Former Newcastle United player Mick Quinn has admitted that he was delighted to see owner Mike Ashley make an appearance in the stands to watch their game against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Sports Direct mogul attended his first match since May 2017 at the weekend, and Quinn thinks that the shock sighting can only be viewed as a positive thing.
He hopes that Ashley can mend his relationship with boss Rafa Benitez, and that he can find ways in which the two of them can work together efficiently – otherwise, he adds, the club will not be able to avoid a complete meltdown from fans if the Spaniard decided that enough was enough.
“I want Mike Ashley to sell Newcastle United as soon as possible – but I was actually pleased to see him back watching Magpies games. I don’t mind if he turns up at matches – in fact, I want to see him there,” he wrote in the Chronicle.
“It seems Ashley and Rafa Benitez didn’t speak at the weekend, but that needs to be the next step from the owner. Communication is key in football – and it is essential that those at the very top level of Newcastle are clear with Rafa.
“Ashley must find a way for him and Rafa to work together. It’s the only way the club can avoid current protests progressing into total off-field anarchy – which is what could happen if Rafa leaves at the end of the season.
“Surely Ashley recognises that, and he knows that he needs to start giving Rafa reasons to stay. Ashley is disrespecting a world-class manager at the moment, and he risks losing the club’s biggest asset.”
OPINION
It is obvious that hardly nobody is a fan of Mike Ashley right now – and it is evident that Quinn is not either. Even though he admits that him turning up to the clash against Palace is a good thing, he still thinks that Ashley is subjecting some unfair treatment on Benitez. If the owner wants the club to be successful, the only way he is going to do that is by keeping the Spaniard on board – and in order to do that, he must start giving him what he wants sooner rather than later. He is lucky to have a manager in the hotseat with such experience – but at the moment Ashley does not seem to recognise that. His attendance at the weekend should be the start of some communication with him and Benitez but it remains to be seen whether that will actually happen. He should have spotted that Newcastle are in need of some improvement on Saturday – but who knows whether that will cause him to dig deeper into his pocket.
