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Opinion

Wider understanding breaking out on Ashley and NUFC

9 years ago
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Over the last few weeks, I think it is fair to say that the pressure on the board and management of NUFC has never been greater.

Sure there may have been greater outpourings of anger when Keegan was forced out, the feeling of total and utter abandonment may have been more pronounced after the 2009 relegation debacle, but those were local issues. They were felt keenly in the city of Newcastle Upon Tyne but nothing more than a side interest for the rest of the footballing world.

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The difference now is that the attention is focused much further afield than just within sight of St James’ Park, finally the media in general are paying proper attention.

Pundits seem to actually be beginning to understand what has happened and continues to happen whilst TV shows (like the Dispatches programme on Channel 4 last Monday night) are pushing Mike Ashley, S***** D***** and Newcastle United into the public consciousness, maybe for all the wrong reasons but possibly at exactly the right time.

I spend a disproportionate amount of time surfing the web, I read football sites and forums from all over the world as well as general news sites. I can tell you that the feeling from elsewhere is revulsion for what Ashley has done to the employees and suppliers of S***** D***** and the fans of both Newcastle United and Rangers.

However, there is always a question to be asked. People who have only recently became aware of the dissatisfaction on Tyneside always come back to the same point, ‘If it has been this bad for so long then why have they put up with it?’, a damned good question.

Let’s take off our black and white glasses for a moment and put ourselves firmly into the shoes of someone not associated with Newcastle United, someone with only a passing interest in football….an accountant perhaps.

It must seem very odd to this person that there is such apparent resentment from the fans and yet they dutifully fill the ground every week, why would they?

If they want rid of the owner then surely they can see that continuing to support his business is not the way to go? How can they tell him that they hate him with their words, but carry on filling his stadium and buying his product with their actions, very contradictory actions is it not?

I also read many posters on here calling for the views of every fan to be respected, but isn’t that just a little bit of a cop out? Isn’t that like respecting your neighbour’s right to give a burglar a hand with your plasma screen into the back of their nicked Transit van?

If their views and actions actively damage the future of the club by continuing to validate the current ownership then why should we respect them? Why should I not dismiss and ridicule them?

I’ve been told that by taking a confrontational stance that I will actually drive people away from the protest and into the loving bosom of the owner. As if he hasn’t already confronted and affronted every single man, woman and child on Tyneside with his total lack of respect for history and heritage of Newcastle United.

As if my words on here are somehow more likely to cause continued support for the owner than his actions of belittling and cheapening the name of the football club are to cause hatred. Unbelievable.

The pressure is currently intense, never have so many fans United against the current regime. only to be met with a wall of silence (unless someone dares to insult S***** D*****).

However, still there are at least 30,000 who don’t see that. They don’t see that by uniting behind the banner of Mike Ashley, under the guise of Newcastle United, that ultimately it is they who will seal our fate.

They who have the chance to save the club and they who by their apathy and inaction will lead to the continuation of what is.

Until finally the walls collapse in on themselves and those who spent years warning about us becoming ‘another Portsmouth or Leeds’ without Ashley’s business acumen, will actually have helped to preside over exactly that.

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