Never has the old adage that football fans usually end up with the club they deserve when you see the whinghy, whiny video on the BBC website titled ‘Have Newcastle’s ‘Ashley generation’ had enough?’ A succession of Magpie supporters queue up to slag off their owner Mike Ashley for his lack of investment at the club, they bemoan the likelihood that manager Rafa Benitez will gone before Christmas and then they just moan a little more. “It’s bleak,” they say and it probably is. But whose fault is that?
We are reminded that the average gate at St James Park last season was over 51,000. You can interpret that however you like but it says to me that most Newcastle supporters regard watching the team as more important than who owns the club, even if the owner is a right see you next Tuesday. I’ve been told this sort of things many times as I despaired over the actions of successive owners at Bristol Rovers. “Just support the team,” I am told. Years ago, I accepted my lot, put up with the mediocrity, even embraced it. I would suggest most supporters are like that.
Rather than just moan to the BBC, Newcastle supporters might consider being a bit more pro-active. How about joining the Newcastle United Supporters Trust in large numbers? A few hundred people, or even a few thousand, won’t make Ashley sit up, but 25,000 would. And how about not going to certain games, or walking out at a certain time in the game? I’m not exactly renowned for my protesting skills but even I can come up with a few simple ideas. Imagine someone who knew a bit about campaigns could achieve?
I certainly don’t feel sorry for the Newcastle fans because, over many years, they have made the bed in which they lie. “The best, most knowledgeable fans in the world” who love their club far more than anyone else at any other club could possibly do. “It’s a way of life on Tyneside,” they tell us. There’s no one quite like a Newcastle United fan. Or Grandma for that matter.
No. Going on a BBC video and slagging off Ashley is in itself not enough. You need to activate and organise. Ashley won’t give a toss if you keep buying their season tickets, their replica shirts, their matchday pints and pies. If all you want to do is moan, then keep it to yourself. You’re not better than any other supporters and in fact you are culpable for the mess your club is in because you don’t do anything about it. Right now, you have the exact club you deserve, unless you decide to change it.
