Source: Northern_Echo
‘Fans need reality check’
NEWCASTLE UNITED managing director Derek Llambias has labelled a section of the club's passionate supporters as unreasonable and in need of a reality check.[LNB] While confirming that the Championship leaders are no longer up for sale, Llambias tried to put a positive spin on owner Mike Ashley's attempts to stabilise the club in the midst of a tough financial climate.[LNB] But efforts to send a goodwill message to the club's supporters, who have shown admirable loyalty this season, was undermined when Llambias turned his fire on the vocal minority who continue to agitate for Ashley to quit the club.[LNB] Do I feel we are winning them back over Slowly, slowly,[LNB] Llambias said. It is a passion.[LNB] They are just great fans.[LNB] There is a very small section of the fanbase that basically are not reasonable. There is no reality to where they are.[LNB] So I am hoping that, with results, we will get there and we will see what happens next season. I think the reality is coming back into football with what has happened in January at West Ham and Portsmouth and other lower division clubs.[LNB] Attendances at St James' Park have averaged more than 42,000 this season and only four club's in the topflight continue to regularly command bigger crowds than the Magpies. Llambias' comments are not expected to win favour with fans who have continued to turn up in large numbers following the club's relegation from the Premier League.[LNB] Llambias believes that Ashley demonstrated his ongoing commitment to the club by backing manager Chris Hughton in the last transfer window to recruit Wayne Routledge, Leon Best and Mike Williamson.[LNB] We went out and bought £5.5m-worth of players in January.[LNB] We needed to freshen up the team. We needed to support our manager and he is fully, fully committed to where we are. The reality is that if Mike had not taken the club, we would be in a mess,[LNB] said the club chief, who sought to draw a line under any suggestions that Ashley still hopes to offload the club.[LNB] The position is there is no money out there. We had two possible buyers and they didn't put their money up. So at the end of the day they are not real.[LNB] You cannot lose the income we have lost in relegation and still be where we are.[LNB] So Mike has put in £25m in in December and he has put in another £5m this week and he is committed.[LNB]
