The last few weeks on Tyneside has had seasoned observers of the football club both on the edges of their seats and sharing glances of recognition that nothing is ever simple in the world of Newcastle United. In last weeks dramatic turn of events, coming rapidly off the back of the appointment of Allardyce, came the announcement that one of the country’s finest retail businessmen wanted to buy the club. Firing a broadside in the form of a £55m purchase of the Hall family’s entire equity in the PLC, Mike Ashley played an aggressive hand. That the purchase came on a day when Shepherd was in hospital being treated for pneumonia, was typical of this maverick Billionaire who has acted swiftly to secure businesses in the past and probably felt like a sucker punch to the bedridden opponent.

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