Newcastle United legend Mick Quinn has urged Magpies owner Mike Ashley to step up to the plate and support Rafa Benitez this January transfer window, or risk losing the Spaniard.
The Toon Army have yet to sign any players, despite Benitez’s open desire to strengthen his squad for an upcoming relegation battle, as reported by the Chronicle.
Writing in his column for the same outlet, Quinn said: “Why is Mike Ashley still here?
“When I look around and I see what, in my opinion, are smaller clubs getting taken over or invested in, it leaves me astounded that the same has not happened at Newcastle.
“Newcastle have a world-class manager in the dugout but he is into the final six months of his contract, and there’s no way he’s going to stay if he isn’t going to be allowed to bring in players.
“If he is going to remain as owner, then he has to back the manager. And, if he won’t back the manager, then Rafa will walk at the end of the season – and nobody will blame him for it.”
OPINION
Quinn is right to get on Ashley’s back but it won’t make a blind bit of difference to the stubborn owner. For years now fans, ex-players, pundits, have all rebuked him for his handling of the side’s transfer business, and for years he has completely ignored them. The only solution to the problem is for Ashley to sell up, but at the moment his price appears to be too high for anybody to stump up the cash to get him out of the door. At this stage, he cannot want to be there, and if that is the case then why isn’t he doing more to hasten his departure? In the short term, a lack of investment in this window could be disastrous for the club, with the prospect of another relegation potentially too much for even the most ardent of fan to stomach. The worst thing about all of this is that it has all been so preventable. The Toon faithful don’t want the world, but they do want the chance to compete, and they will never do that without some kind of financial backing.
