Mark Ashton - Opinions

[Lrrr]

9 hours ago, Davefevs said:

There’s no way we would’ve sold Kodjia, Bryan, Reid, Flint, Webster or Brownhill for a pittance.  He may have eked out some millions and deserve credit for that.

But if he’s also “forced” millions of pounds of inadequate players on us, that equally as bad as good stuff is good.

From the outside looking in and having looked at his background / career, his other businesses, colleagues etc, I get an impression that gives me concerns...and have done for a while.

This appointment is his biggest call.

The situation that stuck out in my mind was the Maynard saga, if Ashton were here at the time I think we'd have sold him in the summer and gotten more than Leicester's rumoured £6m bid. 

[Phileas Fogg]

1 hour ago, Blackbird1 said:

05? And there's me thinking you have been around the club for many decades. I have seen it all, way back to before Fred Ford, and I can tell you this is so typical of BCFC, it is so typical that I just accept it, like the acceptance this club just can't go that extra mile that has been the monkey on our back for too long.

   

That's a compliment I suppose! I haven't been around the club nearly as long as you, but if we appoint Holden it does feel an awful lot like the Coppell/Millen situation except without the big name manager being appointed in the first place. 

[tunnie12345]

I think we need to face up to the fact that our "project" is just not that attractive to future managers or players...  Let's be honest how many managers or players honestly think they will be at a club for the next 5 years?

It's a short career for players. Do they really want to commit 5 years of their career to a project that may or may not be successful? 

 

If we end up with Holden, added to the whole Nketia debacle then I feel he should jog on! 

[AshtonRobin21]

Apologies in advance for what is going to be another negative thread. 

I've been on the fence in regards to Mark Ashton for quite some time. I'll give credit to his ability to get a decent fee for players we have sold. However the further you look into how that money has been reinvested, big doubts start to creep in. 

Now add in the circus that we currently find ourselves in (with no communication from the club at all). I feel that MA has too much power, so much so that this is starting to look like the point in which we will regress. 

The head coach situation has been nothing short of a disgrace. The only correspondence we have received as fans was at the very start of the search. At which time MA came across as very arrogant stating he had "received applications from all over the footballing world". 

However, fast forward 4 and a half weeks and we look set to appoint Dean Holden. I respect Dean, I feel he is a good assistant and is likely to have some characteristics that could forge a career as a manager, but he is not the right candidate for where we currently are. It is nothing short of being considered a huge risk. 

He has not come across well at all during this interviewing process in my opinion. Yes finances may be difficult currently but the club knew this before parting ways with LJ. He openly told fans that the level of applicants stretched right across Europe and other parts of the world. So I would love to know what went so wrong that after a 4 and a half week search we end up appointing the man already in temporary control. Shambles! 

Mark Ashton, SL and JL have continuously spouted about the next step being us pushing for promotion. The press has repeatedly reported that the likes of Hughton, Cook and foreign candidates being interested in the job. Then we reportedly offered Gerrard 50K a week to join us. But instead we look to take a cheap option and in all likeliness an easy YES option. 

I'm interested to see everyone's opinions on Mark Ashton, and if others feel the same as me...

that his ego and reluctance to relinquish power to managers that have previously been successful by working their own  way, is going to stop us from progressing any further in the short term future. 

[Rossi the Robin]

Option 4 

[big dosser]

mark ashton first class overated tosser

[bristolcitysweden]

Should have been gone with LJ

[chinapig]

The fault ultimately lies with SL for giving one man so much power over the entire operation. Especially one who is not qualified on the football side.

[Midred]

Could we retitle 'Otib' as 'Loose Men (and women)?

[Roger Red Hat]

1 minute ago, chinapig said:

Especially one who is not qualified on the football side.

I keep seeing people posting this. Why? What qualifications does he need? City & Guilds?

I'm not pro or anti MA.

[Red-Robbo]

1 minute ago, Midred said:

Could we retitle 'Otib' as 'Loose Men (and women)?

I'm worried that next season we might be "lose" men.  

Seriously, if Ashton is the reason we couldn't attract a better manager than Dean Holden then he can f- right off. No matter how much money he's made from player trading. 

[Red Army 75]

1 minute ago, Badger08 said:

You're a first class overrated tosser. 

And so is your mum

Calm down.

 

Out of order 

[Philly The Kid]

With all due respect, you're asking the same questions and asking for the same answers as have already been offered in 150 odd pages on the CH thread and numerous pages on AN, DH and other threads. Don't really see how starting another thread alleviates the frustration we all feel! 

[supercidered]

6 minutes ago, forestofdean said:

mark ashton first class overated tosser

I can't stand it when people sit on the fence.

[Port Said Red]

1 minute ago, Red-Robbo said:

I'm worried that next season we might be "lose" men.  

Seriously, if Ashton is the reason we couldn't attract a better manager than Dean Holden then he can f- right off. No matter how much money he's made from player trading. 

% of evidence to back any of that post = 0

[awbb]

Possibly worth a merge of some sort as there were opinions offered on this earlier:

 

 

It's extremely disturbing to be faced by a rather large visage of SO'D here.

[bristolcitysweden]

What people don't understand is that thanks to Ashton we got a squad no decent manager is willing to work with and MA can't tell Steve a total clear out is what is needed.

[Matthew me]

4 minutes ago, Badger08 said:

You're a first class overrated tosser. 

And so is your mum

Calm down.

 

Woahhhh that's too much 

[Portland Bill]

9 minutes ago, AshtonRobin21 said:

Apologies in advance for what is going to be another negative thread. 

I've been on the fence in regards to Mark Ashton for quite some time. I'll give credit to his ability to get a decent fee for players we have sold. However the further you look into how that money has been reinvested, big doubts start to creep in. 

Now add in the circus that we currently find ourselves in (with no communication from the club at all). I feel that MA has too much power, so much so that this is starting to look like the point in which we will regress. 

The head coach situation has been nothing short of a disgrace. The only correspondence we have received as fans was at the very start of the search. At which time MA came across as very arrogant stating he had "received applications from all over the footballing world". 

However, fast forward 4 and a half weeks and we look set to appoint Dean Holden. I respect Dean, I feel he is a good assistant and is likely to have some characteristics that could forge a career as a manager, but he is not the right candidate for where we currently are. It is nothing short of being considered a huge risk. 

He has not come across well at all during this interviewing process in my opinion. Yes finances may be difficult currently but the club knew this before parting ways with LJ. He openly told fans that the level of applicants stretched right across Europe and other parts of the world. So I would love to know what went so wrong that after a 4 and a half week search we end up appointing the man already in temporary control. Shambles! 

Mark Ashton, SL and JL have continuously spouted about the next step being us pushing for promotion. The press has repeatedly reported that the likes of Hughton, Cook and foreign candidates being interested in the job. Then we reportedly offered Gerrard 50K a week to join us. But instead we look to take a cheap option and in all likeliness an easy YES option. 

I'm interested to see everyone's opinions on Mark Ashton, and if others feel the same as me...

that his ego and reluctance to relinquish power to managers that have previously been successful by working their own  way, is going to stop us from progressing any further in the short term future. 

Not trying to be funny, but is there anything factual in your post, or do you believe every bit of gossip on here, or in the press.

Chill out, we will get a new manager in time, just be patient.

[tts_city]

[BrizzleRed]

A bit early to lay into the bloke at the moment, but I agree with the OP and have some serious.concerns about MA.  

If the worrying noises about us being close to appointing Dean Holden prove to be true, those concerns will be confirmed load and clear.

[Red-Robbo]

1 minute ago, Port Said Red said:

% of evidence to back any of that post = 0

Which is why I said "if".

However, Holden is a seriously uninspiring choice to make if you've interviewed some of the exciting names being mentioned.  If he's appointed, I'll feel relieved if we make 12th next season.

[chinapig]

Just now, Roger Red Hat said:

I keep seeing people posting this. Why? What qualifications does he need? City & Guilds?

I'm not pro or anti MA.

He is in charge of recruitment, the analysts work to him, as does the Head Coach.

He is not qualified by experience to do any of that. Yet he we have no DoF and he keeps firing Chief Scouts.That seems to tell its own story.

 

[CotterillsArmy2]

This appt would strike me as aimed to consolidate Mark Ashtons power rather than support BCFC becoming a prem side.

[Matthew me]

I think he's done a piss poor job to be perfectly honest. Backed LJ for too long and now takes more than a month to find our new man

Shows his face when it suits.... Goes missing when it's going wrong 

Really don't have a good vibe. He doesn't connect with our fans. He's remote and too distant 

That said, I don't think he deserves some of the bile he gets on here

He's just not done a great job

[sephjnr]

If it were announced that Holden was the man straight off the bat then there'd be a lot less blowback; it's been this long with this level of promise since then it would be a real setback in our ambitions. And GMG is being quite kind to the club that he seems to not get why people would think blaming COVID for the delays would be a copout.

[Matthew me]

1 minute ago, Badger08 said:

You're proving my point exactly. 

It's exactly the same thing. He's abusing someone else, but it's different when it happens to him. 

Makes you think, eh. 

Got to be better ways to prove a point. Insults about someone's parents is not needed. In my opinion

[SimonL]

An interesting read. 
 

https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/3995357.oliver-phillips-reflects-on-the-departure-of-mark-ashton-from-watford/

[AshtonRobin21]

3 minutes ago, Portland Bill said:

Not trying to be funny, but is there anything factual in your post, or do you believe every bit of gossip on here, or in the press.

Chill out, we will get a new manager in time, just be patient.

MA came out publicly at the start of the process of identifying our next manager and stated that the "the phone started ringing with candidates from across the globe" where has it gone so wrong that we now look set to employ from within. 

Have a search online for an artificial highlighting Ashton's time at Watford. May open your eyes a little to how he likes to operate. 

I have praised his ability to negotiate good fees for departing players. However have we seen that money reinvested well? My opinion would be no.

The topic title states opinion. I have simply shared mine. 

[Lack of Action Man]

He never came across in the media as making a good impression for me. Far too eager to blow his own trumpet when things are rosy, but goes MIA when shit hits the fan. I'd like to think that when that happens it means he's working hard behind the scenes, but either way it didn't come across well for me.

Far too much corporate bullshit, not enough action for me.