Newcastle fans in rare agreement with Mike Ashley

+ Claudio Ranieri, the international break, and Jonas Gutierrez.

1) Toon fans agree with Mike Ashley for once

"We wish he'd never bought Newcastle."

It's not often I agree with Mike Ashley, but in his rare interview earlier this week, he made the comment...

"I wish I'd never bought Newcastle."

...and I'm sure thousands of Newcastle fans responded by vigorously nodding their heads in agreement.  However, the rest of Ashley's interview earlier this week, was back to his usual deluded rubbish.

He claimed Newcastle had had 'a proper go at it this season,' and added...

"I think everyone can agree with that."

No, Mike.  Nobody agrees with that.  If they're honest #whichtheyrenot, even the talentless 'Yes Men' you surround yourself wouldn't agree with that, although they wouldn't tell you that to your face.

How have Newcastle had a proper go at it exactly?  Compare Newcastle's squad with other Premiership squads.  You seriously think Newcastle are good enough to have a 'proper go', Mike? #deluded #helivesinafantasyworld  And looking beyond the squad, the bigger problem is the culture at the club which is the absolute blueprint on how not to run a football club.

Describing the money left in the bank account, Ashley said...

"Virtually nothing now.  They have emptied it."

That's what happens when you give away tens of millions of pounds worth of free advertising to S*** Direct every season, Mike.  Welcome to the hard facts of arithmetic.

Finally, when stating he won't sell the club, Ashley said...

"I’ve got no choice.  I am wedded to Newcastle."

Well if that's the case, Mike, I think you'll find that thousands of Newcastle fans will be filing for divorce on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour. #getoutofourclub

2) The Humble One

One of the great things about Claudio Ranieri has been that, despite Leicester achievements this season, he never bigs himself up or sings his own praises.  Whereas earlier this season Alan Pardew loved talking about himself as a possible England manager #dontlaugh #believeshisownhype, a view some easily fooled pundits were happy to endorse, Ranieiri always diverts the praise to the players and the fans, whilst remaining focussed on the job at hand.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, Ranieri looks nailed on for the Manager Of The Year awards, and when they inevitably arrive, you can be sure that even then he'll still be passing the credit onto the players. #truegentleman #thehumbleone

3) International break

I think @OptaJoke summed up the feelings of football fans everywhere with this tweet about the international break...

55,799,430 - Number of football fans wondering what on earth they're going to do this weekend. DIY.

— OptaJoke (@OptaJoke) March 26, 2016

4) Justice for Jonas Gutierrez

I can't speak for all Newcastle fans, but within my social and work circles, many of the statements made by Jonas Gutierrez in his employment tribunal case this week were old news.  It was an open secret that Pardew had been told not to pick Jonas anymore #notmyfault #onlyfollowingorders, and that the reason for this was because Jonas had a clause in his contract which would be triggered guaranteeing him a contract extension once he played a certain number of games.

Of course, given that Jonas had been an important player during the 11/12 season when Newcastle finished fifth, the reluctance to give Jonas a contract extension wasn't quite so obvious at the time, and didn't become apparent until the news of his cancer later became public. #justiceforjonas

The employment tribunal has since brought other issues to light, such as the club doctor dismissing Jonas's symptoms as nothing serious on three or four occasions...

"I discussed my concerns about my groin with Paul Catterson, the club doctor, on three or four separate occasions as the discomfort and pain had not subsided.  On each occasion, he simply told me not to worry and dismissed these symptoms as nothing serious."

S*** Direct currently have a rating of 1.8 out of TrustPilot, with over 70% of customers giving them 1 star ratings (presumably because there's no option to give no stars).  Sadly, Jonas Gutierrez's employment tribunal case is yet more evidence that Newcastle United is clearly being run to the same dubious standards. #goodluckjonas

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