Journalist Neil Custis has launched a withering attack against Mike Ashley’s Newcastle United stewardship, saying the supporters are having the mick taken out of them.
Football writer for The Sun, Custis jumped to manager Rafael Benitez’s defence, saying on Sky Sport’s Sunday Supplement [26/08; 0:01]: “If any manager in the Premier League has a reason to moan right now it’s Rafa Benitez; a man who has done sensational things under difficult circumstances at Newcastle United.
“[He] wants to realise the potential of a football club and has been undermined every step of the way by an owner who, Andy Gray, Richard Keys, everyone seems to think is doing a great job, [Ashley has] stabilised the football club, stabilised it over the last ten years,” he went on.
“Over the last ten years at Newcastle United they’ve had an average position of twelfth, and that doesn’t include the two relegations. Before that in the Premier League the average position was eighth, but they also finished second, third, fifth, seventh, two FA Cup finals, four semi finals, qualified for Europe regularly… but Ashley’s stabilised the situation?
“People point to the tenth placed finish last season as a defence of Mike Ashley’s strategy, it’s to do with that man there [Benitez], and if Newcastle lose him I swear it’ll be one of the worst moments in our recent history.
“54,000 go every week and they’re having the mick taken out of them.”
https://twitter.com/SundaySupp/status/1033644095376420866
OPINION
It’s no coincidence that Ashley receives so much ridicule in the press and from pundits. He has taken a proud Premier League football club and turned them into his own personal cash cow, a cash cow that now has increased debt despite his lack of genuine investment. The club now has a world class manager for the first time since Sir Bobby Robson, but there is serious danger that he will leave the club when his contract expires because of the circumstances he is operating under with Ashley. When you look at how the team was doing before Ashley took over, as Custis outlined, they were far outperforming what they have produced under the Sports Direct tycoon. And like Custis also says, if Benitez were to leave the club it would be a travesty and the supporters would be devastated. Fans on Tyneside can only hope that it doesn’t come to that for their beloved Spaniard.