Newcastle’s poor points total so far this season has been matched by the equally disappointing, lacklustre performances, with the side just about keeping its head above the relegation zone.
Flirting with the bottom three is hardly going to make potential interested parties, looking to buy Newcastle, view us as a worthy investment.
Which begs the question: will Mike Ashley see Steve Bruce’s underwhelming start as a good thing, or a bad thing?
Many Toon fans doubt the genuineness of Ashley’s protestations that he is actively wanting out of the club, and would be a willing seller if someone would meet his asking price.
If his public desire to be rid of Newcastle is just a smokescreen to try to appease disgruntled supporters – with his true intention being to keep hold of the club and continue to use it as a billboard for his other businesses – he is likely to be pleased with the start Steve Bruce has made.
A lowly position, but one just ahead of the cut-line, will be seen as ideal for putting the club in a virtually ‘unbuyable’ position, thus not having to fend off any potential new, want-to-be owners.
However, should his desire to sell be legitimate, he must be livid at where the club finds itself, for all of the same reasons listed above.
The coming weeks reveal Mike Ashley’s true Newcastle intentions
The answer to the original question regarding Ashley’s true intentions, could have a huge say in Bruce’s future at the club.
If he really does want someone to take the club off his hands, and particularly at the price he is asking, how long could he possibly keep the head coach in place, with a growing risk of wiping tens of millions off its asking price?
It may be too soon to be thinking about replacing a man who quit his previous role, due to his desire to take the Newcastle job just a couple of months ago, but football is a cut-throat business, and Ashley has a professional reputation for being similarly ruthless.
So if results continue to dwindle, and the league position becomes ever-more threatened, the action, or non-action, of the owner will go a long way towards showing fans his real goals regarding his ownership of Newcastle United.
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