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Opinion

To beat Mike Ashley we need to win this media war

5 years ago
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As a third generation Newcastle United supporter, my daughter being the fourth, it’s fair to say we bleed black and white.

The generations go all the way back to 1892 and the club’s inception.

I am lucky enough to remember the Fairs Cup win, my father was even luckier in seeing them lift the FA Cup at Wembley, how we long for those days again.

We’ve had twelve years of purgatory, with an owner who couldn’t care less about the city, the club or the fan base.

Recent events have got us all hot under the collar, to put it mildly. The big question is how do we fight back, as make no mistake it is a war against a retail Goliath.

I stopped going a few years ago after I went to a match against West Brom with my daughter, she had got the tickets as a Christmas present. All sounded good until we went into the club shop at the ground, there were Rangers shirts on sale in the club megastore. Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Rangers or their merchandise, but in their own club shop.

Looking further, my anger got worse, the tickets on the goods for sale weren’t NUFC tickets that I’d remembered from the past, but SD tickets, it was basically a branch of SD. This made my mind up that it wasn’t my club anymore and I shouldn’t return.

I have done on only two occasions, one was for a corporate event and the last was this year’s match against Southampton, I was again persuaded by my daughter who was back home on holiday.

Rafa’s leaving is the last straw for many, how many will only become apparent when we take on Arsenal in the first premiership match post-Rafa. It is also noticeable the increase in membership of the NUST and the Magpie group. It’s without question that these are positive movements and should be encouraged and as supporters we have to stay UNITED! And not turn on each other as we will have differences in opinion of what to do and how to do it, all should be listened to.

This comes to an observation of mine, one of the things that I feel we haven’t been winning over the last few months, or indeed years, is the media war.

I don’t mean Facebook or Twitter, although these help if we stay within the law and take the moral high ground. Ashley is very quick to point out if we don’t, bullies always shout quickest when they’re stood up to. The main war would appear to be on TV and on Radio. It would appear that Sky Sports and Talksport are two of the worst culprits in lending a mouth platform to the pro-Ashley brigade.

We all know the main culprits: Dennis Wise, Simon Jordan, Rio Ferdinand, and that well balanced presenter from beIN Sports, Richard Keys, who has a chip on both shoulders. I think I can safely say that we are all disappointed in former players Bobby Moncur, Shola Ameobi and now Kevin Nolan. These people should know the story better but prefer to close their eyes to the truth.

Do I think these interviews are spur of the moment, NO! They are orchestrated by Mike Ashley and his henchmen, no question about it. It is no coincidence that whenever there is the threat of protests or fan unrest, all the unmentionables come out of the woodwork in support of our odious owner. Protests do work and they should be kept up, but it needs to hit him the only place he knows, in the pocket of SD.

This band of reprobates whilst supporting Mike Ashley constantly distort the truth, this appears to be perfectly acceptable in the eyes of TV and Radio, who do not appear to want to challenge the lies with the actual facts, step forward Jake Humphrey and Ian Wright, who are two of the very few neutrals who support, or in any way put forward, the supporter’s position, we need more of them and to tell the facts as they stand. Not a brainwashed version of what a nice bloke Ashley is and what he’s done for the club. He’s done little – it’s motivated by greed and money to line his own pockets.

To take this campaign to Mike Ashley we need the people in the media to take us seriously and put forward our case about the running of our club. I don’t mean the likes of Alan Shearer, although his help would undoubtedly be beneficial, I mean the neutrals who carry some weight without being attached to our club.

The facts are there in black and white of how badly the club is run, for the personal gain of one man. They only have to look at each year’s accounts to see what is happening. A while back Chris Holt did an excellent piece in The Mag detailing the lack of spending not only on the playing staff but on infrastructure within the club. These are the details we need to get into the media to counter the lies that have been told in support of a dictatorial regime.

I have to say that I am greatly disappointed by the lack of bite by the local media, who don’t appear to want to use the data that is there and want to go around the problem with half-baked articles like the Financial Fair Play rules as if the present regime would exceed these, they have used it extensively to vindicate their lack of spending.

The Chronicle for the most part want to sit on the fence, they appear to take the club’s word for all of it including the “No Comment” for the takeover, which I still feel is being orchestrated by Ashley and I expect him to either pull the plug, or delay it enough until interested parties pull out as they cannot get it done in time to save almost inevitable relegation.

Just so this ends on a bit of a lighter note, here’s a ditty based around the tune of Cushy Butterfield.

Eleven years and coontin’ since he bought wor club
From Hall and from Shepherd it said on the stub;
His name’s Mike Ashley and he sells his cheap tat
At Sports Direct on the high street, you know where it’s at.

Chorus
He’s a big lad an’ a Fat Lad,
An’ owns wor club;
An, they call him Mike Ashley,
An’ we wish he wor’nt here.

In two thousand and Seven the sale it went throo;
Any hope we had went straight doon the loo;
A tight grip on finances is what he did say;
Like Scrooge at Christmas, cheap transfer is his way.

Chorus
He’s a big lad an’ a Fat Lad,

Big Sham was paid off, and wor Kev was brought in;
Lied too on transfers, it would have a familiar ring;
Next it was Joe Kinnear with his own band of shi..
The way wor Kev was treated well that’s nivor rite,

Chorus
He’s a big lad an’ a Fat Lad,

Relegation happened and it worn’t such a laff,
Hughton to the rescue, then dumped like a lame calf
Next we got Pardspew, all full of bull,
Up to fifth in the prem, Ashly played us for a fyeul.

Chorus
He’s a big lad an’ a Fat Lad,

He says “I’m aff tae Palace to work ivry day,
Makin Progress roond here is like wadin’ through clay;
An’ nearly relegated with Carver, has a familiar ring’
The wally with the brolly gets the transfers in !”

Chorus
He’s a big lad an’ a Fat Lad,

Rafa wel he’s anuther better chep, an’ he’s given us all hope
But Ashley did deceive him, while he tried to keep the ship afloat;
Broken promises wi contract up, Ashley’s cut the club’s throat
Biddin addo te Rafa Benitez an’ with it toon on a doonward slope.

Chorus
He’s a big lad an’ a Fat Lad,

Remember David did beat Goliath, so we can beat him if we stay UNITED!

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