OPINION
To say that Newcastle United fans have been left displeased with the running of the club under owner Mike Ashley would perhaps be the understatement of the decade, and things will not be getting any better after he was spotted in a rare outing at a Magpies game.
The Sports Direct supremo was seen at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park on Saturday as Rafael Benitez took his side to play a 0-0 draw against the Eagles, having not been witnessed at a Newcastle match for quite some time.
However, he seemed less interested in the football and more interested in discussing things with club chief Lee Charnley, and that is exactly what the Chronicle report he was at the match for.
While the details of Charnley and Ashley’s discussions have been kept under wraps, it is stated that the owners did not hold any sort of face-to-face talks with Benitez, despite perhaps being as close as they have been in terms of locations for months, but that the businessman is also not considering a change of manager despite the winless start to the campaign.
While that second bit of information might settle a couple of nerves, the fact nothing, not even a brief hello, was set up will have the Toon Army cursing, for it seemed like the perfect time to clear the air, and the club are shooting themselves in the foot here.
Things between the senior pair have appeared to have been tense for a while now and with Benitez’s contract coming to an end this summer, Ashley should have been making the most of this opportunity to butter him up and get him back on side.
Instead, things have been left cold, and it seems like a massive error of judgement from the head honcho not to try and patch things up for the time being.
Newcastle fans want Benitez to stay more than anything, and that is why this revelation will leave them raging.