OPINION
You can’t really blame the Newcastle United supporters for criticising Rio Ferdinand for his comments on BT Sport regarding the club’s owner Mike Ashley. Apart from some of his class being factually incorrect, the former Manchester United stalwart completely glosses over the turmoil that Ashley has caused on Tyneside. He appears to have no appreciation for how far the club have fallen under the Sports Direct tycoon’s leadership, the dismal state St James’ Park is kept in and the lack of funding for a world class manager in Rafael Benitez. You can guarantee that if what’s happened at Newcastle happened to the Red Devils Ferdinand’s stance would be very different. His claim that the Magpies are a ‘yo-yo club’ is laughable. They’ve been relegated twice in the past 20+ years – both under Ashley’s stewardship. So while some of the supporters’ comments are a bit harsh, you can’t blame them for being frustrated when a high profile media figure defends a tyrannical owner without having a grasp on the facts of the situation.
"I don't even know him [Mike Ashley] very well!"
"When they went down, he spent £50m of his own money to get them up. Thank you, that should be."
"By the way, please say thank you for getting Rafa Benítez in! They're lucky to have him!"@rioferdy5 on Newcastle and their owner. pic.twitter.com/9TID7rJpOF
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 12, 2019
Nothing but Newcastle has rounded up some of the best tweets below.
