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Mark Ashton


Alan Dicks

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Was perusing some of Gregors Previous articles and came across this one which I didn’t see at the time it was written (Last July)


Thought @Davefevs , @Harry in particular , you may be interested in who’s apparently ‘ eyes on ‘scouting for us

 

 

( To keep @the1stknowle from having another hissy fit I’ve linked the full article below )

 

Not a bad little number Ashtons got for £500k  really , a PA , his brother in law as his ‘right hand man’ doing the ‘admin’ -

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/assessed-bristol-citys-need-sporting-4311960

 

 

The key men

CEO Mark Ashton and club secretary Luke Werhun (who conducts the admin and bureaucracy chiefly) carefully plot City's market moves, with a recruitment team sat around Ashton, informing on selected transfer targets all year round.

A network of scouts monitors targets first-hand, including part-time former Nottingham Forest scout Lil Nelis covering Ireland, youth coach and scout Trever Challis chipping in locally, along with Haydn Morton - father of City midfielder James, former Rangers defender Kirk Willoughby covering Scotland, as well as former Peterborough United boss Lil Fuccillo and others on occasion, such as ex-Newport defender Fraser Franks who watched Ivan Toney in action for the Posh on behalf of City earlier this season.

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21 hours ago, Tomo said:

 

I have friends who are massive Oxford fans and they all said when he arrived in BS3 he'll wipe his dirty feet on your club top to bottom and will flood it with shit players who normally have a horrendous injury issues.... Not far wrong there are they. Just looking at the bloke I wouldn't trust him.... He needs to go but Landsdown hasn't got the balls as he's give him to much and it will be hard to reverse any of it in a short term. 

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I simply cannot believe the amount of people who think Ashton walks around with Lansdowns cheque book in his pocket, buying players on a whim, hiring and firing - while dotty old uncle Steve and silly Jon live in tax exile.

I absolutely guarantee you Ashton has a very low, very defined line of autonomy before he has to make a call to SL for permission to act.

 

SL does not like being made to look silly - he likes the big names.

Lansbury was all that was out there, so SL sanctioned it - a known name, and cheapish

 

Another David James.

 

Come on guys - the buck stops with SL - always has, always will.

When Ashton steps out of SL's perview, he will be squished like a bug.

 

Now, how did the Bears get on?

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1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:

So nearly 24 hours and not a word from MA, SL or JL, here we go again.

Do you really think any of them are going to run to social media every time they make an enquiry about a potential candidates interest / availability?
Although they must now realise they need to get someone in with more experience than DH - and give them a good salary and budget, disclosing every enquiry you make will only weaken your own bargaining position - unless you put out misinformation there to gain an advantage. 

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3 minutes ago, Red DNA said:

Do you really think any of them are going to run to social media every time they make an enquiry about a potential candidates interest / availability?
Although they must now realise they need to get someone in with more experience than DH - and give them a good salary and budget, disclosing every enquiry you make will only weaken your own bargaining position - unless you put out misinformation there to gain an advantage. 

I think it was more about the sacking itself. One of them will need to face the music at some stage - they collectively messed this up horribly.

They won’t want to because it’ll be uncomfortable, and the vast majority of fans have been proven right about their appointment of Holden. 

I hope 20man is pulling out all the stops to get Ashton on next Monday. 

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7 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

I think it was more about the sacking itself. One of them will need to face the music at some stage - they collectively messed this up horribly.

They won’t want to because it’ll be uncomfortable, and the vast majority of fans have been proven right about their appointment of Holden. 

I hope 20man is pulling out all the stops to get Ashton on next Monday

Can’t wait until Ashtons next appearance

What do you reckon he will say ?

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31 minutes ago, Allwaysred said:

I have friends who are massive Oxford fans and they all said when he arrived in BS3 he'll wipe his dirty feet on your club top to bottom and will flood it with shit players who normally have a horrendous injury issues.... Not far wrong there are they. Just looking at the bloke I wouldn't trust him.... He needs to go but Landsdown hasn't got the balls as he's give him to much and it will be hard to reverse any of it in a short term. 

‘disingenuous’

is what rattles through my mind whenever I hear him speak 

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1 hour ago, Sheltons Army said:

Was perusing some of Gregors Previous articles and came across this one which I didn’t see at the time it was written (Last July)


Thought @Davefevs , @Harry in particular , you may be interested in who’s apparently ‘ eyes on ‘scouting for us

 

 

( To keep @the1stknowle from having another hissy fit I’ve linked the full article below )

 

Not a bad little number Ashtons got for £500k  really , a PA , his brother in law as his ‘right hand man’ doing the ‘admin’ -

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/assessed-bristol-citys-need-sporting-4311960

 

 

The key men

CEO Mark Ashton and club secretary Luke Werhun (who conducts the admin and bureaucracy chiefly) carefully plot City's market moves, with a recruitment team sat around Ashton, informing on selected transfer targets all year round.

A network of scouts monitors targets first-hand, including part-time former Nottingham Forest scout Lil Nelis covering Ireland, youth coach and scout Trever Challis chipping in locally, along with Haydn Morton - father of City midfielder James, former Rangers defender Kirk Willoughby covering Scotland, as well as former Peterborough United boss Lil Fuccillo and others on occasion, such as ex-Newport defender Fraser Franks who watched Ivan Toney in action for the Posh on behalf of City earlier this season.

I’m sure Harry will confirm about Liam (not Lil) Nelis.  Think he might be doing less for us now.  Think he was behind Rory Holden.  I was asked by Harry’s mate if I could go and watch him to get a second opinion.  But I couldn’t do it.

Think some of these may have moved on, as Lee brought in his cousin Adam Griffin as Senior Scout, who I understand was let go himself last week.

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34 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

Can’t wait until Ashtons next appearance

What do you reckon he will say ?

Honestly? It'll be a load of weasel words to avoid any responsibility, or any acceptance a mistake was made is my guess.

"Dean was, and still is an excellent coach but situations none of us could have forseen at the time conspired against us to..."

"I still believe the process was right, but unfortunately and through nobodies fault the end result wasn't what we hoped, however I have full confidence in myself and the board to..."

"We'll take what we learnt, and we're always leaning as a club, we'll take that and make sure the next appointment we make is the right one for this football club..."

and so on.

I think Twentyman needs to ask specific questions that can't be misconstrued, get simple answers, and use them to hold the club to account. Likewise, refer with quotes back to what Ashton and Jon said in the summer - that's about the only hope of getting some kind of response.

Ashton is a very professional man (like him or not) and will be well versed in the politics speak that comes with his role.

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35 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

Can’t wait until Ashtons next appearance

What do you reckon he will say ?

I think @IAmNick has summed it up pretty well above! I could hear it in Ashton’s voice ?

I doubt we will hear from him until the new man is appointed so that’ll be the focus. I doubt we’ll ever hear him being held to account for Holden.

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He appears to have a particular skill to be able to woo those in power at Clubs 

(Simpson was then Watford Chairman)
 

Former manager Ray Lewington, would contend the dynamics of Watford FC relationships changed when Simpson plucked Ashton from relative administrative obscurity at the Hawthorns.

Ashton was very influential with Simpson.

When the chairman quizzed the manager on the Sunday or the Monday, as they analysed the match, Lewington would give the same answers and invariably Simpson would reply: “Yes, that’s what Mark reckoned.”

When Elton John suggested Lewington fly over to the United States to discuss possibilities with a view to helping buy players, he also asked the manager to bring Simpson along.

Lewington remembered being asked by Simpson to lobby for Ashton to be included “so Elton can witness first-hand the energy of the man”.

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1 hour ago, Sheltons Army said:

He appears to have a particular skill to be able to woo those in power at Clubs 

(Simpson was then Watford Chairman)
 

Former manager Ray Lewington, would contend the dynamics of Watford FC relationships changed when Simpson plucked Ashton from relative administrative obscurity at the Hawthorns.

Ashton was very influential with Simpson.

When the chairman quizzed the manager on the Sunday or the Monday, as they analysed the match, Lewington would give the same answers and invariably Simpson would reply: “Yes, that’s what Mark reckoned.”

When Elton John suggested Lewington fly over to the United States to discuss possibilities with a view to helping buy players, he also asked the manager to bring Simpson along.

Lewington remembered being asked by Simpson to lobby for Ashton to be included “so Elton can witness first-hand the energy of the man”.

Still wonder whether Ayling leaving City was linked to him knowing what Ashton was like from his uncle - Ray Lewington, rather than piss-gate per se.

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3 hours ago, Sheltons Army said:

Was perusing some of Gregors Previous articles and came across this one which I didn’t see at the time it was written (Last July)


Thought @Davefevs , @Harry in particular , you may be interested in who’s apparently ‘ eyes on ‘scouting for us

 

 

( To keep @the1stknowle from having another hissy fit I’ve linked the full article below )

 

Not a bad little number Ashtons got for £500k  really , a PA , his brother in law as his ‘right hand man’ doing the ‘admin’ -

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/assessed-bristol-citys-need-sporting-4311960

 

 

The key men

CEO Mark Ashton and club secretary Luke Werhun (who conducts the admin and bureaucracy chiefly) carefully plot City's market moves, with a recruitment team sat around Ashton, informing on selected transfer targets all year round.

A network of scouts monitors targets first-hand, including part-time former Nottingham Forest scout Lil Nelis covering Ireland, youth coach and scout Trever Challis chipping in locally, along with Haydn Morton - father of City midfielder James, former Rangers defender Kirk Willoughby covering Scotland, as well as former Peterborough United boss Lil Fuccillo and others on occasion, such as ex-Newport defender Fraser Franks who watched Ivan Toney in action for the Posh on behalf of City earlier this season.

 

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

I’m sure Harry will confirm about Liam (not Lil) Nelis.  Think he might be doing less for us now.  Think he was behind Rory Holden.  I was asked by Harry’s mate if I could go and watch him to get a second opinion.  But I couldn’t do it.

Think some of these may have moved on, as Lee brought in his cousin Adam Griffin as Senior Scout, who I understand was let go himself last week.

Yes. It’s Liam, not Lil, Nelis, and he’s a guy I’ve chatted to numerous times. 
He’s now working for Shrewsbury under, ummm, Cotterill. 

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On 17/02/2021 at 00:09, Dynamite Red said:

Remember this. Guilty as charged. His position is untenable isn't it? The Lansdown puppet looks a busted flush to me. 


 

Having watched these interviews again if Ashton had a shred of decency or honour he would have offered his resignation to SL.

I’m not holding my breath.

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On 17/02/2021 at 03:12, Mr Popodopolous said:

Not sure how uncommon people like Ashton are in such positions in football.

Could it to some extent be a case of- if replaced: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"?

The fact that his peers ie fellow Championship CEOs voted him as one of the Club Reps for the Championship must say something- not a defence of him but clearly his currency in football isn't uncommon.

Is the fact that he is , effectively, doing two jobs meaning that he hasn’t got enough time to consecrate to City ? 
 

I can imagine he loves the prestige and it is a feather in the cap for our club but I feel he should be 100% concentrating on his own club .

Our demise seems to have coincided with his EFL appointment.

 

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I have some ‘sympathy’ for MA as I still think he is, to a large extent, SL’s puppet and he isn’t solely responsible for the issues we currently have. But:

He is head of day to day football activities at the club.

He’s said himself before “the head coach answers to me”

Although he may not himself be picking all our players, as per that article from Gregor, he is sat head of the table with a team HE selected to identify talent.

For that reason - the buck stops with him.

I’ll say what I’ve said before - Brentford (one of, if not the best clubs in Europe for developing and selling players recently, oh and also doing bloody well on the pitch) seem to have 3 people between the CEO and the Head coach. 2 co-directors of football and a head of recruitment. All good experienced football people.

Now too many cooks can spoil the broth and all that, but also many heads (in this case) can make light work too.

In our case, MA is over watch, 1 person seemingly doing at least 3 jobs - but my niggling feeling is that how SL likes it.

Until that structure changes, which granted may take a little while, I think we’ll continue to have problems. 

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10 hours ago, Phileas Fogg said:

I think it was more about the sacking itself. One of them will need to face the music at some stage - they collectively messed this up horribly.

They won’t want to because it’ll be uncomfortable, and the vast majority of fans have been proven right about their appointment of Holden. 

I hope 20man is pulling out all the stops to get Ashton on next Monday. 

..... and I’d love the first question to be along the lines of ‘ Ok Mark, after such a rigorous interview process and the appointment of three such highly qualified and outstanding humans in Holden, Downing & Simpson, what do you think could have caused them to fail so miserably?  

It would appear that either the appointments were at best a serious misjudgement, or there is something wrong at the club, which has prevented them using their talents successfully. So which do you think it is Mark?’.

He can’t blame Covid, as every club has to deal with that and if he tries the heavy injury list, 20man can just point out our long-running apalling injury and recovery record and ask why our club has been hit so consistently badly over a very long period, under staff appointed by him.

Would likely just get the usual MA spin, but I’d at least like to hear him put on the spot on those points.

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5 hours ago, Major Isewater said:

Is the fact that he is , effectively, doing two jobs meaning that he hasn’t got enough time to consecrate to City ? 
 

I can imagine he loves the prestige and it is a feather in the cap for our club but I feel he should be 100% concentrating on his own club .

Our demise seems to have coincided with his EFL appointment.

 

Unsure that's a full excuse or every club with a Rep on the EFL Board would be collapsing.

Unsure which thread it's on but @Sheltons Army mentions his influence and ability to influence high ups at the club he is at. Clearly that's a transferrable skill and can be of benefit in certain areas.

Could shift him sideways, focusing more on his EFL stuff and get someone else in on the football side.

The system of needing 16/24, or maybe 18/24 clubs to agree to rule changes at a divisional level though.

I'd suggest given so many clubs all with competing values and interests, MA would be or could be very useful for us on that side.

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