Mike Ashley's Interview: How will we know he's earnest?

Mr. Ashley,

We, the loyal supporters of Newcastle United, appreciate you finally speaking to the press after several years of silence. We have sought transparency from you from the beginning, and we hope to hear more from you in the future.

As good leaders do, you took full responsibility for the problems that have plagued Newcastle United. You owned up to them and vowed to improve until we succeed. It takes a lot of courage to stick your neck out on the line, especially in front of our fans. Some may see this as mere lip service, but your tone and demeanor show otherwise.

In the coming weeks, we will see just how you intend to move this club forward toward your end goal of a trophy and/or Champions League football. We see this summer's transfer window as a crucial time in our beloved Club's existence. There are a lot of holes to be filled in our squad, and we need a good head coach to lead them. We know the means are there to make a push for a top half finish, and with that comes more funds to reinforce the squad.

Further down the line, we require further transparency from you, your managing director Lee Charnley, and the other facets of the Club seen as off-limits aside from Premier League-mandated interviews. We assume there is a blueprint in mind for bringing this team back to quality football we pine for, and we want to hear more about it. We know that sharing details can potentially ruin your plans, but we want an idea of what to expect.

We also want to hear more from the players and coaches during the week about their feelings about their preparation for upcoming matches. There is a special bond between the city of Newcastle and its heroes on the pitch, and more accessibility is always welcome.

You know our goal is the same as yours: a successful Newcastle United squad challenging for the upper accolades of football in Europe. While the righting of the financial ship without raising prices is nice, we do not appreciate the lack of transparency. This has eroded our trust. We thank you again for your renewed ambition, but it is up to you to follow through and rebuild our trust and faith in you.

In case you have not seen Mike Ashley's interview in full, you can see it below.