Newcastle owner Mike Ashley threatened to knock-out an abusive Newcastle fan who approached him in a restaurant in London, according to the Sun.
The extraordinary details of the report claim that Ashley initially shook the hand of the Newcastle fan who came over to his table before the incident turned nasty.
The Newcastle fan called him a “parasite” and told him to “get out the club and the city”.
Ashley responded by saying, “I’ll knock you out you f***ing p***k. Get the f*** out of here.”
OPINION
This is what happens when you’re as unpopular a figure as Ashley at a football club. We’re not condoning the abuse on either side here, we just think it’s sad that it’s come to this. From Ashley’s point of view, you’re out for a meal in London when a fan comes over. You shake his hand but you must be worried about what’s going to happen. However, if the report is true, it shines a light on Ashley and his unsavoury character. He will point to provocation but why not just call the management over and try and get the fan removed. Threatening violence is just pouring petrol on a fire and is way worse than abusive words. Again, if the allegations are true, Ashley is just ramping up the confrontation at this point and should know better, and it seems he just completely lost the plot. Right or wrong he must be used to abuse from Newcastle fans and must learn how to deal with it in a better way than this. You also have to ask yourself why he’s persevering and staying at a place where he’s so obviously hated. Thick skin doesn’t even describe the half of it.