Ashley to close NUFC retail store. Castore entering fold

Livibear said:
This time last year he was sat in our living room with his feet up on the furniture, stinking the place out with his rancid, obese farts.

He then CHOSE to leave (through not taking up the option of matching Castore’s offer).

Why then, would he look for a back door to get back in after choosing to leave?
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Hope you are right livibear and am just a untrusting so and so :)
 
It’s not just our Castore gear SD sell. They also have gear from the Aussie Rules teams they sponsor.

That for me is very strange as I don’t think I’ve ever seen any UK Sports retailer sell Aussie Rules gear.

I get that Castore are free to do deals with companies for distribution but you can’t even buy those shirts on the Castore website (they sell West Indies and McLaren gear) so why are SD wanting Aussie Rules shirts when there are no demand for them in the U.K.?

Something not right there.
 
Empire said:
It’s not just our Castore gear SD sell. They also have gear from the Aussie Rules teams they sponsor.

That for me is very strange as I don’t think I’ve ever seen any UK Sports retailer sell Aussie Rules gear.

I get that Castore are free to do deals with companies for distribution but you can’t even buy those shirts on the Castore website (they sell West Indies and McLaren gear) so why are SD wanting Aussie Rules shirts when there are no demand for them in the U.K.?

Something not right there.
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There is something off about the whole thing. It’s all far too coincidental.
 
Empire said:
I completely understand how kit manufacturers work mate. With the numbers we sell, I’m pretty sure Nike would make us something bespoke.
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Would they? Based on what? They never even bid for our business this time around so why would they suddenly invest heavily and offer us design input now?

In terms of comparison look at the manky mob with Adidas. Generally the same level of exposure as us. Look at that stupid tracky they wear with the different coloured stripes on the sleeves. Thats a generic template. You see it everywhere in different colours. The strip might be different but the rest is generic pish. These companies simply do not care about Scottish football. They want their flagship teams in Champions League finals, not Scottish Cup finals.

At least Castore have offered us a complete range of bespoke gear. Yes they have had issues, but lets give them next season to see if they can rectify these before binning them off.
 
To charge 60 quid for a top that doesn't even last a year is a disgrace.Probably one of the worst quality wise Rangers tops.Hummel was better made tbh.
 
BigDGrant said:
I wish we went for Umbro, Adidas, Nike or any of the big kit makers.
Castore stuff is fucking crap and overpriced for what it is. Cheap made crap.
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I posted links the other day to the club shops for a variety of clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, Newcastle United amongst others - and compared the price of the current Home top on each. Prices ranged from Spurs at £70 down to a cluster around £65 and then Rangers and a couple of others at £60. Regular price obviously, as some have Sales on at present. Put simply, no matter who we go with that’s the price bracket you are looking at and, currently, Castore are at the lower end.

As for quality, feedback on here indicates some major issues. It’s variable though. My three clothing items have been fine but obviously that’s not the case for others. I’ve also got Adidas gear with the ‘infamous’ peeling/missing badges for which Castore appear to have problems.

Long 4 years ahead for some.
 
Empire said:
Ask yourself why that was.
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It's probably because King was gone and Ashley was being a horrible prick primarily out of spite towards him.

Literally anyone can verify for themselves that Ashley has no official involvement in Castore, if he's investing in the background then it doesn't really effect the club.
 
Valley Bluenose said:
I posted links the other day to the club shops for a variety of clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, Newcastle United amongst others - and compared the price of the current Home top on each. Prices ranged from Spurs at £70 down to a cluster around £65 and then Rangers and a couple of others at £60. Regular price obviously, as some have Sales on at present. Put simply, no matter who we go with that’s the price bracket you are looking at and, currently, Castore are at the lower end.

As for quality, feedback on here indicates some major issues. It’s variable though. My three clothing items have been fine but obviously that’s not the case for others. I’ve also got Adidas gear with the ‘infamous’ peeling/missing badges for which Castore appear to have problems.

Long 4 years ahead for some.
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The top I have the transfers are peeling etc.Absolute crap quality.60 to 70 is a given for a top,I just think the Castore top isn't upto snuff.
 
Empire said:
I completely understand how kit manufacturers work mate. With the numbers we sell, I’m pretty sure Nike would make us something bespoke.
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Nike don't even make bespoke kit for Liverpool.

Everyone they supply gets a choice of templates and colour combinations to choose from.
 
BigDGrant said:
The top I have the transfers are peeling etc.Absolute crap quality.60 to 70 is a given for a top,I just think the Castore top isn't upto snuff.
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My current Adidas tracking bottoms now say they are made by ‘as’ and have a single stripe instead of three. It’s not an exclusively Castore problem.
 
Empire said:
Ask yourself why that was.
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You’re dropping lots of ‘hints’ here @Empire but providing absolutely nothing other than, seemingly, ‘gut instinct’ to support it.

I think most of us suspect that part of the deal for getting Castore onboard and rid of the Fat C*nt involved SDI getting some sort of deal to buy kit from Castore. Provided Rangers still get their slice and that deal is between Castore /SDI I can live with that, albeit we’d love to see him with nothing.

You, though, appear to be suggesting more. Anything to support that? Nothing on Companies House suggests any Fat C*nt/SDI involvement at corporate level with Castore.
 
Valley Bluenose said:
You’re dropping lots of ‘hints’ here @Empire but providing absolutely nothing other than, seemingly, ‘gut instinct’ to support it.

I think most of us suspect that part of the deal for getting Castore onboard and rid of the Fat C*nt involved SDI getting some sort of deal to buy kit from Castore. Provided Rangers still get their slice and that deal is between Castore /SDI I can live with that, albeit we’d love to see him with nothing.

You, though, appear to be suggesting more. Anything to support that? Nothing on Companies House suggests any Fat C*nt/SDI involvement at corporate level with Castore.
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Think you need to take off your investigator hat to be honest. I’ve not hinted at anything.
 
Empire said:
Think you need to take off your investigator hat to be honest. I’ve not hinted at anything.
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Really? You alluded to how odd it was that SDI were selling Castore Aussie Rules gear (only) and then followed up with a ‘ask yourself why that was’ response to a post about SDI not bidding for the Rangers contract.

I will happily concede I should maybe have said ‘implying’ rather than ‘hinting’.;)
 
Empire said:
It’s not just our Castore gear SD sell. They also have gear from the Aussie Rules teams they sponsor.

That for me is very strange as I don’t think I’ve ever seen any UK Sports retailer sell Aussie Rules gear.

I get that Castore are free to do deals with companies for distribution but you can’t even buy those shirts on the Castore website (they sell West Indies and McLaren gear) so why are SD wanting Aussie Rules shirts when there are no demand for them in the U.K.?

Something not right there.
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Pretty standard way SD operate.

To negotiate a lower wholesale price with a manufacturer they agree to take shite the manufacturer either can’t sell or is testing the market with.

I worked with SD in the late 90s and some of the shite we got through was hilarious.

It’s a big reason their stores look like a jumble sale.
 
Mezzala said:
It's probably because King was gone and Ashley was being a horrible prick primarily out of spite towards him.

Literally anyone can verify for themselves that Ashley has no official involvement in Castore, if he's investing in the background then it doesn't really effect the club.
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Hold on, that’s now two people who have suggested the post you’ve quoted was me saying Ashley is involved. That’s not what I’m meaning.

Not many major manufacturers were wanting to get involved at the time Castore did because of how much of a mess our retail division was in. That’s all.
 
Valley Bluenose said:
Really? You alluded to how odd it was that SDI were selling Castore Aussie Rules gear (only) and then followed up with a ‘ask yourself why that was’ response to a post about SDI not bidding for the Rangers contract.

I will happily concede I should maybe have said ‘implying’ rather than ‘hinting’.;)
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See the post above.....
 
Empire said:
Hold on, that’s now two people who have suggested the post you’ve quoted was me saying Ashley is involved. That’s not what I’m meaning.

Not many major manufacturers were wanting to get involved at the time Castore did because of how much of a mess our retail division was in. That’s all.
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To be fair mate, you may not have meant that, but some people are going to look at that post from an admin, and try and read between the lines.

Whether that’s right, wrong, sensible or stupid is another argument - it’s just what is happening.
 
Coisty09 said:
We had a contract with Elite.
Fatso stepped in and they have refused to pay us what they owe.
He is so much of a heavyweight in sports retail that any small company would be delighted to have him take them over abd do their distribution.
Even if it’s a breach of contract with Rangers, they will be so much money in it for the two Scouse brothers they probably won’t care
Castore promised us they would have nothing to do with SD.
Next thing our shirts are on sale in fatsos shops.
Now this.
Remember we’re talking about two Scouse salesmen and the Fat c@nt.
Not good reading in my eyes.
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Its beginning to smell.
 
Jamiegatami said:
Must be ST renewal time if Ashley’s selling the club again.
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Empire said:
It’s not just our Castore gear SD sell. They also have gear from the Aussie Rules teams they sponsor.

That for me is very strange as I don’t think I’ve ever seen any UK Sports retailer sell Aussie Rules gear.

I get that Castore are free to do deals with companies for distribution but you can’t even buy those shirts on the Castore website (they sell West Indies and McLaren gear) so why are SD wanting Aussie Rules shirts when there are no demand for them in the U.K.?

Something not right there.
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Mate you do know that Ashley operates Sports Direct in Australia.
 
So the two football clubs Castore are going to be involved with in the UK are us and Newcastle.

We’re being told that Castore offered us a deal that SD/Ashley couldn’t/wouldn’t match, after a years long battle between Ashley and King, but Ashley/SD is now happy to allow Castore to make Newcastle gear?

I’ve said previously that I’ve had a bad feeling about Ashley being involved somehow and this isn’t helping.
 
Ashley has shares in almost every shop on our high street so if he is involved with Castore I wouldn't be surprised. Most important thing for me is that the club have a fairer cut of the profits and we are actually paid what we are owed. The SD and Hummel deals were a disaster.
 
Castore are a relatively fledgling business compared to the giants, though they have huge potential and are definitely going places. To buy out the owners right now would take huge amounts of cash by any stretch of imagination. 50, 100, 150 million? Thats something the fat man would have no shortage of on the back of the Newcastle sale. Not normally the his style, he preys on the vulnerable for his earnings but wouldn’t put anything past that horrible chunt. He certainly wouldn’t be paying up the tax man and retiring to the sun with the cash. He gets too sweaty to sit in the sun.
 
Chester Loyal said:
So the two football clubs Castore are going to be involved with in the UK are us and Newcastle.

We’re being told that Castore offered us a deal that SD/Ashley couldn’t/wouldn’t match, after a years long battle between Ashley and King, but Ashley/SD is now happy to allow Castore to make Newcastle gear?

I’ve said previously that I’ve had a bad feeling about Ashley being involved somehow and this isn’t helping.
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They will be involved with more than NUFC down South very soon mate. Rumours of at least two others over and above NUFC.

There is nothing registered at Companies House to suggest the Fat C*nt has any involvement with Castore. The Lounge is the place for conspiracy theories.;):)
 
Est1872 said:
The conspiracy theories are going to follow us around forever, aren't they. Or until Ashley dies anyway. They are amusing at least.
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Amusing?

Wow.

I mean I'd see your point if that particular fat bastard hadn't spent an inordinate effort in trying to fúck us up over a number of years, conspiring with others in doing so.

But yeah, you chortle on....
 
TimzRFudz said:
Amusing?

Wow.

I mean I'd see your point if that particular fat bastard hadn't spent an inordinate effort in trying to fúck us up over a number of years, conspiring with others in doing so.

But yeah, you chortle on....
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You've totally misread that.

None of Ashley's vindictive actions towards us in the past have amused me.

The conspiracy theories about Castore being a front for Ashley amuse me.

Two separate things!
 
Est1872 said:
You've totally misread that.

None of Ashley's vindictive actions towards us in the past have amused me.

The conspiracy theories about Castore being a front for Ashley amuse me.

Two separate things!
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I don't know that I have. Outlandish conspiracies I enjoy a good chuckle at, and there are indeed plenty of those in the lounge.

However, it's not a massive leap of faith to be concerned at the apparent coincidences involving Castore, Ashley and the two football clubs. Neither Castore nor of course the fat slug have been entirely truthful in a number of their dealings with us previously. There's a difference between moon howling conspiracies and concerns based on previous events.
 
SuperGers07 said:
They sell Nike, Adidas etc. Is there a link there?
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Of course there is. That's my point.

However, we've not been at war with Nike, Adidas etc. Nor do we have a contract with them.

My fundamental point is that we should not let our guard slip for a minute when it comes to Ashley or the new kids on the block who haven't covered themselves in glory thus far.
 
TimzRFudz said:
I don't know that I have. Outlandish conspiracies I enjoy a good chuckle at, and there are indeed plenty of those in the lounge.

However, it's not a massive leap of faith to be concerned at the apparent coincidences involving Castore, Ashley and the two football clubs. Neither Castore nor of course the fat slug have been entirely truthful in a number of their dealings with us previously. There's a difference between moon howling conspiracies and concerns based on previous events.
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Whatever floats your boat mate.

I'm not worried in the slightest.

Not being blasé about it, we're right as a fan base to scrutinise deals - but there's nothing untoward going on.

In the meantime I will, respectfully, enjoy some of the theories being flung about!
 
a_weir said:
Castore aren't manufacturing Newcastle's kit. They're just rumoured to be in line to.

I also note that you've not mentioned Wolves, who they're also rumoured to manufacture for...
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That’s because I didn’t know they were rumoured to be Wolves new kit manufacturers.
 
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