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MacAnthony: Ashton's Not Going to Be Offering Stupid Wages
Wednesday, 3rd Aug 2022 11:22

Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony says Town won’t be throwing around stupid wages this summer and has revealed a conversation he had with Blues CEO Mark Ashton earlier in the summer.

MacAnthony says he hadn’t spoken to Ashton for a while until earlier in the close season while they were both on holiday.

He says they discussed agents linking the Blues and other bigger League One clubs with players, Posh midfielder Jack Taylor having been among those mentioned in connection with Town.

“When I was in Dubai, I spoke to Mark Ashton, he was in Croatia, and we had a really good conversation, I hadn’t spoken to him since he was at Bristol City and now he’s at Ipswich,” MacAnthony told his The Hard Truth podcast.

“He said to be on the phone, he said ‘Darragh, do me a favour, we’re getting the agents playing their usual game, Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday are in for the same player’.

“I said, ‘Of course Mark, every year you get a couple of clubs who are spending money allegedly and the agents will try and use that against you’.

“He said, ‘Next time you get one, let’s do a three-way call and we can blow the f… out of the water’. I was like, ‘Love that, absolutely’.

“And I believe him. Everyone’s out there saying Ipswich are throwing around stupid wages and whatever else. He’s not a mug, he’s not going to run a football club badly and he’s not going to be offering players twice what they’re actually worth.

“That’s the s*** that gets out there and I’m sure it pisses Ipswich fans off, everyone saying they’re spending loads of money.

“They’re doing things their way, and don’t forget they’ve a massive fanbase. They spent a million quid on a left-back [Leif Davis from Leeds] but what people don’t understand is they probably made £2.5-£3 million [sic] from the Flynn Downes sale from the sell-on when he went from Swansea to West Ham, and they’re doing things sensibly.

“Them spending that kind of money on a left-back they see as having a lot of upside, and he won’t be on the stupid wages everyone says, they’ll be sensible. It’s a well-run football club.”


Photo: Action Images



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iaintaylorx added 11:29 - Aug 3
This guy is so vocal on social media, but I have a lot of time for things he says. Sometimes he comes across a bit of an idiot, but I respect this and this is very classy from him! Now, what does he want?🤣
20

Bradleyblue89 added 11:29 - Aug 3
First time I've actually heard the guy talk sense. I'm sick of talking to my mates who support other clubs and and who read the media's part time reporters who know very little about how our club is run..
5

Veggie added 11:32 - Aug 3
Dubai. Shock.
4

ArnieM added 11:36 - Aug 3
First time MacAnthony has ever said anything credible!

But what he and Ashton are talking about re agents, I'd say that barsteward at Pompey,( Cowley) is equally as bad as these agents. He's constantly talking about our Clubs spending . He needs to shut his trap or at least get his facts right .
11

Robert_Garrett added 11:43 - Aug 3
The proof of the pudding is getting points on the board and if anybody can unsettle that then they will. Agents and Money is a just a way of saying "We admire what you are achieving BUT we cant afford to invest that amount in the future so we are doing oúr best to prick the balloon!" Nuff said?
0

NthQldITFC added 11:59 - Aug 3
Good of Mac Antony to Caesar moment to shut up that Pompey idiot!
1

JewellintheTown added 12:03 - Aug 3
Puzzling question is, why is MacAnthony doing a podcast revealing what he's saying is going on with our club and people at ITFC and behind the scenes conversations?
Don't think that's any of his business to share, personally, unless he thinks he's got a tactical reason to do it.
He's not saying anything we don't already know either, but putting it out there about another club seems a bit odd to me.
2

tractorboybig added 12:12 - Aug 3
jewellinthetown
may be ashton wants it so you lot dont get to over optimistic
1

Dog added 12:13 - Aug 3
Did Simpson get discussed??
0

pennblue added 12:28 - Aug 3
MacAnthony has a got a big mouth. He seems a fairly straight up bloke though, and you can't knock him for that. Just don't tell him anything you don't want getting out into public!
1

Ipswichbusiness added 12:29 - Aug 3
Receiving money from the Flynn Downes deal is something of a mixed blessing because all the other clubs will know about it and put up prices for their players accordingly. Hopefully, Mr Ashton is tough enough to say no.

Insofar as George Hirst is concerned, I keep reading that Leicester have financial problems as they want to restructure their squad, but are banging up against FFP limits. With luck that means that they should be keen to sell him.
1

ArnieM added 12:53 - Aug 3
I've heard Hirst is WBA bound and unlikely to be here. I suppose if any championship club comes in for him or higher he's not going to us a second look is he.
0

itsonlyme added 13:26 - Aug 3
I've a lot of time for Macanthony - he says things how he sees it and he he is usually proved right. We all w agents are the biggest problem in football - it's a shame the players aren't clever enough to look after their own career. Hey ho!
1

Monkey_Blue added 13:40 - Aug 3
Whilst I appreciate what he's saying let's not forget he's never been shy of playing “games” publicly to drive up the price on players peterboro want to flog. That's not a bad thing for a club but it's no different to what agents are doing. He wants the highest price for his player sales and agents as it should be want the best deal for their clients.
2

OldFart71 added 13:48 - Aug 3
It baffles me why players need agents. Nobody else who goes for a job says I'll settle for £25,000 a year but you'll have to give this geezer £5,000 of it. Can't they talk for themselves ? They have a few hours a day training, maybe a day's travel then a night in a hotel before a match day. Not like your average bloke/woman who has to juggle a fulltime job and then come home, have tea, catch up on the emails, pay a few bills maybe. Run kids to the cinema or swimming pool etc, etc. Yes I know many have kids, many don't and whilst they are running about in their Beemers or Mercs, that is if they have been done for drink driving and have a chauffer and are on the mobile what else apart from wasting a few thousand on the nags do they have to do and please don't take this as every footballer is like this. But we all know or have known many are.
-3

HARRY10 added 14:19 - Aug 3
Contracts involve an awful lot of legal stuff, more so now given all the implications......bonuses, image rights, sackable offences etc. An agent will certainly negotiate a far higher fee than ever a player on his own would. So ultimately is the CLUB paying the agent. Agents usually act as a third party, so as to avoid accusations of 'tapping up'.
2

idmcd added 14:55 - Aug 3
OldFart71, actually, you are wrong; most UK jobs are today filled via agencies (apart from posts at the JobCebtre level). And those agants do exactly the same thing when they put forward a suitable candidate, and try to squeeze the best salary out of the employer (because the agents fee is usually a percentage of the salary). So the real world is no different to football.
2

Essexnblue added 14:59 - Aug 3
Looks like it was Bakinsons agent and Sheffield Wednesday beat us on wages via his agent, not disappointed.
1

Bazza8564 added 14:59 - Aug 3
Agents are a necessity! Sad but true. A lot of players wouldnt know one end of a contract from another and they would get shafted without them.
However, they are also egotistical narcissists who frankly need to hold their own lane and stop playing silly b*ggers!
As for Macanthony, i see absolutely no harm at all in what he has said, hes just setting the record straight and adding a bit of balance to the daft rumors going around the game, and the things he has said about MA and the club are quite flattering. Its quite nice to actually have a comment about our club from another that seeks nothing more than truth
3

OliveR16 added 15:11 - Aug 3
Can't see any difference from the regular practice of Estate Agents - "We've had lots of enquiries about that house" etc.
0

HARRY10 added 15:42 - Aug 3
the difference is estate agent are just worthless parasites, for the gullible. You can sell your house without them.

Irrespective of the time a footballer may or may not have, they are not well versed in contract law.

While you would expect to use a solicitor to draw up a relatively simple contract for a house sale (£200,000), yet some expect a player to draft and sign a more complex contract worth £3m and upward.

Much of agents work is 'tapping up' players, then the club - leaving the buying club with clean hands if it doesn't work out, or the selling club complains

'nuffin to do wiv us, guv' states the buying club CEO.
0

wewerefamous added 17:03 - Aug 3
MacAnthony is so unprofessional.

To repeat what was clearly a confidential conversation between 2 senior people is totally unacceptable. I would think Mark Ashton will be totally pi**ed off that he's repeated this… assuming the conversation took place in the first place of course!

5

Cloddyseedbed added 17:45 - Aug 3
He shouldn't be discussing other peoples business and personal conversations between him and others, not professional.
4

LegendofthePhoenix added 18:03 - Aug 3
The timing of this is the most intriguing aspect - less than 24 hours after Celina has signed for Kasimpasa.
1

Tractor_Boy_in_HK added 06:00 - Aug 4
I like MacAnthony, he can be a bit too direct and sound silly at times, but I appreciate his candor and he's almost always been complimentary of us.
0


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