OPINION
You’d struggle to find a Newcastle United fan who isn’t sick to the back teeth of their ownership situation at the moment.
The Magpies have been under the stewardship, for want of a better word, of Mike Ashley for 12 years now, and the vast majority of that time has been deeply unhappy.
Years of poor spending and apathetic ownership have seen the club relegated twice and return to the Premier League weaker both times.
And increasingly, it is becoming painfully clear that Ashley will not be going anywhere until his fabled £350 million valuation of the Toon Army is met.
Protests outside Sports Direct and letters to MPs have gotten the fanbase nowhere, truth be told, and so now, nearly a decade and a half after he first arrived on Tyneside, supporters are letting Ashley know how they feel the only way they can – with their feet.
And so far, their boycott is going fairly well.
Saturday’s home match against Brighton saw an attendance of just 43,316, the smallest crowd at St. James’ Park in eight years.
The logic behind the move is to hurt Ashley where he will feel it most – in his pocket.
If the controversial businessman is intent on keeping a hold of the club for as long as he can make a profit out of it, and it looks as if that might be the case, then the best thing they can do is deprive him of gate revenue.
But it doesn’t appear that Simon Jordan sees it that way.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Crystal Palace chairman took a less than favourable view of those fans staying away.
He said: “Whether you like Mike Ashley or not, why would you not be in the stadium supporting the football club you purport to love?”
By taking such a blunt stance on the boycott, Jordan is completely missing the point.
Yes, the Geordies love their club, but it is because of that love that they are staying away.
The sooner people realise that, the better.
