Mike Ashley: time to forgive and forget?It was just over a year ago that Newcastle United's shadowy cabal of 'cockneys' committed what would be construed as another addition to their catalogue of PR disasters.
They invited a vicious backlash when sacking the popular Chris Hughton with the club 11th in the Premier League, and worse was to follow when Alan Pardew was unexpectedly appointed and hometown hero Andy Carroll was allowed to leave the club for Liverpool without a replacement striker being sought. It was the end of days at Newcastle, again.
Twelve months on, and although Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias remain about as likely as Ashley Cole to win a popularity contest on Tyneside, Early Doors suspects Tuesday's news that Papiss Demba Cisse has signed for the club sitting sixth in the Premier League might just allow for a slice of favourable revisionism of the reign of Newcastle's hated owner.
Because the capture of the Freiburg and Senegal striker for a fee of £10 million is the culmination of a sensible and well-articulated transfer policy that - whatever the PR disasters overseen by Ashley and accomplice Derek Llambias, and there have been so, so many - has been central to the rebirth of the club.
The seeds of this approach had been sown as early as 2008, when in a full and frank statement on the club's official website Ashley revealed he was putting the club up for sale but also laid bare his transfer policy, citing a desire to emulate Arsenal and create a "sustainable business model".
Ashley went on to state his priority was looking for "young players, for players in foreign leagues who everyone does not know about. We try and stay ahead of the competition. We search high and low looking for value, for potential that we can bring on and for players who will allow Newcastle to compete at the very highest level but who don't cost the earth."
It was an admirable aim, but in practice proved horribly problematic given the man charged with putting into action was Dennis Wise, who helped force the beloved Kevin Keegan out of St James' Park when telling him to purchase a player, Ignacio Gonzalez, on the strength of a YouTube video and in order to curry favour with an agent.
Frankly, Early Doors was surprised Newcastle didn't sign up the Japanese Messi at the same time.
The conception and clumsy implementation of this transfer policy occured during a period when Ashley's tendency to put his foot in it completely shredded his reputation amongst Newcastle fans, probably irreparably.
It is a fault that has dogged the Ashley regime. Relegation, the treatment of Keegan, the appointment of Joe Kinnear and the renaming of St James' Park have all brought a proud group of supporters to their knees in despair.
But if there is room for reappraisal, then ED would suggest that events over the past 12 months surely invite it.
Pardew, whose appointment was met with raised eyebrows, has Newcastle sitting a proud sixth in the table, while the fruits of their operations in the transfer market are clear for all to see. While so many Premier League clubs adopt the same tired approach to recruitment, looking to the same clutch of targets (yes, that means you, Wayne Bridge) Newcastle, unburdened by this strange myopia, have enlivened their squad over the past 12 months.
In have come Hatem Ben Arfa, Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye, David Santon and now Cisse, with Cheick Tiote arguably the model for this new approach when arriving from FC Twente in the summer of 2010. Okay, so Gabriel Obertan and Sylvain Marveaux haven't exactly worked out, but no club boasts a 100 per cent track record in the transfer market.
Admittedly the failure to spend money on a replacement for Carroll following his departure last January caused consternation for six months, and for good reason. However, picking up Ba on a free transfer has proved an inspired piece of business and now his international colleague joins for £10m in a deal that has been widely praised by pundits across the spectrum - a rarity in an age when there is such a diversity of football voices clamouring to be heard.
Clearly getting £35m for Carroll - a fee that if it looked ridiculous at the time now has taken on the monstrous proportions of Heaven's Gate, the 1980 film that was such a waste of money it bankrupted United Artists - was one of the best pieces of business in the history of English football. For a profit of £25m Newcastle now have two superior strikers in his place.
Though they did attempt to sign Modibo Maiga from Sochaux on a couple of occasions, Pardew claimed on Monday that Cisse was always his first choice to replace the mis-firing Englishman.
"Ever since Andy Carroll left, Papiss was my first choice in the specific role he has at the end of the play," Pardew said. "He is a finisher with an already-established CV in the Bundesliga, where we have monitored him for the best part of two years.
"Unfortunately he was out of reach, financially, for us in the summer, but it recently became apparent that Derek Llambias and Lee Charnley could do the deal in this window. It has become obvious this season that the team and the club have done exceptionally well, and Mike Ashley has backed me to bring this player to the club."
As the brand new recipient of a No. 9 shirt that appears to have assumed mythical qualities on Tyneside - despite the number of overweight, middle-aged men seen wearing it around the town centre over the past couple of decades - Cisse will be warmly and enthusiastically embraced by the Geordie nation.
He will be forgiven the odd mistake, the odd miss, if he looks like his heart is in the cause and he is on the right track.
The same cannot be said of Newcastle's owner. The litany of mistakes and insults over the past few years is too great for him to become some kid of prodigal son and for forgiveness to be forthcoming.
But if Cisse does start banging them and Newcastle finish the season in a European spot, then there should at least be some recognition that Ashley has finally got his house in order and the club going forward.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It wasn't the greatest start in the world." - Macclesfield manager Gary Simpson rues a 37-second goal scored by Kevin Davies in Bolton's FA Cup third round victory on Tuesday night.
REACTIONARY NONSENSE OF THE DAY: "At one time, it was sacrilege to even contemplate life without Arsene Wenger, a manager as breathtakingly innovative on and off the pitch, successful and far-seeing as Herbert Chapman. Not so now. It was ironic Arsenal's defeat at Swansea should come against an attacking, free-flowing side built in their own image. If we are to talk successors, why not Brendan Rodgers to bring fresh enthusiasm and ideas to London Colney while continuing Wenger's philosophy?
"At 38, he is a good age, with vast contacts and knowledge of the league pyramid and rated hugely by Jose Mourinho who quickly spotted his potential and had him as his youth and reserve manager at Chelsea. Then there's Paul Lambert, achieving miracles at Norwich. And Southampton's Nigel Adkins, who can build both a defence and an attack. All three are brave enough to play the game as it should be played." The Sun's Steven Howard starts the Adkins for Arsenal bandwagon.
FOREIGN VIEW: "He worked like an animal (against Real Mallorca) and did exactly what the team needed. He doesn't need to score or be man of the match every time. I told him nobody can touch him after the way he worked in the second half. When the team wins everyone is responsible and when they lose everyone is responsible for that too. Simple." - Jose Mourinho defends Cristiano Ronaldo, scorer of 112 goals in 116 games for Real Madrid, against criticism ahead of yet another clasico, this time in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night.
COMING UP: It's clasico time, with Barcelona visiting Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey showdown. Kick-off is at 9pm and it's destined to be another rancorous affair. Don't miss it. There are also two matches taking place in the FA Cup, with Wrexham hosting Brighton and Birmingham visiting Wolves in two third round replays.
We put young Manchester United midfield sensation Paul Scholes under the microscope in our weekly video feature while Jim White and Andy Mitten file their latest columns. Oh, and there is the small matter of the start of our three-part interview with former Reading boss Steve Coppell.
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