Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock has attempted to get under Newcastle United fans’ skin ahead of their clash this weekend by labelling Mike Ashley an ‘easy target’.
The controversial Bluebirds boss has seemingly come out in defence of a figure universally lamented by Magpies fans, with the owner having presided over two relegations during his time on Tyneside.
“If you look at their squad and their players, they’ve improved from last year and they finished tenth last year. So I don’t how much more they could improve,” Warnock said at his pre match press conference, via the Chronicle [17/08; 10:59].
“I think that’s a bit tongue in cheek and I think Mike Ashley is an easy target, ‘let’s blame him’.”
Warnock also commented on his adversary Rafael Benitez, the Chronicle quoting him as saying: “The one person Newcastle can’t afford to lose is Rafa. He’s in his last year now and it’ll be interesting to see how that develops because he’ll be targeted around the world I’m sure.”
OPINION
This is typical Warnock, really. The Cardiff manager is an old goat of the managerial game, and he’s just trying to rile the Newcastle supporters up. Surely when you look at how far Newcastle have fallen under Ashley’s stewardship, including two relegations to the Championship, it is impossible to view him as merely an ‘easy target’. The club were playing European football under the great Sir Bobby Robson before Ashley got involved, and they’re only now beginning to find their feet again under another wonderful manager. Without Benitez it’s likely the club would be in a serious relegation battle this season, so the fact that Ashley scarcely backed his manager this summer is woeful from the owner. Warnock surely knows all this, however, and is merely up to his old tricks again. It’s doubtful whether his comments will have any impact on the game, but the former QPR boss is trying everything he can to give his side the advantage.
