Matt Ritchie reveals how Mike Ashley meeting went after staying behind to speak to him – Report

According to The Mail’s Craig Hope, Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie stayed back to speak to Rafa Benitez, Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley at the end of Wednesday night’s ‘dinner date’ – with Ritchie stating that the meeting had been a ‘very good’ one.

The story reveals what was spent and who ate what, however an interesting line towards the bottom of the piece mentions how Lascelles and Ritchie stayed behind to speak to the club’s top brass.

Here’s a snippet from The Mail’s latest reveal, confirming that £2,500 was spent and that Ritchie came out saying that the meeting had been ‘very good’:

‘Benitez ate the £8.95 risotto marinara, while Ashley went for the £7.95 spaghetti bolognese and drank two pints of lager. More than 20 of the 43-man group ordered the fillet steak at £17.95. The bill came to around £2,500 and Charnley settled the tab, with generous tips for staff.

‘After the meal had finished, Lascelles and Ritchie joined Ashley, Benitez and Charnley for a discussion at the table over how best to improve matters on and off the pitch.

‘Lascelles then remained in the company of the top brass after all the other players had left and later walked home to his nearby address in Darras Hall.

‘Ritchie emerged to say the meeting had been ‘very good’ and Ashley could be seen in high spirits before he left to be met with supporter protests and a police escort on the way into his waiting people-carrier.’

It sounds like it was a positive night inside the restaurant, however Ashley’s attempt to ‘build bridges’ was quickly spoilt when he was seen to stick two fingers in the direction of frustrated fans.

Whilst Benitez will have appreciated his gesture, I’m pretty sure he’d prefer to see him spend money on new signings than on steaks and holidays if we manage to stay up.

Actions speak louder than words, Ashley.

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