipswich, where I do think Ashton has done very well. The club has gone from drifting badly to being structured, ambitious and successful on the pitch, and he has clearly played a major part in that. With decisions he has had to make.
The Farage incident deserved serious criticism and should have raised questions about judgement and oversight. But in footballing terms, Ashton’s tenure here has still been a very successful one. So the hate he continues to get just doesn’t make sense.
That’s why I don’t really buy the idea that the answer is simply “he should go”.
And if Gamechanger, board, whoever who has the power felt he wasn’t right for the role(s), he wouldn’t be doing them. |
You can’t really separate his “footballing work” from it though. The jobs he’s doing means it’s impossible. His disdain and treatment for Blue Action whilst happily using them to promote the good times is a good example of what I’m talking about.
It exposed not necessarily character flaws, but issues which show how he can’t do both roles. Likewise, the inability to oversee better recruitment and the fact we had issues on and off the pitch means you have to praise and criticise in equal measure.
Had we not gone up then I suspect the calls would be louder. The lack of integrity amongst the fanbase has probably saved him. If the owners were less ignorant of the politics and the backlash wasn’t so aggressively suppressed by people I suspect they’d have sacked him. | |
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