Understand Newcastle United before commenting on it

A takeover of this magnitude brings a lot of attention, amongst all that attention there are people writing about Newcastle United and the loyal supporters, that clearly have no understanding when it comes to the club, area or the supporters.

The latest drivel is coming from Jonathan Liew. The fact that the article is so wrong is quite astonishing and demonstrates Liew’s staggering lack of insight and is yet another example of someone failing to understand Newcastle United and its supporters.

There have been numerous people in the media that have shown a complete lack of understanding of what has happened at Newcastle United, over the last 13 years. The supporters of this great club have been lumbered with an owner with no ambition or interest in the club whatsoever. For supporters, especially Newcastle United supporters the football club is at the heart of their lives. When the club is doing well there is a real buzz in the city and you can feel it, you sense it as you walk around - It’s really quite unique.

Any set of supporters in any part of the world would get excited about a takeover of such significance. Though, for Newcastle United supporters it is not about the people coming in, it is about the person leaving. Mike Ashley has poisoned the club, left it to rot and to fester - The stench is there and has been for over a decade. The whiff of lies, lack of ambition, relegations and pure animosity towards the supporters surrounds the club.

The part that has been lost on those with no understanding of this club, it wouldn’t matter who came in to take over from Ashley - The reaction, the relief would be the same, supporters would still be reaching for their “Cans”.

For those with a distinct lack of understanding of the club and the region such as Liew and Miguel Delaney, I urge you to spend a day in the city - Talk to the locals and really get an understanding of what Newcastle United means to them and how Ashley has made it difficult to love their club.

Newcastle United supporters’ problems with Ashley go far beyond “A failure to lavish his wealth”. It is not about spending millions upon millions each year, it is about showing some form of ambition and a want to take the club forward. Newcastle United having done nothing but decline under Ashley and it is about time that the supporters were able to get excited about something. There is no hope under Ashley and there never has been, hope is a small word with such a big meaning to Newcastle United supporters. Just like with their “Cans”, hope is an emotion that every supporter should be able to feel, over the last 13 years that hope has been stripped and sucked away from every single supporter.

A lot of people say football isn’t in football or it’s just a game. On Tyneside, football is a part of everyday life, it is a huge part of the identity of the region. Without spending time here or getting to know the people, it is impossible to understand what or how the supporters feel. To Liew, Delaney and any others that feel the need to dig at these loyal supporters, until you gain a much greater understanding of Newcastle United, your views will never be accurate.