Ashley: I Want To Bring Success Back To United

[Lidl]

He looked like he really cared during the game as well. That celebration at the end was definitely not fake.

[Jaiston]

He looked like he really cared during the game as well. That celebration at the end was definitely not fake.

The club just secured another incredibly profitable season in the premier league, of course his celebration would be genuine.

[bodacious benny]

I'm still happy to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's not an actor and can't fake what seemed like a genuine interview and reaction.

[Don Sholeone]

It annoys me that its taken him this long, but I'm glad he has finally spoken out.

I'll give the club till the end of the window before I judge the sincerity of this, after all actions speak louder than words.

[JLawls91]

I'm still happy to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's not an actor and can't fake what seemed like a genuine interview and reaction.

He had a part in one of the Goal films you're forgetting

[Colly]

f*** off BK!

[seatonsluicetoon]

I'm still happy to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's not an actor and can't fake what seemed like a genuine interview and reaction.

He had a part in one of the Goal films you're forgetting

Did he?!!

[seatonsluicetoon]

Definitely seemed genuine to me. I flicked on the build up just as he started his interview, and was quite shocked when I saw him appear on the screen. As someone else mentioned, it was very clear he was well out of his comfort zone. Perhaps should have done something like this a while ago, but clearly not something he likes doing. Don't like the guy or some of his practises, but fair play to him for this. I just hope it all comes to fruition as it sounds really rather peachy.

Someone else also mentioned about his reactions during the game. He did genuinely seem proper up for the match. When someone came close, he was head in his hands, when Sissoko scored he was ecstatic. Mirroring emotions all over the stadium. I really hope this could be the turning point.

That's because those chances being missed or taken was the difference between literally hundreds of millions of pounds of his money.

[L8RS]

People saying he cared.. staying up saved him money and earned him it too.. of course he f***ing cared.

[Lidl]

Can't we just be allowed to be optimistic for the first time in a year? <grim>

[dls]

We can be optimistic for about a day until Carver is confirmed as manager, then normal service resumes.

[Chappy]

I'm not buyin any of it until he actually does sumat. Gonna take more than an interview to win me over you fat cronut.

[Cabella's Invincible Hair nli]

Obviously no one trusts the fat fan, but surely this gives cause for some optimism? Of course the financial side is a big motivator, no one will disagree with that. I've been a big dissenter so far as Ashley is concerned, and still am. I hugely disagree with the way he has run our club.

Yet for the first time he has admitted to mistakes, taken blame, and promised to fuel ambition. If there was ever any vain hope in the Ashley regime, then it is now.

[Murphy's Marvellous Grin]

Obviously no one trusts the fat man, but surely this gives cause for some optimism? Of course the financial side is a big motivator, no one will disagree with that. I've been a big dissenter so far as Ashley is concerned, and still am. I hugely disagree with the way he has run our club.

Yet for the first time he has admitted to mistakes, taken blame, and promised to fuel ambition. If there was ever any vain hope in the Ashley regime, then it is now.

[Chappy]

His words are wind - we've been lied to too many times before. Like I said - until sumat does happen, i.e. spending money on players - and by that I mean not just cheap foreign imports, and not refusing to match demands of the selling clubs and appointing a decent manager we can have confidence in etc etc - then I'm not believing owt he says.

I wouldn't be surprised if he did the interview in attempt to just get the fans off his back and focus more on supporting the team and to try and discourage the protest organised for after the game.

[Matthieu]

It isn't difficult lads.

He's got money invested, he'd like to not lose it.

When it comes to football, he has nothing to do with it, he clearly points that out.

He owns something, bought with a lot of money, and wants a profit off it.

who's to blame him?

We're not losing games because of Mike Ashley, we're losing games because a lot of the players are f***ing terrible.

I applaud him for going in front of the camera

Screw your heads on, he runs a mean business, and football clubs are just that, don't kid yourself.

[Matthieu]

He's probably as mad as anyone.

He's hired a staff and purchased players and they have, with a few exceptions, not returned on the investment.

We should be in his camp for all i'm concerned, he's tossed funny money into stuff like Gouffran, Anita, Sissoko, etc... and they are driving their way to the bank with his money in lamborghini's.

Ashley isn't the problem, he's got the funds, that's all he is, and he rightfully admits that]]

The problem is our awful coaches and players.

That's what needs changing, not the owner.

[Holystone...]

Shearer summed things well on MOTD.We went two windows without buying anyone ( remember we were fed the bringing forward of purchases after that fateful Reading game). Stop selling best players only to replace them with inferior ones, back a decent manager.

[L8RS]

Further on from what I said earlier.. The interviewer.. David Craig.. His PR guy is also Bishop.

[Ol' Dirty Bas Dost]

Ashley could do worse than getting Nicola Cortese in instead of Penfold, just for starters. The quote from him on Wikipedia makes me feel like he'd be a good fit with Ashley...

Clubs spend money they do not have; they spend next year’s income. They spend money that will not arrive for two years and say, "But we'll have some success and bring in more cash to cover the shortfall". It cannot be sustained. In good times you need to be saving money for the bad times. If we reach the Premier League, I would like to be in a position where we did not need parachute payments. In good years you should put money away for the bad years.

Besides that, I personally don't have a problem with us turning a profit. But surely if we're in that position, we could look at setting up some kind of repayment plan on the loan Ashley has over us, say £10m a year, which would set us up for the long term while allowing us to climb the table and sustain a decent cup run every year, maybe even win some silverware.