Sheffield Wednesday and Mike Ashley update prompts reaction that will shock Newcastle United fans

Mike Ashley could be back in football soon as he circles Sheffield Wednesday, and believe it or not, their fans are pretty happy.

It’s been 18 years since Mike Ashley purchased Newcastle United and more than four years since he moved on from his ill-fated time on Tyneside.

Amid attempts to rebrand St. James’ Park, catastrophic appointments, and a couple of relegations, it’s safe to say Newcastle fans do not look back on Ashley’s tenure with much fondness.

However, Ashley is now preparing an improved bid for Sheffield Wednesday, and strangely, the fans there don’t seem to mind the idea.

• READ MORE: Shay Given reveals Mike Ashley ploy that turned Newcastle United fans against him

Sheffield Wednesday fans are positive about Mike Ashley

Reacting to the news that Ashley is still in the running to purchase Sheffield Wednesday, fans of the Owls took to Twitter/X to share their feelings, and the comments were almost universally positive.

One said: “Mike Ashley is a successful businessman in a very tough retail industry. The man is a winner and that’s what we need as the head of our club.”

Another wrote: “I’d have Mike Ashley all day long!”

A third added: “Said it before and will say it again, Mike Ashley would be perfect for us in the situation we find ourselves in. A modern day Milan Mandaric. Get us stable, open new revenue streams, flog us on for a few million quid.”

And, to those who are against the idea, one supporter replied: “We are a club in despair and turning our noses up at a billionaire businessman who’d be a hundred times better than the last bloke?”

Indeed, there were murmurs of discontent among the social media posts. Although, most of it is more out of trepidation than sheer opposition.

One negative fan said: “If Mike Ashley is the saviour then our hopes and dreams are set low, that is for sure.”

Another, more tentative supporter added: “I might not be the only one, but something about Mike Ashley doesn’t sit right with me.”

Elsewhere, one post read: “I know we’re desperate but please no to Mike Ashley.”

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If you could say ONE thing to Sheffield Wednesday fans about Mike Ashley’s ownership, what would it be?

It seems like Ashley could be returning to football…

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A brief history of Mike Ashley’s football ventures

Newcastle United were the first football club Mike Ashley invested in and were by far his longest time spent with any one team.

He initially bought Sir John Hall’s 41.6% stake in the club for around £55.3m in 2007. Just months later, Ashley bought Freddy Shepherd’s 28% share as well. Shortly after, he paid another £134 million to acquire the remaining 22.94% share in the club.

Ashley had some positive moments, including paying off the club’s debts, sitting with the fans in the ground, and re-hiring Kevin Keegan in 2008.

But, things turned sour due to the appointment of Dennis Wise as director of football, finances took a dip, and the club were twice relegated to the Championship. Suffice it to say, Newcastle fans were pretty happy when Ashley eventually sold the club for around £300m in 2021.

Elsewhere, Ashley owned 8.92% in Rangers. But, his plan to raise that stake to 29.9% was refused due to his involvement with Newcastle. Fans of the Scottish giants turned against Ashley in 2015 when he tried to use Ibrox stadium as leverage for a £10m loan. He eventually sold his stake in 2017.

After leaving Newcastle, Ashley decided to buy the CBS Arena, Coventry City’s football stadium. He reportedly tried to serve an eviction notice for the club, which was heavily contested. It’s thought Coventry had a contract allowing them to stay at the ground until 2031, but the club has now bought the stadium from Ashley as of August of this year.

Obviously, it’s great that Sheffield Wednesday fans are finally feeling optimistic, given everything they have been through this year. Hopefully, Ashley can turn things around there if he is successful in purchasing the club, and learns from the error of his ways.

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