Ashley may have fronted up, but is it too little too late?

On Sunday morning I woke up and it was one of those days that I was dreading. I felt awful, nervous, numb. It got worse towards kick-off time and didn’t ease until that final whistle blew.

I was even just about to set off in the car and head up to Newcastle, grab a ticket and go. A compulsion. In their hour of need my club needed me. After all this time away, disassociating myself from it all. I still had that urge.

Even after everything that has gone on I still had the urge. Even after the rotten performances, the dire results, the lack of direction, my own willingness to stay away from it all until it got better, or at least until there was light at the end of the tunnel, I still had the urge.

In the end I didn’t. I couldn’t have faced the drive home if the worst had happened so I went to my parents house to watch it – a house full of Newcastle supporters, United. Nervous, and after messing about with my old mans telly, I flicked Sky back on and about fell over when I saw Mike Ashley giving a TV interview, ahead of the biggest game in years, live.

Alright it might have felt a bit scripted at times, but you know what? Fair play. For years we’ve had nothing, not a bean, then all of a sudden there is something. Which now begs the question of why it’s taken so long? Will that be the last we hear? And, perhaps most importantly, will what was said signal a change in our approach?

Now I’m not going to get personal with it like other sites have and make playground remarks about speech because that’s childish and threatens to undermine the very good work that has been done with protests to date, but instead I wish to focus on the content. You can watch again on the video below.

So having digested that do I think we’re about to see a wholesale change in our approach? No, not one bit. It was nice to hear that we’re going to try and win something – ambition at last – but the reality is that eight years later should not be the time we set about trying to win something. That should always be our goal because it’s hard enough to win a cup let alone to do so without actively trying.

Unfortunately for me this is far too little far too late and three minutes on the telly won’t alter my opinion of Mike Ashley’s tenure on Tyneside. Words. That’s all they are. Talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words and so on.

It is actions that Ashley is being judged on because we’ve never had any words from him, and it’s actions that he’ll continue to be judged on. We’re not for sale (we are, as are all businesses at the right price) officially, so again we will see if things change. They won’t, but one can hope.

There are so many things that need sorting out though from the position of manager head coach right through to the threadbare playing staff and blatant lack of squad depth which has hurt us for seasons now. It’s actually a time where Ashley has talked the talk and can show that he can walk he walk.

However, I fear we’re just being paid some lip-service with all of this!