SavageTheBeast Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 (edited) Article from Scotland http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/battle-rangers-how-mike-ashleys-4527461 Edited October 29, 2014 by SavageTheBeast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinevillawill Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Sorry... We can't find the page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SavageTheBeast Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/battle-rangers-how-mike-ashleys-4527461 try that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc_lover Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Good read that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackey Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Given how :censored: that website is I will help our less technically minded out... The ground is called Sportsdirect.com Park. There are Sports Direct ad boards on every square inch. There are Sports Direct logos blazed across the shirts and a Sports Direct emporium getting built inside the stand.Mike Ashley doesn’t own the English League One club. He doesn’t actually have a single share. Perhaps two clubs in the UK is enough for the big Londoner.But the billionaire has turned Boundary Park into a giant billboard for his seemingly unstoppable sports shop empire, which Gers fans fear is heading their way.Not that it’s all bad though. Ashley’s sponsorship deal is the largest in Oldham’s history and is worth seven figures over five years.The money is being used to build a new stand and it’s hoped it will eventually help propel the third-tier outfit towards the promised land of the Premier League.There might have been some wailing and gnashing of teeth when the Boundary Park signs were taken down and replaced with the relentless, inescapable garish branding, but Latics boss Lee Johnson insists the punters have been won over for the greater good.Ex-Jambo Johnson – who famously fell out with former Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov after criticising the way he ran the club – said: “Our chairman has strong links with Ashley, they are good friends, and the arrangement suits both parties.“Our stadium is now called the Sportsdirect.com Park and the money that has generated has gone towards the new stand getting built while Sports Direct have taken over the distribution of the merchandise.“I think fans realise it was done for the right reasons. There are people who have gone there for years and years and for them it will always be Boundary Park.“But we have to move forward and if it gives clubs a chance to progress and gives fans a better match-day experience then it doesn’t matter what the ground is called.”Oldham are reaping the benefits off the pitch and Johnson believes it won’t be long before he gets the kick-back on it.He said: “It’s not fully up and running yet but hopefully in the next three to six months it will help me build a squad as the revenues will increase and be channelled towards buying players.“I am a great believer in what we are trying to do here. This big sponsorship will bear fruit in the future and we will have a chance to push towards the Championship and even the Premier League.“There’s such a big gulf in finances in England and there is a fine line. We are not blessed with huge finances but deals like these can help us bridge the gaps between the clubs.“There is probably a similar gap between clubs in Scotland and England now.“Most clubs in Scotland are struggling financially. It is not like when I was a Championship player going up there as the market they are operating in is probably closer to League One and League Two now.”Johnson was punted from Tynecastle eight years ago and torpedoed the old USSR submarine commander on his departure – calling out the Hearts chief and his puppets running the club.Romanov hit back and said of Johnson: “As a footballer he has no value. We were even asked to pay money to get rid of him.” But it was the former midfield schemer who was proved spot on.He knows a con artist when he sees one but he is convinced Ashley is the real deal.Johnson said: “Rangers fans might not fancy the idea of Ashley coming in but he is a different world to Romanov.“When you look at what has happened to a great club like Rangers, they have been through so much turmoil, so surely they could do with a period of stability.“You would think Ashley could provide that for them. Rangers could have gone bust two or three times so supporters have to think it is worth giving something away to make sure they still have a club.”Johnson took no pleasure in seeing Hearts suffer similar troubles to Rangers – but he’s thrilled they are on the way back.He said: “I was probably the first one at the time to come out and say what a shambles it was. It wasn’t me spitting my dummy out. I loved being at Hearts, it was an unbelievable club to be at.“I felt the fans needed to know what would inevitably happen. For a football person it was obvious the road they were going down.“There was a guy there who shouldn’t haven been trusted and that unfortunately was proved to be the case eventually.“It’s a shame what happened but to be fair now the club is in a good place.“They have a good manager in Robbie Neilson while they have done well to get Craig Levein in as the director of football. They have rebuilt and have the money to get the club moving forward again.“I am still in touch with a lot of the lads from that time. It’s funny to think myself, Paul Hartley, Robbie and Steven Pressley are all managers now.“They are all great guys and it was just a shame what happened because you sometimes think what we might have done if we could have kept the squad together and not had some of the off-field problems with the owner.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SavageTheBeast Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 First one now works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macca Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I can see Johnson heading to Rangers in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinevillawill Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Good read, that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsslatic Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 The ground is called Sportsdirect.com Park. There are Sports Direct ad boards on every square inch. ... But the billionaire has turned Boundary Park into a giant billboard for his seemingly unstoppable sports shop empire I may be being blind but I don't think Sports Direct advertising at BP has been at all 'in your face'. I don't think I've really noticed any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dec666 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I may be being blind but I don't think Sports Direct advertising at BP has been at all 'in your face'. I don't think I've really noticed any. It's not bad at all. I was expecting a huge 'Welcome to SportsDirect.com Park' billboard outside the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie_J Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I may be being blind but I don't think Sports Direct advertising at BP has been at all 'in your face'. I don't think I've really noticed any. It's a very misleading article. It gives the impression, to anyone who doesn't know better, that Ashley's money is the reason for our recent change in fortune on the pitch and that the stand wouldn't be happening without him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 It's a very misleading article. It gives the impression, to anyone who doesn't know better, that Ashley's money is the reason for our recent change in fortune on the pitch and that the stand wouldn't be happening without him. It's just a useful reminder that the manager is capable of putting a spin on things from time to time. Something that's easy to forget when we keep doing unusual things like winning and drawing each week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SavageTheBeast Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 I wouldnt mind Ashley putting some more money in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I can see Johnson heading to Rangers in the future.He is in the property development game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosa Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 "There might have been some wailing and gnashing of teeth when the Boundary Park signs were taken down....." I might be being thick here, but.....which signs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlossopLatic Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Good read that Apart from the bit about us which was a load of bollocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc_lover Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Apart from the bit about us which was a load of bollocks Not really, it's just exaggerated. This sponsorship money probably is helping fund the stand and the product on the pitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I may be being blind but I don't think Sports Direct advertising at BP has been at all 'in your face'. I don't think I've really noticed any. The article says: "...There might have been some wailing and gnashing of teeth when the Boundary Park signs were taken down and replaced with the relentless, inescapable garish branding....." I don't recall there ever being any BP signs! BTW Radio Manc still refers to the ground as Boundary Park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SavageTheBeast Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 The article says: "...There might have been some wailing and gnashing of teeth when the Boundary Park signs were taken down and replaced with the relentless, inescapable garish branding....." I don't recall there ever being any BP signs! BTW Radio Manc still refers to the ground as Boundary Park. Remember two either side of the main upper saying Boundary park is a no smoking stadium they have now gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Remember two either side of the main upper saying Boundary park is a no smoking stadium they have now gone They couldn't be classed as the stadium name signs referred to in the article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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