Newcastle United: Fans react to Richard Keys’ Mike Ashley claim

Some Newcastle United fans have reacted to a claim from pundit Richard Keys that Mike Ashley was ‘quite pleased’ that Alan Shearer ‘failed’ as the Tyneside club’s boss.

Speaking on beIN SPORTS ‘Keys and Gray’ show (via ChronicleLive), the former Sky Sports presenter denied that he is a friend of the owner and insists that he has only met Ashley once.

He claimed that the CEO of Sports Direct was not overly keen on giving the Magpies legend the job in the first place, with Ashley allegedly saying: ‘I suppose I’ll have to give Shearer a go.’

Keys also talked about the spats between the 55-year old and Shearer at the time, after Ashley felt that the former England striker ‘was going to be an expensive Championship manager.’ After disagreements with Shearer’s terms, the 62-year old opened up about the advice that he gave the former manager after NUFC were relegated to the Championship.

Indeed, Shearer’s short-lived spell as coach of his boyhood team only lasted eight matches, with the Toon winning just one of those, drawing two and losing the other five, scoring just four goals and conceding 10, as per Transefrmarkt.

These supporters reacted to Keys’ claim, with many warning to take his comments with a pinch of salt after the report was shared on The Chronicle’s official Twitter page:

With @richardajkeys knowing this, hearing this, seeing this but continuing to defend Ashley as he has done in the past, as a worldwide broadcaster for @beINSPORTS he’s not the right man for a fair and bias opinion?

A lot like @rioferdy5 at @btsportfootball

— Lee Robson (@leerobson23) April 18, 2020

https://twitter.com/CheekyNUFC/status/1251493679795179520

Ah man come on, it was Keys that said it, I hate Ashley I really hope he sells up this time but I’m not going to believe a thing Keys says, He is the perfect model of an attention seeker, He is purposely controversial to court attention

— Rob Black (@rob1892black) April 18, 2020