“Yet again, the Newcastle fans will suffer when this has played itself out. While they cherish Benítez’s coaching talent, those running the club are wasting it,” wrote the pundit for The Telegraph.
Jamie Carragher slammed Mike Ashley for multiple reasons over his ownership of Newcastle United.
The Sky Sports pundit shared that he thought manager Rafa Benitez was wasted at the Magpies due to the way Ashley ran things and questioned whether he even had a plan for the club.
Carragher revealed that everything bar the presence of the high-profile manager smacked of zero ambition and that the owner’s baulking at Premier League salaries had seen the Magpies stop being able to dream of being a top club.
“It would be fascinating to hear from Ashley what exactly his plan is for Newcastle. Not just this season, but beyond. Does he have one? Is there anyone sitting in his boardroom working out where the clubs needs and wants to go and how they intend to get there?
“A top class football club can never solely think short-term, they have to constantly think ahead.
“Ashley’s only concern is preserving Premier League status so while he has a manager who can keep the club up the constant sniping at his ownership has no effect
“Other than the continued employment of Benítez, everything at St James’ Park smacks of zero ambition.”
OPINION
Carragher when highlighting that Ashley “baulked”, as stated in his latest column, at paying salaries that weren’t overly lucrative by Premier League standards highlighting that the Magpies had lost out to players like Jack Cork to Burnley for those reasons. The Sky Sports pundit continually backed up his opinion of why Ashley had done so badly by Magpies supporters that it will be hard to find someone who disagreed with him. In fact it’ll be interesting to see Ashley respond to this column as it’s pretty damning and condemning of the way the Magpies owner oversees the running of the club. Carragher pointed to the fact Crystal Palace even have a superior team on paper to the Magpies and while some may disagree, there’s at least a debate to be had. It seems ages ago, prior to the Ashley era, that the Magpies were enjoying nights in the Champions League and being viewed as one of the most prestigious clubs in England. However aside from its large base and the presence of Benitez, Magpies supporters now have to argue their case for why they should be seen as a big club.
