Chris Gray

Fair enough - I haven't read all the bloggers. I just said it seemed to me to be fairly negative. Sorry if I misrepresented you. Reading my piece again, obviously it's way over the top in some ways but at least it got a reaction. I question your comment about "the sentiment of the fans" - if you're suggesting that's your view. Ashley might be about to deliver the best season for about 10 years - with hopefully more to come - what's the issue with sentiments? I'm quite happy. I suppose you mean things like the Sports Direct Arena etc - who on earth cares about that? It's St James Park as far as we're all concerned and always will be. In my time, the old Leazes End went and after about 50 years was re-built; the Popular side disappeared and we got the New East Stand; the old press box and paddocks went the same way and even the open-topped Gallowgate end was re-built. You could say it's not the same ground we (my generation of supporters. that is) went to in the early 1970s - not a brick of it remains. But it is the same. The Leazes End is still the Leazes End, the Gallowgate the Gallowgate and so on. It's still St James Park. What are the other issues with sentiments? Falling out with Keegan? Good thing. Not appointing Shearer. Very good thing. Sacking Hughton? Regrettable but a good thing. The only sentiment I'm bothered about is how I'll feel when we get into the Champions League, or the Europa League. And who cares if he runs the club like a corporation? You might argue that that's the only way to do it nowadays, sadly. Anyway, I'd be interested in your views!

Just in case anyone's still reading this thread - which I doubt - is there nobody out there who thinks I may have been at least partly right? Obviously the point of blogs is to be provocative and controversial and I got plenty of flak for what I said - fair enough. (And in fact I didn't even put the blog on here - it was imported from the Chronicle by someone else). But surely we can all see now that Ashley's strategy is spot on, Pardew's the right man (the best for years) and the club is moving in the right direction. Or is Ashley still hated by all and sundry? I haven't been on here for a year or so - last time I was I got fried - but it always seemed to me to be the most negative blog on the internet. I'm not saying I told you so, because it could still all go horribly wrong (who can rule out Ashley selling Coloccini, Krul, both Dembas, Ben Arfa and Cabaye for about £100 million, Pardew resigning as a result and Joe Kinnear being wheeled in again? Don't laugh. It could still happen.) But come on, give me some credit - most people thought I was mad ...