Newcastle takeover: Fans hate Mike Ashley but he’s given us some outlandish Premier League moments
NEWCASTLE UNITED may soon have a new owner and few Magpies supporters will be sad to see the back of Mike Ashley.
Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is in line to snap up the Tyneside club for £350million.
Selling up would mark the end of a rollercoaster 12-year spell in charge, which has seen relegations and occasional runs at European football – plus no major finals.
In amongst the doom and gloom have been some memorably outlandish moments that have grabbed the attention.
Here, Sun Sport runs through Ashley’s most memorable decisions and incidents as Newcastle owner.
Kevin Keegan’s fairytale return… and acrimonious exit
Few expected King Kev’s return to Newcastle in early 2008 but many would have seen his controversial departure coming.
After resigning over the club’s structure, Keegan took Ashley to court for unfair dismissal and a tribunal ruled in his favour, the whole affair plummeting the owner’s favourability with fans.
Dooming Alan Shearer
The Magpies’ relegation in 2008/09 came via a succession of interim managers, caretaker Chris Hughton stepping aside for temporary boss Joe Kinnear early on in the campaign.
By February, the team was in serious trouble and Kinnear’s health problems led to the surprise appointment of Shearer – who won just one of eight games en route to the Championship, but fans didn’t let that harm the iconic striker’s reputation.
Joe Kinnear’s second coming
Speaking of which, former Wimbledon boss Kinnear spent almost ten years out of the top-flight before being plucked for an 18-game stint.
But it was his second spell, as director of football, that was most outlandish, involving misnamed players, blatant mistruths, general confusion and – tellingly – no permanent signings.
Not a Wise move
The notion that Ashley was fronting a so-called “Cockney Mafia” wasn’t helped by the arrival of Chelsea legend Dennis Wise as executive director in 2008.
What his role actually involved was always murky, but the ex-midfielder and Keegan never settled and Wise was sacrificed amid growing fan discontent.
Binge drinking
Sued by an investment banker in July 2017, Ashley told a High Court judge: “I like to get drunk. I am a power drinker.”
The court also heard the businessman once vomited into a fireplace during a boozy work meeting, having knocked back 12 pints.
Called out in Parliament
The naming rights situation at St James’ Park – or Sports Direct Arena – have been a continual issue for fans during the owner’s tenure.
Plans to change the name of the historic arena were even denounced by David Clelland, MP for Tyne Bridge, in the House of Commons in 2009. Going on to change the name, Ashley reversed the decision after less than a year.
The Wonga sponsor
Sports Direct weren’t the only problematic sponsor for the Magpies, whose £24m shirt deal with payday lender Wonga bought the ire of many.
In particular, the Muslim Council of Britain intervened to state that any Islamic players wearing their logo would infringe Sharia Law – affecting star quartet Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse, Cheick Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa.
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Living arrangements
Newcastle fans were amazed to learn Ashley forked out £50m when splitting from his wife in 2002.
Reports suggested they reunited after 14 years apart and lived in neighbouring mansions in North London.