Lee Charnley leading Mike Ashley takeover of Derby County – Fans react to bid

It took 43 days for the new Newcastle United owners to sack Lee Charnley.

Mike Ashley handing the keys over on 7 October 2021, with then Charnley following Steve Bruce out the door in November.

Newcastle fans breathing a huge sigh of relief that this trio had departed.

Despite indicating that he was unlikely to manage again after the terrible ordeal he had suffered when picking up a £8m pay-off in return for creating an absolute shambles and sending Newcastle United on their way to the Championship, less than four months later Steve Bruce turned up at West Brom. Bruce insisting that he could get them automatic promotion but instead taking them from a play-off place into mid-table.

What about the other dynamic duo though?

Well, Mike Ashley has been trying to buy Derby County, seeing an opportunity of a failing brand, on its knees, that he could potentially pick up for peanuts and hoping to ultimately profit big time from.

With the Chris Kirchner preferred bid now appearing to be going nowhere and deadlines passed for the deal to be completed, Derby fans understandably desperate for salvation from somewhere, anywhere…

Mike Ashley is now trying again to get hold of Derby via the administrators and John Percy of The Telegraph has now revealed that the man representing Ashley and trying to make the takeover happen, is Lee Charnley.

Good luck to Derby County and their fans, whoever takes over.

However, there will be understandably very much added interest from afar for Newcastle fans, if indeed Mike Ashley takes control, then installs Lee Charnley as his main man, with possibly Steve Bruce as manager when he inevitably gets sacked at some point next season…

Interesting / amusing to look at some of the comments from Derby fans online.

This one in particular from a Derby fan on Twitter sparking plenty of debate!

‘Mike Ashley, we dont want him…he spends money to get a club (Newcastle United) to the Prem and then rather than spending half a billion to challenge for the Prem title, he spends just enough to keep them competitive…we dont take too kindly to those kind around here.’

‘Newcastle always had expectations far higher than were possible. The only way is up for Derby. He would make it work and he would be appreciated.’

‘He didn’t spend anything to get us into the premier league, we were already there and had been for the previous 14 seasons. However it only took 2 seasons under his stewardship to be relegated. Be careful what you wish for.’

‘It would of been 3 if he stayed and this time I think we would rot in the lower leagues.’

‘Mike Ashley had us higher than the position he found us once, even then he was genuinely angry at it.

Lowered the average league position from where he found us and crucially(but often ignored) managed to shrink the commercial income in a decade of unprecedented PL growth.

Look, you’ll exist which is better than nothing, celebrate that but that doesn’t need to come at criticism of others.

People seem to have the impression Ashley created a lower PL side from a C/ship one, when in reality he took regular Europ finishes and turned it into relegation.’

‘He has only ever spent money to get a club to the PL after lack of investment had hot then relegated in the first place. They were a Top half PL club when he took over.’

‘(Sunderland fan) Mike Ashley is a good owner. Don’t listen to mags.

They’ve complained about every owner and manager for the last 50 years.

I know people who work for him and they all say he’s a good guy.’

‘Kept Newcastle in thr prem for a long time…

Gave each manager alot of money for them to waste it…’

‘More patronising Twaddle. This guy probably thinks that Bruce did a good job and Eddie Howe has just ‘spent’ his way out of trouble. I can’t say I’m familiar with the nuances at Derby but the whole world knows the Real truth about NUFC. Except NUFC fans of course.’

‘We were already in the Premier league when he took over. In fact in the 12 years prior to Ashley taking over, we competed in Europe 10 of those 12 years. So pardon us for not being happy with being relegated twice and fighting relegation the rest of the time under him.’

‘I wouldn’t call us competitive under Ashley. Haha. Ashley is like the bloke who runs his car on fumes then sticks another £5 in at last min, multiple times a week. Your car will just about run but it won’t be fun.’

‘Doesn’t even pay for his advertising.’

‘If it was a choice of club go bust or Ashley then yes of course Ashley. I also think he’s what you need right now.

But remember this, right now Ashley=hope. For over a decade for NUFC fans Ashley=No Hope. Not because of delusion but because we lived it.’

‘Just remember this tweet when Ashley’s gone, and your fanbase is going absolutely mental over the fact the new owner has cleaned the stadium windows for the first time in 5 years.’

‘Newcastle were already in the Prem.

Then he got them relegated and promoted again.

I’d be fine with Ashley, as I can stomach several years of mediocrity if it means we have a club to support.

If people are expecting fireworks then after a few seasons there’ll be an Ashley-out campaign.’

‘Is aiming to finish 17th and make no effort in cups being competitive? Relegated twice and would have been 3rd time had he not sold up. Appreciate your owners were a lot lot worse but doesn’t mean we have to be happy.’

‘He’s the only option now I believe I rather be where Newcastle was under him then be where we are at this moment.’

‘You have been warned. Instead of dragging up tired untrue cliche’s about our fanbase spend some time to actually look at what he done to our club….then comment. If the first appointment is Lee Charnley…be very worried.’

‘Don’t get me wrong, he’s preferable to oblivion, but let’s have it right. We were relegated because of him, we never competed for anything. He sacked good managers and staff and replaced them with yes men or not at all. He’s a pound shop owner and we are ecstatic he’s gone.’

‘Newcastle were in a much better starting position when Ashley took over than Derby ever have been. He took a team regularly qualifying for Europe, relegated them twice and turned them into a club barely scraping survival by virtue of not being the worst team in the Prem.’

‘Nah mate I understand nothing is bad as what is happening at Derby but you don’t have a clue about Newcastle. He didn’t get us to the prem. He bought a top 10 premier league club and ripped the soul from it. Obviously it’s all relative, derby fans been through it much worse.’