Ashley's system has always been - ignore the manager and bring in young players who he can make a profit on.
Sometimes it works - like the sale of Cabaye, Enrique and Debuchy.
Sometimes money has been thrown at rubbish - Yanga-Mbiwa, Rivière and Anita.
Supermac says Mike Ashley needs to spend more money this coming week to strengthen United's weak defence
MALCOM MACDONALD: Mike Ashley would no doubt say that he’s kept his public promise.
He has spent £50m in the transfer market this summer which is by his standards a good dollop.
However, the question of course – no doubt asked by him later – is has it been spent wisely? Good question. We await proof with more than a passing interest.
In the meantime I’m afraid Ashley MUST spend again this coming week. It’s United’s last chance and if they don’t purchase an out-and-out defender they will be in big trouble despite all the attacking talent brought in.
Yeah, they have got Chantel Mbemba and given skipper Fabricio Coloccini a year’s extension on his contract, but if they think that’s locked and bolted the back door they are miles away from the truth.
United are brittle at the back. They are in trouble when everyone is available and when they are not, like for today’s visit to Manchester United, they have to play someone out of position.
It’s bad enough going to Old Trafford fully armed because they swarm all over you like bees. But when you go having pressed the self-destruct button it’s suicidal.
I would probably have said before Newcastle’s visit to Swansea that the one dependable man at the back was Daryl Janmaat. Then he loses his head and gets sent off before half-time!
That was bad enough but to foul Montero TWICE in the Swansea half of the field, not his own, was unforgivable. What on earth was he thinking?
I hope Steve McClaren turned Mr Nasty this week. Because he now knows at first hand how weak willed Newcastle have been away from home.
They have now lost their last seven games on the road scoring a mere one goal in the process. That’s a reassuring record to take to Man U isn’t it?
McClaren needed to turn nasty in the hope of getting a response this lunch time.
The one thing about Luis van Gaal ‘s sides is that they run their blood to water. Newcastle have to compete against that for an hour and a half which isn’t easy.
While on the subject of Janmaat getting sent off, I hope McClaren has warned his squad about a lack of discipline because £13m new striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has gone on late as a sub in the last two matches and got yellow carded both times for rash, stupid fouls. It might be part of his game but I like to think that while Alan Shearer and myself were far from shrinking violets we knew when and how to dish it out.
Issuing a warning over Mitrovic is not taking the moral high ground. Far from it. It’s being sensible, thinking what is right for the team and therefore the fans. We’ve seen how difficult it is to play a chunk of a match with 10 men and we don’t want Mitrovic repeating that folly.