JOE KINNEAR last night confirmed that Mike Ashley will be donning a metaphorical tin helmet tomorrow when he makes his first return to St James’ Park since August. Considering the occasion is a derby with Sunderland, Newcastle United’s owner can expect the hottest of receptions and is apparently bracing himself for abuse from both sets of supporters.
“Mike is not daft, he knows what will happen if we lose,” admitted Kinnear, whose team are without a win in seven games but will be bolstered by the inclusion of Kevin Nolan, their new €4 million signing from Bolton Wanderers.
Perhaps optimistically, Newcastle’s manager hopes home fans will opt to give Ashley a second chance in the wake of the dramatic departure of Kevin Keegan in September last year and subsequent declaration that it was no longer safe for him to visit St James’.
“Mike has been badly hurt and upset,” Kinnear said. “He is desperate to come back and he will be here.”
After failing to sell Newcastle, Ashley is effectively stuck with the club and the Toon Army similarly lumbered with him, but Kinnear pleaded for an unlikely rapprochement.
“Mike’s lost a hell of a lot of money in both his business and this club,” explained a manager who, following an emergency board meeting during which Ashley agreed to relax the purse strings, spent most of Thursday phoning round his Premier League peers asking about the possibility of signing central midfielders, and was surprised and delighted to learn Gary Megson and Bolton were prepared sell Nolan.
“The crowd have to be our 12th man irrespective of what they think of me or Mike,” Kinnear said. “But he writes out a cheque every week to pay the wages, he bought the club when it was in the shit, he’s paid a fortune to clear the debts and I think he is entitled to be given a chance.”
The signing of Nolan – who admitted to slight “surprise” that Megson was willing to release him – allied to bids for Wigan Athletic’s Ryan Taylor, in a potential part exchange for Charles N’Zogbia, and a central defender may appease some.
Kinnear will be delighted to see the back of N’Zogbia. The French midfielder vowed he would “never” play for Newcastle’s manager again after he, inadvertently, called him Charles “Insomnia” during a television interview.
“Charles is a mixed-up kid. He needs to grow up,” Kinnear said. “And his agent is full of shit.”
For the moment, though, all that matters on Tyneside is beating Sunderland and, without a string of injured players including Michael Owen and Joey Barton, Kinnear conceded: “The derby is the very last thing I need at the moment.”
GuardianService
