A prominent Newcastle fan account on Twitter has posted a photo of a dead pigeon which, it has been claimed, has been on the roof of St James’ Park for 14 years – and compared it to Magpies owner Mike Ashley.
The account, @MagpieGroupNUFC, claimed on Twitter: “The Gallowgate Pigeon and Mike Ashley.
“Both have been here for 14 years.
“Both have spent the exact same amount on the club out of their own pockets in this time.”
Ashley’s Newcastle ownership timeline
Ashley took over Newcastle in May 2007 when he bought Sir John Hall’s 41.6% stake in the club.
Following the takeover, he commented (via The Guardian): “I am delighted to have this opportunity to invest in Newcastle United.
“The club has a fantastic infrastructure, for which Sir John and the board must take much of the credit.”
The season prior to Ashley’s takeover, the Magpies had finished 13th in the Premier League, alongside a journey to the last 16 phase of the UEFA Cup.
They also won the UEFA Intertoto Cup – the penultimate season in which the tournament was held.
The club appointed Sam Allardyce as manager on May 15 after a highly successful eight-year spell at Bolton Wanderers.
Since Ashley’s takeover, Newcastle have only graced the European stage in one season (2012/13).
They have been relegated twice in the last 14 years, with a 5th-placed finish under Alan Pardew in 2011/12 one of only three occasions they have finished in the top half of the Premier League.
Magpies fans are often frustrated with the club’s business, particularly when it comes to spending on transfers and infrastructure.
A graph published by Price Of Football puts Newcastle bottom when it comes to infrastructure spend between 2011-20 between current Premier League clubs.
Their spend of £8.3m is comfortably below 19th-placed Norwich (£25.2m)
This summer, the club’s sole signing has been that of Joe Willock, who moved from Arsenal for a fee in excess of £20m last week.
The Athletic reported that they have been told Newcastle’s potential spending power is “meagre”.
Newcastle suffer opening day defeat
On the pitch, Steve Bruce’s side suffered a 4-2 defeat to West Ham United on the opening day of the Premier League season.
Callum Wilson put the Magpies ahead at St James’ Park, before Aaron Cresswell equalised.
Newcastle’s lead was restored through Jacob Murphy. However, unanswered goals from Said Benrahma, Tomas Soucek’s rebound goal from a penalty and Michail Antonio secured the win for West Ham.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
