Newcastle, oh my embattled Newcastle. If there is a need to blog, this is it.

The two main players here: Mike Ashley and Kevin Keegan. One is the hero, the other is the villian. And of course, the fans

Lets start with Mike Ashley. He started out brightly, buying over the club without due diligence and being there at matches to support the team. Being a self-made billionaire, he's the hope of all the fans to be the next Abramovich. Then he got Keegan and every fan out there praised him for doing so. Then things went downhill from there and Keegan left.

The first reaction from everyone, myself included, was fuck Ashley. He was screwing up, and made our messiah leave. That was until I read Ashley's earnest, open letter to the fans about his decision that he decided to leave. Then I understood.

Mike Ashley is a businessman. He made his fortune via hard work, not like a certain other Russian billionaire. He has acute business sense and when he said that Newcastle was mired in debt when he took over, it isn't surprising. Freddy has splashed out money they didn't have on Michael Owen. Did you really think that having a voracious support was enough to finance multiple big spendings and be amongst the top 4 in the spending league? I didn't think so either.

Mike Ashley, wanted to emulate Arsenal, the most financially sound and sustainable club in English football. Arsene Wenger knows what he's up to, and he knows what the board's planning, and that's a respectable policy they have over there. By ensuring that they continue to invest in the right youth, Arsenal will always remain competitive and not have to constantly spend big on the transfer market to sustain a respectable challenge. When the bankrollers are gone, Arsenal will continue to be around.

If Ashley didn't care about the club, he would not have been always there, and clearing the club's mounting debt partially (proven fact). The fact that he has chosen to draft out a sincere letter to all the fans shows that he has the best interests of the clubs at heart, except that he has a plan and knows what he's doing too. Everyone may hate Dennis Wise, but you can't say that Ashley is screwing things up.

But Keegan and the fans are similiar. They represent the club's passion, while Ashley is the sensible voice in all these. Keegan and the fans are starved of success, and they want Champions League football next season. They want another Michael Owen signed, even though Owen has hardly been the most profilic signing so far. In fact, Ashley wanted Keegan in for the long haul, hence slotting in the short-term leave penalty.

But Keegan, oh Keegan. True, he may have been responsible for the most successful period in our short-term history. But face the facts: Keegan is a quitter. He has resigned of his own accord from every single coaching job out there. He'll never be the Ferguson or Wenger. He lost the plot against Man U when they surrendered their 11 point lead.

He may been passionate, but he is too emotional for his own good. We all know Alan Smith is crap, but he insists on keeping him and Joey Barton, while at the same time complanining that he wasn't allowed to bring in whomever he wanted. Well, he didn't bring in Alan Smith and Joey Barton either, so why keep them? On the opening day, it was obvious that Gutierrez was a delight, but he insisted on praising Guthrie, the only signing he was given.

The last time someone complained that dealings in the transfer market was out of his control, he was sacked. Martin Jol left, replaced by Juande Ramos who proceeded to win the League Cup, a position ANY Newcastle fan would love to be in. They got Woodgate and Modric that same season, the very players Newcastle would love to have. Managers don't just sign players; they have alot more to do. A good manager makes do with what he has; when Keegan took over he didn't exactly have the players he wanted. Yet that's what a manager's ought to do; motivate a team to bring out the best in them.

For all the glories, I repeat and stress: Keegan is a quitter. Out of all the managers since Keegan, he was the only one who quit (we all know Glenn Roeder was on his way out anyway). He's smart in that he quits when he's beloved and ahead, making sure he'll be well-remembered.

Ashley makes sense. The Arsenal policy is a great one to adopt. It'll not guarantee European football within the next two seasons, but it'll make sure Newcastle doesn't end up like Leeds. But the fanbase will probably be too dense and absorbed in their Keegan worship to realize this. Instant success isn't always possible, not even by money. It requires sound investment and planning for the future.

I rescind my earlier statement. Ashley rocks. I hope he hangs in there.