Mike Ashley went into the players’ dressing room after Newcastle’s win over Bournemouth at the weekend.
The Newcastle owner is starting to make a habit of this after also addressing the players and manager Rafa Benitez after the win against Watford.
The 2-1 win over Bournemouth was equally impressive and Ashley addressed both players and manager again to reportedly deliver a “well-done” message.
The Chronicle reports that the exchange was short but that he also said he was happy with the way things were going.
They claim the owner is back on the scene to build a better rapport between himself and the players, and Benitez.
OPINION
This all sounds a bit awkward and strained but it’s a big step in the right direction for the club. There had been previous reports that had claimed Benitez and Ashley hadn’t talked in months and that can’t be a good way for the club to be run. The impetus is with Ashley and he seems to have taken that on board, going to the dressing room after the the two wins that have taken Newcastle up to the heady heights of 14th in the Premier League. However, he can’t just be doing this when Newcastle are winning games. He needs to build up stronger communication with Benitez and he needs to understand the needs of the team and the manager more. It doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere in the near future – much to the Newcastle fan’s dismay – but it does look like Benitez will be able to steer them to safety again and that’s the main thing this season.