And although his current troubles are caused by his demand to treat the manager of NUFC as a puppet, he insists he will throw Joe Kinnear some crumbs in the January transfer window, but he will watch over Kinnear and make the decisions.So ... we are back to square one. The only difference is that Kevin Keegan refused to be shit on ... Kinnear is desperate for a job!
Today we read Ashley saying the Toon boss is a better manager than Fabio Capello, and that we will qualify for Europe.
Yes, it would normally fill our hearts with Christmas cheer having a chairman so full of confidence. But this is Mike Ashley ... the man who will be on his bike as soon as he finds a buyer for the club.
The man who won't set foot in St James' Park anymore, and don't believe the bullshit coming from supposed Supporters Clubs saying he is welcome back on Tyneside.
Just read our NU-Mad messageboard to see the TRUE feelings of the fans.
Mike Ashley: "It is up to Joe, we have signed him, it's up to him.
"I've definitely got some money although whether I will give it to him or not is another question.
"Joe realises that Newcastle don't have a bottomless pit of money so he will be very careful with what he does.
"If it's a player that costs £30 million then I can absolutely say. 'I don't think so'.
"But will he able to get the players he wants to tinker with the team and change the balance? The answer's yes.
"Joe's the man to do the job. He's my hero. Is he better than Capello? Definitely.
"We are going to be in Europe by the end of the season.
"The situation over the sale of the club has not changed. It's still a reality, it is still for sale."