A Long Listen

Here you can chat about everything and anything related to ITFC and other football issues. This forum also hosts the now Internationally famous TB.com ITFC match previews which contain insightful pre-match thoughts, previous highlights, news links relating to Town, form guides and other bits and pieces. Feel free to discuss meet ups/travel plans in here as well.

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Shed on tour
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A Long Listen

Post by Shed on tour » Tue Feb 15, 2022 10:53 am

But if you have time well worth listening too.

https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/ipswich-to ... ia-8691340

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by hallamblue » Tue Feb 15, 2022 12:45 pm

Listening to it now….. very good , and very , very reassuring tbh 👍

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by Tangfastic » Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:12 pm

I’ve only listened to the first few minutes of it.

Can’t help feel Ashton loves himself. “ it was like a meeting of minds”.

As long as he does his job, I don’t care, but if he were made of chocolate he’d eat himself.

Should be a good listen.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by marko69 » Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:20 pm

Reminds me of Danny Dyer. No doubt doing a very good job (in the “modern” game) but just cannot take him seriously. I too got to 28 minutes and then audibly said. “STFU” to my phone.

McKenna though…….. very advanced for his years. Be good if it was just him getting interviewed.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by marko69 » Tue Feb 15, 2022 5:47 pm

He might be a bullshitter, certainly, I just have an issue with the job in general. At ANY club. Maybe thats why i personally have an issue with Ashton.
To me, its like the job takes away a certain credit to the manager.
Can almost guarantee that if ITFC won the play-off final, he’d be involved in some way of lifting the trophy. Man, that would get RRRRRIGHT on my nerves.
Really like McKenna, and I would bet Keiron & his assistant could do theirs AND Ashtons job.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by hallamblue » Tue Feb 15, 2022 5:51 pm

Ashton is most definitely arrogant… but as long as he gets the job done and doesn’t leave us in a mess he can lick his star for all I care :lol:

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by Bluemike » Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:04 pm

I must be the only one who likes the guy and thinks he good for the club and doing a fab job.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by marko69 » Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:17 pm

Mike, you’re going to kick my as* for being an opinionated tw@t today, but my views changed after both Sunderland documentaries on Netflix.
The managerial sackings these days compared to the 70s / 80s is unreal ! Managers were able to embrace the job completely. Obviously there were still sackings.
These days, you’ve got Chris Coleman & then Jack Ross looking at the “CEO” as if he’s got two heads in those documentaries.
Certainly got the feeling that Coleman was under a very unnecessary “extra” pressure with the tw*t ceo in the building. And he was rightly extremely peed off when he was emptied.
Can’t figure out a section Bristol City fans dislike for Ashton; what that dislike was based on particularly. No idea. 🤷‍♂️ Unlike Saint, I never venture onto other clubs forums.

But what IS the job? Is it basically a vice-chairman with the powers to sack when big chairman is on the golf course? What is the job? Is it a looking for players job? Managers do that, do they not? Is it a watching the budget job? Managers used to do that did they not?

These CEO’s are on 6 figure salaries. What do they do that a manager can’t do?

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by mendipblue » Tue Feb 15, 2022 10:23 pm

Bluemike wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:04 pm
I must be the only one who likes the guy and thinks he good for the club and doing a fab job.
Great listen very positive. Your not on your own concerning MA I think he is exactly what the club needed. KMC I think he is going to be a great success, just hope we can keep him.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by Bluemike » Wed Feb 16, 2022 9:10 am

marko69 wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:17 pm
Mike, you’re going to kick my as* for being an opinionated tw@t today, but my views changed after both Sunderland documentaries on Netflix.
The managerial sackings these days compared to the 70s / 80s is unreal ! Managers were able to embrace the job completely. Obviously there were still sackings.
These days, you’ve got Chris Coleman & then Jack Ross looking at the “CEO” as if he’s got two heads in those documentaries.
Certainly got the feeling that Coleman was under a very unnecessary “extra” pressure with the tw*t ceo in the building. And he was rightly extremely peed off when he was emptied.
Can’t figure out a section Bristol City fans dislike for Ashton; what that dislike was based on particularly. No idea. 🤷‍♂️ Unlike Saint, I never venture onto other clubs forums.

But what IS the job? Is it basically a vice-chairman with the powers to sack when big chairman is on the golf course? What is the job? Is it a looking for players job? Managers do that, do they not? Is it a watching the budget job? Managers used to do that did they not?

These CEO’s are on 6 figure salaries. What do they do that a manager can’t do?
I agree to a point Marko, as I said previously this seems to be the way the game has gone with regard to CEO'S, I think it is exactly what our club needs after years of being a rudderless ship, I am not sure managers of this era would be able to do it all tbh, their focus seems to be purely on the match itself and obviously pinpointing players they want.
I think Ashton has done a superb job firstly with getting 19 signings in the door, some seen as marquee signings, Celina, Morsy, Walton, Edwards etc, he then acted along with the board in shipping out Cook the clown when it was becoming obvious he was useless, he has then overseen the pack out Portman Road scheme which was a big success and gone on to get Walton on a permanent contract which looked unlikely, personally I think he's the best thing to happen to this club since the takeover, especially when we look at the manager he has now enticed here too.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by Bluemike » Wed Feb 16, 2022 9:10 am

mendipblue wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 10:23 pm
Bluemike wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:04 pm
I must be the only one who likes the guy and thinks he good for the club and doing a fab job.
Great listen very positive. Your not on your own concerning MA I think he is exactly what the club needed. KMC I think he is going to be a great success, just hope we can keep him.
Cheers, I'll give it a listen later tonight

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by Ricco » Wed Feb 16, 2022 9:56 am

I do think Ashton's role is a must, it's one of the many many many many many MANY things that that clueless halfwit Evans got wrong, there has to be a face to the club other than the manager's. We had manager after manager commenting or complaining that there was no funding, but the funding source who was meant to be running the club was completely invisible. He was basically forced after many years to come out of the shadows and front up, yet all he did was perform some politically scripted Q and A session, and it still completely amazes me today that so many of our supporters fell for it hook line and sinker. Ashton mentions in this 'podcast' just how far the club has fallen behind under Evans, the bloke was a disaster and it shows why the club needs someone like Ashton to be accountable and visible. Football clubs are now huge, there has to be as much help for the manager as possible, the manager needs to concentrate on what is going on on the field.

I think the bloke is arrogant to the extreme, but it sometimes helps in that world to be able to sell a vision and so far he has seemingly done an ok job. As Ashton says... there is a lot of work to be done, but if the funding is there, then I might question why more strides haven't been taken. It's nearly a year and this 'vital' recruitment department seems to still be in it's early discussion stages. It's nearly a year and what has been done to the training ground which has been highlighted to him as something that does not work?? The club also sit in 9th, exactly where we finished last year and after the club spent a boatload on players in the summer. I think Ashton has done a decent job, but he will be judged in my eyes by the success of the team and he should be judged and criticised in the same way as managers are, he will try as hard as possible to make himself immune to that, mark my words, it will be all because of him when the team win and it will be all because of the manager, players or other circumstances if the team don't.

McKenna could be a revelation, it's too soon to judge because although the results and feeling at the club seem to be excellent, we have experienced honeymoon periods with other managers in the past and there's a long road ahead. It could be great however, the club clearly needs to be dragged in to the 21st century kicking and screaming and you do that by bringing in young hungry managers, not Warnock or whatever other dinosaurs got mentioned on here when the club were looking for their next manager. Good so far, but we need more, we need a better season next year, that is the long and short of it.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by rossi » Wed Feb 16, 2022 10:41 am

I actually think he's done a good job here, so that's one thing, but listening to him I think he's not a person I would choose to have anything to with - he loves himself, doesn't he, talk about 'My Sh!t Don't Stink'.........................having said that, maybe that's what you need to be successful in the job

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by hallamblue » Wed Feb 16, 2022 11:17 am

I think that’s what Watford and Bristol have found out . He is very good at his job but there’s a dude to him ( which goes with his ego )… accept that and control it to some extent and you’re alright .

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by Bluemike » Wed Feb 16, 2022 11:37 am

Yes, not the type of person I would choose to go down the pub with for sure but then again I'm not looking for that, I'm looking for someone that can run this football club correctly on a day to day basis and not suffer fools, its been needed for nigh on 30 years.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by hallamblue » Wed Feb 16, 2022 7:49 pm

Bet ya would if he was paying ! :lol:

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by Bluemike » Wed Feb 16, 2022 8:32 pm

hallamblue wrote:
Wed Feb 16, 2022 7:49 pm
Bet ya would if he was paying ! :lol:
Bloody right !!!!

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by hallamblue » Wed Feb 16, 2022 10:10 pm

:lol: :lol: :lol: so might I

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by marko69 » Wed Feb 16, 2022 11:01 pm

BlueBalls wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:51 pm
Classic bullshìtter. Wouldn't trust him at all.
What happened to the avatar picture, Balls? That was hilarious. Had a quick 5 minute glance at the forum this morning and laughed out loud. You need to get that back on display, buddy.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by MasseyFerguson » Wed Feb 16, 2022 11:16 pm

Arrogant and boring! He's the type of individual who will suggest that, if things are going well, he is fully responsible but if they are going down the toilet then it's someone else's fault.

As long as he sticks to his job, and let's Mckenna does his, I won't complain (too much!). But I really don't have any time for him.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by Bluemike » Thu Feb 17, 2022 6:37 am

Surely its Ashtons job to negotiate potential signings and get them in the door on good contracts which as far as I can see he has done, its the managers job to not only pinpoint his requirements but to get them to perform to the required standard, so far Mckenna is doing his job well where as Cook failed to do his job so I don't see how Ashton would be at fault for blaming the manager rather than himself when results on the field don't happen. I'm really not getting all this negativity and doubt towards the man, maybe in time it will prove to be justified but at present it seems way off the mark.

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Re: A Long Listen

Post by marko69 » Thu Feb 17, 2022 12:01 pm

Think its just how the guy comes across, Mike for most people. And probably that was the issue at Bristol City with some supporters. Be like a company employing a really good gas boiler installer……. Then at the first lunch time sit down, everyone realises he’s a dickhead.

These players though? 🤦‍♂️ Man, they get away with it in these types of conversations. Like you say, Ashton gets them “good contracts”….. then they apparently “down tools” (if thats even true) for Paul Cook. I’d LOVE IT, if Ashton or McK went to presser and said, “Whys Pigott not getting more game time you say? Because he’s being an absolute d*ck in training.”
Not saying thats true…….., but say some truths about these overpaid guys. Like the 4.5K a week guy who played about 5 games in 2 years.
Hopefully Mark Ashton SAW THAT, and emptied those players. THAT, i’d applaud.

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