Magpies owner owns up to mistakes

Newcastle’s underfire owner Mike Ashley owned up on Tuesday to the mistakes he and others in the regime made which saw a disastrous season end in relegation from the Premiership last Sunday.

Ashley has grown increasingly unpopular with the club’s fans since he engineered the dismissal of Newcastle icon Kevin Keegan as manager – having brought him back in for a second spell as a sop to the fans when Sam Allardyce was sacked the previous campaign – held up his hands to the mistakes that were made.

“Seeing Newcastle relegated has been a catastrophe for us all,” said Ashley, who has seen the value of the club since buying it for 135million pounds in 2007 nosedive and could not find a buyer when he put it on the market at the end of last year.

“I fully accept that mistakes were made during this and previous seasons, and I am very sorry for that.”

Ashley, a Londoner who tried to curry favour early on with the fans by turning up to matches wearing a Newcastle shirt, issued a fulsome apology to the supporters and to the staff.

“I would like to say sorry to our magnificent supporters who have turned up in their thousands, home and away, up and down the country and who have given the team amazing backing throughout,” said Ashley, who faces a hefty wage bill next season with no less than 15 of the players holding non negotiable 50,000 pounds a week contracts.

“And I would also say sorry to all of the club’s hard-working staff, who have gone about their jobs all year long.”

Ashley is negotiating with another Newcastle legend Alan Shearer to give him a four year contract, even, though, the former England international striker and rookie manager garnered just win in the eight matches he was in charge.