When billionaire Ashley completed a takeover of the club in 2007, optimism was high. There was a belief he’d take the Magpies to new heights.
But as we all know, his ownership proved to be a the complete opposite. A disaster, to say the least, as fans endured two relegations to the Championship – and a number of shocking decisions.
Here, we take a look at the 20 most controversial Ashley moments after he packed his bags and sold the club to PCP Partners, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the Reuben brothers:
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13. Renaming Shearer’s Bar to NINE Bar
Not long after Kinnear’s returned, the decision was taken to rebrand Shearer’s Bar to Nine Bar outside St James’s Park. Shearer himself told how he had no say over the matter. Photo: Catherine Ivill
14. Jonas Gutierrez and Ryan Taylor released... in the same phone call
Ryan Taylor was told he was being released by Newcastle in a phone call from John Carver, who then asked him to pass the phone to Gutierrez, who weeks earlier had scored the goal to help retain Newcastle’s top-flight status on the final day of the 2014/15 season. Photo: Stu Forster
15. The Gutierrez case
Gutierrez stood up to his former employers and won a disability discrimination lawsuit against Newcastle in 2016 after managers were allegedly asked not to field the 37-year-old or he’d trigger a contract extension following his cancer diagnosis. Photo: IAN MACNICOL
16. 2014/15 Premier League relegation
History had repeated itself. The money spent in the summer of 2015, that saw the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Gini Wijnaldum sign, failed to get the Magpies moving in the right direction. The damage was done before Rafa Benitez arrived with Steve McClaren effectively steering the club into the Championship. Photo: Stu Forster