10. An Early Promise Was Made
As a club, Newcastle are fabled for their tendency to make and break promises, and Mike Ashleys pledge to fund a concerted recruitment drive to rejuvenate a squad and provide Steve McClaren with the right players to fit his ideology had yet to bear fruit. Weve got the cart, financially, now we just need to bolt the horse on," were Ashley's words in front of the Sky Sports cameras in the hours before Newcastle's final Premier League fixture of the season, a 2-0 victory over West Ham United - an afternoon when the pervasive stench of mass rebellion lingered in the Tyneside air. Dubious supporters scoffed at the sincerity of Ashleys statement, believing it to be a meticulously choreographed act of subterfuge, set up by PR guru Keith Bishop in a shallow attempt to reconcile those fans whose dissatisfaction with the lack of ambition shown by the club had resulted in complete detachment. And their scepticism was given grounds for justification, as in the month preceding Ashleys statement Newcastle neglected to so much as bid for a player let alone parade one in front of the Gallowgate, black-and-white scarf aloft above his head, as is the token pose every new signing must strike on their official unveiling. Ashley has demonstrated during his eight-year reign that his word is most certainly not his bond, instantly undermining his own promise of significant investment as he spoke under oath to a televised jury - it could have turned out to be his most indefensible act of perjury to date.
Jak Penny
Contributor
Content writer, blogger, occasional journalist and lifetime inhabitant of the post-LOST island of grief.
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