Dennis Wise got involved in the Newcastle United takeover situation yesterday when he gave an interview to Sky Sports News on Wednesday.
The Mike Ashley acquaintance said: “I know Mike Ashley and he cares for Newcastle – even if fans say he doesn’t.
“He runs them in a structured way. He’s not there to pile hundreds of millions into the club. He’ll only sell to someone who’ll take it forward.”
Fans – myself included – reacted with disdain, but one fan mentioned that maybe his comments were not quite as they seemed, and that got me thinking.
We are all taking his comments as a negative statement – and that is probably right – but what if that is not how they were meant?
What if he is subliminally saying that a deal is very close, and Mike Ashley is keeping his word and selling to someone like the Bin Zayed Group, who are the billionaires to take the club forward – just like he said he would?
Has Wise launched a genius publicity stunt for Mike Ashley?
What a fantastic publicity move that would be for him: Mike Ashley, a man of his word, who has brought hope to Newcastle fans, who have derided him for years.
Ashley could roll out the likes of Richard Keys, Rio Ferdinand, Jim White, David Craig, as well as Wise, to speak to the media and give him credit, telling everyone what a great and noble thing he has done for the Newcastle fans.
It would be a PR masterstroke!
Could it be that? Or am I in danger of falling into his public relations trap?
The likelihood is, in all honesty, his words were meant exactly as we initially interpreted them.
But it is a sign of the current state of our football club, that the mess and chaos has me, and other fans like me, having to search for crumbs of positivity in a sea of silence and pessimism.
Time will tell, however, and like most, if not all, other fans, I will hope for the best while expecting the worst.
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