OPINION
Scepticism was the buzz word with Newcastle United supporters after Mike Ashley made a serious of moves to indicate his willingness to sell the club earlier this season.
Now, their assertion that it was too good to be true has been justified. The Times published a report on Sunday claiming that the Magpies owner has taken the club off the market after failing to receive any realistic offers for the North East giants.
The Sports Direct tycoon first put the club up for sale 17 months ago, but in that time he has not been presented with an offer that he deemed to be acceptable.
Newcastle fans will be unsurprised to learn that Ashley has become irritated by the expense the sale process has cost him – the chief reason for his decision to take the club off the market.
This is the news that Magpies supporters will have been dreading for months now. They will surely be tearing their hair out because this is the latest in a series of occasions where they have got their hopes up over a potential sale only to be let down by Ashley.
It’s hard to know where to place blame for this latest development, though. If it’s true that Ashley has received no serious offers in 17 months then it’s hard to blame him for taking the club off the market.
However, if it’s the owner’s own stubbornness or unrealistically high valuation of the club that has scuppered any potential sale then that’s a rather different story.
The bottom line, though, is that no sale of the club appears imminent in any way, shape or form. Ashley is locked in as Newcastle’s owner for the foreseeable future it seems, and that’s enough to have even the most loyal of supporters looking for the St James’ Park exit door.