Why former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley could be the right man to save Sheffield Wednesday
Alan Biggs on the man who could save Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday fans are way past the stage of “better the devil you know” or “be careful what you wish for.”
As long as it’s not Dejphon Chansiri owning the club, they’ll worry about any consequences later.
But here’s a name to put forward as devil’s advocate - Mike Ashley.
Newcastle United supporters might call Ashley the devil incarnate; they’ll think this is mad.
Certainly, he wouldn’t be anyone’s preferred choice for Owls owner. Much better someone with his heart in football and, ideally, this club.
But maybe he wouldn’t be the worst one either - amid lingering suspicion that Ashley is among those waiting until the eleventh hour for a rock bottom purchase.
With Chansiri facing a critical £7.3m loan repayment on Hillsborough, you wonder if Ashley might try to buy the ground as he did with Coventry (before selling it back)? If he did, might he then aim to buy the club?
What woould Mike Ashley bring to Sheffield Wednesday?
Ashley’s apparent lack of interest in, and passion for, football is unattractive, something a fanatical Geordie crowd simply couldn’t abide.
However, in some positive ways he appears to be the exact opposite of Chansiri;-
* Puts professionals in key positions to run the operation for him.
* Stands well clear and doesn’t interfere.
* And crucially also sets budgets for his operatives to work to.
These are things unheard of in Chansiri’s dictatorial reign. After his money ran out, the Thai’s lack of a plan and structure was completely exposed.
Ashley’s Newcastle didn’t exactly set the world alight but they didn’t burn up either. A secure club was his legacy.
Managers looking in from the outside have told me they’d work for a man like him, generally supportive and letting people know where they stand.
Ok, here’s the negatives. Criticism of a lack of communication with fans. Now that one has an all too familiar ring.
MORE: Dejphon Chansiri offering gold again in funds bid - Sheffield Wednesday takeover seems distant
Lacking ambition, running the club as a business (well, you can’t go all in on that one).
It’s true that during his 14 years at Newcastle up to 2021, the club were relegated twice but they came back quickly as an established Premier League outfit.
Ashley is not the perfect fit
Ashley is not perfect by any means and several of his big-name bosses left in frustration, largely because they felt they didn’t have the resources to match sky high, some would say, unrealistic fan expectations.
But Wednesday’s immediate need is for someone to steady the ship, actually to run it as a business.
This would echo the Milan Mandaric rescue, while never promising anything more than stability. Mandaric then sold the club for a healthy profit; proof that regeneration had been achieved.
Right now, you’d take a repeat of that. So for me, maybe controversially, Ashley would not be the worst option.
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