A section of Newcastle United fans have taken to Twitter to tear into Sky Sports pundit Dennis Wise for his comments about club owner Mike Ashley.
Speaking to Sky Sports News on Monday, the former Chelsea and England midfielder has decided to back Ashley for failing to give adequate funds to Rafa Benitez in the summer transfer window, despite the Magpies making the biggest profit out of all clubs in the Premier League.
“Unfortunately whatever he does, he will constantly take stick. It’s as simple as that,” said Wise, as quoted on the Sky Sports website.
“There are a lot of people out there that don’t help the situation. They want to bring it onto him.
“People complain about them not spending enough money but if you trade well at a football club and you’re able to bring players in and take players out and make money, I don’t see what the problem is with that.”
Some Newcastle fans blasted Wise for his comments, with one calling him a “blithering idiot”.
This is Futbol has rounded up some of the best tweets below:
Dennis Wise, the man who scouted players via Youtube. Blithering idiot. #NUFC https://t.co/vFmlF49BS3
— NUFC360 (@NUFC360) August 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/Jamierowntree1/status/1028990490530775041
He can say all he wants to defend mike but it doesn’t make it true besides no one is gonna listen to him Cos….. pic.twitter.com/GJSFTUewKH
— Stu (@stewiefrommars) August 13, 2018
The same Mike Ashley that hired him and screwed over Kevin Keegan.
The Sky Sports/Mike Ashley love in continues…
— Lee Robson (@leerobson23) August 13, 2018
Dennis wise when he sees mike Ashley pic.twitter.com/UROwNdkfqN
— Kev ?? (@nufc_kev) August 13, 2018
He gets stuck for the lack of ambition he shows to our club. We wouldn’t criticise if he was running the club with a bit of dignity, but stadium name changes, pathetic managers, lying to the fans and ex manager, not backing Rafa, the list goes on, that’s why we want him out
— Neil Harvey (@38harvey) August 13, 2018
As if Dennis Wise is going to give you an unbiased view.
— Stephen Foster (@StephenJF94) August 13, 2018
OPINION
It’s not hard to see why these Newcastle fans have hammered into Wise for his comments. The fans want Ashley gone, and even he appears to want to go having put the club up for sale last year with Amanda Staveley almost buying it off him. It did not help that after cashing on the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Chancel Mbemba and Mikel Merino that the only players who were brought in were on cheap deals or loans. And then for Ashley to go out and buy retail giants House of Fraser for £90million a day of the summer transfer window slammed shut was basically rubbing salt in the wounds. Wise was infamously part of the ‘Cockney Mafia’ at St James’ Park around 10 years ago and the treatment of Kevin Keegan during his time as manager was terrible to say the least. Wise simply cannot back Ashley anymore and the fans are well within their rights to disagree with him.