Newcastle United supporters have been reacting on Twitter after a report exposed Mike Ashley’s significant lack of investment in the club.
Findings were published by Swiss Ramble recently, revealing Ashley has failed to invest any of his own money into the Magpies between 2010 and 2020.
The retail entrepreneur’s tenure at St. James’ Park has been a highly controversial one, with several fan protests occurring in an attempt to drive him out of the club.
It seemed as though the Newcastle fans had got their wish last summer when Ashley agreed to sell the club to a consortium backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund but the deal has hit serious stumbling blocks and the club’s future remains unclear.
The report disclosed how Manchester City’s and Chelsea’s owners have provided substantial financing, £1.1bln and £570m respectively, a sharp contrast to that of Newcastle’s and the fans let their feelings be known.
“We get no benefit at all from his ownership. He doesn’t put any of his own money into the club unless he needs to provide loans after relegation, the commercial side is hamstrung by the relationship with his own brands at favourable rates, and our manager options are now awful.”
“That graph is shocking! If the owner isn’t putting money in, then apart from TV revenue, it’s down to the fans. Maybe we do own the club after all!!”
“For years we’ve had to listen to experts saying why should Ashley put any more of his own money into club. We all know he puts nothing in, apart from buying the club and debt”
“We’ve gone even further backwards in the last two years. Look at the money spent and league table positions. Any further backwards and we’ll be 18th place at least.”
“For me, this continual “just enough is good enough” strategy is as big a crime as the ESL. It destroys any semblance of a competitive league.”
“But Bruce happy to work for a boss like him which like Ashley’s proves he has no ambition”
Looking at the replies to this post, it’s clear to see that these Toon fans are not surprised by Ashley’s reported lack of investment into the club.
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