The relegation of Newcastle United was a devastating blow for city and club. Attributed to a chain of unlucky results, three different managers and an unworkable management system the club seemed to suffer from an array of problems. But with current circumstances considered, and the long term nature of the decline taken into mind, it is now plausible to remark that ‘It is bad, but it could have been a lot worse.’
There are many teams that could account for this. Nottingham Forest stooped as low as League One before making their steady climb. Historically successful teams such as Leicester City, Charlton and Southampton have all profoundly suffered from the sting of relegation. But the most noticeable relegation that springs to mind is that of Leeds United in 2004. It is of particular interest in this case as it encompasses the same amount of financial woe as Newcastle United. Leeds United was cited to be in over £80 million worth of debt in the preceding season to relegation. Without firm ownership to cover these costs the selling of assets ensued. Reo (Ferdinand) went at the back followed by Alan Smith to the same club. Jonathan Woodgate was the rock but couldn’t face relegation or Championship football. Paul Robinson, Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell all left, as well as promising youngsters such as James Milner and Aaron Lennon. All this occurred because Leeds was principally built on sinking sand. Newcastle hasn’t lost too much from relegation. Their number 1 Shay Given was easily replaced by long serving Steve Harper and many of the stars decided to stay and unite. But don’t move all the credit to the players, because I would be doubtful that they would have said this given the prospect of playing on half their wages. Alan Smith decided to stay; Kevin Nolan has played the heroin along with captain Nicky Butt. The rest you can literally reel off: Jose Enrique, Geremi, Shola Ameobi, Andy Carroll, Danny Guthrie, and Joey Barton. All managed to stay because Newcastle United are built on stone. Stone provided by the most hated man in Newcastle, Mike Ashley!
In the face of such hardships as relegation supporters often look for a face to blame. Would they blame the Tyne hero Alan Shearer for only managing one win in 6 games along with draws and losses in big games against comparatively trivial teams? Or the other hero- Kevin Keegan who after making an impressive start fell into a petulant argument and child fully resigned after petty disputes that could have been easily resolved. Kinnear didn’t do a terrible job and there were certainly stark signs of improvement before he was hit with major health problems, which leaves one man. In a move to completely disregard to the hundreds of millions of pounds he had spent relieving the club of much of its debt, the mouth of the Toon Army turned to Mike Ashley.
So where did the feud all begin? Many sources site that the feud between Ashley and the Newcastle fans began when he was photographed downing a pint of beer with the away fans at the emirates stadium. The consumption of alcohol being prohibited in the stadium and his evidentially false claim that the beer was non- alcoholic, mmm- harsh! Then came the resignation of Keegan. In many ways it was one event that exacerbated many. The sale of James Milner and the signing of Xisco lead to disputes over how the club was been run. The role of Denis Wise as Director of Football had certainly caused confusion over the manager’s role in the club. Ashley and Llambias certainly aren’t blame free in this situation, but there is an air of petulance from Keegan that seems to have been wilfully ignored. After the initial meeting with Llambias Keegan was noted to have ‘stormed out’ of St James’ park claiming that he had been sacked. This wasn’t the case at all. Keegan drove straight to Manchester to consult Richard Bevan (League Managers Association chief) all the while Ashley was hearing reports of the meeting and was trying to contact Keegan to cool the situation down. After a mere two days of negotiations between the board and Keegan he resigned. For a man who supposedly cared so much about the club there was no evidence of commitment or compromise, and the sorrowful two days negotiations show how fickle his relationship really was. It is important to understand that in the underlying argument of ‘football can’t be ran as a business’ there is also a crucial element of severity. Although it is difficult to disagree on this issue, it must also be understood that Ashley’s interests were always in the club. His actions were just misguided. Careful compromise and negotiations could have easily resolved this problem.
It also must be noted that Ashley was not the catalyst for the clubs misfortune. In many ways he rid them of their most troublesome woes. Financially, it was slipping into bankruptcy. The club had the fifth largest salary in the Premiership and the highest in the Championship. They are also still paying for previous transfers and have no money from sponsorship as the deal was paid up front, with the majority of proceeds going into owners pockets. In real terms, the future of the club had been mortgaged by investors who in contrary to Ashley did not have bona fide interests in the club. In his (Ashley’s) leaving statement he quoted that he ‘did not buy Newcastle to make money’. From the money he has invested in relation to its returns one could argue that this is one of the most genuine statements you will receive. But in a clash with the fans, this simply was not good enough: ‘This is the nightmare for every fan. To love a club that overextends itself, that tries to spend what it cannot afford’
If one thing has stayed consistent in this whole saga it is the fans. Their loyal support is beyond all contention. But while they are the best part of Newcastle football club, they are also the worst. For if a man who is willing to give away so much can be treated with so much discontent, then it has to beg the question: can the ‘doom army’ ever really be satisfied?
v Quotations taken from Mike Ashley’s leaving statement: www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/
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