Sportswear mogul kicks fellow sportswear mogul while he is down

Currently two points adrift in the relegation zone and with only one league win since December, it’s certainly raining shit on Newcastle at the moment. To make matters worse, Wigan owner Dave Whelan has squinted down at the Magpies from up in seventh place to lay into Mike Ashley, a man who has actively tried (and failed) to part ways with his club.

Whelan’s criticisms do not seem to be directed at his business acumen, football nous or anything else relatively constructive. Instead, he focuses on the disgusting shame Ashley has brought on the entire north east by failing to wear a suit in the boardroom. Casual clothing in a professional environment? It makes us sick just thinking about it:

“When I first went there just after Mike Ashley had bought it he turned up in the boardroom in a pair of jeans, a pair of trainers and a replica shirt.

“Immediately he did that, the club’s gone.

“You don’t do things like that in football. He’s got no class whatsoever.

“He’s representing Newcastle United who were such a proud club.

“I immediately knew the supporters may want to have a pint with him on the terraces but basically he was not Newcastle United through and through. The Newcastle fans know that.”

Whelan - who may or may not be making needless personal digs at Ashley as a direct result of their fierce sportswear rivalry - also criticised the maligned Toon owner for being a Tottenham fan who masquerades as a Newcastle supporter.

While Whelan may have a point in blaming the Cockney Mafia for the downfall of Newcastle, The Spoiler appreciates Mike Ashley’s Catch 22 position: he can’t stay at the club, and numerous botched takeover plans have shown he can’t leave.