Paul Merson slaughters Mike Ashley for disgraceful treatment of Newcastle United fans
Credit where it is due and on this occasion full credit to Paul Merson.
The former Arsenal and England player launching an impassioned attack on Mike Ashley.
Paul Merson calling out the Newcastle United owner for the way he has acted with regard to NUFC fans this week.
Whilst other Premier League clubs are doing everything they can to help their supporters through such a difficult period, Mike Ashley has done the opposite.
Newcastle fans, as well as countless other people, are facing massive financial stress due to this virus emergency situation.
Yet this week, despite pleas from Newcastle supporter groups, Mike Ashley insisted on going ahead and taking full season ticket payments for the 2020/21 campaign, even though nobody knows when it will start.
Other Premier League clubs are deferring payments, typically with a three month payment holiday, yet Ashley went ahead and took full advance payment with some people seeing £600+ disappearing from their accounts, whilst thousands of others who pay monthly are also set to see payments still taken out.
Mike Ashley might have given a lame public apology to try and save his retail empire this Friday morning after his disgraceful conduct in recent days but no surprise to Newcastle fans that he doesn’t even bother saying anything to them, never mind apologising.
Paul Merson says that it is ‘incredibly harsh’ the way Mike Ashley has treat Newcastle fans, says Ashley is ‘playing with people’, as well as insisting that other clubs wouldn’t have acted like this towards their own fans like this, in these difficult times.
Paul Merson believes that after this crisis is brought under some kind of control, ‘clubs will have to look at how they treat their supporters’, well after 13 years (so far!) I don’t think a single Newcastle fan will think Mike Ashley has any intention of changing his behaviour.
Paul Merson speaking to the Daily Star:
‘For Newcastle to be charging fans £620 right now for next season’s season tickets is incredibly harsh.
People’s livelihoods are at stake because of coronavirus and the restrictions, and football is suspended.
It’s the worst possible time to be hitting people with a huge bill like that – one of the most loyal sets of supporters in the country too.
I find it really surprising they’ve done that. It’s playing with people. I don’t think many other clubs would have done that.
Premier League clubs have enough money in the bank to be helping their supporters out.
Newcastle surely could have done something about this. They certainly have enough money to let people defer that payment.
I think a lot of things will change after this and clubs will have to look at how they treat their supporters.
There have been a lot of good stories coming out about clubs helping their communities and this is just the opposite.’
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