With the loss of a talented player came a great financial gain for Alan Pardew, Mike Ashley and Newcastle United, but will Pardew be able to spend the money this summer? According to Mike Ashley the answer to this question is yes. A reply that all associated with Newcastle will have insisted upon hearing after the sale of a player who many fans thought would be their number nine at St James’ Park for years to come. Newcastle appeared to do their level best to hold onto local lad Andy Carroll but money talks, and when 35 million pounds was laid on the table the offer was too good to refuse for the Sports Direct mogul. Many people on Tyneside and in the media doubt Ashley’s integrity and motives behind the sale of Carroll, but he is convinced his decision was in the best interests of the club. It’s clear to see why Ashley is held in such contempt among the St James’ faithful when looking at the fiasco that surrounded Kevin Keegan’s resignation and more recently the dismissal of Chris Hughton.
Alan Pardew was instated as Hughton’s replacement on the 9th of December 2010 and since then he has been trying to win the fans over. His first step to achieving this is to keep Newcastle in the Premier League this season, then we are led to believe he will be given the Carroll money, which he must spend wisely in the summer. Pardew is insistent that he has the full backing of Ashley in the transfer window and that Ashley has already supplied the funds to carry out various scouting missions across Europe, which Pardew claims would be meaningless if Ashley didn’t intend to buy new recruits in the summer.
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Actions speak louder than words though, and for many Newcastle fans the proof will be in the pudding and their scepticism will remain until they are treated to an assortment of new stars walking through the door at St James’ Park. I believe Ashley will stump up the cash as if he wants to change the fans’ opinion about him buying big in the summer it is the least he is required to do. Fresh rumours circulated recently that there have been parties interested in buying the club from Ashley, but he has remained adamant that selling the club is no longer his wish. Therefore, if he is going to keep the club ticking over, surely he has to invest in a selection of new talent to keep it moving in the right direction?
The wage bill at Newcastle will be a concern to Ashley and he will want to reduce it drastically by removing some of the dead wood in the summer to make way for the new names and faces he has promised. With Ashley’s track record at the club, supplying the supporters with quality signings could be the impetus he needs to show his signal of intent to the fans. Whether or not this will gain him the trust of the fans is still unlikely but it will go some way to quietening the shouts of, ‘out with the Cockney Mafia’ from the stands.
Ultimately, Pardew is a friend of Ashley’s, and Ashley has caused himself a great deal of angst in the steps it took to bring Pardew to the club. With this in mind I feel Ashley will do his utmost to ensure Pardew is a success on Tyneside and getting his cheque book out is surely a must this summer. The majority of Newcastle fans will take a lot of convincing that Ashley can steer the club they worship in the right direction. After the trials and tribulations that have littered his tenure as owner so far, an empty promise would not help Ashley’s cause to dispel the disdain shown towards him in the North East.
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