James Mills is a web developer in the North East of England and founder of Refresh Teesside »
Mike Hughes is the Head of Business for the Evening Gazette. He will be blogging on all matters of importance to Teesside businesses - and some that are just worth knowing »
Jez Davison, business writer at the Evening Gazette, is a regular blogger on all things business - particularly finance, entrepreneurship and the state of the Teesside economy » 
Karen McLauchlan is the Evening Gazette's deputy business and features editor - with special interest in all things industry, property and arts related » 
Jeremy Middleton is a venture capitalist and the co-founder of FTSE-200 company HomeServe » 
Deloitte, which has 23 offices across the UK including Newcastle, is among the country's leading professional services firms » 
ClimateNE & Climate Change Schools Project support the move to a low-carbon, resilient economy and help businesses avoid risk and realise commercial opportunities. Posts by Jen Atkinson, Krista McKinzey and Harriet Thew » While Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce has stamped his mark on the team's performances on the pitch, the club's new owner has certainly made his presence felt of it.
At a bitterly-cold St James' Park on Monday night, while the black and whites were disposing of a woefully poor Spurs side, only those shivering in the Gallowgate end would have failed to see the huge Sports Direct banner adorning the famous stand.
Meanwhile, in amongst the suited and booted masses in the clubs corporate seats, billionaire Mike Ashley could clearly be seen braving the cold October night with his short-sleeved Newcastle shirt complete with Smith, number 17 on his back.
And amid ongoing speculation that he is set to sell the football business to Icelandic or Chinese investors he stated this week that the club is not for sale.
But are these public displays of affection for NUFC a smokescreen for a quick in and out sale, or are they indicative of a man who has made a long-term investment?
As business writer I hope the latter is true as he has certainly made the North-East business world a more interesting place.
Despite being described as a recluse in the national press, he seems to generate a hefty amount of column inches on a daily basis with constant talk of acquisitions, sales or disagreements with shareholders.
It remains to be seen how long he will remain on our patch but, just as Jose Mourinho was seen as a breath of fresh air to English football, Ashley has certainly made things more interesting in these parts.
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »