Mike Ashley Steps Down From Newcastle Board Of Directors

Mike Ashley has this evening stepped down from Newcastle United's board of directors. The owner, who only formally joined the Newcastle board in April 2014 when he also named Lee Charnley as the Magpies€™ managing director, will be taking a step back along with finance director John Irving who is leaving the Club. The new board will now consist of Head coach Steve McClaren, chief scout Graham Carr, club ambassador Bob Moncur, and MD Charnley. The reshuffle means that The Magpies become the only Premier League club to have its head coach on its Board of Directors, a move that the club has described as adding "significant strength to it." So down the line if things aren't going too well for McClaren, will the former England manager be charged with sacking himself? How will this work? Lee Charnley, who was in charge of the search for the new head coach, told the club's official website:

"This is a very positive step forward for the Club and I am delighted that Steve, Graham and Bob will join me on the board. "It was particularly important for us that the head coach also became a board member in order to gain a full understanding and appreciation for the Club and its operations as a whole, not just the football side. In Steve we have an individual who embraced that responsibility. "Graham and Bob's passion for the Club is beyond question and I believe given the collective skills, knowledge and experience, together, we are incredibly strong. "Whilst, of course, we all have our individual primary duties, there is a huge common desire for the Club as a whole to move forward and succeed."

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