Pardew’s in depth assessment of Mike Ashley

Basically it’s Alan Pardew talking a bit more in depth about his relationship with Mike Ashley.

Given that the relationship between manager and owner is kind of key to our fortunes it kind of automatically makes it important to us, as fans, as we all want to see NUFC doing well and a decent working relationship between the guys at the top and the guys tasked with the football side of things is a must if Newcastle are to become a more stable, more competitive outfit.

However Pardew has revealed that the relationship has been tense at times, especially at the back end of last season when Newcastle managed to let slip a three goal lead against West Brom on the final day of the season, although he did later reveal that he is now able to discuss things with the owner, and that the owner will actually listen. Yes, I was shocked aswell!

Here, in full, is what Alan Pardew said to Sportsmail

“Our football club, I have to tell Newcastle fans, is run in an incredibly efficient way,” said Pardew. “Everything we do is calculated and budgeted for because that’s how Mike is. He drives success.”

“He drives Sports Direct to be the biggest company it can be and, believe you me, he’s driving me to make this club as great as it can be within the financial structure that we have.”

“I’ll give you an example of that. We were 3-0 up at half- time against West Brom. I’ve done a decent job, my staff and players have done a fantastic job in my opinion. But we let West Brom back into the game and we dropped down two places.”

“I didn’t see Mike for two months, because he wasn’t happy. I don’t think the money was paramount. I’m talking about the emotion of the game. People have this image of him drinking that pint of lager at Arsenal, but that’s not him — trust me.”

“Not when he’s got his business head on. He didn’t even say, “Well done, great season”. I didn’t see him! He wants better than that. I’ll hold my hands up for what happened on that last day and that’s what he is. He won’t accept anything else.”

“Some people talk about this London mafia thing and I don’t really know what that means,’ he said. ‘But I guess because our owner is from London and I’m from London, and because of the situation in the past with Dennis Wise, that might have put me at a disadvantage.”

“Because I’m from London maybe I get on with Mike better than a manager from abroad or a different area. If anybody is going to get one more penny out of him for investment in the team, then it’s going to be me.”

“I can look him in the eye and have an argument with him. I can disagree with him and get a balanced argument back about what he wants because he’s the owner. I give him my advice, I tell him what I think and then he’ll make the decision. Sometimes he’ll come with me, sometimes he won’t.”

“But financially the club have done a good job, you have to say that. Whatever the Newcastle fans feel about Mike and Derek Llambias’s management of the club, you have to say that their fiscal approach has brought some stability to the club. And when I look at Derek and Mike I think they’re enjoying it more.”

Personally I think not speaking to the manager on the basis of one result is a bit, well, a bit huffy. Sure he was probably annoyed, but he wouldn’t have been the only one. Still it seems as though it’s all in the past now and that they all get along just fine for the moment.

In truth it’s hard to be too critical of anything at the moment. Even that new “mission statement”, you know the one that contained exactly what we all knew anyway, has failed to put a dampener on things. Sure things are far from perfect at the club and there area million things that could be better, but there could also be a million things that could be worse.

Personally I’m happy that Pardew and Ashley seem able to get along. To me it’s important and will hopefully lead us towards a period of stability within the financial boundaries that we are apparently working in.

What do you make of it though? Good? Bad?