Final mistake of Mike Ashley era comes back to bite Newcastle on FA Cup weekend

As Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool side entered the final quarter of an hour with the game still a stalemate against Arsenal, the German hoped a young Geordie may rescue the tie from a replay.

Much to the dismay of Newcastle supporters watching the tie at home, once Magpies academy prospect Bobby Clark made his appearance in a harsh reminder of our past owner.

The now 18-year-old was perhaps the final casualty of the poorly managed Mike Ashley Era, when he departed for Merseyside in 2021.

Before Clark there was Ivan Toney, and a girth of others, who were never given the opportunity to fully showcase their talents  in black and white - though it may feel refreshing to some to see improvements already under PIF & co.

Clark, son of ex-Mag Lee Clark, may himself look at the opportunity afforded to Lewis Miley - and to a lesser extent perhaps Ben Parkinson - and wonder where his career on Tyneside could have been.

It appears as though Klopp sees the youngster as a part of his future vision, rewarding the versatile attacker with a two-year deal last month, so let’s hope this is a mistake we don’t make again.