So what explains risky decisions going so heinously wrong two or three years, and so startling right today? Luck. Mike Ashley, lest we forget, is a gambler. He flies by the seat of his pants, chances his hand, and speculates to accumulate. And it looks to have come off.
A fragile truce had emerged, with the fans respecting Ashley’s vision for the club, if not the means by which he’s implementing it. Perhaps, we thought, after a few years of experience, he finally ‘gets’ Newcastle. As a place, and a football club. But the evidence suggests that he lucked out, went on a winning streak. That we sit where we are today is down, yes, to the hard work and skill of those at the club, but Ashley was lucky that everything, everything, went his way.
The latest odd decision, the move to rename the stadium from St James Park to the Capitalist Moneyhole Arena (or whatever fetid, stinking name he’s come up with) before selling it on to somebody else, is his latest gamble. It may come off, with a £20m sponsorship deal harvesting new players and contracts, but it may not.
There is a chance that this decision, with the appalling atmosphere it has reintroduced around the City and the club, it could upset the fragile harmony of the dressing room, reignite the ‘Ashley Out’ movement, and feed through to the players on the pitch.
Some things are beyond monetary value. The City Council are certainly skint, but it’s difficult to imagine them renaming the Tyne the ‘River EasyJet’ or Grey’s Monument ‘The Tesco Tower’. St James Park is as much a part of our identity as anything in the NE post-code, and by toying with the emotions and sensitivities of local people, of fans and the City, the ownership have deployed possibly another huge gamble. But even if it does come off, we’ll have lost something. The ownership have inflicted a loss of pride, heritage and tradition on an entire city. There is a feeling that this simply wasn’t his decision to make, and that something sacred has been trampled on by a rogue outsider.
Mike Ashley has played his hand, but the pack is rigged. This is one gamble he cannot win.
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.