Sign Of The Times @St James Park: Ashley Dismantles Newcastle United
Iconic signs at St James Park removed, but what will replace them?
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However, a club spokesman said they were unable to confirm or deny mounting speculation that commercial signage promoting owner Mike Ashleys company, Sports Direct, would be added to the stand.Silence speaks volumes in the world of football PR, and that reads double for Newcastle United, so it's almost impossible not to suggest that some sort of branding is going to be added to that prime space for the duration of Mike Ashley's ownership of the club. Whether that will be the dreaded Sports Direct@St James Park sign we've all come to expect, or simply Sports Direct logos either side of the new Newcastle United sign is open to debate at this point, but it would be a foolish man to suggest that the sign will read exactly as it did at the start of this week and for the past few years. At some point we're all going to have to start wondering just when Ashley will start listening to the fanbase, or whether he will at all. Precedent would suggest that he won't care what supporters say as long as they continue to turn up for games in plus 40k numbers each week. And that's the thing about being a Newcastle United fan - and indeed most other fans - it simply isn't an option not to support the club, even when the ownership seems intent on sticking the knife in at every possible turn.