10 Reasons Why Newcastle Fans Wish It Was The 1990s Again

10. There Was No Malevolent Mike Ashley

There's a rather profound quote in Sir Alex Ferguson's autobiography which encapsulates why there exists such a volatile friction between Mike Ashley and Newcastle's disenfranchised fans. 

"People try to apply to football the usual principles of business. But it's not lathe, it's not a milling machine, it's a collection of human beings. That's the difference."

By applying the business principles of his lowbrow sports retail brand, Ashley has created an empty shell of a club, transforming Newcastle United into a soulless, drifting vessel where mediocrity is championed and even the faintest whiff of ambition is quickly extinguished. Add to that his flagrant mining of St James' Park for advertising profit and an association with an unscrupulous payday lender, and it's clear why Newcastle fans feel so irretrievably detached from the club at present.

In contrast, the 1990's was an era when Newcastle only ever looked up. Sir John Hall and Freddie Shepherd weren't everyone's cup of tea during their respective ownerships, but at least the nucleus of their intentions were noble and in the best interests of the club. In short; they cared about more than the profit column on a balance sheet. Nowadays it couldn't be any different. 

To sum up by paraphrasing a famous quote from John F. Kennedy; it's not what Mike Ashley can do for Newcastle United, but what can Newcastle United do for Mike Ashley.