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Steve Harmison embarrasses himself in public switch with new Mike Ashley comments

4 years ago
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Steve Harmison has yet again been speaking out about Newcastle United.

A lifelong NUFC fan, the former England and Durham cricket star has been a regular media pundit commenting on the situation at St James Park in recent years…

With Steve Harmison regularly talking about the issues surrounding Mike Ashley.

Previously, Steve Harmison has said…

In April 2018 he declared: ‘I’m not a massive Mike Ashley hater. The club is stable under him…

In July 2018, Harmison said that Newcastle fans shouldn’t boycott or campaign against Mike Ashley because of his treatment of Rafa Benitez and the supporters, that supporters simply had a duty to turn up at St James Park regardless (despite Mike Ashley insisting on a £20m+ profit in the summer 2018 transfer window, instead of supporting Benitez). He also ridiculed MP Chi Onwurah of Newcastle Central (the constituency that includes St James Park), who has repeatedly called out Mike Ashley for the way he runs NUFC, after she spoke out in Parliament.

Then June 2019 saw Steve Harmison wanting to blame Rafa Benitez for the mess at the club as Mike Ashley forced the manager out, Harmison claiming Newcastle fans wouldn’t forgive Benitez if he now walked away.

However, sensing that change is in the offing with the NUFC takeover, Steve Harmison now has a very different view on Mike Ashley in this very public change of sides.

Instead of ridiculing Newcastle fans and MPs for calling out Mike Ashley, Steve Harmison now states: ‘The minute that Mike Ashley leaves Newcastle United there will be one almighty cheer. We just desperately want him to go.’

Well Steve, the vast majority of us have desperately wanted Mike Ashley to go for a decade or more, it not helping that people like Steve Harmison were so willing to back the NUFC owner up, with claims of Ashley providing stability and having a go at those willing to campaign against his despicable running of the football club.

Steve Harmison talking now to Talksport:

“From a [Newcastle] fans point of view, we just want rid of Mike Ashley.

“It is as simple as that.

“The minute that Mike Ashley leaves Newcastle United there will be one almighty cheer.

“We just desperately want him to go.

“You do not know if this [Newcastle United takeover] is going to go through or not.

“What happens if in three or four weeks time Mike Ashley decides he doesn’t want to sell Newcastle United?

“He has done it before, he pulls the plug and all of a sudden Steve Bruce has got to plan again [under Mike Ashley] for the start of next season.”

Steve Harmison speaking on Talksport – 21 June 2019:

“I can’t believe Rafa will leave, if he says he loves the club as much as he does.

“The contract was simple. There it is, you know what the contract is. For four years you stick to this, the contract budget is x, we are going to sign younger players, you do it that way and you are going to have to stick to this…I think Rafa will stay. I can’t believe he would leave, saying what he says – He loves the club, he wants the club going forward, he wants the best for the club.

“And to leave…This would be the heartbreaking thing for Newcastle and the fans and for him.

“If he leaves Newcastle four, five days, before they go back for pre-season, with no real transfer targets, very much little uncertainty, they (Newcastle fans) would never forgive Ashley…but they would never forgive Rafa as well. 

“To walk away then, he (Rafa Benitez) has known for six months what this contract is, he has wanted more power and more money, he’s not going to get neither, so he’s got to live with it.

“So for him to walk away now, that would be heartbreaking for Newcastle fans because he knows what that parameters are.

“He should have walked, or he should have said…I can’t deal with this, so if it doesn’t change, I’m leaving when my contract finishes and gives Newcastle time to plan accordingly.”

Steve Harmison speaking on Talksport – 26 July 2018:

“I support Newcastle United, I don’t support Rafa Benitez, I don’t support Mike Ashley.

“I support the black and white shirt, St James Park, cos I don’t think that will ever be removed, that iconic stadium, in the middle of town.

“I just can’t believe, I can’t believe some of the stuff.

“We had an MP, a member of parliament, standing up and abusing Mike Ashley, it was quite comical actually. The state this country is in at this minute, your biggest problem cannot be like that. You are trying to get some cheap laughs and some cheap votes from people in the north east.

“Mike Ashley, he is what he is, it has been 10 years now. We haven’t spent the money, he hasn’t spent the money, we know what is going (on).

“But Rafa knew that when he came in.

“Newcastle fans have got to get behind Newcastle United football club, the actual shirt, the black and white shirt.

“Because if you go to the first game of the season against Tottenham, we’ve got a hard start, and we start going ‘Mike Ashley…’ , what we normally do, then all of a sudden the pressure comes on, we don’t win a few games, and we lose Rafa. We have not got any assets for somebody to come in and buy the football club.

“But if Rafa…and all this stuff, and I’m as passionate as much as anybody, but to say you are going to boycott and you are going to walk away…

“You support Newcastle United football club, you don’t support Mike Ashley, you don’t support Lee Charnley or Rafa Benitez, it is the black and white shirt you support.”

Steve Harmison talking to Sky Sports – 23 April 2018:

“I’m not a massive Mike Ashley hater.

“The club is stable under him…”

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