Stoke is a long way from Derby, and terrible for public transport too
I had thought about Notts County, but apart from being a lesser ground it wouldn't work as presumably County and Forest alternate home games, so Derby would end up playing at the same time as Forest!
Police might have something to say about sharing with County or with Forest.
Chesterfield grounds only holds about 10k. Burton, where the Derby reserves play, about 7k.
But as said, sounds like a threat to get Derby fans wound up and force Morris and the local council's hand rather than a real plan, especially as Bob Munro knows nothing about it.
Derby is pretty near to me so I know a few fans etc and they have never been confident this was going through
The sale process from start to finish seems to have been a shambles and I can only assume it's because the club is so financially broken that nobody with any common sense would go near it, which is why they've had to entertain people who it's been abundantly clear don't have the funds to buy the club or run it for any length of time. Anyone remember Southall's mate Alonso?
There appears to have been constant delays and excuses as to why the current buyer hasnt been able to transfer funds for weeks now, most of which have been put at the EFL's door which always seems to be a very convenient kop-out and one I believe Southall's mate Alonso tried as well as year or so ago. Last week delays were apparently attributed to bank holidays which seems very suspect and not a great endorsement of someone hoping to run a multi-million pound operation.
The EFL quite rightly has it's critics but it is not in their interests at all to allow Derby to go to the wall, so there's no way they would be blocking this deal without a very good reason. So either it's complete bluff on the buyer's side (Knowing the EFL are limited in how they can respond to the accusation and also knowing it will buy him time with the fan-base who despise the EFL), or they have a very good reason for holding the deal up.
I've thought for a while this saga would end with Mike Ashley owning the club and I'm even more convinced now. People can say what they want about him but he:
- Has the funds to do the deal and run the club - Has the business acumen to close a deal - Is probably someone you could see being able to strike a deal with Mel Morris over the ground.
All of the above puts him way ahead of anyone else seemingly interested in the club and I imagine at this stage Derby fans would welcome him with open arms.
The BBC article says Mike Ashley is still interested. Quite apart from the question of how desperate a club would need to be to see him as a saviour, there has to be doubt whether there's time for him to agree financial terms with the creditors and take over in time to get the transfer embargo lifted so they'd actually have a squad for the season.
If they do go under, that's bad news for most League 1 clubs as it would be a game with a larger crowd than normal. On the other hand, for any club that's serious about going for the top 6, it would also mean less competition.
Terrible timing from the point of view of Derby fans, in that if they don't get rescued, they cant re-start in non-league this coming season as they'll have missed the deadlines to apply. So potentially a season out before re-starting.
The BBC article says Mike Ashley is still interested. Quite apart from the question of how desperate a club would need to be to see him as a saviour, there has to be doubt whether there's time for him to agree financial terms with the creditors and take over in time to get the transfer embargo lifted so they'd actually have a squad for the season.
If they do go under, that's bad news for most League 1 clubs as it would be a game with a larger crowd than normal. On the other hand, for any club that's serious about going for the top 6, it would also mean less competition.
Terrible timing from the point of view of Derby fans, in that if they don't get rescued, they cant re-start in non-league this coming season as they'll have missed the deadlines to apply. So potentially a season out before re-starting.
I think as with anything the circumstances will play a huge part in how fans respond to Ashley.
A few weeks ago I think most would have been firmly against him whereas today I think 99% of their fan base would welcome him with open arms given their current predicament. I think if I was a Derby fan I'd want him over anyone else I have seen linked (Which as you said probably reflects the other prospective buyers more than being a glowing endorsement of Ashley)
People can debate his time at Newcastle endlessly but the things which are not in doubt about him are that he has significant funds to both buy and then run the club, and he has ability to close deals which are probably the most important things for Derby fans like now. There doesn't seem to be anyone else credible sniffing round the club who you could be assured of the same guarantees.
Even if everyone agreed he under-invested at Newcastle, they were still a pretty consistent fixture in the top flight and never once in danger of going out of business or not paying the bills. And whilst he may have under invested, he did at least invest. I know people like to slate sports direct but you only have to look around owners of other clubs across the country to see the type of characters which own them and think that actually Ashley isn't even comparable to them.
I could also be completely wrong, but I'd be surprised if he wanted to ground share and I'd imagine he'd want to secure the stadium as well. If for no other reason than whoever Derby share with aren't going to welcome him changing their stadium name to the sports direct arena and plastering his merchandise all over it.
Another club in a real state because of poor ownership and yet some on here still take sly digs at TS
Ever since I heard Wayne Rooney paid the players wages last month I have been wondering when this would all fall to shit - it seems its happening now. Sad and worrying times for DCFC fans - they don't deserve this. The shocking ownership deserves to really suffer here
Another club in a real state because of poor ownership and yet some on here still take sly digs at TS
Ever since I heard Wayne Rooney paid the players wages last month I have been wondering when this would all fall to shit - it seems its happening now. Sad and worrying times for DCFC fans - they don't deserve this. The shocking ownership deserves to really suffer here
I heard on BBC Radio Derby today that someone close to the club had paid the wages this month but never even crossed my mind that it was Rooney, is that confirmed? Fair play to him if that's the case.
Something never quite seemed right with Kirchner , failed to do a deal with Preston either . Hopefully there's someone out there that can do a last minute deal.
Another club in a real state because of poor ownership and yet some on here still take sly digs at TS
Ever since I heard Wayne Rooney paid the players wages last month I have been wondering when this would all fall to shit - it seems its happening now. Sad and worrying times for DCFC fans - they don't deserve this. The shocking ownership deserves to really suffer here
I heard on BBC Radio Derby today that someone close to the club had paid the wages this month but never even crossed my mind that it was Rooney, is that confirmed? Fair play to him if that's the case.
I heard a rumour a few days ago and it's gaining traction on twitter.
If he didn't then his PR team have played a blinder but it wouldn't surprise me if it turns out to be true. For all his faults he does seem to have a real affinity with the club - and he's not hard up for cash
Something never quite seemed right with Kirchner , failed to do a deal with Preston either . Hopefully there's someone out there that can do a last minute deal.
Agreed, he's just not got the money for it. He's relatively successful by everyday standards, but a net worth of what £3million? Could easily spend that in the first month of owning a club.
I still don't get what's in it for this Kirchner guy to have come this far. He pulled out before and came back on the scene a few months later. Even in that article it says "Kirchner has told BBC Sport that he expects the deal to be done today."
He's either got the money or he hasn't. If he hasn't then why is he wasting everyones time, and more importantly his own? What exactly is he hoping will happen here?
The BBC article says Mike Ashley is still interested. Quite apart from the question of how desperate a club would need to be to see him as a saviour, there has to be doubt whether there's time for him to agree financial terms with the creditors and take over in time to get the transfer embargo lifted so they'd actually have a squad for the season.
If they do go under, that's bad news for most League 1 clubs as it would be a game with a larger crowd than normal. On the other hand, for any club that's serious about going for the top 6, it would also mean less competition.
Terrible timing from the point of view of Derby fans, in that if they don't get rescued, they cant re-start in non-league this coming season as they'll have missed the deadlines to apply. So potentially a season out before re-starting.
I think as with anything the circumstances will play a huge part in how fans respond to Ashley.
A few weeks ago I think most would have been firmly against him whereas today I think 99% of their fan base would welcome him with open arms given their current predicament. I think if I was a Derby fan I'd want him over anyone else I have seen linked (Which as you said probably reflects the other prospective buyers more than being a glowing endorsement of Ashley)
People can debate his time at Newcastle endlessly but the things which are not in doubt about him are that he has significant funds to both buy and then run the club, and he has ability to close deals which are probably the most important things for Derby fans like now. There doesn't seem to be anyone else credible sniffing round the club who you could be assured of the same guarantees.
Even if everyone agreed he under-invested at Newcastle, they were still a pretty consistent fixture in the top flight and never once in danger of going out of business or not paying the bills. And whilst he may have under invested, he did at least invest. I know people like to slate sports direct but you only have to look around owners of other clubs across the country to see the type of characters which own them and think that actually Ashley isn't even comparable to them.
I could also be completely wrong, but I'd be surprised if he wanted to ground share and I'd imagine he'd want to secure the stadium as well. If for no other reason than whoever Derby share with aren't going to welcome him changing their stadium name to the sports direct arena and plastering his merchandise all over it.
If Ashley is interested and genuinely wants to buy them, then he was taking a gamble that the Kirchner deal wouldn't go through by letting it go this far. He's not even bid for them has he?
Derby is pretty near to me so I know a few fans etc and they have never been confident this was going through
The sale process from start to finish seems to have been a shambles and I can only assume it's because the club is so financially broken that nobody with any common sense would go near it, which is why they've had to entertain people who it's been abundantly clear don't have the funds to buy the club or run it for any length of time. Anyone remember Southall's mate Alonso?
There appears to have been constant delays and excuses as to why the current buyer hasnt been able to transfer funds for weeks now, most of which have been put at the EFL's door which always seems to be a very convenient kop-out and one I believe Southall's mate Alonso tried as well as year or so ago. Last week delays were apparently attributed to bank holidays which seems very suspect and not a great endorsement of someone hoping to run a multi-million pound operation.
The EFL quite rightly has it's critics but it is not in their interests at all to allow Derby to go to the wall, so there's no way they would be blocking this deal without a very good reason. So either it's complete bluff on the buyer's side (Knowing the EFL are limited in how they can respond to the accusation and also knowing it will buy him time with the fan-base who despise the EFL), or they have a very good reason for holding the deal up.
I've thought for a while this saga would end with Mike Ashley owning the club and I'm even more convinced now. People can say what they want about him but he:
- Has the funds to do the deal and run the club - Has the business acumen to close a deal - Is probably someone you could see being able to strike a deal with Mel Morris over the ground.
All of the above puts him way ahead of anyone else seemingly interested in the club and I imagine at this stage Derby fans would welcome him with open arms.
I would have welcomed him at Charlton to be honest. Not ideal but well aware of how to run a football club.
The BBC article says Mike Ashley is still interested. Quite apart from the question of how desperate a club would need to be to see him as a saviour, there has to be doubt whether there's time for him to agree financial terms with the creditors and take over in time to get the transfer embargo lifted so they'd actually have a squad for the season.
If they do go under, that's bad news for most League 1 clubs as it would be a game with a larger crowd than normal. On the other hand, for any club that's serious about going for the top 6, it would also mean less competition.
Terrible timing from the point of view of Derby fans, in that if they don't get rescued, they cant re-start in non-league this coming season as they'll have missed the deadlines to apply. So potentially a season out before re-starting.
I think as with anything the circumstances will play a huge part in how fans respond to Ashley.
A few weeks ago I think most would have been firmly against him whereas today I think 99% of their fan base would welcome him with open arms given their current predicament. I think if I was a Derby fan I'd want him over anyone else I have seen linked (Which as you said probably reflects the other prospective buyers more than being a glowing endorsement of Ashley)
People can debate his time at Newcastle endlessly but the things which are not in doubt about him are that he has significant funds to both buy and then run the club, and he has ability to close deals which are probably the most important things for Derby fans like now. There doesn't seem to be anyone else credible sniffing round the club who you could be assured of the same guarantees.
Even if everyone agreed he under-invested at Newcastle, they were still a pretty consistent fixture in the top flight and never once in danger of going out of business or not paying the bills. And whilst he may have under invested, he did at least invest. I know people like to slate sports direct but you only have to look around owners of other clubs across the country to see the type of characters which own them and think that actually Ashley isn't even comparable to them.
I could also be completely wrong, but I'd be surprised if he wanted to ground share and I'd imagine he'd want to secure the stadium as well. If for no other reason than whoever Derby share with aren't going to welcome him changing their stadium name to the sports direct arena and plastering his merchandise all over it.
If Ashley is interested and genuinely wants to buy them, then he was taking a gamble that the Kirchner deal wouldn't go through by letting it go this far. He's not even bid for them has he?
No gamble at all really.
If the other deal goes through he's lost nothing and can just walk away.
If it doesn't he can make a low ball bid and get the club and ground on the cheap.
He's not a fan so has no emotional investment in the club.
The BBC article says Mike Ashley is still interested. Quite apart from the question of how desperate a club would need to be to see him as a saviour, there has to be doubt whether there's time for him to agree financial terms with the creditors and take over in time to get the transfer embargo lifted so they'd actually have a squad for the season.
If they do go under, that's bad news for most League 1 clubs as it would be a game with a larger crowd than normal. On the other hand, for any club that's serious about going for the top 6, it would also mean less competition.
Terrible timing from the point of view of Derby fans, in that if they don't get rescued, they cant re-start in non-league this coming season as they'll have missed the deadlines to apply. So potentially a season out before re-starting.
I think as with anything the circumstances will play a huge part in how fans respond to Ashley.
A few weeks ago I think most would have been firmly against him whereas today I think 99% of their fan base would welcome him with open arms given their current predicament. I think if I was a Derby fan I'd want him over anyone else I have seen linked (Which as you said probably reflects the other prospective buyers more than being a glowing endorsement of Ashley)
People can debate his time at Newcastle endlessly but the things which are not in doubt about him are that he has significant funds to both buy and then run the club, and he has ability to close deals which are probably the most important things for Derby fans like now. There doesn't seem to be anyone else credible sniffing round the club who you could be assured of the same guarantees.
Even if everyone agreed he under-invested at Newcastle, they were still a pretty consistent fixture in the top flight and never once in danger of going out of business or not paying the bills. And whilst he may have under invested, he did at least invest. I know people like to slate sports direct but you only have to look around owners of other clubs across the country to see the type of characters which own them and think that actually Ashley isn't even comparable to them.
I could also be completely wrong, but I'd be surprised if he wanted to ground share and I'd imagine he'd want to secure the stadium as well. If for no other reason than whoever Derby share with aren't going to welcome him changing their stadium name to the sports direct arena and plastering his merchandise all over it.
If Ashley is interested and genuinely wants to buy them, then he was taking a gamble that the Kirchner deal wouldn't go through by letting it go this far. He's not even bid for them has he?
No gamble at all really.
If the other deal goes through he's lost nothing and can just walk away.
If it doesn't he can make a low ball bid and get the club and ground on the cheap.
He's not a fan so has no emotional investment in the club.
Exactly. There's been lots of doubts about the current buyer in the public domain so I imagine people behind the scenes are privy to a lot more information about how viable he is, Ashley probably has a much better idea than most on how likely Kirchner is to pull off the deal and has probably shaped his plans accordingly.
He has probably weighed things up and decided Kirchner not being able to close the deal is a punt worth taking. If he swoops in now he is going to get a cut price deal. I think his dealings outside of football follow a very similar model of buying up businesses who are very close to going to the wall.
He has probably also factored in that not only would the deal have been a lot more expensive a month ago, but he would also have had a lot more resistance from Derby fans. I think given their predicament now they will throw him a parade and give him the keys to the city if he can get them bought and playing in their own stadium next season.
There are lots of reasons why I think the deal makes sense for Ashley. It's a distressed sale which he seems to be an expert in, and is closer to the Sports Direct headquarters in Derbyshire. Derby also have a pretty huge fanbase, not comparable to Newcastle granted but still pretty big.
I also think one of his issues with Newcastle was whilst he was incredibly rich, he probably wasn't rich enough to compete with the big boys in the Premier League without dipping heavily into his own personal wealth which he clearly wasn't prepared to do. Taking over a team in League One is a totally different animal, 5-7 million wouldn't even get you one player in the Premier League whereas you could almost build a squad for that in League One.
The BBC article says Mike Ashley is still interested. Quite apart from the question of how desperate a club would need to be to see him as a saviour, there has to be doubt whether there's time for him to agree financial terms with the creditors and take over in time to get the transfer embargo lifted so they'd actually have a squad for the season.
If they do go under, that's bad news for most League 1 clubs as it would be a game with a larger crowd than normal. On the other hand, for any club that's serious about going for the top 6, it would also mean less competition.
Terrible timing from the point of view of Derby fans, in that if they don't get rescued, they cant re-start in non-league this coming season as they'll have missed the deadlines to apply. So potentially a season out before re-starting.
I think as with anything the circumstances will play a huge part in how fans respond to Ashley.
A few weeks ago I think most would have been firmly against him whereas today I think 99% of their fan base would welcome him with open arms given their current predicament. I think if I was a Derby fan I'd want him over anyone else I have seen linked (Which as you said probably reflects the other prospective buyers more than being a glowing endorsement of Ashley)
People can debate his time at Newcastle endlessly but the things which are not in doubt about him are that he has significant funds to both buy and then run the club, and he has ability to close deals which are probably the most important things for Derby fans like now. There doesn't seem to be anyone else credible sniffing round the club who you could be assured of the same guarantees.
Even if everyone agreed he under-invested at Newcastle, they were still a pretty consistent fixture in the top flight and never once in danger of going out of business or not paying the bills. And whilst he may have under invested, he did at least invest. I know people like to slate sports direct but you only have to look around owners of other clubs across the country to see the type of characters which own them and think that actually Ashley isn't even comparable to them.
I could also be completely wrong, but I'd be surprised if he wanted to ground share and I'd imagine he'd want to secure the stadium as well. If for no other reason than whoever Derby share with aren't going to welcome him changing their stadium name to the sports direct arena and plastering his merchandise all over it.
If Ashley is interested and genuinely wants to buy them, then he was taking a gamble that the Kirchner deal wouldn't go through by letting it go this far. He's not even bid for them has he?
No gamble at all really.
If the other deal goes through he's lost nothing and can just walk away.
If it doesn't he can make a low ball bid and get the club and ground on the cheap.
He's not a fan so has no emotional investment in the club.
Yep. Plus realistically Kirchner could never afford the club, I'd imagine Ashley was fully aware of the probability of the deal falling through.
Hope they get kicked out of the league and have to start again in the 7th or 8th tier, and are used as a warning to other clubs that you can't just piss money up the wall over and over again with no consequence
I heard one of the problems with Kirchner is that some of his wealth is in Crypto currency.
i.e. completely made up
FWIW if Ashley's seriously interested he'll make it work (for him) It's not clear what he made out of Newcastle beyond the acclaim in the early years for returning them to the top flight and hanging out on the stands for the photo ops. EFL will now be falling over themselves to avoid Derby's cessation (not that they have the first clue how to help). Ashley will be able to pony up bundles of cash to wherever it's needed short term. After that he's under no obligation to spend any amount at any time. The Kirchner/Alonso/whoever consortium may well be built on sand, smoke and mirrors. Not a fact that has prevented EFL green lighting takeovers recently - ESI anybody? The real crook at the root of Derby's demise is the former owner and current landlord. Whether he was feathering his nest or just delusional in mis-managing Derby's funds is now largely immaterial, the result is the same. If Derby's previous steward has one atom of integrity he'll return the ground to the club for a notional sum and walk away in ignominy and the wrath of his own creditors. If WR really has been helping to pay the wages, all power to him and hopefully any new ownership will see their way to reimbursing him when the time is right. More cynically, which players on Derby's books could soon be looking for a new job? Happy hunting Charlton's recruitment team
I heard one of the problems with Kirchner is that some of his wealth is in Crypto currency.
i.e. completely made up
FWIW if Ashley's seriously interested he'll make it work (for him) It's not clear what he made out of Newcastle beyond the acclaim in the early years for returning them to the top flight and hanging out on the stands for the photo ops. EFL will now be falling over themselves to avoid Derby's cessation (not that they have the first clue how to help). Ashley will be able to pony up bundles of cash to wherever it's needed short term. After that he's under no obligation to spend any amount at any time. The Kirchner/Alonso/whoever consortium may well be built on sand, smoke and mirrors. Not a fact that has prevented EFL green lighting takeovers recently - ESI anybody? The real crook at the root of Derby's demise is the former owner and current landlord. Whether he was feathering his nest or just delusional in mis-managing Derby's funds is now largely immaterial, the result is the same. If Derby's previous steward has one atom of integrity he'll return the ground to the club for a notional sum and walk away in ignominy and the wrath of his own creditors. If WR really has been helping to pay the wages, all power to him and hopefully any new ownership will see their way to reimbursing him when the time is right. More cynically, which players on Derby's books could soon be looking for a new job? Happy hunting Charlton's recruitment team
They have a few young players that played well in the championship last season. They had a right sided wing back that was decent. I think Championship clubs will hoover them up though.
Comments
Chesterfield grounds only holds about 10k. Burton, where the Derby reserves play, about 7k.
But as said, sounds like a threat to get Derby fans wound up and force Morris and the local council's hand rather than a real plan, especially as Bob Munro knows nothing about it.
Derby County: Chris Kirchner's takeover of financially-stricken club expected to collapse
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61729900I want to max out my season ticket.
if they were a smaller club without a high profile manager and playing squad they'd already have gone under IMO
The sale process from start to finish seems to have been a shambles and I can only assume it's because the club is so financially broken that nobody with any common sense would go near it, which is why they've had to entertain people who it's been abundantly clear don't have the funds to buy the club or run it for any length of time. Anyone remember Southall's mate Alonso?
There appears to have been constant delays and excuses as to why the current buyer hasnt been able to transfer funds for weeks now, most of which have been put at the EFL's door which always seems to be a very convenient kop-out and one I believe Southall's mate Alonso tried as well as year or so ago. Last week delays were apparently attributed to bank holidays which seems very suspect and not a great endorsement of someone hoping to run a multi-million pound operation.
The EFL quite rightly has it's critics but it is not in their interests at all to allow Derby to go to the wall, so there's no way they would be blocking this deal without a very good reason. So either it's complete bluff on the buyer's side (Knowing the EFL are limited in how they can respond to the accusation and also knowing it will buy him time with the fan-base who despise the EFL), or they have a very good reason for holding the deal up.
I've thought for a while this saga would end with Mike Ashley owning the club and I'm even more convinced now. People can say what they want about him but he:
- Has the funds to do the deal and run the club
- Has the business acumen to close a deal
- Is probably someone you could see being able to strike a deal with Mel Morris over the ground.
All of the above puts him way ahead of anyone else seemingly interested in the club and I imagine at this stage Derby fans would welcome him with open arms.
If they do go under, that's bad news for most League 1 clubs as it would be a game with a larger crowd than normal. On the other hand, for any club that's serious about going for the top 6, it would also mean less competition.
Terrible timing from the point of view of Derby fans, in that if they don't get rescued, they cant re-start in non-league this coming season as they'll have missed the deadlines to apply. So potentially a season out before re-starting.
A few weeks ago I think most would have been firmly against him whereas today I think 99% of their fan base would welcome him with open arms given their current predicament. I think if I was a Derby fan I'd want him over anyone else I have seen linked (Which as you said probably reflects the other prospective buyers more than being a glowing endorsement of Ashley)
People can debate his time at Newcastle endlessly but the things which are not in doubt about him are that he has significant funds to both buy and then run the club, and he has ability to close deals which are probably the most important things for Derby fans like now. There doesn't seem to be anyone else credible sniffing round the club who you could be assured of the same guarantees.
Even if everyone agreed he under-invested at Newcastle, they were still a pretty consistent fixture in the top flight and never once in danger of going out of business or not paying the bills. And whilst he may have under invested, he did at least invest. I know people like to slate sports direct but you only have to look around owners of other clubs across the country to see the type of characters which own them and think that actually Ashley isn't even comparable to them.
I could also be completely wrong, but I'd be surprised if he wanted to ground share and I'd imagine he'd want to secure the stadium as well. If for no other reason than whoever Derby share with aren't going to welcome him changing their stadium name to the sports direct arena and plastering his merchandise all over it.
Ever since I heard Wayne Rooney paid the players wages last month I have been wondering when this would all fall to shit - it seems its happening now. Sad and worrying times for DCFC fans - they don't deserve this. The shocking ownership deserves to really suffer here
If he didn't then his PR team have played a blinder but it wouldn't surprise me if it turns out to be true. For all his faults he does seem to have a real affinity with the club - and he's not hard up for cash
He's either got the money or he hasn't. If he hasn't then why is he wasting everyones time, and more importantly his own? What exactly is he hoping will happen here?
If the other deal goes through he's lost nothing and can just walk away.
If it doesn't he can make a low ball bid and get the club and ground on the cheap.
He's not a fan so has no emotional investment in the club.
He has probably weighed things up and decided Kirchner not being able to close the deal is a punt worth taking. If he swoops in now he is going to get a cut price deal. I think his dealings outside of football follow a very similar model of buying up businesses who are very close to going to the wall.
He has probably also factored in that not only would the deal have been a lot more expensive a month ago, but he would also have had a lot more resistance from Derby fans. I think given their predicament now they will throw him a parade and give him the keys to the city if he can get them bought and playing in their own stadium next season.
There are lots of reasons why I think the deal makes sense for Ashley. It's a distressed sale which he seems to be an expert in, and is closer to the Sports Direct headquarters in Derbyshire. Derby also have a pretty huge fanbase, not comparable to Newcastle granted but still pretty big.
I also think one of his issues with Newcastle was whilst he was incredibly rich, he probably wasn't rich enough to compete with the big boys in the Premier League without dipping heavily into his own personal wealth which he clearly wasn't prepared to do. Taking over a team in League One is a totally different animal, 5-7 million wouldn't even get you one player in the Premier League whereas you could almost build a squad for that in League One.
FWIW if Ashley's seriously interested he'll make it work (for him) It's not clear what he made out of Newcastle beyond the acclaim in the early years for returning them to the top flight and hanging out on the stands for the photo ops. EFL will now be falling over themselves to avoid Derby's cessation (not that they have the first clue how to help).
Ashley will be able to pony up bundles of cash to wherever it's needed short term. After that he's under no obligation to spend any amount at any time.
The Kirchner/Alonso/whoever consortium may well be built on sand, smoke and mirrors. Not a fact that has prevented EFL green lighting takeovers recently - ESI anybody?
The real crook at the root of Derby's demise is the former owner and current landlord. Whether he was feathering his nest or just delusional in mis-managing Derby's funds is now largely immaterial, the result is the same.
If Derby's previous steward has one atom of integrity he'll return the ground to the club for a notional sum and walk away in ignominy and the wrath of his own creditors.
If WR really has been helping to pay the wages, all power to him and hopefully any new ownership will see their way to reimbursing him when the time is right.
More cynically, which players on Derby's books could soon be looking for a new job? Happy hunting Charlton's recruitment team