Mike Ashley: An insight into the Newcastle owner

The dust is settling on Tyneside, a few days after Joe Kinnear’s return to Newcastle United was confirmed (eventually) by the club. Kinnear is now Director of Football, in a move which has left everyone perplexed. However, the Newcastle fans have learnt to always expect the unexpected when Mike Ashley’s around.

In June 2007, Mike Ashley completed his takeover of Newcastle United Football Club. The Geordie faithful had been clamouring for change, and Ashley promised a new start when he wiped away most of the club’s debt. His unconventional style was met with cynicism from those outside the North-West. The fans, however, loved having an owner meeting with them at local bars, and standing in the terraces alongside them in the famous black and white stripes.

On the field things weren’t going so well, and pressure was growing on manager Sam Allardyce. Allardyce had been appointed before the takeover and the fans were turning against him. In January 2008, Sam Allardyce was sacked as Newcastle manager. Thoughts quickly turned to his successor, the first managerial appointment of the Mike Ashley era. Newcastle supporters were delirious with joy when Kevin Keegan was confirmed as their new manager. Ashley achieved God-like status in bringing the ‘messiah’ back to Tyneside.

Things were looking up for Newcastle United. The new owner had appointed an old manager, one who was worshipped by the supporters. A few weeks after Keegan’s return, Mike Ashley made another surprising appointment. Dennis Wise was named an Executive Director, concentrating solely on football matters. The news was questioned by most of the footballing world. It seemed to restrict Kevin Keegan’s power over transfer dealings.

These fears were realised in September 2008 when Keegan left his role as manager. The finger of blame was pointed straight at Wise, and Mike Ashley also took the flak for disrupting the harmony between board and manager. The Geordie faithful dubbed the duo the ‘Cockney Mafia’ and started protesting against them. Ashley announced he would look to sell the club, as the fans ‘wanted him out’. As he set out to do just that, the issue of a new manager had to be addressed.

Joe Kinnear was tasked with leading the club through an uncertain period. It was yet another managerial appointment that sent waves through the football community. Kinnear was a man who had been out of work for four years, having left Nottingham Forest in 2004. Many pundits couldn’t fathom how he was picked for the role. Kinnear had little impact on the field. The club were struggling when in February 2009 Joe Kinnear was taken to hospital. His health problems meant someone else would have to take charge and save the club from relegation.

An increasingly unpopular Mike Ashley needed a big appointment to get the fans back on side. Legendary striker Alan Shearer was given his first job in management, contracted until the end of the season. The supporters were delighted to have one of their own as manager. Protests against Ashley’s running of the club took a backseat as survival was everyone’s main priority. Newcastle were relegated at the end of the 08/09 season, despite Shearer’s best efforts to keep them up. Shearer’s contract was not renewed, leaving the club manager-less, relegated, and with an owner who wanted out.

Fast forward a year and the scene couldn’t be more different. Newcastle were celebrating a swift return to the Premier League, having been promoted at the first time of asking. Mike Ashley was still in control of the club, having decided not to sell. And they had a new manager in Chris Hughton. He was originally in temporary charge, but such was the team’s form, was handed the job on a permanent basis. The Magpies were flying high in December 2010, mid-table in the Premier League when Ashley stunned everyone yet again. Chris Hughton’s contract was terminated; the longest-serving and most successful manager in the Ashley era was gone.

The Geordie faithful were once again incensed at the decision, and were not approving of new manager Alan Pardew. Nevertheless, Pardew steered the club to safety. The following season was a massive high, with Newcastle finishing the 2011/12 season in fifth place. Both manager and owner were inundated with praise, along with Chief Scout Graham Carr. Carr’s knowledge of the French leagues allowed quality players like Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa to join the squad for bargain prices. Last season was a huge disappointment. Injuries, suspensions and an Europa League adventure all damaged the club’s domestic campaign. A sixteenth place finish was the reward for a flirt with relegation.

And so, another controversial appointment has hogged the headlines on Tyneside this summer. The returning Joe Kinnear as Director of Football is sure to have a massive impact on Newcastle’s fortunes this year. The scouting talents of Graham Carr appear to have been marginalised with Kinnear’s return. Certainly not a quiet character, Kinnear will not be intimidated by any opposition, whether they be fans or journalists (who can forget his incredible, expletive-ridden rant in 2009?). So who exactly has final say on transfer dealings? Will Kinnear and Pardew be able to work together? Or will it all end like Keegan and Wise? With Mike Ashley, anything really is possible…