Is Ashley trying to repair the damage?
by Olly Hawkins ·
Remember when Mike Ashley bought our beloved club?
Baiting Sunderland, Chelsea and Man United fans with, "we've got an English owner with loads of cash!", It was exciting. We'd all probably popped into Sports Direct and got our annual Adidas trainers hadn't we? "He's English and he's loaded" we could declare. Gone are the days of McKeag and "Sack the Board" protests. This was the next step.
Then he started his 'ways'.
Not a clue. Name any more ridiculous appointment than Dennis Wise? Joe Kinnear was just like when the monkey asks for money from you after the worst Circus you could ever witness. The Cockney Dwarf at wor place!! Who'd have imagined it.
Anyhow, we know the mess he's made. The renaming of our home, the garish ads and the horrible sort of 'atmosphere' that's been lingering like a bad smell since Ashley took control. All of a sudden Shepherd and the buffoon Douglas Hall didn't seem so bad?
Fast forward and all of a sudden he's in bother. The media have him in their crosshairs. The Government make comments about his business practices. The "seal the deal with a handshake" approach is showing cracks as it really is very 'Cockney' and simply not our style at Newcastle. HMRC visits, lingering suspicion over transfers of past when Meatloaf was buying Faye etc.
So, is Mike trying to repair the damage, to paper over some cracks and is he throwing some cash at Rafa to perhaps make us like him when no-one else does? Are we finally on his radar? Is he thinking that he owns a BIG football club that needs money not his advertising and silly logo?
Is Mike Ashley finally starting to understand this club?I really hope so and pray Rafa isn't going to get mugged like Keegan did. We need stability and transparency. Abramovich can be quiet, they've won loads and he doesn't need to show his input. It's there to see in a trophy cabinet.
But us - we are only a heartbeat away from success. It just needs Ashley to finally admit he's got it all wrong for many years now, accept that Rafa, the staff, the players and us supporters all know better than him about football. I'm rubbish at selling Slazenger stuff so he can stay good at that.
But PLEASE Mike, make us great again and reap the rewards. You may actually be liked on Tyneside one day. We'd even allow you to sponsor the open top bus!
By John Moutter
