What we all feared would happen has happened, Ashley has realised that with some minor investment he can guarantee passage back to the Premiership at minimal cost, meaning any offer for the club now pales in comparison to an offer next year when we're back in the Premiership. I know people are worried about what happens when we get there, we've got Hughton for the first year, but tbh, we would have him on the wage bill anyway as a coach. Hughton isn't actually getting any more money, he's getting the same or to be compensated his original contract if sacked as manager. Ashley refused the £60+£20m offer because he knows that extra £20m at the end of the season spent now turns us in to division champions with a bit of brains, and turns us back in to a premier club and the reset button pressed.
Next year doesn't matter to Ashley in terms of what could happen as he'll be selling the club as quickly as he can, a club totally stripped down in terms of wages and players, a strong 40k crowd in a lesser division only to be bettered back in the Prem, a one with a relatively low overdraft compared to the division, and one churning in money from new long term sponsors including naming rights for the ground, all this equals an excellent position for a new owner to come in and buy us. It's just like buying a run down house and doing it up with stuff from no frills to sell on later, that's really all we are to Ashley.
I do not expect us to be sold in the public realm, next time it will be private, the deal will be done quickly and he will be gone, i expect him touting the club about to potential owners (who will probably be different to the ones we had at the final hurdle this time, probably ones who were interested but there was too much uncertainty or didn't find the club glamorous enough to be a big boys toy (ie rich Arabs)) as soon as we secure promotion and pass off any leaks as rumours.
This new news is only delaying the inevitable, Ashley will leave, just it's going to take longer than we all hoped and it will mean he'll get his money back, or more of it, £20m is a lot of money in this division, not all of it will be spent on players but even £5-10m would improve the team no end and get us firing again. Players on big wages will leave as well, replaced hopefully with better more marketable players, I know everyone is thinking none of it will be spent on players and i can totally understand this reasoning but Ashley would be throwing £20m down the drain if he doesn't, and we know he was putting £20m in a year of his own money to keep the club afloat, but it doesn't take £20m to see us through to the summer, if so creditors would be knocking on the door right now wanting some kind of security from Ashley, and we'd have known about it.
Ashley has to now run us like a normal football club until the summer to make lots of money, it's that simple, i think even he gets it and why he's been rejecting the bids as the season has gone on. It doesn't take a genius to see were begging for some fresh legs, and even on the ones we've got were still a force in this division and will be near the top even with all this drama going on.
I've no doubt if we'd been lingering bottom mid table (which tbf could have easily happened with some of our performances) Ashley would have sold to Moat and this would all be over, he's that reactionary, but looks like were stuck with him and its down to our decent start, but don't fear it won't last forever, he's just wised up a bit, and seen an easy option to get his money back, and we'd all had done the same...in fact we all thought he should have done it like that to start with.
